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Post by bmahaney on Mar 31, 2012 13:29:04 GMT -6
I crashed my Skysurfer/Bixler last week while testing some FPV equipment. I have a APM 2.0 on the way, so rather than rebuild the Skysurfer or buy a new airframe, I decided to build the Nova. It looks pretty good so far. I had to change things a little. My local Lowes did not have 3/4" foam. Instead, they had 1.5" foam. I used 3 layers and sanded heavily to get down to the appropriate dimension. I also decided to try an Armin wing (dollar tree foam board), rather than the clark y. I tried the clark y, but had some issues cutting it. I also altered the vertical stabilizer a little just to add a personal touch. Attachments:
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Post by rdstarwalt on Mar 31, 2012 14:46:00 GMT -6
That is looking great! Your copilot looks to be enjoying it also. ;D
I am mulling over an 'old school' vintage style of the Nova.
Trent's minimalist approach gets him in the air quick but I spent too many years honing building skills to abandon them.
BTW, is that an F4 or P47 hanging on the wall? (at least that's my guess)
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Post by bmahaney on Mar 31, 2012 17:21:22 GMT -6
I thought about an "old school" build, but I liked the idea of the quick and dirty. Still, I'd like to see one. That is a P47 hanging back there. Just a foamy (flown once, crashed once. waiting for a nice calm day to take it back out). And that's a Newcastle sitting on the freezer
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Post by rdstarwalt on Apr 1, 2012 11:04:54 GMT -6
And that's a Newcastle sitting on the freezer LOL! ;D
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Post by Trent on Apr 2, 2012 9:35:53 GMT -6
That looks great! I like the personal touch of the tail section too! You'll have to tell us how the wing works for you on the nova, I'd like to try that building method again someday.
How are you going to mount the FPV equipment? What method did you use to get the plans on the foam? i.e. did you print them off and glue them, did you measure and draw like I did, etc.
Thank you! Looks awesome...
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Post by Trent on Apr 2, 2012 9:48:46 GMT -6
Quick question, what did you use to glue the fuse sections together (the four layers that make up the fuse).
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Post by bmahaney on Apr 3, 2012 11:58:31 GMT -6
Hey Trent, I loved the simplicity of the design and how fast I was able to throw it together. Thanks for putting in the effort to design this plane. To answer your questions. I glued the layers of foam-board together using the Liquid Nails version of the foam glue you used on the Raptor (I think it was), the kind that comes in the caulking tube. I only had three layers to glue though because I could only find foam in 1.5 inch thick slabs. I used your plans to draw the patterns onto some cardboard I had laying around the house. I cut out the patterns and traced them onto the foam-board with a permanent marker and cut them out one at a time with a hot wire cutter. I built the hot wire cutter in about a half hour out of scraps laying in the shop. I'm not sure how I will mount FPV equipment or the APM I have on order. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. If you want to know how the Armin wing performs, check out this video (sorry for the poor quality). My son shot it yesterday with my cell phone. I maidened the Nova yesterday. The video is of the third flight I made. I thought the plane performed great. I'm very happy with it and I'm planning on flying it again today if time and weather permit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvRXsqNa1wIBrian
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Post by bmahaney on Apr 3, 2012 12:06:48 GMT -6
Oh, and you should try the Armin wing. It was very simple to build. That is the first and only one I have ever built. If you try it, I'd love to see a test comparison with the hot wire cut wing you are using now, perhaps on MGS Extras
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Post by bmahaney on Apr 18, 2012 17:12:47 GMT -6
I have been flying my Nova dozens of times now, and it has been performing flawlessly. I played with the CG a bit at first, but now that I have it worked out, it's great. The more I fly it the better I like it. I have been pushing the limits a bit, and have found it to be more air worthy than I initially thought. I've included some pictures of the slight modifications I made to Trent's design. They are not significant. Attachments:
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Post by bmahaney on Apr 18, 2012 17:14:04 GMT -6
Motor mount. Attachments:
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Post by bmahaney on Apr 18, 2012 17:15:11 GMT -6
Tail section with servo mounting locations. Attachments:
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Post by bmahaney on Apr 18, 2012 17:16:57 GMT -6
Payload area. Narrower than Trent's because I used 1.5" thick foam board. Attachments:
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Post by bmahaney on Apr 18, 2012 17:18:29 GMT -6
Wing mounting pegs. I used the vertical ones to keep it from sliding around and to ensure consistent placement. They were an afterthought. Attachments:
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Post by bmahaney on Apr 18, 2012 17:20:19 GMT -6
Another view of the wing mounting pegs. The ones that the rubber bands hook around are scrap carbon fiber that I had laying around. Attachments:
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Post by rdstarwalt on Apr 19, 2012 5:15:57 GMT -6
Nice touches! Thank you for the update!
I went to my local Lowes and could not find the 'blue board' in any size. They did have 'bead board' in small sections to fix between wall studs. 6 in a pack, 3/4 (0.75) thickness for less than $10 US.
I picked up a pack and some Loctite Spary adhesive for foam and other materials.
This weekend I will experiment and get back to this group with the results.
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