Micro Pod and Boom RC Glider

thingiverse

A compact R/C V-tail glider featuring the wing of a Graupner Mini Discus free flight glider and an 8mm carbon tube, printed in under four hours using PETG material. Weighing less than 80 grams with a 180mah 2s battery, two 4.5g servos, and a small receiver. Carbon rods run through the boom to control the V-tail; simplicity and lightness dictate no ailerons are included. The tail is crafted from 2.5mm balsa wood, but an alternative printable design is also available. A tried-and-true approach led to choosing balsa over cover material due to issues with adhesion causing print damage. Most parts are printed without supports as single-layer designs, featuring several 0.2mm slots intended to produce single-wall ribs when sliced correctly. Cura experimentation yielded optimal results with outer wall expansions between 0.05 and 0.12mm and an inset of approximately -0.1mm. A wing reference is included in the parts list, modeling the original wing that comes with the Mini Discus. Testing and refinement continue in spare time; any ideas or suggestions are welcome! Enjoy flying this design, and stay tuned for updates on an upcoming larger-span wing project featuring printed ribs and balsa spars, optimized for a lower wing loading of 80 grams.