Slow Stick RC Airplane

thingiverse

I aimed to craft a leisurely flier so I sketched out some components and printed them. It turns out the flier flies exceptionally well! Many of these parts were inspired by other components found here on Thingiverse, I'll have to track down the originals and give proper credit... I fashioned the wing from some old blue fan-fold foam I acquired at Lowes. Wingspan is 42 inches while the Chord measures 12 inches. The wing risers feature a 5° dihedral angle. Wing "airfoil" was formed by rolling the material over the radiused edge of a table, pressing evenly with my hands until it resembled an airfoil. I used gorilla hot glue to hold everything together, then reinforced the joint and "spar" of the wing with good shipping tape. I added some 3mm hollow carbon fiber rods I had on hand to the leading and trailing edges as well as short pieces about 6 inches long to bridge the seam at the middle. Hardwood dowels would work just as well. The horizontal stabilizer is 12 inches wide by 5 inches long, plus a 2-inch elevator with approximately 1 inch of travel up and down. The vertical stabilizer stands 6 inches tall and 5 inches long, plus a 3-inch rudder with about 2 inches of travel in both directions. Hinges were created from shipping tape. I trimmed the corners with a 30°-60°-90° triangle for aesthetic purposes. The "fuselage" is a 3/8x3/8x36 inch poplar stick, wrapped with thin shrink tube to approximate 10mmx10mm. Clear shipping tape can be used as well; it adds strength to the stick too. The motor is a 2212 1400Kv unit paired with an 8x4 prop and a 3S 1300mAh battery. Landing gear was fashioned from .063" music wire, but I need to upgrade that to .093" wire, as it's currently too flimsy; however, it works for now. https://youtu.be/eFAfipwohUQ