Edge 540 on Rubber

[stx44]

I used the kit tissue, and just modified the scheme based on something I saw on the net....

Its 55 g , without balancing , with kit rubber and prop. My only concern is that the initial indications are that balancing may add another 15g to that...

And annoyingly I cant find my magnets..... going to need something to keep the nosecone in place as it is a very loose fit.

[Mitch]

Stx,

I really like the way you did the color scheme!

Did you add any dihedral? They wing look like 90 degrees to fuselage. I plan to bring my kit this week aboard my ship and build the skeleton. I plan to use the kit wood. I will try to make mine lighter. To do this I will remove what I think is 'excess' wood.

If you can not find magnets at your LHS try... easybuilt on the internet. They sell a large selection of rare earth magnets. They have lots of tissue paper and other supplies.

Mitch

[stx44]

It doesnt show on the picture because of the wing angles, but yes, it has dihedral. The wing tips are actually higher than the fuselage .

The magnets are more an annoyance than anything- it delays my flight testing! I could be flying this weekend if I could find them!

[Mitch]

You'll get there... although with the rubber holding on the nose on, are the magnets really necessary? So you you finished you model before I started mine so I have a target weight to beat! I could not find any wheels at the LHS the small size required so I will be using the kit wood wheels.

I plan to use all kit wood and propeller. The only modification will be the location of peg, type of peg, and rubber motor.

I plan to build the skeleton this trip (12 days) then I will be taking 30 days off, so I can finish my model, bring it to the Boeing Show, then try to fly it!

Mitch

PS: I bought a can of Red Bull so I have the logo to copy and keep me going to get this model finished in time!

[stx44]

If you use the kit rubber, then it does not hold the nose tight, unless you shorten it.

I guess thats something I hadnt thought of- running a shorter motor for the moment! That would get me flying at least!

I am waiting on rubber in the mail, but given the issues in the US, Im unsure when I will get it. Has the stoppages covered the mail service too?

[stx44]

I have a further suggestion with regards to the model.

For a flying model, the 4 locator pins for the nosecone need to be made from something less likely to snap than balsa.

I am thinking either matches (if they are the right size) or plastic rod. It only takes a slight bump when loading a motor and the balsa pins snap. Fortunately I only glued them to the nosecone (not the bulkhead) with white glue- made them easy to replace.

I also glued some stiff paper to both bulkheads to try and prevent any cracking when the pins are pushed through.

[David Lewis]

stx44 wrote: "It only takes a slight bump when loading a motor and the balsa pins snap."

Sometimes making the balsa pins larger (cross section) is a solution. Bending strength goes up as the square of beam depth and, if the pin slip fits into a balsa socket, it will keep a tight fit longer (the balsa doesn't wear out or compress as quickly because there's more bearing area). The pitfall is that you may have to reinforce the former that the pins are glued into with cross pieces and, if the pin is too much stronger than the socket, the pin will destroy the socket in a crash. You would like them both to be about equally strong.

[Mitch]

Hey Guys I just posted all my new pics on the other thread Dave started I meant to post it here.

My Skeleton weighs 17.7 g and that was before I drilled it full of holes. I will unpack it and weigh it now to see... I weighed it when our ship was docked in Dutch Harbor. On the trip home I was unable to weigh the model. Everyday I just keep drilling holes!



I started drilling holes and keep going. My scale was not working on the ship as there was too much vibration.

I only reinforced the F0 with some slivers of bamboo. I will need to make the front end adjustable for thrust direction.

I believe if the model is light enough it will have soft landings, not hard impacts! With that small wing weight is critical for wing loading!

Mitch

UPDATE: My skeleton now weighs 16.6 g I was able to remove over 1 g of wood. I plan to start covering tomorrow!
(16.6 g is JUST the wood, NO cowling or CANOPY or gear. The finished model will gain a lot more weight!)