1 dollar foam board flying wings 1/2a style

[Rosie Rosenau]

  Well here is a simple yet complex question.  I want to make some simple probably flying wing all foam board airplanes. Really trying to get a combat wing. I like the 30inch wingspans since that is the size of a foam board 20x30inch. Right now I am using 5 pieces of wood for the motor mount. I reinforce the bell crank and control horn attachment spots with thin plywood. Lead out is again light ply and is extra long with lead out holes all along it to experiment and find the right amount of rake?  Also put 1/4-1/2 oz on the out board wing tip.  Right now I am using only 1 piece flat and not making a stacked coraplast style wing which I will be getting into but want to start simple and work up.

Any in puts on this. Wowee looks AOK so far and it has twice the amount of thrust for it to fly.

Oh yes it is all electric brodaks set up for a baby pathfinder and I use 1000 mAH 3 cell battery and have switched to pusher props to help on keeping the planes out on the end of its lines and not in my lap or plowing grass.

 
Some wing outline designs will help as well as lightweight aerodynamic improvements to both lift and speed.

Let me know what you can please. I can not be the only 1/2a flyer that likes to fly cheap stuff... lol

Tally ho team
Rosie

[Tim Wescott]

I think this could be easily converted to CL.  Use a KR timer to prevent fires when the inevitable prop strike happens.  I've flown an RC version, and they're a bundle of fun:

http://flitetest.com/articles/ft-bloody-wonder-v2-project

[Duke.Johnson]

Flite Test should give you some great ideas, my boys and I have built several of this dollar tree foam (DTF) planes.  The have great construction methods that should help you.  As far as the flying wings, you can cut the outline of your favorite combat wing out of DTF and use one of the KF airfoils with a boom and tail feathers.  I built some coreplast combat wings this way and they were great fun, and they could take some abuse.  Remember to leave the paper on DTF, that's where the strenght comes from.  Look at Flite Test to learn how to keep the paper from pealing off over time and how to water proof the paper.
Good Luck and show pictures.

[Rosie Rosenau]

Thanks guys. I absolutely love the Flite test folks and ideas.  I have to think ANY coroplast design should also be swappable to DTF.  Trying something like a combat kitten but I blow up to the 30 inch wingspan. Anything less than 30 inch just has no glide path at all.

Can the KR airfoil be modified more? IE run a 1 inch strip full legnht of the wing top and on bottom in the same location. Or do I have to put it on the leading edge or can I bring it back to 1/3rd or 1/4th back where the wing rib would be the thickest.

Also the nice thing on this DTF is I do not have to use foam safe super glue. But can use any or hot glue sticks of course.

[Tim Wescott]

If you're talking about the airfoil that just folds the LE over, I think there's some magic about where it ends.  You could experiment, of course, but from what I've read that airfoil is a pretty good one if you're bound and determined to just do things out of flat foam.

Or, you can make a true airfoil, which is a lot easier with Dollar Tree foamboard than it is with Depron.

[Rosie Rosenau]

Here are two ideas. One is based off the Wowee. The second is an old design my father slapped on some butcher paper in the mid 1980s. It will probably be a butcher job when all done but LOTS of wing area almost 300sq inches. If nothing else she should glide well. Lol


Next attempt will the the Mini Early Bird but again. I will increase the wingspan to... you guessed it...30 inches.

Follow on designs will have fully symmetrical wing with hollow cores so they will just be folded back over on its self and glued to its trailing edge.

DTF seems to be lighter than the Coroplast. So lighter yes but not as sturdy so maybe a carbon fiber wing span taped to the wing. We will see.  The KR wingfoils good. I will do some Googling to see what others have done to experiments with them.

[Mark Mc]

Here's a good thread for Kline-Fogleman wings with DTF.  I'd think a KFm-6 or maybe a KFm-4 would do goof for a 1/2A wing.

Mark

[Steve H]

Rosie, good to see someone else experimenting with the foam board. I have posted a few of my exploits with the stuff here. I was thinking that the Man-Win Trainer might be a good flyer out of foam board making it up with a built up wing so to speak. Remove the paper from the inside, shipping tape over the paper on the outside like the RC guys, fold the 2 halves over a foam board spar, add power and fly.
Looking forward to what you get in the air!
Love the cheap stuff!!!

[john vlna]

I've been building planes with foam AND KFm airfoils for about 8 years. The KFm 2 and 4 seem best for CL. For DTF I use 3mm carbon spars. fOR LARGE PLANES .35 etc, I use arrow tubes.

The TBF shows a KFm 2 wing. It is all DTF with CF tube wing spar and Longitudinal spar on the fuselage.

[Phil Krankowski]

I have been thinking about this too.  Hardwood fuse, motor mount, dowel (arrow shaft) spar with 1 screw, yardstick trailing edge, some kind of spacer for the fat part of the wing, and lead out guide support.  Use the crease of fan fold foam as the leading edge and some simple fastenings on the skin.  If a spar breaks, it is 1 screw.  If the fuse breaks you have trouble though. 

And that is as far as I got on my design idea, an incomplete list of metrics...

Phil

[Chancey Chorney]

Wow Rosie.  I really like the Wowee you have there.  Looks like a neat little plane.

[Rosie Rosenau]

Thanks Chauncey, I have not gotten to fly it yet but did make a light weight landing gear that wraps her the top two X motor mount and then down toward the inside and back  out just below the lower two X mount bolts. At least I will be able to fly it without a standing stooge.

[goozgog]

Hello Rosie,
                It's not foam board but you might want
to check out the Mann-Winn Trainer over at the
Balsa Beavers site.

http://www.balsabeavers.com/information/information.php

   This is a tough old design that gets used for basic training
and learning to fly inverted. It's not dead easy to fly but it's
unbelievably durable. BTW, I get my aluminum for the engine
mounts from Home Depot gutter straps.

Cheers!

[Duke.Johnson]

And it would be easy to convert to electric and foam board if you want.

[George]

Thanks Chauncey, I have not gotten to fly it yet but did make a light weight landing gear that wraps her the top two X motor mount and then down toward the inside and back  out just below the lower two X mount bolts. At least I will be able to fly it without a standing stooge.

 
 
I hope you have as much fun with your WOWee as I did with a kit one back in the mid fifties (powered by a McCoy .049 diesel).

You might want to check out this site to perhaps pick up some ideas: www.aeromaniacs.com/Platterins.htmlCached   

George