Airobatic FT-Flyer Is Here...

First let me say thank you Josh Bixler and Flite Test for the FT-Flyer. Ever since I started flying foam board airplanes almost 2 years ago, I have flown the FT-Flyer in one format or the other. Over time, however, I have made various modifications which I feel have accomplished things far beyond what it was originally intended. It does make a great starter plane but with a little alteration becomes a fast, advanced, and acrobatic Flyer. This article is to provide you with enough information to evaluate some of my design changes.

My first revision was to add ailerons but on my first attempt I maintained the original dihedral as designed. The ailerons functioned but inverted flight was very difficult.  

So I built a Flyer with a flat wing and ailerons. It flew great but had two faults. First it was under powered with the E-max 2822 that I was running. With an upgraded motor preforming repeated acrobatics the wing would fold. I doubled the foam on the front of the wing to compensate and it worked well. The addition of two tongue depressors proved to be the addition which held everything together.

The aileron Setup:

The important part of this modification is the motor. I got the tip from a friend and ordered the same motor that one of the big stores puts on their P-51D. It is a screamer. All the power you want. I did have to make a few alterations in order for the motor to fit correctly but it is worth it. As you can see I had to notch the foam for the bolts and I only used one bamboo skewer to hold the front the power pod.

Okay, here is the flight video. A special thanks to my special friend and the pilot Ed Panter for his contributions to this project.

The Motor and accessories:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAUTG

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMSG4

In conclusion, this was a project spanning this summer flying season. There was a lot of trial and error involved in the making of the Flyer represented in the above article. A lot was learned and building techniques refined. One lesson learned is represented by the photo below. If you ever are tempted to turn the back fuselage over to the top of the wing, mount the battery on the top, and power it with a 64mm ducted fan. I wouldn't recommend it. It flew inverted pretty well but all in all was a total disaster. After several attempts the total flight time was about 4 minutes before a disappointing crash which destroyed the DF. The vinyl graphics did turn out pretty well though I think. :)

Thank you. David...