BBB !!! the new, the awsome, the BalsaBabyBlender!

by Alex99 | June 24, 2013 | (10) Posted in Projects

Hello there!

So this is my latest project. It`s the second plane that i`ve build, where both of mine are scratch build, not from kits.

I can happily say that the first flyes wonderfully, and can only hope that this will fly as nice as that one!

Ofc, credits go to Flitetest and Josh Bixler for the design of this awsome plane.

I enjoyed flying the depron version of the baby blender so much that i decidet to build my own balsa model.

The project is not complete yet, I need to make the control surfaces, motor mount and landing gear... and ofc I have to mount all the electronics in it.

I will update this once it`s complete and I have maiden it.

Just thought i`d post this to get some feedback from you guyz.

For the wings I`ve used the same profile as my last plane because i found it to be very forgiving.

Specs: 4 ch - motor, ailerons, elevator and rudder (i can mod the high wing to accept flaps if it will be needed after maiden flight)

wing span: 600 mm (aprox. 23 inches) (one wing)

wing chord:180 mm (aprox. 7 inches) (one wing)

length: 580mm (aprox. 23 inches)

 

ALL FEEDBACK IS WELCOMED!

here are some pics from the building process.

 

 

UPDATE!!!

Just finished building it, and I thought to post some photos just in case the maiden goes south... will keep you guyz posted!

So, after maiden (if i can say that) the plane needed minor adjustments....so, I`e moved the battery tray forward and changed the prop (10 x 4.7 to 9 x 6). I`ve also recalibrated the travel and speed of the servos, and off I went!

 

Short but very satisfying flight (even tho it`s still needs some tinkering with it) So far i`m pleased with it.

 

I`ll put up the first flight (the one that was tail heavy) and the latest one. Hope you like it, Enjoy!

 

COMMENTS

earthsciteach on June 25, 2013
Fantastic! Love the balsa build!
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waldorf069 on June 25, 2013
Awesome, I always liked building in balsa. When I get my skills up I am going to have a go at this. Thanks for the inspiration.
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gr1999 on June 26, 2013
Plans Maybe??
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Alex99 on June 26, 2013
Hey. I don't really have plans for the balsa build. I have used the original plans just for the scale of the model and for design purposes. For example the 2 sides of the fuse are built on the plan to take some of the looks of the original model, then glued at a distance that you decide and then made the 2 turtle decks. On the plan I also built the stabilizers and from the plan I took the rough dimension of the wings... I'm sorry that I can't be more specific, but that is what makes mine so special for me... It's one of a kind. You have to take a chance and make your own... Besides.. if I decide to build another I have to say that it would be a lot different from the first one...
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5 oclock charlie on June 26, 2013
now thats a scratchbuild very very nice job.
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gdrcpilot on June 26, 2013
Balsa just feels so much better in the hands like a more realistic plane. Good for you. Looking forward to seeing it fly
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ParkFlyers on July 26, 2013
Good job, nice build Alex :)

What is the all up weight? ...I'm in the process of building a balsa BB and I'm wanting to stick in an i.c. engine, any thoughts?
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Alex99 on July 27, 2013
Well, the flying weight is about 750 grams. About the i.c. engine, if it would bring up more weight in the front is a plus, the plane tends to be tail haveay, apperantly.If you want i.c. engine I would suggest corvering the plane in balsa, don`t leave it as a skeletron, like me.
As a note, I really feel compaled to tell you that the build was fun, it was a challendge, and I really wanted to build one simply for the looks of the plane. This looks awsome hanging over my work bench.... I`ve flown it several times, but now, i wouldnt waste the car space to get it to the field, nor would i waste my batteries on this model.
If I were to build it again, i would choose a diffrent wing profile (choose wisely, this would make or brake the build) from what i have now, i would make diffrent top and bottom wings and I would make it a hell of a lot bigger, haha.
If you want to build this bipe for the fun of it, PLEASE DO! but if you want to have a lot of fun flying a bipe, build a Pitts :)
P.S. I still fly my depron Baby Blender every day! but it seams the design is not suitable for anything other then foam.
Hope I helped, Alex!
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ParkFlyers on July 28, 2013
Thanks for the reply Alex, yeah I love the Pitts. Got one, flown it to death, crashed it, rebuilt it, flies even better :) And I'm using the Pitts build as a theme - sort of.

I want to make the build as close to the original as possible. I've chosen the Clark-Y aerofoil section as it's basically the same as the BB, however, I've kept in the 'large' trailing edge - which I'm a little worried about! I've shortened the nose, or should I say, I've moved the firewall back about 4 cm to help with the extra weight up front (O.S. 25 Max??). 750 grams sounds just about right, I think I'm coming in slightly lighter at the moment.

Should be finished next week, depending on how much time I can put into it, I'll create a blog and stick some pictures on for you :)
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ParkFlyers on August 3, 2013
Thank you for your comment Alex, hope you have a great week end :)
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ParkFlyers on August 1, 2013
Started a blog about the build just now and uploaded a few pictures for you Alex:
http://parkflyer.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/flite-test-baby-blender-version-2-balsa-edition/
Love to hear your comments :)
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BBB !!! the new, the awsome, the BalsaBabyBlender!