Chipotle Burrito Plane - Scratch Build

by Croom | August 25, 2015 | (6) Posted in Projects

Intro

Have you ever wanted to fly your plane, and eat it too? Well now you can, with the Gorgeous Flying Burrito! This 30 inch size warbird makes a great aileron trainer, as it is stable and flies like it's on rails. With optional landing gear, you can take off and land like a scale plane. I hope you guys will appreciate this design despite all its wackyness (although isn't that the point?), and enjoy!

Overview/Story

One day my brother decided he wanted me to build a plane for him, specifically a warbird. He loved his Ultra Micro T-28 Trojan, but wanted something a little bit bigger. It struck me

"Hey, why don't I design a warbird for him based on his Ultra Micro?"

and thus, the Burrito was born. The story of the fuselage size and iconic 'burrito' shape comes from some messed up measurements I made. To scale the plans from the UM, I measured the MAX fuselage width, and made the fuse rectangular. A T-28 has a CIRCULAR fuselage, so when I converted it to a rectangular prism, it ended up boxy and oversized. This does not appear to affect the flight charictaristics very much, and makes it look pretty funny when floating around in the air.

Flight Charictaristics

The plane flies generally like its Ultra Micro predecessor, but handles wind much better. In the video, I am using a 250 class motor, so it is a tad underpowered. I do recommend getting around a 300 class if you would like to preform more aerobatic manuvers or are an advanced pilot. A 270 class would be perfect for a beginner. The dihedral of the wings creates a very stable flightline and also allows the plane to self level, another great beginner charictaristic. To see this plane in action, check out the flight video.

Review/Flight Video

Specs - Because everyone likes specs :)

 Wingspan: 30 in

Front of Fuse to Wing: 4.2 in

Length Fuselage (no rudder): 21 in

Horizontal Stabilizer Width: 13.2 in

Horizontal Stabilizer Length: 3.5 in

Elevator Control Surface Length: 1.5 in

Wingtip Length: 4.4 in

Wing Root Length: 6.2 in

Fuselage Width MAX: 3.5 in (3.5 by 3.5 box; hence the burrito shape; recmmended to shorten this)

Aileron Length: 1.5 in

Rudder Height: 6.2 in

Rudder Length at Tip: 4 in

Rudder Length at base: 8 in

Rudder Control Surface Length: 1.5 in

Wing fold back from leading edge: 2 in

CG: 2 in back from leading edge of wing

Electronics/hardware

270-300 class brushless motor (1600-1900 kv)

7x3.5 prop (or whatever suits your motor)

3-4 5g servos

10-12 amp ESC

350-700 mah 3 cell battery

Y-harness

Pushrods and control horns

Any Tx and Rx

ALL of these things can be purchased from www.headsuphobby.com , or click link below for a power package with motor, props, 2 5g servos, and esc.

Power Package (Beginner): http://www.headsuphobby.com/MiniBipe-Power-Package-D-504.htm

Note: As stated above, if you would like to be more agressive with this plane, then buy a 300 class motor instead of a 250-270, and even for beginners, a 270 class would be good. (package comes with a 250 class)

The reason I use HeadsUpHobby: $2 shipping, cheap parts, and 3 day arrival in the US!!! 

Build Tips

Note: if you would like to build a Flying Burrito with these instuctions, then follow the tips below along with the dimensions provided above. If you would like plans or a build along video, I can attempt to do either, although you may have to wait some time. Please leave a comment if you would like either of these!

-Make fuselage smaller if you have a weaker motor (250-270 class) (2.5 in by 2.5 in + instead of 3.5 x 3.5)

-Make rudder size larger (7-8 in tall instead of 6.2 in)

-To make curve/fold in wing, cut bottom of wing 2 in back from leading edge, but only cut through the first layer of paper. Then, fold the foamboard the opposite way of the cut. Do the same cut perpandicular on the top of the wing in the center, then fold opposite. Try to get a mix of curve and dihedral.

NOTE: Don't fold the wing all the way over, just crease it like the diagram below. The wing should not end up like a KFM airfoil.

-See video for a complete view of the plane

 Pictures: In Development and Finished Product

Next to the UM T-28 after it was modeled by

After Sharpie Job :)

After Maiden with gear and windshield (don't add one, it increases drag and creates poor tracking)

I hope you all enjoyed this article, and tell me what you think! I appreciate any feedback and will answer any questions.

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/croom248

Website: http://AileronRC.wordpress.com

Disclaimer: Actual burrito plane cannot be eaten, sorry for the inconvenience :)

COMMENTS

spastickitten on October 22, 2015
If you thicken the tail, or cover the top and bottom, you can get it to be a little sturdier. It would have to slot into the tail feathers to do it, look at how FT makes their tails.
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peabody1929 on October 4, 2015
A simple drawing of the wing shape, curvature and dihedral angle would be great to help build the wing.
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Croom on October 4, 2015
Ok, on it :). Sorry if my description is bad. I will also add drawings of the other recommended build tips.
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Croom on October 4, 2015
Done, let me know if you have any other questions and I will be glad to answer them. Also, make sure the wing is level when inserting into the fuselage. My drawing showed what looked like a large flap, so don't get confused :).
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Chipotle Burrito Plane - Scratch Build