Author Archives: Antony

Safety Rules

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Flying a model plane is not an easy thing to do… much harder than driving a car.  How long does it take to pass a driving test?

It must be understood that probably none of our team (not even me 🙁 ) will get a chance to ever fly the real model as the real model can only be flown under the supervision of a British Model Flying Association (BMFA) instructor.

Under no circumstances will any members of the Mosaic Clubhouse be allowed to power on the plane without the presence of someone the BMFA would regard as of “trusted experience”.

The engine is about 450W of power… about as a much as this

Any tests during the building process requiring powering the receiver will be done without a propeller fitted on the engine.

The only time a propeller will be fitted on the engine will be in presence of a BMFA member.

THE MODEL WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED TO FLY UNDER SUPERVISION OF A BMFA INSTRUCTOR.

Even though members of the Mosaic Clubhouse won’t be able to fly the actual model, we’ll make every effort to put together a version we can fly on a simulator (X-plane free is limited to 10min flying… the competition is 10min 🙂 )  If we do well on the simulation, there is always a chance we’ll be able to convince a BMFA instructor we could have the commands for a few minutes 🙂

After speaking with Terry Eato (Club Support Officer BMFA) I have no doubt we will have, that day, a pilot to fly the plane at it’s best.  To honour all those people paid with a smile, who are so candidly offering their help, we’ll have to build the nicest and smoothest plane to fly that day!

Thanks you for reading this 🙂

The wings

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Information on how wings fly: http://www.cfse.ch/site/topics-wings.htm

Links:

Notes:

All the experienced modellers I’ve met, each time I mentioned heavy lift, would always come up with the RG-15 profile… must be something about it 🙂

profile RG15 A ?? 150~160mm cord, wingspan 1.5m
Ailerons of about 20% on all the lengths

The wings would be cut into a block of foam using a hot wire.

The wing will be reinforced by a carbon tube (8~10mm?)

A layer of grade 160 fibre glass and a thin layer of balsa is added around the foam core (sounds solid to me).  Covered with solar film, the wings will have a nice gloss finish. (Is it a sandwiched wing?)

rg15a213

This is a Rolf Girsberger RG 15A 2.5/13.0 air-foil

rg15a111

Rolf Girsberger RG 15A-1.8/11.0 air-foil

FX 62-K-153/20

FX 62-K-153/20

AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATION

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E.3    AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATION
E3.1    Only fixed wing designs will be permitted to enter the competition. The maximum total wingspan is to be 1500mm.
E3.2    Propulsion unit is to consist of one E-flight Power 10 motor and one E- flight 40A speed controller (available at cost direct from the BMFA office). The battery must be a 3 cell Lithium Polymer with a capacity not to exceed 2500 mAH, the pack must have the manufacturers label with the capacity shown. A separate battery may be used to power the aircraft’s radio receiver. No modification to the motor is permitted.
E3.3    Only one flight battery may be used per flying round.
E3.4    A propeller spinner or rounded safety nut must be fitted on forward facing motors.

Deadlines

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All members of the team MUST READ this document!
ElectricLiftRules2011

[…] transport the greatest quantity of water around a predetermined triangular course in a prescribed 10 minute time slot utilising a standardised propulsion unit. […]

The competition will take place on the 6th of June 2011.

We’ll have to hand in by the 6th of May the drawings of the plane.

The judges will evaluate the drawings based on a professional standard format. Areas of evaluation will include.
Detail Completeness Explanation of structures Readability Graphical standards
A maximum of three sheets of drawings is required. The drawings will be worth 25 points.

[…]

Each team must submit a report which outlines the design philosophy of the aircraft, team roles and responsibilities, choice of configuration, payload distribution, manufacturing techniques and any practical testing undertaken. No prediction of the total payload to be transported is required. Any original or innovative ideas should be described, together with the use of unique or advanced structural techniques and materials. The report is worth 25 points and should comprise no more than six double-spaced, typewritten pages of A4 paper, including any appendices and diagrams. Minimum type size to be 12 point.

Budget

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The budget we have to start with is of £746.
With this we have to build at least one plane… and I think it would be a good idea to actually build two!
I think we should build a prototype before we start building the one that will fly on the actual competition day.

Power

First we should buy two engines + controllers from the BMFA.

  • Eflight 40amp speed controller £32.19 (rrp £72.00)
  • Eflight Power 10 motor £22.07 (rrp £49.00)
  • total: £54.28  (+ shipping?)
  • Order to be sent to <admin [at] bmfa.org> addressed to Julie Cole.
  • Props: 9×6 ??

Batteries

  • 2x 2500 3S Lipo

Building materials

Foam

I’ll look at good deals to by some EPP foam blocks. still needing to math out the volume and quality needed.

Balsa

Glue

  • Epoxy (slow + fast)
  • uhu foam glue

Carbon

  • 8x 10mm x 1m carbon tubes

Radio equipment

Servos

note: could be we can have a few standard size servos from the Thamesmead Model Club

Antony GIBBS

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I’m french and I have moved in London in November 2009 to follow my girlfriend who works in the city.
Trained a photographer (BA in digital imaging, 1994 MMU – Manchester) I now make a living as a freelance web designer.
I want to pass the glider flying license and in the mean time I’ve been having lots of joy from flying some RC foamies as a first step taking me in the air.
I’m very excited by this project.