I have a 3D printer and some CAD skills, as well as basic engineer training. I never studied fluid dynamics, but I also never studied running a website or how to be a father, but here I am.
Anyhow, I want to put an impeller fan (yes, not a turbo) on an airplane and use it as a propulsion system. After a few days with CAD software, I came up with a small 3D printed impeller fan that hopefully will be strong enough to make airplanes fly…
The centrifugal fan is power from a “standard” drone brushless motor and a standard RC ESC. It sounds terrific!
Tag: Airplanes
INAV Airspeed Sensor – which one to choose
INAV flight controllers gives you the option to install airspeed sensor on your airplane, just like in Pixhawk and Ardupilot. And just like in case of Pixhawk and Ardupilot, you have several options in terms of the hardware. Airspeed sensors, also known as Pitot tubes, come in two variants: digital and analog.
The Ultimate Fixed Wing Tuning Guide for INAV
Today, step by step, tuning guide for all of you flying fixed wings (including flying wings) with INAV onboard! No, I will not give you a magical formula: put this here and it’s done. It’s a real step by step list of what you have to do to tune your fixed-wing airplane. Starting from the center of gravity, rates, servo trimming and finally tuning vital INAV parameters.
How to make tape hinges
If you have a foamie or want to build your own airplane, this skill is a must: how to make tape hinges! In this example, we will make a tape hinge between to pieces of Depron foam board. But it can be any other kind of flat material: balsa, plywood, metal, plastic. The basic idea is always the same: two strips of adhesive tape on both sides
Lidl Glider Adventures
The maiden of my Lidl XL glider XL conversion did not go a 100% like I expected. The problem was a motor inclination angle. It was pointing too high and a result Lidl glider it was climbing very rapidly as soon as the throttle was increased. The elevator trim was not helping much. I have changed the motor angle and went for the next try. Well, actually two tries hoping to finally get good flight characteristics of my Lidl XL Glider.
Lidl Glider RC Conversion
I missed the Lidl Glider hype last year, so when only I got the news that XL gliders are again available in Lidl stores in Poland, I got two. Just in case one is not enough. A few days later, my first Lidl Glider based with spare parts and some carbon fiber is done. It even flies. Barely, but flies. I messed up the motor inclination angle and will have to fix it. But looks good
Thrust vectoring on a flying wing
If modern fighter jets can have thrust vectoring, maybe RC flying wings also can get one? I’ve decided to test this theory and equip my very old DIY Depron flying wing with a motor tilting mechanism that allows changing the vector of an RC brushless motor and propeller and vector the thrust. My goals were:
- check if it works at all
- check if thrust vectoring would improve the flight
- check if pitch control can be done only with thrust vectoring
- check if yaw control can be done this way
Ritewing Mini Drak – The Mist
Ritewing Mini Drak is a very stable airplane, but when the air is bumpy, the flight will be bumpy as well. This is why I’m experimenting with a soft image stabilization.
For video editing, I’m using Magix Movie Studio 15 and it has a built-in video stabilization plugin. But it does not work: waste of time. So, I’ve got me something else: newBlueFX Stabilizer.
In this video, some of the takes are stabilized, some are not. You should not have much trouble finding which ones I’ve stabilized with newBlueFx Stabilizer and which not. I’ve tried to find the settings that are soft enough not to make it look super strange or something. Did I succeed? Not me to judge.
Ritewing Mini Drak Review
Ritewing Mini Drak is probably the best looking RC flying wing. You might not agree if you want to. It just looks awesome! Geat foam quality, great flying experience. Sure, it’s not 100% perfect and I would not mind if Ritewing improved Mini Drak a little, but for sure it is an amazing design!
Flybot Flux Freestyle FPV flying wing
What happens when multirotor world meets flying wings? Flying ZM250 without arms is born. Today we will take a look at a new example of German Engineering: Flybot Flux Freestyle FPV Flying Wing