Lele - (Aloft 68)

[Wayne]

Thought it was about time to share what I have been working on. This plane is not yet named, for now we can call it the AH68 as it has a 68" wingspan. Simple 2 channel modern classic using AG airfoils blending through the panels. Why 68"? I wanted a mid sized model.

I wanted a plane a little bigger than the Mini Wanderer (45" wingspan). And I wanted a little more complexity to the build. I'm targeting folks that have built the Ridge Runt or Mini Wanderer and want a little more advanced build. She is still designed to go together easily, but the sheeted wings make things a bit more complex to build. The tail is also built from many small pieces, but we do all of the cutting for you. (The design of the vertical may change to match the horizontal.)

The fuselage is keyed to fit together in perfect alignment. We are using a mix of castellated rear and 3D bulkheads in the front, so a mix of Ridge Runt and Mini Wanderer methods. We have a plywood side doubler running from the nose to the back of the wing. (Not shown is generous amounts of triangle stock in the corners) I really like the 3D printed bulkheads, I plan to use them on all of my future designs.

I have a few more details to add and we can start doing our sample builds.

The wing is nearly all balsa, except for the center wing support and a bit of carbon. This is a 2 piece wing for easy transport, and a single 3mm nylon screw secures the wing. The screw is designed to shear off in a bad landing to protect with wing. A look under the wood sheeting:

I'm excited to start building, the wing should be light and plenty strong. We are using the same motor that we use in the Ridge Runt, a very affordable Emax, but other motors can be used. The battery shown in the images here is a 1300/3S. A much smaller battery can and should be used. A 1300 could fly this for hours. Servo tray is sized for our Orbit servos, but the rear mount can be moved to accommodate many similar sized servos.

I started the design for this while on holiday in Hawaii, so she might end up with a Hawaiian inspired name.

I have enjoyed sharing the development with Konrad, and he has contributed many great ideas that no doubt has made the wing better and far lighter that my original.

I did debate keeping this a 1 piece wing, it would be lighter, but for me the 2 piece makes more sense. Even as a mid size, the polyhedral 1 piece would take up a lot of space when transporting and storing. Just much more practical in my mind. Someone could build this as a one piece if they wanted.

I have really enjoyed the build on this model. I wanted to push my CAD skills, and while I still have a long way to go, this is my cleanest CAD design thus far.

 

[thenated0g]

really enjoying seeing how you are combining 3d printing and balsa in your models, looks cool.

 

[Wayne]

Thank you. It really gives me a lot of freedom to to have some complexity while making the build much easier. I can do some unconventional things like the front pin on the Ridge Runt and get away with it. It is fun to think about possible solutions to a challenge. I think that is what I enjoy the most.

 

[Tmcfarland]

Thought it was about time to share what I have been working on. This plane is not yet named, for now we can call it the AH68 as it has a 68" wingspan. Simple 2 channel modern classic using AG airfoils blending through the panels. Why 68"? I wanted a mid sized model.
View attachment 23445
View attachment 23447View attachment 23448

I wanted a plane a little bigger than the Mini Wanderer (45" wingspan). And I wanted a little more complexity to the build. I'm targeting folks that have built the Ridge Runt or Mini Wanderer and want a little more advanced build. She is still designed to go together easily, but the sheeted wings make things a bit more complex to build. The tail is also built from many small pieces, but we do all of the cutting for you. (The design of the vertical may change to match the horizontal.)
View attachment 23449

The fuselage is keyed to fit together in perfect alignment. We are using a mix of castellated rear and 3D bulkheads in the front, so a mix of Ridge Runt and Mini Wanderer methods. We have a plywood side doubler running from the nose to the back of the wing. (Not shown is generous amounts of triangle stock in the corners) I really like the 3D printed bulkheads, I plan to use them on all of my future designs.
View attachment 23450
View attachment 23452
I have a few more details to add and we can start doing our sample builds.

The wing is nearly all balsa, except for the center wing support and a bit of carbon. This is a 2 piece wing for easy transport, and a single 3mm nylon screw secures the wing. The screw is designed to shear off in a bad landing to protect with wing. A look under the wood sheeting:
View attachment 23453

I'm excited to start building, the wing should be light and plenty strong. We are using the same motor that we use in the Ridge Runt, a very affordable Emax, but other motors can be used. The battery shown in the images here is a 1300/3S. A much smaller battery can and should be used. A 1300 could fly this for hours. Servo tray is sized for our Orbit servos, but the rear mount can be moved to accommodate many similar sized servos.

I started the design for this while on holiday in Hawaii, so she might end up with a Hawaiian inspired name.

I have enjoyed sharing the development with Konrad, and he has contributed many great ideas that no doubt has made the wing better and far lighter that my original.

I did debate keeping this a 1 piece wing, it would be lighter, but for me the 2 piece makes more sense. Even as a mid size, the polyhedral 1 piece would take up a lot of space when transporting and storing. Just much more practical in my mind. Someone could build this as a one piece if they wanted.

I have really enjoyed the build on this model. I wanted to push my CAD skills, and while I still have a long way to go, this is my cleanest CAD design thus far.

An interesting size. Thermal pilots might say “make it 2 meters and add spoilers”. One small point or suggestion, most of the 2m res gliders have such narrow fuselages that installing motor, battery and esc can be a nightmare. Adding a few millimeters in width can’t really hurt performance that much. Will be interested in progress and final weight.

 

[Wayne]

Yes, my original design was a pure glider and it was MUCH thinner. I then backed up, spec'd out the motor and went from there. The fuselage width is set to the spinner we felt we needed to run, so we are right at 40mm. This gives lot of room to use different power systems. Also, not shown is the use of large triangle stocks in the corners. I expect builders to sand the heck out of those corners! Should end up with very pleasing curves.

We currently offer a pretty nice RES kit, the Prime. Currently sold out.

Prime RES III Electric - KIT by CLM Pro

The Prime RES III is a re-designed version of the Prime RES II model. The kit is available as a V-Tail or a Cross-Tail (X-Tail) The new version has two spoilers, a re-designed fuselage with built in firewall for motor installation, and a completely new wing design, which reduced all up weight...

alofthobbies.com

We also have the more relaxed Triple RES versions. All of these RES models have been popular.

I was reading the RES rules the other day and I'd need clarification if they will allow the 3D printed parts I like to incorporate. I would think they would be fine as the rules are to keep airframe expenses down, and we are not adding any expense to the kits with this addition. But we will probably tackle a competition grade RES design in the future. I'd like to get a few more designs under my belt before I attempt to tackle that, and I'll team up with an aerodynamicists to make sure we will have an exceptional model. For now we have about 10 more designs to focus on. I think we will see 2 new models in August, maybe 2 more in September. We shall see. It is a lot of work.

Yes, it is not a 2 meter. I wanted something smaller, and this was the size the design took me to. There are a lot of 2 meter ships, this is a unique, and between you and me I expect it to fly better than many of the 2 meter ships out there. We shall see where our AUW comes in at, and how well the CG works out. If I messed up on those, then it will need some refinements. I did debate adding spoilers to the wings, but don't think they are strictly needed as it is not a competition model at this size, and the wing should be able to get the model out of trouble quickly without shedding any flight surfaces.

 

[Tmcfarland]

Yes, my original design was a pure glider and it was MUCH thinner. I then backed up, spec'd out the motor and went from there. The fuselage width is set to the spinner we felt we needed to run, so we are right at 40mm. This gives lot of room to use different power systems. Also, not shown is the use of large triangle stocks in the corners. I expect builders to sand the heck out of those corners! Should end up with very pleasing curves.

We currently offer a pretty nice RES kit, the Prime. Currently sold out.

Prime RES III Electric - KIT by CLM Pro

The Prime RES III is a re-designed version of the Prime RES II model. The kit is available as a V-Tail or a Cross-Tail (X-Tail) The new version has two spoilers, a re-designed fuselage with built in firewall for motor installation, and a completely new wing design, which reduced all up weight...

alofthobbies.com

We also have the more relaxed Triple RES versions. All of these RES models have been popular.

I was reading the RES rules the other day and I'd need clarification if they will allow the 3D printed parts I like to incorporate. I would think they would be fine as the rules are to keep airframe expenses down, and we are not adding any expense to the kits with this addition. But we will probably tackle a competition grade RES design in the future. I'd like to get a few more designs under my belt before I attempt to tackle that, and I'll team up with an aerodynamicists to make sure we will have an exceptional model. For now we have about 10 more designs to focus on. I think we will see 2 new models in August, maybe 2 more in September. We shall see. It is a lot of work.

Yes, it is not a 2 meter. I wanted something smaller, and this was the size the design took me to. There are a lot of 2 meter ships, this is a unique, and between you and me I expect it to fly better than many of the 2 meter ships out there. We shall see where our AUW comes in at, and how well the CG works out. If I messed up on those, then it will need some refinements. I did debate adding spoilers to the wings, but don't think they are strictly needed as it is not a competition model at this size, and the wing should be able to get the model out of trouble quickly without shedding any flight surfaces.

It must be a long road bringing a new kit to production. I’m guessing you also don’t get rich doing it. Looking forward to seeing it take flight.

 

[NKYEd]

Yes, my original design was a pure glider and it was MUCH thinner. I then backed up, spec'd out the motor and went from there. The fuselage width is set to the spinner we felt we needed to run, so we are right at 40mm. This gives lot of room to use different power systems. Also, not shown is the use of large triangle stocks in the corners. I expect builders to sand the heck out of those corners! Should end up with very pleasing curves.

We currently offer a pretty nice RES kit, the Prime. Currently sold out.

Prime RES III Electric - KIT by CLM Pro

The Prime RES III is a re-designed version of the Prime RES II model. The kit is available as a V-Tail or a Cross-Tail (X-Tail) The new version has two spoilers, a re-designed fuselage with built in firewall for motor installation, and a completely new wing design, which reduced all up weight...

alofthobbies.com

We also have the more relaxed Triple RES versions. All of these RES models have been popular.

I was reading the RES rules the other day and I'd need clarification if they will allow the 3D printed parts I like to incorporate. I would think they would be fine as the rules are to keep airframe expenses down, and we are not adding any expense to the kits with this addition. But we will probably tackle a competition grade RES design in the future. I'd like to get a few more designs under my belt before I attempt to tackle that, and I'll team up with an aerodynamicists to make sure we will have an exceptional model. For now we have about 10 more designs to focus on. I think we will see 2 new models in August, maybe 2 more in September. We shall see. It is a lot of work.

Yes, it is not a 2 meter. I wanted something smaller, and this was the size the design took me to. There are a lot of 2 meter ships, this is a unique, and between you and me I expect it to fly better than many of the 2 meter ships out there. We shall see where our AUW comes in at, and how well the CG works out. If I messed up on those, then it will need some refinements. I did debate adding spoilers to the wings, but don't think they are strictly needed as it is not a competition model at this size, and the wing should be able to get the model out of trouble quickly without shedding any flight surfaces.

Good looking plane, buy I think it does need spoilers to get it down safe in a small landing area.

 

[Wayne]

First round of design is done. Time to cut some parts.

It is handy to make the outer panels translucent when double checking the final details.

 

[Hoqiam]

Why is the photo so dark?

Tom

 

[Wayne]

I haven't paid the electric bill.

 

[Hoqiam]

OK I guess I'll just keep my mouth shut from now on!

 

[Wayne]

LOL - The rendering software is a little annoying on the lighting. I was trying to make it so you can see into the model, but not have issues with reflections. Sometimes the little dance does not work out.

 

[Tmcfarland]

The more I think about this design the more I like it. Everything in aviation is a trade off or compromise. I see this as a glider you might thermal and a fun park flyer that might just motor around on half throttle. I can see where spoilers are not worth the complexity. Fly a good approach and if you screw it up just go around. Can you give any estimation when kits might be ready? Have you ever considered having an initial batch of 10 kits going to beta builders of all skill levels and having their progress and feedback documented on this forum? I know that writing instructions is complicated. As they say, “its hard to make things idiot proof because idiots are so damn clever”
Tom.

 

[Wayne]

Hey Tom, That is exactly the target for this one.

We should be cutting the first test parts later today. The rest will take as long as it takes. We like to do a lot of test fitting and then build a prototype, then address any issues from flight testing, and then into writing the manual. We wear a lot of hats here and always have a lot going on. There are a number of web projects I need to get finished that will slow this one down. You know life...

Yes, we have attempted beta builds a couple of times now. It has not gone well. Better to hold off and send out the refined kits.

 

[Tmcfarland]

Yes, my original design was a pure glider and it was MUCH thinner. I then backed up, spec'd out the motor and went from there. The fuselage width is set to the spinner we felt we needed to run, so we are right at 40mm. This gives lot of room to use different power systems. Also, not shown is the use of large triangle stocks in the corners. I expect builders to sand the heck out of those corners! Should end up with very pleasing curves.

We currently offer a pretty nice RES kit, the Prime. Currently sold out.

Prime RES III Electric - KIT by CLM Pro

The Prime RES III is a re-designed version of the Prime RES II model. The kit is available as a V-Tail or a Cross-Tail (X-Tail) The new version has two spoilers, a re-designed fuselage with built in firewall for motor installation, and a completely new wing design, which reduced all up weight...

alofthobbies.com

We also have the more relaxed Triple RES versions. All of these RES models have been popular.

I was reading the RES rules the other day and I'd need clarification if they will allow the 3D printed parts I like to incorporate. I would think they would be fine as the rules are to keep airframe expenses down, and we are not adding any expense to the kits with this addition. But we will probably tackle a competition grade RES design in the future. I'd like to get a few more designs under my belt before I attempt to tackle that, and I'll team up with an aerodynamicists to make sure we will have an exceptional model. For now we have about 10 more designs to focus on. I think we will see 2 new models in August, maybe 2 more in September. We shall see. It is a lot of work.

Yes, it is not a 2 meter. I wanted something smaller, and this was the size the design took me to. There are a lot of 2 meter ships, this is a unique, and between you and me I expect it to fly better than many of the 2 meter ships out there. We shall see where our AUW comes in at, and how well the CG works out. If I messed up on those, then it will need some refinements. I did debate adding spoilers to the wings, but don't think they are strictly needed as it is not a competition model at this size, and the wing should be able to get the model out of trouble quickly without shedding any flight surfaces.

This is my just completed 2M Eli RES. AUW is 500 grams with a Hacker A10 4/1 reduction drive and 12 x 8.5 prop. Climbs like a rocket.
I think your design is great but a few observations from a recreational flyer. The majority of flights are just a quick climb to 400 feet and then a serene glide back to earth. Min sink is more important than L/D. The F5J 4m carbon wonders may really fly from thermal to thermal and adjust flaps for the perfect speed and airfoil. But for most we just blunder into lift and are thrilled to go up. So for me floaters are the way to go. Low wing loading and slow flying. I have learned that fast climbs are important. Keeps the motor cool and gives a better ratio of time to power on versus power off. Just some thoughts. Tom.

 

[Wayne]

Very nice Tom. Looks like a nice model. Curious if you get any wing flutter if you let the speed climb too high? Looks like they are fully dependant on the film to control wing twist. There are a number of RES designs that use the same basic wing design, and I always wonder if they flutter.

 

[Tmcfarland]

Very nice Tom. Looks like a nice model. Curious if you get any wing flutter if you let the speed climb too high? Looks like they are fully dependant on the film to control wing twist. There are a number of RES designs that use the same basic wing design, and I always wonder if they flutter.

Thank you. Thats Aloft transparent blue btw. A great price and almost as light as Oralight. So far no flutter but I tend to fly slow. My Hollien Introduction is the same wing construction (also covered with Aloft covering. No flutter so far.

 

[Wayne]

I am a very happy camper. We pulled the first parts out of the laser and they went right together. Here is the fuselage just dry fit, the tail is glued together. Everything is fitting really well.

Some of the grain directions are not correct in the tail.

VERY PLEASED with how well this has all fit. Will test with the triangle stock and double check everything, then we will cut another example from some better grade of balsa. You could carve baseball bats out of this balsa, LOL.

All of the wing balsa is cut too, just waiting for the only printed parts in the wing, and some time to play with them.

 

[Wayne]

We had a busy busy time last week with half the crew on vacation, so didn't get to play with the new wing parts all week! This morning Rafael had some time and in no time the test panel was together:

Do not judge this on cosmetics! This is a crude test panel, it will never fly. We are checking fitment for the parts and making sure everything exceeds our standards. The wing is not sanded at all, the leading edge got a little block plane action, and the covering job was done at great speed.

Very pleased with how well this has all gone together. Parts fit needed just minor changes of a fraction of a mm here and there. Strength, weight and torsional resistance are all looking spot on.

We have identified a few small changes we will incorporate to make things a bit better, but the structure is all good. A new rudder and elevator are the biggest changes.

Very very pleased.

 

[Wayne]

Finally got some work in on the Alpha build. All is going really nicely so far, but only an hour invested.

Thin but strong. Weighs very little.