[Dutkoski]

So, the red Habu bit the dust Thursday morning, electronic failure of some sort, some of the chaps figured I had a brown out with the ESC. Well, that won't happen again, going to use a separate battery for the receiver like I should have done.

So, I need a plane, fast and I'm cheap, everything but one servo survived the crash. I need a fast build, so boxy fuse, uncomplicated wing and landing gear, big intakes, oh, and military and rugged. So, looked through the various designs and the Mig-25 Foxbat fit the bill the best. Also, I just happen to have a set of three views with me. Had them enlarged so the wingspan was pretty much the same as the Habu. So it worked out to a 36" wingspan and 55" long.

A bit longer than the Habu but most of the nose is thin foam, plus the Mig has more wing area and the bottom of the fuse is wider and will also provide lift.

The Habu's retracts will also fit, but the mains will have to have the strut cut so I can use proper struts. The wheels retract forward not towards the center.

So, with pencil, bristle board, foam board in hand, this evening I designed, made templates and built a full size chuck model to test the CG location. Tomorrow, the foam will get cut and the build will begin. Hope to have it in the air by next weekend.

[4stripes]

Interesting build!
Nice that it will have retracts too!

[Dutkoski]

This morning was a perfect day for testing the glider. A tad tail heavy so taped a steel washer onto the nose. Second toss was perfect. The third toss with more energy was even better, glided straight and level across the front yard and slid onto the driveway as though landing. Very happy, it even crossed my mind to install a couple of 50 mm EDF's to see how it would fly, maybe later on, just for fun.

So, balanced it upside down, the CG is exactly 5" back from the leading edge where the wing meets the fuse. Then flipped it and confirmed it right side up.

Too bad I'm at home alone, could have done a very short video. Maybe later today.

[Dutkoski]

So, here is a very short video of a hand toss. If I tossed it harder, it goes further at the same attitude. I think I nailed the CG location.

http://youtu.be/FUCdN7tHJbo

[Dutkoski]

Even though the Eflite retracts would most likely fit, the struts cannot be removed from the trunnions and since the coil would be facing sideways, which isn't good, decided to order a inexpensive set from HK. So until they arrive, I'll fashion fixed gear on retract size plywood bases. I also ordered another set for my SU-47 as the RC Lander set died, brand new never mounted in a plane, frustrating. To complete that project, I'll mount the crappy plastic retracts and pray for smooth landings.

[Dutkoski]

Made the wing panels last night and sanded them today. Made from two thicknesses of 1/2" foam and after hot wired to shape, they were laminated together with epoxy. Once the fuselage is constructed, I will cut the slots for the 1/8" plywood spar. I will be installing ailerons and flaps.
The cord is much thicker than a scale airfoil which will help in lift and provides enough wing thickness to install servos.
The templates were made from 1/8" cheap plywood, sanded to shape and the edge covered in aluminum duct tape. In lieu of aluminum templates, this method works really well.

[Max]

Originally Posted by Dutkoski

So, here is a very short video of a hand toss. If I tossed it harder, it goes further at the same attitude. I think I nailed the CG location.

http://youtu.be/FUCdN7tHJbo

Wow! For a chuck glider, that thing flew really nice!!!
Cant wait to see this project come together

[Dutkoski]

Cut and assembled the main fuselage last night. Basically, a rectangular box, very easy. Today, begins the rough sanding to shape. The top of the fuse was glued to the sides about 1/4" higher than the top of the sides, this is not a mistake, the fuselage top has a slight slope on it so I sanded the top to match the seam. This also gives me an extra 9/16" of depth to the inside of the fuselage.

[Dutkoski]

The intakes are pretty large, much larger than the ones on the Habu, so there will be a lot more airflow to the fan. I'm going to laminate some 1/32" plywood to the inside of the intakes. This will allow me to sand the intake lips to an edge like the real aircraft and also make the edges very durable.

[Dutkoski]

Intake lips having the 1/32" plywood being glued in place.