To start off with is my materials for the build. I have decided to construct the plane from foamboard. I never really thought that this would be a good foam to use, but i was watching Lipo Pilots ustream show on friday night. He was talking about all the different foams that were out there and waht they are good for. It ended up as foamboard is alot like depron but alot cheaper, and much stronger especially when the paper is left on. Now for the electronics i got them all from Hobby King. They have the best prices you will find, but the only downfall is the shipping is expensive. Even though it is expensive you will still save a bunch of money as long as you order in bulk. Below i will list the parts and the prices of material i used to build this plane.
hexTronik 24gram Brushless Outrunner 1500kv.................$8.59
Hobbyking SS Series 18-20A ESC..............$7.62
ZIPPY Flightmax 800mAh 3S1P 20C.................................$8.86
GWS EP Propeller (RD-7060 178x152mm)(6pc).......................$3.30
HXT900 9g / 1.6kg / .12sec Micro Servo x2...................$2.99 each
The next step was to print out the PDF of the plans. Then to line them out and cut out the foam. Here is where you can find them. Now for a few pics of my build.
As you can see the build was very easy. The whole build took about 1 1/2 hours. Now that the plane was built it was time to power the system, center servos and check the power system. Ran into my first problem the motor was making a strange noise.Click here to check out the video on my youtube page. Next i looked over everything on the Firefly very good. Looking for lose connections and what not.
I then decided to switch my speed controller to one i had lying around. Boom! Problem was gone, it when through the rpm range smoothly. So im not sure if hobbyking esc are junk or if i need to program it. So tonight i just ordered a programing card. So until i get to test this speed control i would suggest to get a different brand that you know works well. The next thing to tackle is the COG(center of gravity). This is very important to get right before you through your bird up into the air. Here is a quote from Leadfeather that i think will explain it.
"Please note that there is a wide range of cg that will work for the FireFly. 8.5"(outdoor) to 9.5"(indoor) back from the nose is the typical range. For indoor flying keep the cg back so that it flies slow on it's own. For outdoor/windy day flying move the cg forward to decrease the pitch sensitivity. These are the starting points. Once you get your FireFly flying, adjust the cg and also the elevon trims to suit your personal flying preference."
I found that it is always better to set up your aircraft nose heavy for your first flight. If a plane is to tail heavy it can be almost uncontrollable. A nose heavy aircraft on the other hand is much more doable. Another thing to keep in mind is a tail heavy plane will be very pitch sensitive, wich on your first few flights can be a big problem. Now that i have my COG set where i think is good, its time for the maiden flight.
The first time i tossed the plane up it was very sensitive on the sticks. I then quickly brought it down to move my battery farther forwards. Tossed it up again it was now flying level. I only have to do a few adjustments to the trim and it was flying great. One thing i was very surprised with was this plane could really move with the Blue Wounder on it. I dont have a radar gun but i would guess about 40, because the speed limit on my road is 35 and i can easily pass them. This plane also has great roll rates, it also stays fairly level when doing them. I now have about 8 batteries through this plan and i cant get enough of it. I really enjoy its flight characteristics. Another thing that highly impressed me was how durable this foam board is. I have crashed it many times and it just keeps taking it. I am planning on building another one, and actually paint it and make it look nicer. Well here is a small clip i got my wife to take. Also if you would like to watch them in HD please watch them on my youtube channel.Mopar32985
