General RCH Trainer suggestions

[ozmo]

Hey,
Gotta say I LIKE this bird. Now that I have some flying time on mine I have some changes I will use on the next one. I will likely always have one of these handy.
#1 Doublers in the nose back to mid wing or so. ( plane likes the nose weight anyhow)
# Yard stick doublers under the wing. Use half width of the yard stick and start at the windshield back to behind the wing. ( will double as the reinforcement for the rubber band pegs)
# 3 If using internal servos with Sullivan type push rods, add foam board formers at LE of wing, TE of wing and one midway to the tail. Also add a deck piece or side doublers for the tail plane to sit on. ( control rod exit holes weakened my tail some)

I would like to experiment with a fatter/ higher lift KFm wing and maybe extent the nose a bit as I have 2 1300 Mah 3s( wired for 2600 MAh) packs in the nose.....if its fun DO IT!

- - - Updated - - -

OH and yardstick rails for the Landing gear plate (LG plate could be yard stick as well) So could the fire wall as far as that goes Use what ya got

 

[Tony]

If you have not done it yet, download the Trainer V3 and give it a shot. I have been needing to finish the build, but have way too many other things going on right now. The fuse is shorter in teh tail and it should help out the tail heavy situation. The wing is the same size, but can also be cut down if need be. Again, I Have not flown the V3 bird yet. In theory, it should work. The new battery tray makes the front of the fuse VERY strong and protects it from the motor bolts. Only issue I have found now is there is limited space for the ESC.

 

[ozmo]

Yuip I did down load it. I have several students now and will be building WELL not as often. However if a rainy day happens along I be all over it! I have the camera ready....now I gotta clean up the shop!~

 

[Tony]

Gotta love those foamboard scraps everywhere lol. Makes the wife mad every time I build something new.

 

[EyeStation]

Hey Tony, does this thing look familiar? Found it while trying to DL the V3 Trainer again.
I might have to bug you for servo placement suggestions. It cut up and it assembled nicely.

 

[Derek]

WOW, Eyestation!!! That profile plane looks great!!! Very nice! I tried making one and I think I rushed it and messed it up. I ended up throwing it away. I need to try again because I really want an inexpensive little 3D plane. Once again...yours really looks great!!!

 

[EyeStation]

This is one of Tony's many projects. He will let the cat out of the bag about it. I don't want to spoil a good thing.
And it only took two 20x30 sheets.

 

[Tony]

Yup, that is the RCH Edge 540. Just an FYI, the two smaller pieces on the wing go on the top and bottom, not both on the bottom. You want the kfm4 airfoil so that you have inverted stability. Right now, you have massive inverted stability, but upright flying is going to be a challenge.

I need to get mine finished. Too many projects, too little time.

 

[EyeStation]

Thanks for the Wing correction Tony. It looks like a fun plane for sure.

 

[Tony]

Just remember, this plane will NOT like to fly in winds above 5mph. Lots of surface area and little weight.

 

[Flamin Jewel]

This is one of Tony's many projects. He will let the cat out of the bag about it. I don't want to spoil a good thing.
And it only took two 20x30 sheets.

What type of foam are you using?

 

[EyeStation]

It's The Dollar Tree foamboard. We also have "Michaels" craft stores here that sell an "Elmer's" (the white glue people), foamboard for about $3 a sheet. A bit heavier paper backing on that stuff.

 

[Derek]

Hi Flamin Jewel! You can get the foam board at a Dollar Tree or Dollar General store for $1.00 per sheet.

 

[Flamin Jewel]

I have used both. In my opinion the $Tree Foam board is not that strong after you take the paper off. Unless you can tell me how to strengthen it. I have had several suggestions. Like cover it with white glue and packing paper. I will agree that the Elmer's Board is stronger and heavier. I have tried to remove the paper only to have some of the paper and glue still stuck to it. When I tried used regular spray paint (at 12" away) on the Elmer's Board, it still melted the foam and the paper bubbled.
Any suggestion, please help.

 

[Derek]

When building the RCH Trainer, it's a much better idea to leave the paper on the foam board. Also...a lot of us cover the foam board with clear or colored packing tape. It adds a bit of strength and water resistance. of course, when you are making the wing for the RCH Trainer, adding a carbon fiber (or bamboo skewer) wing spar will help, too. I had the RCH Trainer v2 for quite some time. I had over 30 flights on it and one day the wing buckled and the plane crashed. This probably could have been avoided if I had a wing spar on the plane......but still....30 flights was great!!!

 

[EyeStation]

I have never peeled the paper from the foam board. I know it is a structural weakness applying hot glue to paper on the joints. The paper to foam adhesion breaks before the glue joint. But I have never really had a problem leaving it on. I do take the time to peel it away from the inside curves when doing folds or bends, just makes for a crisper edge.

 

[Derek]

I have never peeled the paper from the foam board. I know it is a structural weakness applying hot glue to paper on the joints. The paper to foam adhesion breaks before the glue joint. But I have never really had a problem leaving it on. I do take the time to peel it away from the inside curves when doing folds or bends, just makes for a crisper edge.

...I absolutely agree!! When I make the wings for some of my planes, I do peel a section of the paper away so that I can get a nice and round bend. Besides that, I don't normally pull the paper away.

 

[Flamin Jewel]

Ok. But what process or paint do you use to cover the bare foam. I really hate using spray paint because of the propellant melting the foam.

 

[Derek]

The only time that I have bare foam would be on the inside of the wing. Most of my foamboard planes have a true airfoil and only a few have the KF style airfoil, like the RCH Trainer. If you are considering building the RCH Trainer, I'm going to recommend that you don't peel off any of the paper. I cover my planes with clear and colored packing tape. Although, there are others that have use Min-Wax (I think) on their foamboard planes. Used in light coats and allowed to dry, I've heard that the plane would then be very paintable. It just seems like an awful lot of work. It probably just depends on how detailed you want your color scheme.

 

[Flamin Jewel]

Ok. I give this a try. Thanks for your help. I'll let you know later how I make out.