[1st Attempt]
[Carbon Skeeter]
[Kolibri]
[LeTTO]
[Mala Bdzhola I]
[Micro IFO]
[Micro Kolibri]
[Minor]
[Trenton Terror]
[Kits]
Trenton Terror
Dick Gibbs wrote in article that was in the January 1998 issue of Flying
Models magazine which included plans and information to make a free flight
Trenton Terror. He also included ideas on how to scale the model up so it
could be flown as a RC model. I used some of his ideas and scaled his
plans up to 150% and made an RC Trenton Terror that has a 58cm (23in) wing
span. Here is a summary of the specifics:
Plane characteristics |
|
Radio and motor |
Wing span: 58cm (23in) |
|
Component | Type |
Wt (g) |
Wing cord: 9cm (3.5in) |
|
Rx | SkyHooks&Rigging 4 ch | 2.7 |
Wing loading: 9.7g/sq.dm (3.2oz/sq.ft) |
|
Servos | 2 @ WES LS-24 | 2x2.9 |
Fuse length: 37cm (14.5in) |
|
ESC | Pixie-Lite | 1.5 |
Control: 3 channels (rudder, elevator, throttle) |
|
Battery Pack | 4-cell 50mAh NiCd | 14.8 |
Materials: balsa, Reynolds wrap, carbon |
|
Propulsion | KP00 and U-80 prop | 6.0 |
Ready to fly weight: 51.1g (1.8oz) |
|
| Total wt | 30.8 |
RC Trenton Terror scaled up from free flight plans.
(There are more images of my Trenton Terror in the
Photo Gallery.)
Construction details:
I made a few modifications in the construction of my Trenton Terror opposed
to what Dick describes in his article. Dick's Trenton Terror is a stick
and tissue model, mine has some of the original stick design, but it is
covered with crystal green Reynolds instead of tissue. I beefed up my
model in a few places and used sheet balsa instead of sticks. I used sheet
balsa for most of the front half of the plane where the motor and servo
mounts are attached. I also used sheet balsa for both of the tails and
control surfaces. The leading and trailing edges of the wing are 1 mm
carbon fiber rods instead of stick balsa. I put two 1/8x1/16in balsa spars
in the wing, where as Dick's design had one spar. I got rid of the stick
that ran from the back of the wing to the front of the vertical tail, this
gives the Trenton Terror a little different look.
Note: I just wanted to note that I did not see anything wrong with
Dick's article or the plans included with the article. In fact I feel
quite the opposite, I chose the Trenton Terror because I liked the info
Dick included in his article and because the plans were well drawn. A
couple of the modifications were made to strengthen the model for RC, but
most were made because that is how I build, I always change things.
Flight characteristics:
The model flies pretty fast compared to my other models and is a bit of a
hand full when flying in a gymnasium. I made the wings flat, so one side
will stall sometimes in turns, which most likely could be fixed by adding a
little washout in the wing. Since the wing is covered with Reynolds I
cannot put washout in the wing by twisting it and reshinking the covering.
When I get a chance I plan to build new wing and build washout into as it
is being built. Flight times are around 3-4 minutes.
[1st Attempt]
[Carbon Skeeter]
[Kolibri]
[LeTTO]
[Mala Bdzhola I]
[Micro IFO]
[Micro Kolibri]
[Minor]
[Trenton Terror]
[Kits]
© 2001-2004, Matthew J Litke
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