Brügger Colibri – Aircraft of the Month

June 23, 2021June 23, 2021 / Spencer Gould

The Brügger Colibri is a small low wing, tail dragger aircraft powered by Volkswagen 4 cylinder engines. Its a Home Built that was designed in Switzerland by Max Brügger in the 1960’s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%BCgger_Colibri

For those interested in a RC version outerzone has a free plan for a 46″ version

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp ?ID=11707

Avro Vulcan – Aircraft of the Month

May 29, 2021May 29, 2021 / Spencer Gould

The Vulcan was a futuristic Delta Wing Bomber rolled out in 1956 Serving the Royal Air Force all the way to 1984.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/XH558_%28G-VLCN%29_Avro_Vulcan_-_Last_Flight_over_Farnborough_%28cropped%29.jpg

Curious Droid did a very good 11 min documentary on the V Bombers

Its one of those Aircraft that I remember when I was a kid from the 007 movie Thunderball, compared to other aircraft you would see in movies or in person this one really made an impression.

While retired from active military duty the Vulcan shows up at air shows every now and then.

Interesting Cockpit view of the Vulcan on the Military Aviation History Channel

For the RC Community Outerzone has some options

60″ span from 1978 https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=12233

56″ span Glider version https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=7272

For those who don’t want to bust out the balsa wood or take up a lot of space in the house, there is a very accurate 1:144 scale diecast model

For the technical type Haynes has a “owners’ workshop manual”

There are also 2 history books both available in Kindle

The Avro Vulcan: A Hisotry by Peter G. Dancey

The Avro Type 698 Vulcan: The Secrets behind its Design and Development By David W. Fildes

Vulcan T-Shirt with the RAF logo

And lets not forget the shower in the Hangar man cave, a Vulcan Shower Curtain with a Union Jack Background

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XP-67 Moonbat – Aircraft of the month

April 17, 2021 / Spencer Gould

The moonbat is quite the interesting WW2 Prototype Aircraft from McDonnell, the only functional prototype was lost in a fire during testing in 1944 and the project was canceled later that year. The Aircraft was distinguished by its large blends from the wing to the Nacelles & Fuselage.

This aircraft was influential for my Sr Design project at ERAU that had a 2 seat general aviation aircraft with large fairing between the wing and fuselage.

Outerzone does have a 1/10 scale RC model for the scratch builders out there.

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=6742

Grabcad also has a stl model that could be helpful for anyone wanting to 3D print one

https://grabcad.com/library/mcdonnell-xp-67-scale-model-1

weathervane grass – interesting photo

March 17, 2021 / Spencer Gould

I came across this interesting plan a few days ago. The conditions were just right for the tips of the grass to put circular lines in the sand

Marco Polo Ultralight Drone/UAV/Model Rocket Location and Recovery System – Product of the month.

March 1, 2021March 1, 2021 / Spencer Gould

The perfect solution to help find a lost Drone or Rocket.

Everything is self contained and needs no external GPS or Cell signal.

Simple to setup and use, single button-push to begin searching for lost RC model with real-time distance and direction feedback
Works anywhere, totally self-contained, no GPS or cell network required, no monthly service contracts, ideal for remote areas
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery in transceiver tag gives you up to 15 days to find your lost model
Super small, compact tag transceiver easily fits on even small RC models, weighs only .42 oz. (12 g)
Does not interfere with RC radios – Marco Polo only transmits when you activate search mode from the handheld locator

Protect your RC aircraft investment with a Marco Polo RC Model Recovery System. Marco Polo is the only long range, up to 2 miles line-of-sight, tracking system that works everywhere you fly – or unintentionally land – with no need for GPS reception or cellular service and no monthly fees. The Marco Polo tag transceiver weighs just 12 grams so it will not affect your aircraft’s performance yet it gives you up to 10 days to locate your model. Marco Polo will not interfere with any of your on-board radio systems because it does not transmit any RF energy until activated by the hand-held locator from the ground. In the case of a long-range fly away you can place the locator into search mode and head off in the general direction of the crash or perform a grid search, Marco Polo will search every inch of the surrounding area as you move and then guide you to the exact location, within inches. Up to 2 additional tag transceivers can be added to the system at any time and the Marco Polo locator is compatible with both RC and pet tracking tags.

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How to start a 737 Jet Engine – Video Share

February 27, 2021 / Spencer Gould

Interesting video on how a Jet engine is started

This video is brought to you by the Aircraft Science YouTube Channel

Olive drab – web site share

January 29, 2021 / Spencer Gould

I found a cool public access military reference website today at work that could be of use if you need to source or site surplus parts, history etc

https://olive-drab.com

Wittman Tailwind – Aircraft of the month

January 15, 2021January 20, 2021 / Spencer Gould

The Tailwind is one of the more older Home built designs that is still being flown in numbers today. It proves you can get a lot of performance out of simple shapes and simple construction. Visually the fuselage has very similar lines to the Hyperbipe

I can’t think of a Oshkosh or Sun-N-Fun I’ve been to with out seeing at least one of these aircraft at the show.

You can still build a tailwind today with plans & components from Aircraft Spruce

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/kitspages/wittail.php

Steve Whittman was one of the pioneers in the Home built aircraft movement, read more at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wittman

and a nice documentary

The landing gear on the SP-500 was highly influenced by the tailwind for its simple construction, read more at: https://gouldaero.com/eaa-e-ab/sp-500-e-ab/sp500-construction-photos-toc/sp500-landing-gear/

RC option:

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=7831

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ANYCUBIC Chiron 3D Printer – Product of the Month

January 6, 2021January 7, 2021 / Spencer Gould

I found quite the interesting large capacity 3D printer for home and small business use.

In the late 90’s / early 2000’s I got some exposure to stereolithography 3d printing at ERAU. while a novel concept making small desk display models the technology has advanced greatly since then.

What really got my attention recently on this is a video from flitetest on using 3D printers to make full RC aircraft built in sections and bonded with CA glue. This can open up all kinds of possibilities for RC aircraft, Drones & even parts on Home Built aircraft. Contour, trapped features, complex geometries are a non issue with this technology. There are also some online sources where you can buy or freeware the .stl files to make these aircraft. more details below.

More info on the Chiron printer:

Extra Large Build Volume, ANYCUBIC Chiron 3D Printer comes with one of the largest build volume of 15.75 x 15.75 x 17.72 inches, you can print models that 90% of other printers could not, The unique high precision nozzle of 0.4mm hot end with straight through design reduces the weight on the X axis which delivers better performance even on very tall prints, Your creativity will be maximized
Semi Auto Leveling and Resume Print, Equipped with an auto leveling module which automatically detects 25 points, supports real time adjustment compensation of nozzle height, Chiron 3D Printer can resume printing after power outage or any other unexpected stoppage, One click to resume from the last recorded position when suffering power outages, And the sensor pauses prints and sets off an alarm when you run out of filament which greatly saves time and material
Easy to Assemble and Use, Full metal body, stable and durable, modular design and only take 5-10 minutes to assemble, TFT Touch Screen with brand new friendly UI to preview model and printing process on screen, offline printing, We use high grade Titan Extruder, smooth feeding and not easy to plug, which can provide you a better printing experience of flexibility
Printing Precise and Safe, Equipped with Y Axis Dual Sideway and Z axis dual screw rod design, the height on both sides of the Z axis will be recalibrated before each printing which can reduce the probability of releveling before each printing and our Chiron 3D Printer’s print precision is greatly improved, 24V DC high power heated bed, heating up to 100℃, Independent high-power mosfet drive, taking into account safety and heating effect
More Function, Ultrabase Pro, Coated with a special composite coating make the printed large model not easy to warp and easy to demold, All ANYCUBIC 3D printers backed with lifetime technical support and 24 hours professional customer service

PLA seems to be the main filament or “stock material” for the printers, here is a good starter option:

【Premium 3D Printer PLA Filament】Clog-Free, Bubble-Free, Tangle-Free, Low warping, perfect 3D Printer PLA Filament 1.75mm for smooth and stable 3D printing experience, making printed parts an outstanding surface finish.
【4 Colors 3D Printer PLA filament】Comes with 1KG/2.2 lb 1.75mm 3D Printer red, white, blue and black PLA filament bundles, 0.25KG/Spool 4 Colors. Note: The roll hole in the middle of the filament is 1.26 inch/ 32 mm, please check whether it fit on the holder of your printers before you order it, the spools may not fit on the holder of some printers.
【Dimensional Accuracy & Consistency】LABISTS 3D Printer PLA Filament, 1.75 mm in diameter, Minimum demission tolerance +/- 0.02mm to ensure consistent feeding and smooth printing.
【3D Printer PLA Filament Using Tips】 Recommend Printing Temperature: 190℃-220℃. Recommended Print Speed: 50-100mm/s.
Note: The roll hole in the middle of the filament is 1.26 inch/ 32 mm, please check whether it fit on the holder of your printers before you order it, the spools may not fit on the holder of some printers.

Some more info on the flitetest P38 build

https://www.flitetest.com/articles/3d-printed-p-38-lightning

Beyond Flitetest, Troy McMillan’s YouTube channel has a ton of 3D printed aircraft content, as you can see from this Tucano video the level of detail is only limited by your imagination