Thorp T-18 – Aircraft of the month

/ Spencer Gould

The Thorp T-18 was designed in 1963 and is still a common home-built aircraft to see at airshows like Airventure & Sun-N-Fun. Over 400 examples have flown.

John Thorp the designer worked on many aircraft during his career i`ncluding the Piper PA-28 Cherokee series.

The T-18 was originally an open cockpit aircraft powered by a 0-290G ground power unit. But evolved into a closed cockpit with a O-360 for power.

It paved the way for the Van’s RV series of kitplanes. Used T-18 finished aircraft and projects come up from time to time. kits / plans are are difficult to see if they are still around. One resource is: https://www.homebuilt.org/kits/elkund/elkund2.html

A few other websites to check out:

http://www.t18.net

https://www.eaa.org/eaa/aircraft-building/kits-and-plans/t—z/thorp-t-18

A few YouTube videos on the aircraft:

Outerzone has 3 T-18 plan options for anyone looking to build a RC model.

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=9236

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=2403

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=10701

Arnold AR-5 – Aircraft of the Month

/ Spencer Gould

Over the holidays I binged watched / read quite a bit of AR-5 content.

It’s claim to fame is going over 200 mph, carrying an adult on only 65 hp. It even has fixed gear.

In 1992 it set a FAI C1a world class speed record of 213.18 mph over a 3km course

Latest info is the aircraft is on display at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, CA

Mike Arnold the designer gained composite experience in the Mojave CA, and used basic Rutan methods to build the aircraft. Information is sparse but it did look like he passed away a few years ago.

https://aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=125483

https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N105AR.html

Mike has a few long format videos he put out around the 2012 time frame:

RC options are limited, a company called Matney Models has the follow on aircraft to the AR-5 called the AR-6

http://www.matneymodels.com/vixen.html

Verhees D-Plane – Aircraft of the month

/ Spencer Gould

The D-plane is a unique all aluminum delta wing aircraft that first flew in the mid 2000’s as a single seater, they expanded the design to a 2 seater.

As an Aerospace engineer with a heavy background in aircraft structures the Delta wing is one of my favorite configurations due to the simple to achieve strength to weight, flight dynamics and they work at all kinds of Renolds numbers from this small D-Plane all the way up to the Vulcan.

2 previous delta wing aircraft of the month include:

Dyke Delta

Avro Vulcan

Company Web Site:

Kit production

Kitplanes Article:

https://www.kitplanes.com/verhees-d2/

There is a good amount of YouTube videos on the aircraft:

There is even some RC aircraft coverage for this series of aircraft:

https://www.rbckits.com/shop/verhees-delta.html

WWII US Fighter Christmas ornament collection

/ Spencer Gould

P51D Mustang

F4U Corsair

P47 Thunderbolt

F7F Tigercat

All 6” in width, 1/8” thick and take around an hour to print each on a standard Ender 3 Style machine, newer tech machines like the Bambu would be even quicker.

Files are up on CG Trader & Cults

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F7F Tigercat
P47 Thunderbolt

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F4U Corsair
P51D Mustang

Sunlu PLA is my main go-to for Filament anymore, they have an excellent 8 pack of colors @ 250G each.

P-51D Cookie Cutter 3D Print

/ Spencer Gould

Make cookies or Play-Doh in the shape of one of America’s favorite fighter planes the P-51D Mustang. Recommend using food-safe PLA if used on Cookies.

Print time is under 2 hours on a Standard Ender 3 style printer.

For 3D print and model files check out the Cults & CG Trader links below

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CARBON makes an excellent Food Safe PLA option:

Smart phone charger stand 3D Print

/ Spencer Gould

I’ve printed a few of these phone charger stands now and they are very useful.

This charger stand will hold and charge large iPhone’s and other models. Use a 3.5 – 3.625″ wireless charger.

Anker PowerWave Pad Lite + Wireless Charging Pad available from Walmart is an ideal option.

The 70º tilt angle allows you to use and watch your phone while its charging.

Can use normal PLA and 3D Printers.

An Ender 3 can print the gcode in around 7 hours, a more advanced printer like a Bambu would cut this time down a lot.

Models / Files are available on:

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MIKA3D Gold / Copper / Silver combo pack makes for a great PLA option to print out the cell phone holder