Electric SPAD Dogfighter - Homemade Plastic RC Plane
This is my SPAD Dogfighter (simple plastic aeroplane design) flying on the Glastonbury levels. Plans on spadtothebone.com
It is home made from cheap plastic parts. The original wing was made from 4mm plastic correx sheet (the corrugated plastic stuff they make estate agent signs from). It now has a new lighter wing which is a mixture of 2mm and 4mm.
The fuselage is made from square drain pipe. I used the brushless motor, speed controller, 10x6 folding prop & 3S 2200mah lipos from my ST Blaze glider after I crashed it. They give about 1kg of thrust. I think the model weighs around 1.2 kgs.
It is quick. The flight in the video has the control throws set too far so it is twitchy but now with the new wing and smaller control throws it handles much better.
I would recommend anyone has a go at building a SPAD. They are really cheap, quick and easy to build - and really resistant to crashes so great for learning with. So far I have crashed into a tree, crashed head first into the ground several times, done cartwheels and had an inflight fire from a dodgy speed controller and have still not managed to damage the airframe! I have broken a few cheap servos and props along the way but that`s all, and now I`ve learnt how to land it properly! Compare that to one of the "crash resistant EPP foam" models which break in half the first time you crash.
This technique of 3D printing the wing ribs to hold a true aerofoil shape worked out super well! Combined with foam sheets, packing tape and the lightweight wooden spar, it performs amazingly well!
