Micro-Flying - 2008/05

Float-flying at the JR Indoor Festival
May 2008 91
Also included in this column:
• Arcox Engineering’s new
Mixer/Reverser
• Martin Newell’s Shark
• The Super Spoil Sport
• Smart servos
• Keystone Indoor Electric Fly
Micro-Flying Joe Malinchak | [email protected]
The Drake II is constructed from .050 Durobatics foam. Thayer used the
ParkZone system components from the Cessna 210 for guidance and power.
Fly RC Editor Thayer Syme displays his
award-winning 17.5-gram micro Drake II
amphibian at the JR Indoor Electric Festival.
The author installed the new Arcox Engineering
Mixer/Reverser in the ParkZone transmitter.
AT LAST YEAR’S JR Indoor Electric Festival held in Columbus,
Ohio, I experienced my first successful water takeoff and landing
with a micro aircraft! Fly RC Editor Thayer Syme let me fly his
beautiful Micro Drake II amphibian.
Thayer was inspired by Ken Willard’s Drake II design that was
featured in the September 1980 MA. He wanted to build the model
around the great ParkZone Cessna 210 gear, so he scaled Ken’s
plans down to approximately 1/3 scale. This gave the model a 15.75-
inch wingspan and a ready-to-fly weight of 17.5 grams.
The model is constructed mainly from .050 Durobatics foam.
Thayer completed the airplane shortly before the event, so he didn’t
have much time for testing and trimming. However, after only a few
minor adjustments, he had it flying beautifully off of JR’s indoor
Spektrum Lake.
For me it was a thrill to fly a model this size off of water, and it
was even more thrilling that it was indoors. Thayer received the
Best Micro Aircraft award for his outstanding model.
On the subject of ParkZone equipment, Richard Cox of Arcox
Engineering developed a new Mixer/Reverser for the Kyosho/
ParkZone system. It allows for servo reversing, servo swapping, and
elevon/V-tail mixing, permitting maximum flexibility for any
airplane type.
The device mounts in the transmitter, so it adds no weight to the
airborne system. All functions are set up from the transmitter
without external switches. The settings are saved on power-down,
so you don’t have to reprogram them.
Richard recently upgraded the Mixer/Reverser to include a fourmodel
memory. He sent me a sample to evaluate. It requires some
basic soldering skills to install, but the installation is not that difficult.
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92 MODEL AVIATION
Martin Newell’s two world-record-breaking Sharks weigh less than .5 gram each. Their
airframes are primarily carbon rod and weigh only 60 milligrams.
Martin constructed this amazing 45-milligram brushless motor and carbon propeller
for his 2.65-inch-wingspan micro Shark design.
Gary Jones designed Bob Selman Designs’ new Super Spoil
Sport. It has a 13-inch wingspan and weighs 20 grams.
The author installed the 1.6-gram Falcon servo in his 9-inchspan
Ultra Micro Bug.
I have several upcoming projects
planned that will use the ParkZone
equipment. This new Mixer/Reverser will
make mounting the receiver/servo brick
much easier. Its price is $30. See the source
listing for contact information.
Not long ago, building a Peanut-size model
that weighed only an ounce was an amazing
accomplishment. Now we are building
airplanes that weigh mere grams with 5-inch
wingspans or less.
Expertly skilled modelers keep pushing
the limits on what can be built. Martin
Newell is one of those people. He pushed
the limit on size and weight, and he broke
the seemingly impossible .5-gram record.
Martin’s Shark has a 2.65-inch wingspan
and weighs 485 milligrams.
Martin built two versions of the Shark.
The lighter one uses Nick Leichty’s new 27
MHz, 60-milligram receiver. The 495-
milligram Shark uses Martin’s own Starving
Rabbit FHSS 60-milligram receiver.
Each airplane uses a one-phase brushless
motor that weighs 45 milligrams, powering
a 0.7 x 0.5-inch carbon propeller. The
airframe was constructed mostly from
carbon rod and weighs only 60 milligrams.
What’s new? Bob Selman Designs has
added the Super Spoil Sport to his
growing list of available kits. It is a greatflying
airplane that Gary Jones designed.
It has a 13-inch wingspan and weighs 20
grams ready to fly.
I had a chance to test-fly and evaluate a
prototype. The model has good slow-speed
characteristics, zippy performance, and can
climb vertical with a freshly charged cell.
The listed kit price is $25.
The company recommends the Plantraco
0.9-gram, three-channel receiver; two
MiniAct actuators; and the GWJ 7mm
gearbox with the Blue SS motor. The Super
Spoil Sport flies well with the MCF4027
propeller and offers good vertical
performance with the MCF5030 propeller;
05sig3.QXD 3/25/08 11:50 AM Page 92
however, the new Didel 120 x 90mm carbon
propeller may be the best choice. See the
source listing for contact information.
I tested the new .8-gram SmartServo RC-1 in
my 9-inch-wingspan Ultra Micro Bug. The
power for this servo is via metallic artificial
muscle fiber known as muscle wire. It has an
advertised torque of 15 grams per cc. My
servos weighed 1 gram each with connectors.
My Ultra Micro Bug is a smaller version
of the great-flying Bug from Lightflite. I
enjoy flying my Bug so much that I had to
build a micro version. I enlisted the help of a
friend, Robert Guillot, who drew the design
and did all the beautiful graphics for me. The
model is made from .25 Durobatics foam and
carbon rod.
The servos worked well in this model;
however, they are not really designed for an
aerobatic airplane because they lack the speed
of a conventional servo. Even with the slow
servo speed, I can still do loops and rolls with
the aircraft. I think the new servo will be great
for use in a micro sport or scale project that
requires no aerobatic maneuvering.
I also tested the new, upgraded version of
the 1.6-gram Falcon Servo in my Ultra Micro
Bug. This servo puts out 25 grams of torque
and has new software that prevents the servo
arm from running off the gear. The new
version of this servo works well and gives the
Ultra Micro Bug full aerobatic potential.
I tested both new servos using the Plantraco
servo receiver. They are available from Bob
Selman Designs.
Keystone Indoor Electric Fly (KIEF): The
first scheduled KIEF was canceled because of a
severe ice storm and the unfortunate collapse of
the Playing Fields Sports Dome near Scranton,
Pennsylvania. I am happy to report that the
KIEF is back on.
The event will take place October 18-19,
2008. The location has been changed to the
Generations Sports Complex Dome in Muncy,
Pennsylvania, near Williamsport. This facility
is currently the largest air-suspended dome in
the country.
All-night flying is planned for Saturday into
Sunday, and a large flight area is dedicated for
us micro fliers. It should be a fun event for all
types of indoor models.
For more information, see the KIEF Web
site. MA
Sources:
Arcox Engineering
1336 N. Moorpark Rd. 236
Thousand Oaks CA 91360
[email protected]
Bob Selman Designs
(417) 358-9521
www.bsdmicrorc.com
Lightflite
www.lightflite.com
KIEF