Micro Yogi - 2009/03

THANKS TO Air Hogs and the company’s toy-grade RC airplanes, many people of all ages have experienced basic flight. The models’ price point and availability are huge factors in allowing people to get a small taste of what RC has to offer. When you become proficient with these aircraft, you may find yourself looking for a new challenge and ways to build on the skills you have learned; you can do so with the Aero Ace from Air Hogs. It is formed completely from expanded foam and employs two cellular-type motors wired in a pusher configuration. The fuselage contains a receiver panel that has an on/off switch and a charging plug for the 130 mAh Li-Poly battery. The supplied cable from the transmitter is used connected to the charging plug to charge the onboard battery. The good news is that you can transform your Air Hogs Aero Ace biplane into a design I call the “Micro Yogi.” In the process, you will learn more about how the components work and experience the joy of building your own aircraft. As I mentioned, all the RC electronics for the Micro Yogi, including the transmitter, are from the Aero Ace biplane. It usually costs roughly $30 at Toys“R”Us, but I was lucky enough to get one on sale for $20 plus the cost of the six alkaline batteries for the transmitter/charger. Why the Yogi? It is a simple yet innovative model that Jerry Stoloff originally designed as an FF airplane in 1945. It proved to be both unique and successful. In 1994, the design was published again—that time as Loren Dietrich’s miniature FF version. Impressed with the cleanness of the mini version, I chose to adapt and build it for RC indoor flying. CONSTRUCTION You can purchase the materials used to construct the Micro Yogi at your local hobby shop or craft store. I used 2mm Depron sheet throughout the build. The adhesives are odorless cyanoacrylate and UHU Styrofoam craft glue. To start, cut the Aero Ace along the seam on its bottom. Once you have opened the model, remove the gear: two motors, a receiver, and a Li-Poly battery. It’s easy. To build the Yogi, cut templates made from plastic material that you can obtain from See Temp in Wisconsin. To make the templates, place the See Temp plastic sheet, which is transparent, over the plans and use a sharp X-Acto knife to trace the outline around the parts and snap out the shaped template. Place the templates over the Depron sheet. Using the X-Acto knife, cut two fuselage sides, two wing panels, the horizontal stabilizer, two vertical fins, and a long-enough 1/2-inch-wide strip for the fuselage formers. Assemble the fuselage using the two sides with the 1/2-inch strips cut to the size former required. You may find that a holding fixture using square blocks is an easier way to hold the structure together while gluing. Using a sharp pencil, reference the plans and emboss a crease line on the wing and stabilizer. Carefully bend and use a bit of cyanoacrylate to hold the airfoil shape in place. Lay up and trim the wing dihedral and polyhedral angles, as shown on the plans. Join the two wing sections with cyanoacrylate or UHU adhesive. Cautiously align the parts. When you are satisfied, glue the wing and tail sections in place. Now is a good time to add a little color to the Yogi. Using a felt-tipped pen, it is easy to customize the Yogi without adding weight. Sharpie-brand markers won’t melt Depron-type material. Check for compatibility on a scrap before marking on the model. Since the Aero Ace’s motors are installed in the pusher configuration and the Micro Yogi is a tractor, the motors’ rotating direction needs to be reversed and the propellers need to be turned around. Mark each motor left and right, as on the wing side of the Aero Ace. This is to identify the placement on the Yogi; the locations must remain the same for the radio to operate correctly. To change the motor rotation, use a soldering iron to carefully unsolder the plus and minus connection of each motor. Swap the leads and resolder for opposite polarity. Don’t forget to remove the propellers, which are a press fit. Use a pair of pliers to press the propellers back into place. Double-check the wiring and motor direction now; it will be more difficult later. Adhere each motor to its respective location on the wing. Install the battery and receiver with double-stick tape. Flying: The Air Hogs transmitter has two sticks. The one on the left controls motor speed for ascent and descent, and the one on the right is used for turning action by varying the relative motor speeds. To charge the battery, plug in the connector wire from the transmitter to the receiver port; watch for the blinking light to go out before disconnecting. Turn on the transmitter and the receiver, and do a quick check to make sure that the propellers are turning in the correct direction. Advance the throttle, launch the Micro Yogi gently, and away it goes. Trim for flight using the trim levers on the transmitter. Other adjustments can be made by twisting the control surfaces so that the model flies straight and level hands off. You will probably find that the Micro Yogi, with its combined light weight and conventional tractor-propeller arrangement, flies slower than the Aero Ace. The lower cruise speed provides slightly more controllability and allows more time to react in small spaces. The Micro Yogi even likes to play outside—as long as the winds are blowing at less than 5 mph—usually in the early morning or late evening. I hope you enjoy your Micro Yogi as much as I have mine! MA Joe Beshar [email protected] Sources: See Temp (920) 439-1896 www.seetemp.com Air Hogs (800) 622-8339 You can decorate the Micro Yogi with any foam-friendly paint or markers. It flies www.airhogs.com Type: Indoor Skill level: Beginner builder, beginner pilot Wingspan: 15.5 inches Flying weight: .72 ounce Length: 9.5 inches Power: Two Aero Ace motors Battery: Aero Ace 130 mAh Li-Poly Construction: 2mm Depron foam Covering/finish: Sharpie markers

THANKS TO Air Hogs and the company’s toy-grade RC airplanes, many people of all ages have experienced basic flight. The models’ price point and availability are huge factors in allowing people to get a small taste of what RC has to offer. When you become proficient with these aircraft, you may find yourself looking for a new challenge and ways to build on the skills you have learned; you can do so with the Aero Ace from Air Hogs. It is formed completely from expanded foam and employs two cellular-type motors wired in a pusher configuration. The fuselage contains a receiver panel that has an on/off switch and a charging plug for the 130 mAh Li-Poly battery. The supplied cable from the transmitter is used connected to the charging plug to charge the onboard battery. The good news is that you can transform your Air Hogs Aero Ace biplane into a design I call the “Micro Yogi.” In the process, you will learn more about how the components work and experience the joy of building your own aircraft. As I mentioned, all the RC electronics for the Micro Yogi, including the transmitter, are from the Aero Ace biplane. It usually costs roughly $30 at Toys“R”Us, but I was lucky enough to get one on sale for $20 plus the cost of the six alkaline batteries for the transmitter/charger. Why the Yogi? It is a simple yet innovative model that Jerry Stoloff originally designed as an FF airplane in 1945. It proved to be both unique and successful. In 1994, the design was published again—that time as Loren Dietrich’s miniature FF version. Impressed with the cleanness of the mini version, I chose to adapt and build it for RC indoor flying. CONSTRUCTION You can purchase the materials used to construct the Micro Yogi at your local hobby shop or craft store. I used 2mm Depron sheet throughout the build. The adhesives are odorless cyanoacrylate and UHU Styrofoam craft glue. To start, cut the Aero Ace along the seam on its bottom. Once you have opened the model, remove the gear: two motors, a receiver, and a Li-Poly battery. It’s easy. To build the Yogi, cut templates made from plastic material that you can obtain from See Temp in Wisconsin. To make the templates, place the See Temp plastic sheet, which is transparent, over the plans and use a sharp X-Acto knife to trace the outline around the parts and snap out the shaped template. Place the templates over the Depron sheet. Using the X-Acto knife, cut two fuselage sides, two wing panels, the horizontal stabilizer, two vertical fins, and a long-enough 1/2-inch-wide strip for the fuselage formers. Assemble the fuselage using the two sides with the 1/2-inch strips cut to the size former required. You may find that a holding fixture using square blocks is an easier way to hold the structure together while gluing. Using a sharp pencil, reference the plans and emboss a crease line on the wing and stabilizer. Carefully bend and use a bit of cyanoacrylate to hold the airfoil shape in place. Lay up and trim the wing dihedral and polyhedral angles, as shown on the plans. Join the two wing sections with cyanoacrylate or UHU adhesive. Cautiously align the parts. When you are satisfied, glue the wing and tail sections in place. Now is a good time to add a little color to the Yogi. Using a felt-tipped pen, it is easy to customize the Yogi without adding weight. Sharpie-brand markers won’t melt Depron-type material. Check for compatibility on a scrap before marking on the model. Since the Aero Ace’s motors are installed in the pusher configuration and the Micro Yogi is a tractor, the motors’ rotating direction needs to be reversed and the propellers need to be turned around. Mark each motor left and right, as on the wing side of the Aero Ace. This is to identify the placement on the Yogi; the locations must remain the same for the radio to operate correctly. To change the motor rotation, use a soldering iron to carefully unsolder the plus and minus connection of each motor. Swap the leads and resolder for opposite polarity. Don’t forget to remove the propellers, which are a press fit. Use a pair of pliers to press the propellers back into place. Double-check the wiring and motor direction now; it will be more difficult later. Adhere each motor to its respective location on the wing. Install the battery and receiver with double-stick tape. Flying: The Air Hogs transmitter has two sticks. The one on the left controls motor speed for ascent and descent, and the one on the right is used for turning action by varying the relative motor speeds. To charge the battery, plug in the connector wire from the transmitter to the receiver port; watch for the blinking light to go out before disconnecting. Turn on the transmitter and the receiver, and do a quick check to make sure that the propellers are turning in the correct direction. Advance the throttle, launch the Micro Yogi gently, and away it goes. Trim for flight using the trim levers on the transmitter. Other adjustments can be made by twisting the control surfaces so that the model flies straight and level hands off. You will probably find that the Micro Yogi, with its combined light weight and conventional tractor-propeller arrangement, flies slower than the Aero Ace. The lower cruise speed provides slightly more controllability and allows more time to react in small spaces. The Micro Yogi even likes to play outside—as long as the winds are blowing at less than 5 mph—usually in the early morning or late evening. I hope you enjoy your Micro Yogi as much as I have mine! MA Joe Beshar [email protected] Sources: See Temp (920) 439-1896 www.seetemp.com Air Hogs (800) 622-8339 You can decorate the Micro Yogi with any foam-friendly paint or markers. It flies www.airhogs.com Type: Indoor Skill level: Beginner builder, beginner pilot Wingspan: 15.5 inches Flying weight: .72 ounce Length: 9.5 inches Power: Two Aero Ace motors Battery: Aero Ace 130 mAh Li-Poly Construction: 2mm Depron foam Covering/finish: Sharpie markers