The Split Stik

The Split Stik is my latest design and it is featured in the current issue (Winter 2010) of Park Pilot Magazine. For those of you looking for an electronic copy of the plan,  here it is for you to download.

I had a lot of fun with this design.  It started as a quick sketch and me and my oldest son, Paul, tinkering in the workshop. We had it built and flying in no time.  Now, that does not mean we did not have some designs flaws.

One of those early flaws came out at the field flying while we were doing some loops.  All of a sudden we noticed something that made both of us do a double take – the wings were inverted with a downward dihedral.   At first I thought he was flying inverted and was amazed how did he do it. Then I noticed that something was truly not right.  It looked sort of like when the wind blows an umbrella the wrong way. It turned out the tape we used on the carbon fiber spar had come off and there was nothing holding the carbon spar to the wing.  It was the weirdest sight, but the plane still flew and we landed it right away.  We fixed it and some other minor glitches along the way, but all in all it is true to that original sketch.

For all of you who are building the Split Stik, I would love to see some pictures of your build. If you need any help, or have any questions, please let me know. I will do what I can to help out.

I came across N Scale Limited while reading through the CSXDIXIELINE blog, which itself is a great blog about an n-scale layout in the process of being built.  N Scale Limited looks to be a promising resource for all things N-Scale.

N Scale Limited was created by Chris Brimley and Frank Giacobbe, who were already working through separate Web sites to provide the N scale community with new information, tips and techniques.  Chris was operating a blog called Rotating Coupler, featuring his award-winning scratch-building projects like the Dominion Building. And Frank was running a similar blog called N Scale Modeling where free downloads of printable signs and kit builds were more the focus.

While sharing information with their readers and each other, Frank and Chris began collaborating on projects behind the scenes. With surprisingly common interests like modeling big, East-coast cities in the 1940s, it was a matter of time before the two of them joined forces officially.

This is the result — a shared Web site by the same guys that so many of you have followed and read along with for so long now.  All of the information will be the same, with the same discussion and community — just bigger and better than ever. And, as an added bonus, N Scale Limited will be accepting reader submissions and looking to add guest authors over time.

We hope you enjoy N Scale Limited and as always, join in the discussions here so we can all learn from each other and become better modeler

(via N Scale Limited)

This Radio Controlled airplane is a scratch built 1936 Lanzo Record Breaker with an eight foot wing span. It is about 12 years old & has seen many configurations from gas powered tow plane, camera ship, autonomous test platform, to video transmitting search plane. In its current configuration, it is a Night Nite flying rc airplane with 30 meters of LED lights.

If you’ve had 2 or more flights on an RC airplane, you know the joy of making your airplane soar and swoop, and the agony of watching it break into pieces with an unplanned landing. Wouldn’t it be great if they could just bounce? Well, now there is a whole category of foam airplanes designed to do just that! Since the happy combination of brushless motors, lithium polymer batteries, and foam airplanes came about a few years ago, the model airplane industry has seen an enormous growth of interest in RC flying. Models ranging from simple flat surfaces, to complex molded shapes have been developed by a multitude of companies.

Of these foam materials, EPP (Expanded Polypropylene) is one of the toughest and most durable foams ever created. Airplanes made of EPP survive collisions with the ground or other objects with little of no damage, and a quick field repair if needed. EPP was developed in the 1970’s for automotive parts. Its first use was to back up plastic bumpers and absorb energy in collisions. EPP can be compressed, then bounce back to its original shape. It is also used in the interior of cars to protect occupants and absorb energy during collisions. Foam model airplanes come in a few varieties of foam including, Depron, Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), and Expanded Polypropylene (EPP). Each type of foam has its advantages and limitations. Depron is thin, light, and smooth, and makes up some of the most advanced indoor models flying today. It is fairly fragile however, and needs frequent repairs. EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) can be molded into complex shapes and has a fairly smooth finish, but it is fragile as well. EPP (Expanded Polypropylene) is flexible and can be compressed, but springs back to its original shape. Its main shortcomings are that it has a rough surface, and it requires some stiffening to hold its shape. Someone sliced a bouncy block of EPP foam into sheets, and began experimenting.

First off, EPP is far more flexible than other foams, so it had to be thicker to give it some rigidity. Carbon fiber rods and strips were added to give more stiffness and to limit twisting. Once these configurations were developed, the EPP airplane took off! Now flat foam airplanes could survive the rigors of 3D maneuvers and frequent contact with obstacles and the ground. I’ve seen these planes maneuvered around and through trees, bushes, concession tables, and inside a garage where the door opener bar was used to land on, loop around, and flop onto again. Even some informal combat seldom requires more that some CA and kicker to return to the fight! EPP makes for very durable planes! Budget RC (BRC) has developed several EPP models including an extensive collection of combat flyers and has video footage showing off the sport well. Short of a propeller chewing away the foam, most mid air collisions result in flying one or both models away, or untangling them after they reach the ground, with little or no damage! BRC also carries an aerobatic “trainer” that is a unique combination of EPP and Depron for maximum durability and lighter weight. At fairly low cost, you can have a fully aerobatic foam airplane that can hit the ground with little or no damage, and is perfect for learning aerobatics and 3D maneuvers. Another product just off the design table is an EPP jet series that hints at unheard of speeds for this flexible material! Records may soon be broken in the realm of high speed profile EPP flight! If you are looking for an airplane that can take some knocks, bounce back for more, and still give excellent flight performance, consider a foam airplane made of EPP!

About the Author

Tom Pepper has been flying planes since about age eight, when he could find five cents for balsa gliders at the local toy store. He got totally geeked about radio control planes when he saw one fly at a Boy Scout Jamboree at age 13. It took until he was 30 years old to have the means and time to build an RC glider (Olympic II) which he learned to fly on. Glow planes followed, and in the last four years he began flying electric planes. Tom has been RC flying for 28 years now. He belongs to the Hudson RC Flyers in Hudson, MI, and has been there for 27 years. His favorite plane to fly plane is “always the one I pull out of the rafters and fire up for the first time of the flying season.” Tom really enjoys electric jets, but lightweight 3D models always offer a thrill a minute too! He has combined his photography hobby with model RC planes and does aerial photography as a part time business. Currently, Tom has four land based planes, one water based plane, and a “Quad” copter that hoists a camera as well. Using video downlink, he can see what the camera is looking at and fire the shots remotely. Tom lives in Jackson, MI with his wife, Anita.