Bonzo Moon

Posted a video the other day of my latest 'build', the cheapest plane you can buy. Don't let the gales and rain stop you giving a small plane a maiden! There is a way. 😟 Build video is on my channel too. £2.59, ideal Xmas gift for your kids. No children or small animals were injured in the making of the following video. Happy Xmas.

Compared to my last 3 part video series, getting back to balsa after 12 years, this was easy! 😂 Worth buying just for the brushed motor and prop. Good for pulling apart and experimenting with the motor too? No maiden, needs a calm day and that doesn't look likely for a while. Happy Holidays!

Our posts crossed. And yes, that's what I just decided too in my edited post!

I just realised that and was just coming back to my post to correct that! You beat me to it! In fact I can afford to move the lipo a couple of mm further aft! My 77 year old brain was getting a bit confused. 🙄 I misunderstood the conservative bit I think. Of course what you meant was it'd be nose heavy, not great, (but better than tail heavy). For better flight characteristics CG further back, ie less nose weight, would be better right? I just worked out, the difference to make it 33% is 3 mm and on that covering it's not actually that easy to figure the actual CG that accurately! I'll maiden it like it is and see how it flies, making adjustments if necessary 😉

I think they were different plans , this is an old model and apparently, I have since found has been around in a few different guises. I' d already measured the main wing and it's 115mm. CG recommended is 32mm and that calculates as 28% (if my maths is OK) And I thought conservative. I'd prefer the usual 30% - 33% It'll need a bit more lead to achieve that. 😏 All the same, how anyone is supposed to achieve that with this kit, the recommended motor and lipo without lead is hard to see! Thanks to all for comments. As I say, last few years I've been building foamboard and foamie conversions and this was a different ball game. And I've had good success with those.

Think that's a different plane?

Sorry, I used the wrong word! Ooops, yes THE WING! 😏 I'm not much up on the technical names of the parts of a wing I always thought the main spar meant the big wing! I just Googled main spar is just the structural bit . 🙄. BIG apologies.

I wouldn't call them 'concerns' mate. I was just surprised that a bought designed kit didn't work out as I'd expected. Mostly the last few years I've been building my own design foamie conversions and working out best CG place. Are you aware that the CG is placed where it is as a function of the aerodynamic margin of stability and has no bearing on the structure or strength? Yes of course I am aware. What does moving the spar aft do? If you are already tail heavy why move mass aft? Excuse me if I'm wrong, but moving the main spar aft , actually means the nose and motor are further forward which does not make a model more 'tail heavy' as far as CG goes it means you don't need to add lead at the nose. And yes of course trim is important , but I didn't much want to add 40g to a nice lightweight 109g model! I quote this post on RC groups ... https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?103621-How-do-I-get-better-CG-on-the-Slow-Stick How do I get better CG on the Slow Stick? I am finishing up my first electric RC, a GWS Slow Stic. I have mini servos and a 7.2 400 mha GWS battery. I can't seem to get my cg to be where the manual says it should be: 95mm from the leading edge. any ideas? Mar 31, 2003, 01:44 PM #2 Report sierra-gold Joined Sep 2002 2,098 Posts If you slide the wing back towards the tail about an inch you will be lengthening the moment of the nose(and shortening the tail moment). That should help balance to 95mm from leading edge of the wing. You can also locate the battery pack in front of the wing for better balance. This might be too much weight shift though. As a last resort, you could add some lead right behind the motor. The SS can handle it no problem. I have 1/4 oz. on mine. Sierra Gold

I know it's not uncommon and I have done that on many of my own designed builds. Though I have seen it suggested on forums that the best place for that weigh is as near to the CG as is possible. I did wonder about weight of the covering, but in my tests it needed 40g up front to put the lipo further back. And the model was only 109g. The hollow in the nose was OK for the lipo after my mods, plus just 5g, yes, no problem, but the instructions gave the impression that you could adjust the CG by shifting the lipo forward and aft. No way. A nd no way you could just push the lipo in the nose without building container for it. I have since posting my video seen threads on forums going back 20 years saying they had exactly the same issues with this plane. I didn't realise it was such and old design. I don't like adding unnecessary weight to an rc plane, and most people I know who build feel the same? Some suggestions online on the old threads were move the main spar back a bit. Anyway, it's sorted. I just foolishly though that a sold designed kit would be better thought out.

I think adding ballast say to gliders to help penetrate maybe OK, but adding 30g or 40g to the nose of a 109g model that I want to be a slow flier, or maybe and indoor flyer, doesn't work for me. OK, a couple of g to trim maybe. In the end I got away with just 5g as far forward as it could possibly go forward.

Finally finished the frustrating and annoying build of my first balsa kit construction in several years, and to say the least, I wasn't very impressed with the instructions. And this came on top of the issues I'd had with the first ARTF I'd bought in years just a month or two before. I spent most of this build, having got back into building and covering, in trying to achieve the recommended CG, which wasn't easy even though I was using the recommended motor etc. 🤬. I had to re edit the video cutting out rude words I'd used. If you're considering buying of these little Real Hawk balsa kits I strongly recommend watching my videos on this first!

Getting back to rc balsa building after a break of a several years, part two. If I thought the building part was a bit tricky, the covering was even more of a challenge!

After 10 or 15 years of foam board builds and converting Lidl chuck gliders (20 of them 🤨) I decided to have a go at a balsa build again. It has been an interesting challenge. A lot more difficult and time consuming than sticking stuff together with a hot glue gun that's for sure. I got this 'no name' Black Hawk kit from AliEXpress but someone suggested it's called a Mini Stick? Looking at the forecasts and storms of late I think it'll be useful to have a small indoor flyer too!

Here's an easy DIY quick build u/c for a cheap foamie or adapt for any rc plane!

My Fun World EP 'ARTF' is ready for round 3! 'Always ready to fix' as someone said. Undercarriage rebuilt and I came up with a good solution to prevent further failure I think. The engine mount appears to be OK now after it exploded in bits before I even got off the ground with it, plus I've made other changes that will hopefully make it a bit less of a handful? Ali Express sell this as a 'trainer' A trainer in RC repair maybe? 😂.

It's sold by AliExpress as a trainer, but is far from that! As you say I think the CG they've recommended is for extreme acro , I will shift it forward as suggested.

My Lidl 'Hunter', my first attempt at a swept wing RC conversion of one of these cheap foamies, had a new test flight, but with a 3s instead of a 2s. It flew pretty well before, but now it's quite spicy! Build blog is on my channel and linked at the end.

Yes, certainly worth a try. Thanks for the ideas! I have already reduced the throws, especially the elevator which was very twitchy. Well see how it goes next time!

Chord is 214 mm, and designed, recommended CG is 90 mm, that's 42%. A lot further back than the 30% which would be 64 mm. I think the very big ailerons, 70 mm, which makes overall 285 mm has been factored in. Plus there was no downthrust at on this. I have at least 30+ rc planes and they all have downthrust? I reckon lack of downthrust, plus more power than it really needs is the reason it behaved like that when given a lot of throttle. My test for CG is always, shut throttle and see if the nose drops. Nose didn't drop. The glide for landing approach was perfect. Look at the video here at this point? Anyhow, I've given a bit of downthrust, reinforced and redesigned the U/c and watch this space, next flight will be great! (Hopefully. 😉) . Part of the fun of this hobby is sorting out the problems, though TBH I didn't expect it with an ARFT!

Hi Simon, thanks for comments. I agree the behaviour looks like a CG issue would, but, a big but, if you look at the glide when I shut the motor completely the glide is really good. No sign of tail dropping. I might give it a little more nose weight, but there was also zero downthrust. All my singles have downthrust. I've never had a model without, so I have added a little. It's very overpowered too and I bet that plus no downthrust contributes to the skyward behaviour on more power. My bet is it'll fly like a dream with those tweaks. Re the other points. I have more than 30 expo dialled in. Re u/c, can't always rely on someone being at that strip and with twitchy models like that, I like the ability to take of from ground if possible. I've beefed up the fusi at the u/c area, it was useless. Matchbox wood. And modified the u/c mount so that it's old school, BBQ stick and rubber band! Oh and bigger wheels on the way. It'll be great next time.Watch this space! But yes, doe look great, even if a bit light weight in the build. I t

Thanks for the comments. CG is spot on at the designed position and the glide was absolutely beautiful when I closed the throttle to land , (check out the landing glide) that plus the fact that there's no downthrust at all leads me to think that's the problem. I've reinforced the U/c mount area but more importantly modified it so that the front end now has rubber bands on a BBQ stick so in the event of a hard landing it'll flip back. Bigger wheels ordered too. And I have put a shim under the motor to give it a little downthrust and I've got 30+ rc planes with single tractor mounted motor and the designs all have downthrust! I think it's very likely the problem, but next flight will be the test!

After a pretty disastrous start building my Fun World EP, my first ARTF RC plane build in years, finally the problems were sorted and it got a maiden. HOW DID IT GO!

Yes, wasn't very confidence inspiring as far as the construction of the plane went! Re the ticket, pleased to say it's not mine! 😊. I picked it up when walking along the road near my house and was curious to see where it was issued. The penalty notice was still inside and it had been issued outside Specsavers in town. £70 . Glad it wasn't mine!

I splashed out and bought an ARTF, the first in quite a few years. It's together and ready for a maiden, but the 'build' didn't really go quite as easily as I expected! Nice looking plane though. Should be fun to fly.

Have I finally banished my Lidl Twin Fusi RC conversions' jynx? And did version 4 of my Lidl RC Stumpy actually fly this time? More 'interesting' flight tests last weekend! Some nice aerial footage too and I've decided, if I do try some FPV flying, it'll be with the twin fusi Lidl as it gives such a good open view of the ground. No aircraft nose or props in the frame.