James Presnell Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Greetings! As an avid scratch-builder, I have been working on and off for the last few years to build and fly my own paramotor with limited success - until now! The 'LuteFisk' is a DIY design based upon the size and power requirements of the Opale power 1.1 wing and is a truly satisfying project. Over the next several days I will be posting the full set of plans and build series videos to help all of you that are interested to get your own wing off the ground! To begin, here is a flight video of the prototype - happy flying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Presnell Posted April 9, 2017 Author Share Posted April 9, 2017 Hello, all - Here is the first part of my build series wherein I introduce the project and materials you will need to get started. I have also attached to this post the plans for the 'LuteFisk' wing for your perusal. Enjoy! Plans: **LINK** If you would like to take a look at the original build thread, you can find it here: **LINK** Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon P Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 This is a great idea for a project and thank you for sharing it with us. You've got me checking out our sewing machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Presnell Posted April 9, 2017 Author Share Posted April 9, 2017 Welcome back! Once we've got our materials gathered, it's time to start making the parts. In part 2 we will make templates from the plans and start cutting the material. The plans are formatted on ARCH-D, so an A1 or A0 should be fine. I use a vinyl cutter with a pen holder to plot the plans, but any decent office store should be able to do architectural prints for a modest fee. These plans were created with the Singleskin software, which is freely available online - if there is any interest, I'll post the original design files as well. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Presnell Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 It's time to sew! Part 3 begins the difficult part of the build - sewing these wings is definitely not for the impatient, so take your time and work accurately. Remember, errors tend to be cumulative in this project. Any time you start to hear a 'clicking' sound as the needle contacts the material, it's time to change your needle. Also, don't forget to back-stitch all of those seams! Good luck, and feel free to chime with questions or comments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Clever stuff, but all that sewing is not particularly enticing... I could see a market for these as an affordable PNP/BNF offering though by one of the "big box" manufacturers. They would be very attractive if set up as a slow and stable FPV platform with a pan an tilt system, though I suppose camera stability might be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Presnell Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 Matty- it is definitely a lot of work. Honestly, the $700(US) I spent on my Opale Power 1.1 setup is cheaper than making these from scratch. I did this design purely for the fulfillment of the build of a type of model for which there exists very little plan information. The sense of satisfaction I get from flying this model for me is well worth the 50-60 hours building. In fact, I am finishing up work on the 3-meter version - it is a beautiful wing, but is a LOT of work! It's easy to find information on just about every other type of aircraft, but I wanted to share something different If one is not amenable to all of the work, there are great products available from Hacker, Opale, and others. I would not recommend this build to the faint of heart or impatient. Due to the nature of these models, they don't do too well for FPV or aerial photography. I do have a PPG model that I use for aerial 3D scanning, but it is a little hit or miss. Paramotors require a fair bit of active piloting, which is difficult to do LOS. Thanks for the comment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Presnell Posted April 12, 2017 Author Share Posted April 12, 2017 Welcome back! Part 4: It's now time to tidy up the trailing edge and wingtips in preparation for adding the rib stiffeners. We're about half way through the build, and things are starting to get exciting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Presnell Posted April 14, 2017 Author Share Posted April 14, 2017 Hello, all! In this installment we make and attach the leading edge rib stiffeners. Since this is a single-skin wing, we need a way to maintain the leading edge shape and stiffness of the wing without the internal pressure of a double-skin wing. In full scale, this is done with plastic rods that are inserted into pockets sewn into the wing. For this model I have elected to use a stiffener 'panel' that is attached to each rib. This greatly simplifies the sewing and assembly of the wing. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Presnell Posted April 20, 2017 Author Share Posted April 20, 2017 Welcome back! Next it is time for the attachment points, without which there would be nowhere for the lines to tie! This part is definitely a bit easier than the bulk of the sewing, so relax a bit and enjoy the process. I have also attached a link to the 3D printed attachment point jig I use to make all of the parts. **LINK** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Presnell Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 Hello! Now that we have all the attachment points in place, it's time to make the lines to which they will . . . attach. Grab some line and a bit of patience - we have a lot of lines to make! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Congratulations on your build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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