IAD

The ducting is white, eh? Very interesting. I'll have to watch M0 again, I guess. It wouldn't be a problem for me to do, that's for sure. Anyway, I've almost finished covering the nose... I should be working on threading controls in a little while... And once I finish everything, I'm going to go back and update mine. I really nailed the shape of the nose on the second airframe, and mine is looking a bit square, by comparison. ~Luke

Oh, by the way... Since there's no access after I install the intakes, I would like to lay down a base coat and polish the duct surfaces. (Decrease turbulence/increase thrust.) Any specific color that you'd like, or would Tamiya Dark Grey be sufficient? ~Luke

What?(!) Not that I knew. Let's see the link. I did give a fellow a set of outlines for a profile job. I just did a sweep on RCG, and didn't come up with a thing... (Except a year's worth of my posts... ) Wait, I just got it: http://www.daddyhobby.com/forum/showthread...0659&page=1 ~Luke

Wait, wha..? You mean on the build, or in the anime? If the former, I haven't got them glued in... Once I do that, I can finish blending them into the top of the fuselage. (This is what I did with the first foam airframe. It's the only way to blend them correctly, since foam doesn't like to be sanded to paper-thin edges...) If the latter... Let's see some screens, so I can get this right..! ~Luke

Ok, well as long as it's a matter of national security, I guess I can wait.... ~Luke

Ok, sounds good. It is very minor, at 2', you can't see it at all. I also just managed to remove 0.1 oz. of excess glue, filler and foam! I'm determined to make weight targets on this one. (Mine was 0.62 oz. over target weight.) I'm trying to get you about a half ounce to work with, in terms of finish weight. (At that point, it would still be lighter than mine.) ~Luke

Oh, Sean, since you're here... I've got a question: Some of these photos show a slight texture to the surfaces... Mostly it's very smooth, but in a couple spots, there's a slight foam texture. (I'm referring to the tissue-covered areas, ignore the surface between the nacelles/intakes, it's unfinished, and therefore very rough.) The texture can only be seen from specific angles, and at close range. On mine, it's pretty much unnoticeable, because I used flat grey/black. What worries me is that since the Nora scheme has a gloss/semi-gloss finish, these flaws might show up if it's examined closely. Note that this is purely aesthetic, in terms of flight performance, it won't make a bit of difference. Also, there's a photo with a red arrow. It's pointing to a slight shaping flaw. Unless otherwise instructed, I'm going pick up some ultra-light filler, and see if I can't get the shape right. ~Luke

Yes, it's very strong, though I have taken a few minor dents. (Almost all of them from 'hanger rash' incidents, actually.) Overall though, it still looks as good as ever. I added a couple of reinforcements to key areas on yours, to prevent this type of damage. Trimming your fingernails before launching is probably a good idea, though. ~Luke

I was thinking cable as well. The real question is HOW did the gunpod get on the refueling aircraft to begin with. ~Luke

Forgot to mention: I'm re-rigging the SV control system. While the current setup works well in terms of control, I think I could get a bit more efficiency out of the airframe by reconfiguring the elevons as flaperons. (That is, up elevator causes the flaps/ailerons to deploy down. See attached diagram.) While the flaps will cause a small nose-down pitching moment, it should be overcome by the combined effects of the canard, elevator and thrust-vector surfaces, which have a greater mechanical advantage. Overall, this setup should provide better climb and speed retention. ~Luke

So, how are things? Almost as importantly, when do you post a new page? ~Luke

Right-click and Save As (20 MB, DiVX 5.2.1 compression.) Log: 00:20 Initiates loop. Heading change of 90 deg. results from gusty conditions. 01:04 Initiates attempted roll, aborts inverted after pilot judges roll rate to be insufficient. Recovery successful. 01:40-01:43 Uncommanded pitch up resulting in stall and 360 deg. roll. Altitude reduced to 0 ft. Pilot regains control before impact, vectors thrust to place the aircraft nose high and activates SWAG system, preventing damage to the airframe. Accident attributed to a short in the FBW system. (Corrected.) 01:46 Modified launch profile, note sharp rotation to level. 02:29 Initiates series of S-turns. Turbulence/wind gusts become more severe. 03:23 Forced landing due to low airspeed, low altitude, and low pilot aptitude. Contributing factor was wind conditions. No damage to the airframe. [Pilot commentary: You know, I have yet to land this aircraft, in a truly deliberate sense. It's getting on my nerves. I keep find myself loosing just a bit too much altitude and airspeed in a low-level turn, and just level it off and let it settle in. At least it's easy to do.] ~Luke

Ok, video's being compressed right now. It'll be posted in an hour or two. (~24 MB, best guess.) ~Luke

Ah, MW is back! Very nice. Ok, fine by me. I'll just compress it, and have done. (I'm finished with the editing, but I haven't got it small enough to ship over the Internet. Also I've been rather busy with assorted things, including but not limited to SVs and a lasertag Desert Eagle .50 caliber pistol.) By the way, I sent you an e-mail, need a bit more input. ~Luke

I've almost got the video of the previous set of flights compiled. Just searching for a bit of music to put in the background. (While not necessary, it does add something.) I agree, it's quite amazing, seeing it cruise around up there. I only wish I had a few VF-0 CFs to chase around. ~Luke

Glad you like it! Cost: About $300 for the gear, motors, etc... The foam and whatnot is rather inexpensive, but turning it into an SV is... Well, difficult. ~Luke

I see. Ok, just wondering. I will say this, though... The level of moulded surface detail on some of the higher end fiberglass models is very high, similar to some of the resin models I've seen here. (Very scale, rivet-counting, etc.) Also, the 30-70 cm span ships are made of balsa or foam because of weight, not because of prohibitive cost. (Actually, there are no 30 cm. span scale ship kits, at least not RC.) ~Luke

Ok, I just finished torture-testing the fans: A 5 minute full-throttle run, under static conditions. Both fans passed! Because the fans weren't mounted inside the SV, I was able to monitor temperature (roughly speaking) as well. The motors got pretty hot, but not so hot that I couldn't hold them. A 30-45 second low-throttle cool-down after the test cooled them down nicely. I'm guessing that 6 minute flights with throttle management and cooling the motors off with the fans running at low throttle for a minute or two afterwards should keep things running smoothly. Only testing will tell. (Which means more SV flying! ) ~Luke

Ok, I'll have it ready for you. ~Luke

I'm curious... Is there a reason why large models like this couldn't be done in fiberglass? Though not used much on small scale RC ships, due to weight issues, large scale models (5-6' long, and 25+ lb.) are often moulded entirely from fiberglass, and include excellent surface detail, with panel lines, rivet heads, etc. Without the weight concerns that a flying model has, a 25" long shuttle could probably be pretty easy to pull off. Some carbon ribbon placed strategically would make the model very stiff, and by display model standards, quite light for its size. (Probably less than a pound. Nice for shipping.) ~Luke

Thanks! I'm still trying to get around to posting the last video I took... It's a longer set of flights, though still plagued by the fan-throwing behavior... Apparently, the motors are literally melting the fans. Going to apply some heat-sink compound to the heatsink/motor interface, which should clear up the problem once and for all. ~Luke

Thrust vector vanes are finished. Next step is the ducting... I'll be temporarily installing my fans in your ship, so I can make sure the thrust values are where they should be. (I need to pull the fan housings out anyway, so I can get the fans back on the shafts.) Should I shoot for a before-December completion date? ~Luke

YIKE! That's huge! What are you planning, and invasion of France, or something? ~Luke

Almost finished with the thrust-vector vanes. They're tricky, getting the tissue to conform to the curves, and what-not, but looking great. (Much better than bare foam, as per the first ship.) ~Luke

Slowly but surely... So far, I've got the top of the wings and lifting body covered, nacelles in the final stages of sanding, and I've started covering the thrust-vector vanes... Going for completely uniform finishing here. I've also added the fillet at the very front of the LEX, where it blends into the fuselage/nose. Looking super so far. ~Luke