16 Nov 02 - Crashed recently.FlexiFlyer by Ron Fikes
16 Nov 02 - Crashed recently.
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| N° of launches / Time | 2 | 3 mins |
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| Wingspan | 34.6 " | 0.88 m | |
| Wing Area | 420 in² | 27.1 dm² | |
| Flying Weight | 5.4 oz | 153 g | |
| Wing Loading | 1.9 oz/ft² | 5.6 g/dm² | |
| Wing Cube Loading | 1.1 - Glider (extreme featherweight) | ||
| Motor | GWS IPS-DX-A | ||
| Gearbox | Integral 5.85:1 | ||
| Propeller | GWS 9" x 4.7" slow-fly | ||
| Batteries | 7 NiCd cells Sanyo 110AE | ||
| Speed Controller | Ripmax P-Xtra-05 Air - 5 to 8 cells - 5A - BEC | ||
| Receiver | Jeti REX 5 plus - 5ch - sub-micro - 35MHz | ||
| Servo | Sail Tilt - Hitec HS-55 | ||
| Static motor parameters | GWS 9" x 4.7" on 7 Sanyo 110AE gives 3600 RPM @ 7.6V drawing 1.8A, estimated 40W/lb | ||
15 Nov 02 - My FlexiFlyer nose-dived into the ground recently smashing into numerous bits. Not to be deterred, I am going to build another including a few of the recent refinements. such as sail pitch control.
28 Oct 01 - Tried to fly a couple of weeks ago, but had set the CofG with the fuselage level instead of the wing level as it should have been. Today I managed to get in a couple of flights. However, I ran out of right trim so I need to adjust the linkage & could do with a little more throw. It was very novel not having elevator and controlling attitude using the throttle - I still tried to flair the landings. It is a very nice design and flies well, but even the slightest breeze causes problems going into wind. Playing with the CofG position might help - that's my next set of experiments decided.
22 Sep 01 - I have now completed the model after only a couple of evenings - well there is almost nothing to it. I purchased another Pico-Stick kit to get another motor & give spare parts for the flyer - they are bound to be needed at some point. Mine turned out almost 1oz heavier than Ron's but that could be due to a thicker plastic for the sail. I have made the sail removable by fitting pinned hinges and, for ease, a full length hinge pin (see photographs above). The fuselage is covered with LiteSpan for convenience.
12 Sep 01 - I fancied something different for the coming Indoor Flight season and spotted the FlexiFlyer in the net. I obtained a copy of the plan from Ron Fikes. In addition to motor control, it only has Sail Tilt to control direction (no pitch control). Height is controlled using motor power, with more power causing a climb & less a descent. I will (initially) be sharing the motor and propeller from the Pico-Stick as it is the recommended unit. Due to the simplicity of the design, it should only take a few hours to build. That is once I've found a big enough piece of suitable plastic for the sail. I think I'll use small pin hinges for the sail to allow removal for transport. I'll also probably make the sail folding by pivoting the front.