DAG-R1 Movie and photos

[imsofaman]

I have been working on a new head and mast design that will be an add on or modification to the DAG-1. Just a quick flight in a confined area.

Dave

DAG-R1 Movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VekSngATdlU)

[imsofaman]

Hey guys.....just a few photos of the build process. I like to make my own plywood using 2 pcs. of 1/16 ply sandwiching 1/16 balsa and I like using Gorilla glue that is light and hard. Once cured, you can easily use CA hinges on the roll portion of the head because of the balsa middle. The photos on this post are before I sanded it and installed the servos.

Dave

[imsofaman]

Head being mounted..... ;)

[imsofaman]

Servo mounting and mast with head sanded ready for covering.

[imsofaman]

Modifications to the fuselage:

The only mods I did to the fuselage was I added another 1/4" square balsa strip behind the hatch hinge base, this will extend from the axle box back past the mast by three bays or so. This adds much strength with little weight. The servo arm openings are cut and framed up with 1/4" square balsa also. Then the whole fuselage is sheeted in 1/16" balsa.

That is about it....an easy mast with little modification to the fuselage.

[leadfeather]

Looking good! The little pilot looks quite pleased with the results so far. :)

Dan

[imsofaman]

Dan,
I was going to use Snoopy....but he is just so heavy compared to the pilot that I am using now. Oh well.....maybe I will put him in another plane one day.

Dave

[alfoot]

Dave,

Really good gyro - doesn't it fly well :) ?

If you scale and print out your picture of Snoopy, cut it out and glue to some thin balsa, and then make a mirror image and glue that to the other side, you could make a 2-D Snoopy pilot that weighs next to nothing. You wouldn't notice it was 2-D when airborne.

Al

[mnowell129]

Dave,

Really good gyro - doesn't it fly well :) ?

If you scale and print out your picture of Snoopy, cut it out and glue to some thin balsa, and then make a mirror image and glue that to the other side, you could make a 2-D Snoopy pilot that weighs next to nothing. You wouldn't notice it was 2-D when airborne.

Al
Take picture of the front and back and glue all four to a block of foam. Then you can see Snoopy when he has you in his sights!

[imsofaman]

Hey Al! You know....that is an awesome idea. Right now....I have my pilot already glued in.....it is just one of those hollow pilots. I scultped Tweetie and Sylvester and dropped them into a Slow Poke from Crayola clay last year. Crayola makes a nice sculpting clay and when it dries.....it is light like foam.

One thing I forgot to mention with my new design is that I am using high torque servos. I use the long arms for the travel need with this type head.

Aerobalsa blades are being used on all my gyros now. Even though my scratch built blades work....the Areobablsa blades create a lot more lift.

[imsofaman]

A photo of Sylvester and Tweetie....