A few weeks ago I announced to the local guys that I would be willing to provide building services to anyone wanting any of the pusher jets offered up in free plans here and elsewhere. I also stated that I would be willing to look at designing planes on request.

EDIT - Kits now available for purchase HERE.

Well, my first request was for a Concorde! I had no idea that Dynamic Foamy just did a twin pusher, nor had I seen any of the other Concorde pusher threads here. So I started from scratch in CAD.

The design took all of 2 afternoons, and I had a flyable prototype in 7 days. The maiden flight took place last Friday. The initial flight was quite hairy as I had the CG way too far back. I had based it on the CG of one of the other pushers here in the forum. But after I moved the battery forward, I found the proper CG location and it flies nice!

CG wound up being 4" in front of the forward opening of the prop canyon.

Here's the maiden video:

Nico Hobbies Concorde SST Maiden (6 min 52 sec)

Here's more video from Big Jolt 2011, courtesy of Jeff Stein at Goin' Vertical Video. The final few minutes has more Concorde footage. Thanks Jeff!

Nico Jets (12 min 9 sec)

Here are the stats:

Wingspan - 21"
Length - 48.8"
Motor - Suppo 2212-6 2200kv outrunner
ESC - Suppo 30A
Prop - APC-style 6X4E
Servos - 2x HXT900 9-gram micro servos
Battery - Hyperion G3 3S 1300mAh 25C
RX - XPS Nano-E 6-ch

Dry weight - 9.2oz, 260 grams

AUW with the pack above - 13oz, 369 grams

See post #28 for plans for the twin pusher version.

EDIT - Revised plans posted 10-24-12 for the original and the Twin.

The plans and decals posted here are for personal use only. Any commercial use without the express written permission of Nico Hobbies is prohibited. This includes any re-sized plans posted by me.

Pat Gagnon
Nico Hobbies

On with the build! The build was pretty straightforward as the only real built up area are the engine pods. And the aileron linkages are non-standrd as well. More like the old GWS split elevator style with the U bend wire.

All parts are cut from 6mm depron or bluecor and require no sanding or angled cuts for proper fitment. Here's a list of materials that you will need:

- 6mm depron or bluecor
- 3 lengths of 4mm or 5mm CF tube for spars (1 @ 18.5" for the main wing, and 2 @ 13.75" for the forward wing)
- .047 music wire for control rods and aileron linkages
- 1/8 lite ply for the motor mount
- 2 control horns (I use 1/16 lite ply for these)
- hinge tape (I use Blenderm)
- foam glue (I use Beacon 3-in-1 Advanced Adhesive, but Foam Tac or UHU Por works great too)
- epoxy for the spars (5-minute works fine)

Pat

Start by installing the main wing spar. I use blue painters tape to cover one side of the spar slot, then flip the wing over and frame out the slot to help prevent epoxy overrun. Insert the epoxy into the slot, making sure the entire channel is at least half full. Then insert the CF spar all the way down into the slot and scrape off the excess epoxy.

Once the epoxy hardens, but before it cures completely, remove the painters tape. You should end up with a very smooth surface on the side where the tape coverd the slot. I use this as the top side of the plane.

Next, hinge the control surfaces. First, cut a 45° hinge on the leading edge of the control surfaces. Then place the control surfaces in their locations, then bend some .047 music wire into a U shape. Then press the wire into the foam to mark the locations of your cuts. Using a sharp knife, cut just deep enough into the foam so the wire sits down into it.

Then cut a small channel for the wire along the wing trailing edge so that it sits down in the control surfaces properly. Hot glue or epoxy the control wire in place. Finally, hinge the control surfaces with Blenderm or other tape. Ensure there is free movement of the control surfaces, and trim foam where necessary.

Pat

subscribed.

Now mate the forward wing section with the rear. Then install the angled CF spars the same way as the wing spar, making sure you cover the slot with tape on the same side you did for the main wing spar (angled spars are not pictured below as they were added later).

Next, glue on the outer and center engine pod pieces. Then insert a servo in the cutout location on the inner pod piece just forward of the center notch (the cutout was designed to fit the HXT900 servo). This will keep the servo out of the prop area.

Next glue in the servo (I use hot glue), then glue the inner pod piece in place. Finally, glue on the bottom pod piece.

Pat

Now glue in the control horns, center your servos (if you have not done so already) and hook up the control rods. Then glue on the upper and lower fuse sections, and the vertical stab and the bottom strake, making sure everything is at 90° relative to the wing.

Pat

Now mount the motor and install the electronics. For the battery installation, I simply cut out a section of the lower fuse that would accomodate the battery, but with a tight fit so that velcro and straps were not necessary. To reinforce the cut out area, I hot glued a strip of 6mmx1mm CF along the bottom of the fuse.

To protect the plane on landing, I applied 3M anti-skid tape to the bottom of the engine pods, and more CF strip where the fuse touches the ground.

Pat

Very nice Pat! I bet it can roll like a drill bit!! My pusher XB-70 (similar shape) sure can

Have you tried it with a larger pack?

It sure does. Have not tried it with a larger pack, but I bet a 2200 would work just fine.

With the 1300 you're getting about 5 minutes with mixed throttle, unlimited vertical, and about 75mph top speed flat and level.

Pat

Originally Posted by crxmanpat

It sure does. Have not tried it with a larger pack, but I bet a 2200 would work just fine.

With the 1300 you're getting about 5 minutes with mixed throttle, unlimited vertical, and about 75mph top speed flat and level.

Pat

75mph??

I haven't done the math pertaining to prop speed and such, but that's a bit on the high side to me. Have you confirmed that with radar or just an educated guess? Just curiuos!

Nice one Pat

As mid mount prop pusher fans we must all be on similar wave lengths as over the last couple weeks I've also been looking on the threads here for Concorde models.

Yet again your design fits my requirements perfectly.

As on the SR71 by our friend Eliworm there may be provision to include some simple sections to add on the underside to hide the lipo and ESC ??

Parts on the top would certainly ruin the lines.

I'll definately add this one to the collection at a stage when I thought I had enough mid mounts.

Well done..

QUOTE FROM SAMMY 70
75mph??
I haven't done the math pertaining to prop speed and such, but that's a bit on the high side to me. Have you confirmed that with radar or just an educated guess? Just curiuos!

You'll be surprised Sammy, there's a superb thread on a Saab Draaken also built by Pat which is of similar weight as the Concorde but with the same motor and prop set up and without doubt it has to be one of the fastest depron jets I've ever built.

Not been checked with a radar and I'm similar to you in that I have not calculated the math but the tell tale signs are on the faces of my fellow club members when I fly it

I've re-edited with a rough calculation of the math. I think it's there

A 2212/6 motor is 2200KV so on a 3s potentially it will rev at 11.1v multiplied by 2200 which will equal a potential to spin at 24,420 RPM. (WOT ?)

Add to this the pitch of a 6x4 prop which potentially can move 4 inches in one revolution which will equal 97,680 inches per minute.

This then factors down to 8,140 feet per minute then 2,713 yards per minute and then 1.54 miles per minute.

Multiply this by 60 to give 92.49 miles per hour.

This is clearly on a power train with no weight or drag involved and assuming that the motor is at WOT.

So factor in the weight, drag, power loss, vibrations etc and this will subsequently lower the performance of the power train.

That is where I have to guess the end result but for sure my heaviest mid mount pusher prop SR71 at
21oz AUW certainly reaches 50mph on the same set up.

^^^ What he said. My Saab Draken was radared at 78mph on two passes.

Jim Drew will have a radar gun at the AZ Electric Festival this weekend. I hope to get him to take a few readings for me.

Pat

Originally Posted by soundcheque

As on the SR71 by our friend Eliworm there may be provision to include some simple sections to add on the underside to hide the lipo and ESC ??

I thought about that during the design phase (pieces on the bottom only), but decided against it for now. I may try and add some later on, but right now it seems fine without. I hardly notice the electronics when I'm in the air.

Pat

Very nice.

Got a bunch of flights on the Concorde this past weekend during the 7th Annual Arizona Electric Festival, and she did very nice! I got Jeff Stein from Going Vertical Video and Mike Heer (event reporter for RCGroups) to get pics and video. Hopefully I will have some footage soon to share.

I even managed to sell a few kits at the show.

Pat