I went to Home Depot yesterday and picked up a bundle of the 1/4" pink fan fold foam. Now I want to build some planes. My problem is . . . what should I build?

That's a vague question I know. I'm interested in building something that someone has tried before. I'd like to use a GWS Pico stick engine and gear if possible. Does anyone know of any good plans I could work from. Something sedate and easy to fly is what I'm aiming for

I also am thinking about a larger speed 400 type plane as well.
I have so much of this foam I might be building for awhile!

Eddie

here are three things you might want to try:
1. and now - search for it and you'll find threads that give all the details. Uses lite stik motor and very easy to build
2. flying wing - many ideas on this one but you can just throw one together without plans. Very easy to do. Look at some pictures of other designs and then have at it. I did one in a day. Flew lousy but was fun and helped me learn.
3. true custom - Once you have the basics down, make your very own design. There is nothing like flying something you built without any help from others. Here is a pic of my last true custom. All made with bluecor foam. FLies pretty good although my current project will fly much better. It has fully symetrical wings and full 4-channel setup.

Matt that's a nice plane. I wish my fanfold came in blue and not pink! Oh well some spray paint will fix that up.

Thanks for the suggestions! I am really interested in building a foam wing. I've checked out the Pibros model that seems to be quite popular in Europe and I might try it out.

The And_Now looks to be perfect for a small little flier. My wife told me last night that she might would be interested in a small slow plane! I'd like to get her interested in this hobby if at all possible.

I have also downloaded some 3d views of wwii fighters to make some flat fuse models as well. With all that foam I might be building for more than I'm flying.

Eddie

The 1/4" fan-fold stuff is the greatest for the lazy builder. No waiting for glue to dry (if you use contact cement). No covering. No wing ribs. I love it. I've been using the blue stuff, and there's a picture what I've come up with so far. In fact people loved the slowflyer pusher so much, I'm making up kits. So there's no limit to how far you can take it.

That's actually what I love about this hobby. You can take it as far as you want. I know guys who are carefully choosing the airfoil shape, working out drag coeffiecients and even more complicated mathematical stuff. Then there's guys who just glue and tape till it flies. The wonderful thing is: Both approaches seem to work. I've had so many weird shaped hunks of foam flying, that some days I wonder why it took Wilbur and Orville so long...

As for your designs, start with something that you know works. For my wing I copied the "So Slow" flying wing from AZ Chuck. Then I changed it a bit, and made it speed 400 instead of slow, and it was one of my most aerobatic yet.

Good Luck,
-Dan

Click on the picture for more detail. The dog isn't made of foam.

I'm with Hippo on this one.... The stuff is great! I guess I'll be forced into putting up a page on the 52" span "ZagNutz" I built this weekend......

Foam building sure is fun. I continue to get a kick out of all the designs folks are coming up with. Hippo, I built a flying v that looked alot loke yours. Mine flew crummy but it did fly and was fun to build. Your fighter style plane looks great. How does it fly?

So many great ideas and so much cheap foam to use. My problem is so few servos...

Here's how I built a ZagNutz

http://home1.gte.net/texhills/index.html

CenTexFlyer

Because they didnt have Bluecor Foam lol heeheehee ..Vyceroy

Hippo,
Your mini zagi inspired me to cut some foam tonight. Here is what my version looks like after 1 1/2 hours. Not close to ready yet but getting there. Wingspan is 28" Airfoil is hand bent single layer of foam. I'm shooting for 6ounces ready to fly. The prop on my lite stik motor is 10x4.7 but I plan to use a 9x6 for test flight.

Matt,

That mini flying wing looks great. I was sitting around last night thinking about a mini zagi type wing for fun flying with a GWS pico type engine for slowflying. I have always loved the flying wing aircraft all the way back to childhood when I would go to the library and look at the pictures of planes. I am going to build something like that! Let us know how that project turns out.

Hippo - man your collection looks great. I have been checking out your "Frog" for a few days trying to convince myself I could build something like that. I have a Firebird XL and like pusher props. I would like to move up from my 2 channel (throttle and v-tail) to a full 3 channel (throttle, rudder,elevator) plane and a "Frog-like" pusher looks like fun. By the way, is that a Pibros I see in that picture as well?

Thanks to everyone in this forum who take the time to help newbies like me. I love planes and this foam stuff makes the hobby twice as much fun by letting me build my own.

Eddie

Happy Flying!

I also like the zagnutz! I already have a Razor and its a blast!!!
I got enough 1" foam sheet and bluecor fan fold stuff to make a dozen planes. The one plane I built so far is my Dust Biter. I used fan fold stuff and made a foam spar. I bent some dihedral in by holding it over a kerosene heater. I just have to come up with a good motor mount for it. It does fly. Although a little lazily and that may be because of nimh batts. I have some AE nicads I can use for a little more zip. My problem is that I have 3 new kits coming in (The Bat, E-Plane, and Corsair) that I have to get done along with these fan fold designs. Not to mention patching my
F-22 again (great flyer, don't crash nose first though!)

PS...if some of you have dimensions etc., post them or send
them to me if you can. CenTex, went to your site and
the zagnutz looks like a fun build!


Dave...

Centexflyer,
I checked your site and wow. You really put some time into that one. Great plane. I'd be interested in the dimensions as well. Great instructions btw.

Love this cheap bluecor stuff...

CentexFlyer,

That ZagiNutz looks great. For some reason though, I can't seem to read the graphics on your site well enough to see the actual dimensions. Could you give us a quick run through on them?

Thanks!

Eddie

I just started building a Focker Dr1 out of fan fold (Owens Corning Pink) 23" fuselage tip to tail with a 31" top wing span. It should make for an exciting geared 400 plane. Sorry no pictures yet but will post a few during construction.


Mike

Your mini zagi inspired me to cut some foam tonight.

Thanks, I don't think I ever inspired somebody before.

Wingspan is 28" Airfoil is hand bent single layer of foam. I'm shooting for 6ounces ready to fly.

My wing had a 34" span, and was a two-layer flat bottomed airfoil. All up weight was about 18 Oz. with a speed 400 on board. I don't think you're ever gonna make 6 Oz. with that Pringles can on there. It that full of water balloons to drop?

By the way, is that a Pibros I see in that picture as well?

Yep, that Pibros is the first thing I ever built out of blue foam. That's why the nose is all scrunched up. I sat on the floor in front of the TV all day on Sept. 11, and made that. That afternoon I flew it in the park across the street. It was the only thing in the air. Kind of spooky and surreal. I followed the speed 400 conversion instructions from Gertjan Kools site.

a "Frog-like" pusher looks like fun

Thanks again. Actually I'm sure you could make a speed 400 pusher pretty easily. The big PITA about designing the frog, was figuring out how to swing that 10" prop without messing up the CG, or making it look all distorted. (Yes how a plane looks is very important to it's flying characteristics.)

Thanks everbody, keep 'em coming.
-Dan