Shawn Campfield as well as his UK friend Rory have created a BluFO model for RealFlight. Check it out on the Knife Edge Software site

https://www.knifeedge.com/forums/ind...-eaa_ea.28041/

I just came across this design. Looks great for a night flyer. In regard to the motor, I see many versions of the 2216-880KV by sunnysky. Which version is recommended? Long shaft, short shaft, V3, etc?

Also, has anyone laminated the plane to add additional "structure" and durability?

I’ll be honest - I have a habit of over engineering my planes and the BluFOs are plenty tough enough as built. We’ve put them through the ringer and they come back for more.

And yes, they are a perfect candidate for a night flyer project

Rob

Originally Posted by Bombay

I just came across this design. Looks great for a night flyer. In regard to the motor, I see many versions of the 2216-880KV by sunnysky. Which version is recommended? Long shaft, short shaft, V3, etc?

Also, has anyone laminated the plane to add additional "structure" and durability?

The motor I sell in the standard completer is the Sunnysky A-2216 (880 KV) Angel short shaft version. It's not a plane for speed but the nose could certainly benefit from some lamination as that is typically where it gets damaged.

I ordered the XL last week, and have already begun building it! I plan on having it done before I depart for SEFF 2021. I have the elevons hinged, but next time I think I could do a better job. When I add tape to it, in this case clear duck tap, I place the elevon on-top of the trailing edge of the wing surface, to add a length of tape right on the hinge line. Next I flip the elevon down, past the maximum throw and add the next piece of tape along the top of the hinge. But the hinge always pushes out, so that there is more of a gap at the hinge. I'm not worried about it because its all sealed and secure, but its just not up tight to the trailing edge of the wing like I want.
Anyways I've had fun building it, and I am ready to paint her!

Originally Posted by Bombay

I just came across this design. Looks great for a night flyer. In regard to the motor, I see many versions of the 2216-880KV by sunnysky. Which version is recommended? Long shaft, short shaft, V3, etc?

Also, has anyone laminated the plane to add additional "structure" and durability?

Check out my post #100. I laminated a 3mm EPP sheet on top of the 9mm sheet to cover the LEDs. Running a 2200mAh battery gets me 6 min flight time. It makes for an excellent night flyer as it is huge and so easy to see and you can load it up with LEDS and not diminish its performance. With my setup I can float it slow or run "fast". I will say it is designed very well and does hold up without any reinforcement.

I got an XL as a birthday present yesterday. Wanted something big and similar size profile jets are hard to find. Any feedback on using hot glue for elevon hinges? I used hot glue on all types of Epp planes for years without fail. Hope to get started tomorrow. Will post pictures when complete.
Rick

Originally Posted by fuzzyhead

I got an XL as a birthday present yesterday. Wanted something big and similar size profile jets are hard to find. Any feedback on using hot glue for elevon hinges? I used hot glue on all types of Epp planes for years without fail. Hope to get started tomorrow. Will post pictures when complete.
Rick

People have done hot glue hinges for a long time. It you're capable, go for it. I personally hate hot glue so I never tried it (burn myself constantly) I stick with Foam-Tac since that's what I build it all with

Foam Tac is the best

Ok, the beast is ready. Nothing fancy. Ran into a few things during the build I didn't feel comfortable with. The elevon control rods seemed too weak. With full travel the rod tip would flex even with the supports in place. Decided to move the servos farther back allowing me to use a much shorter and thicker control rod. Personal choice I'm happy with. Went with a skewer and rubber band to hold the canopy closed. After a 24 hour cure the magnet would pull out of the foam. Again, a personal choice. Did a static motor test as well. Using a Detrum 3512 880kv motor. Tried both the APC 11x7E and APC 12x6E props. The 11x7 pulled 17A with 187 watts. The 12x6 slightly better at 17.5A and 195 watts. The 3s battery I used was not the newest which may have affected the numbers.
Looking forward to getting her in the air weather permitting. Looks sharp on the bench. Gots to look great in the air.
Rick

Having trouble getting pictures to load. Hope to figure it out soon.

It looks good. Looking forward to your flight reports. We did find that if you find yourself not pulling out of the downside of a loop, throttle back and it will tighten the descent

It does fly. And very well if I might say. My preference is a low or no wind day for maidens. Especially for a plane this big and light. Spring days in south Texas are usually windy all day. Very stormy of late. Calm this morning. Launched as easy as the videos show. After initial trimming, I started to see what she could do. Much more aerobatic than I expected. Roll rate surprised me. Very nice. Will slow down to a crawl. Almost hover with even a small wind. No control issues during loops. Throttling back on the down side is a habit no matter what I’m flying.
Complaints or problems- None
Planned additions- Will add protection to the bottom of the fuselage. My field is not the smoothest. Even if just a layer of packing tape. Also add another color to the top for orientation. Next time out I’ll try the 11x7 prop just to compare. I can usually stuff three planes in my little hatchback. This will always be the first one in.

Originally Posted by fuzzyhead

It does fly. And very well if I might say. My preference is a low or no wind day for maidens. Especially for a plane this big and light. Spring days in south Texas are usually windy all day. Very stormy of late. Calm this morning. Launched as easy as the videos show. After initial trimming, I started to see what she could do. Much more aerobatic than I expected. Roll rate surprised me. Very nice. Will slow down to a crawl. Almost hover with even a small wind. No control issues during loops. Throttling back on the down side is a habit no matter what I’m flying.
Complaints or problems- None
Planned additions- Will add protection to the bottom of the fuselage. My field is not the smoothest. Even if just a layer of packing tape. Also add another color to the top for orientation. Next time out I’ll try the 11x7 prop just to compare. I can usually stuff three planes in my little hatchback. This will always be the first one in.

Glad to hear you're happy. Look forward to hearing your comparison of the two prop sizes. Like I said in the original "NEAT Fair" videos/flights, the best I could describe it was majestic. Packing tape can be a good "skid". One interesting thing is that if you have a monocoat/covering iron, you can seal packing tape on a low setting and even shrink the wrinkles out. DON'T use a heat gun.

Enjoy!
Jim/coreman

[QUOTE=fuzzyhead; Will add protection to the bottom of the fuselage. My field is not the smoothest. Even if just a layer of packing tape.[/QUOTE]

I added a sheet of polystyrene from Hobby Lobby to the underside of the fuselage on mine and I picked up some of the plastic banding from the floor in Home Depot to protect the bottom of the fins. Scuff up one side and FoamTac it on.

Originally Posted by ZEE FLY GUY

I added a sheet of polystyrene from Hobby Lobby to the underside of the fuselage on mine and I picked up some of the plastic banding from the floor in Home Depot to protect the bottom of the fins. Scuff up one side and FoamTac it on.

Cool fin hack. You can also use doculam on the fuselage like a lot of other models use if you have it. Not everyone does. I have heard of some people laminating the front of the main deck during assembly also