F-14 Profile Fanfold Foam Jet Build Guide

F-14 Profile Fanfold Foam Jet
Build Guide
Thanks for downloading my F-14 Profile fanfold foam jet plans. My version of the plane
has the wings in swept back position, and rather than full moving tailerons, it uses
elevons. The first prototype I built actually did have full tailerons, but the infrastructure
required to make it solid enough for flight added considerable weight, even though the
lightest materials I could find were used (carbon fiber rod). It was also extremely
sensitive, and I spent many afternoons combing through the soybean field in my backyard
looking for the plane. I decided to take a step back and design it with fixed horizontal
stabilizers, and make large elevon control surfaces. The end result is a plane that doesn’t
require any weight in the nose and flies well. While not quite as nimble as the F-16XL
I’ve designed, this plane is still a capable flier in its own right.
Like the F-16XL, many hours of work went into the plans, build guide, and prototypes –
but I’ve chosen not to sell the plans and build guide. Rather, if you enjoy the plane I
humbly ask for any size donation that you deem appropriate so that I can continue work
on other designs. My http://www.paypal.com/ id is [email protected], or you
can email me at [email protected] if you want to send me something via the
mail (or ask a question or two).
I hope you enjoy building it (and more importantly flying it) as much as I have.
Sincerely,
Kyle
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Please use the following checklists of construction materials that you will need to build
and fly this plane. You may already have many of these materials (including the r/c
components such as the radio if you have flown before). All approximate costs were at
time of writing (10/2005) and I have no association with any vendors in this list – I’m
providing you at least a starting place of where I have gone in the past and purchased
these items.
Required construction items:
Item
F-14 plans (printed on letter paper)
F-14 build guide (printed)
Scissors
2’ x 4’ sheet of ¼” thick bluecor foam
Typically found at / approx. cost
Lowes, $38 for 25 sheet folded bundle.
Make sure “onion skin” is on both sides of
foam!
Exacto knife with #11 blade
Walmart, $3 for knife
Mini glue gun w/ package of glue sticks Walmart, $3 for gun, $2 for glue sticks
–or you can use a standard glue gun
that is multi-temp
Paper clips
Walmart, $1
Bamboo sticks / skewers
Walmart, $1
Heat Shrink (20-12AWG)
Lowes $2
Clear packing tape (2” width)
Walmart, $2
3/8” square hardwood stick
Walmart, $2
Velcro
Walmart, $3
Needlenose pliers
30 watt Soldering iron and solder
Radio shack, Walmart $10-15
Red 14 gauge wire
Radio shack $3
Black 14 gauge wire
Radio shack $3
Electrical tape (any color)
Walmart, $1
Ruler
Black permanent marker (Sharpie)
Walmart, $1
Ball point pen
Small hand saw
Total construction materials cost (assuming nothing on hand): approx. $80
However, subsequent builds will cost you next to nothing, provided you buy the extra
music wire. When you buy the bundle of bluecor at Lowes (or whoever else may carry
it), you will be able to make 25 planes with it!
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Required r/c items:
Item
Transmitter with 3 channels and elevon
mixing
Micro receiver
Receiver crystal
2 micro servos
GWS EPS350C-BS motor – can use
brushless motor such as BP21 as well
10A ESC (speed controller), with
settings for lithium polymer batteries –
be sure to get a brushless esc if you go
that route, or a high rated ESC if you
use a different prop such as a 9070
7.4v 2 cell lithium polymer battery you can also use 3s if you go the
brushless route, 3s will toast the
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Typically found at / approx. cost
I use a Hitec Flash 5x and it has worked
well for me. It has enough channels for
some growth, and it is fairly easy to use.
Allerc.com (online vendor) has this
transmitter for $110. There are many more
quality transmitters out there, but I would
make sure it has multiple model memories,
enough channels for future growth if you
think you may move into larger more
complex models, and it had elevon mixing.
Make sure that it also has a crystal included,
on a channel of your choosing. Ask around
your area and see who is using what
channels, and select one that is not in
popular demand – you get more flying in
that way!
I use GWS Naro 6 channel with horizontal
pins, matched to the same shift as your
transmitter. I have not had any problems
yet with this receiver. If you use Hitec, you
can use a receiver also designated for
Futaba “F”. Allerc.com sells this receiver
for $24.50.
Make sure it is compatible with your
receiver and is on same channel as your
transmitter. Allerc.com has a crystal for $7
Make sure they are compatible with the
connectors on your receiver. I use GWS
pico standard servos. Allerc.com has these
for $14 each.
Allerc has this brushed geared motor for
$17
I recommend the Castle Creations pixie 20p
brushed speed controller. It is
programmable so you can safely fly lithium
polymer batteries (set low voltage cutoff)
and has audible alarms if you plug in the
battery without the transmitter on, or when
you “arm” the motor. Allerc.com has this
ESC for $34.95
I recommend the polyquest 2s-1500mah
battery. This plane has been balanced with
a battery that weighs approx. 2.5 oz. This
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gws350 pretty quickly.
Lithium polymer battery charger
Power source for charger
1 package Dubro micro control horns
(DB848)
1 package Dubro mini E/Z connectors
(DB845)
3 packages Deans Ultra connectors
(male-female pack) (1300)
GWS 9047 slowfly prop, or 9x6 APC,
9x7 GWS prop (you may wish to use a
larger esc if you go this route though).
Another alternative is 8x4 on 3 cells.
battery is able to handle the amp draw, and
has several safety features. Allerc.com has
this battery for $30. You may wish to buy
two or more of these!
I use the Thunderpower TP-425 and would
recommend it. There are many other
chargers out on the market – just make sure
it can charge LIPO batteries, as you cannot
use a NICAD or NIMH charger on these
batteries! Allerc has this charger for $50
Either a 12v battery (such as a tractor
battery) or a switching power supply (3a
minimum output) will deliver the necessary
power to your LIPO charger. Allerc has a
power supply that will work for $45.
Allerc.com has these for $1
Allerc.com has these for $2.50
Allerc.com has these for $3.25 per pack.
You can also use the Deans micro polarized
connectors, or any other connector of your
choice, as long as it can handle 10 amps.
Allerc.com has this prop for $1.38
Total r/c materials cost (assuming nothing on hand): approx. $355
This may seem like a lot, but there are several items that you will use for all of your
planes in this total, and these items are not junk or toys. Once you get your radio etc, all
it would take to get another plane up in the air (while keeping the first one in ready to fly
state) is another receiver, crystal, servos, battery, ESC and the small stuff (about $130).
Often times, I just interchange the ESC and battery between these planes (since they use
the same motor etc). saving the cost of buying another ESC and battery. You will
definitely want more than one battery though (trust me on this!).
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Optional items:
Item
Extra package of Exacto #11 blades or
hard white whetstone with a little 3-in1 oil to sharpen blades
Card stock to make plan templates
Sticker project paper to print decals on
Rotary cutting board
Teflon lubricating oil
Typically found at / approx. cost
Walmart, $3 – I replace the blade after
every two planes cut out.
Walmart, depends on what you buy.
Walmart, $8
Walmart, $10
Lowes, Walmart may have it too. Approx
$3 – always good to add a little oil to your
motor.
Extra props
Popsicle stick (narrow)
Colored permanent markers (sharpies),
or Krylon H20 spray paint
Walmart has both, Krylon H20 (don’t get
any other kind, it will eat the foam!) works
well and is about $3 a can.
Low-odor mineral spirits
Walmart may have it, most hardware stores
- $2-$5
Fire-safe or other fireproof container to I strongly recommend this. I use a Sentry
charge your LIPO battery in
1100 fire safe (Walmart, $20) to charge my
battery in. LIPO batteries are very
flammable if charged incorrectly. Never
leave your charging unattended.
Digital kitchen scale, can read in grams Walmart may have it, typically around $20.
or ounces
Useful for determining the weight of
components, and more importantly “all up
weight”, which is when you have the battery
etc. installed on the plane.
It seems like a lot, but really once you have the stuff, it's not too hard to get another plane
up in the air. Plus, all of my designs are built around the same platform (motor, ESC,
battery etc.) so you can re-use stuff. Let’s get on to building your F-14 jet!
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 1
Print off the F-14 plans from the PDF. When you go to print, make sure that none of the
centering checkboxes are checked.
Once printed, there should be ½” border around each page, and 15 pages in total.
Mark each page number in the order they were printed to help you.
Printed page number – Plane pieces:
1 – Plan Overview
2 – canopy traces, front vertical stabilizer, front fuselage bottom
3 – canopy traces, vertical stabilizer, fuselage bottom
4 – vertical stabilizer, main wing front, fuselage bottom
5 – main wing, fuselage bottom
6 – main wing, fuselage bottom
7 – main wing
8 – rear of main wing
9 – fuselage top (nose)
10 – fuselage top, intake, tail jig
11 – fuselage top, intake, title box
12 – fuselage top, intake
13 – rear of fuselage top, rear of intake, horizontal stab, main wing
14 – horizontal stab, elevon, main wing
15 – main wing
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 1 Checklist:
Print plans
Check border, number of pages
Number pages in the order they were printed
Step 2
Cut down each page to the correct size using the ½” border cutlines.
Step 2 Checklist:
Cut each page to proper size
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Step 3
Layout the pages on a flat surface. There are two rows; first row has seven pages, second
row also has seven pages. All of the plane pieces should align. Use the plan overview
(the first page printed) if in doubt. Tape the pages together using scotch tape, making
sure that the plane pieces on adjoining pages are attached with tape.
Step 3 Checklist:
Layout plan pages
Tape pages together using scotch tape
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 4
Carefully cut out the plane pieces from the pages. The pieces should be held together
with the scotch tape you applied in the previous step.
Step 4 Checklist:
Cut out plane pieces
Cut off stick mount template
Step 5 (Optional)
To make a card stock template, use the plane pieces that you have cut out and lay them
out on thicker card stock. Trace the plane pieces to the card stock and then cut out the
template. The template is nice if you plan on making several of these planes, since
typical printer paper is thin and tends to get crinkled or ruined when you transfer it to
foam.
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 6
Cut the bluecor foam into one 2’ by 4’ sheet. Typically you must by a 50’ bundle of
bluecor (25 folded sheets) at one time, which will let you make 25 planes. For now, you
just need one sheet (cut it at the fold).
Step 6 Checklist:
Cut one sheet of bluecor from the bundle
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 7
Take the plane pieces (either original, or the template if you decided to make one) and lay
them out on the foam. Make sure you have all of the pieces placed on the foam, along
with room to flip over the wing half (to make the mirror image) and to make two intake
pieces. There should be enough foam to make all of the required pieces if you lay it out
correctly. Optional – you can use a glue stick (not the same kind as what is used in glue
gun, I think UHU stick is a brand) to affix the plane piece to the foam so it doesn’t slip
when you trace it, but just use a minimal amount because you will have to clean it off
later.
Step 7 Checklist:
Arrange plane pieces on the foam
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 8
Trace the plane pieces to the foam. Preferably use a ballpoint pin, as felt pens tend to
allow you to rub off the ink and it gets all over your hands. I typically start with the wing
half first and mark a centerline spot, flip it over to make sure there is enough room for it
on the foam. Once you are done tracing, remove the plane pieces (paper). Make sure you
have two intakes traced. Set the elevon and intake paper pieces to the side, you will use
them to mark the control horn and servo locations in a bit. Note – on the main wing
piece, you may wish to have a centerline drawn on both the top and bottom of the wing; it
will help during the gluing process.
Step 8 Checklist:
Trace plane pieces on the foam
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 9
Take your exacto knife with #11 blade and cut the plane pieces out of the foam. Try to
cut vertically (straight up and down) as possible, and as smoothly as possible. Your
knife’s blade must be sharp! I usually replace the blade after every two planes cut out.
An alternative is to sharpen your blades, by use of a hard white whetstone (or knife
sharpening stone found at a place like Lowes) and some 3 in 1 (or teflon) oil. Remember,
any goofs you make now will be part of the plane, but a millimeter off is not going to kill
it either. You are making a foam profile plane that is “stand off” scale, in other words
when you look at it while its flying, it should resemble the real plane, so don’t sweat the
small stuff – have fun!
Step 9 Checklist:
Cut plane pieces from the foam
Step 10 (Optional)
You can remove the black writing that is found on the foam by using a rag and low-odor
mineral spirits. You will want to do this if you plan on decorating your plane with
something other than just basic markings for orientation.
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 11 (Optional)
Now is the time to paint your plane pieces if you choose to do so, either with colored
sharpies or with Krylon H20 paint. I typically paint what will be the top half of the wing
so that it is easy to identify once airborne, but express your creativity! I have found that
under most conditions the H20 paint will be ready to handle after and hour or two
(temperature and humidity is important to drying though).
Step 12
Use the canopy template and a ballpoint pen to trace the canopy onto the fuselage. Line
up each piece of the template and hold it steady while you trace around it. When done,
you should have the canopy outline. Fill in the rest of the canopy with a black permanent
marker (sharpie). Flip the fuselage over and repeat the process, so that you have the
canopy colored in on both sides. *Those aren’t my nails! My wife likes to participate in
the “decorating” process!
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 12 Checklist:
Trace canopy outline to fuselage top using template on both sides
Color in canopy on both sides
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 13
Lay the elevon paper pieces back over each foam elevon piece. Punch a small hole
through the center of the control horn location square with the ballpoint pin. This should
leave a small mark/hole in the foam of the elevon, where you will install the control horn
later.
Step 13 Checklist:
Mark control horn positions on each elevon
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 14
Lay the intake paper piece back over one of the foam intake pieces. Take your exacto
knife and make a shallow cut around the edge of the servo hole, cutting through the paper
and into the foam. This should make a shallow cut in the foam. Remove the paper
overlay and finish cutting the servo hole through the foam. Note: The dimension of the
servo hole on the plan assumes you are using the recommended GWS servos. Adjust the
servo hole dimensions accordingly if you are using different servos. For the F-14, you
also must cut a slot for the horizontal stabilizers. Repeat the process for the other intake.
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 14 Checklist:
Mark servo hole locations on foam using paper intake piece
Cut servo hole in foam intake pieces
Cut horizontal stabilizer hole in foam intake pieces
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 15
Grab the elevon pieces, make sure they are facing the correct direction (small cut in piece
faces toward fuselage) and line up with tip of wing. Pick up one elevon, and along its
forward edge, make a shallow cut (1/4”) along the center. Flip over the elevon (bottom
side up) and about ¼” from the forward edge, make a shallow cut (1/4”). Peel the foam
between these two cuts to form what sort of looks like an “L” shape on the front of the
elevon. Repeat the process for the other elevon. Lay the elevons back down next to the
wing, make sure the “L” channel faces downward, and the edge of the elevon matches up
to the tip of the wing. Take the clear packing tape and use it to carefully tape the elevon
to the wing. Try not to get creases in the tape. Trim any excess tape from the sides.
Check the elevon’s movement, it should be able to swing upward very easily, and
downward to the extent that the “L” channel will allow. Repeat the process for the other
elevon. Optional – Although I have never had the tape peel up or a control surface
separate (in flight or otherwise) you can choose to tape the bottom side of the elevon as
well. This can be tricky, but move the elevon to the desired maximum upward deflection
and then apply the tape. This should allow the tape to bunch up a little on the downward
deflection and move upward to the desired maximum point. I have found that applying
the tape on the bottom side makes the elevon a little harder to move, so most of the time I
don’t apply any on the bottom side.
Alternative method provided by Gene Bond - I didn't try the 'L' cut hinge. I used my old
faithful: Do not cut the control surfaces off. Just cut 1/4-1/2 way though the foam on the
bottom side. Put a piece of tape across the top of the cut hinge line. 'Crack' the joint over
the table edge. Cut the film back 1/4" from the hinge line on the open side. Sand a 45
degree bevel on the 'cracked' face so the surface moves easily. Be carful to just hit the
film/tape on the connected side. Once sanded free, bend the surface 180 degrees back
over the fixed surface, and tape the open joint. Lay it flat and run a ruler edge down the
gap pressing the tape tight. Very strong.
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 15 Checklist:
Cut “L” channel in each elevon piece
Tape elevon to wing
Trim excess tape from edges
At this point, you should have all of the plane pieces cut out, decorated, and prepped
for the control horns and servos. Good job, now are you ready to assemble the
pieces and start making something that looks like a jet?
Step 16
Plug in the glue gun and be sure to have some spare glue sticks handy. Let it warm up
until the glue can be dispensed freely from it. Two warnings here – the first is that the tip
of the gun and the glue is very hot! If you get the hot glue on you, it will stick to you and
burn (don’t ask me how I know) – so be careful! The second is that glue is heavy. If you
have a digital scale, try weighing a stick of glue. Remember, the lighter you can get
away with making your plane, the better it will fly. Don’t overkill using the glue.
Using the techniques described below, I haven’t had a plane come apart in flight yet, but I
have had to add a little glue here and there where something was too loose for my taste.
Step 16 Checklist:
Warm up the glue gun
Get spare sticks of glue ready
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 17
Before we glue anything, let’s mark the some cg points on the wing bottom. Lay your
ruler out along the centerline of the wing bottom, and mark four lines at 19”, 19 ½”, 20”,
and 20 ½”. Depending on your battery weight and other factors, your cg should fall on
one of these lines (will describe more later). Grab the bottom fuselage bottom and cut out
the battery slot. This should make the fuselage bottom into two pieces now. Glue the
first (smaller) piece to the nose of the plane (wing bottom) along the centerline. Use the
cut out piece to measure off the distance to begin gluing the second piece (make a small
mark using the ball point pen to mark where the second piece of the fuselage bottom
should begin). Glue the remaining piece of the fuselage bottom along the centerline,
using the 12” at a time method above. It should be about 3” from the rear edge of the
main wing bottom when properly glued.
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Step 17 Checklist:
Cut bottom fuselage piece battery slot
Glue bottom fuselage (nose) piece to main wing
Glue bottom fuselage (center spine) to main wing
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Step 18
Grab the bottom fuselage bottom and the two intake pieces. Starting at the tail end of the
aircraft, glue one of the intakes such that it is even with the edge of the main wing
(behind where the elevons are). Curve the intake slightly such that it doesn’t overhang in
the front of the wing and glue in place (use 12” at a time process again). Repeat the
process for the other intake; try to keep the same amount of curvature as the first intake
so that it meets the front of the wing in the same place.
Step 18 Checklist:
Glue two intake pieces to bottom of main wing.
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Step 19
Take the 3/8” square hardwood stick and test fit the epc350 motor on one end, making
sure it is inserted all the way into the mount. It should fit fairly snug. Next, mark on the
stick where the stick mount (of the motor ends). Remove the motor from the stick, and
then measure three inches from the mark you made on the stick. Make another mark on
the stick; this is where you will cut your stick mount. Take a handsaw or similar and cut
at the mark that is 3” from the first mark. *Alternative – you can make the stick a touch
longer to match it up against the fuse bottom to provide extra support, but I’ve not had on
fail yet using the method above (in picture below). Take your knife and carefully peel the
plastic film away from where the stick mount will lie on the rear fuselage. Take your hot
glue gun and glue the stick mount to the fuselage. For extra support, you can take a
Popsicle stick and break it in half, then glue it alongside (flat) against the stick mount.
Step 19 Checklist:
Test fit motor to end of stick mount
Mark stick where motor mount ends
Remove motor from stick mount
Measure 3” from first mark and make another mark
Use saw to cut at second mark
Hot glue stick mount
Congratulations! Your jet’s airframe construction is almost complete.
Copyright 2005 – Kyle Sheppard
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Step 20
Prepare the battery for charging (connector installation). Following the directions with
the Deans connectors, use your soldering iron to solder the connector to the battery leads.
Pay attention to polarity. You also need to prepare a charging lead for your battery,
which means taking the charging lead they provide and in most cases cutting off the
connector that is on the lead and soldering another one of your Deans collectors to it.
Make sure that a) it is the match for your battery (male or female), and that you match up
the polarity. Hook up your charger to your power source, and then your battery to the
charger and charge the battery. Be sure to read the instructions that came with your
charger for the correct procedure. You should not be charging the battery above 1C, or 1
times the rated capacity of the pack – in other words, for a 1500mah pack (as
recommended), on the TP-425 charger you set the charge rate for 2 cells, and 1.3a. You
should not charge the pack at a different cell count or above 1.5a (in the case of a
1500mah pack). It will take a while to charge the battery, which is something to get used
to if you quick charged NICAD or NIMHs in the past. Plan on about 1 hour 30 minutes
to fully charge a 1500mah pack at 1.3a. I would also recommend charging in a fire
safe or other means as a safety precaution, and never leave your charging
unattended.
Step 20 Checklist:
Solder connector to end of battery
Solder connector to charging lead
Charge battery according to its ratings and per your charger’s instructions
Step 21
Prepare the ESC for use by soldering the appropriate male / female connectors to each
end. Don’t cut off the small connector that will go to your receiver! Make sure to match
polarity on your connectors.
Step 21 Checklist:
Solder connectors to ends of ESC (speed controller)
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Step 22
Prepare the motor / wire extensions. Take the airframe and lay it upside down (careful
not to crush the tail). Place the motor onto the mount (once the epoxy has cured). Lay
the battery in its slot with the leads facing rearward, and the ESC connected to the
battery. There should be a gap of approx. 15” between the end of the ESC leads and the
motor leads. Take the red and black wire you bought and cut to 15” length. Since your
jet is a pusher, we need to reverse polarity so that the motor runs in the opposite direction
than a typical puller prop plane. Take the red wire and solder it to the black motor lead
wire and then wrap with electrical tape. Repeat the process for the black wire (solder to
the red wire). On the other end of the red and black wire, solder another connector so
that it matches polarity (and male / female) to the ESC connector. Now attach the motor
to the stick mount with the motor facing up (towards to of fuselage, as depicted below).
Attach your prop to the motor and tighten the prop nuts in accordance with the motor’s
instructions.
Step 22 Checklist:
Cut red and black wires to length
Solder wires directly to motor lead wires, reversing polarity
Wrap these direct solders with electrical tape
Solder a connector to the ends of the red and black wires so that it matches to
ESC connector
Attach motor (facing up)
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Step 23
Get your glue gun again and let it warm up. While it is warming up, take your servos out
of their package and keep the half swing arm for each servo out. Also get your Dubro
E/Z connectors handy. Take your exacto knife and twist in the outermost hole in the
servo arm to make the hole a tiny bit larger. Only do a little at a time, until the hole is
larger enough to fit the Dubro mini E/Z connectors. Attach the E/Z connectors to each
servo arm, using the plastic piece and pliers to secure it. Don’t secure it so tight that it
won’t turn.
At this point, if possible you should perform a test on your radio equipment to makes sure
your servos work and they are centered properly (make sure your trim settings on your
radio are centered).
Next, attach the half swing arm to the servo at a 90-degree angle to the servo. Lay the
servos next to their holes in the airframe to check that you have the arm facing the right
direction, which should be up (if airframe laying face down). Once you have them
facing the correct direction, secure the arms with the servo head screw. Careful not to
lose that screw, it is tiny! *Alternative – don’t screw in the servo arms yet, you’ll get to
it later. By this time, your glue gun should be ready. Test fit each servo into its hole in
the intake; push the servo wire into the inside of the intake. It should be a snug fit, but
feel free to open the hole up a little with the exacto knife if you need to. Once you have it
halfway inserted into the hole, take your glue gun and add a dab of glue on each end of
the servo. Insert the servo the rest of the way into the hole, be careful not to get glue on
yourself here. The glue on either end should be securely holding both ends of the servo
in place. Repeat the process for the other servo.
Step 23 Checklist:
Warm up glue gun
Open up servo arm hole
Attach E/Z connectors to servo arms
Check servo operation and centering
Attach servo arms, check orientation
Secure servo arms with head screw
Glue servos to intakes
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Step 24
Keep the glue gun plugged in, or warm it up if you’ve stopped between this step and the
last. Grab your micro control horns. Enlarge the outermost hole on each control horn
with your exacto-knife, just like you did with the servo arms. Using the spots you
marked previously on the elevons, insert the control horn with the angle facing rearward
in the elevon. This should pierce the foam. Remove the control horn carefully, and take
you glue gun and add a dab of glue around the hole on the elevon, then reinsert the
control horn into the hole (and the glue). The glue should surround the bottom plate of
the control horn, securing it tightly. Repeat the process for the other control horn.
Step 24 Checklist:
Keep glue gun warmed up
Open up control horn outermost hole
Pierce foam using control horn in place you marked previously
Remove control horn and apply glue
Reinsert control horn into hole (and glue)
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Step 25
Time to make the pushrods. Start by heating up your soldering iron and hot glue gun.
Select two bamboo skewers / sticks that are not cracked or warped. Cut the pointed end
off so that the skewer is 10.5” in length. Grab four paper clips and with pliers, straighten
them. I’m using jumbo paper clips, so straightened they measure just over 6” long. On
two of the wires, cut one inch from the lenth so they are 5” long. One each of these two
wires, make a “Z” shaped bend. The Z bend end will be the end that fits into the control
horn. Gather one of your wires with the Z-bend, another that is straight (6”), and one
skewer. Measure off on each skewer three inches from the end and mark with a pen. Use
your hot glue gun to tack the wire to the skewer (use a very small amount of glue here).
Take a piece (or two) of heat shrink tubing and cut it into two 3” pieces. Take each piece
of heat shrink and slip it over the end of the bamboo skewer. Use your soldering iron to
shrink the heat shrink tube around the skewer and wire. Repeat the entire process for the
other pushrod.
Step 25 Checklist:
Measure and cut bamboo skewers
Measure and cut paper clips
Make Z bends
Tack paper clip wire to skewer
Measure and cut heat shrink
Shrink the heat shrink tube using soldering iron
Step 26
Attach the pushrods by carefully slipping the Z-bend end into the hole you enlarged on
the control horn. The straight end will fit through the hole in the E/Z connector on the
servo arm. You may need to loosen the E/Z connector set screw so that it fits through.
Additionally, you will have to flex the pushrod a little to get it to fit through. Be careful
not to break the pushrod when you flex it. You can retighten the setscrew a little after the
rod is through, but you will be adjusting them in a later step.
Step 26 Checklist:
Attach pushrod to control horn and through E/Z connector
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Step 27
Grab your Velcro strips. Measure out a 3” or so piece of Velcro (hook and loop sides)
and attach the hook end in the battery slot that you cut out on the fuselage bottom. Place
the loop (fuzzy) end on your battery. Cut a 1” piece of Velcro (both sides again), and
place the hook end on a place/attach in the fuselage that both servo leads and the ESC
lead can reach (this will be used to secure the receiver). Place the loop (fuzzy) end on
your receiver. Insert the crystal into the receiver. Lastly, make a small hole in the intake
that the receiver wire can fit through. Feed the receivers wire through the hole, and
attach the servo and ESC leads to the receiver. Pay attention to polarity. Generally
speaking, with the plane pointed up (or away from you) bottom side up, the left elevon is
plugged into channel 1, right elevon in channel 2, and the ESC in channel 3
(Hitec/Futaba, other may differ). Once you have connected the servos and ESC to the
receiver, secure it to the fuselage. Use scotch tape to secure the receiver wire to the
underside of the wing, be sure not to leave enough wire free that can get tangled in the
elevon or the prop.
Reattach the motor to its mount (if you haven’t already). If its not a very snug fit, you
can use a small strip of electrical tape on the stick mount (put it on one side only) and
then try to re-slide the motor back onto its’ mount. Connect the ESC to the motor wires.
Step 27 Checklist:
Measure, cut, and attach Velcro for battery
Measure, cut, and attach Velcro for receiver
Connect servos and ESC to receiver
Make hole for receiver wire and tape down wire on wing
Reattach motor to mount
Connect ESC to motor leads
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Step 28
Grab the top portion of the fuselage, the two tails, and the main wing. Lay the wing on a
flat surface. Begin applying glue to the main wing along the centerline. Hot glue will set
up fast if you are not careful, so work quickly and try to lay down 12” of glue at a time.
Affix the top fuselage piece to the main wing, firmly holding it in place until the glue sets
(15 to 30 seconds). Then carefully bend the fuselage top piece slightly (don’t want to
crease the foam) to apply the glue to the main wing for the next 12”, and so on until the
entire top fuselage is glued to the main wing. For each tail run glue along the bottom of
each tail, and carefully attach them in the middle of the engine nacelle – the front of the
tail should be even with where the wing cuts back. Use the tail jig to lean the tail against
and obtain the correct angle (tail should slant out away from fuse slightly). Repeat the
process for the other tail piece.
Note - If the glue sets before you get a chance to affix a part, you can try to carefully
remove it by taking your exacto knife or fingers and carefully lifting an end of the glue,
then gently pulling the rest up. You can also make a joint between two parts by applying
glue along the 45-degree angle where the two pieces meet. Just remember, more glue
adds weight!
Step 28 Checklist:
Glue top fuselage piece to main wing
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Glue twin tails to fuselage using jig to obtain correct angle
Construction is now complete. Time to finish and tune the r/c setup.
Step 29
Time to read your transmitter manual and use the ESC instructions to program your ESC
for LIPO use. Set your transmitter to use elevon mixing, and you will probably need to
learn how to reverse your servos (via the transmitter) and dual rates. Assuming you have
your ESC programmed, you radio set up to use elevon mixing, plug in your battery and
turn on your transmitter. Let your servos center. Make sure the trims are even on your
transmitter. The servo arms should be at 90-degree angles to the servo. If not, remove
the servo set screw and adjust. Next, center the elevon control surface on the wing (no
deflection up or down). Tighten the setscrew for the E/Z connector, making the pushrod
wire unable to slide back and forth. Do the same for the other elevon. Once you’ve
completed this task, check to see if the controls move. Push the aileron (the right stick)
to the left; you should see the left elevon move up (with the plane facing away from
you), and the right elevon move down. Push down on the stick and both elevons
should move down. Push up, both should move up. If the controls are not responding
as expected, you should be able to reverse servo travel using your transmitter, or you may
need to adjust the connections of the servos to the receiver. Throw amounts for low rate
flight should be approximately 5/8”, measured from center to bottom of trailing edge of
the elevon. High rate throws are approximately 1 ½”. On high rates, the plane reacts
very quickly; so do not use these rates unless you have some experience flying on low
rates first. I almost always use low rates for inverted flight as well as take off and
landing.
Step 29 Checklist:
Program your transmitter and ESC
Center the servos and set level for elevons
Check control surface movement and throws
Step 30
One last check before your plane is ready to fly – the center of gravity (CG). The lowtech way – with the battery attached - hold the plane under the wing on your fingertips,
balancing it so it doesn’t lean forwards or backwards. Keep adjusting your fingertip
positions until it balances. Mark one of the spots with a pen (I use the forward edge of
my fingertip). Measure from the front tip of the nose back to your mark (measure in a
straight line, not around the curve of the intake). The starting CG on this plane should be
anywhere from 20 to 22” from the tip of the nose. My prototypes have been flying at
about 21 3/4” from tip of nose.
Do not try to glide test this plane, it is tail heavy with no power. Under power, the CG
shifts forward and the plane will fly well. If the starting CG is too far back for whatever
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reason (usually too much glue or epoxy used) you can adjust the CG by adding weight to
the nose. I use pennies to achieve this, but I really hate to add weight unless I really need
to. Add a couple of pennies (1/10 of an ounce each) to the nose if you need to, test fly it,
and then adjust. If the CG is already in the range, test fly it and adjust accordingly. If
you have a digital scale, weigh the airframe with battery. This is called “all up weight”
or AUW. The AUW of this plane should be around 11 ounces or lighter. The lighter, the
better! If heavier, your plane will most likely still fly, just not as well as it could. Now
that you have building experience, you can always try to build the next one lighter (too
much glue is the primary cause of weight issues).
Step 30 Checklist:
Check CG; make adjustments (add nose weight or larger battery) if needed.
Determine AUW, if you have a digital scale
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You’re ready to fly! This plane can fly in some light wind (less than 10 mph) but due to
its weight, the calmer the winds the better. Find a large field to fly in, and don’t fly over
or around people or animals. I would highly recommend getting a hold of a seasoned r/c
pilot in your area and have them teach you how to fly if you’ve never flown r/c before. I
would also recommend investigating any nearby r/c clubs. They can help you learn how
to fly (and have fun watching other fly too) and if you live close to a club, you may be on
the same channel as another flyer, which could cause either (or both) of you to crash.
Be sure to check out RCGroups forums, found here:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/index.php. There is a wealth of information out there
in these forums, so read, read, read.
Many thanks to those who contribute so often to the foamie forum and have provided
creative inspiration!
Lastly, I would recommend joining the Academy of Modeling Aeronautics (AMA), a
modeling organization that has been around for many years and gives you some
insurance coverage after becoming a member, among many other benefits. Their website
is here: http://www.modelaircraft.org/
Now go have fun flying your new F-14 jet!
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