Tips & Mods

Below are collection of odds and ends that have no specific category but I hope you find usefull. I don't take credit for all of them myself and I would like to thank those who have passed these things on to me. If you see something that deserves mention, drop me a line and I will note its creator.

Fuel Tanks

Weight is often key in 1/2A models. Often times the addition of an extra 2 ounces can be the difference in performing well and struggling to get airborne. In fact 2 ounces can equate to 20% of the weight of the plane or more! The 'storebought' fuel tank is often a weight hog. You know the ones, rubber stoppers, brass 'clunks' and heavy plastic shells? Well, here are a few solutions.

The Fuji Tank

Named after the film manufacturer this idea can save almost an ounce over the 'storebought' tanks. Some people have reported leaking around the lid of some canisters so be sure to pressure test yours well. TIP: When making holes in the lid, melt them instead of drilling them. It makes a nice reinforced lip around the hole and keeps the lid from cracking later.

Also, small clunks are hard to find so just substitute a small piece of brass tubing with a wheel collar attached for weight, or as I did, a fishing weight soldered to brass tube.

Wedding Bubble Tank

Lighter substitution and less capacity than the Fuji. Made from the small bubble blowing containers often found at weddings. Good sized tank for 049s and smaller.

Balloon Tank

A latex baloon makes the ultimate light weight tank. It is not pressurized or 'bown up' like a balloon but rather serves as a non pressurized bladder holding fuel. One of the great features is that the fuel cannot foam and will not draw a bubble of air if all the air is evacuated before flight. This is usually filled with fuel through a veterinary syringe. Since it is non pressurized it should be mounted as close to the engine as possible and higher than the inlet. A brass tube inside with holes cut in it can insure that the inlet won't get plugged with a balloon fold.

.....Plane designer spreadsheet

I designed this spreadsheet to aid me in calculating all the formulae necessary to building a plane 'by the numbers'. It will:

* Estimate finished weight * Estimate the CG * Calculate Drag at different Airspeeds * Calculate Centrifugal force in pylon turns and ensure adequate lift

*Calculate Speed and Power Loading * Estimate Model Speeds and coefficients of lift needed * Determine Reynold Numbers * Estimate tail areas

And More!

While it is just a simple spreadsheet it allows you to try small changes and save hours of calculating and re-calculating. It does require you to use and read airfoil polar charts to get full use out of it. Also a little disclaimer - Its a tool I have made for my own use but I offer it to you as you see fit. I'm constantly adding to it as needed and it may not be a 'pretty' interface but for me it does the job. However, if there is something you would like to add or if you want to tweak with the code just drop me a line.

Plane-Calc