RC Paper Airplane??

[Rtyh-12]

I was just wondering whether I could build a RC airplane out of paper, because it's much easier to replace and it's also very light, and its aerodynamics are also very forgiving. Hopefully I don't look like a noob by asking this (I guess they have a reason for making them out of foam or wood) but I will focus on the ability to change batteries and engines from airplane to airplane as easily as possible, because paper airplanes can get very easily destroyed.

By the way, I have absolutely no idea on how to move ailerons (little servo motors?) and how to, well, remotely control it. I already have a controller, but how can I assign stuff to its controls?

Oh, and how do I make motors remotely controllable, or do I have to buy compatible ones? (If I do, then the project is quite dead, because you'll be surprized how small shops can be in my town)

Hopefully this will exist one day. I haven't even started yet, so I'm open to suggestions.

 

[TSPenguin]

Just so you don't have to reinvent the wheel, might I suggest you visit a local RC plane club and see how those planes work?!
I only can see a paper plane working by using non traditional electronic servos and go really light weight. Or by using paper structures to increase the rigidness of the construction. In that case, I think you will need to go rather large for it to work.

Good Luck anyway

 

[HAL9001]

I have something that is a bitsome similar:

But I have the brushless-version. (this isn't mine, I searched for a picture in the internet, because I hadn't enough time to take a picture from my own one)

 

[Rtyh-12]

Thanks for the quick replies (2 in less than 20 minutes, that's quite good).
Now, back to the subject. I don't think there's any RC club around. My town is really quite small, you know (mentioned above too). So I'll have to 'reinvent the wheel' as TSPenguin said.

HAL9001, that thing looks amazing. Did you make it yourself? I'm really sure mine won't look like that. It will just be a classical paper airplane (the ones you make at work when you're bored), with a motor at the back and controllable ailerons... I'm really just starting out, and anyway the project isn't even on the drawing board yet. (I don't even have one) But looks aren't that important now, if it flies. If I succeed, I'll give it a paint job.

By the way, if you're wondering what paper I'll make it from, I'll make it from a thick paper, which is quite large.

 

[RisingFury]

Hopefully I don't look like a noob by asking this

Too late...


Your answer is no, you won't complete the project. You've admitted you've no idea how RC works.

Usually people use depron to build foamies (like HAL's Extra), then they use a small motor and a 2 cell battery (don't ask, look it up). The battery connects to the motor via ESC (look it up). Servos and ESC plug into the receiver, which you control via transmitter.


I suggest you first get an RC simulator like Aerofly, before you *ever* fly for real and I suggest you build your planes from wood, because they're much more resilient then you think. I've crashed my trainer seriously 3 times now and it's suffered a whole bunch of hard landings and nose crashes after failed hand starts and it's still around. Wooden planes take more time to build and fix, but they fly much better.

 

[Keatah]

Well, if I was going to do something like this I'd use a li-po battery, the smallest one, perhaps something from the new ipod nanos, or smaller.

The receiver electronics shouldn't be a problem either, check with your local university or at least one that has specialized in micro-flight experiments. You can get motors the size of a headphone plug. I'd use two of them for differential control.

Any RC transmitter will do.

I'd begin by looking at youtube videos and checking with your hobbyshop and university.

 

[OrbiterSpore]

sure you will do somethig but you will need kerosene or gasoline if you're going to make an jet engine.

 

[HAL9001]

Too late...


Your answer is no, you won't complete the project. You've admitted you've no idea how RC works.

Usually people use depron to build foamies (like HAL's Extra), then they use a small motor and a 2 cell battery (don't ask, look it up). The battery connects to the motor via ESC (look it up). Servos and ESC plug into the receiver, which you control via transmitter.


I suggest you first get an RC simulator like Aerofly, before you *ever* fly for real and I suggest you build your planes from wood, because they're much more resilient then you think. I've crashed my trainer seriously 3 times now and it's suffered a whole bunch of hard landings and nose crashes after failed hand starts and it's still around. Wooden planes take more time to build and fix, but they fly much better.

first: I use a 3-cell-battery.

And why are you aainst new ideas? If you use 2-4 CFK-bars, it could work. I just think about a one-cell, because the plane woud'nt weight a lot.

At the simulator-point I would suggest Aerofly-5, because it's very reallistic.

 

[DarkEnergy]

You are probably thinking of a larger project like making 3 dimensional fuselages and such, but I once made a huge paper airplane out of a poster board I never used... It flew similar to the small letter paper version but it needed a long run up to get enough speed. :lol:

Then, after my RC mini helicopter broke I decided to put its lightweight motor and rechargeable battery inside the nose of the plane. Surprisingly, the plane flew straight for about 200 feet or so with no RC control. I'm sure if someone tried hard enough they could make a version with controls for the paper airplane ailerons.

 

[Rtyh-12]

Adding weight to the nose increases stability. It's one of the reasons I chose a paper airplane : I know a lot about them; I've built them since I was little and I even have a book about them.

 

[RisingFury]

first: I use a 3-cell-battery.

And why are you aainst new ideas? If you use 2-4 CFK-bars, it could work. I just think about a one-cell, because the plane woud'nt weight a lot.

At the simulator-point I would suggest Aerofly-5, because it's very reallistic.

I'm not against new ideas. The paper RC airplane has been done over and over. Check out YouTube. The thing is that Ryth-12 is a complete beginner that doesn't even know where to start or how to connect his electronics.

 

[Rtyh-12]

doesn't even know where to start or how to connect his electronics.

Hey, I know that. Wires...

 

[RisingFury]

By the way, I have absolutely no idea on how to move ailerons (little servo motors?) and how to, well, remotely control it. I already have a controller, but how can I assign stuff to its controls?

Hey, I know that. Wires...

Orly?

 

[Rtyh-12]

:yarly!: