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Useful Aircraft
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Добавлен 11 янв 2021
My name is Brett.
I'm a geek dad, a lifelong maker, and a 25+ year commercial pilot currently flying corporate jets worldwide.
Aviation has always been in my blood, so when I was sidelined in 2018 with a medical issue - I looked for a hobby that could fill my needs and occupy my mind. I started with quadcopters and all manner of drones, RC helicopters and eventually aircraft. While I started line of sight - I quickly grew interested in FPV, autonomous flight controllers, UAS, and new technology.
Dissatisfied with the price, performance and limitations of existing kits, I applied my making skills and aviation background to create my own. My designs focus on simplicity - a form follows function mentality. I was not trying to replicate planes from the past - I was trying to build inexpensive - quick to iterate - aircraft to carry the FPV systems, flight controllers, and new battery systems I was interested in.
I wanted to build Useful Aircraft.
I'm a geek dad, a lifelong maker, and a 25+ year commercial pilot currently flying corporate jets worldwide.
Aviation has always been in my blood, so when I was sidelined in 2018 with a medical issue - I looked for a hobby that could fill my needs and occupy my mind. I started with quadcopters and all manner of drones, RC helicopters and eventually aircraft. While I started line of sight - I quickly grew interested in FPV, autonomous flight controllers, UAS, and new technology.
Dissatisfied with the price, performance and limitations of existing kits, I applied my making skills and aviation background to create my own. My designs focus on simplicity - a form follows function mentality. I was not trying to replicate planes from the past - I was trying to build inexpensive - quick to iterate - aircraft to carry the FPV systems, flight controllers, and new battery systems I was interested in.
I wanted to build Useful Aircraft.
Pancake Motor Twin Build and Flight
I said I'd get the pancake motors built into something that counters the torque better than my pancake single build did - and here you go.
This project became a bit of a thorn in my side - it got interrupted by work, and had a few component failures that required rebuilds and redesigns - so it took longer than I expected.
Nonetheless - I eventually got something into the sky - something akin to my own Spruce Goose. I did it - it worked - now I'm done with it. It'll never fly again.
Either way - I hope you enjoy.
This project became a bit of a thorn in my side - it got interrupted by work, and had a few component failures that required rebuilds and redesigns - so it took longer than I expected.
Nonetheless - I eventually got something into the sky - something akin to my own Spruce Goose. I did it - it worked - now I'm done with it. It'll never fly again.
Either way - I hope you enjoy.
Просмотров: 983
Видео
Pancake Motor Yard Sale
Просмотров 3 тыс.26 дней назад
Sometimes something new and interesting falls into your lap. I ended up with a couple of pancake motors. Just a quick one to show an experiment. Always something to learn. Enjoy
Flight of The Drag Queen! - a Sub 250g DIY RC Plane
Просмотров 93928 дней назад
You asked to see it fly. I love this plane. I literally keep this one in my car as my opportunity flyer. It's small enough to fit on a car seat, Sub 250g, and just has an angry look to it that I love. Plans are available at UsefulAircraft.com/plans Hope you enjoy the flying.
Bush Plane Build - DIY RC Bush Plane with 3d Printed Landing Gear
Просмотров 694Месяц назад
I think everyone wants to be a bush pilot. I know I did. While I can't afford a Beaver or even a Cub - my DIY RC Bush Plane scratches that itch. With 3d printed landing gear that's holding up amazingly well, this is a really fun plane to go play in the bush. Flaperons, Rudder, Elevator - it's all there. Just a great flying plane. Enjoy.
The Drag Queen Sub 250 Build - a DIY RC Plane
Просмотров 1,5 тыс.Месяц назад
This is the design I first started with. It was originally built for FPV - but here it is reborn into the Sub 250g world. She's a great little pocket plaything to keep in the trunk of your car and buzz the field on a lazy afternoon. Today, we'll build her. Enjoy.
Why do I invert my Kfm Wings? Thoughts for RC and FPV Builders.
Просмотров 862Месяц назад
All you need to know about why I flip my wings upside down. Most of this info is made up, I was never a particularly bright student, and you may choose to disregard this. Or just build one. That's what I did. They fly great. Enjoy.
Angry Little Plane Upgrade - Making a better Sub 250 High Performance Plane
Просмотров 1,7 тыс.Месяц назад
There's always room for improvement. This video gets us back in the garage and making a few changes on the Angry Little Plane. I still love this plane. She challenges you to stay ahead, but still flies well. Enjoy the build.
Quick Build Radio Controlled Bush Plane
Просмотров 988Месяц назад
DIY RC Bush Plane! I wanted something to play around in the desert and the dirt - something to satisfy my inner bush pilot tail dragging in the dirt. Dreaming of 185's, 180's, Porters, Beavers and the like, I took to cad to make the plane of my dreams! The result was this little beast. It's a quick and easy build made of foamboard and 3d printed parts. Can be built either Radio Controlled , or ...
Angry Little Plane - builds and flies quick!
Просмотров 2,4 тыс.2 месяца назад
This plane is tiny - but it flies like a bottle rocket! Not for the faint of heart - or those without room to let her run, but if you've got the space, she'll clear your mind and won't break your heart. I really enjoy the focus this plane demands. More videos showing her build and taming later. Specifications: Wingspan 19" (480mm) Length 23" (580mm) Flying Weight 223g Motor 1407-3500kv 20 Amp E...
Forward Swept Mini Wing Flight Dynamics
Просмотров 8572 месяца назад
I just had her out at the park this morning - just flying for my own enjoyment testing a version of the Mini Wing with larger elevons - and I really was happy with how she flew after making some adjustments to my model in OpenTx. This video is to share those settings.
Mini Wing Build - in under 30 minutes!
Просмотров 14 тыс.2 месяца назад
This is the build video for my mini wing. It's a sub 250g airplane, and a fun flyer. The build is remarkably simple - and pretty straightforward. I hope you enjoy.
Quick Build Mini Wing Introduction and Flight - Sub 250g Radio Controlled
Просмотров 4,2 тыс.2 месяца назад
This is my forward swept mini wing. As shown in this video - it flies at a Sub 250 gram weight, and will fit in the front seat of my car. It's a great flying plane - with flight characteristics similar to other flying wing aircraft and an endurance of around 10 minutes. This video will show you the plane, discuss it's design and flight characteristics and show a demonstration flight. Build vide...
Plank Evolution: Pursuing FPV's Easiest Build Plane
Просмотров 2,5 тыс.2 месяца назад
This might be too far down the rabbit hole - but this video takes you along on my quest to continually evolve my plank to it's simplest, most useful airframe. I'd love to say we got there - but it's a journey, not a destination. Grab a coffee (or a beer) and watch me work. It'll make you feel like a manager. I'm always open to ideas - if you've got a suggestion for an improvement - drop it in t...
How do you mount your flight controller? Flight Controller Integration for FPV and RC
Просмотров 1,7 тыс.3 месяца назад
I'm guessing I spend way too much time on my Flight Controller installations. I know many folks simply glue theirs into their RC or FPV aircraft, but I can't. I enjoy the design and build of Flight Controller mounts and integrating the other components and accessories involved. I try to engineer for crashworthiness and reusability. These are some of my efforts. Here's a link to the Flight Test ...
DIY Li Ion Battery Packs - Better than Li Po for RC Planes and FPV?
Просмотров 1,7 тыс.3 месяца назад
I use Li-Ion battery packs in the bulk of my aircraft. Their increased capacity is a worthwhile trade off for their lower discharge rate, for my use cases. In this video I'll share the design and ideas behind my DIY battery system. 18650 Pack Separator can be found at: www.thingiverse.com/thing:6684095 Use at your own risk. Li-Ion batteries (and Li-Po batteries) contain remarkable amounts of po...
Do you sell ur kits?
I love when my old x8’s get retired - all that means is 8 planes will be joining the fleet asap. Lol
You should put a flight controller in that and make it a tail sitter
I sub i hope you get to a 1000
Thank you!
Spin props outwards you will have more control. Unconventional twin motor prefer outwards spin.
And more lift: the propeller wash should counteract the wing vortices, lowering induced drag Looking at that first toss, it seems like the propwash in conventional arrangement was forcing the wing to work even harder to make any useful lift, keeping it from gaining any altitude
My choice to have the propellers rotate inboard was not accidental. I’m sure you’re familiar with P-Factor. It’s what causes the descending blade of the propeller to generate more thrust than the ascending blade - particularly at high angles of attack and high power settings. So I had to decide how to best use this to my advantage. As I was solving for slow flight (I fly in a confined park) - I felt it best to have the counter rotating props turn inboard so that as I was operating close to a stall - that thrust vector would be closer to the centerline of the aircraft in the event of any difference in throttle response. This configuration is common in multi engine training aircraft. While it is true there are planes where the propellers counter rotate outboard have better performance, they sacrifice low speed handling and will have a higher minimum controllable airspeed. I had already fought a defective ESC, and had motors that didn’t spool up at the same speed - so I chose inboard rotation to further minimize any additional potential asymmetry.
The inability of the conventional (tail) designs to fly was because the elevator could not generate the pitching moment at the speed of my throw. Had I launched into a stiff wind, or by means to gain a higher airspeed - it would have flown. The wing is an inverted KFM - its lift is a direct function of angle of attack. The plank design is actually hindered by the fact that the elevon shares the duties of an aileron and an elevator. Furthermore - when elevons are functioning as an elevator, their effective arm (in a plank) is much shorter than in a conventional design where the elevator is much further aft. The saving grace in my build was that the entire wing (save 20mm at the root) was in the direct induced flow of the propeller - and thus had the effect of power steering (by the induced flow being vectored by the elevon when the motor was powered). Before I flew it - I would hold the airplane at the CG, and could feel the pitch and roll forces while the propellers were turning. As far as the wingtip vortices - they were swimming in a confused sea. The propellers extended 80mm beyond the wingtips. It was an interesting exercise, and I learned a few things, but I have no desire for a carbon fiber haircut - so that plane is parted out.
Appreciate your tenacity to get this in the air! Those big props with a hand toss were scary. Glad you still have your ear intact... Interesting experiment. Thanks for sharing!
Yeah - that was a one and done. Those props extended 80mm beyond the wingtips. Thanks for your comment!
She's giving me Osprey vibes... Maybe use two sheets for the plane sporting these?
Yeah - I’ve got some ideas stewing around. They won’t go wasted.
You should set that thing up as a tail sitter lol it definitely have plenty of prop it could probably hover for an hour 😅😂
One day I’ll get back to playing with tailsitters. There are somethings I really like about them. It’s on the list - it’s just a question of time. Thanks for your comment.
Fun video today! Sometimes it good to push the limits and extremes. On that note, what do you think about a sub 250 sailplane (max wingspan two fome boards) and a really small efficient motor that barely keeps aloft between thermals 😊 Google sophisticated lady sail plane RC
I started with gliders and whatnot - I do enjoy them. My very first build was an old Wanderer glider. That plane was a monster to transport - but flew at a walking speed. That said - I live in Arizona - so I may not be the best judge of what a good thermal plane is - out here it gets so hot you could toss a rock into the air and it may catch a thermal and fly away. It’s been a long hot summer. Thanks for your comment. You’ve planted a seed.
you want some airplane with those props?
It sounds just like my BlitzRCWorks V-22 Osprey VTOL in forward flight with the huge props, lol
I loved the sound of them airborne, and I do love watching the V22’s. I’ve seen a few close up at different airports and off field locations. I think they’re an amazing plane and I hope they find civilian applications. I’m a helicopter pilot as well as a FW guy- so I’d love to fly them.
This guy as the same attitude as me. Of course I am not burdened by all of that knowledge and experience….
My wife will assure you - I can be very unburdened by knowledge - especially in the garage with a beer or two. That’s how you end up building planes like this one. Thanks for your comment!
I’d suggest naming her the Tasmanian Devil. On another topic, I made an attempt on making the Drag Queen. I have feedback on it based on my experience with giving it a go. I’ve noticed you have some contact info on the website. With your permission I’ll reach out.
Really like your content - asking again but hopping I'm not bugging you - what laser cutter are you using? I know its old - but that means it might be available cheap.
I must have missed your earlier question. The Laser is a G. Weike LC1290 - with a 100W RECI tube. I run it with a Rudia controller, and Lightburn on a cheap pc for a driver. The water chiller is a CW-5200. Otherwise I’ve got a generic fume extraction fan, and a small compressor for air assist. It’s been a workhorse for many years. Let me know if there is anything else I can tell you.
@@usefulaircraft thanks!
Looks like an Osprey.
Exactly what I was thinking. Maybe it would be interesting to explore VTOL with this design. Put the engine mounts on some kind of rotating mechanisms.
I love the osprey - but the complexity of tilting the entire engine, and yet having a transverse gearbox to bring power across to the other motor in the event of a power failure blows my mind. I’d love to fly one - but I wouldn’t volunteer to be a test pilot on them. For my use - I like the idea of tailsitter FPV stuff where the camera pivots for hovering operations, and then tilts to follow the relative wind as the plane transitions is pretty cool. One day. One project at a time.
@usefulaircraft I recall Painless360 posted some videos on setting up iNav for transition from vertical to horizontal, but not exactly what you're describing describing. Could be a starting point though.
Nice job, I'd watch some live builds. 😀
I may give it a try. Thanks for your comment!
Seems like something you'd want to do an underhand toss from near the rear of the fuse. What a monster of a plane though, great flight
Yeah - it was one and done. Underhanded may have been a better idea - but I have no intention to revisit this project - it was a little hazardous. I appreciate your comment - I should have thought about the underhanded throw.
First !!
Hi there, i'm interested in the methods you use to laser cut the foam-board, is it a diode or Co2 style and how do you overcome the melting of the foam while cutting? Thanks
I'm using a CO2 laser. It's a 100W tube, so I'm running it at low power and high speed to only cut the top layer and melt some of the foam. That works well for the hinges. The cuts are just that- higher power and lower speed. It just takes patience and time playing with your laser to learn the speeds and feeds that work best for you. Try a local maker space and see if they have a laser you can learn on. That's how I started. Thanks for your comment.
Love your builds and your creativity! Thank you for sharing this plan with us! What size 4 blade prop are you using? Looking fwd to following your channel ! Thanks again !
The propeller is a 3052-3. I'm out of the shop, so I'm not certain the manufacturer, but those are the specs I recall.
Good Morning Bret, for your KF wings fold, what percentage are you using? Looks like 30-40%, as opposed to the standard 50%. Thank you
Sorry for the delay - work disturbs my hobby sometimes. I don’t hold true to the percentages. I started holding strict to the numbers - but for various reasons I fell away from them. Furthermore - I later flipped the wing and didn’t change anything and it still flew. At the end of the day - I think the bulk of my lift is coming strictly from AOA. It’s the kid with their hand out the window of the car feeling the changes in pressure when they rotate their hand. I guess I’m a heretic in the church of plane building. Build it and see if it’ll fly. Works for me.
subscribed
Thanks dude!
Nice idea and well explained. Thanks.
Thanks!
Absolutely, we need more people to make and create!
Amen!
really cool plane. How do you design these? I wanna try to design some of my own
I use CorelDraw for the actual drawings - for the rest of the design stuff? I started off by copying other airplanes at first. I wanted to learn to iterate fast - so I focused on the tools that would let me build quicker, fail faster, and ultimately end up with a plane that I liked. There is a lot of gatekeeping and bullshit that folks will cite as gospel - especially online - but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to send her flying, and it’s up to you to bring it home. Build a thousand lousy planes, and you’ll start learning what works for you and each one gets better. Eventually you’ll end up back at the flying field, standing before your peers with a plane that outperforms theirs in the metrics that matter to you. And best of all - you built it. Nothing is better than joy of flying something you built. Anyone can whip out a credit card and buy some blown foam. It’s the real dudes that bring something new to the field. Go build it, and send us pictures of what you create.
Thinking the prop was to heavy
Prop wasn’t too heavy - it was remarkably light for its size (but also kinda brittle - although I wouldn’t have expected any prop to survive that). CG was good, and the plane had the load carrying capacity - the was just undersized for the torque of the motor. When I maintained enough airspeed, the ailerons were able to counteract the torque, and it flew and I was able to bring it around. I got too slow in the end, and the torque rolled her into the ground. All in all - I just wanted to make an odd sized motor fly… and we’re not done with it yet. It’s got at least one more turn around the patch.
Looks like something that should weight less than 100 grams :D either the size was not mentioned or I already forgot it. Oh, the smaller the plane the closer you need to fly it for not to make it look like a pixel like in 98% of the videos in general :')
Size matters.
@@usefulaircraft surely does, but can't tell what the exact wingspan is, 50cm or 20" if that is the same as in your latest build video?
Too much prop, too little wing.
Wait until you see the twin.
Kinda reminds me when I put a way to large gear reduction motor on a flyingwing sort of plane (looked more like a circle) when I trottheled up the plane rotated almost more then the propp 😀
You read about torque, p factor, and gyroscopic effects - but the physics become very real when you hold it in your hand. Good on you for giving it a try!
Hardly a surprising result. Total mismatch of motor and propeller to the airframe. If you're aiming for maximum efficiency with that motor, then you'll have to also consider the airframe. You gotta have enough wing and control surfaces to overcome the torque roll or you'll be fighting a dog in the sky every time you fly. Kinda sorry for the harsh criticism, maybe it's just me and I'm extra ornery today, but this just seems like an obviously bad idea and not really worth uploading. But I upload stuff too, and most of it is crap. Feel free to stop by and point out what you don't like.
No worries - your criticism isn't harsh. It was built to fly a motor that landed in my lap. Torque, p factor, and gyroscopic effects are one thing on paper - but a whole different matter in the hand. I knew before I built it - that it would be an exercise in exploring the minimum controllable airspeed, and as you can hear in the video - I'm taking that in, and planning every input, as it's not as simple as a throttle jab - the motor would roll the plane. That's why I put her down rather than attempting a go around. I considered it a success as I was able to maneuver it around the field. There were no aspirations that this would be anything other than a flying challenge. Motors of this size are outside my wheelhouse. I like building small planes that I can travel with. Motors like this do require a bigger plane - but the really large stuff isn't something I feel compelled to build, own or fly. There's other dudes that love the large stuff - and that's awesome - but I'm not that guy. I do however feel that for me it's best to build and explore concepts first hand as you get a better understanding of the fundamentals in a way that will shape your designs going forward - and in a manner you may not absorb by simply reading from a book. I love the kids building their first planes, and while I want them to fly, I also like to let folks learn lessons via exploration - and that means you're going to have some failures along the way. Either way - it was a good day at the park. Thanks for your comment.
Suggest a twin with counter-rotating motors to null out the torque of big-air biting propellers. The motor/propeller combo did have a cool sound.
It did sound amazing. I loved the prop noise. ...and I may have already built a twin. ...but I gotta go to work.
You don't need such a large prop to stay quiet and that wing span seems way to small to counteract all that torque. I recommend a 7 or 8 inch prop. It would still be pretty quiet at the power levels needed to fly that plane.
@@Andy-df5fj Sometimes you just gotta see what happens. I knew it was doomed from the drawing board, but it was the fastest way to play with the motor and prop and feel the torque first hand from a large pancake. The airframe could handle it, it was controllable at higher airspeeds, it essentially Vmc'd as a single when it got slow. Keep the speed up, and she flew controllably. Call it science for the children. Either way, the next plane is nearly done. Another one built for fun. If you wanna fly that airframe well, I love it with a 2205-2300kv and a 6045 prop for RC. Put a FC in it, and you won't hear it running waypoint missions overhead. Thanks for your comment.
those pancake motors are beasts. i got some spares from an octo build that's going to go onto a pusher project
@@Mike-mm6jp they're fun to play with. Remarkably efficient, and interesting to learn how to best use them. I thought about it for a pusher, but I'm going to play with them in a twin first. That prop disc is no joke. I've got a pusher or two they would work in, but I want to think about it as I don't like dragging props on landing. They may end up in a quad or hex, but first I wanna play more with them in wings. Thanks for your comment.
I’m a fan of how quiet she is and what you do hear sounds fantastic in my opinion. I had a Crocodile Dundee voice enter my brain and it said, “Now that’s a prop.” <coffee sip>
@@billcedarheath387 it did sound amazing...
I also Love to scratch build my own designs. I run around a 50 / 50 success rate. The two dilemmas that I run across is that I Feel the need to build Everything Russian Style. Combat ready. Able to take a beating and still fly. I build Everything with the full intention of getting at least 100 flights out of the airframe. Therefore I overbuild. Weight is my problem. My second problem is Torque Roll. I did run across a site that stated that a Good rule of thumb is to Never exceed 1/3 of your wingspan with the Prop length. After using that guideline, my Torque Roll problems are no more. That 15" prop looks like it's around 1/2 the length of your wingspan. I don't know how accurate this rule of thumb is, but it's been working for me. Example would be no more than a 10" prop on a 30" wing. Anyway, Great video.
yeah - this was just something for fun. I had a few odd parts land in my lap - and I wanted to play around with them. While I'm not into building huge airplanes (I'm space constrained) - I thought why not strap one on my high wing and learn first hand something about torque, p factor and gyroscopic forces. It was fun - and I just wanted to see if I could get her around the patch - and I managed - but a go around was not an option - as I was already below a minimum controllable airspeed for roll control. Scratch building is fun - and I get so much more satisfaction flying my own - plus you learn a ton. Good on ya for building, and I'd love to see some of your designs. Thanks for your comment!
@@usefulaircraft ruclips.net/video/YPSK5cO9IsM/видео.htmlsi=NdZhXKHB5F73O9HQ
Wow the radiomaster looks a lot easier to hold than my TX-16! Can you tell us which CNC/laser cutter you use for your foam parts?
He showed it off in a video. It’s an 80watt CO2 laser if my memory serves me correct.
@@billcedarheath387 Thank. you! Can you like or tell me which video? Do you know the brand?
@@ShahriarFarkhan he’s had it for 10 years or so. I’m sure the exact one wouldn’t be available after that period of time. Bed size is the important part. You need to be able to fit sheets of foam board into it to cut aircraft pattern. A smaller inexpensive Co2 laser wouldn’t work. I don’t know which video it was and I’m not spending all that time going back to rewatch them to get you an answer. It’s worth your time watching all of the videos as they are all quite good and have a lot of information in them on the hobby. He has spoken about the laser in a few video talking about having a cooling unit as well as running the laser at 70% duty cycle to extend the life of the laser tube. All of this is from multiple videos. You should watch them all and it’s not a bad thing to support the channel as you do with a like on each one you watch. I’m sure Brett would appreciate that.
@@billcedarheath387 I very much appreciate the detailed response. I've been researching lasers and trying to find a unit that can fit the large foam board and balsa wood for parts. Thank you :)
@@ShahriarFarkhan You’re probably looking at a cost that will be $3k USD or more. OMTech is a popular brand.