3D Printed Aerial Video and FPV R/C Aircraft - Introducing the SportCam

The inspiration for this 3D Printed R/C aircraft design is a full-scale homebuilt aircraft called the AirCam. Originally developed in conjunction with National Geographic Magazine, the AirCam is especially well-suited for aerial photography and inflight video. The twin motor design, mounted on the back of the wing in a “pusher” configuration, is quite unique, but it gives the aircraft some redundancy in case one motor fails, and the propellers stay well out of frame with photo or video shots.
My version of the AirCam is what’s called a “sport-scale” design so I am calling it the “SportCam”. As you’ll see in the video, it truly is an aerial photography and FPV (First Person View) workhorse. Enjoy your flight.
Technical Specs:
Wingspan: 60"
Length: 45"
Weight(Loaded): 3500 grams
Motors: 2x Leopard 3536-10T 780kv Brushless Motor
Batteries: 2x 4S 14.8V 3300mah LiPo
No. of Channels: 5 (throttle, aileron, elevator, rudder, flaps)
Helpful Links:
All of 3DAeroventure’s 3D printable aircraft designs are now free! We are committed to keeping future designs free as well. If you are happy with the design, build, and flight performance of our models, please consider donating anything you see fit to help grow the website with exciting new designs and the KZbin channel with fresh content. Thank you so much for your support!
Thank you to SOLIDWORKS for sponsoring this video.
Learn more at www.solidworks...
Equipment Onboard:
2x Leopard 3536-10T 780kv Brushless Motors
www.altitudeho...
2x HobbyWing Skywalker Series 50A UBEC ESC
amzn.to/3btw4FP
2x HRB 4S 3300mAh 14.8v Lipo RC Battery 60C
amzn.to/3aeQ66w
7x EMAX ES08MA II 12g Mini Metal Gear Analog Servo
amzn.to/3dsTooU
'
Spektrum DX8 Transmitter
amzn.to/2WEtGHT
Spektrum RC AR8010T 2.4GHz 8-Channel Air Integrated Telemetry Receiver
amzn.to/2xo6ymk
RunCam 2 FPV Camera 1080P 60fps HD Mini Action Sport Camera
amzn.to/2WDuXim
Servo Extensions - multiple sizes
amzn.to/3afx53P
Hobbypark 25pcs Adjustable Pushrod Connector Linkage Stoppers D1.3mm RC Airplane
amzn.to/2WBHz9X
Hobbypark Φ1.2mm x L180mm Steel Z Pull / Push Rods Parts for RC Airplane (Pack of 10)
amzn.to/3dsU2CQ

[@lastofthemock-she-cans6857]

That is an outstanding Flying Field you have access to!

[@3DAeroventures]

A few viewers have called me out on my brain fart when I said "kilovolt" instead of "KV" when referring to the motors. I definitely don’t claim to be an electronics or motor expert so always glad to learn from my viewers. Rest assured this won't happen again!

[@error414]

It is sooo common slip of the tongue, If I would get one pound everytime when I hear it I would be a milionaire :D. When are you planning release new video?

[@julast6658]

I knew what you meant - There is always a smart Arse who points out stuff to make themselves look good and gain recondition. The thing is most people just think they are noobs. love the vids and your passion ;-)

[@cesarjavierguzman4740]

Awesome video and comments!!!

[@gordonendicott5114]

Very nice job, looks like its a very stable flyer.

[@cheezeboyz2549]

DUDE!! Your channel is so underated especially for how much work you put in!!

[@llhcreations6702]

Great design, and very high quality prints. Really rare to see such good print quality for a plane.

[@kaviator]

Truly outstanding!

[@3DAeroventures]

Thanks for watching donfenix!

[@ivanalexandergranadaacosta]

Super el trabajo que haces.... lo felicito ✌✌✌👍👍👍👍

[@albertjfilms]

excellent work!! I love your designs! congratulations.

[@AeroStuffFPV]

Just a small note: You mounted the propellers backwards on the motors. They still provided thrust as I saw but your motors were running on full power I guess while they could run at approx. 70-75% throttle. The MA logo needs to be facing the nose of your aircraft :)

[@3DAeroventures]

Haha I know, that was a brain fart. A bunch of people have brought that up to me. The power to weight ratio is way better now that I have the props on the right way. Thanks for watching and for the feedback

[@TheScottsawesomeart]

Nice work!

[@raul7293]

That's a beautiful model. How can I get the files to print it myself?

[@samstaton7215]

FYI - your private pilot’s license never ‘lapses’. Your medical will, but not your license.

[@ibrahimkhoury8448]

Another great design, and no CG crash this time around lol ! Love the Infiniti wing I bought, it was a perfect build process, incredible accuracy in your design and quality. Waiting for a nice day this week to go flight it.

[@3DAeroventures]

Thanks Ibrahim! Make sure you download the latest Infinity Wing build guide with the update CG location.

[@SeungheonRC]

I really love this design... How can I buy or download this?!?!

[@jalalhelou4930]

Excellent aircract! I’ve been wanting to design a bush plane on solidworks for a while now especially with all the lockdown free time. How are you inserting the curved supporting ribs inside the wings and hull? Are you manually drawing 3D sketches and extruding them towards the hull’s inner surface?

[@3DAeroventures]

Thanks for watching and for the kind words! For the ribs - I draw a sketch on the top plane with equally spaced arcs. Then use the Extrude thin feature, making sure they extrude all the way through the airframe. I copy the internal surfaces of the wing, and use the Cut with Surface tool to trim the ribs

[@GilotynaStudio]

How can I get the files to print it myself (can't see them on webpage)? The model looks really awesome!

[@paraglidingSafety]

cool design! thank you for sharing! the canopy part behind the wing is blunt and probably creates a lot of drag, how about making the canopy behind the wing fall over a larger diostance

[@3DAeroventures]

Agreed I could make it a little shallower. I was just going for as scale a look to the full scale AirCam as possible

[@Paramanch36]

HI is the 2 engine version still available anywhere as not on your site.. Thanks

[@swann548]

Awesome video ! Love ur channel. ✈

[@calvin3989]

Epic. Where can we purchase this design?

[@bonibroco1076]

I'm happy your videos came up in my "recommended". It think it's because I subscribe to Tom Stanton

[@3DAeroventures]

I like Tom Stanton's stuff. Thanks for watching.

[@bonibroco1076]

@@3DAeroventures ...Thanks for giving us something to watch! Btw, you might consider building a wind tunnel so 100s of hours don't go to waste like in that infinity wing video....on 2nd thought, nevermind...comedy is better!

[@andyrhodes5837]

Do you ever think you could design one like the mini skyhunter?

[@mirkoragni3118]

I really like your designs. I have tried myself to design and print a airplane like the ones you do and I know how hard it is do accomplish the result you have shown. Really good job. I am a graduating student in Aerospace engineering.

[@3DAeroventures]

Mirko Ragni thanks for saying that man. It’s a labor of love. Do you have an aerospace job lined up or do you still have a few years of school?

[@mirkoragni3118]

@@3DAeroventures yes you are right it is definitely a labour of love. I still have to do a couple of exams and then I've finished but since I live in Italy, the situation of the Corona virus makes attending the university really hard although my university is working brilliantly to keep teaching available to us via the internet with as little problems as possible. So hopefully this autumn I will be graduated :-) As far as job lined up I don't have nothing sure at the moment but I would love to design tiny sporty airplanes or find a job with electric motor in aviation. I've been working on a lifting body quadcopter to increase flight time and I have tried to design a kitfox like RC airplane with basically the same method you used in yours. It is really rewarding when you get it right

[@mastermoarman]

Love your videos. Have you considered using fillament as alignment pins instead of buying dowls? Will you make cad videos on how you made the wing spars?

[@3DAeroventures]

Good point - printing the pins is definitely an option. I use the dowel pins a lot for other projects because they are cheap and high tolerance. Plus, one less thing to print. Yeah, I can do a video that gets a little more in-depth on the CAD side

[@mastermoarman]

@@3DAeroventures I was thinking of just cutting a short legnth of filament and using that as the pin lol

[@3DAeroventures]

Ooooooh. Yeah, that too. Good call, I've never tried that before but I will experiment with that. Thanks man.

[@SebastianCliment]

Great design! Is CA glue used for this build as well?

[@3DAeroventures]

Sebastian Climent - Yes. CA glue plus accelerator. I'm surprised how well CA works for these airplanes. The bond is very strong.

[@davidnieser4740]

Fantastic work. Great explanation of design/workflow over sequential assembly video. Great shots of the field...would be fun to try and shoot video of design aircraft with a “follow” plane... Cheers mi amigo

[@3DAeroventures]

Yeah man, I need a drone pro who can follow me around mid flight. That makes for some pretty cool footage.

[@3DAeroventures]

Are carrier pigeons still a thing?? coo coo

[@davidnieser4740]

3DAeroventures no, they’ve been replaced by 3D printed turkeys

[@ragulkarthikeyan4379]

Great work... Looks like the props are mounted facing back which wouldn't give the full power

[@nestwolfsteiner2292]

Would love by the digital files and build it! Great design!

[@3DAeroventures]

Thanks Nest Wolfsteiner. I just released the Super Chipmunk this week, should have the Sport Cam ready early next year

[@TheFeday]

@@3DAeroventures Is the larger version coming now that you've finished the micro version?

[@MrFbejarano]

Hey, is this design for sale?, this is beautiful!!

[@3DAeroventures]

Hi Fernando. Thanks for your interest! This one is not available yet. Later this year.

[@TDPro1]

hello brother, i'm so interesting with your project, but can you make some model with twin motor 1103/1204? thanks

[@kamalpreet7496]

In reference to your Aerial Video and FPV R/C Aircraft(3D Printed ). Again how much time it will take.

[@muttbone01]

You should try that twin motor using differential thrust.

[@3DAeroventures]

Good call.

[@muttbone01]

@@3DAeroventures it should give you much more yaw control when trying to line up video/camera shots. You can link it to rudder control or seperate. It's a fun way to control a plane!

[@lastofthemock-she-cans6857]

@@3DAeroventures I was "considering" that you could slide a short lower wing onto this, to make it a bit of a "Floater;" but now that I'm typing, I am recalling that Air Core used to sell a plastic model that had a cargo pod that went under the fuselage. (The Manufacturer Claimed that the extra mass helped stabilize your flight path, when things were a little 'gusty' out-of-doors.) -- But how about a quad motor set-up, to get that differential thrust?

[@alanbiggerstaff9873]

Where are you located?

[@alanbiggerstaff9873]

How about a set of floats for flying off water?

[@AdrianoCasemiro]

That's one work horse of a model. So it's over 3 kg? That's AUW?

[@MrZeek101]

Great platform great design i still cant believe how heavy it is and fly's have you ever thought of using a 3d Fuselage and maybe foam wings great video

[@3DAeroventures]

Hi Robert, thanks for watching. I was a little concerned about the weight but it isn't out-of-bounds compared to a similar sized built-up wooden aircraft. Though it is on the heavy side. The weight of the 3D printed wing is actually pretty light - most of the weight is in the fuselage so I could probably cut some of that weight down in the design. Plus, with the motors mounted behind the Center of Gravity I need 2 4-cell 3300mah batteries mounted up in the nose to get it to balance.

[@OwenTownend]

@@3DAeroventures I have to say when you said with how much you liked the fabric wing sections I thought you were going to have 3D printed frame with cloth over it rather than a printed fabric look

[@Storiesofblack]

Am the 1000 th subscriber person on your channel

[@3DAeroventures]

LoOzerz Creation woohoo!! That’s so cool, thank you!

[@Storiesofblack]

@@3DAeroventures you are welcome do videos man

[@FranczeskoFPV]

It looks great but when you mentioned motors I died inside a little bit. KV in motor spec isn't kilovolt, in fact kv is rpm per volt, for exampe 1300kv motor will be doing 1300 rpm per every volt given (19500 rpm at 15V). Just saying tho as your content is really cool but it's really basic mistake :/

[@3DAeroventures]

Franczesko FPV Thanks for the education. I definitely don’t claim to be an electronics or motor expert so always glad to learn from my viewers. I hope my future content brings a little of your life back to compensate for me killing you a little bit with my lack of motor knowledge.

[@skynyrdd1]

Great flight, great design and size. I've seen a few 3d printed planes out there but nothing has appealed to me until now, I can't wait for the Infinity to be released and also this, do you have a rough price for what the plans will be? Will these be able to be printed on an Ender3 with Cura?

[@3DAeroventures]

Skynyrd FPV That’s awesome, thanks for the kind words. Yes, the designs will fit on an Ender 3 (they require a minimum print bed size of 200mm x 200mm x 200mm) and the STL files will work with Cura. I will provide a starter profile for Cura but I don’t claim to be a Cura expert so it will require a little bit of settings tweaking on your end to get the best prints.

[@3DAeroventures]

I forgot to mention pricing. The infinity wing package will be $30 and future design will likely be + or - $10 from there depending on the aircraft size.

[@skynyrdd1]

3DAeroventures that’s great thanks and a good price too, can’t wait for release. What’s the motor size for Infinity if I don’t go with an Eflite 15 size?

[@3DAeroventures]

Skynyrd FPV I also recommend a Leopard 3536 or Leopard 3542 or equivalent size motor. Leopard motors are really nice low budget motors.

[@byahenilloydie9359]

hey i want to ask what is tje cost of the kit. i mean i know you only sell plans. what would be the estimate cost of the kit for the plane compared to foamies and arf balsa.

[@3DAeroventures]

Byahe Ni Lloydie - I haven't costed out the kit for the AirCam kit because the designed isn't 100% done yet. But the Infinity Wing featured in my other video I have sold several kits. I sell the printed parts plus all of the needed hardware (not including radio equipment and motor) for $135. Or I cam sell it fully assembled (not including radio and hardware) for $175

[@byahenilloydie9359]

😊 thanks, i will be downloading this sportcam when release and try to scale it up to 2.4m.

[@nacuesta]

@@3DAeroventures Hi, i'm interested in the Infinity and assemble it myself. How much would that be? Thanks and great work!

[@3DAeroventures]

Nuesx Thanks for your interest! Please shoot me an email [e-mail] for more info

[@kamalpreet7496]

i am from India. I can buy ur kit in 135 dollars. but shipping will be more that 135 dollars. so give me link from where i can purchase 3d files

[@3DAeroventures]

Hi Kamal, thanks for watching. This design isn’t available yet. But my other designs are available at www.3DAeroventures.com

[@MultiHardPlay]

THAT PROP...............

[@3DAeroventures]

Heitor Barcellos - doh! I know, put them on the wrong way. It worked but super inefficient

[@teslok]

hi the designs are free stl

[@3DAeroventures]

teslok The files won’t be free but I will make them available for sale through my website, www.3daeroventures.com If interested, you can sign up for the newsletter on the website and I’ll send out an email when the files are available. Or subscribe to the KZbin channel. Thanks for your interest!

[@pijorgea]

I really love your designs, they fly very well and I enjoy how you get fun and also enjoy the whole process. The only thing disappoints me a lot is when you say in a “few months”... If you need someone to help you testing or something, please count on me.

[@3DAeroventures]

Jorge Pi thanks for watching and for the feedback. I know a few months is a long time to wait, but the videos are of the first prototype and I learn a ton from the maiden flights. I just want to make sure the designs have most of the bugs worked out so customers have the best experience. I appreciate your patience. I think on future designs I’ll hold off releasing the design videos until they are ready for sale. Thanks again for the feedback.

[@warlonuels9457]

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