Balsa DLG Build Tutorial - Episode 2 | FUSELAGE

Hey guys! This is the second episode in my tutorial series which shows the process for constructing a simple balsa discus launch glider. This episode covers the construction of the fuselage, all the parts for which are shown at 1:1 scale in this plan for A4 letter paper: drive.google.com/file/d/1cajf...
Following is an alternate version in case scaling issues arise: drive.google.com/file/d/1CsHD...
If scaling issues still arise, use the following reference measurement. The side plate is 105 mm long.
This tutorial also covers how to join the tail boom and wing to the fuselage pod, as well as how to install the servos.
If you enjoyed the video, a like is always highly appreciated! These videos take long hours of planning, scripting, filming and editing, so if you enjoyed, please share with your friends to help me broaden my audience! Your subscription is also great support of my work. Thanks for watching!
General Aviation Playlist: • Video
F3P National Team Qualifications Playlist: • Video
Birds On The Feeder Playlist: • Birds On The Feeder - ...
UMX Aircraft Playlist: • Video
Birds In The Wild Playlist: • Birds In The Wild - Bl...
Free Flight Gliders Playlist: • Video
Radio Controlled Gliders And Sailplanes Playlist: • Video
Homebuilt/Scratchbuilt Models Playlist: • A big slow flyer
General Aviation Playlist: • Video
Copterdude's Got Mail Playlist: • Video
Guillow's Models Playlist: • A short tutorial; how ...

[@1toastandjam1]

Enjoying the build , I would like to respectfully submit the following suggestions if I may. I and I expect many viewers are new to building and so slowing down and showing a lot more close up detail in the disassembly of the servo the precise cutting of the control arm and it’s fit inside the fuselage would greatly improve our understanding of the build as well as your otherwise great video. As a builder of many different projects I very much appreciate the time , energy, planning, editing, etc you have taken to create this project. Thank you. Just yesterday I was at the my local club pylon races and during the lunch break one of the pilots was flying a similar glider. Every one stopped to watch and comment positively. My self included. Now here today your video pops up. To finish up, I wish to build one and enjoy this aspect of the hobby but prefer to have a little cleaner and closer look in one video on how to build rather the having to guess or make frustrating mistakes because the well meaning author rushed through critical installation points. Please accept my apologies if I am seeming to be over critical, just speaking as a new comer looking in from out side the box at points I would like to see more clarification on. Once again thank you for creating this wonderful video to get many of us started.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Ah now this is the sort of comment I greatly appreciate! The value of respectful and honest critique cannot be overstated. I do agree, upon watching this video series all these months after the production, that the details were glossed over. And I realize why that is so. It's simply because adding detailed descriptions for every general process would make the video much longer. If memory serves me, I think I did have some drafts of a couple of the videos where more details were included, but it just got so long and complex that I figured probably most viewers simply wouldn't want to watch. You have to strike a balance between putting in enough information so that the very devoted viewers can get a lot of learning out of it, but also keeping the video concise and short enough so that it gets lots of views. Because the more views it gets, the more the KZbin algorithm recommends it to people. And if it is so long that only very few people bother to click on it, then it is not likely to become popular enough to reach a wide enough audience. Also setting up the camera and the lighting to get detail shots proved to be rather tricky (I did try to get some detail shots for a couple videos). So generally I tried to explain the detail and show the overall picture. But I agree, it does not work very well. In future, I now know it's worth it to put in the effort to show the detail clearly. Best of luck with your building and flying!

[@afilos]

Very nice work, Bravo! I used to watch all your videos before I started building my own dlg's. I usually place the servo, the battery, and the receiver last after the plane is completed in order to be able to adjust the CG by moving these parts back and forth.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Thanks! Glad you enjoy the videos. When designing DLGs, I usually do the same thing with the electronics. But in this case, I am trying to show a methodological way of doing it for potential new builders who might not understand the specifics of adjusting the CG. Laying some ground rules for how the servos go in makes the build doable for all skill levels. :)

[@djcmf5]

I just can say that you have done a really awesome job with this tutorial series, pretty clear and excellent music selection...thanks again

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Thank you! I'm glad you found it enjoyable. :)

[@billkuhl442]

Wow fantastic job on the video, you are so great at narrating. Loved the start where the tools moved.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Thanks you! Haha glad you enjoyed the little animations, those take sooo long to do. 😭😂

[@FTSsjc]

Thank you thank you thank you, we needed a tutorial! Awesome work man!

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Glad you enjoyed! Thanks. :)

[@GrandadsOtherChannel]

Lovely work 😁👍

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Thanks!

[@allenmoore9848]

Pretty good work. I had a thought about the fuse where the forward section joins the rear. Have you considered shortening the two side pieces on the forward section and slightly tapering the overhang of the bottom piece. On the rear section increase the length of the two side pieces so there is overlap in the joined area. This will increase the overall strength of the fuse with no extra weight added. BTW on my videos I prefer to work off camera as I like to take my time as well. looking forward to the next instalment.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Thanks! That’s a good idea, if I’m understanding it properly. Essentially increasing gluing surface...? Working off-camera is definitely the way to go for me. Especially because I am near-sighted, so I often have to look very close to my work, which can look weird on camera. However, I’m trying to do as much work on-camera as I can, to give beginner builders an idea of my actual techniques.

[@allenmoore9848]

@@AeroCraftAviation you are essentially staggering the join so any load is not concentrated along all the glue lines at any one time.

[@mydogworriesalot1840]

You can get push pull nano servos too thanks for showing :)

[@pictishkanatathesecond5413]

Eh so helpful , much appreciated. Keep on keeping on ! Thanks .

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Glad it helped; you're very welcome. Thanks!

[@luke_atthat]

Nice! Very good!

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Thank you!

[@timothystone4998]

Love your music masterpiece theater

[@ksychess]

Muito bom os seus vídeos, parabéns!!!

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Domo obrigado!

[@vandooliveira7496]

Você é muito capricho!Uma pena que não entendo inglês.Mas imagino que você é muito dedicado nas explicações.Parabéns!

[@AeroCraftAviation]

E é uma pena que eu não entenda português. Eu gosto de aprender línguas, talvez eu devesse aprender português. Haha. Bem, obrigado por seus elogios.

[@kenkingsflyingmachines2382]

This is a great series! The airfoil you are using reminds me of the old "Jasco wing stock" called for on so many plans in the Zaic yearbooks. The Brandenburg Concertos is(are?) perfect model building music. A lot of effort went into your videos. Thanks for posting!

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Thanks! Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Reminiscent of those old profiles for sure. Brandenburg Concertos certainly are great music; good background tracks for talk-through videos like this one. Glad you like the videos. :)

[@millerviz]

It looks as if you leave the chamfer sharp on the leading edge of the wing. If so, blending the edges of the chamfer into the leading edge and center of the wing will vastly improve your airfoil performance. You should have much better lift and less drag than you will with the chamfered design. An airfoil must be smooth in order to promote adhesion of the air to the wing for as long as possible.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Generally that is true, but for small gliders it is consistently experimentally shpwn that a sharp leading edge actually performs better than a rounded leading edge. Stan Buddenbohm has show this with his record-setting aircraft, all of which are specifically designed (in regard to wing shape) for the sharpest leading edge chamfer. While I myself have not noticed that the sharp leading edge is always better than the rounded, it certainly never seems worse; either it is about the same or slightly improved as compared to the rounded leading edge. But yes, in a general case your point is correct and important. Especially for full scale gliders, whose airfoils maintain quite laminar flow for most of the speed and incidence envelope, a sharp leading edge can be really detrimental because the laminar flow can separate and has little impetus to reattach, sometimes forming a wide, thin separation bubble that spans most of the chord.

[@sandfac3427]

Another good video, fun to watch. If you don't mind my asking, what receiver/battery are you using for this and for the larger 1 meter DLG?

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed. I use 4-channel barebones DSM2/DSMX receivers, like the LemonRx ones. I go for whatever cheap off-brands I can find on eBay or Banggood. I think the last one I bought was from the brand REDCON. I run the servos and receiver directly with a 1S LiPo, either 150 or 180 or 220 mAh, depending upon the size of the servos. Since the servos are so small on this one. I actually might even be able to get away with a 70 mAh battery. I’ll have to experiment once it’s flight-ready.

[@sandfac3427]

@@AeroCraftAviation Cool, economical and easy enough setup. I'm hoping to build an RC towline glider or two in quarantine this summer, will check back on your videos and post my own if/when they're flying! Just have to decide if I'll design my own, or do a Zaic or some other classic old plan...

[@AeroCraftAviation]

@@sandfac3427 Thanks. Glad my videos can be of assistance. Doing one's own design is always the most fun in my experience! :) Can't wait to see you gliders. Bet they'll knock mine out of the park!

[@charlesmilbourn6861]

Great work....Nice tutorial... small suggestion.. why not use a small piece of Velcro for opening and closing your hatch... ...peace...

[@AeroCraftAviation]

You’re one step ahead of me haha. We’ll get to that in the last episode when we do the finishing touches. :)

[@charlesmilbourn6861]

Hi. I've build your plane and noticed you suggested what servos to use.... Do you have a suggestion for your battery size... And Will 3.7 servos work... Thanks

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Great, glad you are following the tutorials. :) I use a 1S 150mAh LiPo battery. I connect it directly to the receiver. 3.7 gram servos will work too. it will be a tight fit in the fuselage though, so you may have a sand away some wood on the inside.

[@charlesmilbourn6861]

Nice. Great tutorial.. Have you tried to create a hi start... I've seen them made out of workout bands... ✌..

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Thanks! Yes, I’ve done some hi-start flying before. I have a video on it from a few weeks ago. Check it out! :)

[@waalizargar5172]

what if i dont wanna make it rc , what should i change ?

[@djcmf5]

I would like to ask you how long the fuselage would be to if I scale it to a 1 meter wingspan size? Or at least how long the carbon fiber tube would be?

[@AeroCraftAviation]

It would be the current length (which is 19.375") times 1.09, to convert from the current wingspan (1 yard) to your desired wingspan of 1 meter. That gives 21.119" as the length of the carbon fiber tube. If you want to scale any other dimensions, just use the yard->meter scale factor 1.09.

[@dbaird46]

Hi Aerocraft Guy. I really enjoy your website and your level of detail. Just a quick question...where do you buy your 2.5 gram servos? Do you use a specific website and brand? My local hobby shops don't seem to stock too many. Thanks, Doug

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Unfortunately, local hobby shops are seldom reliable when it comes to specialty components like super small servos. I usually surf around on eBay for good deals on 2.5 grams. Or, if you're willing to wait a while for shipping, then you can buy them for real cheap in bulk on those Chinese wholesale sites like Aliexpress or Gearbest.

[@dbaird46]

Thanks for the quick response!

[@robertvanhousen1015]

I've scaled this up correctly in a PDF if you'd like a copy.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

That would be great actually. You can email me the drive link at [e-mail] . Thanks!

[@robertvanhousen1015]

@@AeroCraftAviation Sent it. I'll see if I can correctly scale the tail section in a pdf.

[@loganreuter6072]

Nice! You think that one could be made out of foam board since I used all my balsa and I’m kinda broke. Though I don’t think that foam could withstand the forces on launch

[@henryforster8101]

Maybe if there is a hardwood spar going down the wing it could. I'll bet a good straight stick off a tree, shaved and sanded a bit, would work for both wing spars and the carbon tailboom.

[@loganreuter6072]

@@henryforster8101 maybe but I was thinking about using those Bamboo BBQ skewers

[@AeroCraftAviation]

@@henryforster8101 Agreed. A foamboard wing would work with a hardwood spar. I actually had a white pine fall on my property recently, and it splintered into many straight bits, so I’ve been using them as spars and it’s been working pretty well. Using a wooden piece for the tail boom might be a different story though. You would have to let the control cables run outside the fuselage (because there would be no tube for them to go through. It would also likely be heavier than a carbon tube of equivalent strength. So that would be diverging a bit from the methods shown in this tutorial. But could definitely be done.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

@@loganreuter6072 BBQ skewers could work well as wing spars, but probably not as a tail boom. Too brittle and heavy.

[@loganreuter6072]

@@AeroCraftAviation yeah I was think that too. Maybe I’ll try to find a big stick like Henry was saying and cut it down. Haven’t used my bandsaw in a while

[@pippiripposki]

Hi can you quote the plan I have some problem printing in scale. Thanks

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Hi. Yes I also had some problems when I tried to print it right from the PDF. I will remake the plan sometime. Use this reference dimension: The Bottom Plate is 0.75 inches wide. Hope this helps. :)

[@pippiripposki]

Thanks.

[@Mrlinuccio]

Veramente Bravo molto chiaro da vero Appassionato di DLGista. Solo che dovresti posizionare Camera in miglior modo! Ciao!

[@AeroCraftAviation]

ah, hai ragione. Questo è solo il mio secondo tentativo di registrare un tutorial, quindi sto ancora cercando di capire come posizionare al meglio la videocamera. Grazie per aver guardato!

[@KillerFPV]

I am currently in the process of building this model and I was wondering what diameter was the carbon fiber tube you used?

[@AeroCraftAviation]

6mm outer diameter, 4mm inner diameter.

[@peterredlich6322]

BTW What's the name of this glider? As soon as i have some time, i will try to build it!

[@AeroCraftAviation]

The aircraft doesn’t have a name, but if you can think of a good name for it, I’ll be happy to use the name! :)

[@peterredlich6322]

@@AeroCraftAviation, no need to search very long: "Mozart" most of his creations are playful and it would be a wink to your creation, or simply "Playful" wich is a bit more anonymous...

[@AeroCraftAviation]

@@peterredlich6322 Mozart. Yes, that’s a fitting name. I think I’ll use that one. Thank you!

[@creativestudio620]

What is the length of tube

[@AeroCraftAviation]

It’s 19.375 inches. Hope this helps. :)

[@creativestudio620]

Also what is the total weight of the glider?

[@AeroCraftAviation]

About 60 grams. But I have built them as heavy as 75 while maintaining pretty good flight performance.

[@radeknogal2194]

What receiver is it ?

[@AeroCraftAviation]

I am using a Lemon RX 4.4 gram, 4 channel DSM2 receiver.

[@radeknogal2194]

@@AeroCraftAviation thanks

[@Bahureksa.Jagarekca]

Sebenarnya ada rahasia bandung yg lain namanya layangan.. Jadinya dibukan we kitu

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Layangan sangat menyenangkan!

[@Bahureksa.Jagarekca]

Menurut penerawangan gw itu bisa sampai bulan

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Menurut pengamatan saya, ini adalah komentar yang sangat bagus!