DLG From Repurposed Parts - PLUS New Elevator Configuration | Build and First Flights |

[@goldenfish77]

I like Your building videos! From 0:24 I like the animation of glider's parts. :)

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Thank you! Yeah the animations are fun to do. Takes a lot of time, but it looks cool.

[@somethingelse2740]

Nice scrap build! I really liked that foam hinge setup and the way it joined everything together fairly smoothly during deflection. Never seen anything quite like it. So now what you have is a materials science problem. I'm sure with some experimenting you can find something that will work in almost the same way that will not fail quickly like that particular foam did. Of course you may have to pay the price with slightly more weight in the hinge. It's always something! ;-) Perhaps a foam that is a bit more rubbery? I've got some high quality black foam in 3mm thickness that would probably work well. I believe it is neoprene. Also works great sandwiched between a sanding block and the sandpaper. I'd be happy to send you some to experiment with. I've got more than I'll ever use. And you still need to work on the video sound (or just stop talking and go back to text insert) we still can't understand much of what you say. Sorry, more work for you. ;-)

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Yep, finding the proper material is the next thing to tackle for this elevator mechanism. I think I have a suitable material somewhere in my messy shelves of materials. Just gotta find it and test it. As for audio, I have been trying to improve it since last week, but haven't had success yet. I am trying to find a new editing program which will offer better audio setting options. For now, I am using a program that sets volume on a 0-100 scale. The music volume is set to 0.05, and the video audio is set to 100, so at the moment there's not much more I can do about it. But I am on the search for a solution.

[@ricomon64]

Great way to clear the spare parts from your workbench - glue them together and fly them. I'm not sure the added drag from the elevator is that much to warrant the added complexity of the flexible elevator parts, but it's always fun to experiment. By the way, I can appreciate the time you spent on the cool stop-action animation.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Yeah, I am not sure how much of an improvement there is to be made in terms of L/D. Elevator drag is probably pretty low in cruising flight, although since drag is exponentially proportional to airspeed I would expect the induced drag to become pretty prominent during launch. Consider though, that the drag to be eliminated here would be from the horizontal stabilizer mount, the aluminum control horn, the exposed control cable, and the various rough glue surfaces between the boom, the stab mount, and the stab itself. Consider that high-performance sailplane pilots will put tape over the wing and tail seams, because even such small imperfections in the surface apparently produce noticeable drag. Therefore I would fairly surmise that, with a very low-drag airframe, the drag decrease from the compliant elevator mechanism could well be noticeable.

[@ricomon64]

You may be right. On my planes, I don't consider drag to be a major factor in flight time. Pilot error is my leading cause of shortened flights. ;-)

[@AeroCraftAviation]

@@ricomon64 Yeah I think it’s the same for me. I’ve never been very good at maintaining the optimum L/D speed, especially at high altitude. I think that’s partially on account of my near-sightedness. But I figure even if there is some consistent pilot error, decreasing drag should theoretically increase average flight times.

[@ricomon64]

That makes sense.

[@charlesmilbourn6861]

Nice copterdude.. Just wondering.. I have a sky fly system.. It has a litter bigger receiver... 9 gram servos..and I use a 7.4 20c 450 mag battery.. There a little cheaper then most radio and electronic... Think I cold make a D.L.G with this??. Or are you will to make a build with them.. I'm sure the plane would have to be a litter bigger.. Thanks. ...✌...

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Yes, you could make a DLG with those components. I would recommend you build a 1.5 meter wingspan DLG. It would actually fly pretty well, as those components are a good weight for a 1.5 meter glider. I am planning to begin a 1.5 meter build soon, but I will probably use different components.

[@charlesmilbourn6861]

Great. Thanks

[@altbob]

That looked interesting, almost organic. I think you need some sort of rubber sheet rather than foam. Or perhaps very thin plastic, like from some kind of lid (of course that then presents challenge in finding the right sort of glue...) Keep at it! :)

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Yeah I was really pleased with how this prototype functioned. That was my goal, to make a mechanism that was more organic in its function. I have been spotting a lot of broad-winged hawks recently and was inspired by watching the fluid and compliant motion of their steering feathers. That's a good idea. I will get on the search for e better hinge material.

[@altbob]

@@AeroCraftAviation You're singing my tune with the hawk watching. I know you remember the Festo Smartbird? Building a true flying animatronic is my Holy Grail. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJ-1aZl6jJh8otE

[@AeroCraftAviation]

@@altbob Yup, I was super interested in Smartbird when it was new. I’ve always been really into ornithopters. I’ve had a few pretty good free flight successes (flight times of over 30 sec) but never anything R/C. I will be researching Quetzalcoatlus for my school’s senior research project, and I am planning to build a flying model as a culmination to my research. You might be interested in the channel Y Takemura. Very good ornithopters and info.

[@altbob]

@@AeroCraftAviation Even more intrigued by this bat, which has the ability to pull in its wings and go into a dive, then expand the wings and recover into a glide! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gX_bcn14o9WLmJY

[@AeroCraftAviation]

@@altbob Oh hey now that's cool. Looks like another one of Festo's crazy mechanical marvels.

[@loganreuter6072]

Lol this video popped into my recommended and I was like “who aerocraft, and why is he stealing copterdudes content”. The new name is great btw.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Hahaha that’s great. 😂 Thanks!

[@bobwebber8521]

Your videos are watchable, the only comment I have is the volume of your speech is always so low it is unrecognizable. Perhaps in video editing you could increase the volume globally? I have started into DLG after watching some earlier uploads so thanks (I think.)

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Ah yes that has been an issue in my videos for as long as I have been posting. The issue is that my editing program uses a 0-100 volume scale. In this case, I have the music set at 0.05, and the video audio at 100. So there's little more I can do about it. I will just try to speak louder next time. Haha. I'm glad you are into DLG. Scratchbuilding or have you bought a glider?

[@marcelfr90]

I don't really see any progress in your designs.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

Haha, that's understandable. It's hard to spot for people who aren't into model aviation. Have a closer look and you might pick up on the improvements. :)

[@marcelfr90]

@@AeroCraftAviation I am into model aviation. You should learn to accept criticism, mate.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

@@marcelfr90 Haha oh well that's nice. Glad you've gotten into it! What models have you built so far?

[@marcelfr90]

@@AeroCraftAviation Mostly aircraft. If I hadn't become a physician, I would have loved being an aircraft engineer.

[@AeroCraftAviation]

@@marcelfr90 Oh nice! Both are really interesting fields of study. You should upload videos of your models. I would love to see what you’re flying.! :)