How YOU Can Make ANYTHING Fly! Or Just Watch Me Do It....

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[@thinkflight]

Head to squarespace.com/thinkflight to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code thinkfight

[@user-pd7ug3le2s]

How did u get it to turn

[@mundanestuff]

loved to visit the local flying field as a kid, and during one show, a guy built a flying lawnmower out of foam board in about 30 minutes and had it tooling around the skies. Looked exactly like a push mower. Flew fine. He did it using the same methods you mention here, the handle had two horizontal control surfaces, the verticals were the handle sides, and the "wing" was the body of the mower. Was absolutely hilarious seeing it fly along with traditionally shaped airplanes and he taught everyone a lesson that day. The next year, he flew a snoopy-riding-a-doghouse.

[@killsalot78]

glad to see sam sheperd still getting shoutouts even in 2022

[@danielskoog5565]

Always great to hear Sam Sheppard referenced. The simplicity to some of his builds were certainly inspiring to help get me into the hobby, as I would say this video is to folks interested but not sure where to start! Great video!

[@applicablerobot]

Agreed. Haven't heard his name in a while, though I still miss his videos. Rip

[@gafrers]

Samm Sheperd; that really brought back memories 👍

[@SeatFX]

May he rest in peace...

[@WindCatcherRC]

hahahaha helicopters "don't really fly. The ground just repels them because they are so aesthetically challenged." That's a great line.

[@glubux]

I laughed out loud!

[@Mad.Man.Marine]

All of my favorite rc airplanes have been ones that I have built myself from scraps/scratch. Actually the longest lasting most fun plane was a 4’ wide delta wing I built out of the rubber type foam packing material. It’s the stuff they put around expensive welders and electronic equipment. Much softer/rubbery then foam board. Which means when you crash it it bounces instead of breaking. I even made my own folding prop for it so I could land it anywhere with no damage. Wish I still had it but it burned up when my boat shop burned down. Love the videos man. You do fun stuff that is really interesting.

[@brandenwaltz9879]

I built a blue core plank once, it was covered in woodgrain tape, and it really did look like a flying 1x8. Good flier actually. Used a kf airfoil.

[@1981lowrider]

Fixed wing aircraft fly, according to Bernoulli’s principle. Helicopters use that same elegant principle to beat the air into submission. Thank you for another informative and entertaining video.

[@MarcStollmeyer]

I miss Sam Shepard’s videos, very smart guy taken from this world far too soon.

[@thinkflight]

Agreed

[@Horus2Osiris]

That is a Veracool SR-71! Loving the One Sheet; One Craft concept... did that with a picnic table design out of 3/4" marine plywood. It didn't leave the ground, tho...

[@joshmellon390]

I'm really digging your straight into it without repeating everything "that we're about to get into right after this." Fucking KZbin man, how can you revolutionize learning things on the internet, then make learning things on the internet suck? Got another sub today.

[@cloudpandarism2627]

so happy to see your channel growing fast. also nice to see you mix things up as you mentioned before. as foreigner in china i can totally relate to 6:47min. but instead of doing something amazing as you, i just need to leave my house to entertain the locals by literally doing nothing.

[@virtuallyaverage9357]

Wish I had this when starting. I started RC with FliteTest planes and completely ignored balance for a while. went about as well as you could imagine.

[@Rostol]

piaggio avanti, best looking plane ever. 🤩

[@thinkflight]

Its up there for sure....

[@licencetoswill]

I love your vids, so clear and simple.

[@alttabby3633]

Hey the Nano Goblin just arrived! Looking forward to putting it together when I get some time after Thanksgiving. Thank you, for your design, and giving us the heads up so I could get in on the preorder!

[@bowenbrown]

Niiice. Built one of these board planes. They fly surprisingly well.

[@GudieveNing]

Great video and validates my own experience that it's possible to make pretty much anything fly. Always considered COG as the critical factor. If that is out, nothing else will work. I have an RC Paggio Avanti hanging on my wall, awaiting some electronics work. Hopefully when brave enough, will fly her. No UC, so be a hand launch! Nice to see the aircraft mentioned here being (full size) pushers are very rare. Be interesting to experience her flight characteristics.

[@attilagergely6734]

Thank you very much, that was great!

[@simitarknut2201]

This reminds me of the website, (now gone), Crazy Herb's Foamy Madness. He used pink foam board and epoxied cheap yardsticks as structural members. Build a Simitar!

[@mikebergman1817]

The transitions are my favorite part😂

[@CuervoRC]

These planes are the best way to learn, you go to the workshop without measuring anything and sometimes you get planes that fly very well. Quite some time ago I made a video showing this very thing, but you have condensed it much better. 👍👍👍👍

[@thinkflight]

Thank you, I put a lot of thought into how to get the point across concisely. And still, I could have done better.

[@nathank7989]

Watching you hand-launch the large SR-71 was terrifying. One small mistake and the propeller would have sliced up your arm. The other hand launches looked slightly safer, so perhaps it was just the camera angle that made it appear that the propeller was so close to your arm.

[@newmonengineering]

In my experience with foamboard electric, just about anything can fly as long as you have enough power and large enough control surfaces lol. The hardest part is to find a decent CG. Some designs are not where you think it should be. But with enough power you can normally harrier them down is needed . I have seen many designs that didn't look like they could fly but after experience you realize just about anything can fly. Electric and foam board really changed the RC airplane hobby. It opened it up to cheap experimentation that otherwise would not been practical with balsa and gas engines.

[@thinkflight]

Exactly

[@joewynn2445]

Thank you so much for great information. I've been building airplanes for a while now but I haven't had much luck with keeping them in the air. Normally it's just a few seconds then crash, so I'm definitely going to try just throwing them first to see if they'll glide. 😅

[@WilliamParmley]

At 2:57 -- making a Kammback? Interesting!

[@rcbinchicken]

"The jankiest plane is the best one!" A fine sentiment. And dammit, now I want to burn up my whole foam stash building a plane a little longer than I'm tall. You make it look so fun and easy!

[@GNARGNARHEAD]

Sam was a treasure. fun video, thanks

[@kmonnier]

Nailed the ad transition 😊

[@jakemathews552]

Excellent Ad placement ▢

[@keithfreeman5204]

Ok, I'm "Old School", I build with wood, I use alcohol fueled 2 cycle Engines. Radio Controlled, Al, rd, ele, thr. Flaps and payload drop can be added. You have just added to my idea box of goodies. I have been working on Delta wing / Blended Lifting Bodies. An idea. Adding a Ducted Fan. With the Duct, propeller vortex at the tip is eliminated increasing efficacy by 27%-32% .

[@saqibsultantemuri2437]

3:10 These must be the cutest Ballerina steps I have ever seen.

[@IsaacRC]

The crafting skills are amazing, a 100% noble material structure is a cool challenge too (100% recyclable and degradable materials, metal, wood, glass, etc)

[@randall1959]

Great stuff. Helicopters don't fly, they just beat the air into submission

[@lakeguy65616]

your wing seems to have ignored Bernoulli's principle? I enjoy watching each of your videos!

[@aigledefoam]

wooow you have a nice place to fly awesome

[@tehritzyllama]

"Of course this baby will fly, it just needs more thrust" - engineer, obviously

[@river1711]

Great video! Could you link some of those online resources that go in depths on the topics?

[@surfcello]

* ... when you have a high enough power-to-weight ratio. Man, when I was a kid, I made a glider out of balsa wood. It took weeks to make, and I was terrified of flying it every time, for fear of breaking. There was a motor you could attach to it to self-launch, powered by AA batteries. Mine didn't self-launch because it was too heavy. I had simply applied too much varnish. Seeing you slap some pieces of foam together with glue and it takes right off is a testament to the outstanding development in battery and motor performance that has occurred over the last 20 years.

[@rocketman99]

Awesome Video again

[@cosak23]

any gain in pointing wings forward for 2/3rds of the wing then last 1/3rd coming back, say 30 degrees in both instances. like planes / not a modelmaker. vaguely remember a german plane of this idea

[@MuffinKingStudios]

The "Jank Plane" flies 😂

[@dronepilot260rc]

You give me inspiration

[@hadleymanmusic]

I used to fly kites alot . You can make a manhole cover fly if the winds strong enough and you can bridle it right

[@onewingspanabove]

Excellent video! A follow up vid with why designing for ground effect is so hard because of having two neutral points?

[@thinkflight]

I think there may be some gold there

[@onewingspanabove]

@@thinkflight I made a start here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJ3TkJWcf9Cia9E

[@gabedarrett1301]

Please elaborate; why are there two neutral points?

[@lynnwilliam]

Can you make something that can NEVER CRASH ? that whatever happens, it always slowly lands < 1G of force?

[@thinkflight]

I cannot :)

[@RandomProjectswithSam]

great video!

[@sumitbhatt8942]

Hey I just wanted to know what type of coding you use in order to program these planes

[@benedictreimann1631]

Why do especially flying wings need a little bit of uptrim? Would it also be possible to have a completly flat wing?

[@ParaglidingManiac]

Square airfoils crack me up:)

[@Mywhtjp]

Not sure how you've fixed this snap in the middle of it.. but add some carbon fiber rods or strip along each side. then hot glue them..

[@DiamondBackDivision]

Love your videos! I’d love to see you build the quietest powered plane possible!

[@thinkflight]

Already did, check out the Nano Goblin :)

[@DiamondBackDivision]

@@thinkflight I didn’t see a “think flight” video on it, maybe I missed it somehow. Awesome plane for sure! What about the motor/prop? I’m assuming a larger slower turning prop would be quieter but I haven’t found any props specifically designed to be quiet. I’d like to see something as close to silent as possible!

[@thinkflight]

@@DiamondBackDivision www.readymaderc.com/products/details/strix-nano-goblin-high-performance-fpv-plank-pnp

[@DownhillAllTheWay]

You said "The C.G. is "a bit ahead of the neutral point." How much of a bit? I gather the neutral point is where the plane balances in a static test?

[@gabedarrett1301]

The neutral point won't always be 1/4th the distance from the trailing edge, as you said at 1:51. So how do you find the neutral point for a given plane shape when testing or using a computer?

[@AlvaroALorite]

OMG that squarespace transition killed me hahahaha

[@thinkflight]

I'm getting better at this!

[@pylon500]

"When the air hits the elevator and is deflected upwards..." OK, we're talking BASIC aerodynamic understanding here, but yeah, enough power/area and the right balance, pretty much anything will just fly.

[@sacrificialrubber779]

Where do you fly? It looks like an Amazing spot

[@justinhealey-htcohio3798]

After thorough careful consideration and research, my assessment is that this channel contains the GREATEST VIDEO CONTENT in the HISTORY of KZbin.... And, most likely the history of MANKIND as well! 💯☝️🥇

[@thinkflight]

Hahaha, I'll take that with a grain of salt but I truly appreciate the comment and sentiment. I'm trying!

[@hifinsword]

Depending on speed, the real SR-71 only had a 15 degree AOA pitch to stall and a 1.5G limit. If it did stall, the emergency procedure was to EJECT! There wasn't much room for mistakes with it. No wonder your attempts at high AOA didn't go well.

[@nomen_omen]

I liked this episode!

[@minerharry]

That sponsor transition was smooth

[@lakeguy65616]

just curious, are you saying that the wings on a Cessna (152 / 172 / 182 / ...) could be replaced with flat wings? Do flat wings generate lift? or are they just angled slightly above horizontal (in essence pushing the air down and the plane up...)? I truly enjoy your videos!

[@thinkflight]

It would lose a great percentage of lift and need a lot more speed but if it had enough power it would still fly. Pretty sure it doesn't have the power for it as designed though.

[@elarcadenoah9000]

can u make styrofoam instead of filled with co2 you can fill it with hidrogen so u can have a very light styrofoam to make it flight then after u do it you can make another one with a stronger plastic u can use superglue filled with hidrogen or u can make another more flexible with silicon or rubber filled with hidrogen but u have to use liquid silicon or liquid rubber

[@edgarcornu4414]

Excellent video as always. I was wondering how computers help you create rc aircrafts ?

[@nelloization]

I have the same question. What software are you using on computer with your designs?

[@ChristieNel]

Most awkward planes don't behave nearly as well when you take off the motor.

[@KiwiMC99]

The SR-71 shadow looks like the real deal 👍

[@thinkflight]

My thought as well!

[@trex283]

It's still confusing. With a delta wing, where do you measure the neutral point? Is it just by experiment or measurement?

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

I still miss Samm Shepard. RIP pal.

[@Migueldeservantes]

Love that supper larrrrrrge Nano Goblin..... I mean I know that you design that plane... but do you still get royalties on the sales??? or... once the sale of the design is done you just get paid and that's it???

[@johnadama]

there was a flying table contest in germany in the 90ies, best flying table won

[@dragonfire2371]

Could you make a video about the computer software you use, please?🙏

[@evo-labs]

When I make these types of models I like to add a chamfer or fillet to the leading edges. Just feels lazy not to do so :)

[@hipser]

this is really really good educational content.

[@river1711]

What computer software do you use? And would you do a tutorial on its use?

[@thinkflight]

FLOW5. Check out techwinder on KZbin.

[@river1711]

@@thinkflight thanks a lot!

[@johnmaguire6438]

Curious. What computer software are you referring to?

[@didierneeferc]

So sad Samm Shepard died a couple of years ago to a motor cycle excident.....

[@vfrmaverick]

with enough airspeed and angle of attack anything can fly. Get the right cg and you can control it

[@joshyrc_2011]

can you make a video on you just making that sr71

[@tcs007]

My dad has been a helicopter pilot his entire life. He's going to hate that joke.🤣

[@timonix2]

When you said how to make anything fly. I thought You were going to talk about computer aided flight. How to make an unstable plane fly well

[@Jkauppa]

what, spinning wings are just nice, quads

[@Jkauppa]

or spinning flying fidget spinner toy

[@BroBytesBhai]

Just Subbed, maybe add more newbie friendly content and more in depth followups plz

[@ColinHolloway70]

OI! Enough helicopter bashing! 😀

[@ekstrapolatoraproksymujacy412]

I have simpler way to make anything fly, it consist of ADD MORE POWER until it flies

[@nicmotter1954]

What are the wings in the background at 0:54? Those look sweet!

[@thinkflight]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYCofah6htaIeaM&t

[@leifhietala8074]

@1:05-1:10 - DAMMIT I WAS EATING.

[@Drew_Pearson]

Could you possibly explain the "Neutral Point" in more detail? "The center of gravity position where the pitching moment is independent of the angle of attack." What the heck does that really mean? I understand center of gravity and the correcting force bits - but I just can't wrap my head around what the neutral point is.

[@Snookers_]

If you consider that the aircraft will always want to pitch/rotate about the center of gravity, you can begin to imagine that by positioning the CG in different locations, you will experience different pitching moments (restoring forces). For example, if you have a flat plate as your wing and your CG is very far back, as you point the wing either up or down, the wing will pitch violently into the same direction. If the CG is very far forward, your wing will try to pitch back to the flat position as you rotate it either up or down. A simple way to experience/simulate this is to take a piece of cardboard and hold it from the front while pulling it to simulate a forward CG position, or push it from the back to simulate a far aft CG position. Now if you can imagine that there is a progression between the CG being too far back and too far forward, there is also going to be a point where the wing won't pitch either up or down even as you change the angle of attack. This is your neutral point. You can simulate this too by grabbing your piece of cardboard at about the front third of it and as you move it through the air, it won't try and rotate even as you pitch it up and down changing the direction it is pointing.

[@Drew_Pearson]

@@Snookers_ Thank you so much for the reply! That third paragraph is something I, for whatever reason, am having a very hard time visualizing. Do you mean that if you grabbed the cardboard at the neutral point and pulled it through the air - if you changed the angle of attack, it would not try to return to flat? Meaning - it would keep the angle you put it at?

[@Eugensdiet]

The correct term is center of pressure and for flat plat and symmetrical airfoils that would be half from the leading edge. The CG usually works out best somewhere between 25 and 30% of mean chord. Where you placed the CG is forward of that which results in less pitch control but more stability. It also increases the stall speed but when you have such a large area wing the wing loading is really low. Makes for a great camera plane. Making a chuck glider eliminates the need for applying physics.

[@Snookers_]

​@@Drew_Pearson I realized I had an error in my comment. I described the center of pressure instead, but some principles still apply. At the neutral point, it will still want to pitch, but the difference is that it will want to pitch at the same rate and direction regardless of angle of attack. Here is a video that doesn't aim to explain it, but does show the process of analytically finding the neutral point in XFLR5 and you can get somewhat of an idea what it is. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6bNnaV-oNCaqrc Also, it's important to remember that neutral point and center of pressure are different things. Neutral point is where the aircraft is "neutrally stable" (a very abstract concept to understand) and center of pressure is where all forces act through and no pitching moment is present. My first comment describes center of pressure, not neutral point.

[@AerialWaviator]

As stated at 1:30, the "Neutral Point" is where all the forces on the aircraft are balanced. Neutral point is a reference having to a neutral pitching moment. ie: no tendency to pitch up or down if controls are in a neutral position. Presentation here is a simplified summary of 4 forces on an aircraft: Lift and Gravity are not the only considerations. Thrust and Drag (not mentioned can be ignored for gliders, as these are constant in level flight). Since all 4 forces don't typically pass through centre of gravity they can create moments (force applied off centre) which can cause roll, pitch, or yaw. An example would be motor alignment, which could cause pitch up/down if the amount of power, or thrust is increased/decreased. Drag can change on planes with flap, or landing gear, but this theory applies to more complex aircraft.

[@Pr3da70rl0rd]

And I wish I knew how to handle electronics... xD

[@wetbobspongepants]

Anything will fly if you strap a big enough engine to it...even a pig.🤣

[@fattywithafirearm]

Helicopters dont fly, the beat the air into submission

[@jamesmcmasters9392]

Silver UFO must be alien's

[@EdwardChew]

What is that at 0:38?

[@thinkflight]

A plane I designed a long while back.

[@EdwardChew]

@@thinkflight any plan to post video of that? very cool one!

[@thinkflight]

@@EdwardChew No, that one is long gone. It was very pretty though!

[@nolan412]

Mi high school physics teacher said they could make boards fly.

[@nolan412]

Does this foam plane scale to you surrounded by foam and duct tape?

[@JamesManimal]

Sam Shepard.... F

[@dronefootage2778]

the reason i know you can make anything fly is garry's mod :D

[@thinkflight]

What is Garry's mod?

[@dronefootage2778]

@@thinkflight it is a mod for half-life 2 that lets you play around with the physics and do such things as strap boosters to stuff to make it fly.

[@SystemsPlanet]

You never explained the nutral point

[@thewalrus1968]

am i alone..i just wind forward past every embeded advert in every video i watch ..i pay for no ads yet makers just insist on putting thier own in.

[@hipphipphurra77]

V2.0 please black.

[@NicholasRehm]

Can confirm, helicopters shouldn’t be able to fly

[@thinkflight]

If you make something ugly enough, who knew?!?