Red Butterfly

Red Butterfly

Name derived from its flying wing planform and huge elevons which, together, looks a bit like the wings of a butterfly. Red, because red packing tape has been used.

The idea is to have a simple depron flying wing, huge elevons and rudder, deep fuselage profile for 3D type of flying.

Depron is weak, so carbon fibre tube has been used on the leading edges of the wing and fuselage, and carbon fibre strip on the hingeline of the wings. Both tube and strip were sized very close to the 5mm depron.

Flying on 2 cells lipo (2S500mah) was attempted, it flew like a kite, meaning it can go up, but extremely difficult to fly, the wind takes over and flying is more like making constant corrections to the model, sometimes successful, sometimes not, and never consistent.

Then I placed a used 2 cells lipo as additional nose weight and it flew well enough.

So on the next trip, I used 3S800mah, more controllable but plenty of quirks. I find it can fly, but the CG is too far back. When the model was inverted, instead of diving towards the ground, it flew upwards.

A control horn broke from the model, curtailing further flying, but what I would do perhaps, is to install the 3 servos right behind the leading edge to bring the CG forward slightly, possibly devise somthing to prevent the 3S800mah battery from falling out (happened twice, model floated down in a level plane due to the rearward CG).

To improve visibility, I should add some color trim on the top, perhaps the yellow vinyl sticker that I bought.
To increase interest, I may use McDonald's plastic cover for the salad as a huge cowling, who knows, maybe it allows the model to 'parachute' vertically tail first?