64mm rafale build

[Nicholas]

well , ive always loved how this plane looked , maybe its also cause of HAWKS that made me wanna have one of these planes ... Anyway , looked around the hobbyshops , and they didnt really appeal to me ... so , if you want something nice , get it done yourself!

as this is my first build , im going to take my time ...

and i did take some info out of viper's dreamliner build thread! really helped alot! with the detailed pictures etc.

setup:
-64mm cyclone metal EDF fan on 4s from Skyhobbies 1.5kg static...
-4s 30C 2650 turnigy batt.
-85amp turnigy esc ( you'll understand why later ). + a BEC from the batt to the switch as the damned switch needs a seperate power source...
-Nav lights, gonna follow viper's method on this one.
-Landing light seperate from the Nav lights so that i can turn it on and off
-landing gear ( gonna have to take the F16 one , or that one from aerosmith , havent bought this yet ... any ideas? ).
-HS65 servos , 2 for elevons , 1 for canards and maybe 1 for rudder...
-AR7000 , probably gonna have to use a Y harness for the switch and nav lights.

yes , i did calculations for my own ducting my objective in ducting was making the airflow laminar rather than turbulent ... more than all the extra calculations of area etcetc ... so the inlet is like 100% of 64mm's area ( including lip ) and the outlet is around 85-90% of the area.

the important stuff from HK's HC isnt here yet , last check shipped to singapore already via EMS.

photos attached of rafale ( the real plane ):

[Nicholas]

okay , first thing i did was basically cut out the profiles like everyone else pic 1 , The profiles seen here are for a pusher version of this plane without rudder control.

then i kinda went shopping for all the stuff , bought 2 blue foam boards at 9.90 each i think ... from art friend at bras basar.

i sanded down the approximate location i want the fan to be at, and started on the EDF ducting pic3 is the ALMOST completed ducting.

one picture cant be uploaded cause of the size ... shall skip that

[Nicholas]

today , completed the ducting and the entire nose section of the thing , took me the whole day of mindless cutting and sanding cause of my laziness to make a hot wire or go to campus to use their hotwire ... , but the nose section STILL ISNT PERFECT ENOUGH!

now whats left is to wait for the electionics to come in from HK and then im gonna be able to do all the elctronics placement before i commit myself to more of this build ... i shall go down to campus tomorrow to do up the wing profile though i think this is a rather important part of the jet ! so its probably worth it

[viper1990]

i like your quote 'if you want something nice, get it done yourself' anyway more tips here, remember to round your intake lips. Perhaps 0.5cm radius to increase static thrust and maintain proper airflow. And research have shown 80% fsa is the optimum value for maximum velocity you can achieve but lowers static thrust. Anyway good luck building your rafale! Looking forward to see the finish product.

[Nicholas]

i like your quote 'if you want something nice, get it done yourself' anyway more tips here, remember to round your intake lips. Perhaps 0.5cm radius to increase static thrust and maintain proper airflow. And research have shown 80% fsa is the optimum value for maximum velocity you can achieve but lowers static thrust. Anyway good luck building your rafale! Looking forward to see the finish product.

whoa , i only read around 90-85% on some websites >< anyway , static thrust is kinda important for me i guess ... need that kick to get outta sticky situations

oh , the intake thing , i originally wanted to use someone's idea on this forumn and use fuel tubing , but since i can do that .5mm thing , i'll just do that

[viper1990]

yep, more static thrust for easier handlaunches too! Anyway the fuel tube is a good idea! I never thought of that. It gives a more accurate radius than sanding the intake round. go for the tube idea.

[Nicholas]

alright! fuel tubing it is! kinda weird ... package left from HK on the 15 ... which means i'll get it next monday if the EMS estimate for shipping time is true PERFECT christmas present.

oh , i also bought fiberglass cloth , think its a good idea to re-inforce the foam with fiberglass before attaching the landing gear?

[Nicholas]

as of tonight! (pic attached) did the whole profie for the tail plane via manual labour =.= and a hell lot of eye power.

Tomorrow :
-wing profiling and canard mechanics...
-TOTAL smoothing out of the nose area, cause frankly it looks like some sea mammal now...
-check status of package...

[Nicholas]

UPDATE!

betcha guys thought i gave up eh!

well ... almost , but didnt!

package arrived last friday and i got building... couldnt take much pictures cause well ... too engrossed in the build , for this post , its about the canards :

canards are almost as same as the build pic ( see attached picture )
okay , basically how i did the canards was to "kope" a straw from a shop behind jollybean at tampines 1 when my family bought a drink there , turns out the straw was a perfect size for the CF tube(4mm thick)

after boring out a hole across the whole fuselage , i cut out a piece of hanger and placed it across the fuselage (2nd & 3rd attached pic) to visually check whether the length of the hanger line is long enough...
canard mechanics in pic 4

[Nicholas]

next was to glue the tail fin and the canards in , had some issues with the rudder servo... but got it eventually

and then was to figure out how the 4s2650mah batt was gonna fit inside to get the CG nicely at the right spot...

this post will be just for pictures ... guys ignore the cosmetics as i havent yet sanded down the plane completely!

the basket of clothes etc are is holding down the turtle back of the rafale... cause i kinda dont want the turtle back to have any gaps ... afterall ... its the battery slot.

[Nicholas]

just a question , is it normal for a edf with no landing gear and a flat bottom to cruise along the floor really quickly with 3/4 throttle?

[SPHB]

Told you you had too much power

[Babylon5]

Hi Nicholas, there is no such thing as too much power or thrust unless the power create cause to the aircraft to fly so fast as to cause the plane to fall apart in mid flight.
If you are going to hand launch more static thrust is better than less static thrust.

Hope you have a successful maiden.
When and where do you maiden your plane?

Cheers

[Nicholas]

hmm , okay , im keeping 79 dollars spare...

anyway , probably at the field opposite PFW or some place where im familiar with the area , like maybe SK FF? probably when theres no one around except 1 person to look out for people ... just incase it fails real bad , the anhedral hain wings looks a tad scary