naked duck

[drcuzo]

This is my "Naked" Duck. So called because it is covered in laminating film so you can see all the gory bits. It has 4 spars. the supplied spars were supposed to be 24" but were only 12". I had some extra CF spar so I stuck it in. The charging jack on top is an after thought. I use a Spektrum Tx and realised if I closed it all up I would not be able to re-bind the Rx if needed. The Rx is an AR7000.

I will add weight etc tomorrow


By drcuzo






details to follow

[Pij]

Looking forward to it. Lots of questions, like:
Did you use all 3 supplied carbon spars?
Is there some colouring used with the LF?
Did you find the balsa parts were marked on the correct angle, or did you have to adjust the cut-line?
Do we see a LMA and audio-plug charging jack? But what is that part almost hidden under the tape, looks like a flat charging jack?
What servos did you use?
How does it feel about being naked?
What is the weight? And the CG?
How does it fly?

I think I want to hear it all!

[felix]

mmm bit cold to be naked.....may be a better summer plane ;D
interested to know thw wieght vs a taped duck too.

[thevon]

Looks really cool, I reckon!

[drcuzo]

Maiden today
Thanks Andrew.
We flew at Mt Mee. The lift seemed pretty marginal to this newbie, which I understand is the rule for a new plane - new plane - no wind. The Naked Duck stayed up and flew well with no adjustments beyond a click or 2 of elevator trim. Andrew may be able to give more informative opinion of the build and flying characteristics but I am stoked and hanging out for the next time.
Weight 780g by kitchen scales. Extra weight comes from extra filament tape - I fully covered it in tape, and presumably extra weight from the laminating film.
CG is 208mm from nose - I went for more docile flying but role rate and inverted flight seemed pretty good.
Steve
Pij: GWS LMA and servos from WOW. I used a power socket from DSE rather than the audio socket - it is much more robust. www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4853b68007962d9a2741c0a87f9c0722/Product/View/P1650
The switch is also from DSE. www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4853b68007962d9a2741c0a87f9c0722/Product/View/P7602
Balsa bits were very close. Very minimal trimming required.

[Pij]

Nicely done! It's a pity the carbon wasn't the specified size: Mine were also cut short. If I was to do it again, I'd ask that the 2 short bits be left joined as one. I'd use only 2 spars.

I'm jealous of your inverted performance.

[thevon]

Yes Steve's Duck was very impressive - pretty much stopped me in my tracks when he got it out of the car! The film covering is absolutely smooth, no bumps, joins or wrinkles visible. The graphics are great and they really stand out on the white background. Picking it up it felt ... well ... not heavy, but not light either. But so smooth, dead set this thing is every bit as slick as a moldie, and that's not a figure of speech. The covering is absolutely perfect. The gear is really well installed too. He's used one of the GWS LMA's which although bigger to install, makes one helluva loud beep. He hadn't even cut a hole in the covering over it and it was 2 or 3 times louder than mine. But the LMA's don't work normally on 2.4gig, so he has a switch to turn the LMA on.

I thought the full strapping tape covering was probably overkill considering how strong the film is, but it just feels so strong, it's probably worth it. The great thing is when this thing hits spiky branches etc it's not going to get ripped or dagged up.

I was also suprised to see that Steve's used CA hinges, which push into the TE and the elevon and he has a 1mm air gap between. I don't know how he got that gap so straight! He really likes these hinges which he's used on power planes, but I wonder if they'll withstand big hits ... time will tell.

Flying it, well, there's just nothing bad to say! It didn't need any significant trimming at all. It's obviously very slick as it gathers and retains speed really well. It makes a nice moldie type noise, perhaps due to the hinge gap. I put it into a dive test and it pulled up enough to make me think the CG could go back, but then when I put it inverted it was just great, very little down required and it climbed well inverted, so we decided to leave it. The aerobatic performance was everything we've come to expect of the Duck. Without much wind yesterday we couldn't do a lot but slow rolls over the trees across the lip were easy. Steve will be able to increase his elevator throws to get more roll response, and it will be worth trying moving the CG back a tiny bit.

I really think this is a great build. If there were building prizes, Steve would get one for the Naked Duck. The photos don't do it justice.