Gather your materials
Aircraft design
I decided to create my own "unique" design based on the following picture.
I cut the design and traced it on the the Styrofoam block and tray
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Building the Airplane
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I cut the foam using a band saw. The foam was very easy to cut accurately on the band saw. I thought my design was a little bulky so I cut the foam in half.
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I had to take a minute to think of a way to cut the airfoil into the wings. I cut the top layer of the Styrofoam on the tail then sanded the round shape to create the air frame.
I used a hole saw the to drill the hole for the engine. It worked nicely. I assembled the horizontal stabilizer and fin using hot glue.
I used a pair of pliers to help me assemble the landing gear. I added the landing gear, wings, and tail assembly to my fuselage.
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I soldered the wire to the engine. Because the telephone wire had four colored wires, I used only the black and red ones on the motor. I soldered the black wire to the negative end noted by the dot near the motor prong. I then added a little hot glue to secure in the fuselage, and added the propeller to the motor. It had a really tight fit, so I did not superglue it onto the motor.
Testing the aircraft
I attached the power source to my airplane, turned it on, and it did not work. I then switch the alligator clips, and it still did not work. I figured something is wrong with my power source, so I solder a battery pack to the airplane. I then glue the battery pack to the power stand. The airplane works!
Reflection
- After making sure the motor had a power source that worked, my airplane body was too heavy to get off the ground.
- I can improve my airplane my putting a slight slant in the wings so they make a v-shape.
- I can also use a ready made template next time as well.
- I was pretty disappointed that my airplane didn't work. Since, it was my first time creating a motor-powered airplane, I probably should have found a ready-made template. I really wanted to design my own though. I will try this experiment again, so that I can get it right and I can teach it in class. It really is an amazing little project, and I know my students would love it.
- These labs really pushed me to polish a few skills, and they were really a big challenge.