Introduction: Coreflute R/C Biplane
Im a tinkerer and a thinkerer and i cant ever stop working with my hands!
So i've been amazed by R/C since i was little and could never sum up the courage to tinker with aircraft.......So one day I bit the bullet and bought a trainer and havn't looked back!!
I absolutley love R/C aircraft and my current flier is a x-83 flyjet pushing 120km/p +
I've made this instructable to share how easy and cost effective it is to create something fly worthy and most importantly EASY!
LETS GO!!!!
Step 1: Materials
Soooo, this Biplane is constructed soley out of Coreflute and Hot Glue,
here a breif list,
-600x1000 3mm Sheet of Coreflute (any colour)
-Hot glue gun and glue sticks
-hobby knife/card board cutters
-patience
-creativity
-3 x 5g servos
-servo wire x 2
-motor and propeller (choose your own)
-reciever (again choose your own, i run spektrum)
thats pretty much it!, everythign else finiky you will have in your workshop!
Step 2: Components
Now the majortity of this build is touch and go or guess and cut!
I've only ever built one of these and it flew reasonably well after alot of fiddling and changing ,
You want a 600mm ide wing surface area and the body to be as slim as possible but still fit in your servos, battery and reciever
Step 3: Guesstimation
so nows time to guesstimate, i like to have a rough idea of how the layout will look before i decide anything, i know from previous build tht biplanes like to be very short in the fuselage and very straight on the wings, coreflute does have alot of flex but this only help the plane fly slower and stabler.
Step 4: Body Time
So sort out what shape body or fuselage you want, i usually run with a tapered to the rear approach which i think looks nice and works well.
a few dabs of hot glue and some sealing beads of glue tie the hole body together,
im also one for support braces and use as many as i can fit!
Step 5: Engine Mount
Now i love love love electric, ive used a nitro but electric is just the way to go in my opinion!
Im using a turnigy 2000kv brushless motor with a master airscrew 9x5 prop.
this little power plant has huge power and will easily pull verticals form a little plane.
The motor comes pre installed witha tiny heat sink which only took a matter of second to file down some wood and hot glue it in the brace slots.
Be creative with the engine mount as you probably wont have the same as me :)
Step 6: Tail!
Coreflute is such a versatile medium to work with, and as such i;ve found a simple way to make control surface hinges.
just simply only cut throguh one side of the coreflute and trim the edges back, easy peasy!
hopefully it makes sense
Step 7: Ailerons!
DONT DREAD THEM!, they make flying so much more enjoyable and controllable, SO SIMPLE TO MAKE!,
i already had a servo setup lying in my box of parts, with micro hinges, but none the less the same diy hinge was used where i only cut one side of the coreflute,
i noted out 1 hole either side of the fuselage for the servo control arms to poke out and couldn't be happier with the result!!
Step 8: SERVO CRAZYYYYY!!!!
Servo time!!!, just make sure you center the servos FIRST!!!!
I quickly and easily knocked up 2 control rods and hot glued the servos straight onto the fuselage, easy peasy and took all of 5 minutes!
Step 9: WING TIME
this is where you need a wingman !, no not really but it helps to have someone help line everything up while you glue,
i used 4 vertical mounts which i then braced on the bottoms!,
2 at the leading edge of the wing and 2 at the rear nice and balanced!
Once everything looks striaght go over the joins again with a little extra glue
Step 10: Engine and ESC/Receiver
The engine is simple just push on your mount and 1 screw holds that baby tight on there!, ESC or Electronic Speed Controller is just a little baby 20A kit and one dab of hot glue keeps him just behind the engine!
Receiver------ probaly the most critical and cruicial part of the build is the receiver, i use a spektrum DSM2 2.4ghz digital 6 channel receiver and have never ever encounted a problem, absolutley astonishing value for money!
pop him in there and test all your servos and set them up as per how you usually fly, detailed instructions are available through google for specific transmitters, i run a spektrum DX6i
Step 11: DONE!!!!!
CHEAP and EASSSYYYY
did i say cheap and easy, my total cost was $8, only including glue, and a new motor, everything else i had on me but the total cost without a transmitter or reciver is UNDER $20
thats right! $20
Happy flying i hope you enjoyed this instructable, the biplane currently sits in my shed having flown a spectacular maiden flight of over 6 minutes before the lipo ran out!
very stable in the air and very very slow!
><ROBBO><

Second Prize in the
Remote Control Challenge
33 Comments
9 years ago on Introduction
Im in the process of building this biplane, my first attempt at anything RC. On step 7 you use an aileron horn out on the wing and I was wondering what that certain horn is called. Cant seem to find it anywhere. If you can help would appreciate it very much. Micheal
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
hey mate, let me know how the biplane goes, look on the net for either , "horn/hinge/clevis" anyone of those 3, also dont get too hung up about the part, try cutting a soda can into a 1cm wide strip and doubling it over, then pierce a small hole and hot glue that on as the horn,
or try http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__122__58__Hardware_accessories_-Horn_Hinge_Clevis.html
10 years ago on Introduction
guys thanksyou so muhc for all the support and comments, the battery is a 1000ma 2 cell LIPO, all the servos were $2 USD from hobbyking, the receiver is a spektrum but you can use a orange RX from hobbyking as well which is only $9 USD
Bunnings in Austrlia sell coreflute and im in the process of building nother model, ill upload later today,
My power supply or ESC is a hobbyking ESC and was only $6 USD as well as a $6 USD motor,
KEEP BUILDING!
ROBBO
5 years ago
Discarded political election signs!
5 years ago
Hey i am gathering material but didnt buy a motor will a KV1000 brushless motor work or some other motor? pls help i am a newbie
6 years ago on Introduction
the robot has many uses with some modifications like microphone .its so cool
7 years ago on Introduction
can you upload video of creating this stuff please???
7 years ago on Introduction
please tell me what kind kind of transmitter/reciever i need ..
i meant tell me about channels,frequency of transmitter/reciever required????
8 years ago on Step 11
Is that a engine?or a motor?
I would like to see its flying video.
pls.......
8 years ago
Will the Spektrum DX5E be sufficient?
8 years ago on Step 7
What kind of wire do you use to move the elevators and stuff like that? I cant seem to find it anywhere! Thanks.
Reply 8 years ago on Step 7
mate i used link wire, or connecting rod wire, its commercially available at hobby stores or use a lightweight stiff fencing wires straightened out. alternatively if weight is a problem find a carbon firbre rod (hobby store) or use a skewer.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__23117__Tail_Control_Pushrod_HK_550GT_.html
thats just a generic 2mm rod but mine were less tan 1mm.
ROBBO
8 years ago on Introduction
thanks for sharing this awesome instructible!!
9 years ago on Introduction
Thanks for the reply robbo. Its early days but Ive learned so much about RC since starting the build. Whether it flies I dont know. I'll try and upload a pic.
9 years ago on Introduction
awesome! you could fit a small camera to it, and it will become a spyplane! heres one:
http://www.robotshop.com/sfe-cmos-camera-1300-1040-1.html
10 years ago on Introduction
you've misspelled brief
10 years ago on Introduction
nice project...........
10 years ago on Step 11
What's your battery?
Landing gear?
10 years ago on Introduction
probably going to try a coroplast astrohog but i use cox nitro 1/2 a engines myself so body will have to be completely enclosed forpreservation of the radio gear from the exhaust. But seems like a good way to do half a flying!!!
10 years ago on Introduction
Hey robbo,
I can't find the power supply that you used.