On this note, look for the addition of the “Photography” category, and the refinement of the “Robotics” category.

Thanks!
-Kyle

Monokote + butane lighter you ask? Surely I should have known better? But ofcourse! That is what experimentation and improvisation is all about.

Rough Cut

Smoother Finish

Before & After

avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0×00
avrdude: stk500_disable(): protocol error, expect=0×14, resp=0×51

If you have the old style (1.0) of ardupilot, make sure you are using the board settings for Arduino Diecimilia (Atmega168)

Aerospace Law 1:
Short Wings = High Speed
That’s why fighters have short wings and Cessna’s have long safe ones

Combine this with previously mentioned factors – more weight and more speed = bigger crashes! Let the fun begin.

First off: I built mine at about 150% scale. This does not a negative thing outright, but it does mean that you are dealing with more mass. This brings us to:

Physics Law 1:
Force = Mass * Acceleration
In practice, the ground will bring your plane to a stop in a hurry, and the more plane you have, the more there is to break!

Don’t worry, this is only important in a crash, and I don’t plan on crashing! ….yeaaaaah

avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0×00
avrdude: stk500_disable(): protocol error, expect=0×14, resp=0×51

If  you too are getting this error, make sure the data connection is good, and that the board is powered on, as the ArduPilot setup does not provide power across the FTDI breakout  / USB connection.

On a more positive note, sting launching went fairly well! We just used a length of kitestring, tied a small loop in the end for the belly hook, and then ran like fools across the parking lot!

I also made a modification for testing purposes involving the removal of the bottom lobe of the tail so that it was flush with the bottom of the fuselage. This modification lets the fuselage absorb impacts, as I had experienced a few rough landings where a considerable ammount of energy went directly into the rudder, sheaing it from the tail.

This particular frame will surely have a few more modifications and “battlefield repairs” that will keep it far from bueaty contests – but that is kind of the joy of experimentation – you are not so afriad of scratches that you don’t push the envelope a little!

Things that I have learned so far from this project:

1) In the words of pretty much every single middle school shop teacher: measure twice, cut once. Working with photoshop and flash all day gets you in the bad habbit of relying on an “undo button”, turns out roughing out a cut and then trimming it down requires alot more time and wastes supplies too.

2) When trying to develop a new skill, go out on a limb. This can be especially true for learning things like how to apply Monokote – all the manuals and tutorials in the world will not preparing you like just trying it does. Make a test area, or try it out on a not-as-critical area first. Square, flat, and small-er sections are great to experiment on. I think that we are becoming overly-reliant on pre-built solutions. Although you can be mostly sure that the “ready to fly” park flyer foam plane will work out of the box, you are missing out on half of the fun!

3) Ability may come from inspiration, but craftsmanship comes from practice. There are imperfections in the structure, the Monokote is warped in places, and some of the cosmetic details are slightly less than pretty, but by the time I was getting to the last cross members or final film coat, I had done it enough to feel confident that the next one I build will be a great deal better – and even more so for the one after that. Just like you learned in school that a good scientific experiment only has one variable, when it comes to building an airplane, it’s best to take as many variables out as possible. If you are new to the building aspect, start with a proven design!