Topic awaiting preservation: Hydro-Foam

Surreal.

Plans. [Edit: No plans of Hydro-Foam ]



(Edited by synax on 06-15-2005 17:29)

very very cool.

if I had the plans, I'd have something (else) to do for the summer ;-)

I want one! I want one! Please.

this post will self-destruct in 10...

This is insanely cool!
Having built and flown R/C planes off and on since I was 15 and seen everything from regular planes to flying lawn movers to hydroplanes to hovercrafts I must say that this is an extremely creative approach!

The car-concept would probably be a little better with small weels under the floats but still

One more thing, these pilots/drivers/captains are very very good, foolish but good!
To fly an r/c plane with that diminutive size and that kind of performance is a 100% sure recepeit for disaster for a newbie...
To do it on a road between houses... I'm shuddering by the thought of the lawsuits that the insurance won't cover as you put that into a house or a pedestrian or all those kids that will gather around to watch...

But d*mn it's cool!
Not that hard to build either...

The hardest thing is to find the construction and balance between enough downforce to keep it on the ground when you want it there and in the air when you want it to.
I can imagine that it took "a couple" of models before it worked

<edit>BTW, here's the closest to the plans: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=499408
and here's the original thread that discusses it:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?s=8d267c7a86653229ad91912313b0dace&t=376351
</edit>

/Dan

{cell 260} {Blog}
-{ ?There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence. - Jeremy S. Anderson" }-

(Edited by DmS on 06-15-2005 18:48)

Looks like something between a lifting body and a speedboat. I should think the lack of wheels is simply to keep the weight so low. It does seem to move and flip like it weighs nothing at all - that vertical climb!

I wonder how it would affect the weight if you were to mount a model turbojet into it...


Justice 4 Pat Richard

Heh, a turbojet...
I've read up a bit on it (there are loads of threads at rcgroups on this) and the most common version seems to weigh about 300 grammes, 3 channel micro radio system and driven by a souped up cdrom motor.

To build the craft costs nearly nothing, just the depron which basically is a type of foam in sheet form and some time. The drive pack (motor, batteries, charger & speed controller) will be more expensive, then you need a micro reciever and micro servos plus the transmitter. If you start with nothing you'll end up with several $100 to get it going. If you've done small electrics before and have some of the gear it'
s a completely different thing.

And yes, you could scale it up to fit a turbojet... the construction would be way different though, the forces that apply at 200 MPH and 20-30 pounds weight is "mildly" different... So is the space required to fly/drive it. Not to mention the budget

Still cool...
/D

{cell 260} {Blog}
-{ ?There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence. - Jeremy S. Anderson" }-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerogel

Oooooooooooh....

wonderful & amazing find!

something tells me that it probably won't be within my budget to use it for a model aircraft though providing I could buy it in the first place...

/Dan

{cell 260} {Blog}
-{ ?There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence. - Jeremy S. Anderson" }-

and even if you did... that's a very ligt material... think of the handling problems you'd encounter.


Justice 4 Pat Richard

...so tie some bricks on to it, DUH! heheh

Skaarji:

Handling problems?
There's not much of a breeze to battle while flying a miniature r/c plane in the living room...


I've got a 2 ch r/c gear that fits in a 3 x 2 x 1 cm box plus an engine that's < 1 cm long and < 4 mm wide plus a gearbox to drive a larger prop... I don't have light enough material to build the plane from though

Imagine a Spitfire with a 20 cm wingspan buzzing the living room table and then lands on the kitchen table after patrol.

/D

{cell 260} {Blog}
-{ ?There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence. - Jeremy S. Anderson" }-

quote:

---

I don't have light enough material to build the plane from though

---

Sure you do.... it's called 'Aerogel.' =)

I was wondering if it would be possible to 'cast' with that stuff.
Purchase one of those metal or plastic Cast models of a ... let's say a spitfire... use it for the negative latex and fibreglass mold... pour in your Aerogel....pooof! one lightweight spitfire. =) Perhaps lost wax.

In the meantime to satisfy that urge to fly 'something' indoors... try one of these. I used to make a 4 arm version but without the lamination. A cereal box on the way to garbage...works very well. Or you can buy one. Drop 'indoor boomerang' into google...click images. I see wammo even has one that glows in the dark. =)
http://www.bartlesville.k12.ok.us/kane/paper_boomerang/
or perhaps one of these. =)
http://www.otherlandtoys.co.uk/iboatvid.htm

NoJive, the molding part, that's exactly what I thought but I can't find a place to buy aerogel...

Those boats are driven by the same rc gear I've got.
I bought some micro r/c cars, ripped them apart and got the battery, r/c parts & motor from it

now, where do I buy aerogel?
/D

{cell 260} {Blog}
-{ ?There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence. - Jeremy S. Anderson" }-

I think there may be budget concerns ...

http://www.mkt-intl.com/aerogels/aerogel_order.html
http://www.mountain-skies.org/gift-shop.html

As far as I can tell, other than small expensive fragments, it's not available for purchase by the general public.

Sprayfoam insulation maybe. There are different types/strengths and for sure wouldn't cost a ton of money to experiment with. My fuzzy brain sees it being used in an almost injection mold fashion. place your model of choice in a box of some description...etc.

Possibly make sheets of the stuff using a couple of pieces of plexiglass spaced to desired thickness via any type of fastening system you like. Plexiglass would give it a relatively smooth finish and I can't think of any reason why a water based laquere couldn't be applied.

I'm sure soembody else must have thought about this...but it's new to 'my' mind. =)

Carry on.

Drinking straws and cellophane!

The most common way to do it is to use blue foam and shape & hollow it with files and sand paper, you can make amazing models with that...

Some examples of foamies here: http://www.aeronutz.flyer.co.uk/rcindoor.htm
I'm off and on working on an "stand way off and squint sort of scale" F16 with electric ducted fan. If it gets done any time it will weigh around 500 grams and have a 45 cm span and about 60-65 cm length, that's all outdoor though

It's not exactly a new concept, indoor ultralight planes has been around long before there was micro r/c equipment. there are ppl building rubberband powered planes that weigh 1.5 grams from 0.5 mm balsa sticks and mylar-film, they can fly up to 30 minutes if there's enough room.
That's free flight though and you don't want to hit anything, fragile is not enough to describe them...

/Dan

{cell 260} {Blog}
-{ ?There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence. - Jeremy S. Anderson" }-

"blue foam"
I take it you're talking about the sheets used for insulation.

I've sculpted styrofoam before and finished off the piece with a somewhat rude conncoction (sp?) of sand, white glue, asbestos powder, bronze powder finishing up with black shoe polish. Only when lifted was the secret revealed. Till then it was bronze.

"indoor ultralight planes"

Indoor kites too. Same basic materials..most of them you have to 'walk.' but then you have the hardcore. A kite about the size of your little fingernail. Line made of human hair attached to a pole which in turn is attached to the outter edge of a turntable like device. Ultra low gearing. Creates just enough resistance to get that little sucker up.

I have a great book... this from one of the reviewers says it all.

quote:

---

If there is a better book about making planes that can be folded out of a single sheet of paper, I haven't found it.

---

Sorry about this ugly link but the review is accurate. Click on the 'the ultimate paper airplane.'
http://www.wannalearn.com/Just_for_Fun/Making_Paper_Airplanes/0785786473.shtml

Cool link
The kites sound really cool, havn't seen any but the hardcore version sounds really cool, sort of the ppl that carve sculptures from matches

That idea of sprayfoam and plexiglass isn't half bad actually, I've got a bunch of mirrors that's not used... those would work fine spaced with some 0.5 balsa between them, heavy enough to press down the foam by themselves.

How hard does that get when hardened, don't want it too brittle if you want to bend and shape it.

Suppose I'll give it a try sometime, thanx for the tip
/D

{cell 260} {Blog}
-{ ?There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence. - Jeremy S. Anderson" }-

"How hard does that get when hardened, don't want it too brittle if you want to bend and shape it"

It's most certainly carvable. Bendable would depend on a couple of things. Thickness of course but more crucial I would think, would be the 'type' and the strength. For example some of this stuff that you can use to insulate around windows and door frames etc can exhert something like 250lbs per sq. inch and can quite literally move/bend studs and drywall. So when you use it in that fashion you really have to pay attention to exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish lest you fuckup big time and have to call in a pro.

That's why my initial thoughts were plexi glass. And depending on the thickness of the plexi I can almost see a couple of pieces of that, bent to the desired camber, held in place... however you like...spray in the foam and I'm bettin' you'd be pretty dam close to the shape you were aming for. Sheet-metal would probably work for that matter.

Safety glasss would probably work bettter than mirror in a full sheet situation.

anyway... next time you're in a hardware store see what they have in the way of spray type insulation check out the specs.

Good luck. =)

Nojive, the indoor kite sounds awesome.. also, I have that book. I think the best plane in there is the delta. It's just a glued triangle with three folds.

Secondly, this video was reminding me of another video I know I've seen of a flying foam lawnmower. The video was done in exactly the same style, with what I think are the exaxt same test fields, so I assume it's the same guys. Yep. http://www.big-boys.com/articles/lawnfly.html

I'm going to try that human hair thing..

Shine and shine. :: [old cell]

I remember seeing that. Yep....looks to be the same bunch. Good eye.

So is it your Darlin' with the long lox or are you an old hip-eye? =)