Discussions

Mugin UAV 3m

Posted by John Cousins on May 13, 2012 at 2:55am

I have decided it's time to move up to a large UAV airframe.

I still have the giant payload master in the build, but it is taking forever as if i'm not working offshore, i'm busy test flying ardu-equipped foamies.

I'm going to keep flying the small stuff for now as they are great for ironing out bugs... but they simply can't carry the telemetry gear and cameras that I want to test.

Anyway....I have now purchased a Mugin airframe from FPVflying and it is due here shortly.

Just wondering if there is anyone on here who has one one of these?

I'm looking for information regarding any structural deficiencies and anything else i might need to watch out for.

I'm confident in my ability to assess it's "airworthiness" but obviously it's good to hear from people who've had prior experience with a particular airframe.. eg. areas prone to cracking and parts that wear out quicker than expected.

Cheers

John.

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Replies

FPVMODEL January 8, 2014 at 1:02am

This is the latest version. It has had the landing gear for the nose reinforced and the elevator has been split to use two servos and not one. There has been some discussion on what motor is the best. Many people seem to prefer DLE-60 engine.
Søren Kuula November 12, 2013 at 11:46pm

Hi John, what sort of 3G telemetry system is that? Regards, Soren
nick reeves July 1, 2013 at 3:42pm

john, did the mugin ever fly? i am still very interested to hear of your experiences with it

cheers

nick
Paulino M. Lacap Jr. May 10, 2013 at 2:54am

I also plan to purchase the Mugin. But I need to know more of the engine. A single engine failure would mean disaster. Thus a 3W engine or with similar reliability is important.

I think a twin opposed engine is too heavy.

I plan to use the APM2.5 for this one.
Drone Nerd March 23, 2013 at 10:36pm

Hi John,

I'm very interested too. I want exactly airframe, but without engine or electronic.

Thanks for sharing your experiences...

Good luck!
nick reeves March 9, 2013 at 3:12pm

hi john, im very interested in your experiences with the mugin as i am looking in to getting one myself. i also happen to work offshore and i live in paisley. if you want you can email me on nicksmobile1 at yahoo dot co dot uk

cheers

nick
Stephen Gloor October 9, 2012 at 8:04am

Hi John - would love to see this fly. Is it going to be petrol or electric?
John Cousins May 18, 2012 at 3:32am

Thanks Lars!

I will do a full review when it arrives. Lots of pictures to come.

Let me know if there is anything in particular you would like a close look at.

John
Lars S May 17, 2012 at 1:39pm

Hello John,

I have done some work on one of these. The one in your picture is obviously the latest version, but not so different I guess.

For the money, you get a lot. A very solidly built airframe. No instructions though. Profile looks like Naca 4415. It flies well with CoG at 28% MAC. Ours was ordered without engine, so that a 3W 28 could be installed. This was done to make it more similar to another airframe in house. Weight with the 3W and ballast on the nose bulkhead, no fuel, is close to 17kgs.

The smaller engine is a good match in the air, but it really needs a paved runway to get off. 50+ccm is propably needed on grass.

The only thing broke so far is the nose gear mount, a very weak fiberglass reinforced block. The covers on top, and the fiberglass nose is somewhat flimsy compared to the rest.

I found a clever way to make the servo connections between wing and booms, but can't find the pictures right now.

Please report back with pics when you get it.

Regards

Lars