I am the head of the DIY club at my school, for our next project we wanted to build a drone. I am looking for suggestions for a plane that is good for beginner flyers yet has the capability to hold large amounts of gear(fpv system, gopro, autopilot systems...). Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Our budget is $120 for the plane, servos, motors... but we can spend more money if needed.
thanks
Justin
Replies
SBy Far The Best And Most Versatile Aicraft Is The Supercub By Parkzone
if Has So Much Possibility Which Very Heavy Duty Wings Allowing For Servos, Circuit Boards Etc , Large Internal Space For Filling With Electronics
and It Can Lift So Much Weight Upwards Of 2kilos With All Stock
it Has Heavyduty Landing Gear So It Can Land On Anything, It Has Floats So It Can Take Off On Water Or Snow
it Has A Standard Motir Mount So You Can Seriously Beef Up Its Power With A Large Brushless Motor
it Has A Large Tail Fin And Elevatir For Superiour Elevator And Rudder Authority Stopping Flatspins If You Have Set The Cg Wrong
and Is steady As A Rock Even In String Winds
dynam i-can-fly its a great starter, if you want more room you can take a pringles can and attach it down the center bottom, on the bottom of the plane there is an open oval that you can thread the wires through so you dont have to drill into your airplane the cost of the aircraft runs $108 but if you get the kit and buy hobbyking electronics it would save you $20 and some problem solving time (dynam makes cruddy esc's and my brand new one when plugged in fried my receiver and made my transmitter worthless).
I just had a thought. Why don't you build a plane from DollarTree foamboard? This would avoid the foam cutting.
Ed at Experimental Airlines has a whole raft of cheap planes to make from these $2 sheets of board.
Here is the RC groups link http://www.rcgroups.com/foamies-scratchbuilt-428/
and here is his UTube channel that has a all the build videos. A Peace Drone is probably what you want to build.
https://www.youtube.com/user/ExperimentalAirlines
FliteTest also has some foamboard planes that you can build
https://www.youtube.com/user/flitetest
They have a whole series of convertible planes that use a standard fuselage.
I have just ordered a FinWing Penquin after I found the Bixler 2 a bit disappointing. The Penguin has a lot more room and it would be easier for you to layout your gear in a neat setup. One of the guys over here flies and raves about it as it is stable and easy to fly. It is quite inexpensive and can come all setup.
http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&a...
A little more digging in one of my airplane folders and THIS post right here might work for you.
-=Doug
Wayne G's Techpod project has the right stuff for an FPV UAV but the kit price on the website is $225 and it will not be available until March 2013...so far.
I would also recommend checking local hobby shops, let them know it is a school project. They probably have contacts in the local flying clubs and someone may have just what you need AND provide some assistance with the project.
It cannot hurt to ask around.
-=Doug
How much space do you need in this aircraft?
That information is vital to the project and deciding which aircraft to buy/build.
What hardware do you have now?
-=Doug
I know its a little outside your budget, but you can get a RTF EFlite Apprentice for $300. It has everything you need including a 5 channel 2.4 Ghz transmitter.
Do you have any building construction experience?
Trent of MyGeekShow has some inexpensive airplane ideas on his website HERE with the plans HERE.
If you do want an ARF (almost ready to fly), the EasyStar/Bixler types are an option though small in area for equipment.
To be inexpensive, you are probably looking at building it.
-=Doug