Not a drone (yet), but DIY and very well done. From Hackaday:
he advent of affordable gear for radio-controlled aircraft has made the hobby extremely accessible, but also made it possible to build some very complex flying machines on a budget, especially when combined with 3D printing. [Joel Vlashof] really likes VTOL fighter aircraft and is in the process of building a fully functional radio-controlled F-35B.
The F-35 series of aircraft is one of the most expensive defence project to date. The VTOL capable “B” variant is a complex machine, with total of 19 doors on the outside of the aircraft for weapons, landing gear and thrusters. The thruster on the tail can pivot 90° down for VTOL operations, using an interesting 3-bearing swivel mechanism.
https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020-04-26-8.png?resize=250,250 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020-04-26-8.png?resize=400,400 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020-04-26-8.png?resize=625,625 625w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" />[Joel] wants his model to be as close as possible to the real thing, and has integrated all these features into his build. Thrust is provided by two EDF motors, the pivoting nozzle is 3D printed and actuated by three set of small DC motors, and all 5 doors for VTOL are actuated by a single servo in the nose via a series of linkages. For tilt control, air from the main fan is channeled to the wing-tips and controlled by servo-actuated valves. A flight controller intended for use on a multi-rotor is used to help keep the plane stable while hovering. One iteration of this plane bit the dust during development, but [Joel] has done successful test flights for both hover and conventional horizontal flight. The really tricky part will be transitioning between flight modes, and [Joel] hopes to achieve that in the near future.
Comments
Great job Joel,
hope to see you again on our next VTOL event.
Robert
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incredible...
Beautiful.
This is awesome. Nice workmanship for sure..