Constructing the Frame

After all of the pieces were smooth it was time to glue them together. It is important to note that on this plane, the wing is not glued directly to the body of the plane. Rather, it is held on by a rubber band system. This is advantageous for two reasons: the wing is easily replaceable and can flex in the event of a crash. To start assembling the wing, the main component was laid flat on the workbench. The winglets were then glued on at a fifteen degree angle, one at a time.

Once the glue had dried on both sides of the joint (front and back), the joint was reinforced using masking tape, which is fairly lightweight. 

The body of the plane was made of three longer pieces glued together.

The elevator and rudder were done next. These components were taped together so there was a hinge. The assembly was then glued to the back of the plane.

Sanding the Pieces

It was important to sand down the sharp edges of the pieces to help with the plane's aerodynamic capabilities. This manual labor required masks to prevent the inhalation of the form board shavings. Edges that would be adhered to other pieces were not sanded in order to leave more surface area to connect the pieces.

Before and After of the Vertical Stabilizers and Tail:

Before and After of the Elevator:

Cutting the Pieces

The next step was cutting the pieces that would construct the body of the aircraft. In order to create a lightweight and sturdy airplane, half inch thick foam board insulation was used.

All pieces were first sketched onto the foam board. To cut, we used an exact-o-knife and a three inch Gerber knife. We quickly found that using a metal ruler as a guide insured a strait edge.

The pieces are as follows: two winglets, the elevator, the horizontal stabilizer, the body and its sides, the main wing, two vertical stabilizers, the tail, and the rudder.

Wingles:

Elevator (left) / Horizontal Stabilizer (right):

Sides of the Body:

Main Wing:

Vertical Stabilizers (top) / Tail (bottom left) / Rudder (bottom right):

Electronics

One of the first things we had to do when building our remote control (rc) plane was to buy the electronics. Our plane is powered by a brushless motor and has a three cell LiPo battery.

In addition, the plane is able to move the elevators and rudder using two twelve gram servos.

 To control the amount of electricity coming from the battery, a brushless Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) is used. This critical component makes it possible for the speed of the motor to vary. Without it, the only two throttle positions would be full or off. With the ESC, we can control the motor to make it go any speed in between zero and the max. 

These electronic components will be added to the plane once the airframe is complete.