Their story, in their words…
For our Mark Evison project, we decided to make an RC plane from scratch based on the F-22 Raptor. The main parts of the project were getting the parts, constructing the plane and flying it. The start of our project included mapping out a design for the plane with functional electronics and a body that could provide enough lift for the plane while effortlessly cutting through the air. We did this by calculating the design’s wing area and using the predetermined weight of the plane to work out the plane’s WCL (Wing Cube Loading) and with some other calculations involving battery life etc.
Once this was determined we ordered parts that closely fit with what we needed and our budget which meant some parts were not up to the same quality as each other and due to shipping delays, we received them about 2 weeks later. With the newly received parts, we crafted the plane together and let all the epoxy cure for 24 hours before taking the plane on its first test flight.
On the day of the first test flight, the plane had clear issues of keeping the nose pitched up which led us to believe that the center of gravity had been manipulated by the battery that had been placed too far forward. After correcting the issue we took the plane out to fly again and ran through glide tests and drop tests. Once we were finally certain it would fly we ran the plane’s maiden flight which was a success as we were able to fly the plane and land it back safely. Shortly after a few flights due to the lack of quality in the ESC (throttle controller) and the extreme outdoor temperatures the ESC short circuited causing the plane to crash. #restinpieces.
Overall the project was a very good learning experience and was able to teach us a lot about what goes into making a plane fly. We would like to give a huge thank you to the Mark Evison Foundation for funding this project and supporting us throughout the way
