Here are a couple of experiments with foam.
One is a winglet system that curves the wing and clips into place to facilitate easier gluing.
The other is a plane made from foam and tissue. I tried to minimize the foam use by cutting the parts out of each other. Then fill the gaps with tissue.
This was one of the first Dayton experiments.
One method I tried was to take a small piece of paper and fold it so it sits at 90 degrees. I install a winglet then place the paper under the wing to support the winglet. The tacky glue gets stuck to the paper. It also draws some glue away from the foam.
I’ve been toying with the idea of having some groves so that a temporary brace can be installed while the glue is drying. It could be removed later. That is easy enough with laser cutting.
I found a great technique which is to place the wing upside down on a glass or other small object. The winglets hang down and gravity keeps them well aligned .
I tried this on a group of children last night and found that they were able to carry it out without any problem.
The other challenging glue joint is the connection between the tailplane and the tailboom/motor stick. The challenge here is that in my test kit, the curvature of the tailplane is in the wrong direction. I looked at pins, and a couple of other ideas. I personally love pins but I don’t think it belongs on this beginner plane. A V-Tail is something I’m exploring too. With that, you can get both vertical and horizontal stabilizers in one step. I took the horizontal tailplane and scratched it so it could be folded into a V. More on that later.
Tom and I spent part of the day flying Squirrels (and foam Squirrels).
We are now brainstorming on design ideas.
As you can see in the pictures, we use the most advanced CAD and design tools.
I met up with my friend Nicole and her friends. We bounced around the pub with some Squirrel planes.
Interestingly it was the ladies and not the gentlemen who went for making planes.
Nicole and I are bringing the Squirrel into a walk-in center for homeless people in Sandy Hill area of Ottawa. Lots of other ideas on the drawing board.
The Foam Squirrels go together pretty fast. I put three of them together while juggling beer without too much trouble. I think if I could come up with some interlocking parts for the foam, that would make for something very accessible by many.
I did more foam experiments. Here I made a few of them at the pub. This young lady decided to decorate the planes with the markers I had floating around.
I had the markers with me with that in mind. I was starting to volunteer at a walk-in center for homeless people and I thought making planes and decorating them would be fun. These experiments proved not only that it is fun but the foam planes are very robust.
