Multiplex Fox RC conversion, page 3
Continuing on from page 2 of the Multiplex Fox rc conversion, here we have a few detail photos of the finished job...
Above, the crowded cockpit houses 3 servos and rx. Note that the horizontally mounted 3.7g rudder and elevator servos are different brands - this is purely down to one being replaced because of a fault. Note also the larger size of the aileron servo, a 9g Tower Pro.
Servos were glued in place, the rx (barely visible but beneath the bundle of leads) is held in place with double sided adhesive pads.
Above, the aileron control rods from piano wire. Holes were cut in the fuse above the wing in the same way as the battery lead hole, with sharpened aluminum tubing. Note that the first hinge is pinned, the deflection was pushing it out of the wing initially.
Above, the rudder control rod goes through the tailplane. This is the least effective control, the thin gauge of the wire and the large bend allows for too much flex, so rudder movement is very limited. But with my Spektrum DX6i, I've mixed the rudder with aileron, so it's not all wasted!
If I did it all again though, I probably wouldn't bother with a rudder at all.
Above, the elevator control rod. This one doesn't flex like the rudder one, so there's sufficient and definite movement of the elevators.
Above, underside view of the converted Multiplex Fox.
Above, the finished converted Multiplex Fox. Note the butchered canopy, but apart from that everything looks and works about right!
The converted Fox weighs in at around 80 grams with a wing loading of 7oz/sq.ft., and preliminary test glides prove promising - here's a short vid of those test glides...
And here's a video of the first proper flight tests...
After the flight tests I made a few small mods, but nothing serious. I improved the control rods and managed to take out some of the slack, and also put a carbon spar into the tailplane, as for the wing. I did this because the whole tailplane was flexing with up elevator, the spar eliminated that little issue.
In the above video, the wind was too strong for this baby glider but the flights proved that the conversion was a success! The Fox seems to have a tendancy to tip stall to the left and is very twitchy. Heaps of fun though, and an excellent little rc glider to keep in the car, as intended!
Return to page 1 of Multiplex Fox RC conversion.
Related pages
RC gliders - an overview of the proper ones.
Slope flying - tips on using the wind.
Donuts Models Valentino - my other glider.
