Vulcan bomber r/c rocket glider

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burkefj

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I thought about making a Vulcan off and on for a while I was hoping that the PNC 80 BB nose cone would be close enough. The top view and wing are scale outline, but without doing a built-up fuse and wing you can't really get the full shape correct, but I did the best I could. 28 in Long 32 inch wingspan, 2.6" diameter, 10.2 oz rtf, has a glide wing loading about 5 ounces per square foot. Uses 9 mm depron for the wing with two 3 mm spars, 6 mm tail.IMG_20200813_091859551~2.jpgIMG_20200812_210337338.jpgIMG_20200813_091915782~2.jpg
 
I was thinking it would be fun to see a fly off between the Vulcan Bomber and the Klingon Cruiser, but obviously couldn’t happen because they are different Generations.

(Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
 
The Vulcan would win because the design is much more "Logical" :)

I was thinking it would be fun to see a fly off between the Vulcan Bomber and the Klingon Cruiser, but obviously couldn’t happen because they are different Generations.

(Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
 
Good evening gents I finally got to fly my Vulcan today i put two flights on and I can honestly say it is my best gliding RG that I own no trim on boost or in landing mode. Don’t get me wrong I love all my RG’s they all have a personality of there own and there own flight characteristics. I’m almost done with Buran Shuttle hope to fly it next week between the weather fronts. Thanks Again Frank for another wonderful Kit Kudos!!!

Brian Vance2F6D49B2-9679-42D8-AEB5-8C28AAFCD30E.jpeg
 
Good looking camo Vulcan there. And thanks for the flight report.

My Vulcan is complete except for windows, black radome area and some additional tail markings. Very much looking forward to the maiden.

I am working to organize an informal one day gathering of local RCRG enthusiasts sometime in April or May, and my local RC field. Dave Schafer is coming. I hope to maiden at least 5 new RCRGs that day, including the Vulcan.

Here is my Vulcan from a few weeks ago,
 

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First flight on the Vulcan at the Texas Shootout yesterday.

Another awesome Frank design, as many already know.....:) Flew perfectly. Was so instantly comfortable with it that I essayed a slow roll near the end of the boost. Nice hang time.

Have a video coming.
 
I’m glad you enjoyed that flight. There’s nothing that fly’s bad that Frank puts out. I’m up to owning 14 of his kits and I love flying every one of them. The problem now is keeping enough reloads on hand to fly them 🥴😃
 
That's great Tom I had the same experience with my prototype it just flew so perfect off the boards and gave really pretty long flight times that I wasn't expecting and very docile and controllable.


First flight on the Vulcan at the Texas Shootout yesterday.

Another awesome Frank design, as many already know.....:) Flew perfectly. Was so instantly comfortable with it that I essayed a slow roll near the end of the boost. Nice hang time.

Have a video coming.
 
That's great Tom I had the same experience with my prototype it just flew so perfect off the boards and gave really pretty long flight times that I wasn't expecting and very docile and controllable.
It has a lot more wing area than most of your stuff, so not surprising that it has such great hang time.

I am amazed you can get some of the things you build to fly at all.

Well, I USED to be amazed, now I guess I just EXPECT whatever you build will work....,,
 
A new TRF friend did this IPhone video of the maiden flight of the Vulcan at the Texas Shootout on May 29. It is taken from a good ways away, but provides an interesting view of the flight as you would see from spectator row. The Vulcan gets out of focus a few times, but you can see all the boost, most of the glide and it has a nice view of the approach and landing.

It shows the height of the boost nicely.

 
Frank, did you ever run any numbers on a BT-101 size Vulcan for the H-13?

Thinking about one. Looks to be doable. Planning on a custom printed nose cone that would include the canopy and have the correct side and nose profile to somewhere a little behind the canopy.

i recently ended up trading for a few elderly full length BT101 tubes recently.
 
Flew the bigger Vulcan at SMALL just over week ago. Had a great flight!
 

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No but I could hack one together based on my orbital transport shuttle as a basis.....

Frank, did you ever run any numbers on a BT-101 size Vulcan for the H-13?

Thinking about one. Looks to be doable. Planning on a custom printed nose cone that would include the canopy and have the correct side and nose profile to somewhere a little behind the canopy.

i recently ended up trading for a few elderly full length BT101 tubes recently.
 
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A buddy took a video, but had a focus problem for most of the flight. The launch and landing are fairly visible, just skip the middle part with the white blob floating around in the blue sky...:)

 
No but my BT 101 based orbital transport glider would be similar, you'd have a little bit shorter tube length and weight with a wider wingspan and shorter cord. You just need to watch the weight of 3D printed cones in a 4 inch size, Scott binder did mine and we did it as thin as we could get away with that would fit a coupler in the inside and that way we didn't have to fiddle with trying to get a 3D printed shoulder to fit and the very thin ledge to mate up with a BT 101 diameter. My weight ready to fly with ballast is 30.7 Oz and 32 is really as heavy as I would want to go with those motors, so you just have to see with your wingspan and wing laminations/carbon what the weight of your wing is and see if that's going to work out for you. You don't have as long a nose moment to help with reducing nose weight required but the motor is more forward compared to the CG location so that would help. I haven't done a wingspan larger than 38 in the larger sizes and this would be 50 in which is getting pretty long.

Might need a slightly bigger spar at that span. Or a doubled primary spar. Could look at laminating two layers of 6mm Depron for a 12mm wing.

Based on my nose cone printing experiments, I think I could make that BT101 cone come in at about 2-2.25 oz.

Something to think about. Also mulling over upscaling my Athena design to BT101 size.
 
Let me work up a simulation based on the actual weights in my orbital transport version modified for the Vulcan dimensions and post it below.

Frank


Might need a slightly bigger spar at that span. Or a doubled primary spar. Could look at laminating two layers of 6mm Depron for a 12mm wing.

Based on my nose cone printing experiments, I think I could make that BT101 cone come in at about 2-2.25 oz.

Something to think about. Also mulling over upscaling my Athena design to BT101 size.
 
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Tom, here is a mass balancing ork file for you to play with, I've placed the servos(hs-65's) pushrods 6" long, 18" servo extensions to the front, a spektrum ar410 receiver and battery adapter, a 1s 500mah 15 gram battery, a 2.25 oz nose cone with 3" shoulder, 3" long bt-101 coupler, 10.5" long bt-101 forward tube, 24.65" rear tube(The body tube extends back 6" which would be the length of the stinger but I've reduced the rear tube weight to account for that ), a laminated 6mm and 3mm tail w 2.5mm spar, laminated 6mm and 6mm wing with 39" 5mm by 3mm tube spar and 22" mid spar, 7.75" motor tube, and H-13 and using 1.25 oz for glue weight. Wing shape is close enough balance and the weight is as constructed at 9.16 ounces, and 2.5 ounces of required nose weight. It comes in at 32oz rtf ctwith motor. This should be very close to what you would have less paint. You might save maybe 1 ounce using a laminate of 6mm and 3mm on the wing but not sure if it is stiff enough, you'd have to check.

Vulcan.JPG
 

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Dang It Tom, after I did all this work I wound up making a wing and tail, they came out spot on my calculations, so I went ahead and ordered my BT-101 tubing....I can re-purpose my orbital transport shuttle cone for this model and put the more pointy cone I have on that model so I don't have to come up with a cone. I was able to get 3 wing halves out of one sheet with enough left over for the tail and details and cut one more panel out of another sheet I had started, it's slightly under one sheet of 6mm in area but won't quite fit onto a single sheet.
 
Coo!!

Excited that my musings might have nudged you into trying this….:)

I might have to do the Athena since you are doing the Vulcan…:)

My BT101 is quite old. A buddy bought two full boxes at a price of 1-2 bucks each at a close out sale in the mid 1990s.

I would think that you could safely stretch to 33-34 oz, with a slightly inclined launch rail. Over the years, most of my RC RG tended to be launched at a slight to moderate angle, except for the SR-71. Note the typical launch angle of the Aerotech Phoenix. Some have noted the the AT Phoenix falls off a little bit at this angle on the G8, but is easily controllable.
 
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