RCCOMBAT Forum

I'm really having fun with my Gnats.
I'll be honest, I didn't think I would but I am admitting now that I was wrong.
I built mine to fly in my yard with my son and to let the guys at my flying club get a taste of combat.

I think this is a positive move for the RCCA.


I used a phillips screwdriver to run down the flutes and it did OK. On the next one, I may try removing every other flute as Will did.

No biggy either way to me.....it is what it is. A scrap election sign

Scott,

Do you have a Fast Signs in your neck of the woods? The one we have near us stocks 4mm coro in 4x8 sheets for about $17 a sheet in 6 different colors.

thanks for the phillips head screwdriver hint, that sounds like it would work well. my screen roller trick did not work well.

i will look for Fast Signs, thanks Chris

sgilkey wrote:thanks for the phillips head screwdriver hint, that sounds like it would work well. my screen roller trick did not work well.

i will look for Fast Signs, thanks Chris

Scott, Laird Plastics at Groesbeck and I696 has 4mm Coro in 4x8 sheets in any color you want.
Minimum order is $25. Add $2 or $3 more and you will get two sheets. At 6 Gnats per sheet it would last a while!

Or contact Phil Laperriere (our new club Secretary) who has bought several sheets and may have some surplus.

Great job to Don for the recent Model Aviation issue showcasing the Gnat. Not too many issues of a model airplane mag that has a plan in it you can build from as a beginner (I remember the old model airplane mags my dad has from the 60's that were full of plans to build from). The Gnat is what got me started in combat with Bill Geipel and is a step in the right direction IMO to help grow our sport.
Happy New Year!
Andy Runte, DVM...aka "Dr. Kamakaze"
P.S.---There's something wrong with the pic from the Green Bay contest...too many hands show up!!
-TEAM KAMAKAZE-
RCCA #876
AMA #273119

Are there some gnat plans such as thickness and size of plywood spacers. How far back the lower leading edge goes back and where the CG should be for the wing.

Also has anyone tried them with electric motors yet?

jj

I use whatever scrap plywood I have laying around 1/2, 3/8, 3/4 it doesn't really matter.
The original plans call for starting with 34" x 16" piece of coro. The rules we are working with have a max chord of 13". Ends up with about 3" wrapped under. Again, it doesn't really matter. The rules allow for various wing modifications as long as you are under 34" span and 13" chord.

Haven't gotten around to a E-GNAT yet.

Any CG reccomendations?

Any dimensions for the tail feathers?

I've prototyped plenty of planes, but would rather use the knowledge of experience rather than re-learning what works best. Might even build a couple extras to encourage others to fly them too.

Also, what size aluminum U channel do you use for the fuse?

Is it considered compliant to the GNAT plans if I use a full span yardstick instead of the plywood chunks at the tips and center?

I'm a little partial to yardstick and coro construction. Reminds me of combat plane designs from a decade ago.

CG per plans is 4.25" back from LE. Some guys like it up at 3.75" for more stability.

I use the same tail feathers for everything. My horizontal is 12"x6" roughly and the vertical 9"x9" roughly. They both have the leading edge cut back at an angle.

The U-channel is called 3/4" plywood edge protecter at Menards in the metal rack area. You could use phencepost if you wanted to and keep your gear protected. There is nothing in the rules that say what the fuse has to made of. The fuse material just has to be 24" long.

It's ok if you want to use a yardstick for the spar. Again, the rules allow for a wide variety of ways to construct a GNAT.

Is the fuse material (the U channel or phencepost) 24" long, or is the total length from prop nut to the end of the tail 24" long ???

Thanks for the CG info. Sounds like just under 4.5" back will be fine for me, but I'll start around 4" to keep it from being too twitchy.

The u-channel is 24".

One tip on setting the cg, mount everything in the fuse and then slide the wing forward or back to get the desired cg and bolt it on. The wing doesn't have to be x number of inches back from the front.

Has anyone tried using two smaller sheets of coroplast joined in the middle for a wing? The pieces I have here are 18x24 and that seem to be a common size for used signs.

Got two Gnats just about built. Will have a flight report in a couple of weeks depending on weather. One with .15, the other electric. Should be interesting to compare.

I put sportsman's goop and bamboo skewers in the flutes to join two pieces. I then stripped the flutes from a scrap piece so I had two strips of sign surface which I used to cover the seam. Used goop to hold it on. I have 3 Gnats ready to go and haven't used that piece yet. I also have the other half of a gatorade sign that I used to make one of the three gnats.

Gnat #1. Up and flying. 2# 8oz (how is that on weight?)

Hmmm, been a while. Makes me miss flying the SSC Avenger that I pulled the engine out of, but I can see how these things can be a hoot to fly combat with, especially for attracting new participants. Flies OK and a little slower, but while they don't exactly carve up the sky, they seem to fly well enough to get a bunch in the air and go at it.

Hoping to get some locals interested in this new class. Should be easy and inexpensive to fly.

Gnats are the new SSC.

In fact, they are slower, and I expect more survivable. Hmmmm.