Trainer IFO Eric builds and flies his Trainer IFO (T-IFO) model airplane. | ||
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| The IFO Trainer is an easy to build, rugged RC airplane which is good for beginners. I.E. I can take a heck of a beating and is slow and easy to fly. It is made mostly from carbon fiber rods! | Here is the complete plane, modeled by my lovely wife, Sylvia. | |
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| One of the first things you construct is the rudder. This, basically, is a carbon fiber rod bent in on itself, wrapped with kevlar thread and glued (CA - super glue). Two more short rods serve as the post for attaching the rudder and a tail skid. | I super glued my fingers together while making the plane. Nail polish remover took care of this! | |
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| This is where the "fuselage" and the "leading edge" come together. The kevlar thread is remarkably strong! | Here you can see the trailing edge as well. There are pieces on the fuselage to hang various electronics. | |
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| Here are the elevator/aileron hinges. It's pretty clever how they are constructed. | The whole airframe before the wing material is put on. | |
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| This tube will hold the rudder. | Here is the servo cluster. I chose to put three servos on so that I could control the rudder and have elevons. I shortened the servo wires. | |
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| Here are the linkages for the elevons. | Mounting the motor was interesting. First I glued two strips of wood to the fuselage rod. Then, I cut some white tubing to provide an opposite surface to the motor spindle. Zip ties are used to hold the motor in place. What I need to do is get a rubber stip between the motor and the carbon to give better traction. | |
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| Some kevlar thread is used to give the wing some dihedral. This makes the plane more stable in flight. | The underside of the plane. | |
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| Kenny likes airplanes too! | My landing was not the best (it was rather gusty :-). | |