Cheap N Easy by Rcrich

by Miracle Air | September 2, 2013 | (0) Posted in Projects

 

 

I built this foamy to test its feasibility as a trainer. I am thrilled with the results.

What do I love about it?

  • This thing can fly SLOW.
  • It's easy to slap together. Build it like Goldguy's Nutball... the only real complication is the prop-and-slot pusher motor configuration.
  • It's a Rudder, Elevator Throttle style plane that can do axial rolls.
  • It's a larger plane but it still uses the standard Blue Wonder motor, 1000 mah battery and 9 gram servos that EVERY Flitetest aficionado already owns.
  • It is STABLE. The Cheap N Easy wants to fly straight and level. I flew mine in high wind with no problems.
  • It will hover even on a calm day. You can land it straight down if you get your high-alpha angle correct.
  • It literally turns in place.

 

 

 Here are some points to consider:

1. Rcrich has us balance the plane at the back edge of the prop slot. This is fine for experienced pilots, but I suspect that a beginner will want a more forward CG... perhaps in the middle of the slot, or at the front.

 2. The large control surfaces can make the plane squirrely if you don't tame them with exponential. I have 60% expo on the elevator. Of course you could just reduce the throw, but what fun is that?

3. I've used bamboo skewers as pushrods. Take pieces of wire and heat shrink them to the ends. I like to add a dab of CA to the end for added insurance.

4. I've also rubbed Minwax Oil Based Polyurethane into my plane with a paper towel. First I taped all the control surfaces, then I added colored sealing tape, and finally I minwaxed it. I'm very pleased with the results. It's a durable finish and it adds a lot of strength.

5. I wonder if the Cheap N Easy could be included in the swappable series? It flies like an extra stable Nutball, and I think might make a decent first plane.

 

Links:

My video really doesn't do the Cheap N Easy justice. To watch its designer put it through its paces follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVe_gbxG6aM

Time to build your own! Check out the plans at:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1261273&page=2

 

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Check out our blog, Miracle Air, at:

http://miracleair.blogspot.com/ 

 

 

COMMENTS

Miracle Air on September 17, 2013
And NOTHING in this article is meant to detract from the genius of the Nutball. I LOVE that plane. Gold Guy is an excellent designer and supremely generous with his time, knowledge and encouragement on RCA Groups.
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Jghanson25 on September 14, 2013
It's a Ferrari NutBall!
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Miracle Air on September 14, 2013
Looks pretty slick, doesn't it? It feels more stable than the Nutball. A Nutball is more agile (at least the twenty inches are) and maybe faster.
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ghostrider03z on September 15, 2013
Ive built a few of these before and you can get them 80 mph haha. Ive had a 400 sized 2200kv motor on one of these and it was fine haha.
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Miracle Air on September 16, 2013
My point, and it's an obvious one, is that for a given power setup, a 1500 kv motor and a 1000 mah battery, this thing is maybe a little slower and more stable than a Nutball. It's fun to fly and it may be suited to a beginner's skill level. Congratulations to you and your 80 mph speedster. I hope that you two are very happy together.
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ghostrider03z on September 14, 2013
This has been around longer than the nutball
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Miracle Air on September 17, 2013
If you go to RC Groups you will find that the Nutball thread was started in 2008 while the CNE thread began in 2010. Rcrich, creator of the CNE, didn't draw up plans or publish measurements until July 18, 2010. He characterizes the first CNE as his second prop-and-slot build. Gene Bond published the first plan for Goldguy's Nutball on March 20, 2008. Unless you have some information that is not available to me I think that we can determine that the Nutball design is about two years older than the Cheap N Easy.
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Miracle Air on September 17, 2013
"Souped." Stupid IPad. I'm going to stop posting now.

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Miracle Air on September 17, 2013
If you want to see what the hot rod variant of this thing can do, go to post 614 of this thread:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1261273&page=41

This spry young man TRIES to fold the wings of his soured up CNE and can't.
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lefty on June 12, 2014
Great build but horrible grammar. Adverbs usually end in ly and look up the meaning of the word literally .
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Miracle Air on August 8, 2014
It literally turns in place. This is not a hyperbolic statement. It will turn without moving horizontally or vertically. Literally. It does exactly what the words say it does. Your first sentence lacks a verb.
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Miracle Air on August 8, 2014
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary explains:

Slow is almost always used with verbs that denote movement or action, and it regularly follows the verb it modifies . Slowly is used before the verb and with participial adjectives . Slowly is used after verbs where slow might also be used and after verbs where slow would be unidiomatic .

The plane flies slow.
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Cheap N Easy by Rcrich