Community Spotlight: Mini Mirage Jet!

September 7, 2018|FliteTest

This week on the Friday Community Spotlight, we're looking at a sweet looking design by Tony Roehling.

Mighty Mini's are such a convenient size. They're easy to store, you can throw them in your car, and they even take a crash well! When I saw this Mini Mirage from Airc Pirates, I just had to share it here on flitetest.com. With a tiny 20.47" (520 mm) wingspan, this mini RC jet will surely turn some heads at the flying field.

The Real Mirage

The Dassault Mirage is a second generation jet fighter first developed in the 1950s. The most successful version of this French fighter, the Mirage III, was produced in large numbers for the French Air Force. Over 1,4000 have been built.

The design features a delta wing with no conventional tail or canards like you'd find on a Saab Viggen, for example. There have been many variants of the Mirage, one even experimenting with vertical takeoffs and landings (VTOL).

Building the Mighty Mini Mirage

The Mirage isn't a complex build by any stretch of the imagination. To help you decide if you want to build one of these awesome little jets, here is the model specification.

SPECS:

WINGSPAN: 520 mm | 20.47 in
CG: 125 mm | 4.88 in (from air intake)
LENGTH: 700 mm | 27.56 in
DRY WEIGHT: 205 g | 7.23 oz (without fuel tanks)
ALL UP WEIGHT: 275 g | 9.7 oz (with 3S 850 mAh | without fuel tanks)
EXPO: 30 %
CHANNELS: 3 (THR | AIL | ELV)

ELECTRONICS:

MOTOR: 2300 kv (1806 or 2204)
PROPELLER: 5x5 or 6x4
ESC: 12 A
SERVOS: 2 x 5 g
BATTERY: 850 mAh 3S

What's great about this RC jet design is that it's simple. It only uses two sheets of foam and can be made relatively quickly. You won't have to spend too long cutting out foam shapes as there aren't many! Intakes on the sides of the aircraft provide airflow to the pusher prop which would otherwise be blocked by the fuselage profile. It's a clever design.

You can equip this model with an A Pack or F Pack. You can also use a conventional mini power pod. This can be removed with two barbeque skewers, just like on many of our Flite Test designs.

Optional Fuel Tanks

Tony Roehling really has thought of everything. By far, one of my favorite features of this model jet are the optional fuel tanks that can be glued beneath the wings. It really adds a lot of style to this jet and makes it even more noticeable in the sky. What a fantastic looking foam model.

These extra fuel tanks are made from foam board, just like the rest of the airframe. There are additional templates to make these on the plans. Helpfully, the way that the aircraft lands actually means that it can use the fuel tanks to its advantage. Coming in, the jet can flair, settle down and come to a stop on these raised surfaces almost instantly. Neat!

Flying the Mirage

Here's a video showing what you can expect from the Mirage. It's quick, but not too quick and seems like it should make an excellent choice for both novice pilots and those who have a little more experience under their flying belts.