mmiller1

My Feedback: (75)

I have been watching a lot of youtube videos of the Titan Air Hog Stunt Glider (Wallmart, ToysRUS) that goes for about $10. These are a a great foamy for RC conversion. Most of the YouTube videos do not show the construction process for the conversion to RC. Some are using EDF and some propeller driven. Just wondering if anyone out there in 'electric flight land' has a source that shows the details of the con-version. With some thought I am sure I can figure it out. However, if someone has already done the conversion......I would love to pick a brain or see a video. Many thanks.
Tim

Redlined

I made a Titan as a slope-soaring RC glider, and it came out fairly well. The wingtips have a larger cross-section than the main wing area, so I cut the trailing edges straight, and sanded the foam at the tips to make the trailing edge the same thickness, across the span. I made full-span ailerons, using trailing edge balsa stock, but sanded the front of this part at a steep angle, to allow for some "down aileron." I used a naked hacksaw blade to slice straight across the bottom of each wing, for a 5mm x 1mm carbon fiber spar standing vertical in each wing. Don't cut deeper than 5mm, for the spar. The bottom of the spar should be just flush with the bottom of the wing. I made the wing spars long enough to penetrate through the fuselage, to meet at the middle of the body. Slits were cut into the body for the spars, a little at a time, until the wings fit normally. If mounting a motor, you might want the spars to meet in a box mounted at the center of the fuselage, for extra strength, but I did not need that, as a glider. The spar was installed in the wings with foam-safe superglue.The wings and spars were not glued into the fuselage. Tape at the wing roots will secure the wings, because of the Titan design there.

I used a hot soldering iron (outdoors only! the fumes are poison, indoors) to melt a cavity in each wing for the small aileron servo. When the servo would fit flush with the bottom of the wing, I installed the servo into the cavity with foam-safe superglue, then filled up all the extra spaces around the servo with the new feather-light spackle from Home Depot, packing it in with a small putty knife. This stuff makes a rock-solid servo mount in foam, just keep spackle away from the servo arm. The skin area around the servo was covered with some white foam-grade Mylar film (Econokote), with a slit for the servo arm. Smooth and slick.

The rear of the horizontal stabilizer got sliced off in a straight line, then I built an elevator from sheet balsa with a straight hinge line and the same trailing edge contour that the original stab had. That trick produced a swept-back look like the original, but a very simple control surface. The elevator servo got buried in the fuselage like the wing servos, just under the front of the stab.

The horizontal stabilizer can be mounted two ways. You want to mount it so if you sight along the bottom of the stab, you are looking at the wing roots. The ailerons and elevator were all covered with white Econokote.

The radio and battery were mounted into melted cavities near the nose, with just a little lightweight spackle to secure them, form-fit. All of the electricals got connected with wire extensions, with the wires buried flush to the skin, in slits cut by the hacksaw blade. The wires for the wing servos went through holes drilled from the radio compartment to the wing root openings. All control surfaces were hinged full-length, with stretchy white 3M plastic tape, #191WHT, 1.5" wide, on the upper surfaces. The “access panel” for connecting and charging the battery is also the 191 white tape. This same tape attaches the wings at the roots, top and bottom. White Econokote covers all the servos and wiring that might be seen. It covers the spars, radio, and battery as well. This made a fairly sleek white plane, when finished.

This plastic tape also comes in colors, or use foam-safe Mylar film, if you want to stylize the plane at all.

mmiller1

My Feedback: (75)

Thanks for sharing your construction tips. As my Air Hog will be a motor glider using a 2200 mAh 3S battery, it will have to be positioned back from the nose basically over the CG or close to. I believe the CG is about 5" back from the LE of wing at root. Does that sound correct?
Tim

Redlined

Tim,

My Titan is well balanced with the CG located 5.25" behind the leading edge, at the wing roots.

Red