AND_NOW -- RC Electric Plane

The AND_NOW is a design from http://www.flyelectric.ukgateway.net

It's made of Depron and carbon-fibre, has a 70 cm wingspan, and uses a 2 cell Lipo pack and one of the GWS IPS motor/gearbox combos.  It's easy to build, but the design is a bit vague on some points, so I just guessed how it was supposed to be put together.

My dream was to build a simple RC plane that fitted into a small box, so I could carry it with me on my bike.  That way, if I was cycling home from work and the weather was nice, I could get off my bike near an open space, and fly the plane!  Ah, what fun!  So, I modified the tail of the "and now" slightly so that the fin is removable, as is the undercarriage and wing.  It now packs away nicely into a reasonably small cardboard box, and I can just about carry this under my arm while cycling.

So, how does it fly? Well, it flies how it looks... Slow and a bit strange, but very maneuverable. It can't really handle wind, and is in fact designed to be flown indoors. My best flight with this plane has been in totally calm conditions when I had it doing figure-8s right in front of my nose in a space of only a few cubic metres. The elevator can make the plane loop almost on the spot, but the ailerons take a while to roll it. The inverted performance is dreadful; it can't really gain any height upside-down. (All my crashes have been when inverted). It also has a nasty tuck-under if you get it flying too fast, which is a bit scary the first time it happens. Propping up the front of the wing with a bit of cardboard helped a little, but finding a way to strengthen the Depron would be the best improvement.

Slow and a bit strange, but very maneuverable

Having said all that, I have enjoyed this plane a lot. It made me a much better pilot, because you have to keep your eye on it the whole time, and continually try to keep the wings level (there's no dihedral). As I've flown it more, the performance seems to have dropped off. I suspect that the Depron ailerons are getting bendy with age. A 2 cell 720mAh Li-po battery provides plenty of flight duration.

August 2005 Update...

Brushed motors are history

I found myself in a situation where all my planes were out of action for one reason or another, but the weather forecast was looking great. I wanted to try some lunch-time flying, and the only plane I've got that can be easily transported on my cycle-commute to work is the battered AND_NOW. Then I had a great idea... Take the C&K brushless motor from my crash-damaged Mumbo Minor, and stick it on the front of the AND_NOW.

It is way too tail heavy after the change to the brushless motor, which I need to find a way to improve. I'm using a 3 cell 340mAh Lipo battery, and probably a 3 cell 720mAh would be better. But even so, I get a nice relaxing flight in a small area, and it is much better than wasting my lunch hour reading the BBC website!

Here are some pictures of the AND_NOW with the C&K motor and a little bit of tail-art, packed into its box:

AND_NOW technical details:

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