E-wings - a new UK based EPP wing manufacturer

[iwan_canobi]

Cheers guys! It's been a lot of work to get this far but I haven't got fired or divorced yet so it's all good! The design has been through quite a few iterations already but I'm really happy with how it's turned out. It will have plenty of options for builders to make their own as well.

I'll get some flight footage asap!

[dp106]

That's looking very nice with the vtail on there, any control surfaces on them or just for stabilisation? Be  interesting to see how tough that centre section is, will it survive an encounter with a tree... 😁

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[iwan_canobi]

That's looking very nice with the vtail on there, any control surfaces on them or just for stabilisation? Be  interesting to see how tough that centre section is, will it survive an encounter with a tree... 😁

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The vtail is just for stabilisation but there's nothing to stop you adding servos and just cut the trailing edge off to make a control surface, the foam is thick/strong enough for it. I had thought of that but will see how it flies without it first. You can also just build it as a single vertical stab in the center, but this means your ESC will need to go at the side of it -



It also means it's a bit harder to attach and it runs into the equipment bay hatch, but it's always an option.

The fuse should be pretty resillient, it has sparring in the sides and this foam has good 'bounce back'. I can jump on the wings and it doesn't leave a mark and the tips will bend 180 degrees without snapping (without spars obviously). I was thinking of offering a fuse option without the bays cut, so you could just cut your own slots for battery etc. Means a bit more build work for you but it would be totally solid, I'd be really impressed if you managed to damage it with that setup.

[drambuidhe]

Just discovered this Iwan, fancy starting this project now I've gone and moved halfway round the globe :o
What was that about 'freeP+P'  :laugh:
I'm sure you'll do well judging by what I'm seeing , best of British mate.
Once you've settled in how about a seaplane version to improve on the Skipper/Polaris design that also has inherent waggle that you'll be able to sort out hey ;)

[dp106]

The vtail is just for stabilisation but there's nothing to stop you adding servos and just cut the trailing edge off to make a control surface, the foam is thick/strong enough for it. I had thought of that but will see how it flies without it first. You can also just build it as a single vertical stab in the center, but this means your ESC will need to go at the side of it -



It also means it's a bit harder to attach and it runs into the equipment bay hatch, but it's always an option.

The fuse should be pretty resillient, it has sparring in the sides and this foam has good 'bounce back'. I can jump on the wings and it doesn't leave a mark and the tips will bend 180 degrees without snapping (without spars obviously). I was thinking of offering a fuse option without the bays cut, so you could just cut your own slots for battery etc. Means a bit more build work for you but it would be totally solid, I'd be really impressed if you managed to damage it with that setup.

That sounds like a great option.

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[Badlands]

That looks very unique, if it fly's as good as it looks then you are onto a winner bud!

[Billy_boy_2010]

How could I have missed this?!

Your build videos are some of the best out there Ewan. Really excited to see this.

May I ask who's helping you with the design of the wings? Or are you doing it alone ?

My 2p in no particular order.

If you're cutting out the bays for battery etc- can you just include the cut outs? That way people can glue them in if they wish. No need to offer cut outs and without cut outs that way.

Can you describe the epp quality ? Is it like the flying wings epp? Or ritewing? Both classed as EPP but totally different material imo.

Motor mount and motor angle have always been v tricky IMO with homebuilt wings. Easy for builders to balls up and getting it wrong just ruins a wing. How have you solved this ?

I'm convinced a huge number of people buy wings based on how they look. Goes a long way to explaining the high sales of the TBS cap 1. Consider black EPP  (which looks crap covered in hot glue!) or some aggressive styles and paint jobs on any promo videos and build threads.

I really like the stabilizers on the ritewing race models. These look great. Consider offering them- even if they don't do much ;)

Are you pre cutting grooves on the wings for the spars?

[iwan_canobi]

May I ask who's helping you with the design of the wings? Or are you doing it alone ?

Doing this on my own, I have some nice CAD software for wing design so I've been using that to define the wings. I've had some advice along the way from various people on the design but it's my own labour of love! :D

If you're cutting out the bays for battery etc- can you just include the cut outs? That way people can glue them in if they wish. No need to offer cut outs and without cut outs that way.

Not really, the fuse is actually 3-piece due to the nature of cutting with a hot wire, so I cut the center then the sides separately. So it would be an extra cutting step to cut the fuse cutouts from the scrap, if that makes sense. Easier for me just to offer a full version with no cutouts, and it would be stronger that way any way.

Can you describe the epp quality ? Is it like the flying wings epp? Or ritewing? Both classed as EPP but totally different material imo.

It's more dense than the flyingwings stuff I've experienced, I've only used Ritewing moulded stuff but I'd say it's pretty close to that in terms of weight and density. It's super strong, I'm really happy with the quality of it.

Motor mount and motor angle have always been v tricky IMO with homebuilt wings. Easy for builders to balls up and getting it wrong just ruins a wing. How have you solved this ?

I have a few plans with motor mounts to try before deciding on the final option, I'll update on this when I'm closer to release. The angle will be fixed based on the mount so you shouldn't have to mess with it.

I'm convinced a huge number of people buy wings based on how they look. Goes a long way to explaining the high sales of the TBS cap 1. Consider black EPP  (which looks crap covered in hot glue!) or some aggressive styles and paint jobs on any promo videos and build threads.

I really like the stabilizers on the ritewing race models. These look great. Consider offering them- even if they don't do much ;)

I think this is probably true, but I much prefer the look of black EPP. My foam supplier can do white also but wouldn't mix batches so I just went with black to begin with. For the stabilisers do you mean the small fences on the wing or the large central vertical stabilisers? I had considered doing these with correx but I much prefer the look of the V-tail. I may still experiment with others and can laser cut correx so it's not out of the question, but I wanted to avoid it looking like I'd just copied the Ritewing design to be honest, and I like the look of this just now.

Are you pre cutting grooves on the wings for the spars?

Yes for the main spar, no for the strip spars. The main spar hole will be bored so no messing around with caps. The strip spars are thin enough that you just need to run a knife down and embed them in so it's an easy part of the build.

[FPVSteve]

I definitely think you're right to continue down your own path - if people like it, they'll buy it. Copying off RiteWing is an option, but then you're just a copy of RiteWing... make them copy you ;)

[English Turbines]

  I like the idea of round bored  spar holes....No Caps to glue in or come out....Carbon Fibre tubes...of GF?

As long as the boring jig is accurate.

  The holes need a little clearance to allow for glue coating.....


                                                                                              :vulture:

[iwan_canobi]

Carbon fibre, still to decide on the diameter at the moment. I'm using 4mm solid carbon rods just now, the price goes exponential when you go bigger than that so I'm just trying to work out what's best. Got some 6mm on order but it's coming from China so will take a bit longer.

[Andy Sayle]

Looks good!  When can I buy a kit?  Cash waiting......

[iwan_canobi]

Looks good!  When can I buy a kit?  Cash waiting......

Hoping to have some kits available in the next month or so, I'll offer up here before anywhere else! :D

[Andy Sayle]

Shotgun the first kit please!  Want some cash now?!

[iwan_canobi]

Shotgun the first kit please!  Want some cash now?!

Ha ha, sure, I'll take that as a pre-order request! Won't take any cash just now till I'm happy with the product though, give me a few weeks to get everything finalised and I'll make a post with the kit contents and final cost including shipping.

I should still be on target for £70 kit cost for forum members (+shipping) but I think I'll need to retail a bit higher outside of the forum, the build costs are creeping up with each refinement!