Designer : Keith Brown of Dillon, CO : SPARCS Member & Past President

This page was last updated on September 22nd, 2004; Thanks for visiting!

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The LaPue Skunkworks "AEROMATIC"

This aircraft was recently completed; it is set up with an inexpensive GWS EPS300C geared drive system, with the B gear ratio, driving a GWS EP1080 prop. (The motor timing has been advanced by rotating the motor's backplate clockwise about 15 degrees. Brushes are seated by running the motor under water on a 4 cell nicad pack for about 15 minutes before use under the flight condition loads.)

This aircraft is set up to fly on an 8 cell 600AE NiCad or 1000mAH NiMH battery packs, with cells in a 2x2x2 configuration.

The ESC is one of my own design, the "SKYFOX RC ESC6BEC". It weighs about .4 ounces without the wires, has a 1.5 Amp BEC, and is built with no low voltage cutout. It has a trimmer to allow adjustment of the ON point, and drives the motor at very high frequency (about 18KHz) for very smooth, efficient operation at any throttle setting. This ESC will actually handle well over 25 Amps; I use it in many of my E-craft.

Wingspan: 32-1/2"

Wing Chord: Tapered, from 9-1/8" to 6-1/4"

Airfoil: Thin Symmetrical

Length: 26-1/2" from prop to rudder trailing edge

Flying Weight: This particular one is flying at about 16.5 ounces, on wheels, (with the ~1/2 ounce pilot installed) when carrying the 8 cell 1000 NiMH battery pack. (This is a 5-3/4 ounce battery pack)

Standard weight Ultracote was used in covering this airframe; weight savings could be achieved using lighter coverings- I wanted these high visibility colors for this one!

This aircraft also flys well on a lighter weight ten cell AAA NiMH battery pack ( which weighs about 4-1/2 ounces); the performance and duration of this power system on the newer 8 cell 1000mAH to 1100mAH NiMH batteries from HECell or MAXX / MPI is very impressive.

I like my aerobatic planes highly visible in the air, with the bottom side in bright colors; flourescent Hot Pink Ultracote was used on most of the underside on this aircraft.

With my heavier covering material on the tail surfaces, and the .040 tail skid, I needed to install the battery pack fully forward, with the ESC and receiver also moved forward, to balance as recommended by the designer. [About 1/8" behind the rear edge of the lower spar cap.]

(Unfortunately, the pilot figure shown in previous photos has also been removed to get the balance forward for initial flight tests; that's 1/2 ounce less weight with the pilot out, and the skis are now mounted.

These are the skis that Keith Brown designed and produces, which we're flying on the AEROMATIC. They are 2" wide by about 7" long, built from sheet ABS plastic .030 thick. The mount spines are fabricated from three layers of thicker ABS laminated together. The Axle clamp is a common Giant Scale strut fitting; the torque wire is .040 music wire that is inserted into a hole drilled into the front #4-40 screw. Elegant Simplicity!

More photos and details will be added to this web page soon- please visit again soon!

It is presently anticipated that Kits for the "AEROMATIC" will be available initially at the 12th Annual SPARCS Winter Fly In on Sunday, Feb. 16th, 2003. We hope to see you there, to join us and enjoy flying at one of the premier winter flying sites in the Colorado Rockies!

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