RC Dralthi Takes to the Sky (November 1, 2011)

ChrisReid

Super Soaker Collector / Administrator
Chris Carpenter has accomplished an amazing feat! He's built a remote control Dralthi that actually flies! This was no easy task - the fighter had to be designed and redesigned to both retain its characteristic shape and successfully maneuver in the air. Here's a few construction photos, but you have to see (and hear) this yourself to believe it! Check the video out on YouTube!









Notice the carbon fiber reinforcement along both wings. Also, the vertical stabilizers have angled cuts in the rear to allow for flight control movement. I think the flight controls are too small currently. That, plus the reduced area of the vertical stabilizers is causing the uncommanded roll.

So, in the redesign I?m going enlarge the flight controls. I?m also going to split the controls around the vertical stabilizers and leave a small slot for a thin connector to pivot. It?ll make sense when I cut it. Still shooting to get the changes done and test it this weekend.
----------------------

Here?s a video of the Dralthi in flight. I was almost scared that overnight it wouldn?t fly. I still need to work on the center-line balance. It doesn?t want to turn right because the battery is on the left part of the disc. I need to add a little more counterweight on the right. Surprisingly, it will do a loop.







--
Original update published on November 1, 2011
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Very nice!

I looked on http://rcprofileplanes.com/blog/ and found this picture of the painting in progress:
dralthi_progress.jpg
 
Holy Sivar, Batman!

This is really really cool.
Also doing loops is quite realistic, Dralthi pilots prefer turning upwards or downwards because they can't see that well to the sides. :)
 
Hello. I built the Dralthi and Morningstar. The Dralthi was a total pain to get flying. The Morningstar is pretty straight forward though. I'm blown away by how many people actually remember the game. I'm equally impressed with how seriously people take the looks and flight characteristics. I build my planes to be simple. So the flight characteristics matching up with the video game Dralthi is total coincidence. It's pretty cool though.

The plans for the Dralthi are posted on my site. The Morningstar will follow soon.

Chris
 
lol, just like real WC1 Dralthi (only turns 1 way)

lol... I remember back in one of the first WC games there was a Dralthi that culd only turn right (or was it left) ... something to do with an engine design flaw. So when the pilot wanted to turn left he actually had to roll the fighter 180 degrees (flipping it upside down) so that his left/right was flipped.

Whereas your's is (as you said) more a weight/battery balance issue (though if you think about it, to a degree, its a "similar design flaw").

So in a way, your problem (and model) are closer to the game than you think.
 
lol, just like real WC1 Dralthi (only turns 1 way)

lol... I remember back in one of the first WC games there was a Dralthi that culd only turn right (or was it left) ... something to do with an engine design flaw. So when the pilot wanted to turn left he actually had to roll the fighter 180 degrees (flipping it upside down) so that his left/right was flipped.

Whereas your's is (as you said) more a weight/battery balance issue (though if you think about it, to a degree, its a "similar design flaw").

So in a way, your problem (and model) are closer to the game than you think.

That is funny. I got the left and right turns worked out eventually by balancing a battery on each side. It's still not a nimble flyer. It did fly a lot faster than I expected though.
 
matthew954: "Here is my entry to the CIC Birthday contest. The first ever F-36 Hornet Radio Control Profile Parkjet. Though what you see here is just the basic airframe. Whats great about this is that it is simple and cheap to build. This particular version is a prototype. I have been kicking around with the idea of building a Wing Commander fighter as a parkjet but didn't have the motivation to begin work on one, atleast until now. This model design was derived from the Hornet Blueprints at the CIC. I scaled them up to a 20" wingspan. I can blow them up further but wanted to test the design out first. I would like to have presented the model completed but unfortunately the parts I need to finish it won't arrive until after the contest is over. Although soon enough I'll be launching off on my first sortie looking for some furballs he he."

Doesn't look like this was you. Found it via search. Wonder if matthew954 ever got this finished.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
matthew954: "Here is my entry to the CIC Birthday contest. The first ever F-36 Hornet Radio Control Profile Parkjet. Though what you see here is just the basic airframe. Whats great about this is that it is simple and cheap to build. This particular version is a prototype. I have been kicking around with the idea of building a Wing Commander fighter as a parkjet but didn't have the motivation to begin work on one, atleast until now. This model design was derived from the Hornet Blueprints at the CIC. I scaled them up to a 20" wingspan. I can blow them up further but wanted to test the design out first. I would like to have presented the model completed but unfortunately the parts I need to finish it won't arrive until after the contest is over. Although soon enough I'll be launching off on my first sortie looking for some furballs he he."


Doesn't look like this was you. Found it via search. Wonder if matthew954 ever got this finished.

Nice!!! That looks better than I expected. That is exactly what I would do. Add a motor and electronics and that thing should fly pretty sweet.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm equally impressed with how seriously people take the looks and flight characteristics. I build my planes to be simple. So the flight characteristics matching up with the video game Dralthi is total coincidence. It's pretty cool though.
I am thinking that the game designers actually sat down and thought about how the shapes of the various craft would affect how they fly.
 
Back
Top