RC India

This is available as a Laser Cut kit from both RC Bazaar and Hobby King

I do NOT recommend this for a beginner. If you have constructed a few fully built-up balsa models, it's interesting.

The kit quality is fair. The balsa is OK; the lite-ply too

The laser cutting is not perfect: at many places you have to use a knife to cut through as the laser has not reached full penetration depth

The foundation for the Landing Gear is of concern. It seems very flimsy, and the Landing Gear could cave in on a hard landing. Tried to mod it, not entirely satisfied though  >:( >:(

Put some square reinforcements on the Nose Gear mount area, and a ply plate and nylon straps on the main LG.

Better to mock fit the Control rods at this stage

Specs call for 9 gm servos....again not comfortable with that. Probably use 17 gm servos for elevator/rudder, and maybe a MG for the Nose Gear. 9 gm should be OK for the ailerons

Another Build log from Sanjay sir,
I don't know how he gets all the time to document his build. My hearty wishes sir.

Ashok.P

Thanks Ashok

Sanjay Sir Nice build.  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Where you have used additional support on under carriage I had actually braced both the metal rods together with Nylon Sting and Hardened using CA and later with Epoxy. Mine turned out to be rock hard. Takes quite a beating.

That's a great idea Sandy sir. And the metal gear retention? Did you epoxy them into the holes?

I remember you saying a long time ago you wanted to go with a nitro engine. What did you use, a .25? I will be going electric; planning a 3536-1500 KV that maxes out at 450 W on a 3S. Problem is it seems nigh impossible to fit anything larger than a 2200 mAh battery, so my flying time will be just 3-4 minutes  ??? >:( >:(

Maybe I could go with a slower motor like a 3536-910 KV or a 2836-1400 KV. These are what I do have. I reckon the AUW to be about 1.3 Kg, and for trainer type flying 250 W in the air should be enough, with about 300~350 for take-off. In any case, I will have to swing a large prop, 10" or higher to get the torque needed

Yes Sanjay Sir I had epoxied it.  I am having a 0.25 Nitro swinging a 9x5 prop. It's way powerful for the model I am mostly at 30-40 % of throttle. Anything beyond that it climbs steep rapidly I have to push elevator.

I am having slight problem with placement of fueltank slightly back due to lack of space. Longer fuel  and pressure lines causes engine cut some times. I am planing to go for a smaller fuel tank.

Tail feathers, wing started

Wing

Wing & Wingtip

Trial Assembly

maybe this thing could do can't say about the watts but thrust is good
http://www.rcbazaar.com/products/1999-avionic-c2836-kv1120-brushless-motor.aspx (http://www.rcbazaar.com/products/1999-avionic-c2836-kv1120-brushless-motor.aspx)

My friend has this motor but his one is burnt.

Very nice like every time.

Superb..

Looks good !


electric or glow ??

Nitesh, ,I already mentioned I had considered a 2836 in fact I have a NTM 2836 - 1400 KV. Hwever to get the 400 W it can deliver, I will have to use a 8*5 or 9*5. I would need a 10'' or higher prop to get the torque needed to move the 1.3~1.4 Kg model

That is why I'm thinking of going with a 3536-910 KV, with a 11*6 or 12*6, which will give me a slower flier, and 7~8 minutes on a 2200 mAh, or a 3536-1450 KV with a 10*7, which will give me about 4 minutes on a 2200 mAh battery, which is all that would fit in this. I have already explained this in an earlier post

Thank you Umayash

Thanks Saikat sir.

I'll be going with electric, although a good 15 or 20 Glow would be just dandy :D  Field restrictions on Glow (self imposed ;))

 :salute: {:)}

This looks great Sir....

Thanks Sandeep

Great build sir :bow: :bow: {:)} {:)} Looks pretty...
Your builds are really inspiring...

Thank you Utkarsh

Servos have all been mock-fitted, same with Motor, ESC etc.

Covering started.

I ran out of transparent blue film  :giggle:

Luckily RCD has some in stock; ordered it

Now this is not acceptable!!!!  >:D >:D >:D

Your cloud dancer is going to look more colorful and beautiful than mine!!!!!.....  :o :o

 ;D ;D

Way to go Sanjay Sir  :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Great Job!!!! :goodjob:

Awesome.. :D :D

Thanks Sandy Saheb

Mine will be like an Ambassador in front of your Ferrari  :giggle: :giggle:

Thank you Umayash: I have a long way to catch up with you :D

Tail feathers complete

Hopefully I'll get the covering film tomorrow, and can complete it for a weekend maiden  ;D

Received the Covering film today  :D :D  ;D ;D

Now tomorrow I will assemble the tail feathers, fit the horns and calibrate the throws to make it RTF  :) :)

Servos & Control Pushrods already installed

Landing Gear

wow thats really beautiful    :salute: :salute: :salute:

.....Sanjay Sir plz make a Vid of madien (:|~

Thank you. Do plan to - if it flies :D

Completed  ;D

Maiden planned for tomorrow (weather permitting  :-\)

Hope she flies  ??? ???

And she she comes back still looking like this  ;)

Flawless Build.. She will definitely gonna DANCE in Clouds..

Thanks Tanmay :D  Aap ke muh mein ghee shakkar ;)

LOL.. BTW Why did you choose this 910KV Motor?
For Swinging a Bigger Prop? Or?
I Think 1200-1400KV (400-500W) Motor with 9-10" Prop on 3S will gonna best for this..
On 910Kv Bigger Prop will generate more torque actually known as asymmetric thrust (P-Factor) which will cause your model to yaw left, Specially during take off rolls..
M using the same 35-36 1450Kv Motor, Swinging 10X5 Prop on 3S 2200Mah..
And having the cool 6-8 Min Flight..

Tanmay, I had the motor, that's why  ;D ;D

But seriously, I did plan a 3536-1450KV with a 10*5 prop. But then decided after the maiden I might change. I started my Fun Cub on the 3526-910 KV with 12*6, and after about 50 sorties moved to 3536-1450 KV with 10*5. The Fun Cub is 1.2 Kg, similar wingspan; Cloud Dancer is 1.3 Kg (both with 2200 3S)

Let's see after the maiden. Under normal flying (about 150 W) the 1450 gives me about 8~9 minutes, the 910 a little more, both with the props specified above

To counteract the left gyroscopic moment roll I give Right Thrust

Cool  :thumbsup:.. Best of Luck for the Maiden..

Nice build sir !! how about using colourful LED lights ?
Good luck for maiden..

Its going up for sure tomm sir...look forward to the maiden

Thanks Guru. Girish...going to be some excitement :D

Very successful maiden  ;D ;D ;D

Vids n pics to follow :D 8) 8)

Videos taken with mobile phone. The maiden was done with a 12*6 prop. Later I put a 10*7 on it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oki8nSLKH7s# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oki8nSLKH7s#)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWoV7CJZWnE#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWoV7CJZWnE#ws)

Pics. The Hi-res video ..... oops. Some problem  :'( :'(

Pics

One of your most beautiful builds Sire. Congrats again.

The picture says it all........................... {:)}

Superb, color scheme esp, going to flew'em when i meet you in delhi

Shikari waali photo kahan hai?

VC sir, thank you so very much  :D :D :thanks:

Gusty Saheb, thanks and  :thanks:

Really really waiting for your visit  :D :D

Girish, here we go :D

With the Test Pilot  ;)

A successful and satisfying maiden :D :D

Quo Vadis?

Congradulations .... :thumbsup: :)

Being punny Sandy?

Thank you Sandy Saheb  :salute:

Adulation? Congratulations? Congradulations? Adulagratulations? :D :D

Oops. ...  :P Did it again  :P

 :giggle: :giggle: :giggle: I had to check dictionary and then urban dictionary to get what VC meant

Apparently The Putri Parshala did't do the job well for me  I suppose   :rofl: :rofl:

quote

congradulations

what morons give each other when they graduate community college. those who earn real degrees give each other congratulations.

Billy Bob: Hey Bubba, congratulations! You did it! 
Bubba: ... 
Billy Bob: I'mean congradulations on gettin yer degree! 
Bubba: Aw shucks, was nuthin. Takin them classes was easy. Them testes was the worstest, though.

This is for you VC  ;D

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/166070_578733068837720_1553312875_n.jpg)

Then there were some who did get their Education but when it came to finer aspects their concentration was divided.  :giggle:

Cloud Dancer is beauty when seen from beneth while a low pass  :P, the see through covering reveals balsa and that looks fantastic. :hatsoff:

Sandy   :rofl: :rofl:

Sandeep  :thanks:

What's in the name!! sexpear said (I know the name spell is wrong but i feel it convenient and  ;)) Cloud Dancer denies the fact! It flys like a perfect dancer who effortlessely melt on the stage :thumbsup:........ its mesmerizing landing reminds me a orchestra slowely fading down the tune....

What to say about its creater a monk with Ferrari  ;)..... when indulge himself in construction looks like Buddha in deep meditation!!! :bow:

 {:)} {:)} Lot to learn from you sir!!!

Vah  :salute: :salute:..... :bow: Arvind if I had known a simple Balsa Model could make you so poetic, I wouldhave made it long before  ;) ;) :rofl: :thanks: :thanks:

I have read a famous book called the Monk who sold his Ferrari ......!!

Is the monk in mood to sell???

Monks don't own Ferraris  :rofl:

Saurabh Got it :thumbsup:!!!

 Its the Ferrari! that leads a human to the eaternal path of self exploration!!! Like Micheal Shumaker these days doing  :salute:. May God bless him and hope to see him back. :-)

Jokes apart! its symbolic and sir you are now on the path of eatrnal bliss!!! you are making; repairing, flying & teaching us!! fulfilling a perfect human's duty.

 ;D


(http://www.brainstuck.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/the-monk-400x298.jpg)

Full video of the maiden


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbO76qtt4bs#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbO76qtt4bs#ws)

Very nice sir. :bow:

Thank you :D

Sanjay,

Thank you for your build log. I am currently building this plane and your log has helped me understand some parts where the instructions are not so clear.

I do have a puzzle though. Please see the attached picture. I do not know what these two parts are for and I cannot find them in the instructions anywhere. These pieces are 2mm balsa and about 31cm long.

Can you tell me where they are used?

Thank you very much.

The fuselage is layered inside with one sheet of balsa on both sides for additional strength. This pieces are also part of same which comes on top inside on either side where the wings rest. Without the Balsa layer the Firewalls will not fit correctly.

Absolutely  :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

They are actually doublers, for reinforcement

Sundaram, Sanjay,

Thank you for your answers. That makes perfect sense now that you have pointed it out to me.

Thank you very much,
Dana
 :hatsoff:

Anytime, Dana :D

Sanjay Sir Perfect  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Enjoyed the video of the Maiden Flight. Landing was also Perfect :giggle:.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbO76qtt4bs (http://) (http://)

Thank you sir. Girish was the test pilot - I am too nervous to maiden my own builds - except Spads :D

Your's is a much more smooth and Stable flier. The way it took off and glided in for landing. It was amazing. May be partial credit for that goes to Girish :)

The model worked out pretty well actually. Was lucky. Girish too takes extra care when maidening my builds :D :D

Dana: Just noticed you are in Philly! How did you stumble across here?

Thank you Sundaram sir for the appreciation... The model is so well built, I felt I was doing nothing at all  :thumbsup:

Dana: Just noticed you are in Philly! How did you stumble across here?
[/quote]

@sanjayrai55
@dana8192
Considering that we were brought up on US mags Flying Models and Model Airplane News (after Aeromodeller, of course) its great to see a US aeromodeller querying an Indian aeromodeller.
Dana, keep us posted on your build. Don't hesitate to ask for anything. From sanjayrai55 or any of us on this forum.

I purchased Cloud Dancer from HobbyKing as my first attempt at a balsa build. When I found that the instructions were in need of help I went on Google to search for a Cloud Dancer build log. The best information I found were threads here on RC India which have been invaluable in my understanding of this build.

Thank you for your good wishes!

Good luck with your build Dana. Be sure to post some pics n vids too :D

Hope the weather has improved. We see the snowstorms on TV :)

Great Sir Salute You Once Again I am YOUR FAN :) :salute:

Thank you :D

Thank you for your weather wishes  :) It has truly been colder and more snow than usual this winter. Today it is 16F (-9C). It has warmed up a couple of times with calm wind so I put some skis on my Supercub and go fly:

http://youtu.be/behHJwoSxyU (http://youtu.be/behHJwoSxyU)

@dana8192
What no onlookers?
Must be lonely.
If you've seen Indian RC videos, you might have noticed some shouting at the end.
That's the flyers all yelling at the onlookers to get out of the way so the model can land!

The Kyosho Cessna i got in 1987-88 had an optional set of skis.
Still have them though never knew what they were for.
Now i know. Thanks to your video.  ;)
Cheers. Come down to the boondocks some day. We'll be around to meet you.

Dana, nice flying and great videography.

Waiting for your Cloud Dancer build log & Video now  :D 8) 8)

Another mystery part - can you tell me what this is used for - I have no ideas...  ???

Six balsa sticks. 3mm thick balsa 10mm x 65mm sticks. Seems to be important as they include a large piece of 3mm balsa with just these six little sticks cut out:

Used where you need to strengthen the ailerons for fixing control horns and hinges.   :)

you can further use the addl 3 mm sheets cut as required to strengthen firewall if going in for Engine like I have.

You would also use on the wing centre part, which needs reinforcement where the dihedral braces fit

Been some time since my build, but I think the wing centre is sheeted top and bottom. Save sheeting for that

@sanjayrai55
Since the gain is not along the length, may be webbing between spars.

Iyer sir

It is not webbing. There are many more ribs and the web height is about 25 mm. I still feel the 65*10 is for strengthening the places between the "short ribs" where the wing dihedral braces fit:)

Thanks again  :)

Waiting for your build log & video Dana :D

Without this thread, it would seem nearly impossible to complete this model.  What size battery are you using, where is the CG?  I take it that the battery mounts on the underside of the plane on the battery tray,  is there a hatch to cover the battery tray area?  I definately appreciate the help.

The battery does indeed go in the compartment built for it. The size is such that only a (Turnigy) 2200 mAh 3S fits there. I didn't use a hatch cover, just velcro on the inside of the hatch & the battery face, and a strap for insurance.

The CG is on the Spar. As luck would have it, mine balanced precisely there the first time  :D

This pic shows it

(http://www.rcindia.org/electric-planes/cloud-dancer-build-log/?action=dlattach;attach=685954;image)

Note: Because of the nose wheel steering pushrod, I put the battery on it's narrower face to get the clearance for the 'rod

(http://www.rcindia.org/electric-planes/cloud-dancer-build-log/?action=dlattach;attach=686023;image)

I thank you for your quick reply.  I might try to incorporate a battery hatch but at least I know where the battery goes.  The CG and battery size info helped a great deal.

You are welcome. If the battery is in the same erect  position as mine, you could find it difficult to put a hatch.

All the best, don't forget to post build photos and the video ;D

I am not clear where the pushrods exit for the rudder and elevator.  I think that the elevator pushrod exits through the opening of the very rear of the fuse, the rudder exit point i'm confused about.  I will probably cut an opening on the left side of the fuse about 1/2" from the rear of the fuse thus allowing me to mount the control horn holes on the rudder hinge line.  Does this sound right?  Thanks in advance.
Steve

Rudder from top and elevator from sides.

(http://www.rcindia.org/gas-glow-nitro-planes/super-pacer-build-from-plan-with-asp-s25-a-ii-glow-2s/?action=dlattach;attach=681730;image)

A picture is worth a 1000 words, thank you again.  Too bad HK doesn't give pictures of all necessary angles of the plane to simplify the build.  I installed a former reversed (pushrod guide holes not lining up) but that's an easy fix. Thanks again.
Steve

Sundaram is correct. It seems from the hole alignment in the formers that the elevator pushrod is destined to come out from the rear centre of the fuse: that will make it difficult to fit a horn (which is the problem I faced - I had to fabricate a special horn to suit)

Do take care though that the pushrod can travel easily in the tube and does not sprag.

(http://www.rcindia.org/electric-planes/cloud-dancer-build-log/?action=dlattach;attach=686077;image)

If you look carefully you can see I fabricated the horn from a scrap of old credit card, and the pushrod is exiting from the rear centre of the fuselage

Hi Guys. Sanjay, I love this build it is amazing! I have just purchased one myself and was wondering if you could explain the assembly of the ailerons, if you had some more pics that would be great too! If someone could just write a good comprehensive assembly manual for this plane it would be amazing!

Thank you. Nice to hear from someone in Oz!

The ailerons are built up. Really simple - this is one time the instructions make sense and are easy to follow.

Good luck, post pics, and the video too :D

 :hatsoff: Hello gentlemen, greetings from The Netherlands. I too have purchased this nice kit, and thanks to this wonderful build log thread I've been able to make a good start at building this plane. I have yet to start on the tail assembly, but I'm stuck on 2 pieces I cannot fit just right. Can anyone tell me how I should mount this piece? I know it's supposed to be on top of the balsa innerwall. But I caanot figure out how to mount it. I guess I miss a slot in the bulkhead.

It seems you have not used the part discussed in reply # 77 &78 which is essential for the firewalls to fit properly.

I would recomended  you to fit the two pieces of each sidewalls together by lining the anticipated inner wall with the balsa lining pieces provided before atempting to make the fuselage with the side walls and firewall pieces.

Also its apparent from the photographs posted that you have used the balsa inner liners on only one side of the two side wall pieces. It should be so affixed that the balsa liners are on the inside of the fuselage with the two pieces of lite ply side walls joined and outside the fuselage.

These pictures should help.

(http://www.rcindia.org/electric-planes/cloud-dancer-build-log/?action=dlattach;attach=686428;image)

(http://www.rcindia.org/electric-planes/cloud-dancer-build-log/?action=dlattach;attach=686430;image)

(http://www.rcindia.org/electric-planes/cloud-dancer-build-log/?action=dlattach;attach=686432;image)

I did see those 2 posts, so I was aware the parts were supposed to be put on top of the inner balsa sheet. I left the outer plysheet of one side of the model for a better photo. Besides, none of the parts are glued yet. I need to finish the puzzle before I start glueing  :giggle: My problem is the extra balsa part that goes on top of the inner lining balsa doesn't fit in the slot on the firewall. I'll remove the firewall to see if I have incorrectly mounted anything, or perhaps used the wrong firewall.

On the first pic you see the inner balsa lining and on top the firewall. Notice that the notch on the firewall is smaller then the hole in the balsa. On the second pic I have the firewall notch in the plywood  outerlining. You can see the space the balsa inner lining goes into. Above the upper notch on the firewall the fitting against the ply is tight. I cannot put the extra part in between, there is no room.

I totally cannot see how I should mount this piece  ???

You are using the correct firewall for sure. However there definitely seems some error in the laser cut.

As I see it only this small piece of balsa as highlighted in the picture attached is likely to get crushed to accommodate the error.

I would recommend you to go ahead and cut out this small piece after gluing the balsa liners and lite ply side walls together to form one long pieces of two side walls with the balsa liners on the inside. then you would be able to fit the firewall flush to the surface correctly.

Hello LeechnL. Sorry,  I was travelling, but the expert Col. Sundaram sir seems to be taking good care of you  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

This log is travelling around the world! 2 gents from the US, one from Australia, one from Holland have posted.

Sujju sold his entire stock, and replenished. But somehow only Sandy sir and I have posted logs :(  We need some more from home territory guys!

Sanjay Sir  am just making myself useful :)

Can I borrow your knowledge once again... I've started building the tail surfaces. The rudder is completed, and I'm working on the horizontal stabilizer now. I've pulled all the parts from the 5mm balsa sheet, but one. I don see that part listed on any of the pictures. Can you tell me where it goes?

And for the horizontal stabilizer cross members I think I need the balsa sticks 4x4,5 mm. I have 5 included in the kit. Am I correct in assuming 2 are for each wing, leaving me with 1 for the horizontal stabilizer?

Thank you very much for your help!

Have a look at this:

(http://www.rcindia.org/electric-planes/cloud-dancer-build-log/?action=dlattach;attach=685781;image)

I don't always find the parts in the kit. When this happens I cut and sand scrap pieces to size

Nevermind, found the proper place for it... It is to plug up the tail end.

Perfect

Hi just started cloud dancer build, with crap instruction, so searched for help and found Sanjay build, happy to get help.. Antonio...

Most welcome Antonio. Good luck with your build, and if you need help, you know where to go  ;D

Thanks Sanjay will do  .. Antonio

Hi. sanjay, have progressed on fuse. and started on wing to-day , but when checking on what motor you have used made me think that the st3007 donkey combo. from h.k. i got is wee too small..is that correct at 240 watts ???..donkey me    happy.

Dear GB,

I presume you are referring to this motor: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__15193__HobbyKing_Donkey_ST3007_1100kv_Brushless_Motor.html (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__15193__HobbyKing_Donkey_ST3007_1100kv_Brushless_Motor.html)

No, it is not enough. I used a 3536-1100 KV, and it was barely adequate.

I recommend a 3536-1250 KV motor with a 10*7 eProp. This will give you a fine performance. With a 2200 mah 11.1 V will give you about 5 minutes with normal flying. If possible, try and modify the battery compartment to take a larger (like 2800 mah) battery for longer flying time.

All the best for your maiden, and if you need any help, shout ;)

Yes , will use it on a foamee I've started, will ask Santa. for a 3536, thanks for thoughts on a larger batt.

Hi Gents,
I have just unboxed the cloud dancer and, like some others before me I searched for a build blog to help me get started. Yours is definitely the best I have found. You can now add Gozo, a small island off Malta to the list of countries where you have helped other builders. Thanks, this thread is very, very useful.

John

Welcome to the forum Jhon. All the very best for your build.


This is for what you can expect with an engine :)

(http://www.rcindia.org/gas-glow-nitro-planes/super-pacer-build-from-plan-with-asp-s25-a-ii-glow-2s/?action=dlattach;attach=681870;image)

Welcome john-I am also new to the cloud dancer and very fond of her.. HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone.. sorry about your captain.. sanjar - that's "cricket"   happy

Welcome to the forum John, and a Very Happy 2015!

This build log is travelling - From India to America to Australia to the EU; in fact to the Land of The Calypso! :D

All the best for your build, and if you need any help, just shout!

Happy New Year to you too, GB! How's the build going? Please post some pictures here. And yes, we especially like videos  ;D ;) ;)

Captain? Which Captain? Oh, you mean that old guy we retired 'cause he was being too kind to the Aussies?  :rofl:


No problem - wait for Sydney  :giggle: :giggle:

Happy, peaceful and healthy New Year Sanjay and all, :hatsoff:

I have made a start on the fuselage, so far not too many problems, sorry no pics.

A few comments which may be of help to those coming later;

1. read carefully the earlier posts, there is a wealth of information there.
2.Make sure you get all the fire walls correct, watch out for the snake holes it is very easy to reverse a firewall and then the holes wont line up correctly. (i almost did).
3.Put the snakes in place before you put on the second side of the fuselage.
4.Be careful in lining up the balsa fuselage inner with the ply outer skin.

Apologies to experienced builders but as a near novice I know how easy it is to make simple, silly, mistakes.

Hi Sanjay,

Can you recall if you shortened the nylon (plastic) steering arm for the nose wheel? I hate cutting finished pieces, but it's the only way i can see it would work is if it were shorter.

thank,

john

Yes, you have to. If you need more throws you can use a different hole in the servo arm

Thanks Sanjay. That was the conclusion I had reached but very pleased to get your expert confirmation. Fuselage us now just about finished so now on to the wings. Very windy here at the moment, middle of our winter, so no flying for at least a few days.

regards,

john

Keep it going John. Post some pics too

Well Have to Say that Sundaram Sir Thats a one Excellent Plane.:salute: and Yes Sanjay
Sir,We Get a lot of Inspirations From You.I salute Your Work In This. :salute::D
Regards,
Aman.

Hi Sanjay,

You will never know how much help you have been to me!

I am getting close to the covering stage and I decided that I should do a trial installation of the electronic bits and pieces. Good job I did, I thought there was going to be loads of room but found that my receiver and ESC would not both fit in the front compartment (behind the front wheel fire wall) so after scratching my head for a few minutes I decided to take another look at your photos. It was then that I saw that you had put a false floor behind the servo tray, so I copied your idea and that is where I plan to sit my receiver. I think it's a good place as it is away from the ESC which I understand is always a good idea.

Sorry about lack of photos from me, but the few I took with my phone didn't come out well and would add nothing new for others who follow.

Best regards and thanks,

John :hatsoff:

All the best John - waiting for the maiden video  ;D :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Sorry did promise photos, will do , waiting on covering , it is quicker to get from overseas too local "strange".  will 9gm. plastic gears be okay, have  some spare ?? wife and daughter in India at moment at Ashram we went too when married in 72. and go to when we can afford.. gb .. did you sack the new captain???

9 gm Plastic are OK for the Ailerons

Use 17 gm plastic for Elevator, and if a single servo powers both the rudder and nose gear the minimum 17 gram Metal Gear. If using two different servos here, 17 gram plastic.

The old captain came back - no difference though - same result  :'( :'( :giggle:

Hi sanjay,

Nearing completion. I haven't been able to spend much time on cloud dancer recently but a few hours today and she is taking shape.

john

Good work john , please do not tell sanjay that I built 2 r/h wings , heard that another silly aussie built 2 l/h wing , maybe he will swap....g.b

Hah! Golden strikes again  :rofl: :rofl:

@ John  that's one beautiful model.  {:)} {:)} {:)}  :thumbsup:

I really Like It So beautiful It is !!!! :D
Regards,:)
Aman.

Hi Sanjay, I wanted to thank you for your post on this plane on hobby king. I am Gerald and I bought the cloud dancer with my Christmas money. I have built several planes from dollar store foam board. I don't know if you have ever heard of this material but it is foam board with paper on both sides and makes great building material for planes. This is my first wood kit build and your thread was a great help in building the plane! So I thank you sir! I really like the color of your plane and the red wing tips with the checkered flag really look nice. I am almost finished with mine and thought I would share it with you. I am using a receiver battery and I installed a switch and volt meter to keep track of my battery condition. Again thank you for you hard work!

Hi Gerald

That is a real beauty! Classic understated elegance  :hatsoff:

I'm honoured if my build-log was of any help to you: it really seems to have travelled around the world  ;)

Well done Gerald, she looks fantastic!
 :hatsoff:John

Sir on a 3s which ESC r u using for the 3536 910 kV and how much thrust can it create??????
Im getting my esc hotter on a 3s with a 12*6 prop???
So what can I do now???

Sir I've been with madhav khare's ROHIT plane from www.Rcforall.com(www.muav.com (http://))
The balsa is very cheap quality and I tried to make the wings with their balsa added reinforcements but when I flied it took to some 80-100 meters the wing bursted up and the plane died in the air .

1. Which ESC are you using? This motor/prop combination needs a 40 A or higher ESC
2. ESC hot is a general term. Is it so hot you can't touch it; will it burn the bare skin?
3. This is the wrong place to post your query. It belongs in http://www.rcindia.org/electric-power/ (http://www.rcindia.org/electric-power/)

Hi Sanjay & Guys,
Well eventually the wind dropped and i was able to maiden at the weekend. No video i'm afraid but it flew like a dream, cloud dancer is a very good name for this plane, it floats in the sky even without any wind. I went out again today started getting a bit adventurous made a tight turn above the end of the runway prior to landing which ended in a very heavy landing. No significant damage, nose wheel bulkhead pushed back a bit. Straightened it out, a few dabs of epoxy and it should be good to go again.

Bottom line; i love it!!

Thanks again for your build blog Sanjay, it kept me on the straight and narrow. :hatsoff: :bow:

john

 {:)} {:)} {:)}

Many congratulations!  :thumbsup:

Reall glad to hear this. Wish you Happy Flying, and waiting for pics and videos  :goodjob:

Well a Week ago my Daughter stand with wide Feets and her fists on her Hip in front of me and sayd "Dad, im turning 5 next Month and you know, that is the Age, a Girl needs her own Plane..."

Im not a big Fan of Foamies, so i orderd the Cloud Dancer, what came Yesterday. My Kit is from okayish Quality just the Laser needs badly some adjustment. Had to cut of nearly 1/3 of the Parts. Anyways.. So i spend 2,5h in the Basement yesterday and the Fuselage is asembled. All parts fit fine and it seems i manage to finish till her Birthday on July, 16.
If you Guys like, i can provide some Pictures from the buildingprocess.

But what leads me here: I usaly flying Gas and Kerosinplanes and im not very bright when it comes to Elektrosetups ;) So im im looking for an cheap Setup for this Bird. No need of massiv Power just to manage Starts from Gras flying circles and can do loops (kinda Performance like the Trainers back in the Days i learnd flying, like Graupner taxi with 3,5ccm and Stuff).

Can anyone suggest me an Motor and Prop?

Greetings Maik

i think you should go for these
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__12922__Turnigy_D2836_11_750KV_Brushless_Outrunner_Motor.html
and maybe 40 amp esc
and go for 11x5 props

Welcome to the forum, Maik

If you go through the whole thread, you will see what has been used

Typically, a 3536-1100 KV motor (or 3536-1250 KV) with a 10 X 7 prop, 40 A ESC.

The 1250 KV motor gives a better performance, but short battery life on a 2200 mAh LiPo. Unfortunately, the battery compartment is small, as you can observe in the details in the thread, and only a 2200 fits - unless you can increase the compartment to accommodate a 3000-3300 mAh LiPo!

Darshan, this is not a small foamie. It is a 1.2-1.3 Kg 50" span model. Suggest you read all details.

Ok, thank you.
Well i would like to fit it inside the Fuselage (in that chamber before the Batterycompartment) but i guess it will not work..

Btw. i didnt toke an closer look on the Wingparts yet but as i remember, there is no stencil for the angle of the rootrib. How did you angle it right?

Maik, see the first picture in Reply # 22.

''Dihedral Braces'' are provided. These are small strips angled to the desired dihedral angle.

It's been a long time since I built this, but that's what I do remember, and it's easy to figure out. You will see them in the laser-cut parts, like a chevron (a Sergeant's stripes)

Help needed on cloud dancer
How do I install the electronic stuff (servos, battery, radio, ect)

Jamie, I'll reply in a few hours
 Just setting off for work

Sent from my Mi 4i using Tapatalk

Jamie

I suggest you go through the whole build log. It is adequately explained there. If you have any specific problem, I would be happy to help out

Ok thank you

Hello Everyone,

My name is Simon, I am from the U.K., a small town called Gosport near Portsmouth on the South Coast.

I do have a web site with more information about me (in the vain hope that some may be interested!) but I am not sure if it is the done thing to promote a personal web site in here. Perhaps someone would enlighten me?

Like lots of others around the world I have found this Build Log invaluable. I have not built anything since I was a child and I am enjoying (almost) every moment with my Cloud Dancer. I would not have got this far without this log.

I have a couple of questions, first, the easy one:

Is it necessary to drill out the holes in the wheels to make them bigger? Mine don't fit on to the wire shafts, I'm guessing that drilling them out a bit is the only way to fix this?

Now the trickier one:

The wings - I am finding the instructions rather baffling regarding the wing assembly. I have 'dry-fitted' the core of the two wings. They look right to me but I have two pieces left over.

There were six lengths of balsa in the kit, joined together. I seperated them and have fitted two on each wing, one at the top and one at the bottom of each main spar. That has left me with two; one presumably, for each wing. But where on earth does it go?

I have attached a few pictures of (what I hope is) my right wing. One of them has the extra piece lying loosely across the wing. The others are from several different angles, perhaps that will make it easier to spot if I've done something wrong.

Any help would be most gratefully received, even if the answer is simply a reassuring, "Yes, you have got that wing right, the extra bits are just spares."

I find I come to a grinding halt when confronted by uncertainty and I just can't bring myself to glue anything until this mystery is solved.

All the best,

Simon.

Hello Simon. I am the original poster of this build log. Please give me a few days, as I am tied up with the serious illness of a family member, and all possible help will be available :)
Meanwhile, do have a good hard look at the (fairly inadequate) instruction sheet. Prima facie, your wing tips look wrong. Have you completed the fuselage and the stabilisers (tail) They are a bit simpler, and you would reduce the number of parts to work with, thus simplifying matters a bit
Yes, drill the holes in the wheels to suit the landing gear diameter.

Sent from my Mi 4i using Tapatalk

Hello Sanjay,

I am sorry to hear of your family worries, I hope that it all works out for the best as soon as possible. With this in mind it, is most kind of you to reply right now.

I have completed the fuselage, I have not tackled the tail yet and I think that your suggestion is a good one, I will start the tail section today.

I haven't glued anything on the wing so I still have room to figure things out before continuing. I am interested in what you say regarding the wing tips, they are a bit confusing.

Whenever you have a chance I would be interested in more detail. Not now though. You must attend to the more important matter at hand and I'll catch up with you when you are more settled.

All the very best,

Simon.

Hello Simon

I hope you have resolved this. If not, do let me know and we'll figure out something  :thumbsup:

Hi Sanjay,

I hope all is well with you and that your previous worries have been resolved as well as would be possible.

I believe that I have figured out the wing build. I studied your pictures and others I have found. I have come to the conclusion that many folk adapt the wing tip design rather than follow the intended design. I have stuck to the intended design and I can now see why others would want to adapt it!

I do have other questions, I shall wait until I am working on the plane again (I am working on 'real' work at the moment) and I will ask at the appropriate time.

All the best and thanks again for your attention.

Simon.

Not sure what you meant by "the intended design" but that wingtip in your photograph is wrong for sure
Seems like you have used some scrap ply (a cut-out left over from the laser cutting)

Maybe the model has been slightly redesigned since you bought your one?

I can see what you have done from your pictures (I think I prefer the way you have built it) and that is not how the pieces that I have look and the manual seems to indicate that I have the correct pieces in the correct places.

I will take some pictures to show you what I mean ... I'll be back! :)

OK  :thumbsup:

Here's the wing that I have nearly completed. I will post the other wing with images next.

This wing will need finishing and shaping with sand paper. I have not done it as well as I know I could, it was the first time!

Here's the wing under construction - the balsa needs trimming before the pieces will fit properly but you can see where I put them ...

Now that is more than a little bit of alright  :thumbsup:

Thanks for looking Sanjay. I will let you know how i get on, also I will propably post more questions here as I make progress.

All the best to you ...

Simon.

Hello! I too am in the UK and just started building the Cloud Dancer. I didn't find this blog until after making some mistakes!!

I've modified the wing tips because I could not understand the plans and had not found this build log! I've also missed the doublers under the wings!

Even so its coming together nicely for my first ever balsa build.

i hope this is not upside down!

Looks pretty good. So long as the Fin points up  ;)

THe images were upside down  :banghead:

The wing was the hard part for me! We shall see how it flies!!  :salute:

Oh, it will fly, and fly well!

All the best for the maiden  :thumbsup:

After some more assembly and starting to sand it looks like an airplane!   (:|~

Now that is really looking well crafted  :salute:

Covered the tail and attached elevator and rudder. Im pleased with the covering for my first ever covered model :)

 :thumbsup: nicely done

Which power plant are you planning?

I had thought a 2826 1350kv with 9x4E was going to be enough but its only pulling 208w on a 3s. It looks like i will have to run bigger or 4s wich would get me 260-280w.

Now going with Turnigy D3536 1250kv and 10x7 prop

That is what I used too

But it's difficult to fit anything more than a 2200 3S LiPo into the battery compartment; do keep that in mind

I have tried and can fit 2 x 1400mah 3s in parallel side by side...so should give me OK flight times :)

Has anyone used flaperons on the Cloud Dancer? Are there any adverse effects?

They certainly are not needed

I had used a flaperon Mix on mine. But later realized Flaps were not necessary at all for this model. It used to glide in gracefully even in dead stick without flaps. Last minute touch down deployment of flaps would have been helpful in drag of the run offs, but totally a overkill for such light Model.  Mid flight deployment had to be mixed with elevator trim adjustment to remove pitch adverse effects.

I've set it up to use flaperons anyway, as a trainer its nice to have them and experiment and I learnt how to do them on a dx6i as well :)

The Turnigy D3536 1250kv on a 10x7 is pulling 461w on the bench with a slightly used 3s battery - could be up to 500w with a new one - this should be plenty of power I hope!

I have some quite severe twist in the fuselage towards the tail! I've managed to get the horizontal stab level by slightly sanding the recess in the fuse and shimming one side with 1/32 balsa.

Meanwhile my aileron stock arrive and the swing is now complete!

I've also significantly increased the battery bay and can now squeeze in 2x 4000mah 2s hardcase packs, or comfortably a 2800 3s with room to adjust for CG. This involved re-routing the nose steering push rod into the cockpit area.

And I made a canopy hatch to allow my large hands to access things more easily.

It is finished!

I have been able to get the wing and tail feathers parallel and level with each other and I hope this will be enough to make the twist in the fuse mostly irrelevant!

For my first balsa build and first time covering I am pleased, but know there is a lot I can improve on!

For now, I will await the maiden!!!

 {:)} {:)} {:)}

Pretty bird!

All the best for the maiden. Please don't forget to take a video and post it here

beautiful build  {:)} {:)} {:)}

Faced a similar twist in the fuse issue, since the feathers were in line flew just fine.

My best for your maiden.  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Hey guys, I have finally finished my cloud dancer! Thanks Sanjay for the build log, I could not have done it without you :) I am hoping to maiden it soon. I span it up with a 12X6 and it is drawing too many amps for the motor, I was thinking 10X7 orr 11X6. I'll let you know how I go.

A 10*6 on a 1250 KV motor (3536 or higher) works just great!

All the very best for the maiden. Do post a video here :)

Hi Sanjay! Its a 3536 turnigy aerodrive 1050KV, running 3s 2200mah. I am down on RPM compared to the 1250kv (I used the 1050 because I had it spare), thats why I was thinking 10X7 or 11X6. I am getting about 40A at the moment with the 12X6.... that motor is rated at 34A..... Do you think the 10X7 will spin fast enough to get my flying well without maxxing out amps or should I go with the 11X6?

P.S, I bought this kit in 2014, it only took me 3 years to finish lol.

Go with the 11X6. The 10*7 could be short on thrust

Just looking through this old log. It really travelled around the world! Thanks to Google ;)

Hi,

Built this for a friend, it was good kit bought from Rc bazaar. THe  Plywood formers were half lasercut and had a tough time to separate them.
Once complete it flew on a 1000kv 22series motor and 3s 2200mah lipo.

pics below.

Nice one Sandeep-ji  :thumbsup:

Guess what? Just saw a TV travel show on Gozo! What a lovely place, lucky man, John to live there

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

Hello gentlemen  :salute :
 I hope some of you are still here, if so can I cast your minds back to the days your Cloud Dancers.
I am build one of the current Dancing Wing Hobby version of this model for a review at some point in the future.
I’m assembling the two wing panels, with the dihedral brace and I’m cross with my self for not spotting this early, that the root ribs W-1 are not angled to give any! dihedral. If I fit the brace the root ribs are a mile out.
My question is did you build you wings flat without dihedral or did you modify them ?
It hard to see from the photos but it does look like some of you have no dihedral, if so how was the handling?

In hope that this thread is still alive

Roy
P.S. the instruction are still rubbish  :giggle:

Hi; I'm the original poster. Glad to learn that this build is still alive and traveling!

There is a dihedral! And it is needed

The pictures in Reply #9, 11 and 30 show it quite clearly

It's a small dihedral - about 2" total. The angle at the root ribs is very low, and it fits fine

Thank you Sanjay, I’m glad your still here.

As its a trainer I expected it to have a good amount of dihedral, thank you for confirming that.

What I don’t under stand is after all the years the kit been in production why haven’t they cut the spare root end to set the root rib at the correct angle  😞  Just another one of the little issues with this kit.

It’s such a shame that these things haven’t been put right, and then complicated by the fact that all the span wise parts of the wing come in two part that need putting together before you start to build the wing. It could be a very nice model for a new to building but let down by simple things. I hope it will prove it self when it takes to the air.

Roy

Indeed, Roy.

I do however suggest you reinforce the centre part. I used a strip of Fibre matte about 1" wide with epoxy

.

Something like this:

(https://i.postimg.cc/D0b8dHch/IMG-20180914-054835600.jpg)

HI Sanjay  :hatsoff:

After a little head scratching and 30 minutes with the bench sander set to 3 deg, problem solved. I’ve sanded the root rib back to give the correct angle. There is a lot of meat on them & it only took about a 1/16 off the very top, and now it all fits nicely.

I did think about adding a glass bandage, but as I’m building this a review model & its not in the instruction we will see how she gets on without it. Most of the strength should be in the spare brace, & for a model of this size & type it shouldn’t need it, I hope!

Chatting with my kit supplier yesterday, we’ve decided to fit a metal gear servo for the nose wheel to take & standard 9g servos for the rest. With a bit of a squeeze his 2200mAh 3s lipo pack just fits the battery bay, but just in case I have added a hatch above if we need to play about with different packs.

So it all steam ahead with the sanding and finishing

Roy 

Great, and looking forward to your successful maiden - don't forget to post the video!

I used 19 gram metal servos all round, except ailerons - there I used 9 gram MG

Build up-date construction complete, next step covering.

Looking good! Great job Roy

Build up-date, model completed & yesterday she had her maiden. AUW 1147g, 12oz/sq ft wing loading, 2200mAh battery, Motor peak power 202 Watts, 80 Watts / lbs
She flew beautifully  ;D

Congratulations Roy!  {:)} {:)}

Waiting for the video!

Hi Sanjay

It has taken me a little time to do, but here is the flying video.

https://youtu.be/esHAv2RzyrE (https://youtu.be/esHAv2RzyrE)

Excellent Roy! Many congratulations :)