Velie Monocoupe

  AUW 680gr / 24oz and Wing cube loading ~8.30 Drive setup: DYS D2830-1300Kv (275W max rated), 3S Lipo 2,200mAh, 20A ESC, 8x6 prop Radio equipment: FlySky 8ch receiver, Radiomaster TX16X transmitter

The fuselage cabin area is rather cavernous and installing modern radio electronics does not pose any difficulties. Care should be taken to position the components in a way that allows easy access and also aide in balancing. This picture shows the elevator and rudder servos with the receiver and antenna positions: The heavier components such as ESC and battery are positioned as forward as possible under the turtle deck through the hollowed F1 and up against the firewall:

Covering the wing required two steps. First I covered the bottom of both panels, and before covering to tops I installed the aileron servos and ran the wires to the wing center: Since the servos are covered and have no access hatch, I installed a 1/8" square between the aileron servo ribs. This way, when the wing is completely covered only a small patch can be removed and reattached above the servo. The 1/8" stick, ribs and top spar form a convenient surface for adhesion. The finished wing, covered and with two coats of sealer before attaching the ailerons.

The motor I am using for the Velie Monocoupe is a DYS D2830 brushless motor that will drive an 8x6 propeller and powered by a 3S Lipo. The real Monocoupe is powered by a 5-cylinder radial engine and many models use some type of dummy engine made of balsa or other material. I decided to try a 3D printed engine model combined with a simple cowl. The 3D design is posted and available for download on GrabCAD: https://grabcad.com/library/velie-monocoupe-rc-model-5-cylinder-engine-dummy-1   The hot end on the printer was probably set a few degrees too high for this new spool of PLA and I had some stringing and distortion on the thin edges. After some light sanding and a coat of black spray paint it looks ok, although I might end up reprinting it.

I used 3" Dubro spoke wheels. Although not exactly scale size I chose them because I typically fly off of a grass field. These wheels are thin and light, and may later be useful if I want to convert them to wired spokes. I decided to cover them with orange tissue so I first removed the foam and glued balsa to form a surface. I then covered the balsa with orange tissue and reassembled the foam rim: The landing gear is a simple wire frame with the wheel axis held in place by silicone rubber bands that I sliced off of a rubber tube:

I selected Esaki tissue from Peck Polymers; picked blue and orange that best fit the end result I wanted to achieve: colors that are close to the actual plane and a covering material that will highlight the model's structure. These are the horizontal stabilizer and elevator fins covered in orange tissue with two coats of sealer: After practicing on the stabilizers, elevator, and rudder I turned my attention to the fuselage. The complex contours posed a challenge that I wanted to tackle first and here are some results. The windows are covered and cut away after applying a coat of sealer to the covering, leaving the cross members covered: A view of the internal setup and a top view of the battery hatch: The battery hatch is located at the bottom of the fuselage behind F3. The hatch is secured with a simple swiveling latch and a silk strap: