DIY Flying Wing Takes to the Sky (Sort Of)

Last month we were introduced to Michael Rechtin’s DIY four-axis CNC foam cutter. While a neat project in its own right, the point of making automated tools is normally to make something else awesome — and he has done just that, creating a flying wing airplane out of foam along with a 3D-printed fuselage.

As far as airplane designs go, it’s a fairly straightforward build relying on the CNC’s excellent abilities to produce the proper wing curves. A wooden spar is glued into the middle of each wing, and attached to the center section using screws. As a protective outer layer, Rechtin is using PVC shrink wrap bags. These seem to do a really good job, and could be helpful for a wide variety of projects, aeronautical or otherwise. Elevon control surfaces are attached with packing tape to the end of the wings, and micro servos are embedded with the help of an X-acto knife.

Electronics are pretty much what you'd expect — a receiver, 3S LiPo battery, airplane ESC, and a tri-blade quadcopter motor to push it through the air. Results are shown at the end of the video, with the plane being launched by hurling it into the air.

Rechtin’s first attempts at flying the wing aren’t particularly successful, but after switching pilots, it’s able to fly… for a while. Eventually it does crash again beyond immediate repair. The wings, however, seem to have stayed in good shape, so after reprinting the center section, he can hopefully give it another go!