Adding "lightness" to the BUG 
Somebody recently emailed me privately in response to my post about the 
2.5 oz BUG above. I thought I'd reply here in case anyone else is 
interested. 

1. Use the GWS pico Rx insted of Hitec 555. Double the antennae length 
from 19.5" to 39" by replacing with 32gauge wire (avalable from Cloud9 
R/C). This reciever still performs great and drives 2 CS-10 servos on 
only 3 50mAh NiCd's and weighs only 5g (compared to about 20 for the 
555). All that AND it only costs 28 bucks. I have specked out my BUG 
and had adequate range--never been a problem. 

2. Ditch the 3/16" CF tube tailboom. It's WAYYYYY to heavy. Replace 
with the 1/8. This alone saves about 10-12 grams. The 1/8 is more than 
adequate in stiffness.  Mine flys great and I even wingtip launch mine. 
Be warned however-- even with taking a ton of CF out of the tail, the 
plane was difficult to balance with the very light reciever. I had to 
lengthen the nose by 1/2" to avoid tailheaviness. 

3. To get the low weight I did, you absolutely MUST use contest grade 
(4 lbs./ft3) balsa. And use 1/16 sheet instead of 1/8 for the wingtips. 
Mine's plenty strong--even for tip launches. 

4. Cover only with a VERY lightweight material. I used Clearfilm from
Modelairtech. VERY light on the sealer and paint coats. 

5. Eliminate all extra shrinkwrap, wires, etc. 

Doing all this, I built mine to 70g (2.5oz). You would not believe how 
this baby hangs!. It can turn 360 in about a ten foot radius and ride 
the smallest columns of mini thermals. Try it. It's an absolute blast!

Last edited by Zhack on March 18, 2002 at 06:05 AM