Tethered Flight—Fun for Everyone! (Part 2)

Specialty stores currently carry a wide variety of ready-to-fly RC models. It wasn't too difficult, therefore, to find a model with a wingspan of 120 to 150 cm. Even so, it took me a lot of comparison shopping before I finally decided on the following model:

Of course, it could just as easily have been any other model of roughly the same size. I bought the Mustang P-51D along with a matching electric motor, a suitable speed controller, and a LiPo battery (3800 mAh, 4S). It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I decided to add a retractable landing gear. A simple RC transmitter had been sitting in my workshop for quite some time, waiting to be put to use.

First, I had to cut a small piece of plywood about 3 mm thick to serve as the mounting surface for the control segment. The control segment itself can be purchased from a specialty store or made from plywood or aluminum sheet. This component is now installed in the fuselage, approximately 1 cm behind the effective center of gravity and exactly at the level of the motor axis. A second small board is installed above and slightly in front of the control segment to hold the ESC and the remote control receiver.

All that remains now is a suitable mount for the LiPo battery. I built this mount so that it can be adjusted to set the center of gravity.

There are now two things left to do. First, a so-called line guide must be attached to the inner wing tip, which needs to be set back approximately 1.5 cm along the centerline. Second, the rudder should be trimmed slightly outward. Once we also obtain an approximately 18-meter-long line and a corresponding control handle, the model will be ready for launch. The propeller thrust, landing flaps, and retractable landing gear are all controlled via the remote control. →

Once assembled, the whole thing looks like this.

So now you’re ready to go. But be careful! If you don’t have any experience with tethered-flight models yet, you should at least get help from an “expert” for your first few flights (*www.fesselflug.ch > Model Building > Contacts*). I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun with your tethered-flight model. You’ll also find plenty of helpful tips on the website *www.fesselflug.ch*.