Batwing – E-Batwing – a dynamic flying wing

I've always had a soft spot for flying wings, and as soon as I stumbled upon the Vogel-Fly.de website, I'd already placed my order.

The kit was clearly designed by a perfectionist, Christian Vogel—the quality is impeccable. The cutouts are precise, the pieces fit together very easily, and the wood is of very high quality. With just a few minor adjustments, the pieces fit together. You could almost call it a 3-D puzzle. What’s more, the manufacturer listens to modelers and, above all, is generous with helpful advice. The kit evolves based on its customers’ experiences.

Assembling the two wings is made easier by a template that is used throughout the entire wing-building process. If you do the work properly, the wing will be perfect—no warping—and the airfoil profile will be maintained. The wing has an 8% aspect ratio, and 9 mm servos are used. All the connectors needed for wiring are included with the kit...

Christian has come up with some interesting design features that make construction easy, particularly for the wing spar sleeves, the spars, and especially for the central piece that connects the two wings.

This part is made of fiberglass. It houses all the electronics, the battery, and—in the Batwing version—the ballast. A clever locking mechanism secures the two wings together, and a small epoxy-coated key allows you to unlock them during disassembly. The only challenge for someone who isn’t a professional welder is building the circuit board that connects the two servos to the receiver and the battery. Here, too, the connections are very well designed and work perfectly, but you have to be extremely careful.

In the motorless flying wing version, a catapult hook is located on this central piece.

To increase flexibility, I also built the electric fuselage to convert the Batwing into an E-Batwing. Equipped with a D-Power AL 28-14 motor, an 8x4 propeller (all recommended by Christian), and a 3S 1300 mAh battery, the flying wing climbs at a 45° angle. The wing-to-fuselage connection is very well designed and fits together seamlessly. Vogel-Fly has developed a version with a push-pull motor for this fuselage that also works perfectly.

With a wingspan of 1261 mm and a weight of approximately 500 g in the pure flying wing configuration, this glider can be easily assembled and carried in a hiking backpack. For centering, the manufacturer has included a simple, easy-to-use system that allows you to hang the wing and center it perfectly.

Due to the coronavirus, the first flights took place in late May using the electric version. If you use the settings recommended by Vogel-Fly, there will be no problems, and your wing will fly safely. The handling is responsive, the flight is precise, and it’s a blast. One of the first flights lasted 45 minutes—the glider’s response to thermals is quite remarkable. Now I’m going to focus on slope flying with the basic wing. Both versions of the Batwing have been in my car ever since this spring. It’s an easy model to build. Give it a try!

I recommend visiting the website www.vogel-Fly.de or, even better, the various Facebook pages that Christian Vogel maintains—there are still a few interesting models to discover.

Mario Tiedemann