instructables

Foam RC Plane Building Guide

by Dhipak Bala

After seeing similar RC planes on YouTube, I was 30'' long

inspired to design and build an inexpensive RC plane Weight: 750g
that I could fly for enjoyment and perhaps in the future Motor Thrust: 650g
stick a camera on. Let's get started! Build Material: Housing Insulation foam
Long Flight times and potentially and FPV (First
Person View) Platform!
This plane is loosely based off of the Cessna 172.
Specs:
48'' Wingspan

Step 1: Materials

When I first looked into the parts I would need for this
project, I quickly realized that electronics would be
the area that would cost the most money. You can
expect (with the parts I recommend) to have a $101-
sized hole in your wallet. These parts are
interchangeable with equivalent ratings (KV, amp
draw, and voltage for motor, amp rating for esc, and
capacity and discharge rate of the battery). This is all
the stuff you'll need to start flying.
Materials:
The Airframe:
The Fuselage: 1/2 inch DOW Housing Insulation
foam, Pink Foam Insulation Sheeting, and
EPP(Expanded PolyPropylene) foam are all names

Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 1

that I've heard this foam called. I get mine from recommended prop pull current that your esc can
Menards, but it's available at Home Depot and Lowes handle, it should be fine. Thrust should be anywhere
as well. It comes in a 4'x8' sheet that you can make from 600-800 grams. Prop should be around 10
about 1 and 1/2 planes out of. The foam is excellent inches, because this is a slow flying plane. Make sure
for this application; it has good compression and it either comes with all the necessary hardware to
impact strength (the latter is a must as you almost mount to your plane and attach to your esc, or you
surely will slam this thing into the ground:D). It also is buy these separately. These include connectors, heat
easy to sand, which is a must if you want the thing to shrink, a prop mount and motor mounting hardware.
look good. Make sure you get the 1/2 inch size Cost: ~$15.00
sheet!!
ESC:
The Wing: Any esc that is rated around 20 to 30 % more than
The Wing is made out of the same sheet of the max current draw of the motor will work. A much
DOW/Pink foam that the fuselage is made out of. It is higher esc amp rating will work, but you can burn out
a true airfoiled wing. It is very strong by itself, but you your motor if you run full throttle too long.
might want to add a wing spar. I would use a 1/4''(6 Example: motor draws max 14.5 amps
mm) wooden dowel from the local hardware store. Esc should be around 20 amp.
Cost~$12.00
Rudder and Elevator:
Paper-backed foam board. Mine was laying around Servos:
the house, but you can by 2'x3' sheets for a dollar at You'll need 3 for this plane, since it is a 4 channel.
the dollar store. The only reason that I picked this They can be micro or standard. Micro are much
foam for the rudder and elevator was because I lighter, but do the same job, so I used micro servos
wanted the plane to look good, and I knew I could (9g servos)
spray paint the paper without melting the foam. Cost: $6.00
Note:You cannot spray paint Housing Insulation
foam, nor can you use CA glue (superglue). The Battery: I used a 3s 30c 2200mah, but yours can be
solvent will melt the foam. even up to 3000mah. It all depends on the flight time
you want, but it should be a 3 cell (11.1v) and have a
Servo Push Rods for control surfaces: 30c or higher discharge rating.
I used wire coat hangers. They are inexpensive, work Cost:~$15.00
great, and can be replaced easily. I was being frugal;
these were laying around the house. Other wire of Charger: Read up on safe Lithium polymer battery
sufficient strength will work also. charging, these batteries can be very dangerous and
you must know everything there is to know before
handling them.
Electronics: Buy a balance smart charger that has a cutoff once
As I said earlier, this is where most of the money will the battery is fully charged. It is worth it.
be spent. The parts that I recommend are changeable Cost: $23.00
as long as they have similar ratings and the motor
and propeller setup provide enough power. I used this Radio: There are very good transmitters out there for
combo from very cheap, but make sure it is 2.4ghz and that it has
hobbypartz.comhttp://www.hobbypartz.com/60p-dy- at least 4 channels. I fly with the Spektrum dx5e,
1028.html, but you can use any parts that have which is rather overpriced for what it is. Use your own
similar ratings. judgement, but don't buy junk.
Cost: $30.00
Motor:
Lots of online sellers sell motors that can be The total for these electronics is $101.00 . It may
substituted for what I used. As long as the motor and seem expensive, but it is a very good price for a

Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 2

homemade trainer 4 channel rc plane. measure.
-3m spray adhesive
Optional landing gear: The great thing about metal -hot glue. Lots of dat
landing gear is that you can bend it. I had all the parts -sandpaper (preferably belt sander)
to build my own, so I did that instead. I used PVC -Packing Tape
pipe split in half. -Either Polycarbonate, Acrylic, MDF, Light
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__4952__ plywood(3/16'' or 3 ply)
Alloy_struts_12cm_high_19g.html -basic tool skills
Wheels: (get 2)
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__5613__
Light_Foam_Wheel_Diam_70_Width_20mm_.html

Building Materials:
These are tools you will need to build your plane.
-Sharp Hobby Knife and plenty of extra blades
-Hotwire cutter- There is a wealth of knowledge on
the subject online. It is very easy to build your
own.Perfect opportunity for advertising my other
instructable on this. Check it out!
-Meter stick, yard stick, or just a stick and a tape

Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 3

Step 2: The Fuselage 1/2
The fuselage is our powerhouse and therefore the
start of this build. Construction is simple- Cut out 7
side-profile templates, glue 5 together, cut out
electronics bay, glue the last two, and sand.
Making templates:
Simply cut out 7 rectangles and use your hot wire
(there are plenty of places online to learn how to
make one) to cut out your desired shape. Mine is
roughly modeled after a Cessna 172, but you can
build whatever you want as long as you keep in mind
weight and size. To help you if you're not making the
rough Cessna model I built, use pictures online. By
messing around with 3 view drawings you can get a
pretty good idea of what your plane should look like.
I've included a dimensioned drawing of the side
profile. These are for the plane that I've built, yours
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 4
will be slightly different. Don't be worried. Just
because yours isn't the same, it doesn't mean that it
won't fly. Be creative if you want! I don't know, build a
flying banana or something.
Cutting out templates:
Trace the shape in the pics below onto your pink
foam sheet. It is dimensioned, but yours can be
anything close. A bandsaw, scroll saw, or jigsaw
would all work great for this. I used a simple hobby
knife, which works equally well, but you are free to
choose. Size them up against each other and make
sure they are roughly equal. They can be off by about
an inch, and you'll be fine. Don't be afraid to redo a
template if it doesn't match the others closely-
remember, we need 7 total.
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 5
Step 3: The Fuselage 2/2

Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 6


Gluing
Glue ONLY THE FIRST FIVE TEMPLATES together.
You must glue only these so that you can cut out the
electronics bay. To glue, lightly mist 3m spray
adhesive (or Elmer's spray adhesive, which I used)
onto the foam. If you spray too close to the foam, it
will melt while drying. Hold the can about 2 feet away
and let it fall gently onto the foam. The stuff tacks
quickly, so line them up and stick them together with
time in mind. They should dry in about 30 minutes.
Once this is done, you are ready to cut out the
electronics bay.
Cutting out the electronics bay.
Now that you have a rough side profile with the first 5
sheets, you can cut out the electronics bay. Your
battery should weigh anywhere from 170 to 240
grams, so this must be kept in mind for a proper
center of gravity. Since the battery and motor must
counterweight the rear of the fuselage, we will cut the
compartment far forward. See the pictures below and
the dimensioned drawing. It is a diagram of how your
compartment should be. Most of the area on top
where the wing will sit is cut out. USE COMMON
SENSE. Do not cut out too much, and leave greater
than 1/2'' of foam at the bottom of the compartment.
The foremost space is for the battery. Later, we will
velcro it in place so that it doesn't jiggle around during
flight.
I did not take pictures of this step, but it will be clear
after the 6th and 7th layers are added and I cut the
profile and sanded. I have pictures of this.
Once you have cut out the compartment, you can
glue the 6th and 7th templates on the left and right
sides of the fuselage. Once this is done, you are
ready to start shaping!!
The Top Profile (Finally starting to look like a
plane fuselage!)
This is where the fuselage becomes a fuselage. Once plane as foam to if you don't care to paint it.
the last two layers are glued and have dried, you are
ready to shape the fuselage. A drawing of the layers
and top profile cut is shown below. I cut out all of the
portions that stuck out, to make sanding a little less
labor-intensive. If you have one, a broad coarse file
will take care of most sanding, but a palm sander or
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 7
belt sander will take care of sanding much faster. BE
CAREFUL WITH SANDING. ALWAYS WEAR A
MASK AND DO THIS IN A VENTILATED AREA.
THIS STUFF IS DANGEROUS WHEN MELTED
AND SANDED. I've included a picture of the main
cuts you should make (with your bandsaw or hotwire).
Sand every surface except the compartment, and you
are ready for paper mache.
Paper Mache:
This is hardly a necessary step, but I wanted my
plane to look good so I did it. If you are going to spray
paint your plane, this is necessary. I covered mine,
but I used a drywall paint to paint it. I chose a
yellowish tan/brown paint scheme. If you want, you
can even paint it after a picture you find online. Not
only does the paper provide a paint-safe surface, but
it also gives the foam immense rigidity that you
cannot achieve any other way for an equivalent
amount of added weight.
To cover your plane, you need newspaper or other
thin paper (crepe paper works too), white craft glue (I
used elemers), a paintbrush, and a bowl to make the
mixture in. Pour about an 1/8th of a cup of glue and
mix with an 1/8th cup of water. The mixture should be
something like to one to one, but the exact ratio is not
critical. Mix until it has a milk-like thickness. Add
water or glue if necessary. Cut out long strips of
newspaper.. Apply the glue mix generously to a small
part of the fuselage, and carefully lay a strip of
newspaper on top. Apply glue with the brush on top of
the newspaper. Do this to the entire plane, except the
electronics bay. A picture of this step finished is
included below.
Painting:
All I can say is that be weary of spray paint- it is very
thin and the paper layers can show. I used drywall
paint. Drywall paint will work if you skip the paper,
and apply paint just to the foam. Heck, you can fly the
Understand that covering and painting the plane adds
a lot of weight (about 4 oz with drywall paint)
With the fuselage done, you can move on to the
elevator and rudder.
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 8
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 9
Step 4: Building the Rudder and Elevator
The rudder and elevator are simple. You can pick
your own rudder and elevator shape or you can trace
mine from the dimensioned drawing below. They are
made from dollar tree foamboard, but if you want to
use the pink foam and don't mind sanding, go ahead.
When you cut out the rudder and elevator two things
must be kept in mind; attaching them to the fuselage,
and control surfaces. The control surfaces are 1'' by
6.25'' for the rudder and 1.5'' by 13'' for elevator. The
paper backing of foam board is its best attribute; it
holds the control surface to the main rudder and main
elevator, and thus no hinged joint is required. Use hot
glue to attach them to the body of the fuselage after
you are done painting both. I used a tab and slot joint
to attach the rudder to the fuselage, and I simply hot
glued the elevator on underneath the cut space. Look
at the drawings/pictures for reference.
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 10
You will also need to make control horns for the push
rods to act on. This will allow them to actually move
the rudder and elevator. I used a small rectangle from
a wooden dowel (square dowel) and drilled holes
through them that my coat hanger fit through. again,
you'll have to diy this step; your materials might be
different than mine. Use my pictures for help! You can
really use almost anything for control horns, as long
as you can glue them to the foam board. Use your
own judgement on where to place the control horns-
depending on where (relative to the fulcrum of the
lever) these are placed, you will get different control
surface travel. This directly effects the sensitivity of
the plane to rudder and elevator input.
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 11
Step 5: The Wing 1/2
The Wing was probably the subject that I learned
most about during the process. The best airfoil for this
plane is the Clark Y, but mine is really just an
arbitrary airfoil. The bottom is flat, rather than under-
cambered. The wingspan is 48'' and it has quite a lot
of lift. One subject worth reading up on is wing-
loading. Here's the wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_loading. Searching
online for some scratchbuild planes and looking for
specs on wing loading helps. You should develop a
general sense of the relationship between plane size,
wingloading, and performance. The wingloading of
this plane gives it the characteristics of a trainer. It is
a very docile, gentle-flying plane.
The build process of the wing is very simple.
Layering the Foam for necessary Height:
From the original pink foam sheet cut out a long,
unwarped piece that is 50'' by 9''. Cut another strip 6''
by 50''. Using the same gluing technique you used for
the fuselage (Mist on the spray adhesive), Square up
the 6'' and 9'' piece and glue them together. See the
drawing below. This is your rough template. Now all
that is left to do is sand it so that you have an airfoil. If
the resources are available to you, seriously consider
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 12
hotwire-cutting an airfoiled wing. You will be done
much faster and the result will be more consistent,
but you must build a rig to do this, and I didn't have
the necessary materials. Search online (use
instructables, of course!) for a "hotwire Wing Cutter".
People make very clever rigs to do this, and their
results look really good.
If you cannot build a wing cutter, simply print out an
airfoil template from an image search or other
website. Use Word, Paint, or any other utility to size
the wing chord (distance from leading edge to trailing
edge of the wing) to 9'', because your wing is 9'' long.
Then, pin the template to the side of the foam wing
and start sanding. Hand sanding takes a long time
and is a lot of work, but my wing is proof that it can be
done. A file or power sanding tool would be far more
efficient. Take your time with this.
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 13
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 14
Step 6: The Wing 2/2
Once you are finished with your wing, you again have
the option to paper cover it. The last picture below is
of a paper covered wing.
With the finished Wing frame, you are ready to cut out
control surfaces for the wings-the ailerons. You are
also ready to embed the servo in the wing and attach
controls. My ailerons are 1.5'' by 12''. You can make
yours bigger or smaller if you want more
maneuverability. You can also play with the
placement of the aileron arms to do this.
To attach these simply leave a 1/16'' gap between the
aileron and the wing and use packing tape. Some
builders even cover the entire wing in tape. It is a little
heavy, but it increases aerodynamics. The airflow
over the wing is smoother. If you want to enhance this
without adding too much weight, just cover the
leading and trailing edge in packing tape.
For the servo pocket, I simply marked and cut out the
space with a hobby knife, but you can also heat up a
screwdriver and burn an appropriate sized groove for
the servo to fit in. DO THIS IN A WELL-
VENTILATED AREA.
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 15
The control rods are-you guessed it- coat hanger
wire, and the linkage that attaches to the ailerons
themselves are also coat hanger wire. The tube
which holds the aileron arm is just a drinking straw.
Check out the pictures to help you with this!!
Once the servo and control linkage is embedded, only
one thing remains; mounting. To mount the wing to
the fuselage, use wood screws or other screws with a
wide cut. I used three because that's really all that are
needed; one attaches near the front, where the
cockpit would be if it were a real plane, and two go on
the walls of the electronics bay. To secure these, I
used pieces of layered cardstock (you can use any
durable, hard card or cardboard) to help spread the
clamping force of the screw. They serve as washers.
You need to seat pieces of Acrylic, Polycarbonate, or
light wood on the fuselage where the screws will
attach to. I used polycarbonate because I had it
laying around. These serve as places to anchor the
screws. A picture below should help.
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 16
Step 7: Attaching/ Setting Up Electronics

Electronics are often a subject of confusion for will be secure.

beginning flyers. The Power setup-the motor, speed
controller, and battery- are really the simplest to work Reciever: Velcro this also!! See the pictures.
out. All you need to do is solder on all the appropriate
connectors, and mount them to the plane. ESC: Velcro this in place. Also, you'll need to cut a
hole where the battery connection end of this comes
To switch the rotation of the motor, switch any two of in and then out. It is important that you do this,
the motor to esc wires. because since the wing is screwed on it is
The numbers on your prob should be facing inconvenient to take it off just to unplug the battery.
outwards. Make your life easier and allow the plug to lie outside
the plane.
Plenty of great tutorials exist on the internet on how to
solder connectors from battery, esc, and motors- I will Motor:
not go into the details. This part is very important. There must be a very rigid
wall that attaches the foam to a surface that screws
can be mounted to. It is called the firewall. Mine is
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 17
 can be mounted to. It is called the firewall. Mine is
I've provided you with guidelines and described how I made from 1/8th inch polycarbonate, but the
set up electronics, accompanied by pictures. substitutes listed in Materials can be used also. Make
sure it is the size of the front end of your fuselage.
Servos: Use hot glue generously to attach it to the foam. Your
Start with Servos. I simply hot glued mine into the motor should be mounted to your mount. All you have
sides of the electronics bay. You can embed them in to do now is line up the holes, drill the firewall holes
the foam, but this takes more time and potentially to match, (Be careful, your battery lies behind this!!)
weakens the foam- I just glued mine because it was and screw it in place. The motor I used needed to be
convenient. adjusted with a washer (shown in the pictures) to be
straight. You can adjust this after you fly it for the first
Servo Push Rods: time; the motor is swinging a big prop and the torque
As I mentioned in the Materials step, I used a wire can rotate the plane, so trimming is necessary. My
coat hanger for control rods. To make them look motor came with a prop saver, which are great for
cleaner, I poked them through the back of the beginners-you will smash props. They can be had for
electronics bay. You can also embed the servos a buck on hobbyking. The motor I suggested has a
outside the electronics bay for easy access, but I screw-on mount, so you'll have to order a prop saver
wanted the plane to look cleaner. Start with a piece of separately should you decide you want one.
wire about 25'' long. Make sure it is straight. We will Note: the wires of the motor simply dangle down the
cut this down a few inches once they are situated, so underside of the fuselage where they are connected
you might need multiple hangers. First make a 90 to the esc. You can cover this in some way if you
degree bend at one end of the wire. The bended wish.
section will attach to your control horn on the rudder.
Next, poke a hole through your fuselage, as shown in Radio:
the picture. You can heat up the end of the hanger, Read the manual. People all over the internet use the
and it melts as it pokes through, which is great cheap 2.4ghz radio systems. Know your radio and its
because it provides a friction-free surface. You will do functions, so you don't destroy your plane:P
this step again for the elevator, but on the other side.
Slide the wire through the hole (the straight end of That's IT!!
course) and then affix the bent end to the control Congratulations, you've finished the build. Get out
horn. Estimate the length of the bend you will make there and start flying!
on the other side to attach the wire to the servo arm.
Cut it to appropriate length, and you are done. Repeat
for the elevator, making sure your bends are in the
right directions.

Battery:
Battery setup is easy. All you need to do is put it in
place and add a piece of velcro to both the fuselage
and the battery. Use a piece larger than I did, and it

Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 18

Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 19
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 20
Step 8: Flight Tips, Thoughts, and Revisions

Words of Warning: Thoughts: In hindsight, I see flaws with this plane

This thing climbs fast. The first time I flew this, I got it
up to speed, gave it a touch of elevator, and it
climbed several feet in just a second. The nose-first
return trip to the ground was even faster. I reacted by
slamming the elevator stick forward, and slammed it
into the ground. I had to rebuild the tail section of the
fuselage. Not fun!
that my fellow instructables-ers can fix through trial an
error. I love feedback! Please ask questions and post
comments!! I tried to make my first instructable as
thorough as I could.
Areas to improve in design:
-No battery hatch for quick battery swaps.

Fly in a big area. This is common sense. You need a -Wing has to be screwed in-slow electronics/servo
medium sized field or park. access

Know how to handle LiPo batteries. They can be very

dangerous. Thanks for Viewing!!

Make motor adjustments with battery unplugged and

propeller off.

in Building Materialslist:
"Either Polycarbonate, Acrylic, MDF, Light plywood(3/16'' or 3 ply)"
Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 21
plywood to much heavy? for fuselage wing etc?
what about if i use an 1000 watt brushless motor?
Thank's!
very good!!

how long does the 2200mah battery last on a single charge

6 hour

I have a 800mah battery from my RC boat would that work and how long would that go for?

Yes if it have connecter and it work 2 hour

as long its a 3cell Lipo it should work. 800mah can still give you about 10mins. depends on your
throttle management. also with lower capacity comes lower peak current (at the same C rating,
since C*capacity=maximal discharge current) so you will have less power. but for a slow flying
plane 800mah should be fine. I use 900mah 3S on a plane (FT tiny Trainer) that is probably a bit
lighter and has 1m wingspan. its got still plenty of speed (actually pretty fast).
im planning to make a replica of this plane using styrofoam.
will these dimensions work fine with high density structure built from styrofoam?
styrofoam is a form of polystyrene
I don't know but styrofoam can break pretty easily so make sure you paper mâché the whole thing.

How wide is the fusalague

4 inches (8 x 1/2'' insulation foam layers)

how many I've is the motor your using

This is a detrum 2810 810kv motor

how wide is the wing

The chord of this wing is 9 inches:)

tell me a transmitter for$10 or less

http://www.pakhobby.com/shop/electric-motors/emax-...
is this motor ok?
yes its ok

Is this an okay design to start with? I have never Done anything with RC planes. Were should I
start?
The project is nice and looks fun.. We would appreciate to see a video of it in action

Nice!

great job

can you write the names of all the electronics please

It flew very fast with a fixed elevator and rudder. I had 2 get a long stick to smash it above the air

Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 22

For mounting the wing, could you screw in threaded rod into the electronics compartment on each
corner, I'm sure they have plastic studs, and use some type of wing nut assembly?
Nice work! I'd love to see a video of it in action. If you take a vid, add it to your 'ible!

will do:)

can you add links to the items you list to buy?

I wrote this a long time ago and I no longer have the parts, but the motor and esc were purchased
as a combo from hobbypartz.com
i would like that too

Google "BLU-BABY PLANS". Similar plane, much lighter and easy to build.

This is very cool and very thorough. I might have to try this with a radio I have lying around.

Foam RC Plane Building Guide: Page 23