To better understand flying wings I decided to make a remote control model, which would be capable of flight. To make the RC (remote control) model I started by choosing a design. The design I chose is the SPEC WING™ by the FPV Wing Racing Association, it is a specification for flying wings used for racing. I chose this design as they are easy to build, durable, not too difficult to fly, and would work with the electronics I already had.
3D Design
I used a cad (computer aided design) software called Fusion 360 to create a full three-dimensional drawing of the airplane. This only took me a few hours as I already had a good idea of what the final product was supposed to look like, and the model did not need to be perfect as I mainly needed it to make the final plans for the plane. I also used this model to visualize the completed airplane and organize where the electronics will be going.
Materials
When choosing the materials for the structure of the model airplane there are two concerns weight and durability. My research with many previous RC models guided me to foamboard for its lightweight and ease of repair, with a carbon fiber rod to add stiffness from the inside and packing tape as an outer layer for water resistance.
Electronics
These components work to translate the movement of the joysticks on the radio controller to the movement of the plane. When the pilot moves the joysticks the radio controller sends commands to the flight controller on the plane, which gives commands to the servo motors and ESC. The servo motors take the commands and rotate the control surfaces within a fixed range. The ESC takes the power from the battery and the speed commands from the flight controller to spin the motor to create lift. The flight controller also has a feature that allows it to act as a co-pilot and keep the plane steady or completely take over and fly in circles, while this isn't necessary it can come in handy for a rooky pilot such as myself.