AXON Foamboard Trainer and Light FPV Platform 

Your building techniques have opened up a whole new way of scratch building with Dollar foamboard. The Axon is a design I thought of when I first saw your build technique for the fuselages. I'm glad to see it is possible. Thanks for opening my eyes.

I'd just like to thank you for taking the time to post your experience, tips and tricks for making scratch build rc planes! I've learned a ton from your videos!

Hey ED, It's just great that you put so many elements in one plane and still manage to keep the design very simple. Amazing!

That is exactly the motor I used, and it's in the parts list. It's good for light FPV, borderline for a GoPro. There are some 2836 sized 1800-2200KV motors if you need more power. If you build the plane exactly as spec'ed you will be stuck with the 6" diameter prop though, so high KV is good.

Your building techniques have opened up a whole new way of scratch building with Dollar foamboard.👍👍👍💯💯💯

Thanks for the reply. I built the two fuselage pieces last night and I was surprised at how strong they felt.

built it, flew it, love it. Thanks for the great designs and all your testing and sharing.

Ed, excellent!.. I think the key for your success is the simplicity and how neat are your constructions. Keep it up!!!!

Thank you sir, your videos are very very informative plus so easy to follow making scratch builds of your models less frustrating. Thank you again I'll keep watching ,I've learned a lot.

Same place: at 30% of chord from leading edge (typically 2"). But with a longer tail you may need to add weight to nose, preferably in the form of landing gear, larger battery, FPV gear, or something else useful.

Hey Ed, thought I'd update you on my builds. The previous comment I left at your Burning Man vid was mid-build of the scaled down, 1 1/2" fuse tube build utilizing the cannibalized electronics from a crashed-and-repaired-too-many-times FT Speedster w/ a 250 size motor.. First flight today exposed what I suspected might be the case , a dramatically under powered plane despite the attempt to compensate thru scaling down. On launch from a slightly elevated position I was pleased to see an incredibly docile and easy to handle, well balanced flight. I just couldn't maintain any altitude and 3 times in a row landed gently and smoothly after prolonging the inevitable. Being new to the hobby and looking for a starter this design has passed that goal with "flying" colors. So it's forward with the full scale 60" WS, 7" cord, full scale version. Thanx for the great info, sharing your brain so I can fly the "Haxon"

Great to hear - I hope to see your creations. I do use a 4" extension from the battery to ESC. It is preferable to extend the ESC-to-motor wires, but I just opted to keep it simple on this one. It's also kind of nice to put the ESC up there in the "power pod" with the motor. I think the rudder is probably not necessary. You could dial in a little aileron differential to help coordinate turns, but you might not even need that.

Hi Ed, If you mounted the rud' / eliv' servos servo much further forward and used a closed loop system you could achieve your CG without adding (dead) weight up front, I was a balsa builder and the general rule was - to many grams on the tail requires several ounces up front, so you must loose that extra tail wieght

Thanks Ed, that makes since now that you have explained it... By the way I think it cannot be said enough, Thank You for all the videos You post.. very informative ,formatted, and narrated wonderfully, keep up the great work.. We do apreciate it...Tim

I would give slight preference to the Axon only because it's a little easier to build and flies more "conventionally". The PD can be kind of floaty, which if you are not used to it can get you into trouble. I do love them both though.

You are right to be concerned. What I like to do is roll up a rectangular wad of foamboard, about battery width and 3-4" long, and glue/stick it to a gift card, leaving part of the card sticking out. Tuck the gift card under the battery so the wad of foamboard sticks out in front as a crumple zone. If you crash then the wad will decelerate the battery somewhat as it crushes. Not a guarantee, but it helps minimize damage to the battery.

The tractor would end up being pretty close to a Photon. Twins are awesome. I have seen a triple: one mid pusher and twin wing-mounted tractors. Go nuts with it!

I don't have an apples-to-apples on that but I can say the Axon glides pretty darn well, especially with the 60" wingspan version. Bixlers are pretty cool, just a matter of whether you like to build your own or buy one from the shop.

I've flown it with a keychain camera and the roll stability was acceptable, at least as good as the Peace Drone, my main FPV ship. It's never as perfect as a trike, what I'm used to shooting video from. I think the Axon would be a better plane to consider putting a gyro on the ailerons than the Peace Drone, where I've had mixed success on the elevon gyro. As the foamboard artiste that you are I think you should try it out.

I don't see why not! Biplane tractor setups have definitely been done with this build technique.

For building simplicity, the Noob Tube is better, and uses a single section wing. This build technique really only hit's its sweet spot for flying ease at about 45" wingspan, so for new pilots I would recommend going the extra way of joining wing sections. 3 channel would need dihedral to turn if using an active rudder and no ailerons, but you could use elevator and ailerons and skip the rudder.

Very cool, and cool looking! I have been waiting for this one :) Thanks for all you do Ed!

Hi, I like to build my own planes too, but I think that I will use your amazing buil techniques. I saw almost all your videos and I realy like your job and the fact that you share your wisdom with the world. About this plane (Axon) it is in the same category as the bixler, easystar, etc, but in my opinion its better, talking about construction quality and flight, and is for sure more beautiful that the others to me. keep doing that Great job, I'm your fan ;D Greetings and sorry my bad english.

Awesome build. I think I might make this my weekend project. I was thinking of starting on the Peace Drone but I think I like this one better for FPV. Thanks for sharing.

I always go with 30C or better for all battery applications. The SkyLipo 40C is a solid workhorse, pretty hard to go wrong with it. I find they keep low internal resistance longer and puff less readily, so overall you'll get more flights with better amperage delivery over a longer lifespan.

You can try squishing it back into a squareish shape by jamming it into the corner of something, like the corner of a room or door jamb. You could also just use shims under the wing. Installing crossbracing inside can be done in a certain way that shifts the upper surface this way and that, just have to experiment.

Sure, go for it. I think your biggest bang-for-buck would be on the ailerons, as long as you have them set up as true ailerons and not flaperons. I don't think you NEED a gyro, but gyros can give an element of locked-on'ed'ness that is kind of cool.

The battery with the highest C-rating and best reputation (or personal experience) is generally the recommendation. By the way it is Ed. Slab City huh. I landed my trike there once. Very cool spot!

@ExperimentalAirlines Think of pushing a frisbee through a swimming pool. You would need to push right at the center to keep it from pitching off to the side. This is what you'd be doing by adjusting the axis of the motor - to point through the aerodynamic center of the plane. Usually no compensation is needed for different speeds, etc.

Thanks. You do great work. Can't wait to build my first plane.

Well you can still go with the 2200KV motor and 6x4 prop with a smaller battery, provided it has the C rating to compensate. I recommend 30C minimum. But you can use different motors and props too. 3-blade prop is a good solution for getting clearance.

Another awesome build. Well done.

Right around 2mil seems to be good. Thinner actually seems to stick better around contours, if anything.

Same place as for short tail - about 2" aft of LE, at about 30% chord. You will likely need to add some weight to the nose in the form of landing gear, bigger battery, FPV setup, etc.

Also consider using a rolled-up piece of foamboard located just in front of your battery to act as a crumple zone to protect the battery in case of nose-in crashes. Otherwise you can swap out the nose section of the fuselage as much as you need. You should get three noses per 30" section of fuselage tube.

Hello Ed, I built the axon as a beginner/fun flyer airplane using depron. It has a 2" fuselage and 5" chord.I'm just getting into the hobby and teaching myself to fly using scratch build airplanes as store brought planes are very expensive in India.it is the first plane which returned home without damage.I think the plane I built was heavy and needed full throttle for level flight. What should the weight be without battery. Thanks again for wonderful techniques and awesome videos.

The wings do great, the nose will crush. But the nose is replaceable and the build technique includes making a spare nose.

@Tommp Having the motor thrust straight forward, parallel to the airframe, will tend to pitch the whole plane downwards when power is added. The thrustline should ideally intersect the aerodynamic center of the plane, which is hard to explain succinctly, but very approximately at the half-chord of the wing. This way the thrust force is countered by an equal amount of drag above and below the thrust axis, so any pitch-over caused by the motor becomes balanced.

3M Scotch brand Heavy Duty mounting tape. Home Depot has a fine price, as good as anything I've found online. About $16 for a large roll, easily good for 5-10 planes for mounting all the parts you need to stick together.

Just be sure the convex side of the propeller, which also has the "writing" on it, faces forward the way the plane travels through the air. It does not have to be a "pusher propeller" - any prop will do as long as it matches the motor recommendations for size and pitch. If needed, the motor rotation can be changed just by changing any two of the three wires.

@quickpix123 It's a big question with many good answers from many smart guys. I my opinion a mid-mounted pusher design is a good start. If you like to build, and inexpensively, then the Axon is a good suggestion - easy to make and repair. I have added a parts list to the comments for the Axon build. Poke around the forums like RCGroups for beginner suggestions. Radio selection is too varied to detail here. Many to choose from - HobbyKing has some cheap ones that work, I use Spektrum.

Start with CG 25-30% back from leading edge, so about 2". If you build the full-length version of the Axon you will probably need FPV gear and/or landing gear and/or ballast in the nose to balance. If not, consider making the tail a few inches shorter.

@ExperimentalAirlines Also note tractor props with high wing planes often need the motor pointed down a few degrees too, but to keep the plane from climbing, since the aerodynamic center is above and behind the thrustline. Same principle, different arrangement of forces.

@rgthd007 I think a GoPro would balance out nicely at the mid-nose position with the 42" fuselage. I haven't tested payload but the configuration you see here had plenty of surplus power so I think it would be OK. You might need to slide the battery back a bit inside the main fuselage to balance, but there is plenty of room to do so.

The wing is two 27" sections joined by a carbon arrow shaft (a dowel would work) and simply taped around the center joint, with the wings just butted together and the servo wires run out the bottom toward the front. The control horns are just little pieces of plastic gift card bent and drilled. See the "stabilizers - control horns" video and the "plastic gift cards for rc" video for more details.

40 amp ESC is a good sweet spot for value but with good amp draw capacity, good for nearly any motor in the 28mm rotor diameter (like 2826, 2830, 2836) and under 2500KV. Many to choose from. I usually go with Turnigy for price and familiarity. These are foamboard planes after all. Never had a failure yet though.

Have you flown FPV with this plane yet? Is is a stable FPV platform? The only reason that I ask is because the Easy Star/Hawk Sky are great planes, but they are a bit wobbly for FPV for my liking. This is such a sweet design. I love the simplicity and the functionality

Hi Ed, your videos are so fantastic and helpful. I plan to build the Axon, but my only concern is where the battery is mounted. In the event of a crash, how well would a Lipo battery hold up to impacting the ground. Thanks for your help

Hey Ted, how do you connect two wings together with a shaft? Do you glue the shaft in one of the wings when you put it together and just slide the shaft in another, without gluing to it, or you just put unglued shaft between two wings when you finish both of them, then how do you run the wires, after you make a big wing or before? Thanks!

Would need more specs on that motor. Can you see if it gives better than 600g of thrust?

Hi Ed. Love the use of inexpensive or free materials. What is the AUW of the Axon with your FPV gear installed? I'm not going to use FPV so added weight in the nose for a CG close to what you mentioned.

So I built the AXON, unfortuatly it repeatedly nosed into the ground on launch. I did eventually get it to fly....and it was pretty nice but had some sketchy tendecies to flare a wing . maybe it was nose heavy?

Can you add some details about the 5 degree down thrust. Why would the nose pitch down without the offset? Is it because the down thrust compensates for the increased lift generated by increased speed? With 5 degree down thrust, what compensation, if any, is needed for cruising flight? More up elevator? Any help clarifying this would be appreciated.

have you experimented with adding a little dihedral to the Armin Wing at all? Or would it be too complicated for the amount of gain in stability?

How do these plans hold up to crashes? I thinking of building the Axon but was wondering how it will hold up. I think you should make a video about repairing planes that you've crashed.

So when hooking up the motor can I just reverse the wires to make it a pusher- or do I have to pull the shaft and turn it around? any help would be greatly appreciated! Another great video.

@usarmyfl1 It's complicated, but for any single given motor, the prop is the variable which most affects amperage draw. The more resistance from the prop the more amps needed to turn it. Amps multiplied by the voltage delivered by the battery equals watts. In a good quality, high-C-rated, pack of adequate capacity, this voltage will be pretty close to the nominal voltage (11-12v in a 3 cell lipo). In crappy batteries the voltage sags, giving lower voltage and less wattage.

See the "construction details" video on the Axon as a starting point. It's not step-by-step per se but I think it's an adequate description to get you going. You'll probably want to reference the wing, fuselage, and tail videos as you go. Let me know if you have any specific questions along the way.

Thank you so much for your detailed videos! I am sure it takes a lot of your time, but I love the simplicity and cleanliness of the lines. Anyways, the only way I am not sure about of how to do, is the Wing... I saw your other video where you connected two separate wings together to make a wider wing, but on Axon, it seems like you used a different technique and you didn't put a new piece of foam in between, the way you showed in the older video? Also, how did you put the control horns? Thnx!!!

Nice! I really like the look of this plane, would be great for FPV

Thanks for the tips. I'll post a video once finished. One last question. I'm using $1 Duck brand packing tape from Walmart and from their website it shows that the standard packing tape has a 1.9mil thickness. Is this good or should I use a thicker packing tape?

@usarmyfl1 That's all electrical watts as a measure of power. Propulsion power in watts is vastly more complicated, and always lower than electrical watts. A lot of it does have to do with the propeller though. I usually just measure static thrust and call it good.

Built and maiden-ed the Axon over the weekend, it flies great right from the first launch. Thanks for sharing your designs with us. In the Axon FPV videos you have a set of landing gear on the Axon. Do you have any details (perhaps in another video) of the landing gear?

I've been simply covering my wings with ordinary clear packing tape from 3M, it's available at most stores in a 3 roll pack for under $10. One roll goes a long, long way! If you want to decorate your model with Insignias, numbers, letters or patterns, you can try "Trim MonoKote" it"s available in a variety of colors and patterns in sheets 36" x about 6" and it's peel and stick.

@solracotos The Axon really needs a 6" prop if you are using the 2" (nominal) foamboard tubes for the fuselage. Seems small but with a 2200kV it was plenty powerful. The NoobTube would take this motor as well but you would probably get a little more efficiency using a 1100-1400kV motor and a 8-9" prop. But if you only had a 2200kV you could easily swap it back and forth.

It's about 1400g with landing gear and FPV, so about 1200g with landing gear or FPV. This is with a 2200mAh 180g battery.

Hey Ed! this will be perfect trainer for me to build as a starter plane! Any plans on making step by step tutorials of how to build it? Thanks! and great job on making these simple and affordable planes!!!

If your ESC's BEC can handle 2 or preferably 3 amps then no external BEC is necessary for running the 4 servos plus the receiver this plane uses.

Hard to go wrong with a Turnigy 9X (or another brand of this same radio) for value and features. I also use a Spektrum DX7 which I like a lot but it costs more and has its own shortcomings.

Hi Ed, I just received my order for my motor, battery ect and I goofed up the battery order the one you listed was backordered so I tried to match up the numbers with another battery and got a 4s instead of a 3s 2200mah 45 90c. will this still work or do I need to return it and wait for the other one to become avialable ? I did get the motor and speed controled you listed.

Hello Ed I have been enjoying your videos. Thank you for all the great info. What did you use for the servo rods? Where to get the motor mount? Are did you just bend a piece of metal for the motor mount? Looking forward to your reply. Hoping to start my Axon build soon Walter

Any tips on fixing odd shaped fuselage tubes? My main Axon tube is fine but the one at the top for the motor and wing mounts isn't level on top from bad construction. I didn't realize this until after I had already hot glued everything together. I'll need to figure out how to level it so the wing and motor are straight with the tail.

@usarmyfl1 I'm a little wary of those low C-rated batteries. There is no standardization in C-ratings, but I like to aim above 30C. When I measure internal resistance on those (which is a real, objective measurement) it's usually very acceptable quality. Those 20-25C batteries always seem to puff up and never deliver the volts you need at load. Drawing 20-25 amps on the 2200kV motor would benefit from a better battery IMO.

Just a little slower and better payload carrying capacity for the 7" chord. The wing loading for just the wing structure alone is identical between the wings. It depends on what you hang from it.

Hello ED, I am new to this hobby and I was thinking to go for the Axon. Do you think it will be easier for me to fly it, if I do it 3 channel instead of 4? Thanks a lot and keep it up.

You are really inspirational!

Hey Ed do you have any luck with the Turnigy 9x or could I go with the dx6i.I want dsm2 compatibility, but I want enough channels . I would like to have a camera on board also any suggestions?.

I think the 9X is a fine radio and a great value. There are better overall radios but they cost substantially more. Spektrum is my choice but I have a 9X that is great as well. If you have to get one camera I would get a GoPro or an 808 #18 if you are on a budget. Either can do analog video out, so good for FPV.

Sorry for spamming Ed. What is a good diameter wing spar or should I just try and buy some carbon fibre arrows shafts? Can't wait to build these planes.

Which Sky Lipo's do you use from HobbyPartz? I'm not sure if 20c or 40c is better? Looks like they only have 20c in stock.

Hey I noticed the motor you listed under the specs said to use a 40amp esc but you have a 25 listed, am I missing something? Is the motor not gona push past 25 because of other factors?

Hi Ed, You are amazingly brilliant!! Thank you for all your hard work and info. I am a noob and am confused on how to match a battery with the motor and esc sizes.(Far as "C" ratings) Is there a formula you use? You've probably have answered this a million times and I apologize for having to ask. Getting ready to build the Axon, which is build #1. Thanks again.

Hi. Hope you doing well. I love your videos. And you explain very well. Plz explain what is the fly weight?

@usarmyfl1 Good catch. 25 amp ESC would be a minimum. I am personally using a 30a and drawing 22a using a 6x4 prop, with very good cooling airflow around the ESC. But you're right, erring on the larger capacity ESC is a better idea. If you used a larger and/or pitchier prop I would definitely go larger.

Another thing, I have seen a lot of 3s 2200 batteries for around 10 bucks, is there a need for the higher discharge rate that this bat. has?

In all your videos I couldn't find anything as to where the CG should be location at for the longer tail? Can you point me in the right direction?

Hi Ed This may be a dum question but how do you make it a pushe?? motor prop or reversed motor leads ?? thanks for any info you can give me

I always faithfully following your channel video, Just some some question, can you advise me what is the ideal plane based of EA model for beginners like me,?

Awesome, waiting for the build video! I will for sure build this one! Question. Will the motor and prop used in the AXON work in the NOOB Tube?

Would a COX 049 be powerful enough to push this? I believe the put out about 50-60W of power. I am looking to build my first RC plane after having only had small quads, I'm looking for something that carry fpv/gopro and fly fairly slowly and for a longer time than a quad does. I hardly ever hover so it looks like a plane would be much better for me than a quadcopter. Also for a homemade first plane would a $30-40 ebay controller receiver combo be good enough? that and a few servos and I can use the 049 that I already have. Thanks

Hi Ed, have you ever tried this design with a tractor motor set up. My son and I are attempting to build one but he thought a twin axon would be the ticket.

Thanks again.

hello, learning from your videos, awesome instructions, how long does the battery last while flying the trainer plane? thank you for motor list I will share wnen I start and complete my 1st plane I just have to gather the materials cant wait :)

Great design! It reminds me of my favorite plane, the AXN which has a similar name. The AXN has a bit of down thrust, but pitches down a bit under throttle. I think this is my favorite scratch build I have seen yet. I would build one, but I can't find that type of foam board up here in Alaska. Great job and thanks, Daniel.

I would like to save some money on batteries since I'll need to buy a few. Can I go with a smaller motor and bigger prop or three blades so I can use a smaller mAh battery? I'll obviously have to mount it higher. Any suggestions?

For a first time FPV'er, and would you recommend the axon over the peace drone? Why or why not? Thanks Noah

Thanks for the videos Ed! I just built my own Axon but I need to find the cg for the wing or how would I find the cg on my own? I built the 5" wing

Great informative video, as usual. I'm working with a boy scout troop that wants to build some planes for their aviation merit badge. I was thinking of a 3 channel mini version of the Axon, with a single section of Armin wing. Any suggestions would be very welcome. Is dihedral a requirement for proper rudder steering in a 3 channel plane?

Cool, man, glad to help. C-ratings are kind of voodoo. There is an actual scientific principle behind it, but every manufacturer is going to interpret it a different way. What's 30C mean? Before the battery puffs? Before the wires melt? Before the lifespan decreases? Etc, etc. First choose the cell number you need for voltage - hard to go wrong with 3-cell for most applications. Then consider how many amps you need for a given power system, measuring it with a wattmeter if possible.

One last question. If I'm doing a 60" wing, do I use 2x 30" x 1/4" wooden dowel in each wing section or one 48" dowel in the center?