The iconic X-wing ship design from Star Wars is something many a hobbyist have tried to recreate, and not always with success. While [German engineer] succeeded in re-imagining an FPV quadcopter as an X-wing fighter, the process also highlighted why there have been more failures than successes when it comes to DIY X-wing aircraft.
For one thing, the X-wing shape is not particularly aerodynamic. It doesn’t make a very good airplane. Quadcopters on the other hand rely entirely on precise motor control to defy gravity in a controlled way. It occurred to [German engineer] that if one tilts their head just so, an X-wing fighter bears a passing resemblance to a rocket-style quadcopter layout, so he set out to CAD up a workable design.
One idea that seemed ideal but ultimately didn’t work was using four EDF (electric ducted fan) motors mounted in the same locations as the four cylindrical engines on an X-wing. Motors large enough to fly simply wouldn’t fit without ruining the whole look. A workable alternative ended up being the four props and brushless motors mounted on the ends of the wings, like you see here.
The unit still needed a lot of fine tuning to get to a properly workable state, but it got there. It takes off and lands vertically, like a classical quadcopter, but when flying at speed it levels out almost completely and looks just like an X-wing as it screams by. It’s in sharp contrast to the slow, methodical movements of this Imperial Shuttle drone.
There are also a couple design elements in [German engineer]’s build we thought were notable. The spring-loaded battery door (all 3D-printed, including the spring) looks handy and keeps the lines of the aircraft clean. And since it’s intended to be flown as an FPV (first person view) aircraft, the tilting camera mount in the nose swings the camera 90 degrees during takeoff and landing to make things a little easier on the pilot.
3D models for the frame (along with a parts list) are up for anyone who wants to give it a shot. Check it out in the video, embedded below.
Stick a powerful enough motor on it and you can make a dead cat fly.
Or even an ostrich.
Shhh, the HaD comment section got really cross the last time someone did that.
As opposed to its normal state as a bastian of logical and respectful debate…
😁
Hey I understood that reference
Trickier Than They Look?
They look very tricky indeed! No wings and yet they fly!
Hah, this is cool!
You know it’s not an aircraft, right? You know Star Wars isn’t real, right?
This drone is an aircraft though, and engineering it to look somewhat like the film version was tricky. Get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?
I think they know all that and the fun is in making it work anyway. Obviously it’s not operating in a vacuum or microgravity either, and I have a tiny suspicion that they even comprehend that fact as well.
hey, the first of that type of highspeed fpv copters was not build by red bull. maybe they paid loads of money to raise the speed of previous models a bit. but red bull never invented anything except the worlds most expensive method to melt childrens teeth and train them to use drigs to stay awake.
@[elf] Over in Europe they won’t sell energy drinks to kids these days.
Isn’t that the same in the US nowadays? Or in California at least you would think.
I wonder if a x-wing could fly for real if you somehow made two of the wings ‘fake’ and non-operational.
But how do you do that though. maybe some sort of perforated material but even that will affect air.
Maybe flat planes that are adjusted constantly to be directed into the air stream to neither give lift or cause (much) drag?
You could first test a design with two wings angled up (or down) to see if that works at all I guess, before trying to solve the problem of making ‘fake’ wings .
With enough thrust, anything will fly with any number of wings… or none at all.
That’s why I said ‘for real’ though.
But perhaps it’s true that I should have said ‘can you get lift’, to avoid obscurity.
This use of sheer power makes me wonder if you could do a similar thing with a single motor and the infamous ‘grid fins’ at the nose.
I figure that with enough speed at some point the airflow is such that you can steer it completely that way.
But could you do horizontal flight in a controlled manner?
I think there are missiles that do it, but those have immense speed and power available and very expensive control systems.
We had a lot of fun adapting 840mm wingspan epo chuck gliders to slooe soaring.
The X-Wing flew very well, and looked quite realistic.
https://youtu.be/gYeLgcpv2UY?si=qxILGlI-WwXAwCMx