Summary

How to begin? Thanks to the original designer of the model airplane: Franck Aguerre, who published it in a French magazine about ten years ago. It was obviously built from balsa wood. :) I tried to redesign it as faithfully as possible, making the necessary adjustments to make it 3D printable.

This project has excited me like few other things lately, and the result is excellent; I'm very happy! The first flight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geXliPhpYvI) was a success: the Pattaya flew and even returned home in one piece, almost unbelievable. :) And flying it is a pleasure (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr-XVDYDp7E)

To encourage you to print it, I can tell you that with 20-30 hours of printing (without supports!) you can make all the parts and that with very little other work the airplane is ready to fly. Even the extra accessories needed are few: two servos, a bayonet, and two steel wires!

The Pattaya flies very well and is medium/fast; its size is not excessive: 85 cm wingspan, but it is still very stable. It was originally designed as a glider, but the motorized version is also quite popular! (I didn't think so).

An exciting flight!

Materials & Basic Info

200g PLA

2 x 5g servos: http://goo.gl/EzTDbf (STL also available for the more common 9g servos: tested now, they seem fine)

1 x 3mm x 20cm bayonet (STL also in beta for using a 4mm bayonet)

2 x 1mm steel wires (for the wing controls, see photo)

2 x tubes: 1mm internal diameter x 2mm external diameter (for the wing controls, see photo)

OPTIONAL: Instead of the wires and tubes above, you can use a 2mm steel rod, which you can insert directly into the wing and bend to make the control, then insert into the servo, making sure to enlarge the hole (not very easy).

OPTIONALS: 2-4 magnets, or even duct tape as shown in the photo to hold the wings together

Glues: Glue (cyanoacrylate) and/or two-component

Receiver and battery

DONE!

Flying weight (glider version): 250-300g

Flying weight (motorized version): 300-350g

Wingspan: 83cm

Length: 53cm

Airfoil: fad05 (https://tracfoil.com/airfoils/index.php?page=fr_f)

Printing

General Instructions

Printing is the most delicate part of this project; you need to play with the weight/strength tradeoff.

I'll provide you with infill percentages, number of layers, and, above all, an optimal weight range (which is only indicative). In my experience, based on the weight estimated by the software, you can play with the infill to improve the internal structure of the parts. For the same weight, you can change the infill angle and pattern, as well as other parameters that vary from software to software.

I printed with 0.3mm and 0.4mm nozzles, and the result is very similar.

Layer height: 0.2mm for all parts.

A timelapse of the print can help you understand how to position the parts for printing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYcKbTu28WA

The wings: 1-5% infill, 1 perimeter layer, 2-3 bottom layers, 2 top layers

Each wing half should weigh 55g to 65g each and is made up of two 20cm-high pieces.

The two pieces are printed vertically, growing, and glued together with cyanoacrylate (attack), which is perfect for this purpose. Be careful: as soon as the two pieces are brought into contact, they won't move, as the surface is smooth.

Try to fit the infill around the bayonet hole; it will be more robust.

To make the second wing, you need to mirror the same file on the X or Y axis.

You can print both pieces together, or even all four.

The tail: 1-5% infill, 1 perimeter layer, 2-3 bottom layers, 2 top layers

The tail is made up of two pieces: the actual tail (15-20g) and the body connection (15-20g).

Printed vertically, growing, and glued with glue or two-component adhesive. Follow the same instructions as the wings.

The connection can have a cross inside as infill, while the tail can be printed with 0% infill, with a horizontal layer every 20-50 levels (some software allows this).

The lightness of the tail is more important than with other parts, as it avoids having to put weight on the tip. Unfortunately, however, it's also the most delicate part when landing: no big deal, at worst it'll just need reprinting!

The body: "horizontal" printing, 15% infill, 1/2 perimeter layer, 2 bottom layers, 2 top layers

The body is made up of two interlocking pieces (so they're two different rows, you can't mirror the piece). They are glued together after gluing the servos into the appropriate slots.

Each piece should weigh between 20g and 25g each, and the printing is horizontal, unlike all the other pieces. I recommend gluing the two interlocking parts with two-component glue.

The "nose" (come on, it's done!): 20% (0%) infill, 3 perimeter layers, 3 bottom layers, 3 top layers

The nose comes in two versions: hollow and full.

Empty nose is useful for addMaterials & basic information

200 gr of PLA

2 x served 5gr: http://goo.gl/EzTDbf (also available in STL for more served in 9gr: ora testati, sembrano ok)

1 x 3mm x 20cm bayonet (in beta and STL for use with 4mm bayonet)

2 x 1mm steel wire (for ordering, see photo)

2 x tubing: 1mm internal diameter x 2mm external diameter (per i order dell'ala, see photo)

OPTIONAL: In the position of the wires and tubing you can use a 2mm steel bar to feed directly into it and into it. When you turn on the command, plug in the servo to make it safe (not easy).

OPTIONALI: 2/4 calamite, oppure blessed from the nastro telato come from the photo per tenere insieme le ali

glue: attak (cianoacrilato) e/o bicomponent

resale and battery

FINE!

Normal flight weight (glider version): 250/300gr

Normal flight weight (motorized version): 300/350gr

Aperture length: 83cm

Glider plane