Franken-Hacker

The donor Hotwing 1200

Breathing new life into a dying plane. . .

If my original Hacker 1200 could talk, it would be reading me the riot act on Jerry Springer!   The maiden flight didn't go so well.  The plane split in half about 80 feet up and hit the lights at a Jr. High playing field   Then about a week later, with some glue and a little bit of carbon fiber rods added to the mix it split apart again, at 600 feet.  This time I had a camera on it, and made some neat video of it spiraling to earth   But the fun doesn't stop there.  I went back home and gave it an insane amount of  Gorilla Glue, carbon fiber of foam with Gorilla Glue sticking it down, filament tape, and lamination.   Not my finest work. But, surprisingly, it flew.   And I flew it many, many times.   Then I ordered the plane once again and this time I really built it right. Oh, how I love the new Hacker 1200!   But the older one just kinda got left behind.   When I came upon deal on  to buy even more kits from OmniModels I picked up a couple said to myself  "It's about time to call it a night on the original  Hacker 1200."    But to quote the immortal words of John Belushi

Me with my new Hotwing 1200.  It gives me hope for the Franken-Hacker

We've all been there

One morning I woke up and took the newer Hacker 1200 for a flight.  The winds were non-existent. The plane just flew (when the trim was set) like it was on glass.  It was a memorable experience.  It was an experience unlike what I've had with the original, beaten up Hacker.  Although the orginal Hacker flew okay there wasn't a "Wow, this thing is amazing, let's take it up again" type of vibe to it.  And that, in a nutshell, is the problem.  If it doesn't get flown, it just collects dust.  So, the challenge is to turn this into a plane that is compelling and that I look forward to flying.

One last look, of horror!

Rats nest wiring meets Gorilla Glue

I took it up for a couple more last flights.  It was "okay."    So, I started taking it apart.  I felt a sense of shame that one only gets when the media shows up behind the animal control officers to remove your 350 rabbits from your home.    Okay, it was beyond wonky.  But to be fair I did crash it a bunch of times, I've lost it twice and yet it's still around.  The original split wasn't really ever fixed and now there was another split at the end of the wing. In other words, filament tape and lamination held the plane together.   I guess I am like the guy who holds up the muffler on his car with wire coat hangers.  Hey, it was my learning plane.

The vision

Despite the many issues I felt I could bring this plane up to a standard it had never achieved.  Even though the plastic gear servos had never failed, it was time for some metal ones.   The foam elevons which had fallen off and had been glued back on many times would now be replaced with balsa wood elevons and plastic hinges  There were still two rather large issues. The first was what to do about the winglets and the second was fixing dead foam spots that were filled in with Gorilla Glue.

Large Winglets on  LE. The first thing to go.

The rounded edges shaved off for a triangular, flat winglet

I cut out the dead spots of foam, filled with extra foam, then shaved down to flush.

What I concluded was that the last inch and a half on the wings were rounded.  If I could shave down the ends so that I could get a flat winglet on the edges, I would be better off. When I did this I had a couple of nice chunks of foam.  I cut out the dead foam spots and used the newly found foam to fill in the gaps.

 Franken Hacker-The Plan

And that's how it all started  Filling in gaps with foam from other parts of the plane.  Yes, the wingspan is a bit shorter by a little over 2".   I don't care, I wanted smaller winglets on the end.  The parts of foam on the leading edge that was open to accepting the factory original winglets led to breaks in the foam. I wanted the LE secured.     Then I used an aggressive amount of carbon fiber, using I-beams whenever possible This stiffened the plane up like it never had seen before.  Next, it was time to fill in the gaps it up with light duty spackling.  Finally, it would be sanded then painted.  Then more 5 mil lamination to provide even more rigidity.

The new plan is starting to take shape

Lots of lightweight spackling to fill in holes. First coat.

My expectations

I fully expect that the plane will have a different feel to it. Right away I can tell its stiffer.  The shorter wingspan with extra firmness should give it a bit more of a sporty feel. The size will still make it glide nicely.   The jury is out on the winglets.  My theory is the oversized, rounded winglets on the leading edge was more for show. Having a flat flying surface should help give it more of a smoother flight.  Though I will sand the plane down before painting, the areas where light-weight spackle occurred will be smooth, whereas the foam will be textured.  So, it will be evident when looking at the final build where the spackling was applied.    The best I can hope for with this plane is that it looks nice though it may never look pretty.  What I consider success is a plane that I look forward to flying.

Hacker appears to be losing its distribution in the United States so this plane will be hard to replace.  There aren't many 1200mm planes you can find in the market for under $50.

The Current Status Of The Project.

I am currently painting the wood elevons and winglets.  The light duty spackling is drying and needs to be fully dry before sanding and painting.  More to follow in the next few days.

Plane crash video from 2017

The crash occurs at 3:00 minutes.