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Ultralight Aircraft Challenge Winners

5,982 JakeS  3.7 years ago

The winners have been chosen!

I mean nothing against the creators, this is meant to be constructive.

1st Place:

Pros:

This build was a last minute entry, and was just amazing. Not only did you build a detailed plane, you also built a fun plane.
The plane is detailed. The wires running across the plane which the control surfaces would be linked to is a nice touch.
The pilot also moves, which surprised me a lot. When you use the rudder, the pilot's legs move accordingly. When you pitch or roll, the pilot's arms move. This level of detail deserves first place.

The airplane is super fun to fly. I love it, and you should too.

Cons:

Obviously this is a glider, so no powered flight. Again, though, this isn't bad.

There really aren't any cons that I can think of, other than the pitch issues.
When you pitch down hard, sometimes you will lose control of the plane. This isn't bad, though.

Score

Fun Factor:

8/10

I know, I went on and on about how fun it was. If it was powered, it would be a 10/10. The fun ends too fast.
Again, this is a replica aircraft, so I can't complain.

Detail (Construction)

10/10

When compared to pictures and videos of the real life craft, this build is spot on.
Even things like bolts and screws are modeled out.

Detail (Mechanisms)

10/10

Even the pilot moves. Enough said.

Effort

9/10

Even though this build was kinda last minute, it doesn't seem like it. This build seems like it was done over a period of weeks. It is done well.

FAA Guideline Score

8/10

The plane weighs 278 pounds with the pilot in the seat.
The plane does not carry any fuel, and is not powered, making it a glider.
The plane meets most regulations.

Overall score: 92/100

The plane is amazingly done. I feel bad taking off points because I know the creator really put a lot of work into it, but I have to drop some points because of the tractor.
The object that tows the plane to get it taken off is a tractor. It isn't done as well as it could be.

TL;DR 92/100 Extremely great, detailed, fun.

2nd Place:

Pros:

This plane is fun. And I mean really fun. Arguably one of the best powered ultralights out there. Hellosss38 really did a phenomenal job on building this plane.
The plane also has tricycle style landing gear, which isn't too common on fictional aircraft. Tweaking the center of mass to fit tricycle style gear is hard. The creator did this perfectly.

Cons:

The plane has no interior, which is fine, as none of the planes that were submitted had one. The plane is very close to being over the limit in terms of speed, hitting about 90 knots at cruise speeds (in my testing). We'll get back to that.

Fun Factor:

10/10

The airplane handles amazingly and is overall a blast to fly.

Detail (Construction):

7/10

It looks great but has a large amount of z-fighting. The control surfaces are not detailed (not bad though).

Detail (Mechanisms):

5/10

N/A

Effort:

7/10

You can definitely tell that this plane is nicely put together.

FAA Guideline Score:

3/10

The plane weighs a ton and carries 50 gallons of fuel, rather than 5.
The plane's stall and cruise speeds are a bit too fast, though.
I understand that it's difficult to do, though.

Overall score: 70/100

I really do like this plane, and I find it hard to criticize. The fact that it doesn't follow enough of the guidelines is what killed the score.

TL;DR, 70/100, Not enough rules followed. Fun to fly.

3rd Place:

Pros:

Fun to fly, easy to control. Not much else to say, though.

Cons:

While I appreciate the attempt at the cockpit/interior, I have to deduct points from it for two reasons.
1. It isn't very detailed.
2. I had to help the creator make the joystick work.
The plane has absolutely no color to it at all. The plane is also more than 3,000 pounds and holds about 250 gallons of fuel.

Fun Factor:

4/10

The aircraft doesn't handle as well as others, but is still nice.

Detail (Construction):

3/10

The aircraft is bland and boring and has a lack of quality control.
The control surfaces of the wing poke through fuselages, and overall just doesn't look too good.

Detail (Mechanisms):

6/10

The interior cockpit isn't detailed at all. The only thing is a joystick, which I had to help make.

Effort:

4/10

Honestly, this build seems like it was done in an hour or two.

FAA Guideline Score:

0/10

This build just seems like a stripped down Cessna. It is way too heavy and doesn't follow any guidelines.

Overall Score: 56/100

The plane isn't that good, honestly.

TL;DR The plane is slapped together with minimal effort.

Those were the winners! They will all be awarded their upvotes!

1st: 30 Upvotes
2nd: 20 Upvotes
3rd: 10 Upvotes

I will be upvoting people's creations. Each different creation will get an upvote.

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  • Profile image
    5,982 JakeS

    @Viper3000ad @Hellosss38 @Mastermind1941
    You will all be awarded your upvotes through this next week.

    Pinned 3.7 years ago
  • Profile image
    5,982 JakeS

    @Chancey21 Not sure lol
    I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do

    3.7 years ago
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    69.2k Chancey21

    Another ultralight challenge? @JSwannyGaming148

    3.7 years ago
  • Profile image
    5,982 JakeS

    @Chancey21 don't worry! I might have another challenge coming soon!

    3.7 years ago
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    69.2k Chancey21

    Oh no! I messed the deadline... oh well

    3.7 years ago
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    5,982 JakeS

    @HawaiiRanger Alright, I can do that!

    3.7 years ago
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    6,281 HawaiiRanger

    Please tag me on next challenge. I was wanting to enter but didn't have time
    Thanks!

    +1 3.7 years ago
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    12.0k Hellosss38

    666 POINTS!!!!

    +1 3.7 years ago
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    12.0k Hellosss38

    Aww thanks man
    @JSwannyGaming148

    3.7 years ago
  • Profile image
    5,982 JakeS

    @Viper3000ad Thank you for participating!

    Ultralight aircrafts is a wonderful world. I hope that more people will discover the world of Ultralights and maybe someday even get into aviation through the use of them.

    +1 3.7 years ago
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    14.6k Viper3000ad

    @JSwannyGaming148 Thank you very much for accepting my participation. You were a wonderful host. I'm sorry he didn't get more votes, you would deserve more points. I read your comment that you would like to see more ultralights, it is a wonderful category. Unfortunately the site has been invaded by pointless repetitive fighters that you will never encounter up close. I hope this program makes you love aviation with curiosity and science. Mostly know that everyone can fly, as there are no unfulfilled dreams and civil aviation is very widespread. Thanks again for your Kind words !

    3.7 years ago
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    5,982 JakeS

    @Mastermind1941 I'll do it for you and tag you on an unlisted post

    3.7 years ago
  • Profile image
    5,982 JakeS

    @Mastermind1941 take a jet, scale it down, and change the Thrust multiplier to 0 so it doesn't make any Thrust
    Also change the mass and drag of the engine to 0

    3.7 years ago
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    55.0k PapaKernels

    Also do you know how I could make exhaust, like what you would see on a plane with some flame shooting out of the pipes? I'm trying to get a cool effect of the pipes actually having some function.

    3.7 years ago
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    55.0k PapaKernels

    Sorry about the plane I really am not good at making tube frames. I dont know how I could make dials so I really didn't put them in either. I had to make it heavy because it was way to tail heavy and it really didn't want to have nose weight. I reduced the weight of the tubes in the back as much as I could but it was still way to nose heavy. It was also starting to get on my nerves so I just needed it out of the way.

    3.7 years ago