I remember first seeing Tom Stanton's creations here on flitetest.com where he was playing around with a DIY VTOL aircraft. This was way back in 2014 and he really has come a long way since. Recently, on his ever-growing YouTube channel, Tom has been experimenting with compressed air engines for RC airplanes.
It all started with a 3D printed engine in late 2017. This engine, like all subsequent versions, was 3D printed and acetone smoothed. Each part was carefully designed to fit together in CAD.
This engine included bearings taken from a small fidget spinner.
This engine was installed on an airframe carefully designed by Tom with all of his impressive aerospace engineering knowhow. I mean, I usually just chuck a wing on and hope for the best!
With the airframe complete, basic electronics were added - running from a 2s battery - and the engine was installed.
After a couple of revisions, Tom radically redesigned his version 1 engine by removing the spring. He dealt with the issue of keeping the design fairly simple whilst improving the engine overall.
On the cutaway whiteboard drawing, you can see how each part of the engine works together precisely.
With the new V3 engine's success, it was time to stick it onto something that flies! The V2 airplane was designed to be a flying wing this time.
Unfortunately, it didn't go too well on the first tests. This is what experimentation is all about, though, trying new things to see what the result is. Sometimes you'll find success, other times you'll experience disappointments. Back to the drawing board!
After designing a new cam, the engine performed better and the plane experienced a few longer flights.
After the failure of the V2 plane, Tom decided to develop a throttle for his engine. This allowed him to finely control the airflow and subsequent RPM. This would be really helpful for using the engine in other exciting applications - such as a surface vehicle.
I'm really looking forward to more developments in this rather unique project series from Tom. It's great seeing people push the boundaries of what's possible whilst inspiring others. If you want to see more from him, go ahead and visit his channel!
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Article by James Whomsley
Editor of FliteTest.com
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