Costs

Flying Pig

So far, the cost is mostly time. I suppose one could argue that the laptop wear and tear, etc. are costs...

How I am going to write a successful grant proposal, I do NOT know yet, but I will accomplish it.

A six foot propeller is going to cost at least $365.00 plus tax. Times four is $1460.00. Currently, the Massachusetts sales tax rate is 6.25 percent, so the sales tax would be $91.25 making the cost including tax $1551.25.

http://www.arrowprop.com/up.htm

http://www.mass.gov/dor/all-taxes/sales-and-use/

The motors, Part Number predator 50-6, cost $1,739.00 ($1,659.00 on sale today... LOL) each. Times four is $6956.00, so the cost including sales tax, $434.75, is $7390.75.

"cost/price of the Nissan Leaf's battery is around $15,000", however, I don't know if that includes tax--probably not...

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/136894-will-high-mileage-nissan-leafs-need-costly-battery-replacements-soon

Somehow I came up with 22 yards of cloth four or five feet wide as the amount needed to skin the body of the craft. For now (this calculation/guestimation will have to be revisited!),

Item # C53-7250, TD-06-P Checker Board Carbon Fiber Fabric plain weave, per yard is $28.80

Item # C61-4402, Style 353 Kevlar 49 crowfoot weave, per yard is $15.81

Item # C53-6285, Style 284 Carbon Fiber Fabric twill weave, per yard is $30.28

My cost estimate for fabric is (22 yards X 1 ply X $28.80) + (22 yards X 2 ply X $30.28) = $1,965.92. Massachusetts 6.25 percent sales tax would be $122.87

Item # G11-1012, SB-112 Epoxy Laminating Resin kit, 1.5 gallons is $208.15

Massachusetts 6.25 percent sales tax would be $13.01

So this initial estimate with tax is $2,309.95.

The kevlar and additional layers of cloth might or might not be needed, so this estimate may change dramatically upward...

(The checkerboard is just to put lipstick on the pig... LOL)

http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/Product_Catalog/Reinforcements/Carbon_and_Kevlar/carbon_and_kevlar.html

The bulk material inside will be melamine foam, because it is non-flammable and very light. Also, it is very sound absorbent.

Properties include:
 * Density (12 KG/CBM, or 26.46 LBS/CBM)
 * Wide temperature Range up to 240°C [465°F]
 * Excellent Acoustic Properties

There is not a lot of price information about it available, it seems, and it all comes from China. Also, minimum order is 20 cubic meters... LOL  I need a tad less for this little project. I'll figure something out...

http://melafoam.en.ec21.com/Melamine_Foam--6778384_6781442.html

http://www.ttnet.net/ttnet/gotoprd/PL400/020/0/1383639383831343630333332373939303032303234373.htm

It seems the melamine foam is not stiff enough anyway and it "degrades", so maybe styrofoam will have to suffice.

Foamed aluminum is too expensive (only based on the one price I saw--hundreds for a few cubic inches) and probably too heavy/dense.