Details on the ExCali prototype No.1’s internal pulley system

Above are some detail photos of the impressive pulley system that Swiss Peter engineered for the ExCali.

The summary of the system is as follows:

• There is a tapered carbon fiber tube running the length of the tailboom
• There is a flat plate of carbon affixed to the forward end of the tube which serves as a servo mount
• The servo has a pulley whose cables run inside the tapered longeron to the rear of the plane
• At the stabilzer side, there are flat carbon plates which capture a ballbearing stabilizer pivot assembly

This is seriously next-level engineering for a prototype and demonstrates the insane level of detail that Swiss Peter engages in when testing his ideas. There is literally no limit to the amount of effort he will put into testing an idea! He truly is an inspiration.

In flying his ExCali prototype, I found the elevator very smooth and accurate. While this system is probably too much effort to reproduce on a large scale, I’m glad we were able to document it. Definitely one of the finest pieces of foamie engineering to be found anywhere!