The wind here in the winter has had me down where I just wasnt comfortable flying. Even at 10ph, it is usually gusty, so the Easy Star was impossible, the Trojan was getting tossed, and my other planes were no better off. So.. I decided a quick wing build was what I needed.

Enter the PZ Stryker. For less than $30 you can buy all the foam parts, and with your own electronics be flying in hours. So that is what I did.

Motor: RC Timer 2212-06 2200 kv w/ 6x4 prop
ESC: Hobbywing 30A
Hitec HS82MG servos
Corona 72mhz Rx

And thats it, plus the high-visibility paint, of course. The only mods were to move the rx out to the wing as seen by other members to increase physical distance from Rx to Vtx in the future. So far it has only been maidened plus a few more flights, but it flew so nice I think it is ready for some FPV gear...

Updated 11/16/10

So this is my 2nd Easy. The 1st ended up 30ft in a tree on the 3rd flight, and came down in 50 pieces with the help of a sligshot and some rocks. BEC failure.

This on ehas had its share of damage, but she is a trooper. Now more tape than foam, she keeps chugging on.

Mods are:
-Enlarged balsa rudder
-Reinforced H Stab
-Custom pod/canopy plug for FPV equipment.
-High visibility paint
-Brushless 2212-06 RCtimer with 7x5 clipped to 6" prop.
-Ailerons w/ a gyro
-Schrerrer NR RX
-Dragon OSD
-LM 1W 1280 Vtx

FPV 110104 2500 EZ to 1 Mile (10 min 30 sec)

...Continue Reading

Updated 9/6/10: FPV gear added, only limited testing so far. Added pics.

So, I have liked helis for a while, but always found flying my Blade 400 unnerving and a hassle. Heli flying takes patience and practice, I and I didnt wanna do it.

But, the FPV and AP opportunities afforded by rotary wings are pretty inviting, so when I found a tricopter build that was well documented and affordable, I decided to try it.

Here is the thread:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...1142429&pp=100

Status: FPV Active
20" Radius
Power: 3x RCTiimer 2836/11, 30A RCT (Hobbywing) ESCs, 3S 2200mAh 20C batteies, 11x3.8 SF props.
Gyros are HK401Bs

Initial Tricopter Test Flights (1 min 40 sec)

...Continue Reading

So take a T3chdad Deltastorm, add in a little Chellie Scratch-built Funjet, and what do you get? I'm not sure, but I will just call mine the DeltaFun.

Status: Inactive, Destroyed
***Elevon failure
Length: 25" with motor and camera
Wingspan: 31"
AUW: 18oz with FPV gear, 15.2oz without.
Power: 2212-06 RCTimer motor, 30A RCT ESC, 3S 1800mAh 20C ~230W with a 5.5x4.5 prop)

FPV equipment (pulled from Trojan) :
-1.28ghz 700mw BOB System
-GP CX-161
-IBC> Antenna

Testing the gear. Still has some interference problem, but should be worked out soon.

FPV DeltaFun Test 2 900mhz (2 min 14 sec)

Building, testing, and flying a FPV rig can get complicated and stressful very quick, as I found my 'Walkman' Custom was becoming. With easily $400 of gear on board and countless hours of work, it is still an anxiety attack waiting to happen when flying it!

Enter PZ Trojan. Known for it's great flying characteristics, the Trojan also has proven itself to be a good light FPV rig as well. With some very basic equipment and minor weight gain, the T-28 can be both fun to fly and a cheap way to get into FPV, especially if you already own it (or even other PZ birds as they may too fit the bill)

Here I just want to document how I set mine up to use what I'd say is nearly absolute minimal flight gear. In addition to the trojan, my FPV additions were as follows:
1. GP CX-161 Camera w/ 1.9mm lense....$30 after shipping
2. Chinese VTX/RX combo...~$75-120 after shipping (2.4 ghz Lawmate, 1.3 Sunsky, or 900mhz DPCAV systems are probably good starters)
3. Home-made custom antenna....about $5 in parts
4. Ferrite rings to clean up the power supply to the video....$5
5. 'JST' (Balance plug) Connectors to power the video from the main battery....For a pack of about 50 $15
6. Servo wire....5 meters for about $5
7. 7805 5volt DC regulator. this is for the camera, which is a 5v camera. Not needed for 12v cams. About $5 locally or after shipping online.
8. Some extra Deans, EC3, or other connectors so you can make up a harness to power your video receiver from a 3S lipo....Continue Reading

So the original booms made of balsa and foam seemed to react to the varying heatand humidity conditions of my area. The tail seemed to twist on hot days, so I replaced the booms with carbon shafts.

The shafts are arrows that slide into larger arrows so the tail is now completely removeable. Small pins hold it in place for rapid assembly.

I also reinforced teh landing gear some more, as well as added a polycarbonate sheild over the cam for protection and aerodynamics. I have not tested it's effect on the image quality yet....Continue Reading

Finally them how I like them. I kept the original structure instead of the ski-goggle or similar mod since I dont mind it so much.

More pics of the 'Walkman' FPV platform.

It currently is set up of just the stock omni on a golf ball retriever extendable pole and a thrift shop tripod. I am using the stock trimersion base station so the goggles can be used wirelessly.

This holiday weekend I flew it quite a bit. She flies nicely but does not like wind much despite the shallow dihedral. The airfoil is thick at about 1.5" at its widest section, so it might benefit from a shallower section.

I was very cautious with the range, but the RVOSD says I was averaging a distance of 1000' LOS and about 200' altitude. This is all on the stock omni antennas. I was very happy with this and it was actually pretty solid video for the most part.

The base station consists of:
-Trimersion goggles with AV in, external antenna, and 1S Lipo mod
-Trimersion base station with power mod
-Goodwill $3 Tripod
-Goodwill $3 Golf ball retreiver as an antenna...Continue Reading

50" Mini Boombox I am calling the "Walkman"
Built from DOW FFF, balsa, fiberglass rods (from telephone lines), and white PU Gorilla Glue.

Status: Inctive: Dismantled

Airframe:
-50" WS
-Chord is 10" not including the tacked on 1.5" aileron
-Clarke Y Airfoil
-Very light dihedral, about 1" on wingtips

Electronics:
-Eflite Park 480 w 10x6
-Mystery 40A ESC
-72mhz Rx Fut FP-148DF
-Turnigy low noise BEC
-Hextronic 9g Servos

FPV equipment:
-VTX varies on flight conditions
-KX 191
-RVOSD

Other:
-Other design considerations are the elimination of carbon fiber from the airframe. First of all, I was out of it and it is expensive, secondly, it can affect RF signals so I used fiberglass and balsa. Shee still is very sturdy, and the elimination of CF also kept the 'price' low, about $10 in materials if you were to buy only the quantities you needed.


Inspiration threads for this build are here:
60" Boom Box KFM3 by Grenadapult - This was where I developed the fuse from. I built a 60" KFM version but on my smaller version I built up a Clarke Y wing. I just like the look better, and the concealment of the wires and such.
Micro Grey Ghost by RaptorAP - I didnt directly use any ideas from RaptorAP, but I think the concept of a modular pod is a great one, and would have integrated it if I hadnt already built my fuse upon finding his thread. Also using production wings would greatly speed up my build process as the 1/2" foam fuse builds up much more quickly than the built-up wing.
Scout by IBCrazy - Again, I didnt borrow anything directly, but I am interested in the improvements to be had by adding a swept wing.

Boom Box. Simple Boomer.