Well, the conditions weren't perfect, except for Sunday evening. You could cut the cool fall air with a knife!

Saturday after 2pm and up to 5pm Sunday, winds were variable, gusting to ~45km/h - no flying then! So, I kept myself busy with a little Sunday afternoon field project. (Portable wind sock blog entry below)

I was able to finalize the thrust angle and CG on my replacement (old) new Super Decathlon BL, and flew it several times this past weekend. It flies almost like the one I had with ~700 flights on it, but its even better in some ways.

Also took the Pitts out for a stroll! A really nice landing - 3 pointer, and 20' rollout. Sweet.

My flying group had their foamy Cubs and Micro champs out as well. A good time had by all. Upper winds were really nice to provide excellent lift all weekend, when the wind was more favorable.

On another note: I am getting a couple of Orange 3 3-axis stabilization system for my Pitts as a winter project, and will initially try it out on either my Lancair ES or Super Dec. I have heard great things about these units, so I hope they work decently. It would be nice to have an "AS3X" type of system on my Pitts 12!

SkyCadet

Well, I decided it might be a good idea, so I made one with a HobbyKing windsock ($3/ea) and had a spare. This way, if we fly at a field without one, I can take it along. The unit stands just around 2.5m/8' fully extended.

I made this with some golf poles (for practice chipping) that I had laying around. 3 sections around 2.5 feet long. They assemble like tent poles. On the top pole, I slid off the flag and end cap and put in a 3/8" SS rod 12" long into the 1/2" pole. I used graphite epoxy to secure it, and Cut a 7/16" aluminum Heli tail boom I had laying around that was damaged but I had enough to cut to cover the 3/8" SS rod. I glued this over the hollow rod by using GE as well, and 3/8" heat shrink to center the two. The sock base has 8" of nylon rod from a plastic coat hangar, and this was glued into the hollow sock shaft. I used a small steel washer with a 3/8" hole to act as a stop, and this was also glued onto the sock base. It provides a pivot point when inserted into the top of the modified pole.

Pictures below. Works great, is in four pieces (sock plus 30" poles) when disassembled, and will work in grass, snow, etc.

SkyCadet.

Well, I had a brownout on my 20A ESC last Sunday when flying my older super Decathlon. I found out that my 2200Kv motor system, even governed at 90% throttle, still runs around 21.7 Ap! The system cut out, and took 6 seconds to reboot - during which time I had NO control. The system came back too late, and the plane crashed, nose-first.

My previous airframe I had before this one had the landing gear rip out upon an overly hard landing (weak point of the plane anyway), so I had this cut out, and trimmed, and used a Mini Funtana gear form E-Flite put in place. The gear assembly fit my axles and wheels no problem, and I used a piece of foam plate shaped to act as a cover after affixing the gear strut. This was done by bolting it onto the underside of the carriage, using 2.5mm, 15mm long capscrews and lock nuts/washers. Epoxy-Graphite was used to reinforce the system. It is rock-solid, a bit heavier (about 4g) than stock, and 2" wider, and almost 1" taller than the stock gear. Pictures are below.

The plane required some rear tail counterweights to balance, but this was no problem. Maiden showed that the thrust axis (from stock) required a lesser down angle and just a touch less right thrust. Landings are solid and sure, even in depper grass to about 3". Plenty of prop clearance for the 8x6 E-Flite prop on there now. The plane has a bit more lateral momentum due ot the larger struts, but this is not a problem and may make it handle windy conditions a bit...Continue Reading

Hi all!

Well, I recently added a UMX Beast (w/AST3X) to the hangar! (Thanks to Remi and Shelley for their gift - they bought one of my micro champs, and then got me a UMX beast in lieu! You two rock!

As with all my foamy planes, I used 1:1 Weldbond glue:water (~40-50% diluted) to cover ALL surfaces except the hinges. This tightens up the pores of the foam and adds a sort of plastic coating on the surfaces to strengthen them - yes it adds about 0.3g of weight, but it's worth it!!!

I added some Dubro 1" microlite wheels to replace the stock gear and used two plastic ends from my Dubro 1/2" tail wheel kit, and placed the 1/2" Dubro tail wheel in place of the stock foamy wheel as well. The 1" wheels weigh in at around 0.6g heavier than the stock pants/wheels, but are nicer, and fit on the gear shaft perfectly!!!

I have yet to maiden: I ordered some 260mAh Turnigy Nanotech 2S 20C batteries from HK, and they won't be here for around 10 days. So, I opted to run 2x1S 160mAh batts (Turnigy Nanotechs) in series with a custom harness. I also replaced the custom E-Flite plug on the plane with a Deans micro 3-pin connector instead. This way, I can run whatever good batteries I want, and just add the female on the batteries. About the same size as the stock plugs. Easier to uncouple, and work superbly!!!

Below are some pixs of the new plane, ready to fly! I should be able to try it out later today!!! Can't wait! Bound to the DX6i, FYI...

SkyCadet

I have added a flight video with selected excepts from a dusk flight demo I did for a friend. This thing is a total hoot to fly now - it is WAY more plane than stock, and a lot of performance for the size and type of plane it is. It is a plastic-covered foam material, and is reasonably strong and light. I have 600+ flights with this airframe, and two spare whole airframes to play with when this one goes. I just love this plane. I can't explain it other than it finds use in fields where some of my faster planes might be a real workout trying to land crossfield or on shorter landing spots than is generally wise to use. The Decathlon really does it for some types of flying I do...

Super Decathlon BL souped up!!! (4 min 4 sec)

Enjoy!

The plane is almost quiet except for the wind noise of the propeller as it goes zinging by!

As mentioned previously, this plane has an RCTimer 2200Kv 335W motor (50g) a direct size/weight replacement for the stock motor, which sucks. It has a 20A ESC, and I run 56g, 1200mAh 2S 25C Lipos on it. I use a Powerflow 8x6 prop on a 3.2mm collet, and Dubro spinner. It looks as great as it flies. I run around 140W WOT with the 2S setup, and limit the throttle to 80% to avoid over-taxing the 20A ESC during long WOT manoeuvers - this runs right around 18-19Ap during WOT now.

(**However: using batteries at over 20-25C discharge capabilities may exceed a 20A draw. I recently had a new 2S 1200mAh cut my ESC out during a high...Continue Reading

This weekend has been FANTASTIC!

Lots of great flying with near perfect conditions. YEAH!

Just finished posting a Youtube video shot by my friend Remi (also an RC enthusiast!) - he forgot to set HR on his iPhone4 so the video is vertical instead of widescreen. Still, a few good looks at the Pitts in action!

SkyCadet

Pitts 12 15e Duskfun flights (5 min 1 sec)

Awesome...

I am a BIG 3-blade fan, and have run the MAS 8x6x3 for most of the time with this plane with much success. However, the RC Timer 2200Kv motor I recently installed in lieu of the 1400Kv I ran before, is really nice with this plane!

Same weight, but faster prop speed and more thrust, esp. with the Powerflow (Great Planes) 8x6 on there. Really quiet, only a whisper from the air passing by as I zing along. Really nice.

SkyCadet

Well, there's a really interesting phenomenon with my new BL micro champ:

At 40% throttle, it attracts dragonflies to it! I have seen this on more than one occasion, and the flies follow it along as best they can and even fly in formation with it, as if it is some sort of "queen fly" or something!

There must be a motor resonance that emits an audio frequency they respond to. Maybe a paper in Nature is forthcoming! I'll try and get a video if I can before the dragonflies are done for the year. It is mesmerizing to watch them follow in formation with the plane!

The new plane is doing very well - I have it balanced and trimmed out almost ideally now, and it flies very much like my original modified brushed champ, except that this unit can easily fly successively without over heating at all! It runs very cool, the motor and ESC have excellent airflow. It also has slightly better control throws, which allows very tight snap rolls on the rudder, and tighter loops than the stock unit.

I am exceedingly impressed with this Turnigy T5A-1S ESC/A05 motor combination. It has plenty of pep, uses less power than my stock brushed champs I used, and flies very well. Stalls are a bit more extreme/deep due to the extra weight of my setup, but I have that managed well for landing now. THe best part is that this BL system WORKS: I tried several el-cheapo generic 1S ESCs which just did not handle the A05 at all - two smoked with no reasonable performance. I just think that...Continue Reading

Here's a video of my new micro BL Champ!

BLuChamp1 (3 min 19 sec)

SkyCadet

Just finished my BL micro champ. Always wanted to try this!

I used an AR05 BL 3700Kv motor and 5A Turnigy ESC from HK. Brick (RX) is an AR6400L multi channel rx.

Tested it out and mounted a 3-blade 110x80 prop using graphite-epoxy after reaming carefully the prop hole in the hub. THe AR05 has a 1.5mm shaft size, JUST larger than the hub hole. There was a touch of play, but enough to glue the prop on. Just before curing (~6-7 min until pretty much solid), around the 5 min mark, I adjusted the track and then ran the motor slowly enough to let it self-center and rotate in a plane, and self-balances.

Let sit for another minute, and repeat. Care was taken to avoid over rotating the prop and having it fly off the shaft!

Motor was mounted using 1/32" thin ply in 2 layers (1/16" total). Holes drilled to match motor and shaft rear. I then used 2mm cap screw hardware to affix to the wood. Total weight was just under 2g above the stock brushed motor and mount system. Not bad!

I then hard wired the whole assembly and put in the plane. The ESC was positioned aft of the RX to help balance a bit better. Also, the motor is connected using a spare 2S balance lead plug to ease motor replacement if necessary.

Running is close to the brushed for draw: 1.66Ap. Run time in the 9 minute range at mid-throttle (0.6A), with nominal draw around 2.5W, about 6W peak. The 3A nominal, 5Ap Turnigy ESC runs this VERY well. I could never get the el-cheapo generic ESCs to run...Continue Reading

Some Hi-res extracts from the videos shot and posted earlier. The Pitts 12 15e is a fun plane to fly!

Cheers all...

SkyCadet

Well, we finally did it! A windsock.

I've been meaning for the past year to put up a decent windsock at the park/field we do most of our casual flying. When HK (Hobby King) finally got in their new inventory of very affordable windsocks, I ordered 3 of them. They had been backordered for months!

They are quite nice: The sock is a decent size, with a 10" opening, on a 12" aluminum 3/8" tube, with about a 30" length. Only $2.99/ea. We used a 1/2" SS pipe (surplus) that was ~32" long, sandwiched between two hardwood blocks with a "U" clamp on a backstop pole to mount the unit ~22 feet up. It was tricky using the 18' ladder to attach the pole, but we did it!

I used a 5/16 washer with a piece of plastic coat hanger inserted into the sock's tube (using graphite epoxy to adhere it) to extend the sock about 9". It slipped into the pipe perfectly!

We had a hoot with several folks flying after we installed the sock. It was great to have some local help, and the kids can use this to determine whether the wind is enough for kite flying! The sock's stripes are about 2 km/h (or 1mph) per stripe, so when fully inflated, the wind is pretty much 10-12 km/h (or higher). Good to know in that field! The nearby church has a large flag that we used to use, but it did not always indicate wind well. This is WAYYY better!

See pics below...

Sky Cadet

MVI 6712 (1 min 10 sec)

Low field flyby, plus landing (a bit fuzzy after the flyby)

...Continue Reading

Well, I decided to update my shot of my current lineup of aircraft. My micro champ wing just shows up by my decathlon... I also have a Blade MCR tucked away inside where it does not show. I also have several Pilot- Champ 1/8 scale airframes tucked away, need to rebuild one soon!

Main planes in active lineup:

- Micro champ, not shown: some wheel mods only, flies great!!!

- Super Decathlon BL: RC Timer 1400Kv and 20A ESC running 2S 1200mAh, 8x6 3-blade MAS prop.

- Lancair ES: RC Timer 1120 Kv motor, 30A ESC, running 3S 2100 mAh, 9x7 3-blade prop (MAS).

- Pitts 12 15e: RC timer 900Kv motor, 60A ESC/dual BEC, 2800 mAh 4S batteries, 12x6 3-blade MAS.

All planes can take off and land in short grassy fields near my house. However, the Lancair, being a tricycle gear, does have some issues when the grass is taller, on landing.

My Pitts 12 recently had a change to the airframe - mostly cosmetic, nothing too big, but very nice add-on for looks: I got two white Dubro large control rod covers, and used them to adhere on the underside of my plane to direct airflow out the tail. I used to use slots cut in the covering, but this really added looks, and I have yet to try them out after adhering with epoxy.

They should provide a little more draw, despite being only 1/4" openings, with a venturi effect probably more pronounced than with flat slots under the plane. we'll see...

I've been flying a LOT lately, mostly the Super Dec, micro champ, and Pitts. What a great bit of fun!!!

SkyCadet

I recently had a close mishap with my Lancair ES. This is the plane built two years ago, and is on earlier blog entries. I overcorrected whilst flaring onto a grass field, and nearly stalled the plane!

The plane hit nose wheel first (only slightly), before touching down. I had plenty of prop clearance, and no issues occured per se, except that the nose wheel was becoming increasingly loose (on the fuselage) with significant play ensuing from the hard landing.

I decided to use Dubro 2.5mm (15mm long) capscrews and 2.5mm washers/nuts to BOLT the nylon collets onto the firewall. I used a 3/32" drill bit to drill the holes out where previously the stock screws were positioned, and used some graphite-epoxy to secure the nylon spacer nuts and slightly reinforce the fiberglass firewall where these were mounted. The whole job took less than 1 hour, and is rock solid now.

It does not interfere with battery placement, nor does it affect steering (other than being better than stock!). The capscrews are secured with a 2.5mm nut, and two washers: one on top of the nylon collet (where the gear strut fits into it) and one on the inside of the firewall.

I can now fly on even rougher fields without issue moving forward. I recommend this "upgrade" to anyone who flies this plane a lot, and are looking for a more secure way to have this nosewheel/gear stay in good working order over a large range of landing surfaces. Even flying on pavement, this beefier setup takes all the residual play out of the nosewheel now (except the tiny bit left between the nylon and nose strut needed for smooth turning).

I forgot to shoot some pix before replacing the cowling and prop, but if you refer to the earlier build images on my Lancair ES, you'll immediately see what I did. If anyone has questions, please feel free to ask!

SkyCadet

Near perfect evening + 70F/21C+very cool RC plane+empty soccer field = a WHOLE lotta fun!

My Pitts went up in the late evening. A fellow was fly casting for practice earlier in the eve, and I did not wish to risk getting tagged on the way down! It would make line RC a whole new thing!

Anyway, it was great. Just one quick 7.5 minute flight, and an awesome TD. I did a few loops a roll or two, a wingover, and some general cruising. Consumed 1550mAh of available 2100mAh (75% LVC on a 2800 battery).

So, I should be able to do around 10-11 minutes flying like that, around 50% and then 75%-80% on manouevers. The kids just love this plane! It's a winner, and one I hope to fly much more this summer. I am just finalizing the CG issue I had in earlier flights to get the plane a bit closer to ideal. Almost have it!

Darren/SkyCadet

A friend of mine in the hobby recently came across this:

A 4-bladed wood prop without the metal hub that sometimes accompanies some mutli-bladed wooden props...

The hobby store rep said it shouldn't be done. He's run these up to 8000RPM with no issue.

See pics below... He made these with two 2-bladed props! Very nice job, and they balanced and track almost perfectly. He's made several 11", 15" props to date. This one, a 11x7.5, is going on his P51...

SkyCadet

Just got in from a great first flight!

This is a tad nose-heavy, so I'll need to readjust my battery next flight. Evening was almost dead calm. Plane's axial and lateral trim was bang on, just 2-3 notches on the up trim for level flying at 50%.

I was surprised how FAST this plane flies, even at 45-50% throttle!

5-1/2 minute flight, with 1st 1.5 minutes closer to 65-70% throttle as I adjusted trim for 50% level out. Came in a bit hot on landing, but flared smooth onto the grassy field. No bounces or nose-ins!

I am going to have a hoot with this plane!

***Update: Just finished charging the pack. 1150mAh consumed of the available 2100 (75% level of the 2800mAh in this pack). Since I estimate a 7-7.5 minutes of general cruise based upon my static measurements with this system, the 5.5 is closer to 7 or so at 45-50% throttle. So, I should get around 12.5 min. if cruising, 9-10 with mixed flying, and probably 7-8 min with more aggressive aerobatic flying...

Smooth skies all! Enjoy the maiden video - thanks to Rob R. for shooting as best he could with the video - the plane went very fast - and hard to follow...

SkyCadet

Pitts12_15e_Maiden.flv (5 min 37 sec)

Just finished a preflight final check before maiden.

Currently windy, so I'll have to wait until the wind dies (30km/h gusting to 50 right now!)

SkyCadet

Pitts12_15e1S.flv (1 min 55 sec)

I now have the plane ready to fly! The weather calls for good conditions this weekend, though I may have to wait until Saturday late pm to maiden. Will post Youtube flight when complete!

I extended the battery tray, and now can run both my 4S 2800s and 3S 5200s within the CG limits of the plane. Sweet! I'll start wiht the 4S to get a feel and then try a 3S later on. The CG seems bang on 4" aft of the leading edge for fuselage level. I'm very happy with that.

Meantime, I used light graphite epoxy to attach the canopy. I had a bit of a time getting this to seat just right. It went on decently, but I have a slight offset on the left side (only 1/2mm or so, but noticable near the canopy rear). I also had difficulty sealing the leading front edge despite applying a good helping of GE on the canopy.

So, I sealed this with white glue. Not to hold, but to avoid airflow into the canopy, and reduce drag.

Below are the pixs of my finished baby! I put two 1/4" wide slots near the fuse underside rear for exit air. ALL Ready to go!

Stay tuned for a hopefully eventful maiden flight! Will try 7 minutes the first flight.

SkyCadet