ok... so they need to make a pusher version of the 2500... lol

Chris

Originally Posted by fastfwd

you just designed the art-tech diamond 2500 the most stable elegant plane i have ever flown. turns on a dime climbs like crazy,and will float forever with no power.

Looks like a very nice plane. But the prop is on the wrong end . And it has a lot less wing, skinnier than the SSS's, so might carry less weight than the SSS.

But it is lighter, itself, than the SSS, by a lot. Quite an interesting design!

she's so pretty! *sniff* my new baby!

Originally Posted by Little-Acorn

Looks like a very nice plane. But the prop is on the wrong end . And it has a lot less wing, skinnier than the SSS's, so might carry less weight than the SSS.

But it is lighter, itself, than the SSS, by a lot. Quite an interesting design!

I have two of them one still in box,they are so popular that it is very hard to get one, so when they came in stock i grabbed an extra, if i only had one choice it would the diamond 2500, i just got a phoenix 2000 evolution and it is also a very agile floating plane,very fast and very light dont get me wrong i love the SSS but you have to be on the sticks every second,not so with these other two Nitro planes just went out of stock again after having them for only a few days, banana hobby will have them soon but are way over priced and taking pre orders so they will be out before they even get them in lol

Originally Posted by polix

she's so pretty! *sniff* my new baby!

and so much fun

Originally Posted by fastfwd

dont get me wrong i love the SSS but you have to be on the sticks every second,

That's what I've noticed about my SSS, too. With the CG at or near 100mm behind the wing leading edge, if it's in a gentle dive, it will stay in that dive and not pull out unless you tell it to. The controls are very responsive and it will pull out quickly and easily at the first touch of the stick... but you have to tell it.

I would think that, in theory, if you made it slightly noseheavy, and then cranked in a little up-elevator trim, supposedly it should then automatically pull out of a gentle dive without being told to. IN THEORY. I haven't tried this yet, so I don't know if that theory is worth the paper it's (not) printed on. Might be worth a try. A little "positive static stability" like this would be nice to have in the SSS, but it will probably take some experimenting to see what we have to do to actually produce it.

Originally Posted by Little-Acorn

I would think that, in theory, if you made it slightly noseheavy, and then cranked in a little up-elevator trim, supposedly it should then automatically pull out of a gentle dive without being told to. IN THEORY. I haven't tried this yet, so I don't know if that theory is worth the paper it's (not) printed on. Might be worth a try. A little "positive static stability" like this would be nice to have in the SSS, but it will probably take some experimenting to see what we have to do to actually produce it.

I actually fly all my gliders like this, i keep them nose heavy on purpose. works very well.

Originally Posted by polix

I actually fly all my gliders like this, i keep them nose heavy on purpose. works very well.

+1 on that

Thank you for summing it up!

Originally Posted by Little-Acorn

The ones lots of people have suggested include (but not limited to):

1.) Rudder and Elevator pushrods are too skinny. Instructions say you should slip some plastic tubes (included with the plane) over them where they come out of the fuselage near the tail, that sounds sort of mickeymouse. A number of people have replaced them with thicker wires, around .045" or thicker. Others have grafted 2-56 or 4-40 threaded rods onto the originals where they come out of the fuse near the tail, around 5" long, and put Kwik-links on them to attach to controls.

2.) The ESC that comes with the plane is marginal at best. It apparently has a linear BEC that heats up easily, and may not be able to handle the six servos the plane has. Some people report strange motor cutouts, even when they are not flying at high power settings, might be due to this. Not a bad idea to replace it with an ESC that has a switching-mode BEC, those run a lot cooler and are more efficient. Or possibly a completely separate BEC.

3.) Some of the propellers that came with the SSS, have been found to be mis-formed. Instead of the blades being 180 degrees apart, some have been more like 178 degrees or so. Very odd, and they won't ever stop vibrating. An APC 8x6E is one example of a good replacement.

4.) The original battery is a 3s LiPo, which gives OK but not spectacular performance. Some have replaced it with a 4s battery, which performs noticeably better with the original stock motor. If you do this, it's even more important to replace the ESC too.

5.) The main spar brace is a fiberglass rod that is very strong, but weighs a ton. Some folks have replaced it with carbon-fiber tubes that are like 1/4 as heavy but still very strong.

6.) A few people have reported that, in a steep dive, the SSS's ailerons no longer respond; though elevator is fine. After you pull out and slow down, everything works fine. It's not clear why yet - maybe the aileron servos aren't powerful enough, or maybe the wings twist slightly under heavier air loads, or maybe other causes.

7.) Some folks have put in more powerful motors, and gotten great performance as a result. This usually requires a higher-amperage ESC, and possibly a different battery. Some of these motors bolt right in and are a direct replacement with little effort needed. Others are larger diameter and need the plane's motor pod hollowed out, and sometimes the motor mount modified. Keep in mind that the SSS is a powered glider, not a racer or a stunt plane. Fast, steep climbs can be fun, and even useful at times. But if you want super aerobatics or high speeds, you're probably flying the wrong plane.
Bolt-in, 655W, steep climbs: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=18226
Needs engine mount mods, 1000W, vertical climbs: http://www.headsuprc.com/servlet/the...ushless/Detail
Lots of other motors, from many sources, are good too.

8.) Cameras, gyros for stability (especially with a camera), two-wheeled landing gear, LED lights and strobes, you name it, it's probably been tried. And if it hasn't, what are you waiting for. The sky's the limit.

9.) When you modify your plane, check the Center of Gravity (G.G., or balance point). The instructions specify a location 100mm behind the leading edge of the wing. Most people seem to get good results if it's from 90-odd mm to 100 mm. I've flown mine with anywhere from 93mm - 100mm with good results.

I've also flown it with C.G. more than 100mm behind the leading edge, but the plane was tricky to handle and stalled a lot, which I consider unacceptable. Your results may vary, of course. But the SSS seems to be VERY sensitive to C.G. location.

Anybody have other mods to suggest? Lots of things are possible with this plane.

Originally Posted by fastfwd

dont get me wrong i love the SSS but you have to be on the sticks every second

Originally Posted by Little-Acorn

That's what I've noticed about my SSS, too.

Hmmm... wonder why mine is so easy to fly then my kk2.0 with OpenAero2 (that now supports flaprons) is so calm... it literally flies itself and i dont mean when i turn on my Dragon OSD's RTH

Chris

Originally Posted by chanyote66

Hmmm... wonder why mine is so easy to fly then my kk2.0 with OpenAero2 (that now supports flaprons) is so calm... it literally flies itself and i dont mean when i turn on my Dragon OSD's RTH

Chris

i just got my sss, i don't believe that you need to be on the sticks every second, but i will see once up in the air. Even my bix was fairly calm. perhaps not flying in hurricanes helps?

Originally Posted by polix

i just got my sss, i don't believe that you need to be on the sticks every second, but i will see once up in the air. Even my bix was fairly calm. perhaps not flying in hurricanes helps?

Okay you get her all trimmed out and let go of the stick and see how long it stay,s straight flat and level.

Originally Posted by fastfwd

Okay you get her all trimmed out and let go of the stick and see how long it stay,s straight flat and level.

Tested my SSS with stabilization off today... It stayed straight and level for about 30-45 sec, then went into a very slight left bank and kept circling, didnt loose altitude but just kept about a 400ft circle. It was pushed into the circle by a little 5mph gust of wind... but in anything besides calm air you would have to ride the sticks...

Chris

Originally Posted by chanyote66

Tested my SSS with stabilization off today... It stayed straight and level for about 30-45 sec, then went into a very slight left bank and kept circling, didnt loose altitude but just kept about a 400ft circle. It was pushed into the circle by a little 5mph gust of wind... but in anything besides calm air you would have to ride the sticks...

Chris

that's cool, i accept that, but i don't accept that my new baby would be an epileptic mess sans my thumbs! never!

well... heres my setup so far...

Waiting on a brighter beacon, and adding beacons to wingtips. Ill be moving the VTX to the tail, and adding a dual camera pan tilt once I can get some carbon.

Inside, I just have to finish mounting my OSD and light controller since they are just sitting in there right now.

For the paint, ill be finishing the wings in the same orange if I ever feel like not flying on a nice windless sunny day...lol