When I asked if there was another orni flyer in Seattle, Stallman replied. We agreed to meet this morning at Taylor Fields in Kirkland, WA. We arrived at the field and found a couple of fliers and two visitors, one of whom was a modeller (gas). This was our first opportunity to compare birds, see photo. They are different. His is an SK and Protoseni's bird is not a copy, there is not one part, except possibly the gears, that would transfer from one to the other. His main wing spar was cracked from a previous crash and he couldn't fly so it was up to me.

As you can see from the photo, it was a grassy field. Good thing. First launch attempt it went in on the nose. Second launch attempt, in on the nose - I'm beginning to be glad that the nose on my bird is three layers of carbon fiber. Third launch was not great but the bird staggered into the air and once it got some altitude, flew well. I thought I had the launch down, but clearly have to work on it more. I flew around for a minute or so, and made the mistake of flying overhead where I lost orientation and crashed. The tail broke off when it hit. The design is quite clever. The servo arm on the right/left servo is screwed into the tail support with two screws. What broke was only the servo arm and Amas had included spare servo arms with the kit. The repair was less than 10 minutes, no other damage.

Not quite as impressive a public demonstration as I would have liked, but I know what I have to work on - the launch, and after the launch - follow a flight plan!

Richard S

good luck guys if it face plants put the battery furtther back

This morning I headed to the field determined to improve my launch technique. I had 4 or 5 launches, all successful. I also moved the battery back a bit to the middle of the recommended C of G range. Start flapping at about 1/3 throttle, nose up, really big, strong heave. The second it leaves my hand, full throttle. Worked every time. I also practiced landings and pulsing the throttle stick to get the wings in the up position before I flare and touchdown. I'm glad to see progress!

Richard S

Well done, Richard!
I enjoyed meeting up with you at the field.
We'll both be more experienced the next time we meet.

On my end (and for the rest who read here), I had two successful outings with short flights, usually a minute or two each. Battery position is quite variable on the SK, and my bird flew well with the battery right in the middle. I'm a rookie on the sticks, so I'm learning to fly while I figure out the special things regarding the ornithopter. Thankfully, the overheating of the motor and ESC is no longer an issue, as I loosened the motor mounts to increase the amount of play (lash) between the first two gears. Then tightened everything down. Now it runs fine. Due mostly to my inexperience, the bird set down a bit hard on the right spar, causing a 4" crack, rather a split. Before going for a total replacement or rebuild, I'll stick it back together with CA, then wrap that place with some #6 silk thread and coat the wraps with CA. That's probably not a permanent fix, but it seems worth trying.

Anyway, it's good to see my bird in the air. It is an amazing thing to see!

Bob

they are amazing to fly enjoy happy flapping guys

I've got one of Protoseni's birds. Launch is slightly more than half throttle and toss it lightly into the air into the wind. Here's a video:

Ornithopter maiden with curious birds, 22 July 2012 (2 min 19 sec)

Hope it helps.