X-UAV Sky Surfer X8 1400mm Wingspan FPV Aircraft - US$39.99

MG-800 MG800 800mm Wingspan EPP Trainer Beginner Fixed Wing RC Airplane Aircraft PNP - US$58.99

That sky surfer seems like a good deal @ $40 USD

Dancing Wings -

Lets start here - I took it out a few mornings ago after doing some tuning in the front yard .
At my CG test site my first Spear Chuck was magnificent . And after that things just got steadily worse until the wing would just GLUD into the ground ..
For some reason , it refused to break , which was nice .

But I was getting frustrated and I was beginning to have daydreams of doing a rain dance on top the wing . The satisfying feeling of venting frustration stomping something into the ground ..

Rather I decided to stick to my plan , and the plan was to DLG the wing if nothing else worked ..

( The docile pussy cat )

Chalk and cheese folks ! The wing becomes a different animal when launched VIA wingtip . No longer a monster LEAD SLED , the wing now launched predictably and consistently - ( It glides - it glides )

Bixler Wing

As seen in the picture , the wing has been joined .. The Bixler HLG has begun ! The wing is 1440mm after trimming and joining . And it really is Floppsy ..
Yes , it will need carbon . It is super flex'y , and the weight is not good , it's going to be a weighty bird . Might be nice on a slope ? or bungee launched .
I will build it ..


Dont know why ?
Got me a small geared motor ..
Maybe ? V911 HLG becomes motorised .... If I can get to the control board .

DVR Link
Tx06 Link

Tx06 was sent for review by Banggood.com
The DVR was purchased from Banggood.com

I have wanted to do something like this for a long time , and the catalyst was Banggood sending me the Eachine Tx06 for review / testing .

Eachine TX06 FPV camera unit :

I dont have video recording FPV goggles , so I cant directly record the video stream ..
What I can tell you is that the Tx06 has the cleanest video transmission I have experienced to date .
It is actually surprisingly good for the price .

I did try to use the Tx06 with two of my micro quads , and whilst they did work well for the tx06 , the batteries in the tiny quads could not sustain the extra current of the Tx06 unit . ( around 280mAh ) .
One gave me 45 seconds of flight , and the E010 I mounted the Tx06 on gave me about 90 seconds of flight .. ( Might need a battery upgrade )
I did finally mount the Tx06 on my old now WL toys 959 quadcopter which uses 1000mAh 1s .. This battery was easily able to handle the Tx06 and still gave around 8 minutes of flight .

Micro DVR :

Since I cant record the video stream , the next best thing would be an affordable DVR ..
The camera and DVR are not plug and play compatible .. Some soldering and splicing is required ...
Power - The DVR requires power , and for this I spliced into the + and - cables running to the Tx06 ..
Video - Well , yes . I spliced into the VIDEO OUT cable for the video signal .
The DVR came with a 3...Continue Reading

Shake N Bake ...
It's all shaking

I was right .. I had to tap into the + and - from the battery as well the video OUT signal wire ..
So it might look complicated with all that wiring , but simply eliminate whats not needed and your talking 3 wires ..

All that's needed is a micro SD card and a 1s battery for power ..
Now apparently the Camera pulls about 280mAh and the DVR about 260mAh ...
So we are talking about , half an Amp region for current draw .. Just got to make sure your battery can handle that .

I will have some video shortly , just need to do some editing ..

DVR
TX06 FPV camera

So what I have here is a very small , FPV camera / video recorder set up that is highly mobile ..

Ready to record video , or ready to cook something (?) ...

DVR / TX06


So glad I did not think it would be plug and play ..
Some soldering will be required ..

+ and - will come from the battery to the camera and to the DVR .. Both need to be powered separately ..
Then I need to tap the video out wire for the feed to the DVR ..

DVR Link

FPV camera Link ( Eachine Tx06 )

Ok , been testing this camera , but I had no way of directly recording the stream , until now ( I hope ) ..

Just need to check the camera outputs , make sure they match the DVR inputs ..
And hopefully I can do a little video recording ..
DVR = I dont know - YET !
Eachine XT06 FPV camera , so far it's very nice ! A am impressed .
And it was on sale recently , making it a very good buy . ( For the $ )
So hopefully I will have a review ( soon ) on both these , as it looks like they may make for a very nice pair !

E012 - No bind , 3 or 4 attempts and nothing !
So it might mean the fault lies with the flight control board ..
Oh well ! Stuff happens some times ...

Wow -

Flashed the firmware in my Jumper T8SG +

Have a few new protocols ...

V911s , oh I just had to buy a Rx board ( I had to - really I did )

Eachine E012 , mine never worked from day one ! Is it the quad or the Tx ?
Banggood sent it to me for review and it did nothing !
Now I can find out ..

I will have to open up the T8SG+ and tighten the springs for the gimbals ( Too soft for me right now ) ...
Been enjoying the T12 too much ...



Darn it to apple pie and a steak dinner !
I like the look of the T16 ...

I will just have to whip out the E012 and see if it will take a bind ...

Britney Spears - Oops!...I Did It Again (4 min 12 sec)

D Wing !!! a ling , a ling !

Fixed it , checked everything , even did some very small test glides in the back yard ..
Moved the CG forward ...

So this morning , I go to my CG check spot ..
ANd on the very first CHUCK , the D Wing makes even less distance than before and does the Lead Sled into the ground about half a meter from my feet ...

?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????

Ok , I dont get it ...

Why is it warping into Terra Firma like I had full down elevator ? or a 100LBS of lead in the nose ...

Strange ... At least 100LBS of lead would have gone further ..

Hmmm, looks like I am getting my monies worth in Education with this one ...

More repairs .. And try , try , again !

Hehehehehehheheheheheheheeeee !

Sometimes you just got to laugh it off !

So I took the Dancing Wings out this morning for a GLUD test ( clue ) ..
I got the CG spot on factory recommendation ( 50mm from LE )
I set up everything , mixed in Elevon ...

I was rather pleased with myself ! ( Was ! )

So at my CG test spot , I gave the D Wing a gentle launch and it went up a bit , and I corrected ..
It was sort of ok ..

Hmmm , 2nd launch was a little more energetic and the D wing did the LEad SLead thing straight into the ground ! ( What the parking lot ? )
I smashed the nose rather well , so it was back home for repairs ...

I did the repairs , and things thankfully looked worse than they really were .. A bit of glue , 10 minutes of my time and the D wing was back up and running .

????????????????????????????????

So what the parking lot happened ?
I checked and re-checked , everything was good ..

So rather than walking too far , I decided to some chucking in the front yard ( Not much space ) , but if it would glide across the yard and smack the fence I would be happy ..

Nope ! Seriously ..
There was one instance where I had to apply full up and the D wing turned withing it's own length ( looped ) ....
This things turns tighter than anything I have ever experienced since the mid 80's when I got the CG to far back on a Half A combat model ...
So with the recommended CG , this things turning inside itself ..
...Continue Reading

v911 HLG glides ( But ) (2 min 2 sec)

But - it's super sensitive to the wind / breeze ...
I tried to tune the launch setting , but the breeze changed and it started looping ..

I think this HLG is meant for indoors

Anyhow , be the last itsy bitsy glider I do ..

Budget Build R3 HLG @ Park ( Depron HLG ) (5 min 1 sec)

Took the R3 to the park !
Not sure how much load that wing can take ? , so I went to the small hillside to launch from ..
Wind is from the North / N East
That means the wind is blowing on my back or coming over my left shoulder .
The camera is on my hat , and not angled far enough down ( sorry about that ) , but I thought some R3 video would be nice ..

I spear chucked it , and launched off the left wing .. ( Launches nice ) .. Again , R3 was not built to be DLG .. But rather an experiment at LOW cost HLG and to see what 3mm Depron could do ..
My brain is feverishly trying to come up with a budget Depron DLG , designed for peg launching .. ( And cheap to build )
If I do this , I will try and document the build better ..

Pictured = Dancing WIngs Lightning ...
I have assembled it .. The foam bits ...
So the parts as they came out of the bag ready for assembly were some 121.5 grams ..
So ? , flying weight ? maybe under 150 grams ?
But just look at all that wing area ...

Waiting for a FS2A Rx , ordered a little while back ..

While I remember .. Bixler wings got here .. So one day ! A Bixler DLG ...

Some tempting stuff ..

Banggood.com > For those who despise AFL

So tempted ..

Isnt it the way !!!

Didn'y take the camera , and it glides !

Put a smaller battery in the glider ..
Programmed in some launch settings ( right rudder / down elevator ) ...

I was watching TV ( Crunchy Roll ) , and I looked outside the window , and there was no wind ... ( Again ! )

So off I went ..

By the time I got to my CG test spot , there was a switching breeze .. ( Of course )

But after a lot of tuning , the V911 HLG did not break ..
But I was able to tune in a nice launch setting , and it actually glides ...
Ok , still has problems penetrating a breeze . But it glides !

It's too small / wing is too ( ?? ) , it's all wrong ...

The wing needs dihedral , or it tip stalls like a rabid dog ! ( Bend it and bend it some more )
CG is much further back than with larger models .

Three days of mucking about , and it finally does something resembling a glider ...
Ok this is my last it's y bitsy glider ...

Not doing anything smaller than a UMX Whipit ... ( We know that works well )

V911 HLG 2nd and 3rd CG checks (2 min 54 sec)

So I went back the same afternoon after moving the battery back ..

When I left home there was No wind ..
Got to my CG test area and the wind was up ..
And the wind just got stronger and stronger ...

At the beginning of the vid is my last launch that afternoon , and the wind just increased greatly just after I let go the V911 HLG ..

After that comes this morning .. A much gentler breeze ..

1) The V911 HLG does not penetrate a breeze at all ..
2) CG still seems forward , no as bad as before .. But still drops the nose like it was lead ..
3) Launch settings .. Or launch down wind ..
It really does climb against the wind , maybe the wing design ..
4) Tip stalls violently

I noticed the tip stall with the other FF gliders ( 350mm ) , and whilst the 480mm is not as bad ! The 480 RC I did certainly TIP stalls ..
The fact that this also tip stalls ( V911 HLG ) , I put it down to the wing . Especially since that is all I used from the 480 Free Flight glider .

Bottom line , the 350mm and 480mm FF gliders are probably best not RC'ed .
I am still trying to find those 600mm gliders ( FMS FOX ? )
But no one has stock in Australia ..

V911 HLG , I have a smaller lighter battery , so I might give that a go and see if it will work ..
But looks like the V911 HLG might be a wall hanger .. ( Possibly a indoor glider )

An interesting time killer anyways !

V911 HLG ( Micro Glider Project ) (7 min 29 sec)

I got it done the other day !
This morning I went out for a Test Glud ( If it does not glide - it glud's - hits the ground )
And hit the ground it did ..

After the battery gave out in the cam ( Again - these batteries bite ) ... I actually got in some meaningful observations ..
CG is just too far forward ..

I got it to glide and as soon as I stopped giving up elevator the nose dropped like a stone ..
Came home , did some minor repairs , and moved the battery further back ..
In the back yard I gave it a quick gentle toss and it glided straight and true with no signs of wanting to drop the nose ..
But the wind is up ..

It shows signs of wanting to work !
Heck , I even did a DLG launch for more height and speed ... ( After the battery gave out ) ...
So it looks like you can give the V911 HLG a decent launch VIA wing tip ... ( Method = DLG )
It be ready for round 2 , but as I look out the window typing this the wind is really up ..
Was nice and calm this morning - But that was this morning ..

Woke up and it was a glorious Elf Morning !
Got dressed , did a few things and it was still a Elf Morning ...


So what is one to do when it's a Elf Morning ? Well you have to take your Elf out to the Park obviously ..

Spent most of my time trimming .. And trying to decide where I wanted my trim ..

1) Launching off the left wing .....
A) The Elf does go vertical , the harder your launch the more vertical it goes
B) The Elf does roll into the launch wing , the harder you launch the harder it rolls in ..
C) The Elf will need launch settings = Some right rudder and down elevator should see a much better launch

2) With the Elf going vertical on launch a lot of energy is lost pushing the nose down ( from vertical ) , also rolling into the launch wing can be problematic and a lot of height lost .

3) As I came in to land I noticed the Elf was not loosing altitude , I turned and went back the way I came , did I do this half a dozen times . The Elf was about 3 meters off the ground and I was getting thermal activity ! So I launched over the spot I got Thermal activity on landing and got more thermal activity ..
At first I gained some altitude , but the thermal did not last and after ( ? ) so many passes ( I have no concept of time ) the thermal vanished and the Elf started to lose altitude ..

4) I broke the Elf ....

It seems the launch peg digs into the ground on landing if you allow the left wing to drop spinning the Elf on the ground .. This puts...Continue Reading

This project has been on the back burner for some time !
But the time is here to do something ...

Does everyone know the cheap Ebay foam gliders for like $3 ( ? ) with a 480mm wing span ..
I recently converted one to RC with 9G servos ( Rudder / Elevator )
And it does seem to glide , how well is debatable ...

Anyways I have already posted some pictures .. ( V911 HLG )
Today I moved a little further forward , especially since the mailman did not bring me a DVR ... ( Micro DVR )

1) Cyno does not work well on this foam - putting a little stress on the carbon boom , and the glue let go ..
2) I re glued the boom with hot glue - then added a zip tie - and a little PVA for the heck of it .
3) Rudder / Elevator are 3mm Depron , and are glued in place
4) Once the PVA is dry - I will glue ( hot ) the V911 board into the slot cut for it and hook up the control surfaces
5) Last will be a profile ( possibly ) fuse / nose for the battery and CG ( also to protect the V911 board )

Owie !!!!

My old body hurts !

Had to clean out a corner of my room , replace a old table with some tall boys ..

Oh dear , my body feels hammered .. Havent been this physically active since before the last time I injured my back ..
In fact , If I had attempted this a few years ago , I would have gotten a ambulance ride and a Hospital Holiday ..
It was a chore that needed doing . ( Bad back or not ) - Still need to do that oil change in my car ! ( But not now - the owie has to stop first )

R3 -

Went for the 3rd trim flight the other day after repairs and strengthening of the vertical fin / rudder .. CG was moved forward with a larger battery .
CG be 50mm from the LE now ...
Glides really nice , didn't do any further damage
Flying weight is right on 120 grams . Thats not terrible for a 1m HLG ...

Eachine Tx06 - Where is that DVR , I really want to record video directly .. My goggles dont have recording capability .
For a 25mw camera , it's rather impressive ...
I really want to play with it ...
It is on my WL toys V959 Quad , and it works really well , but the quad is not a indoor flyer ..
ANd the two micro quads I tried could not sustain the added current draw ..
The 959 has a 1000mAh battery , and there was no issue .. I recorded some 8 minutes of video .. ( Flight )
And the transmission was clean inside the house .. Other FPV set ups tend to break up - especially moving into other rooms , but the Eachine Tx06 .. Very nice .

Lets start with the R3 ...

Went out for some trim flights , CG was too far back and the wind picked up as I launched and the end result was a broken nose cone ..

Repaired and strengthened , CG moved forward !

The R3 glides really well .. CG is still too far back ..
Also to fast a landing broke the glue for the vertical fin .

More repairs + re-enforcement ( fiberglass )
Also a larger battery to move that CG forward , and ......
The R3 is starting to look a little 2nd hand , weight is now 120 grams for flying weight ...

Thats what you get for scratch building ! ( Virgin territory ) ..

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...Budget-DIY-%29

Another thread with some dimensions , just in case anyone wants to try a cheap HLG build ! ...

Started a Sub micro HLG , be with a V911 board ..
I was sitting here , it was warm , I was bored .. And it struck me how to mount the V911 board !
So ! Boredom forced my hand !

Also this morning , that wing I ordered was delivered ... ( Another Project )
I put that wing away for now ... ( Later ) Other things to do !