Posted by Darth_Elevator |
Apr 28, 2007 @ 09:00 PM | 4,897 Views
I maidened a new brushless motor on my balsa Phoenix today and the first flight was a blast. I knew the stock brushed motor was underpowered but this confirmed it. And I was having such a blast on the second flight that I got a bit carried away. Not sure what I was thinking, but I guess I slipped into Zagi mode or something. I decided to do some sideways loops, but I did them way too low and nosed straight into the parking lot. Balsa splinters were flying everywhere. As you can see from the pictures, the entire front of the fuselage around the cowling is completely obliterated. The motor shaft is badly bent but can probably be replaced without buying a whole new motor. None of the electronics were damaged fortunately and the main wing somehow survived fully intact. If I can rebuild the nose maybe this thing is salvageable. That is, if I can overcome the psychological scarring first.
Statistics for the Phoenix's eight flights
Total flights: 8
Flights that didn't end with a crash or emergency landing: 2
Flights that ended with a prop flying off: 2
Flights that ended with the gearbox stripping: 1
Flights that ended with sudden power failure (probably ESC fault): 2
Flights that ended with spectacular, destructive, jaw-dropping crash: 1
Posted by Darth_Elevator |
Apr 07, 2007 @ 12:54 AM | 5,142 Views
I was told this all wood plane would fly like it's on rails. I can confirm that it does. Even despite a little mishap on the maiden voyage, I was very pleased with this little beauty. The prop flew off on the first flight, but fortunately the plane was high enough that I had time to react and glide it down for a quick landing. After finding the prop and tightening it on better, the second flight was great.
Posted by Darth_Elevator |
Apr 02, 2007 @ 04:02 PM | 5,635 Views
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