I like the idea of taking this plane out when I go fly in the evening wtih several other planes, and it starts getting just a bit dark at dusk, so probably too dark to fly my faster planes... I'm also wondering to what extent it will freak villagers out - thinking it's a UFO or something...

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

I like the idea of taking this plane out when I go fly in the evening wtih several other planes, and it starts getting just a bit dark at dusk, so probably too dark to fly my faster planes... I'm also wondering to what extent it will freak villagers out - thinking it's a UFO or something...

I have already done a bit of night flying with an old apprentice. I find it is much better to fly when it is completely dark - you can see the plane/lights much better then. Flying at dusk makes seeing the plane more tricky.
Just watch out for the bugs. They are really attracted by the lights at night. My plane literally turned black with bugs when I landed last time out.

Darkness is indeed interesting, planes orientation is easy to see. But if lights should fail, plane would be lost.

HSDJets S600 flying in darkness (1 min 36 sec)

I also bought a Durafly Buffalo, along with a 60a ESC for 4S. Would it be a good idea to put the stock 40a ESC from the Buffalo in the Night Walrus, instead of the 30a stock ESC?

For flying in reduced visibility, slower is better. The determining factor for how fast the airframe can reasonably go, boils down to wing structure/strength and airfoil type.
I’ve snapped a few wings in my time from pulling too many G in turns, or going too fast which causes the wings to make so much lift they fold.
My Current sailplane has four reinforcement spars added. Lessons learned.

I'm just talking about putting a 40a ESC in the Night Walrus, which will just be flown on 3S. And slowly. Was just wondering if a 40a ESC would be better for some reason, with the LEDs and all.

The Buffalo will be flown fast.

That would depend on the BEC, battery eliminator circuit. Most are 3amp, usually plentyfor a few servos and low-draw LEDs. Then there is the issue of switching or no switching BEC. And digital or analog servos, digital consumes more power.
My guess would be the two ESC have the same output power with regards to powering servos and lights. Check the label for ratings.

If I install a bunch of lights in something with more than four digital servos I usually use the balance plug of battery to power lights.

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

I'm just talking about putting a 40a ESC in the Night Walrus, which will just be flown on 3S. And slowly. Was just wondering if a 40a ESC would be better for some reason, with the LEDs and all.

The Buffalo will be flown fast.

The LEDs run directly off the battery, ESC has nothing to do with them. I'm still flying with the stock one in mine, and I don't recall much concern about the supplied ESCs in the past, but it's been a long while since I've reviewed this thread before buying mine.

I fly mine like a powered glider, shorter bursts of full throttle up to altitude, then throttle off and glide back down. If you're going to use longer throttle bursts or have the throttle on continuously, then perhaps an ESC better suited to deal with heat might be a safe option.

Well I plan to fly pretty much the same way. But since I will have that spare 40a ESC out of the Buffalo, I was just wondering if 10 more amps for the ESC would give it a bit more cushion... Not important though..

So got mine yesterday and started assembling it. Pushing the rear wing screw down though the stupid nut came out of its housing... Guess I'll have to glue the wings in...

It's sure not a pretty plane.. (kind of a fat fishy shape..) The foam seems a bit soft. Still, assuming it flies halfway reasonably it's a pretty good deal for €85 shipped or whatever I paid for it.. Including LEDs, flaps etc..

Talking to my son about flying at night, he said "but you can't see trees at night". Very good point... Hmm... (or twigs, or a nice landing spot, etc..)

I'm more keen to fly it at dusk or on a grey yucky day..

What kind of flight times do people get on a 3S 2200?

Yeah, expecting night flyers to stay pretty is a fools game! Even if the wing bolts were easy to get in, dealing with all the servo and LED wires would be a headache, so I leave mine together, too.

I get 20-25 minutes easy by zooming up and gliding down. I added a FrSky telemetry voltage monitor in case a long flight allows the ~3A current draw of the LEDs to drain the battery. The LEDs are bright enough to light up the ground shortly before landing. I tend to fly more overhead than with a normal daytime model, so trees at the edge of the field aren't a major concern. I also fly from the center of the field instead of the edge so it's easier to land where I know it's clear.

So, here's my experience so far:

I spent hours getting it all set up. Initial quality impression is............................ pretty poor. As far as Hobbyking planes go, I am used to Durafly. This plane is much lower in terms of quality. As is, btw, my Skipper, which I haven't flown yet, but bought and assembled last year. A few days ago I noticed the rudder was hanging off.. This plane also needed some hinge attention. The foam is also very soft...

Anyway, I got it all together and went and tested it in a field. I had to add some down elevator to keep it from climbing. But after two packs I had it more or less flying well enough... I did however notice that the LEDs seemed to have some kind of dodgy connection, as they were soemtimes going off, but wiggling a wire would bring them back on...

Then I decided to dive right into night flying. And yes, it did occur to me that if the LEDs went out, that would be bad.. It was a beautiful clear night, with a full wind and basically no wind. Stunning actually.. So I plugged the battery in and it lit up. I said screw it and chucked it into the air. It was awesome... About 4-5 minutes into the flight, the LEDs cut out. Oh shxx... Then they came back on for a moment. This plane is so light and floaty, I was worried it would end up god knows where. I was flying over a pretty vast farm field. Anyway, I didn't really know what to do, so tried to aim it down instead of letting it float off.. And wham - right down on the nose. Kind of shattered the front fuse skid on the right side, crached the fuse along the batt bay. I spun the motor up and it seemed all OK. But the motor area is loose. I glued the fuse last night, and will go see in a few minutes. I'm going to have to tape up the front of the fuse where the skid is. Not sure.. I have an old skid from a PZ P-47 I might try to just glob on there. Or lots of tape or something. Not going to be pretty.

I hope the fire wall or motor mount aren't screwed...

Overall I kind of think the plane is a piece of junk - at least in terms of general quality, and I'm worried it will be a waste of space in an already very overcrowded hangar. I like the LED's - if they would stay on. And for night flying it's a nice first plane for that, especially given the price. I wish it had Durafly quality though - better foam, especially. And yeah, a more solid LED connection. And better hinges. And overall fit and finish.. The battery bay design is a bit of a train wreck as well..

Flaps btw seemed pretty useless. Just made the plane pitch up ridiculously...

To be continued.. I guess..

If it's all the LEDs going out at once, then it sounds like a poor solder joint where the LED power taps off, or the 1 into 5 (or however many) harness perhaps. I've had a lot of poor Chinese soldering where that many wires come together.

Best bet, I think, is patch it up best you can, get used to night flying with it, then put the LEDs on something old and unused in the back of the hanger to give it new life. I lit up my dusty and unused FMS SuperEZ with the old LEDs off one wrecked Nite Wally and now it's a blast to fly again.

Definitely all at once. Wiggling wires makes them come back on... Or go back off....

Originally Posted by Aerospacer

Somewhere in a RCG Walrus thread, I saw a post that said the 9x6 folding props are a good replacement. Mine draws 200 watts at about 17 amps on the stock prop. Value Hobby http://www.valuehobby.com/accessorie...?prop_type=283
carries an extensive line of folding props that are equivalent to Graupner and Aeronaut.

If someone is looking to step up on the prop, they have a 10x6 that certainly would add to the power. No doubt the 30 Amp Aerostar ESC could handle it. Not sure about the motor. Can't find what the 2215/1100KV motor in this plane has for specs, but similar ones I've seen seem to be at their max at the 200 watts, 17-18 amps this one does deliver.

I flew a friend’s Walrus about 2 yrs ago and she flew better than my Conscendo Advanced. So when I saw the night version I ordered her with 2 1800 4S packs. Although I did not know she flys fine on 3S I figured I could try a better prop that would not separate with the added RPM and forces. So I will use 9/6 Cam blades from Aloft and measure rpm and watts inside a trash can. Then if she explodes I will be protected. I had a similar prop separate and the nose exploded while I was holding the model. If Walrus is below the German/CAM RPM limit I will launch at half power and only go full power when Walrus is 30 ft away and climbing. I’ll be using the Conscendo SAFE receiver.