Exploring the Explorer

[BATTLEAXE]

@BATTLEAXE - regarding video - do you upload the raw footage to youtube or edit it and then export it at a better size before uploading it to youtube - if the second option, it should not take too long to post the video.

the bronco looks great in the stills!

It's just raw footage that I am uploading. I tried to use a video trimmer and a couple of different compressors to the footage before uploading before. I got frustrated with the trimmer and the compressors just omit frames to make the video choppy or really hack away at the resolution. If you have any suggestions as to what you use I am all ears, thx.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Oh yes, these days I will modify all sorts and try Anything, when I first started out on this hobby I thought it was crucial to stick to the design of the planes I was building 100% but now I realise that not only can you go way off the plans , you can improve them a massive amount as none of the ft designs are perfect and uouooen touches to them make a huge difference

I usually modify everything, mostly subtle stuff. Should do a group build thread where it's an anything goes/not model specific/see how far you can take the mods/design, build, and fly kinda endeavour.

 

[Headbang]

I have been playing with ways to compress video to upload to YouTube faster. One 15 min vid I had in the past I let upload overnight, I went to bed at 4% woke up 8 hours later at 11%, just ridiculous. If any of you have any tricks or tips for me would be helpful. MY Spitfire vids was my first attempt at compressing and it really bit into the resolution and the plane looked like a fuzzy pixel that was hard to focus on. This vid is a different compression format where it looks like it drops every other frame or so and makes it look like Claymation film, like the original King Kong movie, (the black and white version, not the Jack Black version, for you millennials lol). Suggestions are appreciated.

Any way I have some video here of some decent flying with the Explorer, really got to say I am impressed with the flight times on this plane with a 2200 3s, around 10 mind. And it handle likes any other plane I have flown. It is the first pusher I have had success with as well. I did build a Mini Arrow a little while back and didn't really like it. It was a bit fast for my experience level at the time and I found it twitchy making it hard to control. This on the other hand is a nice docile flyer that can help you out on whatever level you are at and help you achieve your goals. Enough said lets check it out:

Now if you notice this is the untimely demise of the Explorer, really wish this didn't happen but it was probably due to a bad decision to fly in these conditions compiled with taking the battery right to the end and not having enough volts to recover. But there is an upside to it as well. It did give me the opportunity to build it into a Bronco style twin boom bird that was inspired by the Sea Duck. Check it out:
View attachment 141036
The ting with this model is that I had to extend the fuse by 2.5" to accommodate the fact that I didn't notch out the TE of the wing to wrap around the nacelle. This in turn pulled The CG 2.5" forward so the nose had to be brought forward to get the battery far enough out front. Which created another issue, the ESC barely has enough wire length to reach from the battery to the motor, making the battery change an issue, having to remove the wing just to plug in or unplug the connector. Always something right lol. I should be flying this one soon, maybe tomorrow night. Would like to paint it up first though, haven't decided on colors yet... blue and yellow?

It was good to see you getting something out of that plane instead of it just sitting in my trailer! I love the lack of colorful language, good attitude!

 

[BATTLEAXE]

It was good to see you getting something out of that plane instead of it just sitting in my trailer! I love the lack of colorful language, good attitude!

Your talking about in the video? Yea it's just me in the greenspace where I fly so there is no color commentary in the background. I may have the woman convinced to let me put the GoPro on the plane now, no crashes lol. It's a nice morning too, might go fly again.

 

[Steve Fox]

I usually modify everything, mostly subtle stuff. Should do a group build thread where it's an anything goes/not model specific/see how far you can take the mods/design, build, and fly kinda endeavour.

I think I'm going to convert the Explorer into a puller with the motor mounted in the nose as it will make launching it at the weight I'm at so much easier and I might even get away with putting my 6500mah 3s in it
it will also allow me to run a 10" prop from increased thrust and hopefully better efficiency at lower throttle.

I'll have to relocate the airspeed sensor as it's mounted n the side of the fuse but if it gets converted to a puller it will be in the prop blast.
There is so much electronics inside the fuse I can easily move stuff back to counter the weight of the motor on the nose but I think with such a long tail I'll get the required balance just from moving the GPS module onto the boom and can mount it right the way at the tail if necessary.

I've not seen a puller Explorer on youtube, I might be the first

 

[BATTLEAXE]

I think I'm going to convert the Explorer into a puller with the motor mounted in the nose as it will make launching it at the weight I'm at so much easier and I might even get away with putting my 6500mah 3s in it
it will also allow me to run a 10" prop from increased thrust and hopefully better efficiency at lower throttle.

I'll have to relocate the airspeed sensor as it's mounted n the side of the fuse but if it gets converted to a puller it will be in the prop blast.
There is so much electronics inside the fuse I can easily move stuff back to counter the weight of the motor on the nose but I think with such a long tail I'll get the required balance just from moving the GPS module onto the boom and can mount it right the way at the tail if necessary.

I've not seen a puller Explorer on youtube, I might be the first

I like the fact that the tail boom can extend and retract inside the fuse to adapt to whatever kind of balance issues you have with all the electronics in it. You can experiment with it on the fly as well.

 

[Headbang]

Your talking about in the video? Yea it's just me in the greenspace where I fly so there is no color commentary in the background. I may have the woman convinced to let me put the GoPro on the plane now, no crashes lol. It's a nice morning too, might go fly again.

Totally flying today. Maiden of the new duck today. Re-maiden of the goblin. As well @Photo001 might have his viggen rdy to maiden.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Totally flying today. Maiden of the new duck today. Re-maiden of the goblin. As well @Photo001 might have his viggen rdy to maiden.

Nice. I took advantage of the weather this morning as well and took out the Bronco again. Just finishing the upload now. Got the boy to film it this time. It was a good video too, might have to get this kid a raise

 

[BATTLEAXE]

You will like the end too lol

 

[Steve Fox]

I like the fact that the tail boom can extend and retract inside the fuse to adapt to whatever kind of balance issues you have with all the electronics in it. You can experiment with it on the fly as well.

Mine doesn't, I pushed it in after only 6 hours of painting it and the paint was still soft enough to fuse it in place 😂

 

[Headbang]

You will like the end too lol

Dramatic ending! Up until that point looked awesome!

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Dramatic ending! Up until that point looked awesome!

No real damage. The motor nacelle broke. Easy to rebuild and get flyin again.

 

[bracesport]

@BATTLEAXE - nicely done upside down - you flying is nice (V envious)!

 

[Steve Fox]

Ok, it's official, it's being converted to a puller

Chopped the motor mount off the top and will cover over the void with fb and I'll make a fb box section on the In the nose to take a standard firewall.

Now it's been torn out, I can show you what I meant about the original mount being made from aluminium, it's just scrap now and will probably never use it again.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

@BATTLEAXE - nicely done upside down - you flying is nice (V envious)!

Thx man I appreciate the words of encouragement. Inverted really isn't that hard, just takes some, as @mayan would say, cajones. Half roll and forward stick to maintain level, that's it.

Come to think of it I haven't seen much flying vids from you bro... I wanna see some @bracesport on the sticks. Maiden your Spit already!

 

[bracesport]

@BATTLEAXE - RAIN RAIN GO AWAY COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY - winter is wet here and I have a busy work season until the end of Sept - then I can get stuck in - I promise!

 

[BATTLEAXE]

@BATTLEAXE - RAIN RAIN GO AWAY COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY - winter is wet here and I have a busy work season until the end of Sept - then I can get stuck in - I promise!

All good bro just makin fun. Rain sucks, we had over a month and a half of rain in the beginning of the summer here and it was select few days to fly. Even then the ground was always wet so landing or crashes ruined the FB planes faster

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Ok, it's official, it's being converted to a puller

Chopped the motor mount off the top and will cover over the void with fb and I'll make a fb box section on the In the nose to take a standard firewall.

Now it's been torn out, I can show you what I meant about the original mount being made from aluminium, it's just scrap now and will probably never use it again. View attachment 141468 View attachment 141469

From what I see in the top you do have that thing stuffed with everything including the kitchen sink. What was the purpose for all that gear in an Explorer?

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Got the Bronco all fixed up, had to make a new nacelle. In taking the wing off I also noticed the tape that held the servo extensions were loose at the plugs, velcroactually fell apart when I removed the wing. Cut into the bottom of the booms to fish those back through, and used Velcro to attach the ESC to the fuse. Both hits this plane took unplugged the ESC from the motor so hopefully this will save the ESC from launching forward. She will be back up in the air tomorrow:

I think I might paint some black stripes on the bottom of the wings. It's gonna be hard to find orientation all white like it is now

 

[Steve Fox]

I think I might paint some black stripes on the bottom of the wings. It's gonna be hard to find orientation all white like it is now

Almost all of my planes get florescent orange on them, the cub usually gets a whole wing in it and the rest of my planes have the wing tips done in it to make orientation easier.

The cub having the whole wing in florescent orange makes it super visible and Look get it noticed by the general public when I'm flying