FT Racer "Power" Issue.. Suggestions???

[Bob_Curtains]

HAPPY NEW YEAR fellow FT Community RC Addicted Friends,

Need some help. I just finished my "General Lee" FT Racer and purchased "the Beef" from Lazertoyz as recommended by the FT good-ole-boy's. Took it out this past weekend for its maiden flight and noticed a couple of things that i need to address ASAP / before i fly again. I am looking for help and or suggestions.

First, upon takeoff i noticed right away that the power provided by the Emax GT2215-09 1180Kv Motor was not enough for "Speed" flying. The plane did fly, however was very noticeable at times where the plane labored against the wind (approx 10-12mph). In thrusting vertically to increase altitude i noticed it also labored a lot. I used a 8x6 prop as recommended in the scratch build plans but i believe this maybe my problem. Suggestions?

Secondly, during flight i noticed that the plane also felt unresponsive or had delayed response from the ailerons during high speed turns. It felt delayed mainly which my belief was caused by the ailerons being on the smaller side on this aircraft. Same held true for the elevator and rudder especially. Any recommendations?

Thirdly, I noticed that the fuse is a lot bigger than the Spit for example giving the power pod a lot more potential room to wiggle from one side to the other even when secured by the skewer with zipties holding it down. Any suggestions outside of making a bigger power pod?

I'm looking for overall suggestions to make this plane go a hell of a lot faster and obviously with less potential for a crash. Right now its flying too much like the FT Spit without its "hovering" characteristics which i like but that is a different type of experience that i enjoy from that airplane and don't want it on this one.

Thanks in advance for any and all input from all of you. I love this website and the community it has with it.

Best,

Curtains

 

[xuzme720]

Re-doing the fuse to make it smaller and less draggy will help along making it faster. Beyond that, you can go up in size on the prop if you have a wattmeter to make sure you aren't drawing too much amperage. Or go up in motor size as a last resort...

 

[whiskeyjack]

Hi Bob,
Happy new year to you too. While I am not as experienced as some on this forum; I'm sure they will chime in; I do have a few suggestion you could try before you fly again.
The "Beef" with an 8 x 6 should give plenty of giddy up but you didn't tell us what battery you used. If I remember correctly David was running a 4s in the Spit, someone correct me if I'm wrong. In the "Beef" package I think they supply a 3s. What are you using? If the output seems low check that you didn't mount the prop backwards. I know, I know but it happens so frequently to even the most experienced guys, that it comes up all the time on other forums.
Your control surfaces, if they have been cut to the correct size (I assume you have done that) should be fine so I would look at your throws to see if your getting enough deflection. You can move the push rod to the outer most holes on the servo and control horn to maximize the throw. You also didn't mention if your radio is programmable. If it is, check where your D/R and Expo settings are. Too much Expo, sluggish controls, D/R set on low, and/or on high at too low a value, not enough deflection.
As far as the fuse being too big, can't help you there, other than saying check your measurements. A foam width out is 5/16" too much. Inside fold, outside fold, only you will be able to get the scale out and determine want went wrong or not.
So there you have it, MHO on why things didn't work as planned, or planed, as the case may be. Good luck with your next flight. Keep us posted and don't forget the video! WJ.

 

[lonewolf7717]

To the last post, that motor is only rated to a 3s....4s will make things go poof. What's your control rod setup? Which set of holes are you using on both servo arm and control horn? Any expo on radio? That motor is only a 250watt, lots of other options out there for more speed. I have not built any of the ft series craft but I would suggest you start your hunt at Grayson Hobby for a brushless with more umph. Their line of micro/mega jets are supremely awesome little firecrackers. If you want ridiculous speed (keep in mind launch will be a challenge, could always go with high kv inrunner with high pitch speed prop running 4s....shouldn't have to mention this will mean a much larger ESC. I would even think a basic bc2826 2200kv on tried and true 6x4 apc will give you better performance. This really is a straight line speed plane and you don't want twitchy ailerons in such a situation....if you want a true bank and yank at high speed plane you need to start thinking deltas. Either way, should be able to load up 350-400watts fairly easily on this frame without huge detriment to weight....of course again launching will get very tricky without the torque from that 8x6 and it will want to torque roll like a s.o.b.

 

[lonewolf7717]

Point of reference for Grayson monster jet running 4s....hell of a time launching but easy 100+mph plane with that power setup. Unfortunately that's TOO much for this little racer but again just trying to gauge the kind of speed you are looking for.