Goosebuster II, a high-powered disaster.

kdobson83

Well-known member
Lol I have it covered, no worries:

Flyzone seawind
Dornier Libelle
Scout on floats
Sea Duck
I have a Tundra and a UMX Timber both with floats sitting collecting dust, not the planes, I fly em, just no larger ponds to fly off of... Lucky!
I like the wing btw! I'm currently building a FT Spear atm, hoping to get some 4k airial footage this summer. Also trying to think of an excuse I can tell my wife why I want the Crash Test Hobbies Assassin. Lol
 

Wildthing

Legendary member
Goosebuster II is finished!

This is a rough prototype to see if the airframe is even airworthty, as it's an untested design. I still have plans to use dual servos for the elevons, and I will probably increase the overall size of the control surfaces.

I have intentionally left off the winglets as I want to see if she is stable enough in yaw without them. If she's too unstable I will add some winglets for yaw stability.

She balances slightly nose heavy at 20% forward based on calculations I made here, using a 5000 mAh 3S and a 70A ESC. All up weight is 2 pounds 15 ounces or 1332 grams, so she's a big bird. Wingspan is 60" or 1.52 meters.

Here she is next to Goosebuster I ready to fly.

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Looks great, very nice.

My two cents is I would put the winglets on for the maiden, once trimmed in and balance figured out then I would take them off. Less chance of crashing your nice work on the maiden.
 

Arcfyre

Elite member
Maiden flight today.

She flew beautifully. Truly just an amazing flier. Smooth, fast, and remarkably quiet for a pusher wing.

Unfortunately I was surprised by someone walking into my flight path and I almost hit them.

I have it all on video, and it's remarkable just how close of a call this was. I wasn't in my usual flying spot over the pond, I did what I thought was the responsible thing and took this plane to a large field nearby with huge open areas. This spot is usually pretty empty, with the parking lot that I chose being one of the most secluded areas.

A man came walking along with his dogs as I was doing a flyby and I somehow didn't see him until I was almost on top of him. A split second later I smashed the plane into the ground.

I've watched the video a few times now and I don't understand how I didn't see him. I guess I was too focused on the plane, especially with this being a maiden flight and a high performance aircraft.

Luckily neither he nor his dogs were injured. The only casualty was the plane. If I learned anything from this it would be the importance of being mindful of your surroundings, the value of a spotter, and the necessity of a good place to fly.

I'll post up the video(s) in a little while, here are some pictures of the aftermath.
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Arcfyre

Elite member
Here is the clip of the crash. I edited the LOS and FPV cameras into one short video.

To be very clear, I am not proud of this at all. I was almost "that hobbyist" that injured an innocent bystander. I was literally inches away from hurting someone. While I do intend to repair this plane eventually, for right now I'm actually a bit shaken up. If I fly this again, it will have to be with a safety spotter. Here's the video, and please don't do what I almost did.

 
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Wildthing

Legendary member
Glad the maiden went good, even better that no one got hurt but to bad about your wing. Back to the building table for the next one.
 

Wildthing

Legendary member
I also noticed you did have winglets and good sized ones, great. Next time do the same and just take your knife with you and after each flight trim them down some, 1 inch at a time that way you will know right away what if any affect they have on the flight characteristics of it.
 

Arcfyre

Elite member
I also noticed you did have winglets and good sized ones, great. Next time do the same and just take your knife with you and after each flight trim them down some, 1 inch at a time that way you will know right away what if any affect they have on the flight characteristics of it.

It flew so well with the winglets I'll probably remake them for the next build.
 

kilroy07

Legendary member
I really like your design, glad the maiden went so well and... that no one was harmed... :oops:

Speaking of your design, the crescent cutouts near the prop... Noise abatement, or just style points? :unsure:
 

Arcfyre

Elite member
I really like your design, glad the maiden went so well and... that no one was harmed... :oops:

Speaking of your design, the crescent cutouts near the prop... Noise abatement, or just style points? :unsure:

Both, and they really helped with the noise. The video is compiling now, so you will be able to see how quiet it was from the ground. Should be uploaded in about 10 minutes.
 

mayan

Legendary member
I am happy your design fly like you seemed to have wanted it to fly and more so that no one got hurt. I say though that you have to rebuild it and get flying ain’t nothing better after a shock.
 

bracesport

Legendary member
@Arcfyre - awesome stuff - you make me want to build a wing!

I know how you feel with the near misses - I nearly took out my son on one flight - luckily no harm either other than the pile of bits on the ground - it did make me realise how easily accidents can happen, and to take care!

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Tench745

Master member
Thankfully I have no close calls like that yet. Almost took myself out a few times though. I usually stay up high(ish) until I can make a few quick scans of the field for obstructions/people. If kids or dogs are incoming and I have time/space I will usually land until they clear. Sometimes this means I'm done flying for the day. Ah, the joys of flying at a public park...

The wing looks like it flies like a dream. And that hill there looks like a great place for learning a little slope soaring.
 

Spacefarer

Active member
My dad almost slammed a radian XL into me at over 30 mph. He may have been a good pilot flying sagittas in the 80's, but I think I should have waited until he could at least remember the controls are inverted coming towards you...