Grunder Industries ADF-01 Falken build log

Mr. Gandalf

Elite member
Well, it looks like the current version of the falken will not be flying. I noticed that after adding the laser pod underneath the cockpit that the nose is way too short :rolleyes:, and I used two wing spars in each wing half so I will need to fix that to make the wing thinner.

On the bright side of things I have found a really good place to put the battery. The cockpit is removeable now and the laser pod connects to the wing so that it juts out a few inches from the front of the wing. Since the laser pod is hollow it makes a perfect cavity for the Rx and battery!
 

Mr. Gandalf

Elite member
I have built the next improved version!


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Once I get more bullet connectors for my new motor and the wheels for the LG this thing will be ready to fly.

The cockpit is removeable and the laser pod underneath it will hold the battery and receiver. On earlier versions the battery was supposed to sit up in the cockpit and I was afraid that it would have a high center of gravity and thus want to flip over, but putting the battery in the laser pod is the perfect solution! The wing to nose connection is a little wobbly so I will probably change it to a square tube, but for now it should be fine. Since the engine nacelles are hollow there hopefully won't be too much extra drag from them.

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This type of plane is quite a bit above my piloting skill level :sneaky:, but I have flown a highly overpowered mini simple cub with no expo so I should be fine taking it out for a short maiden hop just to prove it can fly. I don't have a YouTube account so I am not sure how I will post a video of the maiden flight (any suggestions would be much appreciated), but I will look into it. As for plans I am still researching what I will need to make digital plans.
 

Namactual

Elite member
Looks good man, looking forward to the maiden.(y)

As for the YouTube/GMail account, I would just make one. You do not have to use your real name or link it to a phone number. They will ask you to, but you can decline. My GMail/YouTube does not use my name, nor do I have any personal information on my profile. YouTube is the only thing I use that account for.
 

Namactual

Elite member
No, unfortunately YouTube/GMail is all tied to a google account. One and the same.

I am sure they do collect everything, I just limit what they have access to. I use Firefox as a browser and use private browsing. I also have Firefox set to never to remember history and clear the browser cache on exit. I make sure I close my browser often, especially before I log into my google account.

The sad truth is that everyone is collecting everything you do online. Windows 10 actually qualifies as spyware in my opinion. That said, I do have a gaming rig running Windows 10. There is no way around it. All you can do is just limit what they have access to.
 

Mr. Gandalf

Elite member
I just weighed the Falken with all of the electronics on board, and with a 450mah 3s and a bit of nose weight (I love you long nose :love:) It weighs in at about 200 grams! Based on the spec sheet for my motor on flybrushless this plane should have a 2:1 thrust to weight ratio, however I am expecting to lose some thrust to the engines.
 

Mr. Gandalf

Elite member
Well, I just got back from the would be maiden of the falken, and unfortunately I don't have any video. However, it didn't really fly so not much was missed.

I started out by trying to take off from the ground and it looked good at first, it started going really fast but didn't rotate. So after I gave up on an ROG takeoff I got my helper to hand launch it off the side of a small hill. It dived straight down at full throttle and came out with its nose looking like this ones :p.

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I am pretty sure the problem was the CG so I should be ready to give the maiden another shot soon. Also, I will upload pictures of the damage later.
 

Wildthing

Legendary member
Sorry to hear about that. Got any long grass areas that you could glide test it in ( 0 power plus soft landing ) ? Have all the control surfaces at neutral position and keep moving that battery around until it glides then try it with power.
 

Mr. Gandalf

Elite member
Sorry to hear about that. Got any long grass areas that you could glide test it in ( 0 power plus soft landing ) ? Have all the control surfaces at neutral position and keep moving that battery around until it glides then try it with power.

No long grass areas that I know of, but it actually held together pretty well. The only real damage was to the nose (which is removeable) and the LG.
 

Mr. Gandalf

Elite member
Here are the pictures.

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The nose really is the worst of the damage. The only other thing was the left canard and left main gear were torn off, anyway it is fixed now and is ready for the next attempt at a maiden flight!
 

Fluburtur

Cardboard Boy
That damage doesnt look to bad, easy to replace the nose at least. I am waiting for the flight video but at the same time I would like to have to first flying Falken. Oh well, the skies are big enough.
 

Namactual

Elite member
You might just want to leave the gear off for a bit. Keep it as light as possible until you get it dialed in.

Looking forward to the re-maiden report.
 

Mr. Gandalf

Elite member
Just reading your previous post, you said it dove down under full throttle, was it actually up for a bit until you throttled up?

It actually started at a slight up angle from the toss and smoothly arced into the ground, but I was full throttle the whole time.

You might just want to leave the gear off for a bit. Keep it as light as possible until you get it dialed in.

Looking forward to the re-maiden report.

Of course, if I keep trying to hand launch it without knowing the CG it will keep taking more damage, and once I do get the CG right it should take off from the ground right?
 

L Edge

Master member
Three things I would like to suggest you try.
1) set your control surfaces for 2 rates. One for low and the other high with a good exponential. Mine uses very little movement at all.
2) Mine was very tail heavy as you can see so I had to inch my battery forward and finally solved it by moving the canard forward.
3) Try 3/4 throttle initally to slow process of trying to get it under control.
After adjusting, plane goes real fast.