help with motor hook up - quick question :)

[Zeligman]

im still a noob - but now that i have sliced my thumb with a turning propeller, i figure i am just past brand new noob..
anyway - my first plane is FT explorer - push motor. I hooked everything up according to flite test videos - but it didn't fly. so - in a pusher, does the motor need to turn CLOCKWISE? since a regular (puller) turns counter clockwise?

P.s. i may invest in a cheap pair of kevlar gloves

thank you!

J. Filler

 

[Ketchup]

It depends on your propeller. A ccw propeller will spin counterclockwise but a cw prop will need to spin clockwise. Also, you won’t need gloves as long as you take off the propeller for bench testing, you might aslso want to program a throttle cut on your tx.

 

[mrjdstewart]

rule #1 - ALWAYS take the prop off when working on the plane.

rule #2 - the lettering on the prop ALWAYS goes facing towards the direction of flight.

rule #3 - when viewed from the front of the aircraft, a tractor (front facing motor mount) spins CCW. a pusher (rear facing motor) should spin CW.

rule #4 - you can spin either direction depending upon the prop you have with pushers without much issue. if flying a tractor, thrust angle issues come into affect and i do not recommend trying to spin the wrong direction.

good luck,

me

 

[Zeligman]

Ty... That's what I thought... I know about the propeller facing the direction of the flight...

And Actually the propeller incident was as I was launching the plane... Pusher.. Finger slipped and 4 stitches later im now an official hobbyist.. Lol

Thanks all... This forum is super helpful! Can't wait to actually fly.. Lol

J. F. 🛩️

 

[Hai-Lee]

Just something to remember about the Explorer!

The thrust angle actually pushes the plane towards the ground and so if you do not launch it with sufficient speed it will always do a powered on glide to the ground. With a strong throw the plane will fly close to the ground and then climb away.

If trying to do a ground run without landing gear the plane will not be able to rotate, (push the tail down), and so the lane will just slide along the ground UNLESS you manage to get it moving extremely fast.

If fitting undercarriage ensure that the nose of the plane is 6 or more inches above the ground when at rest so that when about to take off the tail has sufficient ground clearance to allow the plane to rotate.

Otherwise it is great fun!

have fun!

 

[Zeligman]

Just something to remember about the Explorer!

The thrust angle actually pushes the plane towards the ground and so if you do not launch it with sufficient speed it will always do a powered on glide to the ground. With a strong throw the plane will fly close to the ground and then climb away.

If trying to do a ground run without landing gear the plane will not be able to rotate, (push the tail down), and so the lane will just slide along the ground UNLESS you manage to get it moving extremely fast.

If fitting undercarriage ensure that the nose of the plane is 6 or more inches above the ground when at rest so that when about to take off the tail has sufficient ground clearance to allow the plane to rotate.

Otherwise it is great fun!

have fun!

Hmm didn't think of that. Doesn't come with gear.. Any suggestions for what gear to use?

Ty!

 

[mrjdstewart]

Hmm didn't think of that. Doesn't come with gear.. Any suggestions for what gear to use?

Ty!

the explorer as "recommended" is way low on power. if you're using the new Radial i'm sure it will be better but with the old B-pack and even the c-pack on 3S it's sketchy. i would not add the addition weight of gear. it's a cost benefit analysis and it just doesn't work. the explorer is a belly lander.

i fly my explorer on 4S with a 9x4.5 using the old C-pack 2215 w/ 30A esc. if you can, i recommend going to 4S especially if hauling any additional gear (i fly with a gopro and fpv camera on my nose). this will solve all your problems.

good luck,

me

 

[The Hangar]

Make sure your prop numbers are facing the front of the plane.

 

[Hai-Lee]

For mine I first used a couple of 3 inch wheels off of a broken childs toy pram and used a straight axle glued to a bit of ply but the plane did not have enough angle of rotation, It still would take off but it required a fair bit of speed.

The second was a piece of 3mm music wire bent to support the same 3 inch wheels but to elevate the fuselage nose so that it was 6 inches off of the ground. The wire had a standard "U" bend shape where it was glued to the plywood support and the whole thing was taped to the fuselage bottom so that the wheel axles were aligned/level with the wing LE. I used a fibre reinforced tape.

withthe higher landing gear the explorer was actually quite a good handler on the ground and still needed a bit of speed to lift off, (due to the thrust angle), The wire needs to be strong or the motor thrust will cause the wheels to spread as the motor pushes the fuselage towards the ground. You could use a similar undercarriage to that used on the FB UGLY Stick. My version can be found here:- https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/100-hour-replacement-build-das-ugly-stik.57330/

Have fun!