Maidened a Baby Blender...

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
So this past Saturday, I got a Baby Blender up in the air for the first time, and things did NOT go well.

Unfortunately, I have no pictures or video of the flight, but I managed to get the thing up off the ground and have it flying, only to hear from everyone behind me, "You ok with it?!?"

I took off, got it into the air going from right to left on our runway, and things seemed to be going ok. Then I turned it to the right to bring it around and do a simple circuit of the field, only to have it just go into a roll and end up inverted at about 30 feet up. I backed off the throttle a bit, got it flipped over, and then it started dropping like it was nose heavy. I pulled back, punched the throttle, and it SLOOOOOOWLY came back up, then started porpoising - climb, stall, dive, climb, stall, dive - as I tried to get it leveled out, all the while rolling a little to the left each time.

Our fixed wing chair came over and started offering help with trimming it, and kept telling me to throttle up, but that wasn't helping - I as at about 95% throttle and it wouldn't fly smoothly. I finally told him, "I'm just gonna bring it in, something's wrong with it."

I managed to get it down to about a foot off the ground with no throttle, flared, and somewhat touched down on the runway, only for it to nose over immediately upon touchdown, just on the far side of the runway. I walked out to retrieve it, and fortunately, no damage to the plane, but I found out what the problem was as soon as I walked over to it.

Turns out that the velcro I had attached to the battery and the top of the bottom wing wasn't of the best strength, and the battery had been sliding around and shifting during flight. This resulted in the plane's CG drastically changing, becoming tail heavy, then nose heavy, and back, causing the erratic flight. The roll that I was experiencing was just from not having it trimmed out properly on the ailerons, and had the battery not been shifting, I could have gotten that corrected out easily enough, but it was adding to the mix.

As for the power, well...I was flying a 920kv motor with a 9x6 prop, on a 3S battery. It just didn't have quite the oomph I needed, and I think I'm gonna end up moving to a 10x6 for the next flight. I'm not looking for tons of speed, just enough thrust to keep the plane flying smoothly and cruise with it.
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
Note to self:

Add velcro battery belt to build prior to first flight.

Normally I have one, but on this plane, it's not really feasible due to where the battery has to sit - there's no room to really thread a battery belt in to hold it (and keep the plane balanced). I think what I'm going to do is put some more aggressive velcro on the wing, rather than hoping the looser velcro and a friction fit will keep it in place.
 

RustySocket

Active member
Normally I have one, but on this plane, it's not really feasible due to where the battery has to sit - there's no room to really thread a battery belt in to hold it (and keep the plane balanced). I think what I'm going to do is put some more aggressive velcro on the wing, rather than hoping the looser velcro and a friction fit will keep it in place.

Good to know, I am finishing up a blender myself right now. I was thinking of putting a belt through the bottom of the power pod into the cavity below, but I don't have any indication of where the battery needs to sit to achieve balance yet. In any event, it's been something on my mind. I lost a heli to a battery coming unsecured once.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
I had the BB for awhile and I never had any issues. I know I hate it when people do this to me, but the balance problem you have with the battery is real. Do what you need to do with the battery, mine I keep it inside the power pod and the ESC goes underneath.
This is on a 9x6 prop with a 2200 3s, the tail was lengthened by 3 inches for pitch stability and there is dihedral in the top wing. The balance issue was the cause of your perceived lack of power issue. I would say just fix the battery mount and you should be good
 

Grifflyer

WWII fanatic
Wait. you don't just let the battery dangle from the ESC wires? I thought everybody did that :unsure::LOL:

Lucky that you were able to get it down without any damage!
 
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sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
I had the BB for awhile and I never had any issues. I know I hate it when people do this to me, but the balance problem you have with the battery is real. Do what you need to do with the battery, mine I keep it inside the power pod and the ESC goes underneath.
This is on a 9x6 prop with a 2200 3s, the tail was lengthened by 3 inches for pitch stability and there is dihedral in the top wing. The balance issue was the cause of your perceived lack of power issue. I would say just fix the battery mount and you should be good

Yeah, I'll definitely be fixing it. I unfortunately can't fit the battery into the power pod (the batteries I have are just a little bigger than the width/height of the power pod itself), and I'd figured the velcro I had would hold the battery in...Guess not! LOL
 

RustySocket

Active member
Yeah, I'll definitely be fixing it. I unfortunately can't fit the battery into the power pod (the batteries I have are just a little bigger than the width/height of the power pod itself), and I'd figured the velcro I had would hold the battery in...Guess not! LOL

Just curious which battery are you using in yours? I'm now thinking mine may end up inside the pod and I will run the lead out through the bottom along with an extension plugged into the ESC. I'm planning on a standard 2200Mah 3s pack.
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
Just curious which battery are you using in yours? I'm now thinking mine may end up inside the pod and I will run the lead out through the bottom along with an extension plugged into the ESC. I'm planning on a standard 2200Mah 3s pack.

On that first maiden, I don't remember exactly...I have several 2200 3S batteries - Kinexsis, Venom, Fluoreon, and a Lectron Pro, and the only ones I KNOW it wasn't were the Venom, because that one is a little narrower than the others, or the Fluoreon, because it's got a red packaging vs. the others that have a black packaging.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
Just curious which battery are you using in yours? I'm now thinking mine may end up inside the pod and I will run the lead out through the bottom along with an extension plugged into the ESC. I'm planning on a standard 2200Mah 3s pack.
On that first maiden, I don't remember exactly...I have several 2200 3S batteries - Kinexsis, Venom, Fluoreon, and a Lectron Pro, and the only ones I KNOW it wasn't were the Venom, because that one is a little narrower than the others, or the Fluoreon, because it's got a red packaging vs. the others that have a black packaging.
The 2200 3s batteries should fit in the standard stock pod, the 4s I have fits in there as well. Unless you have servos or the ESC in there, shouldn't be any problem. running the ESC under the pod installed with Velcro gives the ESC better cooling too. Plus having the battery inside the pod protests it from crashes.

Have you guys seen this thread here? Check out this link
 

RustySocket

Active member
@BATTLEAXE
Nice mods to the pod. Not sure I will go through all that on this particular build, but I did incorporate things like gift card doublers already and reinforced the tabs and edges with packing tape. Looking at the Blender again, I'm not sure exactly where my battery will be located but as long as it is forward of the servos, I will put it in the pod if possible.

Lots of good tips.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
@BATTLEAXE
Nice mods to the pod. Not sure I will go through all that on this particular build, but I did incorporate things like gift card doublers already and reinforced the tabs and edges with packing tape. Looking at the Blender again, I'm not sure exactly where my battery will be located but as long as it is forward of the servos, I will put it in the pod if possible.

Lots of good tips.
Anything to help.

Do you have the tail servos installed in the front or rear cockpit?
 

RustySocket

Active member
Anything to help.

Do you have the tail servos installed in the front or rear cockpit?

One in each, as per the V2 plan. Stock build other than some Cabane mods with skewers to reinforce the upper wing. I see now that I may have an issue with the forward servo, depending on were it ends up balancing out at.
 

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BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
One in each, as per the V2 plan. Stock build other than some Cabane mods with skewers to reinforce the upper wing. I see now that I may have an issue with the forward servo, depending on were it ends up balancing out at.
Since you are stil in the building stage you could move that front servo back to the rear cockpit easily enough. Take out both servos, open up the rear one to fit both servos side by side, then cover up the front servo hole with a piece of poster board. The servo hole in the rear cockpit can be opened up by a quarter inch on either side to fit both servos back there, problem solved.
 

jpot1

Elite member
I loop a Velcro strap through the bottom of the power pod with some pieces of popsicle stick inside the power pod. Another piece of Velcro on the bottom of the pod and I’ve never had a problem
 

Hondo76251

Legendary member
That's the symmetrical hook tape right. I tried the 10lb stuff and it sticks so well it would rather peel off at the adhesive then the hooks lol
Yeah, it doesn't take very much! First time I used it I put a whole strip on a battery, it was a fight to get it out of there!

Now I just put little half inch squares on the battery and a strip in the plane...

20200210_221950.jpg
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
Yeah, it doesn't take very much! First time I used it I put a whole strip on a battery, it was a fight to get it out of there!

Now I just put little half inch squares on the battery and a strip in the plane...

View attachment 157491
I gotta try that stuff again. I have also tried to reuse it and sticking it on with HG just pulls the HG contact apart too. Might get the lighter stuff
 

basslord1124

Master member
I think I have always tried to maintain a practice of adding velcro straps wherever the battery goes. I always have that fear that something like that would happen to me. When I built the FT Storch (1st plane I built), I didn't do that and I had the battery underneath the power pod. I ended up wedging some pieces of foam in there to hold it better. But since then I have always done the straps.

Glad to hear you got through your experience ok without damage. :)