Arcfyre
Elite member
So I had a rather heartbreaking morning. I took my finally finished FT racer up for its second flight today. The maiden went well yesterday. I had it all trimmed up and it was flying fine. I felt that it was just a touch nose heavy, and the elevator lacked authority, but otherwise it was a nice little plane.
Anyway, I'm flying over the lake, just starting a high speed pass (its a racer, after all) when the positive G's pull the battery pack off of the underside of the power pod. I used velcro to attach it, and this is the first time that it has ever failed me. The battery slides forward and down as I'm pulling up, and the wires get tangled in the prop. Its a big 12x6 CF prop, and the power of it ripped the battery completely out of the airplane. I watch the battery fall from the plane and land in the middle of the pond with a splash. My brand new FT racer, now completely out of control, spirals slowly down, and comes to rest near some geese in the lake.
As you can tell from the surface of the water, there is no wind to move it to the side. Since I'm not in the mood for a swim, what am I to do? Get my DJI Spark, of course, and make my own wind! So that's what I did. I flew the spark down in front of my racer and used the propwash to push it to shore. Worked like a charm. As the ESC was powered off when it hit the water, it will likely work if I give it enough time to dry. The RX as well. The prop is a little scuffed, but intact. The motor is fine. The fuselage needs a little love, as the battery ripped the left cheek off on it's way out. The battery is gone, never to be seen again. I tried some low passes with the spark, aiming the camera straight down. No luck, the water is pretty murky.
Anyway I thought it was a good story. Ill likely repair this thing in the next few days and see if I can get it flying again.
Anyway, I'm flying over the lake, just starting a high speed pass (its a racer, after all) when the positive G's pull the battery pack off of the underside of the power pod. I used velcro to attach it, and this is the first time that it has ever failed me. The battery slides forward and down as I'm pulling up, and the wires get tangled in the prop. Its a big 12x6 CF prop, and the power of it ripped the battery completely out of the airplane. I watch the battery fall from the plane and land in the middle of the pond with a splash. My brand new FT racer, now completely out of control, spirals slowly down, and comes to rest near some geese in the lake.


As you can tell from the surface of the water, there is no wind to move it to the side. Since I'm not in the mood for a swim, what am I to do? Get my DJI Spark, of course, and make my own wind! So that's what I did. I flew the spark down in front of my racer and used the propwash to push it to shore. Worked like a charm. As the ESC was powered off when it hit the water, it will likely work if I give it enough time to dry. The RX as well. The prop is a little scuffed, but intact. The motor is fine. The fuselage needs a little love, as the battery ripped the left cheek off on it's way out. The battery is gone, never to be seen again. I tried some low passes with the spark, aiming the camera straight down. No luck, the water is pretty murky.
Anyway I thought it was a good story. Ill likely repair this thing in the next few days and see if I can get it flying again.