New Builder and Pilot from Colorado

[Skyhigh7]

Hello everyone,

I stumbled across the Flite Test YouTube videos and was blown away by the idea of building a flying airplane out of economical foam-core! I immediately went out and bought boards from Hobby Lobby and built a FT Might Mini Arrow.



Then this weekend I finally had a chance to take it out and try to fly it with this result...

Not a great start...but I my spirits are not dampened! I have a Tiny Trainer speed build kit arriving this week and that will be my next attempt. :black_eyed:

 

[Ron B]

not enough time to see the problem to help out but next time go to Dollar Tree or Dollar General for your foam and make sure the sticker says Adams board as others are to heavy.
By the photo it looks like southern front range colorado.

 

[Mcrae3006]

Hey Skyhigh7, welcome to the forums! I live just up the way from you in Castle Rock. I have been flying my FT Arrow for a few weeks now and LOVE it. It can sure take a beating. Wings can be a little more difficult to fly, so the Tiny Trainer should be a good one to get a little more flight experience. Keep flying!

 

[Skyhigh7]

Thanks for the welcome gents!

I am looking forward to getting the Arrow right someday. The Hobby Lobby boards I used are definitely heavier and I had the paper plans spray adhered and so they added some weight too. I now have many many DTFB sheets at home and will probably try re-building the Arrow out of those once I get the Tiny Trainer flying.

I built the Pun Jet out of the Hobby Lobby board too but now I'm wondering if I should try to fly it or not....


I have the motor and esc coming this week.

Noob questions...
- Do linkage stoppers always require you to drill out the holes to fit?
- Do you always need to add the extra center piece for propellers? (I think this factored into my failed flight)

 

[Jaxx]

Skyhigh7,

Welcome to the forum!

Just took a look at your flight video. As you have probably already figured out, wings can be tricky to launch. Like Ron said, it's hard to tell what's wrong in such a short video, but if you're interested, I'd be happy to help you get it in the air. I'm in the Springs as well. Trying to figure out where your flying field is. The area looks familiar. Let me know how I can help.

 

[Ron B]

Yep control horns and servo arms all need to be enlarged for linkage stoppers and some control rods. As for prop spacers it is like 90% of the time you have to use the adapter ring

 

[Skyhigh7]

Skyhigh7,
Welcome to the forum!

Just took a look at your flight video. As you have probably already figured out, wings can be tricky to launch. Like Ron said, it's hard to tell what's wrong in such a short video, but if you're interested, I'd be happy to help you get it in the air. I'm in the Springs as well. Trying to figure out where your flying field is. The area looks familiar. Let me know how I can help.

Thanks Jaxx, I just ran into a guy at work that flies a ton (I just found out) and told him about my failure. I'm running the Power Pack F (2204/2300kv + 12a esc) but on an 800mah 2s battery. He was telling me that at our altitude (6300+/-), and with my Arrow being hefty, that a 2s wasn't enough power and that I'd probably have better luck on a 3 or 4s.

I was flying in an open space in a neighborhood over at Peterson and Stetson Hills. Do you have any regular flying spots or times?

@ron - Thanks! I figured it was common to drill out the linkage stoppers but wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something completely wrong. And I learned my lesson on the prop adapter and will be using those from now on.

 

[Skyhigh7]

I got my Tiny Trainer Speed Build Kit last night and already built all but the sport wing. I'm happy to say that it glides really well and is a *lot* lighter then my Arrow so I'm expecting good things this weekend.

Hopefully I get the servos I ordered on Friday and I can throw them in and try another flight!

 

[PsyBorg]

You can see in the video when the wing is hanging by his side that the ailerons were starting in a left hand roll position. I think you may have locked down the ailerons before or after moving the servo off centered when you set it up. Other then that it looks like you have decent building skills as all the pictures look square and neat.

Look at JnJ's preflight video and learn the high 5 method It REALLY helps at the field. I know from experience as I did a build over winter . flew on sims til spring then when I maidened a plane I just saw everything move and didn't pay attention to directions. I had reversed ailerons throws on my radio for the sim and never put them back. It was a not so nice surprise AFTER it was in the air to remember that fact. High five could have saved me some rebuilding and some money.

 

[Wanderfound]

Thanks Jaxx, I just ran into a guy at work that flies a ton (I just found out) and told him about my failure. I'm running the Power Pack F (2204/2300kv + 12a esc) but on an 800mah 2s battery. He was telling me that at our altitude (6300+/-), and with my Arrow being hefty, that a 2s wasn't enough power and that I'd probably have better luck on a 3 or 4s.

The Mini Arrow is designed to run a 3s, IIRC. Dropping down to 2s is cutting your engine revs by a third; it's a big difference in thrust.

I wouldn't worry too much about the foamboard weight difference. My Tiny Trainer is made from 5mm Depron, coated both sides with butcher's paper and a substantial amount of Minwax, generously reinforced with packing tape in strategic areas and then spraypainted on top of that. Coathanger landing gear and a decorative canopy, too.



It's guaranteed to be a lot heavier than the speedbuild version, but it flies just fine. As the prop suggests, though, there are still some issues with the pilot.

I suspect that your Arrow would fly fine if you get your control surfaces set right, change the battery to 3s and give it a bit less twist on the launch toss.

But, in the meantime, I thoroughly endorse the Tiny Trainer plan; you can re-use most of the electronics from the Arrow, and the TT is easier to fly and much more crash-resistant.

That cracked prop was the only damage taken after nosing into the dirt from about thirty feet up. Flying on the sport wing, at the edge of a stall, rolled left when I should have rolled right, dropped like a rock. I'm going back to the polyhedral until I get a bit more comfortable in the air; it's easy to get confused once the adrenalin starts flowing.

 

[nwnugget]

Hey! I took the same path. Built an Arrow, but I liked it to much to crash it. I also ordered the Tiny Trainer speed build and have been crashing that ever since. The only serious damage has been propellers. My first flights were 20-30 second bouts of over corrections until the poor plane met with the earth again. Rewatching the Beginner Series here on FliteTest made me take a step back and fix some of my errors. Verify CG, early and often. Set your control surface throws to the low settings specified and program in the recommended expos.

After that I can fly for about a minute before my thumbs out-dumb my brains ability to process my mistakes and I crash. Difference is now the crashes are WAY less violent and damaging.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[cranialrectosis]

I fly a Tiny Trainer in Colorado Springs. I run 3S on an 1806 2300kv motor spinning a 6045 prop. I fly the sport wing as it cuts through the Front Range breeze better. I have just finished a Mini-Mustang with a Cobra 2204 spinning a 6045 also on 3S. I destroyed an F22 but it was a ton of fun doing so.

SCORCH is a decent club a few miles east of town at the old Springs East airport. They have an indoor fly event coming up (Sunday I think). They have some really good people there who will help you get in the air. They helped a butthead like me, they can help you too.

They are an AMA club and dues are now $50 but they have an enclosure to warm up in or repair your plane. The club is on 80 acres.

You won't get the thrust here that you do at sea level. I would keep to 3S or better unless you have a really light, small craft which in the wind we get here won't do well either. When I go to California to visit, my quads have much more thrust than I am used to. It's almost like stepping up a prop size or a lipo cell.

 

[Skyhigh7]

Woohoo! My Tiny Trainer flew for the first time tonight! Only a short set of flights but enough to prove that I could, one "landing" broke a prop but luckily I had another and was back up in the air in 5 minutes and got a total of 6 separate short (30-45s) flights out in my backyard area.

Oh boy...now the spending starts...I've got a bunch of planes made but now I'll have to actually get some more electronics for them all.

p.s. My fingers hurt...the spiky things on the transmitter must be trying to tell me to ease up a bit

 

[ika]

Gratz on your success!

I'm surprised no one has yet suggested the Ft mini scout. A simple to fly 3 channel plane that builds very light but has high lift undercamber wing with lots of surface area. It flies slow and like it's on rails. It is very easy to build and will fly really nicely with the 2s battery. I think it makes a much better trainer than the Ft tiny trainer! If your tiny trainer becomes too unflyable, I highly recommend building the Ft mini scout.

 

[Elexo]

Welcome to the forums! I fly around Colorado Springs, and the wind is always an issue. Building larger aircraft (simple soarer, storch) can help you cut through that wind. I also recommend Scorch RC Club. I attended the indoor fly-in last week and they were very helpful. $25 membership if you are under 18.

 

[Skyhigh7]

Well I flew twice more today but the last flight ended in another broken prop...so now to wait for my order of props to arrive. I definitely need to get out to a larger space as I think I am over controlling the plane to keep it in my small area...but I'm still having a blast

I've got a Mini FT 22 (localfiend's plans) that I might put up next with an 1806 motor and see how that goes!

I'll check out the Scorch club, they don't appear to let you fly unless you pay the club dues to start so we'll see. There are a couple other clubs here in town (PPRC and PPSS) that I might need to check out too.

Oh and the FT Mini Scout is downloaded and printed out! It'll hit the workbench this weekend I'm sure.

 

[Skyhigh7]

I just finished an FT Scout build last night so I'm hoping to get out and fly it today, wish me luck!

Soo...how many broken props is normal? Luckily I bought a bunch more as I just broke another one.

I had to put the 3s battery into the Scout to get it to stay in the air but we didn't give it enough of a throw on launch and it came down fast.

Got a new prop on and getting ready to give it another go.

Wooohoo! My longest flight since I started...2ish minutes in the air and some wonderful turns...I think I'm getting the hang of the light touch on the controls finally.

 

[Jaxx]

I just finished an FT Scout build last night so I'm hoping to get out and fly it today, wish me luck!

Soo...how many broken props is normal? Luckily I bought a bunch more as I just broke another one.

I had to put the 3s battery into the Scout to get it to stay in the air but we didn't give it enough of a throw on launch and it came down fast.

Got a new prop on and getting ready to give it another go.

Wooohoo! My longest flight since I started...2ish minutes in the air and some wonderful turns...I think I'm getting the hang of the light touch on the controls finally.

I know it's been a while, but how's the flying going?

 

[Katheiser]

Hey Skyhigh, I am in the springs as well. I am also building a Mini Arrow. I would be interested in bouncing some ideas off you, and if you are into it, we can go fly some time (you know, when its warmer one of these days)! Let me know if you are interested. We should all start a local FT chapter!

 

[cranialrectosis]

Soo...how many broken props is normal? Luckily I bought a bunch more as I just broke another one.

All of them.

With a quad I sometimes break 8-10 props in a weekend. With a plane it's less but have a stack. Props are a disposable commodity like gas used to be before we had electric motors.