Speedy Versa Wing - Build

[JamesWhom]

So if you were wondering where I had gotten to, I have been busy doing revision for upcoming exams (I know, it sucks right?); however, Ive managed to put a few hours this week into building a Versa Wing, and its almost done.


Its got a pretty "beefy" motor too. 1450Kv. Too much?




I built this as a quick thing that I can just chuck up into the air and have fun with whilst I'm continuing building my other aircraft projects - The Spitfire still needs painting. With this I may do something to give it some colour, but the main aim is to fly - crash - rebuild and "make memories" as Josh would say.

I would love to hear some feedback!

 

[adamd]

looks great!
i use the same motor on my pusher versa and its perfect i was getting 25min flight times on a 2200mah! plus lots of jam when you needed it!

 

[JamesWhom]

Thanks! Wow, thats great news about you having 25 minute flight times; I'm using a 2200 too. I was kinda worried it would be far too big. Are you using minimal throws on the elevons?

 

[adamd]

I use duel rates. one is really slow and docile (I use that for fpv) and when i'm flying line of site its on max throws, both are at 30% expo. the great thing about the versa is it truly is versatile. it flies how you make it fly, slow , fast, acrobatic, or a cruser.
the 20min+ flights are my super slow easy flying at min throttle.

 

[JamesWhom]

Awesome, that's great advise. I guess I'll do some experimenting to find out whats right for my wing then!

 

[Turorit]

Nice work James.
I'm about to try the same setup on my versa as I've discovered Australian foam board is too heavy & the hextronic 24g doesn't cut it!
What size/brand prop are you using to fit the 6mm adaptor shaft?

Edit: In case anyone is interested, here is some info about thrust/prop size/power draw for the Turnigy D2636/8 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...NGVEMnZnRzNzMkJab2dfRjlxMnc&usp=sharing#gid=0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j17m5AhMmd0

 

[JamesWhom]

Cheers man
I was going to use a Master Airscrew brand prop, however they are quite hard to come by hear in the UK, especially through UK internet suppliers (hobby king only ship them from abroad), so I just used an APC electric 9x7.5. It may be a bit on the extreme side but yeah. I will find out if it works okay without straining the motor soon enough.

Thanks for the info about the Turnigy D2636/8.

 

[JamesWhom]

Just an update - I maidened the wing earlier today. It was amazing Ive not been flying in so long that I'd forgotten just how much fun it really is. Unfortunately a 15 minute flight ended in a crash, just as I had decided to bring it round for a landing approach haha. Damage was not substantial though so I will have it back in the air in a few days, and I am very pleased with the aircraft. I had a lot of fun today, reaching high speeds and doing rolls.



The "THUD" was surprisingly loud!



The cause of the accident was my thin control rods to the elevons. They had too much 'give' in them when enough force was applied, meaning I couldn't pull out of a turning dive. My bad

The Electronics are all fine, but the power pod crumpled so Im going to build a new one.

Before the flight I added some decoration, but I didn't get round to posting on here.





I was alone today so I didn't get any photo's or video of it flying. I will next time though don't worry.

Performance wise the wing was exceptional. It flew fantastically at high and low speeds. I recommend it. Thank you Josh Bixler!

 

[Scottie]

Cheers man
I was going to use a Master Airscrew brand prop, however they are quite hard to come by hear in the UK, especially through UK internet suppliers (hobby king only ship them from abroad)

hey james
check out http://www.pegasusmodels.co.uk/prod...de&maingp=Aircraft Accessories&prodid=1004806

 

[Nathan_116]

Will the Versa fly on the 24g Hextronik 1300kv motor???? That's all I have and don't want to bother with an order if I don't have too. If so what size prop would I need as I only have 8045, but my lhs has any kind I would need???

 

[JamesWhom]

Hey Scottie - Thats awesome Thanks for that, I will be sending them an order soon I suspect.

Nathan_116 - The Versa Wing has very good tendencies for going very slow or very fast, so I would think that motor would be okay. It says on Hobbyking http://www.hobbyking.co.uk/hobbyking/store/__2069__hexTronik_24gram_Brushless_Outrunner_1300kv.html that the recommended prop is a 8x3.8. I have no experience with that motor however, so Im not certain that it wouldn't be underpowered. I recommend just building a power pod with that motor and then buying a different motor it if its no good.

Cheers for the comments.

 

[Team_Monkey]

That 1300kV motor will make it a good slow flyer.
My favorite small wing speedy motor is a 2208/8 2600kV motor. Run that on 3S with a 5x5. You'll draw right around 20A and top out around 100MPH. You can also run it on 2S using a 7x5 and top out around 55-60MPH.

In fact I have a spare one of those in my box and will be building a Versa once I get another plane off my table, at least before Flitefest.

Good luck!

 

[JamesWhom]

I've just about finished fixing the airframe from yesterday's crash:



As you can see, Ive fixed the power pod, de-crumpled the wing and slapped some red on it. Im really pleased with how it turned out - simple but noticeable.



I apologise about the image quality by the way; my aim on all of my thread posts is to have great quality images that look nice, but today I just wanted to show you where I'm at. Its gone dark outside and I usually use natural light, so I used a desk lamp.

I Can't wait to go out with it this weekend, so I'm hoping the weather's going to be good!

 

[Turorit]

Looking good James! Glad to hear the maiden was a success
Any issues with balancing it out or noticing a change in CG point?
Looking forward to seeing some vids

I put the D2636/8 & a 11x5.5 prop on my pod over the weekend. Didn't get a chance to fly it but I'm impressed with how much power its got. I see high-speed nose dives crashes in the near future

 

[JamesWhom]

Hey Turorit Thanks! No not really, exactly the same as before as far as I can tell.
Haha that sounds super cool, I know what you mean about the high-speed nose dives, these things are pretty fast with 'the beef'.

The problem I'm having with my Versa at the moment is with the power pod and its way of attaching to the wing itself. The thing never seems very flush, and has a bit too much give in it for my liking. Anyone know any alternate ways of securing it without just gluing it down? All in all it's not too much of a big deal, but with the high G's the wing is pulling, I'm finding it a bit worrying.

Second flight went okay - I was up for about a minute and thought I would try landing it to do some trimming. Ended up braking the firewall as the prop was vertical when it contacted the ground. Fixed it now though, so I'm probably going to go out later on.

Wish me luck!

 

[JamesWhom]

Epic fail: caught the wing round my head when I was hand launching - the Versa flips round hits the deck and brakes the power pod mounting. Dead annoying as I was just about to have some fun... and now I feel like a right noob.

I'm just going to tape the power pod on. That settles it.

 

[JamesWhom]

I got my fourth and fifth flight out of the Versa today, and it was incredible fun! I got about a fifteen minute flight time out of the first battery, taking it about 1/2 - 3/4 throttle and doing simple patterns with occasional low passes and rolls etc. I really didn't want to brake anything today, so I was playing it safe.
After around 5 minutes on the second flight on the second battery, the prop suddenly made a loud noise and I had to emergency land it. So it turned out that the motor mount screws had slipped (not sure why or how), which was a bit weird. Ive fixed the issue now though.

Anyway, I had a nice walk home and took some pictures.

This is where I fly, or near by the flying field anyway.

The DX6i.

Apologies about not getting any actual video footage of flight yet - there was no one about when I flew earlier able to film, and also its a little overcast. Keep checking this thread for when I get some video up though!

 

[Foam Addict]

Cool wing...and Awesome photography skills! Ok, I really like the wing too. Nice repair job as well, wings can really take a hit can't they?

 

[JamesWhom]

Thanks man! They sure are good at taking a whack haha.

 

[pouncingiguana]

Will the Versa fly on the 24g Hextronik 1300kv motor???? That's all I have and don't want to bother with an order if I don't have too. If so what size prop would I need as I only have 8045, but my lhs has any kind I would need???

My daughter flies hers on a 24g hextronik 1300, no problem. I'd avoid heavy wind with it, but it does just fine on an 8 or 9 inch prop. Alternatively you could build a half size one like I did. It's harder to launch and fly, but I goes like crazy and it's tons of fun. Either way, give it a shot, it'll work!