Flying Monkey fab
Elite member
yes, please, look for an IM very soon.
Sucking less is cool
- Thread starter Flying Monkey fab
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Flying Monkey fab
Elite member
So, things progress quickly after the first hurdle!
I took 3 planes to the park and came home with one still flyable and all my batteries drained!
I started with the Bloody Brit and exhausted one battery, then near the bottom of the second battery I lost orientation of whether I was looking at the top or bottom and totally obliterated it. Looks like all the avionics survived so I should be able to build a new airframe quite quickly.
I then went to the Bixler, I took off and it was all but uncontrollable! I managed to land without breaking anything and figured out that this thing goes through giant trim changes with flaps. I had taken off with 1/2 flaps. Took off again with the flaps off and managed to go get her trimmed out okay. Five batteries later I whacked a sapling on landing and broke a servo arm. By this time it was getting darkish so I broke out the convergance and played with it in VTOL mode until I was out of batteries and the street lights had come on!
Great flying day!
I took 3 planes to the park and came home with one still flyable and all my batteries drained!
I started with the Bloody Brit and exhausted one battery, then near the bottom of the second battery I lost orientation of whether I was looking at the top or bottom and totally obliterated it. Looks like all the avionics survived so I should be able to build a new airframe quite quickly.
I then went to the Bixler, I took off and it was all but uncontrollable! I managed to land without breaking anything and figured out that this thing goes through giant trim changes with flaps. I had taken off with 1/2 flaps. Took off again with the flaps off and managed to go get her trimmed out okay. Five batteries later I whacked a sapling on landing and broke a servo arm. By this time it was getting darkish so I broke out the convergance and played with it in VTOL mode until I was out of batteries and the street lights had come on!
Great flying day!
Last edited:
jross
Well-known member
I'm familiar with the concept of KFM wings but never built one. Any designs or specifics you want to pass on? I love wings. Have a large Drak in the basement I built to a finished airframe and realized it was too beautiful to pound into the ground. Got everything I need to finish the build but not the chops to fly it. 5S motor and accompanying 5000 mah batteries and ESC. All the video TX and RX and control TX and RX for LRS. The start of a really nice ground station. Way beyond my ability, for now. What was I thinking? One of the sexiest planes I've ever seen. It's all about sex, in the end. Unless you're married. I love the lines. They look awesome in the air. Chris Klick did an amazing job with this plane.
So a wing I could beat the heck out of would be handy. I'm going to fly that Drak one day. I'm going to fly a wing come hell or high water. I have the power pack for the mini arrow but know from destroying a few, small wings are twitchy and easy to turn into lawn darts. I've now learned the concept of dual rates and expo, which probably would have prevented a lot of broken foam and dashed hopes. But I want it to be more likely to succeed so if you have any wisdom that would help, feel free to pass it on. At this point, I'm a grasshopper. I've flown successfully 3 times alone, thanks to the help I've found here.
And whoever the Canadian is who suggested it, thanks. Wore my one piece "rig pig" suit today and was stoked. As you said, when the rest of the body is warm, hands also tend to stay warm. Decided I need warmer boots. Rubber boots with felt liners aren't cutting it even with an extra set of wool socks. Might be time for some heavy duty felt pack boots. I wussed out after 5 batteries on the trainer. Was getting dark and hard to see the plane. Thinking about strobes and LEDs.
jross
Well-known member
First thought was, you have a lot of batteries. Second was, that brown plane must be hard to see in most lighting. Time for some paint or tape. I use the white dollar store foam so not sure how lighter coloured tape would be on brown paper. Do the top different from the bottom. Working on my Explorer tonight and will post photos of what I mean. Saved me more than once including tonight flying near dusk. When I see stripes, I know I'm looking at the bottom of the plane.
Flying Monkey fab
Elite member
Not too many it appears, I did burn through all of them this afternoon. Do most people have fewer but have a DC quick charger? All I have so far is a balance charger at the house.
It's okay in bright light but yeah, this next one will get some white tape or something. I'll look for what you do with yours.
Hai-Lee
Old and Bold RC PILOT
The wing I mentioned is not the sexiest around but it is very robust and almost everyone at the local club has one, (even the newbies),
It will fly with a large range of motor powers BUT it really comes alive with a funfighter motor or more. Light motor with light batteries and heavy, (powerful), motors with heavy batteries.
Here is the one i posted but there are others on the forum! https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/collaborators-build-1-800-mm-kfm-flying-wing.54085/
I last flew mine, (the one with the bat painted on it), in a 40 mph wind with gusts and bad turbulence quite well until I tried to land. A wind gust or turbulence caused it to drop a wing on landing and it clipped the ground, nosed in and then cartwheeled up the field. Just wiped the dirt off of the nose and it is as good as new! I learned to fly wings on my earlier version of the same design which my son now has.
Hope it helps!
Have fun!
jross
Well-known member
One notch at a time. My kinda thinkin'.
Headbang
Master member
jross- you are welcome for the clothing tip.
flying monkey- you would be surprised how planes add up. I had 33 bound ready to fly last I checked. Filling a trailer, half my garage, by build shop, and lining the walls of my wife's gym room. Would not be so bad if they were all fb, but they range up to 89" wing spans, with most over 60". I made the goal for the new year to litterally try and fly the wings off as many as I can and get video of it to make room!
flying monkey- you would be surprised how planes add up. I had 33 bound ready to fly last I checked. Filling a trailer, half my garage, by build shop, and lining the walls of my wife's gym room. Would not be so bad if they were all fb, but they range up to 89" wing spans, with most over 60". I made the goal for the new year to litterally try and fly the wings off as many as I can and get video of it to make room!
evranch
Well-known member
You have lots of batteries for sure! Batteries are expensive in Canada so most guys I know have a pair, maybe 2-3 per power setup and a good charger. Get one that can run on 12v or on 120v and you can rapid charge off your truck battery in the field while you fly.
Flaps aren't really needed for RC planes unless you've got something so heavy that its stall speed gets stupid. And they do really change the flight characteristics, especially because you can't trim them on the fly if one is pulling harder than the other, and you end up trying to stay level with your ailerons. This is one reason I like flaperons, they are just a mix and thus if your ailerons are trimmed, your flaperons should be as well. I would disable the flaps until you are comfortable flying without them, because they are one more thing to go wrong.
I like light stripes on dark, on both wings. Easy to see against the clouds or blue sky. Not so easy at dusk. This lets you see not just if you are inverted, but gives you immediate attitude feedback. If you see stripes, you are banking out, no stripes you are banking in. If you are flying straight away (or towards) and get mixed up, pull up. If you see a flash of stripes, you are coming towards.
I'm hoping my black wing/white fuselage Baron will have the same effect, if I can see the white fuselage on black I'm banking out.
@jross get a pair of US military "Bunny Boots" and your feet will never be cold again while flying. They are clumsy to walk in but for standing or ice fishing they can't be beat.
I'm also thinking of doing a internally lighted foamboard plane as dusk and night are often the times when the wind goes to bed here on the prairies. I like the ones I've seen in the videos. Nav lights and strobes would also be a good idea.
@Headbang 160kph? Sounds like glider weather, weight up an old airframe, find a hill and get out there
Flaps aren't really needed for RC planes unless you've got something so heavy that its stall speed gets stupid. And they do really change the flight characteristics, especially because you can't trim them on the fly if one is pulling harder than the other, and you end up trying to stay level with your ailerons. This is one reason I like flaperons, they are just a mix and thus if your ailerons are trimmed, your flaperons should be as well. I would disable the flaps until you are comfortable flying without them, because they are one more thing to go wrong.
I like light stripes on dark, on both wings. Easy to see against the clouds or blue sky. Not so easy at dusk. This lets you see not just if you are inverted, but gives you immediate attitude feedback. If you see stripes, you are banking out, no stripes you are banking in. If you are flying straight away (or towards) and get mixed up, pull up. If you see a flash of stripes, you are coming towards.
I'm hoping my black wing/white fuselage Baron will have the same effect, if I can see the white fuselage on black I'm banking out.
@jross get a pair of US military "Bunny Boots" and your feet will never be cold again while flying. They are clumsy to walk in but for standing or ice fishing they can't be beat.
I'm also thinking of doing a internally lighted foamboard plane as dusk and night are often the times when the wind goes to bed here on the prairies. I like the ones I've seen in the videos. Nav lights and strobes would also be a good idea.
@Headbang 160kph? Sounds like glider weather, weight up an old airframe, find a hill and get out there
buzzbomb
I know nothing!
That's the best articulation I've read on the use of the stripes on the bottom. I'm hard headed, but I get that concept now. Thank you.
jross
Well-known member
I'm building this plane. There's beauty in simplicity. Looks like it might be a winner to get me over the hump with wings. I like the concept of near indestructible. Works for my wing flying style at the moment.
![20190101_123339[1].jpg](https://ftforumx2.s3.amazonaws.com/2019/01/208601_5f6a40c41dcd0be012d9e29411432163.jpg "20190101_123339[1].jpg")
![20190101_123410[1].jpg](https://ftforumx2.s3.amazonaws.com/2019/01/208603_00833df5f7c2d954780168ef02810783.jpg "20190101_123410[1].jpg")
Flying Monkey fab
Elite member
jross
Well-known member
Love the Explorer build. Nice looking plane.
jross
Well-known member
Saved me a couple of times today. Always seems I end up finishing sessions at dusk. Would love to light these puppies up and scare my neighbours while making it possible to fly longer. Flick a switch and boom, UFO!
Headbang
Master member
jross
Well-known member
Bunny Boots. Heh. So me. Looked around and looks like I can buy them online. Laughed when I saw this on the boots. All the more appropriate for flying. Do they make white rig pig suits? Would be nice to have everything matching. Great for winter stealth flying too.
I remember the excitement of selling my first plane... because I was parting with an aircraft intentionally, and not through attrition.
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