The Second Part of my Journey - The Diary

[mayan]

No rest for the work bench.

I was hoping to take a break

 

[Hondo76251]

Here they are....

Tail Heavy, No doubt IMHO... (my internet connection (satellite) is terrible where I live, so I had to download the 2nd one again with higher quality to see what was going on... )

In my building experience, its hard to make one that has too much nose weight! By the time you have any components in the tail, servos, tape, reinforcements.... you'll find yourself looking for ways to add nose weight on most any build...

Take my latest maiden for example...

I knew I'd have wind and I knew I had pretty high rates for the AS3x, so I went with the 1000mAh battery for the first flight. The point of balance was probably in the first 10% of the leading edge of the wing. Nose heavy for sure... but, as it turns out (and this is why I always go for VERY nose heavy on a maiden) this plane is pretty happy with the CG at 15%-20% of the chord of the wing... so it does like a lot of nose weight!

 

[mayan]

Tail Heavy, No doubt IMHO... (my internet connection (satellite) is terrible where I live, so I had to download the 2nd one again with higher quality to see what was going on... )

In my building experience, its hard to make one that has too much nose weight! By the time you have any components in the tail, servos, tape, reinforcements.... you'll find yourself looking for ways to add nose weight on most any build...

Take my latest maiden for example...

I knew I'd have wind and I knew I had pretty high rates for the AS3x, so I went with the 1000mAh battery for the first flight. The point of balance was probably in the first 10% of the leading edge of the wing. Nose heavy for sure... but, as it turns out (and this is why I always go for VERY nose heavy on a maiden) this plane is pretty happy with the CG at 15%-20% of the chord of the wing... so it does like a lot of nose weight!

Seems to fly great unlike mine. I would have put if back together had I not prefered to have something ready for today. I haven't given up on it though because it will open a lot of doors to the TT mod options .

 

[mayan]

So today we went flying me and @Eddo radush! It was a blast at least for me. We met up pretty early something at around 7:45 am at my place and did some checks on his TT to make sure it was ok before maiden, as well as finished adding seperate flaps to my Simple Storch wing. We wasted quite some time at home and left the house only around 9 am. We arrived at the field and started off by flying our TTs. I was flying 4 channels and he was flying 3 channels. Its was a blast, we each flew a whole battery. I have three 3S batteries so was good for another round but he didn't so we put our TTs aside and put his battery to charge from the car battery directly. @sprzout I was afraid for no good reason b/c it chraged like a chram and was much less intimidating then I thought it would be.

While we waited for his battery to charge, we took a break for water and coffee which I brought from home and prepared to setup my Charlie as per @basslord1124's request for a first madien after a previous bad attempt, considering he was the only one that voted his thought about it .

Now a question for all you folks. Mini Sparrow or Charlie what should I take with me tomorrow?

OK, STOP! This moment is another good moment to thank @kilroy07 and @buzzbomb whom without this wouldn't have even been an option , so thank you once more. I will thank you each time the Tx is used when my old Tx didn't do the job . I pulled out a YouTube video about setting up elevons and started working it. What I didn't know though that the Rx would be bond to only one model on the Tx and cut up a Y harness at the field to try and make a bind plug, which didn't work . Switching back to the TT model on the Tx worked so I change the setting of elevon mixing on that model and gave it a go. It flew this time for more than 10 second but didn't fly well because the ESC was not calibrated, plus I broke a prop but that was ok cause I had spares . Tried calbrating the ESC at the field but ended up with an ESC that won't throttle up at all . Got to figure that one out!!! ANY IDEAS?

Ok so back to the TT as @Eddo radush's battery was all charged up by now. We setup the TTs again and went flying, trying to fly one after the other. The wind picked up by now and it was sort of gust in one direction, would start and stop on a loop . We flew the whole batteries again, only this time I finished up another half battery before wrapping it up. @Eddo radush also broke his prop saver band and didn't have another one, rookie mistake. Oh well he'll learn for next, won't you ? Remembering a post by @Hai-Lee about using the ends of ballons as prop savers I told him to think it over as an option for next time.

Ok so what next, are we calling it a day? Hell NO!!!! I still had one more supprise up my sleve I had the Simple Storch. So I pulled it up and started setting it up. It took some time to figure out again, but I did it, half job though because my flaps only worked on two channels of the the channel switch they were on. Again thank you @kilroy07 and @buzzbomb another option my old Tx didn't have . Ok so hand toss or ground take off? Of course ground take off! I don't know how the take offs are for you @Arcfyre but for me it to about a metter or two to get up the ground at 75% throttle. The first go was tail heavy and made the plane nose up, crashed it to the ground, with no damage and fixed the balance issue. Second go was much better, tried to get the plane to gain altitude but just couldn't, probably another ESC callibratation issue because this model shouldn't have a problem with the winds which were much stronger by now. The flaps hadn't been used at all because there plane would just hang there due to the wind. I didn't manage to land it and one my last crash even broke the entire wheel holdings and a servo. It was starting to get late so I didn't have the option to fix it at the field even though I could, we wrapped it up and prepared to head home. When we got to my house @Eddo radush helped my take all the planes up to the my appartment on the 3rd floor building with no elevator , thanks buddy you saved me the up and down routine.

I acompanied him down to his car and we said farewell but not before setting up the next time we are going flying together , this coming Thrusday! Yeppy can't wait, excited like a child with wings in the sky . You are probably asking yourself if we got some videos . Of course we do, just need to find a moment to edit them, so until then let you imagination work some, trying to turn my story above into something visual. Videos later hopefully today after my afternoon shift .

Oh last two things for this post. Today I gifted @Eddo radush my old Mini Scout airframe, it's a bit smashed but repairable, so we might see another competitor on the FT Mini Scout Newbie Challenge. @Eddo radush it would do me a lot of honor if you compete on the challenge . Second thing is that me and @Eddo radush have decided to take something like this as a project for slope soaring @bracesport .

 

[Hondo76251]

Thanks for sharing! Sounds like an awesome day!

I think it would be worth your time to find a balance charger than can run on 12v and (I assume y'all are 220)

That is what I do when im out in the pasture with my Phantom. Ive got a good 12v charger for it that just plugs into the lighter...

 

[mayan]

Thanks for sharing! Sounds like an awesome day!

It sure was!

 

[buzzbomb]

@mayan I'm so glad you have found someone to fly with! It sounds like ya'll not only had a great time, but quite the adventure as well. What a great learning experience for @Eddo radush. He's already flying through a battery and needing to charge it in the field? That's pretty darn good!

You needn't thank @kilroy07 and I every time you use the trans. That'd be on every flight! You are very welcome, mayan. We just wanted you to be able to fly without the handicaps you had been suffering under.

 

[mayan]

Tried calbrating the ESC at the field but ended up with an ESC that won't throttle up at all . Got to figure that one out!!! ANY IDEAS?

FIXED !

 

[mayan]

@mayan I'm so glad you have found someone to fly with!

But I still need to keep training my kids to fly too. Then it will be a full house and a super blast of a good time. It's nice to see a plane in the sky, two even more but 4 planes up in the sky would be a real joy for me .

 

[mayan]

Ok so while I wait for the iMovie to import my videos so I can start editing them, I’ll do a full on crap check of the planes that went to the field today fixing and reenforcing anything that might need that.

EDIT: I am also going to get my kids TT repaired so I can take them to practice tomorrow thinking of also giving them a try with a powered plane and use the hold throttle option on my new Tx to chop off their throttle. That way o can take it up high for them and let them glide it down.

 

[Arcfyre]

Glad to hear you got the Storch off the ground, sorry to hear that it crashed. I credit the Storch with teaching me how to take off and land from the ground, and to this day I still have one in my hangar. It's a great plane, very versatile and capable. Would love to see a video of your Storch in the air!

 

[bracesport]

@mayan - you are right about a flying buddy - I was hoping my brother in law would be the go, but so far we have not hooked up!

 

[mayan]

Glad to hear you got the Storch off the ground, sorry to hear that it crashed. I credit the Storch with teaching me how to take off and land from the ground, and to this day I still have one in my hangar. It's a great plane, very versatile and capable. Would love to see a video of your Storch in the air!

You will very soon once the video finishes uploading. It will be at the end of the video because it was the last plane out.

@mayan - you are right about a flying buddy - I was hoping my brother in law would be the go, but so far we have not hooked up!

That’s a real shame. It’s some much more fun with someone else.

 

[mayan]

Hey there everyone in regards to yesterday’s day out here is the video. It’s a bit long so you don’t have to watch it through in full. I did try to cut out only the best parts of the flying but also tried to leave in a feel for how much fun I had. Hope you enjoy it .

 

[Wildthing]

Hey there everyone in regards to yesterday’s day out here is the video. It’s a bit long so you don’t have to watch it through in full. I did try to cut out only the best parts of the flying but also tried to leave in a feel for how much fun I had. Hope you enjoy it .

Looked like you 2 were having great fun out there.

Time to build a couple Baron's and add streamers and go after each other

 

[mayan]

Looked like you 2 were having great fun out there.

Time to build a couple Baron's and add streamers and go after each other

If you looked at the video we had a mid air collision and my plane stayed in the air does that count for combat kill? I also had streamers in my back bag in case we would want to go combat.

 

[Wildthing]

If you looked at the video we had a mid air collision and my plane stayed in the air does that count for combat kill? I also had streamers in my back bag in case we would want to go combat.

Our rule at our club is mid airs don't count as a kill , just cutting a streamer does . My points would really be high if mid airs counted

The Baron's probably use less foam then the TT and are a quick build so if and when you destroy them you are not out as much foam and time.

One thing you two should practice is not to fly so close to yourselves, if that prop hits you it will do a lot of damage really quick.

 

[mayan]

Our rule at our club is mid airs don't count as a kill , just cutting a streamer does . My points would really be high if mid airs counted

The Baron's probably use less foam then the TT and are a quick build so if and when you destroy them you are not out as much foam and time.

One thing you two should practice is not to fly so close to yourselves, if that prop hits you it will do a lot of damage really quick.

Yeah we tried but it was hard. One of the things I was really puzzled about is how do you fly close to each other and not hit each other, any tips?

 

[Wildthing]

Yeah we tried but it was hard. One of the things I was really puzzled about is how do you fly close to each other and not hit each other, any tips?

In combat especially with 8 or more planes in the air it is just pure luck if you don't hit or get hit by someone.

 

[FDS]

My son and I fly a fixed circuit, the rule is nobody is on the same leg of the circuit at the same time, you call your position each time you turn onto the next leg, if the other person is on the leg in front of you then you either extend or orbit until they change leg. Maintains separation. Depth perception becomes the big problem when you are closer together.
Flying with friends is lots of fun, good to see you have a flying buddy.