The Second Part of my Journey - The Diary

mayan

Legendary member
So much RC related stuff to talk about but it’s late so points tonight and more juice tomorrow.
1) went flying in the morning to clear my head - didn’t go well
2) went flying with my son in the afternoon was fun but not as productive as I wished :(. More about that on this thread: https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/teaching-my-children-to-fly-the-diary.58161/page-6 tomorrow.
2) made huge progress on my DGA-6 build and I am super happy about it, check it out!!! https://forum.flitetest.com/index.p...d-dga-6-racing-designed-by-mayan.59861/page-2
 
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mayan

Legendary member
So much RC related stuff to talk about but it’s late so points tonight and more juice tomorrow.
1) went flying in the morning to clear my head - didn’t go well
2) went flying with my son in the afternoon was fun but not as productive as I wished :(. More about that on this thread: https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/teaching-my-children-to-fly-the-diary.58161/page-6
2) made huge progress on my DGA-6 build and I am super happy about it, check it out!!! https://forum.flitetest.com/index.p...d-dga-6-racing-designed-by-mayan.59861/page-2
Another thing I did and forgot to mention is fix some broken planes, Simple Soarer, TT and KFM Wing for the crash in the morning :).
 

mayan

Legendary member
2) went flying with my son in the afternoon was fun but not as productive as I wished :(. More about that on this thread: https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/teaching-my-children-to-fly-the-diary.58161/page-6 tomorrow.
2) made huge progress on my DGA-6 build and I am super happy about it, check it out!!! https://forum.flitetest.com/index.p...d-dga-6-racing-designed-by-mayan.59861/page-2
I updated these threads with some new information :).

Another thing I did and forgot to mention is fix some broken planes, Simple Soarer, TT and KFM Wing for the crash in the morning :).
So first thing I did was prepare all the re-enforcements needed on the planes. I had them all ready and planned that way I can heat up the hot glue gun and just go, and do them all at once :).

The KFM Wing had a broken power pod and a tear on one wing side that was held in place by a tiny bit of foam. I took @Hai-Lee 's advice and inserted two BBQ skewers into the middle section on both halves and then glued it all back together trying to apply enough pressure while keeping it straight. The I just glued back the power pod area.
IMG_3567.jpg

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The Simple Soarer needed some re-enforcement to the top hatch as the BBQ skewers ripped through the top after it's hard landing :(. So I cut out a piece of cardboard to glue over the top hatch. It also felt like the wings were bending so I add some top plate re-enforcement using something similar to plywood which I buy as craft stores. I also added some re-enforcements to the BBQ holes themselves and added some fuel tubes cut outs to stop the BBQ skewers to just come flying off.
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The last plane that I tried fixing was my beaten up TT which me and @Eddo radush pretty much trashed. We tried sloping it one day when it was super windy at the field. We found a small hill and tossed it off, didn't work like it should though :p. It needed re-enforcing to the fuselage sides were the servos go. It needed re-enforcing on the BBQ holes on the nose section and re-enforcing to the wing tips of the sports wing. I took it to the field with my son later and tried it out it flew horrible, I don't have it on video but this is not a plane for someone to learn flying on any more so as of yesterday it's declared diseased and will be striped of all it's electronics to make room for a new bird, then I'll let it RIP :).
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Any how that was that, now back to the DGA-6 build :)...
 

mayan

Legendary member
I haven't been able to go to the field lately :(, been sick for a week and this week that I am finally feeling better I have too many things that won't allow me to go. I am still hoping to be able to maybe go tomorrow and/or Saturday, but not sure I'll be able to make it and if so it will probably be only for a little. Since I haven't been able to fly lately I was doing other stuff like working on my Howard DGA-6 build which is coming along nicely, after I decided to start working on a different part. Check out my progress here: https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/ftfc20-howard-dga-6-racing-designed-by-mayan.59861/.

Today I also started working on a paint job for my FT Spitfire which will look like this when I am done with it. No pictures so far, but I post pictures of the final design when it's done.
89_15_b1.jpg
 

basslord1124

Master member
What do you think about the Simple Soarer? I had pondered it one time, but many folks claim it was very tail heavy. So I gave up pursuing it. I've got a glider now that I am going to try, so don't really have an itching for the SS...just curious if your experience was the same.

I like the color scheme choice for the Spitfire...that looks awesome! Can't wait to see the finished product!
 

mayan

Legendary member
What do you think about the Simple Soarer? I had pondered it one time, but many folks claim it was very tail heavy. So I gave up pursuing it. I've got a glider now that I am going to try, so don't really have an itching for the SS...just curious if your experience was the same.

I like the color scheme choice for the Spitfire...that looks awesome! Can't wait to see the finished product!
The SS is tail heavy and the power pod needs a lot of down thrust to be added so you'll have to work with it, for it to fly OK. I don't like it as much as other planes I have but one of the last times I took it out myself I flew it with a 3S 2200mah battery and had a great time with longer flight times. The one thing I love about it is bringing it up high and then cutting throttle completely :).
 

mayan

Legendary member
I was already in the middle of writing up on my last practice session when I got a lot of alerts telling me that you guys like my content. I was shocked, deleted everything that I wrote, paused for a second and am still thinking what to write.

@PoorManRC thank you for your kind words. I am sure you too will have a quick progress if you have time and the means to get the electronics required. A few tips from me for you to take on your journey. Dare, don’t be afraid to try and fail that only builds success. Remember that every failure is a lesson learned for the future. Use your common sense, I am sure you’ve gone through a few things in your life and know when things don’t feel right. Don’t push your luck when things don’t work well or don’t seem to work like they should. Instead stop, think, ask, then try to fix things and try again. Film your flying sessions a lot of members will be able to give you a ton of inputs about it. And remember the most important thing and repeat after me “Build, Fly, Crash, Repeat!”. The more you do this the better you get at everything.

Alright well enough with my bla bla. You asked how was my practice session, so let me tell you about it. It was the prefect winter day weather for flying sunny but not hot, with a 3-5 km/hr wind. There were a few days with no rain before so the field wasn’t muddy like in previous times that I went. I had some problems with the GoPro which was bumming but managed to find a solution that I was able to live with. Check out the practice session.

I wasn’t able to go flying since then because the weather changed and I was packed with night shifts at work, sleeping through most of the day after each shift. Lucky my night shifts were quite calm and I managed to use them to fix broken models as well as build new ones. Over the last two night shifts I managed to finish building the Mighty Mini Arrow.

View attachment 118649 View attachment 118650 View attachment 118651 View attachment 118652

And the Mighty Mini Sparrow.
View attachment 118653 View attachment 118654 View attachment 118655 View attachment 118656

Still missing a few things missing like the electronics and a few other things. I’ll finish these off when my orders with the electronics come through. Just started another night shift, what’s the plan for tonight? Well tonight I am taking it on the calm side. I’ll be creating new plans for some planes that I want to build and be able to rebuild. What planes? The three musketeers, the Alpha, Bravo and Charlie...

See ya soon.
Ever since I've built the Mini Sparrow on 16 of November 2018 it's been sitting in my closet, waiting for a maiden. 3 days ago the Mini Sparrow got it's first maiden and since my KFM Wing is missing a prop the Sparrow has been getting more attention and flying. Started off by giving it a maiden on a day that was blowing way to strong for this little plane, kinda surprised that it came down in one piece. Check it out.

IMG_3787.JPG



Not able to really get a feel for it the day earlier I went out again the next morning and maidened it when the wind was blowing little to 0. Went great, didn't do any crazy stuff and tried to get a feel for the plane. So not my favorite, has a weird floatiness to it with fast responses, like the wing but more floaty. Might just need some more time on it to get used to it, you know sometimes you have to play with something a bit to get to like them.


Today I also went to the field to maiden my FTFC20 plane the Howard DGA-6, (you'll be able to check it out on it's dedicated thread later today), took the Mini Sparrow with me as a backup plane incase the DGA-6 won't fly. I got 2 horrible launches on the start but then got it in the air and kept it there, doing super tight turns with it in a super small area, amazed at how well I can fly it that way :). I even tested my wife's trust in me, check it out.


I also maidened my decorated FT Spitfire and will post a video of it later on the Spit Roasted FB tread.

More later...
 
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mayan

Legendary member
Quick Update: So last time I went out with the decorated FT Spitfire I had a nasty crash towards the end that I thought did a lot of damage, luckily now damage was done but a few scratches. So with that checking out good I am off to check and repair the damage on the Howard DGA-6, more later.
 

kilroy07

Legendary member
Thanks buddy the buzzer annoys me. I much rather have the Tx let me know.
The only "bad" part is you have to look down at the radio now and then. ;)
But but it is pretty nice to do a quick check and see if the performance drop might be due to an old/tired battery (voltage sag.)

Okay, here we go.
This will be in two parts, first part the receiver/physical connection.

First thing I did was pop open the back and soldered some JST connectors on.
IMG_9623.JPG

These then plug into a connector I have added to all my ESCs
IMG_9624.JPG
So I have the option to swap these in and out as necessary or not bother with them at all.

You could do a couple of other things like I have done with the mating connector (iow solder the sensor directly into the connector)
IMG_9625.JPG

Basically what you need is to get those two wires connected to the voltage line you want to monitor (usually the battery).
IMG_9627.JPG

Once you've got that all good to go you plug it into the receiver, notice it goes above the servo row.
Apparently additional sensors, rpm, windspeed, etc can plug into each other and piggyback (must be a serial connection, cool.)
IMG_9626.JPG

Okay, now power it up 'cause it needs power to set up the transmitter.

Goto the SYSTEM menu
IMG_9630.JPG
Select RX SETUP
IMG_9631.JPG
CHOOSE SENSOR (you can also look at the sensor list for the now available sensor feeds.)
IMG_9632.JPG
Pick the ones you want (and their order)
IMG_9633.JPG

Voila
IMG_9634.JPG
 

mayan

Legendary member
The only "bad" part is you have to look down at the radio now and then. ;)
But but it is pretty nice to do a quick check and see if the performance drop might be due to an old/tired battery (voltage sag.)

Okay, here we go.
This will be in two parts, first part the receiver/physical connection.

First thing I did was pop open the back and soldered some JST connectors on.
View attachment 143470

These then plug into a connector I have added to all my ESCs
View attachment 143471
So I have the option to swap these in and out as necessary or not bother with them at all.

You could do a couple of other things like I have done with the mating connector (iow solder the sensor directly into the connector)
View attachment 143472

Basically what you need is to get those two wires connected to the voltage line you want to monitor (usually the battery).
View attachment 143474

Once you've got that all good to go you plug it into the receiver, notice it goes above the servo row.
Apparently additional sensors, rpm, windspeed, etc can plug into each other and piggyback (must be a serial connection, cool.)
View attachment 143473

Okay, now power it up 'cause it needs power to set up the transmitter.

Goto the SYSTEM menu
View attachment 143475
Select RX SETUP
View attachment 143476
CHOOSE SENSOR (you can also look at the sensor list for the now available sensor feeds.)
View attachment 143477
Pick the ones you want (and their order)
View attachment 143478

Voila
View attachment 143479
Thank you buddy :)!