Upgraded FT Versa Wing - I cannot believe my eyes!

[TehMaxwell]

I have been wanting to upgrade the set-up on my Versa Wing for a while, on my original set-up (1600kv Motor, 8 by 4 Prop, 20Amp ESC, 1000mah 20c Battery) I was only getting five minutes maximum on flight times and had to fly at around three quarters throttle all the time. I used thicker 9mm Foam at the time, as it was the only stuff I could find in the UK, the extra weight didn't help matters.

So I finally took the plunge a few weeks ago and bought a 30Amp Turnigy Plush Speed Controller and a Turnigy Park 480 1200kv motor, a significant upgrade which would allow me to run my larger 2200mah batteries. Then I had the idea of running two batteries in parallel, like I have seen on so many FPV airplanes. The stuff arrived and I cautiously cut into my versa wing, making the slots exactly the right size. After a bit of added soldering, it was all done!

I got the chance to maiden it today, it is like nothing I have ever flown before. I am still pretty new to the hobby with only a years worth of experience under my belt and only three different, quite mild planes in my hangar. But this thing is in a whole new ball park. It climbs easily at less than half throttle and rockets away at three quarters. It felt like it was going to rip out of my hand before launch. Plus, if I max it out I can get around 10 minutes of flying. But at around half throttle I can fly comfortably for around 25 minutes.

Anyone who is thinking about upgrading to a better FPV set-up and scrapping their Versa Wing for less exciting projects, I urge you to think again. This thing is awesome and costs way less money!

Versa Wing is definitely the right name for this airframe!

A few pictures to wet your appetites for an upgrade?

 

[scottdnc]

I like the way you recessed the two 2200 batteries. I never thought about leaving the top of the battery exposed like that but it sounds like it doesn't affect the performance at all. AND you get 25 minutes of flight time. It looks like you may have gotten the FatShark Teleporter kit. That's a pretty good value for those just starting out. I got mine a couple weeks back and am trying to get up enough nerve to fly with it. I've got a 133% blunt nosed Versa Wing that I've mounted it in. I've put two pusher props with differential thrust for yaw control and am quite impressed. The Versa Wing design is quite flexible.

Nice build! I like the graphics on her too. It seems to camouflage the external components.

 

[Winglet]

I know exactly what you are talking about. One REALLY amazing design. Mine was also underpowered in the beginning. The right power combination made all the difference in the world. It sort of spoils you though for anything else with lesser performance. All of mine are blunt noses. In addition to awesome climb I get awesome soaring capabilities. My longest flight on a 3000mah battery so far was 1 hour 22 minutes and I wasn't even trying very hard. Was actually very happy to have it back on the ground after that. Almost killed my neck.

 

[TehMaxwell]

It looks like you may have gotten the FatShark Teleporter kit.

Yeah that is the Teleporter Kit! You should totally get it up in the air and give it a go, I have had no problems and as a starter kit I cannot say enough good things about the system. It just works! Leaving the battery exposed actually helps with cooling, and really doesn't affect the performance at all. There really is no problem with it, apart from the fact that you need to keep the batteries carefully strapped down.

My longest flight on a 3000mah battery so far was 1 hour 22 minutes and I wasn't even trying very hard. Was actually very happy to have it back on the ground after that. Almost killed my neck.

Man you must have been soaring pretty good with that! I could never soar with my set-up as it is just too heavy. It weighs in at 927 grams now which is fine for powered flight but not good enough for soaring, especially with the wing area. I have always liked the idea of doing FPV on a glider, because then you could stay up there for ages looking at the view.

 

[TehMaxwell]

I have a few amendments to make, after a flight that I just took part in. The plane can handle much heavier winds yes, that is fine, but make sure your motor mount is securely fixed onto the plane. In my case I had already crashed the Versa Wing and there were repairs around the area of the mount. It seems over these few flights the excess stress has caused these joints to slowly brake up, until in the flight today it totally snapped out, rolling inverted twice before smacking into the ground.

Due to the Versa Wing's brilliant design, it held up pretty well. It is not beyond repair, but I feel as though it cannot be reused again for this purpose with this set-up. I am going to build a new airframe, making sure the motor mount is up to the thrust this time! So to those of you thinking of doing the upgrade, don't throw caution to the wind, check your systems.

Any ideas for a new airframe? I am thinking this set-up would be just as awesome with the Blunt Nosed Versa Wing, but I also like the idea of SBA's Specter and other airframes. Any links to plans or ideas would be much obliged!

 

[scottdnc]

I do like my blunt nose Versa that I scaled up to 133%. I'll put up some pics in the next few days. I came up with 133% because that's the factor my copier uses to print letter size on a ledger size (11 X 17) sheet. It gave me room to put two props on the back for differential thrust. It's not overpowered with two NTM 1200 Kv motors but it gets off the ground quickly and has a pretty good climb rate. There are a few design changes I want to make but they're pretty minor (landing gear mostly). I did reinforce the wing with carbon fiber reinforced fiberglass tube (about 1/4") along both spars and used 1/8" hobby plywood for the bottom plate of the blunt nosed section. It's had some pretty rough landings with very little damage. I put the FatShark Teleporter in her and have let some of my family members "ride along" while I fly with direct line of site. I'm about ready to give it a go with total FPV flight.

 

[Tritium]

Any ideas for a new airframe? I am thinking this set-up would be just as awesome with the Blunt Nosed Versa Wing, but I also like the idea of SBA's Specter and other airframes. Any links to plans or ideas would be much obliged!

The Versa's are much stronger when laminated with some 3 mill laminate like the Crash Test Hobby Planes. If you like the Versa you should try an Assassin or better yet Deep Reaper XL.

Thurmond

 

[TehMaxwell]

The Versa's are much stronger when laminated with some 3 mill laminate like the Crash Test Hobby Planes. If you like the Versa you should try an Assassin or better yet Deep Reaper XL.

Thanks very much for the suggestion! Those airframes look very nice, however I cannot go as big as the Deep Reaper XL, I just don't have the room to store something that big. I think I have decided to go with a base airframe of the blunt nose Versa, but I will definitely be making some modifications, like changing the vert stabs, etc.