XB-70 Valkyrie: FT Style
- Thread starter Mid7night
- Start date
Despite being a bit under the weather the past couple days, I managed to make some good progress on V2.
Wing fold? ON
Main wing? ON
Back spine? ON
Neck & Nose? ON
After joining the neck and nose, I then had to cut it off to make a splice for storage and transport. The splice location is different from where the plans lay out the assembly joint, which is why I have to assemble and then cut. If I had thought ahead, I could've designed the splice into the plans...but here we are.
Once the neck splice is done I can do another taxi test, and at that point she's basically flight-ready again. But Maiden-V2 will be FAR LESS public and (hopefully) low key. I won't be rushing or pushing anything this time around. Even if she's ready fly by the weekend, I have no plans to fly that soon.
ANYWAY...Here are some fun pics, enjoy!
Vertical tails, with servos and stickers!
Details of folding wingtip hinge
Wing structure, same as before
Canard flaps installed
Wing ON, nose ON! (Neck splice still needs to be cut and re-joined though)
Indoor panorama
Thanks for following along. Stay tuned for more!
Wing fold? ON
Main wing? ON
Back spine? ON
Neck & Nose? ON
After joining the neck and nose, I then had to cut it off to make a splice for storage and transport. The splice location is different from where the plans lay out the assembly joint, which is why I have to assemble and then cut. If I had thought ahead, I could've designed the splice into the plans...but here we are.
Once the neck splice is done I can do another taxi test, and at that point she's basically flight-ready again. But Maiden-V2 will be FAR LESS public and (hopefully) low key. I won't be rushing or pushing anything this time around. Even if she's ready fly by the weekend, I have no plans to fly that soon.
ANYWAY...Here are some fun pics, enjoy!
Vertical tails, with servos and stickers!
Details of folding wingtip hinge
Wing structure, same as before
Canard flaps installed
Wing ON, nose ON! (Neck splice still needs to be cut and re-joined though)
Indoor panorama
Thanks for following along. Stay tuned for more!
Drop the mic and walk away, my friend.
After the last set of pics, I cut the neck back off and refitted it with the splice pieces necessary for storage and transport.
THEN I took it out to a local parking lot and set it on its own wheels for the first time, and even did a taxi and full-throttle runup test. IT'S ALIIIIIVE!!!
This weekend is jam packed already with family and Easter, so I'm looking forward to a future near weekend with good weather. Stay tuned.
THEN I took it out to a local parking lot and set it on its own wheels for the first time, and even did a taxi and full-throttle runup test. IT'S ALIIIIIVE!!!
This weekend is jam packed already with family and Easter, so I'm looking forward to a future near weekend with good weather. Stay tuned.
IT FLEEEEWWWW!!!!!!
...then it crashed...
but it FLEEEEWWWW!!!
Despite the less-than-desirable ending, we have smiles all 'round, because IT FLEW!
I said from the start that I would claim "success" the second it lifted off the ground. Landing in one piece was always going to be a bonus. Maybe that's a little short-sighted to some, but I knew that this project would present some very unique and difficult challenges, and would be a huge learning experience regardless of the outcome.
I'll post more later - there are LOTS of good lessons learned that I want to communicate - but for now I just wanted to let the community know IT FLEW! Thank you to everyone who followed along, thank you to FLITE TEST for supporting and sponsoring this project, and thank you to my wife and family for their endurance and love through all the (literal) ups and downs of BOTH of these builds!!
...then it crashed...
but it FLEEEEWWWW!!!
Despite the less-than-desirable ending, we have smiles all 'round, because IT FLEW!
I said from the start that I would claim "success" the second it lifted off the ground. Landing in one piece was always going to be a bonus. Maybe that's a little short-sighted to some, but I knew that this project would present some very unique and difficult challenges, and would be a huge learning experience regardless of the outcome.
I'll post more later - there are LOTS of good lessons learned that I want to communicate - but for now I just wanted to let the community know IT FLEW! Thank you to everyone who followed along, thank you to FLITE TEST for supporting and sponsoring this project, and thank you to my wife and family for their endurance and love through all the (literal) ups and downs of BOTH of these builds!!
Namactual
Elite member
Congrats on the successful flight man! That build looks great!
The full scale did not have the best luck either. Maybe we should change the name from Valkyrie to Unicorn?
I look forward to seeing the debrief, how it handled in the air and what caused the crash. Either way, that is one beautiful beast! Great work!
The full scale did not have the best luck either. Maybe we should change the name from Valkyrie to Unicorn?
I look forward to seeing the debrief, how it handled in the air and what caused the crash. Either way, that is one beautiful beast! Great work!
Pieliker96
Elite member
Lithobraking wasn't the best possible outcome but I'm glad to see that it got into the air. Looking forwards to seeing how it flew!
I find that the loss of an airframe is usually offset by thinking about all of the new possibilities for the electronics - There's a lot you can do with six EDFs!
I find that the loss of an airframe is usually offset by thinking about all of the new possibilities for the electronics - There's a lot you can do with six EDFs!
Flight of the Valkyrie
I talk a little about what caused the crash in the video, but one thing I didn't mention was the fact that I was travelling DOWNWIND at the time - in addition to being VERY low - which exacerbated the very quick stall entry. As soon as I turned downwind at the speed I was going, there really was no avoiding what happened. The only way this possibly could have gone better is if I had kept it at full throttle and continued to build speed. This bird wants SPEEEED!!!
Don't be sad! This was a fantastically fun project and as far as I'm concerned, a great success! More of the whole story will be told in due time; there is much to learn, and sometimes crashing is the teacher. It was a great day!
I'll put up pictures later, but for now, enjoy the video.
I talk a little about what caused the crash in the video, but one thing I didn't mention was the fact that I was travelling DOWNWIND at the time - in addition to being VERY low - which exacerbated the very quick stall entry. As soon as I turned downwind at the speed I was going, there really was no avoiding what happened. The only way this possibly could have gone better is if I had kept it at full throttle and continued to build speed. This bird wants SPEEEED!!!
Don't be sad! This was a fantastically fun project and as far as I'm concerned, a great success! More of the whole story will be told in due time; there is much to learn, and sometimes crashing is the teacher. It was a great day!
I'll put up pictures later, but for now, enjoy the video.
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Congrats on the flight!!
I think all of us with maiden crashes need to start talking more about the dangers of stalling when turning into a tail wind. I've lost several Caudrons to this, Carl almost lost his P-40 this weekend, and now the Valkyrie. Things that I know I can do to avoid it include flying a figure 8 pattern so all turns are into the wind, avoid banking on low speed turns, and as you mention keep the speed up when the height is low until the stall characteristics of the plane are well understood.
I think all of us with maiden crashes need to start talking more about the dangers of stalling when turning into a tail wind. I've lost several Caudrons to this, Carl almost lost his P-40 this weekend, and now the Valkyrie. Things that I know I can do to avoid it include flying a figure 8 pattern so all turns are into the wind, avoid banking on low speed turns, and as you mention keep the speed up when the height is low until the stall characteristics of the plane are well understood.
Jetcrafter_2000
Member
@Mid7night
Wow, the departure was so impressive!
And the landing too.
But it looked great in the air!
@rockyboy
I´ve lost my EasystarII this way!
Wow, the departure was so impressive!
And the landing too
.But it looked great in the air!
@rockyboy
I´ve lost my EasystarII this way!
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