R2 Hobbies Raptor Glider D-Box Pro. First Flight with Wingtip Camera.

...got there eventually



For some while, after having seen footage of wingtip cameras, I've been meaning to give this a go on one of my planes. The plane I'd choose would be the Raptor glider, given its very large wing area meaning it wouldn't be likely to miss a bit of lift from the spot occupied by the Mobius, and also it being very stable.



There was a catch however, given that I most often fly it in the morning when the grass is saturated with dew and, being a glider, the wingtips drag through the grass, meaning that the Mobius was likely to get a soaking.

However, having dallied about this for some time, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try regardless. As regards the yaw and roll likely as a result of the bluff form of the Mobius on the wingtip, I decided on two clicks each of right rudder and aileron and, as regards keeping the Mobius dry, the mitigation was to land the Raptor as slowly as possible, with flaps deployed, and then use full right aileron as it was coming to a standstill to keep the left wingtip off the wet grass.



Throwing the Raptor into the air I was amazed that the few clicks of trim were sufficient to keep it flying straight, at least at low speed, so I was soon able to fly it with confidence that nothing untoward was going to happen. It turns out that the angle at which I set the Mobius was a little too forward-pointing so that the tail is lost from the view, which is a pity as it's nice to see the controls at work during the flight.



Nevertheless you get to see the aileron twitching right next to the camera, and the view is great, especially during loops and sharp turns, the latter particularly at low altitude as towards the end of the flight.



And so to the final hurdle; I brought the Raptor is super-slow, touched it down and hit full right aileron to keep the Mobius up as long as possible. The extra mass meant that, eventually, the camera touched the grass.



Running to retrieve it, I picked up the glider to check the Mobius; it was completely covered in dew. I gave it a quick dry-off and then stuck it atop the air vent as I drove to work, and then parked it at the back of my computer to dry out in the warm breeze. Finally, plugging it in, revealed that fortunately the Mobius was no worse for wear...

How to Fold a Paper Plane for Electric Paper Plane Kit

...step-by-step guide 


The Electric Paper Plane Kit comes with one pre-folded sheet to get you started. Once you've used that up, here's a handy step-by-step guide to make as many planes as you'll ever need.

The design is called the Eagle, and it's a stable floating type, the kind commonly launched from the back of large lecture theaters and perfectly suited to the cool rechargeable kit...

Raptor Glider with a 15ft Tail

...lovely sunrise flight

Monday was the day I had planned to take the Raptor flying, sporting a fifteen foot-long ribbon tail as a commemorative flight. However, as I've done once before, I arrived at the field to find I'd left my transmitter at home; I'd used it to set up the Stinger with its new fuselage as well as checking the Fox Glider's prop was spinning OK and left it on the desk.

What made it more disappointing was that it was a spectacularly beautiful morning, and every day since then has been windy and raining, or at least very dull and overcast.

So it was with great happiness that I arrived at the field this morning to find conditions cold and calm but, more importantly, that the resident cloud cover had broken apart enough to allow the sun through for a lovely display of sunrise.

The Fox is flying again as swiftly and beautifully as ever, although it will still spin if pushed to extremis, despite the washout I added to the tips. So now I treat it very gingerly when it's slow and low, but is otherwise a delight to fly.

And so to the big moment, flying the Raptor with a tail; I'd drilled a small hole in its ventral tail skid and looped through a strap, to which I attached the ribbon using velcro. I was a little concerned that drag of the ribbon may cause issues and that the length of it, five time the length of the glider.

As it turned out, the tail shrunk in scale as soon as the Raptor took flight, and could happily have been a couple of metres longer. Nevertheless, the rising sun made a beautiful backdrop to the flight, with the Raptor and its elegant tail reaching out to the sky in remembrance of a lovely soul...

Walrus Beautiful Afternoon Flight

...mining the archive

Although I no longer have the Walrus glider, I have plenty of videos from when I used to frequently fly it with the trusty 720p wingcam. Much of the video I uploaded to my YouTube Channel in its raw state, however there are also quite a few videos that have remained in digital storage.

Having a bit of a lull, I decided to go through these for some rough gems, and the first I looked at was this one, of the Walrus having an outing on an absolutely exquisite sunny afternoon, something especially appreciated watching now as we approach winter.

So I've edited it a little, the full flight being a luxurious eighteen minutes, and set it to some music which I really enjoyed listening to whilst I compiled the video... 

Electric Powered Paper Aeroplane Kit

...turbocharge your paper plane

The Electric Power Paper Aeroplane Kit is a neat little package that gives your paper planes a power boost.

The Kit comprises a powered "spine" that clips onto your floater paper plane, packing a little battery up front with integrated charging dock, and a tiny motor with a prop at the back end.

There's also a charger-cum-stand, requiring three AA batteries, on which you can leave your plane and, when you're out flying, allows the battery to be recharged in a lightening-quick ten seconds max!

The Kit also includes a spare prop, doubtless necessary sooner or later with uncontrolled flights, and a detailed instruction sheet on how to fold a floater-type paper plane and tips of how to fly them. And, finally, they also provide a printed pre-folded paper plane to get you going...

Free Flight

...of the powered variety

As an intriguing addition to my collection, I've bought an Electric Power Paper Aeroplane Kit to try. This is a miniature battery-powered skeleton which clips onto a paper plane to extend its range and make it a bit more fun, hopefully.

The Eagle paper aeroplane seems a good choice as it's stable and glides very well.

As regards the paper, I've heard that waterproof paper is good, being more durable than the regular variety. For now, however, I've made up a test Eagle and can confirm it flies as well as I remember, and I'm looking forward to trying it out at the field when the weather calms down...

Fox Glider Gorgeous Morning Fun

...beautiful glider, beautiful morning

Every now and again one is treated to exquisite weather, and this was one of those days; a crisp, clean morning with lovely clouds draped high across the sky and fresh warm light from a just-risen sun.

And having a beautiful plane to fly like the Fox just makes it that much more enjoyable. The little Fox is sleek, elegant and very quick; perfect for making the most of a big sky and open landscape.

This morning wasn't for being restrained, and I was in my element having fun with the Fox, fast low passes, big loops and big vertical climbs. A gorgeous morning and a great start to the day...

Kangaroos Ahoy

...leave them in peace

Driving in to the field this morning I glanced over to see if anything was happening on the field; sometimes there are dog walkers, occasionally someone else flying a plane and every now and again there is a kangaroo or two foraging for a nibble on the field.

This morning all the kangaroos were there, and I mean literally all of them; perhaps about a dozen or so, large and a few youngsters as well, dotted all around the field quietly having some breakfast. As my car came to a standstill in my usual parking spot, the nearest adjacent 'roo was disturbed and leaned forward to hop away.

Feeling terrible that I would scatter the entire, um, herd of 'roos, I decided to rather leave and head for the other field a little down the road to leave their community to enjoy breakfast in peace...

Stinger. The Second Reconstruction.

...going to be better than new

Reconstruction of the Stinger EDF, after its ultimate smash, has begun with the wings and tail being removed from the buckled fuselage in preparation for being transferred onto the smart new fuselage I've got for it.

I have managed to reconstruct the fuselage before but, having been smashed again, I didn't think that I'd be able to get it straight again. The wings were slightly dented in the mid section from the impact, but a little hot water got that straightened out easily enough.

I've also bought a replacement EDF fan, the stock units that comes in the Stinger, but the big news is I've upgraded batteries from the previous Zippy 1800 4S 40C to a 2200 4S 45-90 Nanotech pack. Now I'm not sure exactly what difference this will make, but Nano's I've used previously, especially the 45-90 variety, pack extra punch and the larger capacity should help with slightly longer flight times.

So I'm looking forward to getting the Stinger looking smart, ready for a double-test flight; reconstruction and more power...

Dynam DC 3. Low Flypasts & Misty Sunrise.

...beautiful morning for flying

Clear still mornings are perfect for flying and, when the clear night provides a light blanket of mist on the paddocks, it's even better.

The other morning was exactly that, and I had the DC-3 out for a bit of enjoyable low cruising around the field and over the misty paddocks.

The DC-3 is now flying very pleasantly; in fact it doesn't really do much more than that. Most of my aircraft, even the Raptor or the Canadair, have got a bit of grunt and, at full throttle are quite quick, even fast in the case of the latter.

The DC-3, however, with its factory-spec motors, is quite pedestrian. In fact, one could miss the difference between going from half throttle to full if one wasn't paying attention, so moderate is its performance. And that's with exactly the same battery as powers the also-twin engined Canadair.

And yet, punting the Dak slowly and gracefully around the field is quite entertaining, and you get to enjoy a variety of classic views; head-on, side view and, of course, the instantly identifiable outline of its beautifully curvy wings...

Canadair 415 Unboxing

...what's in the box of the Water Bomber

The Canadair 415 comes very well packaged is a sturdy cardboard box, and lifting the lid reveals all items individually wrapped and secured.  It's no surprise then that everything survived the long trim without any sign of damage.

The Canadair is supplied ARF, so motors, ESC's and servos need to be provided. Also, there's no ESC lead included either, so I'd suggest getting an ESC set to avoid a lot of trouble.

The main components, wings and fuselage, are all very nicely moulded and come already painted and with decals applied. This being my first experience with EPS (polystyrene as opposed to polyolefin EPO), the delicateness of the foam and slightly dusty finish are a little disappointing, but everything is nevertheless of a good level of finish. 

The wings have integrated plywood joining spars, but strengthening comes from strut wires attached to plywood mounts on the side of the fuselage. As this is not part of the actual plane I'm planning to add carbon wing joiners to avoid the bracing wire.

The kit provides stick motor mounts, literally short pieces of square dowel to fit into the nacelles, but no mount is provided to fit the motor to the stick.

The battery compartment is located in the cockpit area, with generous amounts of room and a pre-installed plywood tray with a battery strap. There's also heaps of room back in the fuselage for installing the receiver and ESC's.

The tail sections need to be glued in place; a tube of glue is provided but I think I might use superglue to be sure of the bond. Note that, this being EPS, you'll need foam-safe glue to avoid melting the foam...