On the weekend I took the Raptor glider to the field for what I was hoping would be its second flight, having reinstalled the motor and tidied up the frayed wiring. I was, however, foiled initially by a passing shower and then by a mysterious electrical gremlin.
Initially I suspected the battery to be flat, but it turned out that an exposed bit of wiring of the old battery may have contacted the conductive carbon canopy. So, I taped up the battery and yesterday took the Stinger for what I hoped would be its first proper flight.
The motor seemed to be running well as I launched the Raptor into the morning sky, the large glider climbing steeply in the crisp air. The Raptor seemed to be flying well, although the motor seemed a little less powerful than I had thought.
Things seemed to be going well until, after a slow flypast, flicking up the throttle effected only an ominous rattle from the motor meaning just one thing; one pole was no longer with us.
Taking a whiff in the cockpit after the Raptor had glided down to earth, a faint smell of toasted electronics indicated that the repaired motor may have recently become deceased...
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