X-Dart Quadcopter Auto-Flip

...very cool maneuver

The X-Dart comes preloaded with a cool automatic feature, the auto-flip. Simply pushing a button on the controller will have the little X-Dart executing a perfect flip in flight.

So, in addition to its inherent nimbleness, you can keep the X-Dart doing this highly entertaining maneuver until the battery finally goes flat...

X-Dart Awesome Flight

...better in the open

On a calm afternoon we took the X-Dart Quadcopter to the local field to get it a try in the open space, where there are fewer things to crash into.

The freedom immediately translated into a better flight, with no risk of the little quad hitting the ceiling if you took off with too much power!

Again, the capability of the X-Dart impressed, even though the piloting skills were still being developed. You can see how the popularity of multirotors in growing so fast...

Spektrum DX6i. Rates & Expo.

...how to set up rates & expo

The DX6i has programmable Dual Rates as well as Expo, features not found on the DX5e and other basic transmitters.

D/R Expo is on the Adjust List, just under model select. Clicking on this takes you to the D/R Rxpo setup page, where the middle column is the Rates i.e. the servo travel percentage, and the right hand column is the Expo, which is set to INH (inhibit) by default. 

Clicking on one of the INH values and then scrolling will change this to a percentage value; the higher the more damping around the centre of the stick.

Dual rates allows you to set the travel of each control individually, and there is a switch for each as well to enable you to selectively change control travel e.g. setting elevator to "high" while leaving aileron and rudder on "low".

Clicking on a percentage in the first column will allow you to adjust the Rates, or servo travel, individually for each control. The actual amount will depend of how much response you require or how sensitive you plane is.

It's worth researching this before your first flight, as super-sensitive controls (aileron especially and also elevator) can be disastrous...

Dynam DC-3 Instability

...but no damage

The hot air balloons were out again this morning, their rotund forms dark in the distance as I crested the hill, the occasional bust of light from the burners illuminating what was otherwise a fairly dull and cloudy morning.

At the field things had brightened up a little, and I had the DC-3 lifting off easily and buzzing around the field. Towards the end of the flight I was playing around with it a bit more, with high-speed passes (or rather, full-power passes, as the Dak is fairly pedestrian) and some steep climbs, trying to get it hanging off the props.

During one of the latter attempts, the DC-3 went into an alarmingly severe spin, the first time its even done this. As usual, I let it drop to gather airspeed and it corrected itself almost immediately without requiring any correction from my side.

So, a little alarming but nevertheless good to discover that the instability exists, but equally that it's only evident in extremis and easily corrected, as long as you have a little height to spare...

Raptor Glider in the Cool

...beautiful tranquil morning

Hot air balloons suspended in the sky bode well for a good morning's flying, their presence indicating millpond conditions. The cloud cover was also breaking up, bringing with it the possibility of a lovely sunrise.

It was overcast at the field but, after a few minutes flying, the sun broke through the clouds and flooded the paddocks with gorgeous morning light. Bringing the Raptor in, I got the Mobius running and sent the Raptor off again, capturing the gorgeous sunrise on video.

It was an opportunity to fly the Raptor glider, now on its third outing with its new Turnigy powerplant, and get a feeling for its capabilities in calm conditions. Launching the Raptor is very easy, especially into cool morning air, as it gets up to flying speed almost as soon as it leaves your hand and, if you launch it with a little extra power, it will start climbing steeply.

This can be a little off-putting and could be countered by moving the battery forward a little, however I'm quite happy with the way it's flying so I'm going to leave it as-is. The Raptor is, as you'd expect, very stable and capable of being flown and turned at very low speeds without even a hint of stall.

This is, of course, handy as landing gliders without air brakes can be a protracted exercise, and more often than not the Raptor comfortably overshoots the designated spot and I'm turning it around for final approach part two...

Between Sunrise and Rain

...changeable and ephemeral

This morning I was treated to a beautiful sunrise en-route to the field, however by the time I arrived the beautiful morning show of pastels had faded. Nevertheless, the light was good and I have the Canadair sweeping into the sky in no time.

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It's flight was cut a little short, however, by the arrival of a shower so, landing it quickly, I hurriedly powered up the Rarebear and let it rip for a quick blast, hopefully before things got too damp.

With tubby exercised and gliding in for a beautiful touchdown, I headed back to the car to dry off my radio, which I don't think appreciated the rain...

Dynam DC-3 And The Battery At The Back

...it's finally finished its migration

This afternoon I finally moved the DC-3's battery right back against the stop and gave it a fly. The only other change was that I flipped the battery around so that the leads were facing forward, so that I can connect the plug without having to remove the battery.

With the leads now facing forward the final move hasn't made much difference, with the centre of gravity at 75mm. The main bonus is that no care is required installing the battery; just slide it right back and you're done.

At 75mm CoG the DC-3 takes off very easily; it basically floats off the ground within a few metres, and it will cruise steadily at a fraction over half throttle. It's glide is also improved, although with power off you need significant elevator input to offset the effect of the wheels, but this would even be the case if you were coming in to land with retracts.

With the elevator now on on 100% travel, the Dak is fully controllable on landing, the final mass shift now allowing it to be floated onto the ground in a most pleasing manner, and provides a margin of safety for correction if you misjudge the sink rate a little.

The only drawback is that the Dak becomes light in the nose at low speeds, mainly evident when cruising into the wind. Here the extra airspeed gets it climbing and, without correction, the climb gets steeper as the negative moment from the undercarriage diminishes with reducing speed.

Left unchecked, the Dak will go into a spectacular vertical stall and then wing-over into a dive. Apart from that it is completely stable; all the aerobatic and stall maneuvers I've tried have not managed to induce any sort of spin or other unstable characteristic.

This seems a small price to pay for much improved behaviour of the Dak by having the battery at the back...

Raptor Glider Thermalling. A Bit.

...trying it out

The dull grey and rain cleared early this afternoon and I was down at the field with the Raptor glider, keen to get it in the air for a more expansive run now that its new Turnigy motor had been tested.

There were a few fluffy cumulus drifting across the field in the westerly breeze so, after a few runs across the field to double check the trims, I had the Raptor climbing. Initially I had it at three-quarter cruise but, becoming impatient at the pedestrian rate of climb, I soon flipped up to full power.

The 2217 brushless motor, as I've mentioned before, is an impressive little unit, comfortably swinging the fairly large 11x6 props and with the capability to have the Raptor soaring almost straight up. With the glider diminishing rapidly, I eased off the power and, with flaps down, headed under an approaching cloud.

Now, similar to my previous experiences, I have to say that trying to thermal without a telemetry radio is rather hit and miss, with the glider that high that accurately determining its behaviour is unlikely. I did, however, manage to get the Raptor in lift for some minutes before slipping down.

I climbed the Raptor up several times before eventually calling it a day as the lift clouds passed on and the breeze stiffened. Not a spectacular success, but a pleasant afternoon's flying nonetheless...

DC-3. Morning Clouds.

...surprise and delight

A couple of days ago the weather quietened enough to take the DC-3 along for a morning flight. Although calm enough to fly, a grey blanket of cloud and the imminent threat of rain wasn't a promising outlook.

A few large raindrops beginning to fall as I unpacked the Dak, determined to get a quick flight in if possible. Fortunately the rain held off and, more surprisingly, the heavy clouds has dissipated sufficiently for the dawn to illuminate firstly the adjacent clouds and then, a little later, those floating on the opposite horizon.

The clouds didn't clear enough to actually get any sun, so conditions were a little dull. However it was nevertheless a lovely morning's flying; a beautiful morning cloud show always turning an outing into a special occasion...

Radjet. New Look. Big Battery.

...good and not so good

The little 850 4S lipo that had served the Radjet well finally went to battery heaven which left me pondering what to do. However, with the Stinger in pieces under the table awaiting a new fuselage, the obvious option was to adopt that.

I'd flown the Radjet once before with the 1800 4S; it flew OK although the battery is a little oversized, and it also didn't quite fit in with the small hatch I'd made to fit the battery in with the Radjet's reconfigured nose.

So I made a second magnetic hatch, which allowed the big battery to be inserted with ease, being pushed into the front fuselage just enough to secure it and allow balance to be set.

As before, the extra weight shows, with the Radjet needing a little up-elevator trim to compensate. Also, although the battery has a 40C rating, it still doesn't deliver the kick that the little 45-90 nanotech does.

But the Radjet still flies well and, with its sleeker lines, isn't much off the pace. A bonus with the big pack is that the Radjet now flies flat out for longer...

DC-3 at 70mm CoG

...and flying well!

Yesterday, I again nudged the DC-3's battery a little rearwards, with the front of the battery now a distant 70mm from the front of the tray, equating to a CoG of 70mm from the leading edge, and found the DC-3 still flew happily.

The take-off was really good, you never really know how well it's going to turn out, and I enjoyed buzzing it around the field, enjoying the clouds starting to catch the light of the rising sun, first those in the east followed by those in the west.

The Dak flies very easily now, although I will do some more experimentation with turns, where it can tend to go into a stall-type turn, perhaps just needing extra rudder to boot it around at lower speeds. Also, I'll also do some sore stalls and spins to see whether the the light nose leads to any instability at low speed...

Raptor Glider First Flight with Turnigy 1050kv

...all goes well

Today I eventually got the Raptor glider into the air again after a protracted delay while waiting for the replacement motor to arrive.

Not having flown it for a while I was a little nervous and, to add to that, flying in warm conditions contributes to a significant loss of lift, affecting even something with as much wing area as the Raptor.

Nevertheless the flight went well, with the Turnigy 2217 performing well, and providing generous power to the 11x6 prop, sufficient to keep the Raptor climbing almost vertically.

The motor is both smooth and quiet and, although I had concerns regarding the tight packaging of it in the slim fuselage, it has performed fautlessly...

H-King ESC Programming

...so many tones

I've fitted the 35A H-King brushless speed controller before on the Trainstar and, having performed well in that application, I've decided to use it on the Raptor glider as well.

However, unlike the Trainstar, the Raptor requires the braking function to be activated, so I got reading through the ESC manual. Most ESC's are a bit tricky to programme, but the H-King has that many steps even before you get to the programming.

So I thought I'd make a quick video of the process as a help to anyone who couldn't be bothered to follow the steps, or for those who ditched the pamphlet and then realised they needed to change something...

Fox Glider. Autumn Gorgeous.

...beautiful glider, lovely morning

A few days ago, having returned from the beach, I took the Fox for a morning flight at the field. It turned out to be one of those gorgeous mornings; cool, calm and sunny, with a hint of low mist and some clouds lending character and colour to the rising sun.

The Fox flew beautifully, as clean and crisp as the morning, with its slender swings at a slight forward angle making a very elegant figure against the fresh morning backdrop.

A lovely way to start the day...

Installing Turnigy 2217 1050kv Motor into Raptor Glider

...a tight fit

The replacement motor for the Raptor glider, a Turnigy 2217 1050kv unit, arrived a few days ago and I've just finished installing it into the Raptor glider.

Replacing a Phoenix motor, which has a bell mount, the Turnigy was an unexpectedly tight fit due to the motor installing straight onto the firewall, with the result that the motor cables are squeezed between the motor and the fuselage.

To move the motor back a little, and to strengthen the mount which is just 3mm ply, I glued in a second firewall which is provided as a spare with the Raptor. The motor is turning freely so I think there's just enough room for the outrunner to clear the cables. 

The downside to pushing the motor back , as I discovered when I installed the motor, is that the shaft stickout is marginal. However the spinner has tightened up and the prop is turning fine, so it might be OK...

Rarebear Rocks

...while getting some rays

The Rarebear has taken quite a beating; it was nearly toasted by a lipo starting to burn, been nose-dived numerous times, had an aileron destruct mid-flight and been shredded through a barbed wire fence.

Yet the little Rarebear still flies beautifully, retaining the "flies-on-rails" characteristic it's famous for and still having a decent turn of speed, although it just flies it on 3S these days. And it still brings a smile; it turns so sweetly and it's motor has such a vibrant, unburstable character.

And, best of all, its shape coming head on at head high, going flat out as ever, just makes you imagine it's full-scale forebears heading in on a mission...

Dynam DC-3 and The Case of The Receding Battery

...and where it stops nobody knows

Having established that the DC-3 was very nose-heavy on its first flight, I have been gradually moving the battery rearwards and assessing the change in flight characteristics with each change.

My ultimate aim was to get the DC-3 to glide reasonably well power-off, however with the amount that I've shifted the battery and with it still being nose-down, although much less than before, I'm wondering whether I'll have to settle for "most improved".

The battery has so far receded a substantial 70mm from its initial position hard up against the front of the recess, and the CoG is now somewhere south of the maximum 65mm suggested by Dynam. Makes me wonder whether they actually ever flew it or whether they just stuck with the theoretical figure and let you figure it out the hard way.

While I understand that CoG is not something made up, the moment-effect of the undercarriage is obviously substantial, exacerbated perhaps by the low-wing configuration of the Dak. And, despite having overstepped the CoG limit by a mile, the Dak is still completely stable; this morning I put it through a series of loops, rolls and stalls and not once did it suggest that it was going unstable or enter into any sort of spin that would have indicated a too-light nose.

And the Dak has been flying much better for it; now happily cruising around at about a third power, and turning much cleaner than the stall-turns evident it its first flight. So I think I'll continue inching the battery backwards, although in much smaller increments, until I've got it flying level without elevator trim, and perhaps even gliding a little better...

Hobbyking Servo Tester

...with centering function

I recently received the Hobbking servo tester which I've just tried out, a little unit I'd been meaning to get for some time. Diminutive in size and cost, the little tester is highly regarded for the facility it provides, primarily in being able to centre servos.

Servo centering is being able to put the servo at the neutral, or centre, position, where it is at the centre-point of its travel range. This is useful to be able to pre-install the servo arm without having to wait for the model to be assembled with ESC & battery installed.

Additionally, using a little trick, you don't even need an ESC to power the servo tester; by using a 2S battery, connected using its balance lead, you can get the tester up and running easily and conveniently...

Fox Glider Wingtip Washout

...little mod makes a difference

Subsequent to the Fox's spin-and-crash episode, I was told by someone that they always added wingtip washout to their models by bending the wingtip a down.

Now, this isn't necessary for most of the planes I fly, but in the case of the Fox this definitely sounded like good advice. However, with the Fox having balsa wings, it's not quite so easy.

However I managed, with a bit of "cutting-and-shutting" to add a little washout, and it seemed to improve the Fox's behaviour under load and at lower speed. It was a bit difficult to fully evaluate it in an unfamiliar environment, however I will be putting the Fox through its paces to assess it further...

Fox Glider At the Beach

...first time back in the air

I just got the Fox glider repaired and reassembled in time to take it for a text flight at the beach, following its nasty spin crash.

Being the first outing after repair, and given the nature of the accident, I was a little nervous flying it. However it was a gorgeous morning, sunny and calm, so conditions wouldn't get  any better.

The launch was fine although the elevator needed trimming, making for a nervous start, however after that the Fox flew beautifully. It's a lovely spot, with yellow cliffs topped with a lighthouse and an expansive beach with a few monolithic rocks dotting the shoreline.

I flew the Fox with the mobius cameras on board, and managed to get some lovely footage of the waves breaking, the cliffs and the nearby lagoon.

The options for landings were limited to the damp sand, being less likely to get sand everywhere, and I managed to get it landed ok although still ended up with sand in the fuselage...

DC-3 Centre of gravity

...getting there slowly

This morning I had the DC-3 out again at the field, this time with a revised centre of gravity. The instruction manual indicates 60-65mm and I've been flying at around 60 which clearly doesn't work.

To  correct things I moved the battery 30mm forward which put the cog at pretty much 65mm. Not exactly sure how much difference this was going to make, I left the flap setting and elevator trim unchanged just to be on the safe side.

The takeoff was good, the Dak easing off much more easily now, then started to climb and didn't stop until it was pretty much trying to go vertical. So, clearly, the mass shift makes quite a bit of difference.

After a little panic. I managed to the Dak straight and landed, then I reduced flaps and the elevator trim before trying again.

This time things were much better, wing the Dak cruising around happily. It's still too nose-down to glide very well, making me think I'll ease the battery back a centimetre or two and see how that goes...

Dynam DC-3. Take-Off with Flaps.

...much better

This morning, after carting the DC-3 around in the car for two days, I finally had the opportunity to get the Dak into the air again with an immaculate morning; clear blue skies and absolutely still.

I'd decided that it needed flaps for take-off and perhaps then, once up to speed, retracting flaps and flying clean would be OK. As it turned out, I left the flaps on for the whole flight as it was flying quite happily with them deployed, and the additional lift transformed the Dak into a lovely easy flyer.

The Dynam DC-3 doesn't actually have flaps, but using dualaileron mix and plugging the aileron servos in separately you get flaps automatically configured, although I needed a bit of messing around with reversing to get everything working as it should.

I'm still a little concerned that it needs flaps and elevator trim to keep flying, so I might adjust the centre of gravity for the next flight and see how it goes; I think I'm at the front limit of what's suggested when it seems like I should be at the back.

At the moment the Dak simply plummets when you cut power, which makes it a nerve-wracking proposition if the battery runs low...

DC-3. OK So Lets Try Again.

...and see if we can get it


Following on from the first flight where the characteristics of the DC-3 were anything but the easy-flying plane I thought it would be, I'm now considering whether it needs to be flown like a real one - take-off with flaps and then high-speed cruising, in order that the plane's developing sufficient lift without having to be constantly on the elevator and throttle.

I had the DC-3 ready yesterday, but unfortunately that coincided with the end of two beautiful sunny and calm days, and the start of the wind; although that cleared the skies it didn't do much for my flying prospects.

Nevertheless I'm hopeful of getting the Dak airborne over the next few days to try out my theory to see if I've "got it"...