Secret the First - Keep the Nose Light
The Radjet is extremely sensitive to mass balance. Make sure the centre of gravity is centred on the hand-hold grips, otherwise it'll fly like a brick...
*****
Secret the Second - Launch with Control
The Radjet will roll to the left on launch - the more power, the faster it will roll this way. Launch with proportionate right aileron - two-thirds power, two-thirds aileron...
*****
...summer has settled in
Yes, the hot weather has well and truly arrived, with sweltering episodes thankfully interspersed with the occasional cool day. Rain, of any significant nature, has been long absent and the garden is parched.
The mornings lately have, however, been idyllic for flying - cool and calm and either clear or with a few scattered clouds around. I'd previously taken the Radjet a few days ago and enjoyed putting it through it's paces.
The poor thing is well and truly battered however, with the balance now sorted and me having a better understanding of its launch characteristics (although I'm still not a hundred percent confident with launch, although I haven't had a failure for a while), it's an entertaining little beast to fly. Don't let it get too far away though, as it's orientation can be hard to distinguish.
This morning, though, I took the Floater Jet out for a spin. Not the most dynamically inspiring beat ever to grace the skies, but it does do one thing well - flying slowly. So that's what I did, floating the Jet low over the paddocks, skimming the grass tufts and flying slalom around the trees and bushes.
Wildly exciting; no, not really. Very peaceful and enjoyable; most certainly...
...and flies beautifully
This morning was absolutely perfect, with cool, calm and sunny conditions prompting me to pack the recently refurbished Radjet. Having previously established it was flying stably, before it ploughed into the paddocks on its next ill-fated flight, I was looking forward to having an enjoyable flight with it.
Despite it's now very battered appearance, the little propjet flew beautifully - as stable as you could wish but still very manoeuvrable. I'm still adjusting to the "bank and yank controls", sometimes finding myself wondering why it isn't turning after I've put it into a bank. However it flies so well now that small pilot delays are accommodated without disaster. Orientation miscues, like looping down instead of pulling up, are likewise rectified by the quick responses of its aerobatic nature.
The last surprise is how well it now glides. Coming into land with power off and full elevator, it floats along as if it were a glider and lands with as much elegance as you could expect from anything.
I'm still a long way from mastering this little firebrand simply because it's so much faster than anything else I've flown and I need time to adjust - the flight this morning was at no more than half throttle. I've also experienced some difficulties in picking orientation which is a little worrisome, although I think it's mainly as it's been getting a bit too far away ("why isn't it turning?").
So I'm looking forward to exploring it's capabilities of the Radjet, hopefully without further damage. And, when the nerves are a bit shot from high-speed manoeuvres, there's always the dependable Walrus to take for a relaxing fly...
...but not necessarily together
The Radjet is now glued together again and ready for another fly. This morning would definitely have been too breezy for the little craft, however I'm keen to get it into the air again for a bit more high-speed fun.
As far as mass-balance is concerned, I'm now packaging the receiver into the fuselage as well after the battery, and I've put a couple of screws in the rearmost section of the fuselage so as to get the maximum counterbalance for the minimum weight, and without disrupting the airflow.
I have also received the new micro SD card for the wing cam, a class 10 U1 speed rating. I'm not sure that the U1 rating will do much in this application as I gather it's some sort of software driven feature aimed at mobile devices.
Anyway, it won't do any harm. I'd love to put the camera on the Radjet however, considering its delicate balance and propensity for crashing, I think we'll reserve on-board video for the Walrus and Floater Jet...
