...too much of a good thing I recently received a box of goodies containing items to finalise the Fox glider; a 32mm carbon spinner, a pair of carbon 9.5x5 folding props and a new battery. The reason for changing from the standard setup was that the R2hobbies spinner has an inboard pivot which prevents the prop from folding, and additionally I thought the standard 10x6 props too large.
On the weekend I had a chance to get the Fox out for a trial run with its new hardware, and got something of a surprise; the setup, powered by a 25-5-C 1800 Nanotech, developed that much thrust that it put the Fox into a turn at full throttle, and caused a vibration past about 80% throttle. Consequently I've decided to try out a set of Walrus props I've got in the spares drawer. These are about 8x5 and I think should be a little more suitable. Anyhow, I've got the Fox set up and will give it another test flight soon...
...and the beautiful cool sunrises Summer has gone, almost, the mornings are darker and the sunrises are returning to their spectacular best of the colder seasons.
I am already having to don my jacket against the chill, and have resorted to the mits as well although just precautionary at this stage; in a few months it will be a matter of maintaining the feeling in my fingers for a few minutes more flying!
I have been flying the Phoenix 1600 regularly and find it a remarkably versatile plane to fly. It is more of a sport glider than anything, yet the agility it exhibits is quite remarkable for a relatively large plane (1.6m span). I must admit that I fly it at 100% travel, something I'd never even contemplated with the Walrus.
Yet the Phoenixseems to relish the opportunity to exercise it's capabilities at every opportunity, although it can be flown super-slow, especially with flaps down and will virtually land itself in this mode. The only difficulty, in common with most gliders, is trying to guess when it will actually touch down, with the combination of increasing ground effect and reducing headwind as it approaches the deck! The Turnigy 2217 1050kv motor is doing well, although it does have a little buzz when flipped straight up to full power. Nevertheless it is performing well with the 11x6 carbon prop, which also looks nice as well...
...and it really flies well This morning I flew thePhoenixfor the first time fitted with a 11x6 carbon prop, and it flew really well. This was also in conjunction with the removal of the battery tray ballast. The result was very impressive climb performance from the big glider.
This flight was conducted against the backdrop of a gorgeous morning's golden rays illuminating scattered fluffy cumulous in a still sky, and the Phoenix's effortless performance had it climbing, swooping and hanging inverted in the sky off the top of big loops...
The poor Radjet has had a very hard life, with numerous crashes in its short life. In fact I'd say the number of crashes to successful flights is about 50:50. A not-unexpected result of this is that the front fuselage has slowly gained weight with layers of fibre tape and super glue to the point, when I flew it this morning, it was flying nose-down again and only barely neutral at full chat. Not a condition I enjoy, so unsurprisingly the landing wasn't the best. So the Radjet it will be subjected to some reconstructive surgery to restore it's flying balance. On a more positive note, I've finally got a proper prop for the Walrus, the 10x6 carbon unit to replace the rather over-sized 11x6 blades I've been running with on reduced throttle setting. These new blades have a very nice contour to them and seem to run efficiently, so the Walrus was very happy...
...and the ESC hasn't exploded yet I've fitted the fittedWalrus with an oversize 11x6 carbon propellor instead of the underwhelming white plastic unit 9x6" with which it comes standard. I've previously flown it with a 10x6 carbon carbon prop which went very well.
The 11x6, as you might expect, is a bit of an overkill, being twenty two percent larger than standard, however it does make for very quiet flying as the prop barely needs to tick over to keep the Walrusflying.
I've limited the throttle to ninety percent so the ESC doesn't explode and so far have used full power only sparingly as I want to get the feel for its capabilities first - I certainly don't want the Walrus to end up as a smouldering wreck...
...and the carbon prop The weather this morning had calmed sufficiently to venture out with the Walrus for a flight. Not just any flight, the first flight with the 2200mAh battery installed in the nose. The Walrus assembly instructions do not provide any particular clues regarding location of the battery. In an attempt to resolve the packaging issues, I had fabricated a battery tray directly behind the motor. This layout is similar to the Phoenix 2000 and worked well with the 1800mAh battery I'd been using.
Lifting the Walrus out of the car I could really feel the extra thirty grams of the larger battery, located well in front of the wings. However I held my resolve not to change-out the new battery for the smaller unit sitting in the car, and headed out. There was a moderate breeze blowing which would help the Walrus to get flying quicker, which was good. All connected, I set the throttle generously and heaved the Walrus up. I was prepared for various scenarios, being prepared to hit the flaps if necessary to get a bit of emergency height, and perhaps having to nurse the gravid Walrus onto a high-power approach to prevent it from nose-diving.
My concerns, however, proved groundless as the Walrussoared into the air without a hint of imbalance or labouring under the heavier load. If anything, the heavier battery gives the plane a more planted feel in the air, and the higher output combined with the larger carbon prop transform the Walrus from an intermediate trainer to a sports tourer. It's performance is now much more three-dimensional capable of higher speeds and sustaining steep climbs. With the good news of power and speed one would expect a nasty compromise on approach. However I am relieved to report that the Walrus floated into the breeze for landing absolutely happily, for a landing as easy as any...
...and lots of angry magpies We took the Walrus for a fly this morning at one of the local sports fields. It was a perfect morning, sunny with some high cloud and beautiful blue sky. There was also hardly any breeze, just the slightest suggestion of air movement. The field area is quite big however I'm still nervous about flying the plane over anything that could get damaged, like houses cars or people. The risk now is much lower, having tested that the transmitter and receiver work at the limits of my vision. Still, I don't want to have to explain to people why a plane flew through their lounge window...
Having "bench-tested" the carbon propellor yesterday after having fitted it, I was quite confident that there wouldn't be any issues. So I lobbed the Walrus into the air and it took off as happily as you could like.
The carbon blades appear to be quieter and require less throttle input for equivalent performance. I didn't really try it much at full power, but what I did seemed to point to better performance. So, all in all, an awesome upgrade! Being spring, even only just, the Walrus was visited by several local avian residents, all of shared a similar agenda of scaring the invader out of their territory. They're obviously not familiar with EPO foam...
In a Zen Flying-first, I've actually got footage on the wing-cam of magpies accosting the plane and, in another video, the magpie actually contacted the plane, although only barely. Nevertheless, this display of aerial combat provided hearty amusement for one of the ground-staff who arrived to prepare the fields for the morning's soccer games.
After we'd finished flying a hot air balloon drifted over and headed for the far field to land. Appearing serene and elegant, these perceptions were quickly dispelled by its hazardous approach for landing, with it skimming over treetops and narrowly clearing a floodlight tower. The touchdown was surprisingly good, but then the gondola proceeded to tip half-over along with the occupants as it got dragged by the balloon in the breeze. I think I'll stick to flying the Walrus...
...and it looks groovy With the parcel safely retrieved from the post office, I fitted the 10x6 carbon fibre prop to the Walrus last night. It was really easy to change the blades, just two screws to be removed and taking only a couple of minutes.
The blades fit perfectly and look brilliant. They are quite a bit bigger than the standard Walrus blades but I tried running the motor and it handles the extra load quite happily.
The finish of the blade is much better than the plastic original which, to be quite honest, is quite crappy. And, of course, the carbon weave looks good...
Came home this afternoon to find a delivery card for a parcel - my carbon propellor, excellent! It was ten past five, and the post office closes at five. Gnashing of teeth, kicking of things... Very annoying as I would get good use out of the propellor on the Walrus, while it would be of absolutely no use to the post office, so really I should be allowed to go and get it based on these grounds. Seems a reasonable-enough argument I think...
...and something of a record Another flyable morning, which must be something of a record! Last night was very windy as a cold front approached from the south west, bringing rain and cold temperatures for the weekend. Luckily though, the winds abated to the gentlest of northerly breezes this morning, perfect for getting the Walrus into the air.
As per the usual routine I did a lot of slow cruising around the paddock, some low fly-pasts and a few loops and rolls. Being more confident now in the robustness of the RC link, as well as better at gauging the aircraft's orientation at distance, I extended the flight envelope sending the Walrus further to the industrialised north, then towards the dark forests of the south and up into the rising hills of the east, where the kangaroos play. I also flew a few camera-runs over the wildlife, making sure not to get too close but hoping to get some nice footage of them enjoying their breakfast.
Flying with the slight breeze is quite fun - going into the wind you can gain altitude quickly while going downwind allows brisk cross-country flight. Also, approaches across the wind look so good as you can see the plane drifting down with the breeze as it comes into the field.
When doing aerobatics I have been giving the Walrus full throttle to build up speed gain height, however I must say that I find the full-throttle performance a little underwhelming, with increased noise from the propeller seeming to be the main effect. I'm growing increasingly interested to try out the 10x6 carbon blades I bought, as I think the slightly larger diameter will be beneficial and I'm hoping the profile will be more effective than the white units standard with the kit. They are shipping in from Hong Kong which takes forever, so we still have to be patient a little while longer...
