...back in the air! It was months ago when, having too much fun with the Stinger, I inadvertently sent it speeding into the swampy paddock grass, where it half its nose and my near-new nanotech battery disappeared into the mud. Since then I have agonised over how I was to replicate the tapering form of the nose, which also accommodates the canopy magnet and terminates into the join with the nosecone.
Eventually I used rear sections of the original fuselage (funny how you never crash backwards), although this wasn't quite right and had to be cut, and then added onto, and then filled, and sanded, and painted. However, after this unnecessarily protracted affair, the Stinger was again airworthy and looking pretty good. However, the proof of the pudding if in how well it flies. Fortunately, in this case, it flew as well as ever, and I was gifted with a good launch as well. So back to enjoying a few run-filled, adrenalin rushing minutes screeching the Stinger around the paddocks...
...scenic flight and more A trip to the country was an opportunity to take the Floater Jet to see whether there might be an opportunity for lift off the adjoining hillside. Also, an opportunity for a gentle scenic flight the next day, with a tranquil morning and the lake mirror-calm.
Not that it was an uneventful flight, with a flock of corellas passing through and a very close call with a radio tower. And to end it, probably the worst judged approach I've made in a long time, with the docile Floater Jet over-flying and floating straight into the garage door...
...best of times, worst of times A beautiful sunny afternoon with a gentle southerly blowing set the scene for some great flying with the Stinger. Now, with its third iteration of decals, it sported much improved visibility which boosted confidence in flying at speed. Picking its orientation, primarily roll, had always been a bugbear with me, but now I was able to fly it with much greater authority.
For once the launch was good and the Stinger was soon howling round the paddocks, executing thrilling low passes and high turns. This was the best I'd ever flown it, by a long way, and the enjoyment of flying the speedy little jet and the beautiful setting was quite intoxicating. Unfortunately this wasn't to last, with one low pass having me turn into the sun where, like previously, I mistook the orientation and the Stinger skewed into the marshy grass at speed. Worse still, half of the nose had been blasted into the mud by the battery, with both embedded to the degree that they were lost despite my best efforts to find them...
...that didn't end well Having been doing laps of the paddocks with the Floater Jet in an effort to fine tune the mobius FPV system and maximise the range, I decided to give the system a try on the DC-3 because this would sit the transmitter further away from motors and battery than was possible in the confines of the Floater Jet.
I must admit having some misgivings about this venture as the DC-3, in this fixed-undercarriage guise anyway, is a rather unstable platform, having a tendency to nose up heading into the wind or on too much throttle, ending up in a dramatic stall as is ries to climb ever more steeply.
The flight went OK until, at the extreme of range, the DC-3 flew in the radio shadow of the tree bordering the field. Usually I'd been more careful and stood in the middle of the paddocks to avoid just such an event. Being at the limits of transmission, the modest tree, that one which I have flown into numerous times, was sufficient to completely block the video signal. I cut power and it dipped a little, then started to climb. When the video flashed back on all I could see was blue sky. Dipping down again, I have slight glimpses from the camera, desperately trying to compensate the increasingly wild flight of the Dakota. Unfortunately the video never restored sufficiently, the signal failing again before, finally, there was just static as I stood, still holding the elevator down, just in case it may still help...
Of the times I've flown the Stinger I've had a number of bad launches, primarily due to it rolling, and several times where it's ended up inverted half a second after launch. Every time I have managed to successfully extricate it from such precarious positions and gone onto enjoy the flight.
This time, unfortunately, was different. With the Stinger inverted I panicked and killed the power, so that it nosed towards the turn in an inverted swan dive.
Fortunately the damage was very minor to the degree that I was able to straighten the nose sufficiently to give it another go. The second launch was perfect with a lovely flight to follow, against a backdrop of fresh clouds and beautiful blue sky...
bad and good... The other day, after a long hiatus, I finally got the Canadair back to the big lake to have a bit of a fly. The big lake is good for its large expanse of water, meaning less issues with dodging trees or having to constantly turn. Being a large expanse of water does however mean that it does pick up more of a breeze though, due to the large expanse of open water. Nevertheless, on the afternoon, there was a moderate westerly blowing in, noticeable but not sufficient to unduly affect the water.
So I got the Canadair ready to fly and, at the last minute, decided to shift the battery back a little to help with the landings, where I kept on finding I didn't have enough elevator to float it in for gentle touch-downs. All ready then, and I hit power with full elevator to get the Canadair on the plane. Unfortunately, the combination of the fresh westerly and th enow nose-light Canadair meant that, as soon as it begun to rotate it just kept on lifting and, quickly reaching a stall, the left wing dropped and dipped into the lake. So, within a second of hitting the throttle, the Canadair was floating upside down, both motors immersed in the water. I didn't feel like getting the inflatable out, so I waited for the breeze to transport the Canadair to the far side of the lake. Finally fishing it out of the lake a leisurely quarter of an hour later, the Canadair had shipped just a smidgen of water, and the receiver and ESC's were all dry and safe, ready to go again...
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"...
...disappointment with a crash I finished the DC-3 yesterday and today had been looking for the wind today to die down, being a beautifully sunny and mild day. By early evening the wind has abated sufficiently to haul the Skybus off the desk and into the car. It's certainly the most appealing aircraft I've put together, with bags of character and that distinctive look that's known the world over. Despite that docile appearance of the plane I was nervous; mainly because of the proximity of the props to the ground and taking off from grass exacerbating the risk.
At the the breeze was a little stronger than I'd like for an unknown aircraft, but I at least wanted to get the DC-3 taxiing. First attempts showed the wheels were catching on the grass but, after shifting the plane, managed to get it going and, with the Skybus buzzing along happily, I upped the power and eased off the elevator as it started lifting off. My initial thoughts were that it flies like a bit of a dog. And, as the flight progressed, this impression didn't improve much; it seems cumbersome, doesn't turn easily and goes into a stall-turn when you try and power it out. Added to this the moderately gusty conditions didn't help. Finally, thinking flaps would help, having set it up with dual-ailerons, I hit the switch and immediately regretted it; I'd set it up with negative elevator to balance the tail, but too much, which sent the DC-3 nosing down as if on an emergency approach. Flicking off the switch, I cut power and readied for landing, it being on approach already after the flap incident. Expecting it to float in for landing, instead something went very wrong. I'm not exactly sure what, although I'll get a better idea when I check the video of the flight, but the DC-3 dug in a wing tip and cartwheeled dramatically. I was expecting major damage, but this appeared to be limited to the dented wing tip, two snapped props (spares fortunately provided) and a dislodged motor requiring re-gluing. So, the appeal of the Skybus rather tainted, it'll be a video review to figure out what happened before hauling it out for another go and trying to decipher the mysteries of flying the Dakota...
...but got there eventually I took the Radjet to the field today for a test flight in its new sleek guise, a beautiful sunny afternoon with clear blue skies and a refreshing southerly breeze.
As well as the new nose, I had reset the Radjet's controls and checked servo throws as well as reducing the elevator trim I usually have as I reckoned the Airbus-like fuselage interface would generate lift in flight.
The first launch was a complete crash, with the Radjet nosing down as of old straight into the ground. I figured this was because of the lack of elevator trim, so dialled it back in again. The second attempt started well, with the Radjet climbing steeply into the sky as I craned my neck to keep track of it. However, as I levelled the Radjet it suddenly went unstable and ended in a flat spin, the only thing I could do was put full aileron and full elevator which slows the descent of the plane still inescapably spinning. Collecting the Radjet I reckoned I knew the cause; the plane was balancing on the fingertips but only in the centre of the grips; slide the fingers forward and the Radjet was tilting back. I had hoped this would be OK but proved this wasn't the case.
A solution to this was to re-orientate the receiver so that I could push it further forward in the nose, and shoved in a small stick, the only ballast I could find at hand. So, with the plane now balanced I went back for the third try. Fortunately this time everything went to plan and the Radjet went careering into the sky. My guess about the new configuration generating lift was right, so I had to dial the elevator trim back to neutral. This levelled the flight, but means I'll have to figure out something for launch next time. The Radjet seemed faster, and twitchier, the former certainly due to the sleek nose, while the latter I think is related and I've just increased the expo a few percent. So, the Radjet is back in the air at least, although not without some drama, and I'll have to do a little work figuring out the launch next time...
...now I know why I was cautious Yesterday morning I packed the Stinger for its inaugural outing with its latest colour scheme; the two red stripes supplemented with a third stripe in black, which I hoped would embolden the graphics as well as broaden it. The morning was beautiful, cool and still with hints of mist on the lower ground. I managed to launch the Stinger a little straighter, although with a minor wobble, and I had it swooping across the field and climbing steeply into the air.
The supplemented graphics seemed to be working better, so I decided I'd be a little more adventurous with the flight manoeuvres. Despite the thrilling sound and dashing looks, I usually fly the Stingerquite conservatively because of the orientation issue; in fact flying on the Radjet turned out to be much more entertaining.
I did a few high-G pulls and then looped the Stinger down for a low pass overhead. However, when it was coming down, I somehow got confused as to which way it was facing. I'm not sure whether it was that I could see the reverse markings through the wing, but the split-second mystery was enough to cause panic, hitting full elevator in a desperate hope for salvation. I'm really not sure exactly what happened then, however I do know that shortly afterwards the Stinger smote the ground mightily, disintegrating into high-speed debris. I'm thinking it's going to need a new fuselage...
...sleek, fast and bitey Yesterday was the last of the forecast hot days, but dawned a beautiful morning with a steady northerly breeze, not yet carrying the heat from the interior. I'd packed the Fox with the carbon prop installed again, now with reinforced motor mount to hopefully eliminate the full-throttle vibrations it had been suffering. I threw the sleek little glider into the air, enjoying it's swift and graceful flight against the backdrop of fresh morning clouds.
The carbon prop and nanotech battery have, as I've mentioned before, gives the Fox unlimited vertical capability, and I was enjoying powering the Fox up and then gliding it down, and having it swoop low across the field before repeating the exercise. Now I know, and have also mentioned, that the Fox is a high-speed glider and possessing a nasty propensity to spin at low speed but, lulled into a failing sense of security, I pushed the limits too far, with the Fox too low and too slow. The spin was sudden, violent and beyond my capability to recover...
Today was warm but, despite these sort of conditions usually ending up windy and gusty, it was still quite calm after lunch, so I decided to take the Phoenix to the local field to see if any thermalling was to be had. Being around thirty degrees, I launched the Phoenix with flaps and climbed it quickly a few hundred feet before leveling it off to check if any lift was around. I set the Phoenix in a turn to try and settle it when it suddenly started to turn left sharply and start to dive. I have had some issues with this due to the foam wings warping in the warm weather, I think particularly when sitting in the car, so I suspected this to be the case.
I put opposite aileron but, to my surprise, the Phoenix continued to spiral downwards, even when I moved to full opposite aileron, something which would usually have the Phoenix wheeling around, especially at the speed it was going. Suddenly knowing it was out of control, I could only watch as the Phoenix spiralled the last dozen metres down before smashing into the field, shedding foam and parts generously. Picking up the bits and heading to the car I was puzzled, I'd suspected the wing warping being the problem, yet the Phoenix had launched straight and climbed without hint of issue. Then I started wondering; was the Phoenix's lack of response because it wasn't actually doing anything. Had I somehow lost contact? This scenario seemed highly unlikely; since first suffering this issues many moons ago, I run most of my planes with a satellite receiver as well. And, in the case of a few of them including the Phoenix, I have the receiver antenna poking out of a hole in the bottom of the fuselage. Additionally, I have the radio on the higher-power US setting just to make sure. And yet...
once too often... Despite the potential for major disaster, the Stinger suffered only minor damage to the front with the fuselage bent a little to one side and the nose snapped off. However, this area being repaired for the third time, it's increasingly difficult to try and get things looking nice again. However I am endeavouring to be patient and attend to detail to try and get the Stinger nose smooth so that it doesn't suffer from extra drag due to a craggy nose.
The first pass looked reasonable, and I'm now taking time to fill in the dips and grooves as best as possible. Giving the filler and glue time to dry properly, the Stinger should hopefully be in the air within a few days, all going well...
search and rescue underway... The perfect afternoon begged to get the planes out, so I headed to the field on the way home planning to give the Stinger and Radjet a quick run in the gorgeously sunny conditions with a cool southerly blowing.
As I've mentioned before, the Stinger is a bit twitchy in turns, so I've turned my low rates right down making it much less sensitive, and have subsequently become accustomed to it's moderated behaviour with recent flights. Unfortunately something must have flicked the aileron rate switch to high as I found the Stinger alarmingly sensitive to these inputs. I managed to level the Stinger up and bring it round in a turn as I frantically sought to get the switch reset without crashing the jet and, when this was finally accomplished, I hit the elevators to get the now low-flying Stinger some air. The effect of this, however, was not the expected leap into the sky but rather an abrupt disappearance into the grass of the paddock.
I can only surmise that, having been distracted by resetting the switch, the Stinger had adjusted orientation and that the elevator had sent it spearing sideways into the shrubbery. Alarmed and disappointed, I climbed the fence and headed through the marshy flats to where I'd last seen it go down. Emerging from the tall reed grass onto the plain I expected to see the brightly-coloured Stinger lying about conspicuously, but instead saw nothing. Having not made an exact reference as to where it had gone down due to my expectation of finding it immediately, I commenced a somewhat random series of traverses across the paddocks, inspecting thorn bushes and grass clumps for any sign of the downed speedster. Finally, baffled as to the mysterious disappearance of the jet, I hauled out the Phoenix with camera on board for a search and rescue mission. An FPV setup would've been perfect for this situation, however I'll have to make do with a video analysis later...
...the jet's back in the air After a very long recuperation period, the Stinger 64 is back and flying. It had suffered severe damage after it had refused to pull up coming down from a loop, leaving the nose crumpled and twisted as it plummeted into the ground at full throttle. Ironically, despite all the close shaves I'd had when first flying it, it had crashed when I everything appeared to be well under control.
Despite the massive impact, the Stinger was not completely wrecked, with everything from the wings back having been protected from the impact by the crumpling of the nose section. The only exception was the actual fan unit itself which had shattered, however a direct replacement was fortunately available for a modest sum.
My skill in EPO repair had also improved and, along with an investment in some good super glue and accelerator, I was able to coax the Stinger back into shape. The final piece was the nose cone, so deeply embedded into the ground that I couldn't find it, although fortunately happened to have one on my shelf.
So, with the Stinger literally back in shape, it was just a matter of getting it out to the field. Which took a while, quite a while in fact, as I pondered whether I was ready to handle this speedster in the air, with it's twitchy nature and tendency to drop in turns. Having given some thought to the latter, I decided that it couldn't be flown like a Radjet or even Rarebear, which will happily sit in steep turns losing little or no height, but that the Stinger needed a positive bank and yank approach, or "turn like you mean it". So, on a beautifully sunny afternoon with a moderate southerly coming through, I finally summonsed the courage to fly it again . Fortunately I hadn't lost the feel for the Stinger, although you do need to be careful and super-observant, and the launch and flight went well, with the screecher finally running out of battery and gliding in to land...
while the weather is wild... The extreme tranquility of last week has, unfortunately, been replaced by gusty winds forecast to last for the rest of the week. As such, I haven't ventured out to fly anything, least of all the floatplane. The larger batteries for the latter are on there way, and I'm looking forward to familiarising myself with the Trainstar floatplane characteristics a bit better. The new batteries should provide significantly longer flight times, but I also think that a more considered flying regime will help keep the chubby floater in the air for longer as well.
Finally in the process of reconstruction, now that I've received the replacement ducted fan, adhesive accelerator and the urge to do it, the Stinger is resuming shape. The pace of the reconstruction is slow as I'm making sure that each rip and crack is properly bonded before proceeding to the next, but also the warnings on the accelerator pack have me evacuating the room after each burst of strawberry-scented aerosol. The foam should go back into shape reasonably well, and I think I'll smooth out the joins with a bit of filler. The only question marks are against the motor and the servos as to whether those survived the massive impact unscathed. Anyhow, we'll know that when the body has been restored and I get the electrics connected up again...
...but I'll fix it The Rarebear met with a rather sad fate yesterday, clipping a wire fence as it flew low over the paddocks. Keeping an eye of the attitude of the plane, I'd not realised just how low it was until I heard a noise as it passed me and glimpsed the little buzzy disintegrating violently. The nose was ripped off, as well as one wing, and there's bruising of the foam, including one aileron. The nose, fortunately, is undamaged as is the tail section, so hopefully I'll be able to get the diminutive speedster back into the air with some careful repair. The sky reflects...
...just when you thought it was safe After a weekend of torrid weather, this afternoon cleared and calmed enough to get into the air. In fact, on arrival the wind had dropped enough even to get the Phoenix up for a quarter of an hour's entertaining flying.
Almost on cue, as I swapped planes, the breeze got up a little and the sun dropped into a gap in the clouds, so that by the time the Stinger howled into the air, the fields were flooded with a warm glow of afternoon sun, picking up white flashes from the Stinger against dark storm clouds framing the horizon.
I had the Stinger nicely set up and did a few fast flyovers, the jet wobbling a little in the breeze. The conditions, in terms of light, were probably the best I'd flown in and I was enjoying the spectacle of the Stinger in the golden afternoon light against the gorgeous backdrop of the clouds.
I looped the Stinger and then pulled it up for a low sweeping turn, except it didn't pull up, at all. Unfortunately I was standing a little back from the paddock fence, where I usually stand for a good view over the paddock, out of deference to the ducks enjoying return of the ephemeral pond.
As a result, I have no idea why the Stinger didn't pull up. It didn't go into a spin, so I can only surmise that perhaps I hit the elevator too soon and stalled the wings, although I didn't think so. At any rate, there's no mistaking that the Stinger went straight down at speed, a small flurry of parts and the flight of a couple of birds marking it's arrival on the ground...
...and others of a similar nature I've been having idle thoughts of procuring a Stinger 64 Jet for my flying pleasure and, as such, have been watching some footage of its flight and launch.One thing which has struck me watching launches of this creature is a twitch to the left a few seconds after it's in the air. Now, knowing the characteristics of the Radjet (the familiar snap-roll to the left), and imagining similar behaviour from the diminutive Stinger, I surmise this crafty has been launched with right aileron which input, once flight is stabilised, is released, explaining the hint of roll to the left.
This, in turn, suggests to me that I should attempt to employ a similar device on the launch of aRadjet. Now, thus far, my guiding principle has been to minimise the torque reaction from the propellor and therefore circumvent any need for loading up the wings during this critical phase. However, considering the chequered results of this philosophy, I think I'll conduct an explorative regime of roll-corrected launches to test the effect of said input, as well as any potential deleterious reactions...
...and high aspirations Yesterday I had a rush of blood to the head and decided to try tip tossing the Radjet in the hope of finding a better, and more consistent, way of launching the little beast. The result was miserable yet epic failures captured on camera for your light entertainment.
Subsequently I've seen bungee mechanisms for launching aircraft off small ramps. However I'm not sure that the effort of setting this mechanism up and pegging the bungee cord etc is worth it. I think it may just be best just fine-tuning the low-powered hand launches instead.
And, when I eventually succeeded in getting it into the air, the flight ended in a crash when a high-speed banking turn over my head ended up, well, in the bank behind me...
