DX6i Transmitter Flap Mix

...tail-heavy no more

I took the Phoenix out for a fly this afternoon, not having flown it for a while, and took the opportunity to try the flap mix which was something I'd overlooked when I first got the transmitter.

I'd set the Phoenix up for flaps when I'd first got it, but have never particularly liked flying with flaps as it makes the Phoenix fly tail-heavy, dampening what are generally immaculate flying manners.

This is because the wings are in a high-lift configuration but the tail is not, causing it to dip at low speeds associated with flaps. The other day, flipping through the menu's when setting up the Stinger, I came across the flap mix menu and suddenly it made sense.

The mix is very simple, allowing you to dial in a dose of elevator with the flaps. Now the trick is, to cure tail-heaviness as in the case of the Phoenix, you don't want positive elevator, as this would just push the tail down more and increase the angle of incidence of the wings.

What resolves the issue remarkable well is negative elevator, effectively working as a flap for the tail. On the Phoenix I set negative elevator at 20 for a flap setting of 10, which I tried out this afternoon and which works brilliantly well.

Highly recommended on the Phoenix...

Serenity at High Altitude

...an extraordinary flight


I had a completely serene flying experience this morning.

The weather was heavily overcast with a multitude of textures and colours of heavy rain clouds covering the sky. It was almost completely still with just the slightest suggestion of a breeze on the ground with a feel of the moisture in the air.

I threw the Walrus up and did a bit of aerobatics to warm up the servos and them did a run over the kangaroo ground to see how they were doing. Having completed these missions I was wondering what was next, so set the Walrus with a hint of up-elevator with moderate throttle and let it go.

With the cool morning air the Walrus climbed quickly and steadily until it was just a snippet of a plane high in the air, communing with the clouds.

A wing of Sacred Ibis flew over in a perfect V-formation heading north, their pale colouring contrasting with the dark clouds above them.

I took this restful opportunity to take the first ever photo of the Walrus flying as up till now I haven't wanted to take the risk...

Nicely Trimmed

...when is balance?

One of the reasons, perhaps, for some of the incidents I've suffered is sufficient down trim.

Having the plane set for neutral gliding flight seems a safer bet, however the transition between flying modes, principally from neutrally powered to powered, can be problematic. Having a little negative trim also means the powered flight regime is more responsive because the plane doesn't balloon when speed rises.

Having said that the reassurance that, when power is off, the plane is slow and stable is a compelling argument against amusing flying dynamics. Still, I'm going to try the Phoenix with a little down-elevator tomorrow (two "beeps" of trim as a start) and see how it goes. Of course, I can always use flaps for landing to compensate for a fast descent rate. The mega-flaps on the Phoenix will over-compensate for any trim adjustment...

So here's hoping for calm dry weather tomorrow...