Canadair on the Duckpond

...finally flying off the pond

The field where I often fly was prone to flooding at the southern end; an event which occasioned the influx of birds of all kinds and the occasional kangaroo something for a splash.

However, unfortunately the sports club didn't share my enthusiasm at an inundated playing field and so instituted an engineered solution to pump the flood waters away. Happily, after a year or so, this fiendish system has failed, heralding a triumphant return of the ephemeral pond.

I had often been tempted to get something flying off the pond but for some reason never got around to it. However, for once, I managed to get to the field with a float plane while the pond was still full and when the weather was OK, in this case with the Canadair.

Unfortunately, as far as the video was concerned, the sun dipped away behind the clouds just as I the Canadair hit the water, so the video quality was frustratingly compromised. Despite that technical hiccup, the flying was a success, making the wait worthwhile...

Phoenix 2000. First Flight.

...a little slope soaring

I've chosen to set up the Phoenix 2000 as a pure soaring glider without motor, running a 2200 3S battery located right at the firewall and some small-change ballast installed in the nose cone.

I have configured the Phoenix with crow brakes, as I discovered that having some sort of brake/lift dump is essential, whether that be fence-type brakes or, in this case, flaps and ailerons configured to generate drag and reflex the airfoil respectively

There are, unfortunately, no good slope soaring sites nearby, however I decided to try the hill at the far end of the paddocks where I fly; not particularly high or steep but enough to generate a little lift.

The wind was a strong north-wester, a little gusty too, and I launched the Phoenix with as lusty a hurl as I could summons. The Phoenix flies well enough, catching what little and sporadic lift was available here.

I tried the Phoenix with and without flaperons active but, given the very turbulent conditions, I couldn't asses the effect they have.  Similarly, I didn't get the opportunity to really test the crow brakes, however they were effective in slowing the glider down and didn't cause it to climb when deployed which is good.

However, as a first try, the Phoenix is encouraging, so I'll be trying to get it flying in some better lift... 

Fun With the FT Viggen.

...fast and fun

The Viggen has proved to be a great addition to the fleet, being fast stable and distinctive in the air. And, all this despite it being my first Flitetest build.

Most amazingly is how easily, and stably, it launches; being flat underneath you have to launch it underhand and yet it climbs stably without threat of stall or spin.

It's benign characteristics are a combination of it being a delta, but also certainly due to the calming effect of the canards, keeping the nose up and reducing the load on the wings.

You can turn the Viggen as sharply as you like and it won't do anything nasty. In fact, so effectively will it turn that it's almost like it has vectored thrust, being able to keep on looping almost about its own length.

And it's quite quick too; my version runs a common-or-garden ebay fan with a 50A ESC and is good for about 100kph. You could load it up with a 12 blade fan although I'm not sure how much aero load you'd want to put on a foam board plane...

Flying the Firstar EDF

...on a sunny Saturday afternoon

Beautiful weekend weather begged for some flying, so I headed down to the paddock with the Firstar EDF conversion. The first flight of this has been on a cold & overcast morning, so this afternoon would be an opportunity to try out the big FPv plane in some sunny weather.

With the straight-shooting EDF unit, the flight characteristics are much more aligned with its close cousin, the phoenix 2000 glider, making it a real pleasure to fly. And today enjoying having a bit of fun cruising it around the open space of the paddocks.

Whilst EDF's are known energy hogs, the Forstar flies so much better and truer that I still think the overall performance and duration can't be worse than with that huge prop tower and negative thrust line. This still has to be tested when I get some proper FPV flying done, but even just punting the Firstar around is so much more fun now...

Firstar Sunrise III

...and lovely clouds

Another lovely morning from a few weeks ago, perfect for for a pre-work sunrise flight. The Firstar is a good camera platform, although I haven't been able to use it for FPV due to interference issues with my Taranis radio.

Also, the motor configuration means it doesn't climb very well. However this will soon change; I'm getting some bandpass filters which will hopefully resolve the 2.4GHz interference, and I'm planning to replace the prop with a low-mounted EDF unit to eliminate the down-thrust of the stock unit.

So, we'll see how these changes pan out; here's hoping for some cloud soaring...

Canadair on the Lake.

...an afternoon cruise

It's not often that I get to the lake; access is restricted so it's only on nice afternoons when it's not to windy. And only on a few couple of days a week.

On this particular afternoon things were looking good, so I arrived at the lake only to find that it was pretty windy.

Now the Canadair is a very capable and stable flyer, but I'm nervous about mishaps on water, necessitating getting my inflatable rescue craft out, blowing it up before paddling across the lake you're not supposed to go boating on.

Anyway, I decided to fly nonetheless and, fortunately, things went fine. The water wasn't too rough nor the wind too gusty, so I had a pleasant afternoon cruising the Canadair around and doing takeoffs and landing without having to call the rescue squad...

Turbo Porter PC6. Wing Cam.

...an intriguing viewpoint

I decided to give the Turbo Porter a go with a wing cam - I’ve only tried this once before on the Raptor glider, and I thought that the Porter would be a good candidate to handle the imbalance that the weight & drag of the camera creates.

I also thought I’d try a ground, putting the mobius on a mini tripod to capture launch and landing action.

Well it turns out that the latter is a bit trickier than I expected; it has to be located far enough away that the plane has lifted off, obviously, so there’s running back & forth to set it up. Secondly, when I have to fly to fixed cameras my flying goes to pieces. I crashed the Rarebear doing this after having flown it twice without incidence beforehand.

Despite the incumberences of the wing and ground cameras, I still managed to get some nice footage, with the wing cam providing intriguing fixed footage of the Porter as the scenery and lighting revolve around it.

And I managed to capture about a second of takeoff from the ground cam. At least I didn’t hit it...

Floater FPV Clouds

...getting there

Lately I've been doing a lot of FPV flying, almost all of it with the Floater Jet, as I try to fine-tune the system and push the boundaries to determine what's reliably possible.

Although the flying isn't spectacular, one benefit is that there's plenty of pleasant scenery and, on this particular afternoon, lovely clouds in abundance.

While the FPV system doesn't have the capability to go flying in the clouds, it's enough to get a pleasant view and see the cloud footprints dotting the landscape.

So far the mobius and dock have managed to go 1.2km while still maintaining a clear, if graining, picture. As regards height I wouldn't not sure as my estimation is not very accurate.

However we'll be getting a variometer with altimeter soon, so will be able to check how we're doing on altitude...

Floater Jet Hill Flying

..chilled-out cruising

The journey into the hills to slope soar the Floater Jet on the strong westerly wind had turned out disappointing; the slope-facing breeze sliding away to the north with the Floater Jet barely for a few minutes. 

Soaring out of the question, I lay on the hilltop watching the clouds changing until the breeze had abated. With the sky clearing as well, I loaded a fresh battery into the Floater for a pleasant cruise around the slopes.

The sky cleared as I flew, with the sun coming through increasingly to bathe the ridge in golden rays and give some warm texture to the clouds. 

No lift of course, but nevertheless a leisurely twenty minutes flying, turning in to the ridge-top only when the battery was depleted…

Raptor D-Box Pro 2000. Scenic Afternoon Flight.

...perfect afternoon to fly

Some afternoons are just great for getting the glider out, especially when a beautiful blue sky is dotted with fluffy cumulus pointing out potential lift spots.

A few times I've had some luck with the Phoenix and the Raptor. In fact I've even managed to get some lift flying here in the venerable Floater Jet!

There was one minor glitch; the props didn't fold and so continued windmilling whenever I had turned the power off. This, I think, was a remnant of the recent beach sloping, with some grit remaining in the prop holding up the works. 

This particular afternoon I didn't have much luck thermalling despite the beautiful conditions, but it was a scenic flight nonetheless. Part of the problem is the lit is better higher but at the same time it's harder to assess what's happening from the ground the higher you get.

And, when I've got my mobius FPV system fully sorted, I'm hoping to get it onto the Raptor so that I can try thermalling from first-person view, which should be fun...

Dynam DC 3 Dakota 1470mm. Clouds.

...beautiful afternoon

My favourite flying conditions, usually, are when it's sunny with interesting clouds. This afternoon was also quite windy and gusty, not unpleasantly so but not ideal for the Dynam DC3 which isn't as stable and docile as one would imagine.

Nevertheless, with developing clouds sweeping across the field, it made for a wonderful backdrop to cruising the DC3 around.

Despite twin props, the DC3 doesn't even approach being rapid, so full-throttle flypasts are moderately brisk accompanied by a faint high-pitched whine.

But it's still good to punt around, and of course looks the deal even if it's nastier to fly than the full-scale original...

Raptor at the Beach Again

...good wind & good lift

Today I returned to the beach again for the third time to slope soar the Raptor. While he wind direction and strength on the first two occasions was a little weak and misdirected, this time everything was good; 30-40kmh southwesterly coming straight onto the dunes.

In fact, walking down from one car park, the wind at the top was that brisk it had me wondering how I was actually going to get the Raptor down to the beach without it taking flight involuntarily.

Fortunately, I found another path that wandered down through the dune growth, providing a sheltered entry onto the beach. The Raptor prepped, I spun the prop up and waited a little hesitantly for a drop in the wind.

Hoisting the Raptor up, it climbed steeply before levelling it off and steering it onto the dunes. The lift was much stronger than before and, after a little trimming, got the Raptor floating motionless above the bank.

Not that it was as peaceful as it appeared; rather I was on high alert, making sure the Raptor didn’t drop a wing and get blown down. At some stages the Raptor, with flaps on, was actually drifting downwind so I was having to switch between flying clean and with flaps, and trimming the elevator up & down to suit as well.

So successful but not exactly peaceful! And then the landing; because my radio doesn’t have enough mixes to set up the ailerons as spoilers, I again had to zigzag the Raptor up and down the beach to loose height, before eventually nosing it in foe a sand-covered landing.

I really need to get another radio…

Radjet 800 EPO. Paddock Flypasts

...fast fun

Breezy afternoons don’t suit too many planes; of mine the pick are the Rarebear, Stinger and Radjet. This particular afternoon there was a fresh northerly blowing and I headed right into the paddocks, my favourite spot for speedy planes free of any obstructions making it great for low-level, high-speed flypasts.

I find the Radjet a very stable high-speed plane and able to handle wind with aplomb, so I had a great time speeding it upwind and downwind, always at full throttle as usual. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the fields this particular afternoon, the sky had got a little hazy causing glare.

As a result the video struggled a bit with the contrast and, although I tried to balance colours and lighting manually afterwards, it’s very difficult and the video still doesn’t look quite right.

Nevertheless, the flying is quite entertaining and the sky, although not as lovely as it had been earlier in the day, was still a lovely backdrop to the speeding Radjet...

Raptor D-Box Pro 2000. Sunset in the Hills

...a beautiful afternoon

A brisk breeze saw me back in the hills for another attempt at slope soaring, this time on a westerly breeze. However a shift in direction after a short while had me lying on the ridge watching the clouds form and drift across the sky, powered by the breeze.

Fortunately the disruptive northerly had soon blown itself out, leaving a picturesque afternoon with the sun starting to dip. With no lift to be had, I nevertheless decided to get the Raptor for some leisurely cruising while enjoying the spectacle of a lovely sunset.

Flying on the ridge gives a three-dimensional aspect not normally experienced, flying the Raptor up the hill or floating it over the crest and down the other side. So, despite the soaring being a bit disappointing, the afternoon’s flying was beautiful...

AXN Floater-Jet Glider EPO 1127mm. Winter Sunset

...beautiful winter sunset

This beautiful sunset on a still evening had me heading off to the field in a hurry with the trusty Floater Jet and mobius camera to try and capture some of it. It’s always compelling to try and do this to make the most of what is otherwise obscured and diminished by the lack of a clear view.

From a vantage of a couple of hundred feet up, however, this is not an issue although there are others; the Floater is not the easiest thing to fly smoothly and steadily, especially when you’re trying to climb. Also, judging orientation from the ground is a bit hit and miss, compelling arguments for getting a drone with FPV capability.

The video from the flight was understandably then a little scrambled, with lovely glimpses here and there of the sun gradually sinking beyond the horizon. However, gradually sifting through the footage and stringing clips together I think I’ve managed to compile something that’s tranquil and a little bit special, in conjunction with a lovely acoustic guitar soundtrack.

Of course it’s nowhere as smooth or professional looking as something off a drone, but still not bad from a Floater Jet...

Hobbyking Stinger 64 EDF. Sunny Clouds.

...beautiful sunny clouds

Some days flying is really good, especially when the sky is doing something special. This was one of those days, with bright sun, brilliant blue sky and more kinds of interesting clouds than you could wish for.

It was pretty breezy; a moderate southerly which quickly developed, but nothing too much to bother the Stinger. With its augmented stripes I’m more confident with the turns, and having it screeching across the fields and soaring into the sky is always a lovely thing.

Watching the video again, with the beautiful sky and the Stinger having fun, was certainly a tonic for the rather miserable weather of late...

Canadair CL-415 1390mm. Flypasts

...cruising past

A pair of paragliders were heading back to the far field, so I headed the Canadair there with onboard camera, hoping to get some nice footage. Unfortunately I didn't judge the closing distance too well and turned the Canadair back when it was still well off, the paragliders unresolved dots in the distance.

For the rest of the time I just cruised the Canadair around doing flypasts, enjoying the lovely afternoon. After returning from its initial sortie, I took off the camera and then hand launched it to conserve the battery for a bit more cruising around.

The resulting video was then a little unexciting, so I decided to play around with it a little, adding in some flash-forwards and colour-to-mono fades. Completing this slightly experimental video was a backing track with a little attitude, dramatic hip-hop according to YouTube.

Anyway, I had enjoyed creating the video...

Rarebear 620 Funfighter. New Sodastream Cowling

...works a treat

For a while now the Rarebear’s cowling has looked a little sad, the missing sections of the flimsy plastic article having been poorly patched with fibre tape. So, needing to do a little work on the motor, I decided that enough was enough and dumped the cowling summarily.

As a replacement I first tried a large vitamin bottle which unfortunately turned out to be a little too small, before deciding in the base of a Sodastream bottle. This looked nice and sturdy, and had a little detail on it to add a little style.

It was slightly too big but I trimmed a section from it and then installed it with lashings of hot melt glue. Being careful to align the lower section, once installed I realised that I’d not checked the top which ended up slightly angled and pinching the sliding top section of the fuselage.

Anyway, it was still better than it was, so now to try it out. It turned out to be a very windy although otherwise beautiful afternoon, into which I threw the revamped Rarebear, newly reverted to its original black prop to match the cowling.

In short, the little rarebear flew just as well as ever, seemingly relishing the gusty conditions as it swooped across the field and swung rapidly into the blue sky...

Hobbyking Stinger 64 Mk2. 2200 Nano First Flight

...the big day!

Since the ultimate smash I'd reconstructed the Stinger with a new fuselage and new larger and higher-spec powerpack, all of which I was eager to try out so, with a break in the rather poor run of weather, I headed to the field.

As ever, not having flown the Stinger for a while made me nervous. Additionally, I wasn't sure what the effect would be of the substantially-larger 2200 battery compared to the 1800 I'd previously flown with.

Eager to get the Stinger into the air before the sun disappeared behind clouds, I gave it a quick check before getting it ready to launch. Running the motor up for launch, the reaction felt a little odd. Blipping the throttle again revealed the reason - it was blowing air out of the intakes. I'd wired the motor in reverse.

Dashing back to the car for my toolkit, quite a way as I was flying in the paddocks, I headed back to the plane to remove wings and swap the plugs. Eventually the Stinger was back together, now developing positive thrust, but the sun had unfortunately taken a break behind a small patch of clouds.

Despite the disappointment of losing the beautiful afternoon glow, I hot full throttle and threw the Stinger up. Despite high expectations, this continued the run of miserable launches I've had, the Stinger knife-edging a few metres up. Correcting this and easing off the elevator revealed the next crisis; I hadn't done a good check on the trims and the Stinger was nosediving alarmingly.

Bringing it round I heaved on the elevator; going vertically fifty metres up is a nice safe place to make control adjustments.

After that things got a lot better; the augmented stripes made visibility so much better I was immediately more confident, and soon I had the Stinger making nicely-controlled low passes at speed, howling past at full throttle...

GeeBee R3 750mm TRILOGY. PART 1: Unofficial Unboxing

...a great-looking little plane

I’d had the GeeBee sitting in the corner for a while and finally got around to unboxing it.

It’s a nice quality kit, coming safely boxed and individually wrapped so that all parts were in perfect condition. The fuselage is even secured in place with velcro straps, a first for me.

The GeeBee comes in the classic Texaco livery which looks great and the decal application is nice. The fuselage is full EPO including the cowling which is nice, however there is a downside - the battery access is a small hatch on the underside.

The 5g servos, in wings and fuselage, are pre-installed along with the control horns. The high-standing tail wheel is also fitted, leaving only the tail planes to be screwed into place. The wing, with locating pins up front, is also screwed into place - a glue-free assembly.

The iconic GeeBee undercarriage comes pre-assembled, with integrated wire reinforcing which also serves as the mount slotting into the wing. Included is sprung bracing wires stabilising the undercarriage as well as bracing the wings to the fuselage, which should look great assembled.

The kit comes with two three-blade props and two spinners, the latter being the only disappointment - they're EPO, with the cone apparently needing to be stuck onto the base with double-sided tape! I'm not surprised to read that people have ditched these for real spinners. In fact, had I known, I’d have tried to get a replacement spinner when I ordered the kit…