Avios Sea Fury. Unofficial Unboxing.

...my first retracts

The Sea Fury is the first Avios product I've sampled and it seems like a nice-quality kit - very neat EPO moulding, good paintwork and nice decal application.

The Sea Fury also features a neat magnetically-operated drop mechanism for the drop tanks - a rotating magnet attached to a servo which reacts with the magnets embedded in the drop tank mount. This is a very neat arrangement and which seems to work well in static mode at least.

The Sea Fury features dual split flaps, another first for me, and which looks to give a nice lift-boost for landing and perhaps take-off. And I'm thinking the Sea Fury is going to need it, with a take-off weight north of 2kg!

Another thing that concerns me a bit, although nothing specific to Avios, is whether the retracts will stand the test of time. Retracts in foam models seem to be a liability, and my runway is only sports-field grass. so we'll have to see...

Radjet 800. First Flight.

...back better than ever

The arrival of the Radjet, my second and a replacement for the much loved and even more battered original, was much anticipated. The pretty original had been the subject of countless crashes as I struggled to learn the secret of getting it into the sky.

Along the way I learned about the delicate balance required with speedsters, and not to get the Radjet into flat spins form which it struggles to escape. I also learned, and relished in, the Radjet's capacity for rock-solid performance and high-speed stability.

My arrival of MkII caused some angst as nearly a year had elapsed since it's predecessor had retired after the incident with the sapling. Fortunately, and remarkably, my lessons learned were so entrenched that the pretty speedster launched and flew virtually perfectly.

Something that I never had the opportunity to appreciated before it was pummeled through launch training, was just was cleanly the Radjet flies, swift cruise at half throttle and effortless acceleration out of dives.

So, despite the nervous anticipation, the Radjet is back and reinforces my perception that this must be one of the best-value foam speedsters around...

Radjet 800 Unboxing

...what's in the box

The Radjet comes nicely poackaged - double-boxed with all items individually wrapped in plastic, so there's no damage.

The parts are nice-quality EPO, and the kit also includes an underside protector skid. The canopy is a loose moulded plastic part which needs to be attached to the base, which includes magnets for attachment.

This kit, the PNF, includes a pre-installed 1850kv motor, and a 20A speed controller, good for 100-120kph performance with a 4S battery.

All parts fit neatly together, with the tail & wings needing to be glued. Note that you'll have to add some sort of reinforcement to the wing joins, preferable some sort of spars or strips because the basic joint isn't going to cope with the wing loadings of this pretty speedster...

Mini Eagle. Maiden Flight.

...fly like a bird

I’d half considered a “bird-plane” before but, with lots of other projects happening, I’d never taken it further than that. However, seeing the Mini Eagle offered on special by Banggood was enough to spur me to get this nice-looking EPP kit.

It’s a great quality kit - nicely packaged with everything you need including linkages, control horns and even an engine mount - all you need is a 1100kv motor (I used a 2212 1000kv) an ESV (20-30A) a 3S 800-1300 (I used a 3S 1000) and a prop adaptor for the supplied beak-orange 8x4.

The only minor drama was with the wing-edge extensions - flat foam pieces to be glued onto the straight wing leading edge to give the wing an Eagle-shape. I was concerned that misalignment of these could end in disaster but, as it turned out, they caused no problem and do enhance the overall effect of the Eagle in the air.

The other area of concern, no ailerons and a V-tail configuration, also performed without a hitch. So it turned out that the maiden flight, undertaken on a beautifully sunny and mild winter afternoon, went of flawlessly.

It ended up really enjoying the unflappable nature of the Eagle - it flies super-slow with little effort, looks great, and has taken the spot of easiest plane to fly in my experience previously held, ironically, by the Walrus glider…

FT 3D. First Flight.

...got there in the end

As soon as I saw the video of the FT 3D I decided I was going to have to make one. The build was reasonably simple and the product looked great; a pert-looking aircraft with blacked-out canopy and bristling with vortex generators and wingtip plates.

So it was with much anticipation, and nervousness as usual, that I got around to its maiden flight. My first mistake was the rates weren’t turned down enough, and the expo needed to be much higher. I was lucky to recover control before it speared into the meadow and brought it round to land so I could reprogram the Taranis.

Second mistake is it didn’t really glide - I cut power expecting to ease it in for a landing, but instead it stalled and plummeted down, buckling the undercarriage and breaking the motor mount.

Taking it home for a re-think, I installed a smaller prop than the very solid unit which was one of my Trainstar spares and also cut off the back half of the swappable power tray which was doing nothing. Importantly, I also covered the underside of the cowling with poster board in the hope the shape would support the nose which had been dropping severely on the first flight.

So, back to the field again to test the results, which happily showed significant improvement. Except, unfortunately, that this revealed another problem - the ESC overheated despite the NACA duct cut right in front of it, causing the FT 3D to once again plummet down for a repeat end to the flight.

Take 3, now with a NACA scoop - an inverted NACA duct service as a very large scoop to keep the ESC’s delicate constitution cool. And this time everything seemed to work - the #D was light & floaty enough, easier to control and seemed happy to be flying. All good, now time to learn how to fly 3D properly…

Rarebear Funfighter. First Flight.

back in business...

The Rarebear was my second fast plane, after the notoriously hard to launch Radjet. Despite its diminutive caricature proportions, it was blindingly fast and flew on rails. However, as happens, it had it’s share of incidents, including a near lipo fire and a high speed excursion through a barbed wire fence. Finally, battered and weakened beyond stable flight, it was retired to the wall and gradually stripped of it’s internals for new projects.

So it was with great excitement that I came again to consider another Rarebear to join the flying corp. The first time round I’d chosen the PNF version, in the rather dull white and brown livery, but this time I got the ARF kit, unpainted and without decals. This time also I changed the battery; last time I went with the “ballistic upgrade” 45-90C which, when combined with the diminutive current-junkie funfighter motor, makes for epic speed and addictive noise. However it was far too fast in reality, so this time I chose the same 850mAh 4S battery, but in more sedate 25-50C form.

Also, I had a bit of fun rendering the Rarebear into its donor Bearcat regalia; Navy decals with pacific blue paint (a few shades lighter than the real thing). Overall I thought it looked great. Also, importantly, I applied tape to all the hinge lines (excluding the rudder which doesn’t function) to avoid a repeat of the “missing bits” episode of the original.

So to the first flight. Yes, I was nervous. The Rarebear is small, fast and can kick on launch, so certainly not to be taken lightly. So it was with some trepidation that I threw it up on about half throttle and held my breath.

As it turns out, the rare bear was very well behaved, climbing sweetly into the sky; a little steeply because I’d set the elevator up a bit and, after it had levelled off, flew absolutely beautifully, straight and stable, turning with characteristic crispness and climbing with absolute disregard for gravitational dynamics.

In all, the first flight was excellent, the little ‘bear even slowing up for landing without a hint of wing drop, so I’m now looking forward eagerly to pushing the limits towards full throttle, enjoying the subdued howl of the little fighter across the kangaroo paddocks…

FT Cruiser X-57. First Flight.

...hey I made an X-plane. sort of...

Having seen NASA's intriguing X-57 Electric Research Plane, I decided to converted Flitetest's twin-engined FT Cruiser into an RC version of NASA's experimental plane, featuring twin electric motors mounted in the wingtips.

The X-57 actually features 14 motors, twelve small motors with folding props mounted in the leading edge of the wings providing supplementary power for takeoff. The two larger motors installed in the wingtips provide the high-speed cruise propulsion.

I wasn't going to be wiring up fourteen motors, so I dispatched with the dozen leading edge units favouring the simpler hand-launch solution. I used small 89W quad motors (1806 2300kv) running at on a 3S 2200 battery. The propellors are 5x3 props, swinging inwards sweeping air onto the top of the wing to counteracting the wingtip vortex.

This is one of the main benefits of the wingtip design, a second being that the concentrated wingtip flow feeds into the propellor, increasing the dynamic thrust. Finally, additional thrust is generated by virtue of the outside sweep of the prop being unimpeded by the presence of a wing; the prop wash goes into free air.

The modified FT Cruiser with weighs 940g all up, or 749g without battery compared to the spec mass of 766g. The 17g difference is due to reduced wing size, one less servo (rudder servo ditched in favour of differential thrust) and smaller motors. However, 7g ballast had to be added to the nose for CoG correction due to the motors being set rearwards compared to the standard Cruiser configuration.

The motors generate a combined 710g of thrust as installed, sufficient for cruise but certainly not 3D flight. Static thrust of a commercial aircraft is a quarter of its loaded weight and around half of its empty weight. In the case of the xCruiser this would equate to 235g to 470g respectively. So it's comfortably powered in aircraft terms although less so in RC terms where closer to 100% is nice-to-have...

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... 

SR71 Blackbird. First Flight.

...blackbird of noisiness

The SR71 is a Parkjets design, one of those "stickplanes" which combine simple construction with characteristic design cues that define the aircraft.

I chose to do the 125% version, giving a wingspan of 840mm and a length of 1250 and making it quite an impressive aircraft.

I chose to power the Blackbird with a funfighter motor I'd liberated from my old Rarebear. This motor is a little under-specced for a plane this size, yet it managed to give the SR71 a decent turn of speed nonetheless. I was going to use a 1500 4S lipo but, unable to get CoG sorted, opted for a heavier 2200 4S to balance things out.


My main concern approaching launch was not it's flight characteristics which, being a large delta promised to be benign, but the proximity of the handhold to the propellor! Fortunately this concern was unfounded, and the SR71 took to the skies beautifully stably.

As the Blackbird accelerated away, it became apparent that this is a very noisy plane, even noisier than the Radjet with the same motor...

Phoenix 2000 EPO Composite Glider. Unofficial Unboxing.

...back to the future

The Phoenix 2000 was the very first RC plane I purchased, and so this is very much a back-to-the-future episode for me.

The Phoenix 2000 is, as it was back then, a very well build and affordable RC plane. It has a sturdy plastic moulded fuselage, which it shares with its sibling the Phoenix 1600, which comes complete with plywood battery tray and rear servo deck.

The fuselage comes with the rear control rods pre-installed and, on PNF versions, the servos installed and connected.

The wings are good-quality EPO with moulded-in reinforcements, and a carbon joiner rod is supplied as well. There's also a sleek moulded plastic canopy which clips onto the fuselage.

The wings have substantial ailerons, with servos installed on the PNF package, although control rods have to be fitted yourself. There's provision for flaps including moulded recess for servo and linkages included - you just need to cut the flap free where they're moulded to the wing.

The kit comes with a folding prop and spinner with collet adapter, and there's a fixed nosecone in case you just want this as a pure glider.

So the Phoenix 2000 comes highly recommended as a high-quality entry-level glider, sturdily constructed yet elegant and capable in the air...

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 V2. 70mm EDF Conversion.

...flies and sounds better

The flight performance of the Firstar has been very disappointing, mainly I think because of the effect of the negative thrust angle which effectively just increases the wing loading.

So, like I'd long considered with the Floater Jet but never actually did, I've replaced the pusher prop with a low-mounted 70mm EDF installed directly on the body mount used for the stock motor tower with large cable tie straps screwed in place.

The EDF is rated at about 1.2kg thrust, far more than required, so I'm only running it at 60% speed on a 3000 4S lipo, which is more than adequate. In conjunction I've also replaced the stock 30A ESC with a 50A unit.

The thrust line of the EDF is virtually through the centre of lift on the wing, and this shows on launch with the V2 flying straight and then beginning to climb as the speed climbs, in stark contrast to its behavior with the tall pusher prop where it always nosed in and was reluctant to climb.

The much sleeker form, with the tower and foam shroud, means that it's also faster through the air, if required, and glides very well. And, if you needed more benefits, it also sounds brilliant...

Flitetest Viggen. First Flight.

...no bites from the vegan

Preparing for the first flight of the FT Viggen I was both excited and nervous; it looked to be a great flying plane made a little more forgiving with the canards. However, having a completely flat underside, it was also the first plane that I’d ever have to launch underhand.

So, as I’ve done several times before, I headed into the depths of the paddocks to a launch spot with long grass, just in case I needed an arrestor bed. As it turns out not really but it didn’t hurt since, at my first attempt, the trajectory was too flat, and the Viggen simply disappeared gently into the foliage.

The second attempt was good, the Viggen holding an upward attitude till I could bump up the throttle and then it was on its way.

Flitetest Nutball. First Flight.

...a well rounded plane


Whilst waiting for parts to arrive for the completion of the Viggen, my first Flitetest project, I decided to do a Nutball from a spare sheet of foam and a scrap motor.

It's a very easy plane to make, much simpler than the relatively complex Viggen, so didn't take long to make at all.

However, I didn't like the front-mounted motor or externally attached battery, which I thought looked ugly, so I mounted the motor internally and made access to the power pod through the top of the plane.

The result was a much neater-looking plane however required a much bigger battery (a 1300 3S) in order to compensate for the relocated motor.

With a big wing area I didn't think this would be a problem, however it turned what should be a slow floater into an absolute handful of a plane. Additionally, the elevator/rudder setup seemed highly ineffective with the Nutball not wanting to turn much at all. In fact, overall, flying the Nutball it recalled my first flights with the nose-heavy Radjet. 

By the end of the second flight, which ended with the Nutball spiralling into the paddock, I'd decided to reduce weight with a smaller battery mounted on top, and to change to elevon mix layout to improve flight response... 

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...

Raptor Sunset Criusing

...kept on getting better

Taking the Raptor into the hills for some late afternoon sloping ended prematurely as the breeze dropped off to nothing at the approach of evening.

So, making the most of what looked to be a lovely sunset, I set the Raptor to cruising down the ridge filming our disappearing star.

It turned out to be one of those surprise sunsets which start of a little dull and then develop as the sun clears the low cloud.

As such, I kept the raptor flying laps up and down, only turning it in when the sun was just a glimmer on the horizon...