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...

Raptor Glider 2000 D-Box Pro. Slope Soaring at the Beach.

...finally getting the Raptor sloping

Slope soaring is something I've wanted to do for a while but the lack of nearby locations has been a bit of a damper. However, I finally decided on an excursion to the beach, a well-rated spot for getting lift from the ocean breeze rising over the scrub-covered dunes.

The promised southerly wind unfortunately had an easterly component which meant less lift from the south easterly beachline, however I was determined to have a go anyway on the understanding that it wasn’t going to be ideal.

The most confronting feature doing this for the first time is, of course, the wind; I would normally never consider getting the Raptor out in this kind of wind and yet, here I was. This location flies from the beach, so I launched the raptor under power to make sure it didn't end up in the surf.

Climbing into the strong breeze, around 30km/h, the Raptor rose sharply. After getting a bit of a feel for the wind I eased the Raptor towards the dunes and some lift.

The other interesting thing is, of course, the wind; I had barely settled the Raptor in when I was dropping the flaps more and trimming it up to slow it down. And wishing the wind was a little stronger. And this is with a slow glider!

The sloping was challenging and fun, although the oblique wind angle meant I had to resort to occasional power-boosts to get the Raptor up again. Nevertheless, it was a good first try, a proof of concept…

Canadair 415 Unboxing

...what's in the box of the Water Bomber

The Canadair 415 comes very well packaged is a sturdy cardboard box, and lifting the lid reveals all items individually wrapped and secured.  It's no surprise then that everything survived the long trim without any sign of damage.

The Canadair is supplied ARF, so motors, ESC's and servos need to be provided. Also, there's no ESC lead included either, so I'd suggest getting an ESC set to avoid a lot of trouble.

The main components, wings and fuselage, are all very nicely moulded and come already painted and with decals applied. This being my first experience with EPS (polystyrene as opposed to polyolefin EPO), the delicateness of the foam and slightly dusty finish are a little disappointing, but everything is nevertheless of a good level of finish. 

The wings have integrated plywood joining spars, but strengthening comes from strut wires attached to plywood mounts on the side of the fuselage. As this is not part of the actual plane I'm planning to add carbon wing joiners to avoid the bracing wire.

The kit provides stick motor mounts, literally short pieces of square dowel to fit into the nacelles, but no mount is provided to fit the motor to the stick.

The battery compartment is located in the cockpit area, with generous amounts of room and a pre-installed plywood tray with a battery strap. There's also heaps of room back in the fuselage for installing the receiver and ESC's.

The tail sections need to be glued in place; a tube of glue is provided but I think I might use superglue to be sure of the bond. Note that, this being EPS, you'll need foam-safe glue to avoid melting the foam...

Canadair Hand Launch

...just so easy

I took the Canadair to the field again this morning, cool and calm before a warming and windy afternoon. I'd previously flown the Canadair off the field however, being of a fairly delicate EPS construction, one launch and landing off the grass had already managed to remove the paint from the sea-plane's hull. So I decided to give hand launching a go.

Although a large and somewhat awkward to hold plane, the Canadair is quite light and generates an abundance of lift in addition to possessing an excess of thrust. Still, not quite sure how it was going to behave being launched in this manner, I set it at at a little over half throttle and gave it a moderate throw.

To my surprise, the Canadair took to the air seamlessly, its broad wings and plenty of prop wash setting it off as if it hadn't been stationary in my hand a second before. The more I fly this plane the more I am enjoying it; it's very relaxed to fly, can turn on a ticky and possesses a lovely presence as it heads towards you, its dark nose dipped down a little...

Flying the Canadair

...at last

All the planets, including Pluto, finally aligned to provide an opportunity to get the Canadair in the air. All flight modifications had been completed, with the water rudder deleted, differential thrust programmed and the wing-float angle modified. All this with a plane I'd got as an easy-flying companion to the touchy Trainstar floatplane!

It was a lovely spring afternoon with just a moderate south westerly breeze as I turned into the still-open gates to the lake. Unpacking the Canadair I wasted no time in getting it onto the water, first trying a few mock takeoff runs which showed that the wing-float modification was working a charm, allowing the Canadair to run up to planing speed without risk of submarining.

However, realising that I was on the wrong side of the lake for the breeze, I left the Canadair floating mid-stream and sprinted to the the other side of the lake at a moderate pace. Finding the Canadair still out of the weeds, I taxied it over and lined it up for takeoff.

The first attempt was both alarming and laughable. Running the Canadair up to speed with full elevator, as I do to prevent the Trainstar from nosing in, the plane lept almost vertically into the air, dropping a wing in the process. Over-correcting, it then lurched in the opposite direction before finally flopping down onto the lake, its airspeed exhausted.

Trying again with just a touch of elevator had the Canadair executing a perfect lift-off, blurring the line between floating and flying as it eased off the water. As with the Trainstar, finally getting the Canadair into the air was a major achievement, although actually flying it was a breeze. Unlike it's companion, the Canadair is light and highly powered, making it easy to fly. Its abundance of stabilisers, winglets and large control surfaces also makes it easy to control.

Landing it was also pretty easy, again being light it slows down very quickly and, being low to the water, is pretty stable. So, now that it's all set up, I'm now looking forward to some relaxed flying with the Canadair...

Canadair 415 Ready to Roll

...at last

After a long and tedious episode of head-scratching and problem solving, the Canadair 415 is finally ready to fly, and it looks great!

Hanging in the study it exhibits the nose-down attitude with which I believe it flies, and the metallic spinners finish it off beautifully. Having read some discussions, I finished it off with a clear enamel spray as the foam is a little dry and I'm sure prone to staining, especially as the lake where I fly is actually a stormwater basin...

Trainstar Floatplane Sorted

...finally enjoying the moment

Yesterday afternoon I headed off to the lake again with the Trainstar, hoping that finally all the work I'd put into sorting it out would pay dividends and I'd be able to have an enjoyable afternoon punting it around the lake.

As it turned out the flights were really good; nice smooth takeoffs, peaceful and uneventful flights finished off with reasonably good landings. Using full elevator for landings this time, I managed to keep the Trainstar on its floats every time although it was still dropping too fast. The last tweak I need to do then, is to take off the flap mix I've been flying with.

This is good on the gliders when flying slowly however, with the Trainstar having to fly on about three-quarter throttle, the tail doesn't need any lifting. So, by switching the mixing off, it will give me a little extra elevator travel, just what I need to be able to level the Trainstar out on landing, hopefully enough to eliminate the bouncing which has been a characteristic of every landing it's made so far.

Changing the elevator setting will hopefully also give teh Trainstar teh ability to climb a bit better, as at the moment it flies pretty flat, which can be a slight concern given the number of trees lining the lake's edge.

The good landings were, of course, a great assistance ino keeping the servos dry...

Waterproofing Servos

...silicone sealer and dielectric grease

Having thought the Trainstar floatplane was completely sorted, I've discovered that the wing servos, in particular the aileron servos with their exposed extension join, are prone to water ingress.

Due to the smallest waterproof servo available being much too large to fit into the wing, it was necessary to waterproof the existing servos and connectors. I had intended to use dielectric grease however I was concerned about contamination affecting the covering tape over the servo wires and so opted instead to just go with silicone sealer.



I sealed the cable entry to the servo housing, which seems like the most likely water entry point, and sealed the servo connector and the extension harness. The joins in the servo housing didn't seem like a problem, and I haven't sealed around the pinion gear due to access problems on the already-installed servos.

This is the one area that would require the grease, however I was wondering whether a haphazard application of grease might be worse than none at all, considering that the area most accessible would be on the underside, possibly trapping any splashed water. So I think I'll just try the Trainstar as is and see how it goes...

Floatplane Landings

...don't try too hard

Conditions today were idyllic, a beautiful warm afternoon with a light easterly blowing, and the lake deserted as usual except for a flock of moorhens and the odd duck.

With the Trainstar now fully sorted, I was looking forward to a leisurely afternoon flying the floatplane around and enjoying the gorgeous weather.

With the rudder servo keeping things straight on launch I could concentrate on managing the liftoffs; this takes a little doing as one needs to ease off the up-elevator required during the takeoff run, however the liftoff is quite sudden and tricky to anticipate. Anyhow, the launches were a little better but still need some work.

The landings, however, were atrocious, with the first attempt off an awkward approach being all over the place and ending with the Trainstar nosing into the lake. Fortunately it was close to the shore and the breeze assisted in bringing it back without the need to haul out the dinghy.

The flights were otherwise very pleasant, with the 2700mAh battery giving good power on launch and surprising endurance in flight. The controls are still a bit sensitive, and with the weight of the floats the Trainstar is quite sensitive, however I think I just need to dial up teh expo a bit to calm things down.

My last landing, by default, was off a nice long approach after my initial botched effort, and I greased the floats in on what I thought to be my best landing so far, when suddenly the float dug in and the Trainstar was suddenly nose-down in the lake, again.

I have made lots of bad landings, but never has the the Trainstar actually gone in. I think I was trying to get it too smooth and was lacking up-elevator to keep things on an even keel...

Float Rudder Servo

...more than a nice-to-have

Subsequent to the issues I'd experienced with the cable-operated water rudder on my Trainstar seaplane, I have retrofitted the float with a direct-acting rudder servo. I chose a 40g gram servo, rather oversized but the smallest waterproof servo that was available. I mounted this directly to the float in a cutout I made, the simplest and easiest method.

Today I had the first opportunity of trying this out at the resident lake, and the result was  nothing short of a remarkable improvement. The Trainstar, which previously zigzagged around the lake at will, now tracked remarkably straight and true, the oversized servo making sure that the rudder didn't deviate a millimetre, a far cry from the now-evident lack of control with the cable system rigged off the plane's rudder.

I had originally thought a servo-operated system would be preferable, but hadn't wanted to cut into the floats. Now, having experienced the amazing improvement in stability and likely improved reliability, I would suggest a float-mounted rudder servo to be an absolute necessity...

The Problem with Seaplanes

...try and try again

My efforts at converting to water planes has been rather fraught and, in many ways, echoes the tribulations I experienced when starting flying radio control.

Firstly trying to find suitable venues has been a challenge in itself; too many people, too close to houses, too far to walk from the car or locations only occasionally accessible. And, with the Trainstar needing a fair bit of headway to get airborne, the size of the lake needs to be quite generous.

The Trainstar seaplane is also not the easiest to take off or fly, in large due to the oversize floats making it marginally powered. Additionally, the Trainstar is skittish on launch which, when combined with its gravid nature as a seaplane, make getting it airborne a bit of a hit and miss affair.

Additionally, I've discovered that the cause of the Trainstar stalling and consequently nose-diving into the lake were due to the cable for water rudder sticking, providing no rudder input during left turns. I am in the process of resolving this by adding a waterproof servo directly onto the float, a much better system but which I hadn't adopted initially to avoid having to cut into the floats.

Incidentally, the ESC didn't survive it's inebriation, becoming smoking hot to the extent it unsoldered one of the motor leads. This did, however, provided an opportunity to utilise a spare 35A ESC I've had sitting on my spares shelf for ages...

In the Interim

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...

Canadair 415

...a friend for the Trainstar

Having finally been able to get the Trainstar floatplane launched and flying, even if somewhat crudely, I've been considering getting another water plane for a bit of variety when venturing out to the lakes or dams.

One plane that caught my eye was the Canadair 415 water bomber and, having read a few of the reviews, it comes well recommended and seems easy enough to launch and fly, unlike the Trainstar which is a bit more on the tricky side of things!

One thing I wasn't all that keen on is that the Canadair is only available in ARF form, requiring one to source components. Mainly this is fine, although the motor is my main concern, especially the mounting for both the motor itself and the prop. Anyway, I've followed the description and hope things will work out well, along with a couple of the 25A Plush ESC's which seem to be good.

I'll be running it off the 2200mAh's which I've been using on the Trainstar, and from what I've read that should be quite adequate. The Trainstar, on the other hand, will be upgraded to 2700mAh's to give extended flight time as a result of it's power-hungry nature from its oversized floats.

So, in a week or two we should have a bit more news of what it looks like and how the Canadair goes together...

Trainstar Floatplane Thoughts

...after the first flight

Finally getting the Trainstar floatplane into the air was quite something; I was uncertain whether the additional weight and drag would render the Trainstar waterbound and, if it did fly, how well or indeed, whether it would be manageable at all.

The first, very brief, flirtation with the sky did at at least confirm that it could fly, and that it actually even floated on the air quite well, giving me a little confidence so that, when I returned a few days later intent on getting it flying, that I could anticipate at least some success.

The Trainstar flew unexpectedly well, I suppose given that I hadn't expected that it would fly at all and, that it manages to maintain a turn at all, with the weight of the floats, is quite remarkable. However, in this case, I think the water rudder plays a part in keeping the floats up in the turn, meaning that you need to keep the rudder on or the self-centering effect very quickly brings things on an even keel.

The generous proportions of the floats makes the Trainstar virtually unsinkable, righting the plane even when it has tipped over with the prop flicking the water and when the wingtip has been on the water at speed during an attempted launch.

The flip-side, however, is that the Trainstar is very slow, and turning into the wind on approach turns moderate pace into pedestrian approach. I've only flown it with the flaps down, in addition to the slight down attitude I dialled into the ailerons, meaning the the Trainstar is flying in a very high-lift configuration. As such it becomes very floaty when the power is off.

I'm interested to fly it without flaps to see whether the reduced drag improves it's flight. Also, it seems the floats contribute to lift up front, which helps to keep the nose up. However I think the consequent drag also tips the nose down under power.

Lastly, another apparent effect of the additional mass and drag is that the flight times are reduced significantly. I'm looking at a slightly larger battery, which is also only slightly heavier, to improve this. However I think that with a better appreciation of how it flies, that I may be able to improve on this and reduce the amount of full throttle flight required...

Floatplanophobic

...need to gather the nerves

I returned today to the lake, ostensibly for the second attempt to take flight, but found myself so uncomfortably nervous that I ended up refraining from any attempt, despite the immaculately calm cool and sunny conditions.

I haven't abandoned hope of flying the floating Trainstar, rather that I didn't want to risk flying it when very much not in the zone. As I'm sure I've said before elsewhere, flying when you're not all there is an invitation for disaster, something I've proven repeatedly.

However, there is a fine balance between tenacity and dogged stupidity. The problem is you don't know where the line is until it's been crossed, with evidence posthumously clarifying with hindsight. However, there is a very familiar feel to this chapter, learning to fly all over again, very much like with the Floater Jet; I don't know why the takeoff run is all over the place, yet I don't want to give up. But I'm also wary of carrying on regardless and ending up with a capsized plane.

On the plus side, however, is the fact that the floats are oversized, have been positionally optimised and have proven to be a very stable setup. Also, the Trainstar has actually taken flight, and landed basically by itself, needing nothing more than a straight-ish run and a nudge on the elevator.

So, what's all the panic about? Well, I don't have the takeoff run under control, as I mentioned. And I wasn't even sure it'd fly, although that has been demonstrated, even if only briefly. And, if things really go pear-shaped, I have a rescue boat at hand, which would actually be fun to try out even if the motivation for the outing may be less so.

So, in reflection, all I need to do is put the Trainstar on the water and get it running reasonably straight.

Really not a huge drama...

Trainstar Floatplane Flight Trial

...disappointing but not disastrous

Today was the day I'd been anticipating for a while; the Trainstar floatplane had been adjusted and fettled following from its initial water test, I'd decided on a flight test venue which provided acres of open water and the weather was immaculately calm after weeks of windy weather.

Despite the anticipation, or perhaps because of it, I was anxious rather than excited at the prospect of finally getting the seaplane into the air. Nevertheless, with golden opportunities like this afternoon hard to come by, especially lately, I wasn't about to postpone proceedings due to indeterminate uncertainty.

Arriving at the lake the conditions were absolutely ideal, a far cry from the windswept expanse of water I'd experienced on my reconnoitre here. The Trainstar was unpacked and installed on the lake without much ceremony or excitement, nerves serving to rather deplete the joy from the occasion, despite the fact that the Trainstar cuts a most appealing figure in floatplane configuration. 

The first few runs didn't offer much encouragement, with the Trainstar suffering from the same take-off skittishness it exhibits in wheeled form. Not having been too fussed with ceremony, I've always just worked around this characteristic of the Trainstar, after having abandoned my efforts to get it taking off straight; flying off a field means no runways to follow. Unfortunately the flipside is now that the Trainstar is much heavier, being able to haul it off at an indecent angle is no longer possible.

In fact the Trainstar is only just sufficiently powered; the "oversized" battery at full power now seems decidedly moderate with the extra baggage and drag. Having said that I did once manage to get the Trainstar into the air, however it was heading for the dam wall and, being too low to start turning, I just cut the power and let it land.

This, in itself, was an enlightening experience, with the Trainstar actually bouncing on it's floats several times before settling down. The landing was rather unsupervised; I really hadn't planned it much, but I was rather expecting it just to splosh straight down onto the water.

In another more alarming incident the Trainstar, approaching planing speed, actually dipped a wing and prop into the water but then managed to right itself, in a testament to the stability of the floats. However I wasn't able to get the plane airborne again, which was disappointing.

However, having had the experience and having some video to review, I'm hoping that i'll be able to return for another, more enlightened, attempt to get the floatplane flying...

Float Plane Adjustment

...fine tuning the floats

Having done a water test with the Trainstar floatplane I've been researching techniques on launching floatplanes. In the process I came across more detailed sketches of floatplane configuration which caused some concern regarding how I'd installed the floats.

While I'd got the basic setup correct, with CoG in front of the step and the front of the floats ahead of the spinner, the proportions weren't right, with the CoG being too far ahead of the step (around 45mm) when it should be about 10mm, and the tip of the floats was about 25mm ahead of the spinner when ideally it should be greater than this.

The setup and installation of the floats is quite fiddly and awkward so I wasn't really keen to repeat the experience, and additionally moving the floats would mean a set of open holes in the floats which wasn't desirable.

However the rationale behind the setup criteria were quite compelling; having the CoG too far ahead of the step means rotation during takeoff is harder, and having the floats extending further forward reduces the risk of the plane capsizing which, despite having invested in a rescue craft, is a highly desirable feature. Finally, and perhaps the deciding reason, was that the Trainstar's CoG was in fact a little far back, which would be corrected by moving the floats forward without needing ballast, something I absolutely don't want to do.

So I bit the bullet and uninstalled the floats. I'm still in the process of attaching them about 30mm forward, however this position has adjusted the CoG perfectly in terms of the step and the floatplane as a whole.

So, I just need to finish off the screws and the seal around the mounts, and do a bit of sealing of the unused holes and a cosmetic touch-up. The weather has been terrible lately, so I might just pop down to the local pond again and do another water test, this time perhaps trying to get the Trainstar planing more and, perhaps, even airborne for a few feet to give myself a bit more confidence...

Seaplane Recovery

...I'll join the boat club

Having done a little research, it seems that watercraft recovery is a whole separate genre - who would have guessed? Some people have recovery frames attached to standard boats while others have custom u-shaped recovery craft to captured capsized boats or planes.

I did some investigation and found that dedicated recovery boats are not readily available, presumably the one's I'd seen had been custom-made. Also, not being familiar with boats, I wasn't really sure what to choose. The obvious choice would have been tugs, but of the two I saw the SeaPort Tugboat seemed more of a pool toy (unless you upgraded all the electronics) while the Atlantic Tug was a eye-watering four hundred dollars.

The other option of an inflatable dinghy was something I'd not considered, but which seems the most cost effective option. Doing some research locally confirmed this, with options of boat and pump at less than a hundred dollars, not bad at all. The benefit of this is allowing retrieval in situations where an RC craft might be stymied, such as a craft stuck in reeds.

I've decided to go with the latter, a two-man inflatable dinghy and an electric inflate-deflate pump, delivered for $92. There you go...

Seaplane Floats. Unofficial Unboxing.

...very cool

The seaplane floats finally arrived, packaged in a demure cardboard box. However lifting the lid revealed two beautifully moulded and carefully painted floats, crafted from thin fibreglass. Despite their impressive size they weigh only 150g each, although I am a little concerned at how the Trainstar will fly with this additional weight and drag.



The floats come with a pair of aluminium mounting struts and braces, as well as mounting hardware. There is also a nice rudder, although only for one side, and sleeved cables for actuation via the planes rudder control horn. There are also brackets provided for securing the cables on the float and to the plane.

A very nice set of floats which I look forward to assembling and installing to my Trainstar in the near future...