Well, I did it. There was no way, psychologically, that I was going to let an entire gas and electronic set just sit there... so today I ordered another Sbach. I love this plane, but have never managed to keep one flying...
I am done with warbirds, though I looked at the Phoenix Corsair. I wanted a Corvus, but the 60" ones are all electric... It's not like ts a compromise or anything, this is an amazing plane. There aren't a lot of 10cc or 0.6 sized planes out there.
So, do I trust the Spektum AR8010T receiver? I have an inquiry in to Spektrum about that. I may use a HK Orange Reciever with stabilization. Lord knows the plane needs stablization at low speeds. Hell I may even try reprogramming one of the Alpha 6 systems if I can find it!
I am kind excited! Need to pull the parts from the rubble of the Spitfire sooner rather than later!
A storm is coming overnight tonight, the front is moving in this afternoon. The morning is warming up and the winds are calm. I figure I can get to the field, maiden the Phoenix Spitfire, and put some more time on the Pulse XT60 with her new APC 15 x 6 prop.
I arrive to find Nick Crigo and Louis Rios flying helis. Nick pretty much only flies helis, has been for 25 yrs, so he is flying the high end stuff you only see in magazine and airshows. These are his.
Nick Crigo. Nice guy, glad to have met him.
I learned that in my haste to get out, I forgot the wings for the Pulse. I don't like to start with a maiden flight of an aircraft... this isn't good.
And it wasn't good... I did maiden the Spitty, and it ended abruptly and poorly. I posted about it.
I headed back home quickly for the wings, some lunch, and decided to bring the Stik with her new 12x8x3 prop. I downsized the prop on the Sukhoi at the 13x8x3 is a lotta prop for the RCGF 10cc, but the Sukhoi didn't perform as well, so I went back to the 13x8x3 on her. I wanted to see how the Stik would do with the smaller prop. Flew about 4 tanks!
This is my favorite plane! She flies amazing, is powerful, stable, and a joy to fly! The Duck has done well. Flew several tanks and tuned the flaperon mix.
She really likes this APC prop, and yes we cut sone grass with the low clearance. She did tip stall the engine and did not break. I squeezed the soft gear together a bit, cracked the paint, but the added distance, balanced mixing on the flaperons, and a flared landing did the trick. I am planning a 3 blade 14x7x3 Master Airscrew if I can find an inexpensive aluminum spinner. That will make the clearance better. A little paint and she is better than ever.
I won't be buying another Spitfire, no matter who makes it. Second Maiden of a Phoenix Model Spitfire brought down by an odd occurrence. It is simply fate. For me, the Spitfire is cursed. I think I expected this as it did not surprise me that it crashed, and I am kinda unaffected by its demise.
I lost my first one a few years ago in an accident at the end of the maiden flight, it clipped a tree coming out of an intended stall. A year later I bought another one, same model. It sat for another year, new in box. This spring I decided to just do it, and built another beautiful airplane, this time with an Evolution 10 cc engine. This entire saga is blogged out here in earlier posts.
So today I took her out to the field in fine conditions to maiden. Here's how it went down, literally.
Gorgeous Phoenix Models Spitfire with 10cc Evolution Gas Engine.
I had a feeling since the day I bought the ARF kit that there was a bad omen about it.
Pre-Maiden Walk around, started and running sweet! Controls surfaces fine, run up fine.
As Nick took the camera from me to video this maiden, he commented that doing so was itself a bad omen. A bit of over rotation on takeoff, recovered started to turn and the engine RPM drops...then it recovers within time enough the inertia let her restart: she had gone into fail-safe mode. The Fail-safe position is ignition killed. Fail-safe is set up when you program the transmitter for a model, and set what it will do if the signal between the transmitter in my hands and the receiver in the aircraft is lost. Usually controls neutral and engine stopped, to prevent it flying off. In this case a momentary "Brown Out" of signal loss is quickly recovered by the software, but by then the aircraft was in a stall spin and it was over.
Nick is noting that at the crash site immediately when we arrived, the satellite receiver was fast flashing, an error code usually meaning "bind" is lost, the unique connection between the aircraft's receiver and my transmitter. Given what we saw, what I experienced (no control) and this blinking receiver, we are confident that she browned out during climb out, she stalled, spun, and control was impossible.
How we found her.
From the other side, before touching her.
Moved the wing to disconnect the flight pack battery.
Goodbye, Spitfire... May you rest in pieces.
So what do I do with an entire fuel/engine and electric system for a 10 cc airplane? I am confident I will NOT be getting another Spitfire. I am thinking Corsair or Zero... For now, I am just leaving it on the floor and enjoying flying my other planes.
Decided that since the winds were damn near dead calm, I would take the two 500's and the Pulse XT60 out. This would be the maiden for the Pulse.
For 20 min I tried to start her. Decided to take a break. Dammit.
Flew two packs on the HK 500 FBL. MUCH FUN!
Took the cowl off the Pulse and inspected the engine quickly identifying the cause. Throttle linkage lost its nut. Loose fit it, and she started right up. Packed her up. I'll run home, fix her, and come back out.
Flew two more packs on the HK500 FBL! MORE FUN!
Drove home to fix the Pulse. 30 min one way... Decided to replace the wire holder gadget, with one with a good screw end. Washer, nut snugged, then a dot of solder using a soldering heat gun so both pieces were hot. Cooled, added a touch of super thin CA.
Pre-Maiden walk-around. The power of this thing!
She Fly! This is a powerful, wicked fast, awesome flier! Stable, predictable, unlimited vertical. She was a touch nose heavy, but o/w trimmed out nicely. Put her through her paces with a couple of tanks. I love this plane. One thing I was worried about happened. The 15x6 prop barely clears the ground with the tail down, and is way close with it up in level flight. On one of my touch and goes the prop touched and snapped.
I decided to fly the heli again and at the end of the pack, flying low, I dumb thumbed a rotor strike and that was the end of that. All that power and energy had to go somewhere.
On the way home I picked up another Xoar 15x6, and this APC 15x6. I think the APC may be more likely to survive light prop strikes and stall the engine instead of snapping. I also added 10 gms to the tail, on top the the boatload already there.
Tomorrow looks like an even better day to fly! I can't wait! I think I will take the Spitfire to maiden as well.
This going to sit here for a while. Rebuilding and setting these up is laborious, so I will need to have everything else done. I still have the two 600's. I wasn't able to fly the HDX 500 because I forgot it takes 4S batteries, I only have one, and it was at home...
As it tends to do the antenna hinge finally gave way from all my grabbing my radio by the antenna... bought a replacement. Installing this is very easy.
Set the radio on something protecting the gimbals and sticks, remember throughout the task NOT to apply any pressure on the sticks. Remove the rubber pads being careful to not tear the little nibs that hold them on. There is a light adhesive if you've not done this before. There are two screws in the antenna base, and the other 4 are under the rubber grips in the corners. Note that the gimbal tensioner screws are also present accessible through access holes, leave these alone. If necessary you can adjust them when the cover is off. Otherwise this is when you would do it if you are not takng the cover off.
Unplug the easily identified antenna plug. Gentle pull off.
Remove the two screws holding the antenna module in place.
Gently lift the module out. It is attached with those two screws and the plug.
Unscrew the black screw holding the silver holdfast in place. Remove the screw and silver plate holdfast. Slide the old antenna base through the metal ring in the frame pulling it out. Take note of the relationship of the black plastic antenna, the antenna pigtail, and the silver antenna holdfast with the black screw in the center.
This is the arrangement. There is a slot along the plastic base for the pigtail and it passes throguh the rectangle in the base plate holdfast. The round end is 6 oclock when unstalled. The rectangle fits over the plastic fitting on the bottom of the antenna, as does the semilunar one in the 6 oclock position. It's a loose perfect fit.
Reverse the process with the new antenna. By the way, make sure that the screw that is on the back of the base (black part) of the antenna is facing you, the back of the radio if you like to bend the antenna towards you when flying. I don't, I leave it flat, so it didn't matter that I forgot that and it only bends sideways and back. Pass the pigtail then the base through the hole and metal ring. Place the holdfast properly aligned. Screw the black screw of the holdfast into the base of the installed antenna making sure the tabs are in their places in the silver plate and the pigtail is not pinched. It should all fit nicely securing the antenna. Snug, not gorilla tight. Press the antenna module back in, replace its screws and then gently push the antenna plug into the module. It does NOT snap.
All installed.
The hardest part of the whole task is getting these little penises into the holes... if you don't there is a bump. Press them in and if correct they fit easily and flat, then press the edges down using a flat blade. I only use glue (Foam Tac or 3-in-1) where needed.
And voila! I range tested it on a plane on a plane on my bench, and will do so again next flight!
Day off today, Memorial Day, so when I finally got out of bed I packed up the Sukhoi RCGF 10cc and yet to be flown Pulse XT60 RCGF 20cc and headed out to SNHRCC in Hudson, NH. The winds were about 7 mph with some calmer periods, increasing to about 10 mph, which brought my flying day to an end. I flew her using the 12x8x3 and really thought she lost performance even though she picked up a few hundred RPM. I quickly changed back to the 13x8x3.
She is up. She flew well, and a couple of hard and one off field landing her infamous landing gear stayed on! The new design proved itself.
Saw the antenna starting to come off so ordered a new one, arrived this afternoon when I got home, but for now I am flying ghetto with package and electrical tape.
Louis Rios, heli pilot, rather nice guy! I think he is going to be very helpful getting my heli skills sharpened.
Clarence White. He is always here, and makes sure the place stays clean and mowed. Ted, don't forget to pay him!
Me flying the Sukhoi in strong 8-10 mph winds for the practice and fun of it. Louis recorded this for me and let out a Jesus! because a wind gusts picked up. You can hear the wind. The winds were down the runway maybe a 45 deg off centerline.
Louis with his 700 Nitro heli.
While short as the winds picked up on Mt Hudson, it was fun flying. I learned to come in higher (thanks, Louis!) and avoid the down draft vortex at the southern end of the runway that pulled the Sukhoi down once despite full power! Landed facing backwards but unfazed otherwise! It was nice to meet and watch Louis fly again, and its always nice to meet Clarence! I have 4 days off coming up and hope to maiden both the Pulse XT60 and the Spitfire, winds permitting.
I need to replace the antenna on my DX8 Gen 1 for only the second time in its very long life. They like to break at the hinge... and it's breaking there again. Change presents opportunity, so I wondered if there was anything to be "gained" from changing the antenna. Longer is better, right? Not so much, unless you are flying long range drones.
The stock antenna on RC transmitters is a 2 dbi antenna. This low gain antenna provides more than adequate range for RC flight, and a nice 360-ish degree sphere of signal. If we increase the gain, which requires a longer antenna, we increase the range, but narrow the beam so that the "sphere" becomes a shallower and shallower "donut". This illustrates too that pointing a high gain antenna at the reciever puts the reciever in the larger null zone resulting in a signal loss crash. With a low gain antenna, like ours, this isn't so much an issue, but since a true isotropic (full sphere zone) antenna is not possible, there is still a bit of a null zone pointing out of the end of our low gain antenna too, even though the pic shows a complete sphere, there really is a tiny wedge of null pointing out both ends). So pointing the end of the antenna directly at the reciever actually decreases signal... The best position of the antenna is more or less perpendicular to the horizon, unless the aircraft is directly overhead. Point is, there is a reason the engineers use a 2 dbi antenna for RC, and why a long range drone pilot might want a more directional higher gain antenna.
So, I bought a plain old replacement 2 dbi antenna for my Dx8.
The standard 2 dbi Spektrum Dx7s and Dx8 antenna
SPektrum Dx8 Gen 1 with stock 2 dbi antenna. Really, it's all we need.
Dx6 with a 5 or 9 dbi long range antenna for long range drone flying. The mod is incredibly easy, and there a several vids on YouTube describing it. For pretty much all of us it's un-necessary and will decrease performance, increase risk of signal loss.
