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Weekend Flying
by brian @ 14:16:58 - [perma-link]Josh and I went to the hobby shop yesterday and I picked up another
RC airplane. This one is a bit more durable than the "profile" plane
I got last week. The profile plane, so-called because of the flat-
foam fuselage, wasn't very durable. The motor would snap off a few
inches of the body whenever it crashed; 3 short flights, 3 crashes.
The profile plane is on hold until it is repaired and I am more
skilled as a pilot.
The "Slow Stick" is much more durable, as you can see in the video.
It went together pretty quickly, and survives nose-landings with
minimal damage. The first flight ended with a dead battery, but I
managed to drop it on the gear. The next flight was with a stronger
battery. It had more power, which gave it a strong climbing
tendency. The controls were still off a bit, so after a few stall
practices (ha!), it plowed into the earth. The prop-saver did its
job, but I lost the o-ring that holds the prop.
The final flight yesterday, which was not recorded, had the prop
bolted on solid. I also adjusted the control rods with the intent of
giving it more rudder throw. Unfortunately I moved the connection
the wrong way giving even less throw, for approximately no steering
control, just up and down (and mostly just up). The crash landing on
that short flight ended up snapping the prop.
I need to get more o-rings and fix the controls, then it will be
ready to fly again.
Click to watch the video
ps - I had another flying lesson (in a real plane) this morning. My
landings are getting really smooth, even with the crazy wind at
Scappoose today. |
