Radio control nuts

They call it "3D" but it's really not.. It's just a really nice aerobatic/sport/pattern type plane. I've had a bunch of airplanes over the years, and I think this is my favorite one to fly. It just does everything well, I can fly it anywhere, the batteries are $4.00 each and flies 6-8 mins per battery, and don't have to worry about breaking the bank when you crash it.. A little CA and it's good as new.

LOVE this plane..

Check back a few posts I think I put up a video surfing the wind..

Video from today - doing some high dives with my quad!!

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Ready for another first flight..... Almost.

The ESC I got from Hobby King was DOA, so it's on the way back. I've made over 20 orders from them and this is the first time I've had an issue, so we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, went from this:



to this:







60" Extra 300 built from a Great Planes kit. I got it from a friend all framed up and ready to cover. But I'm not one to leave well enough alone, so I had to make a few changes.

It had 3/4" strip ailerons with a single servo. Nope. I made them about 2" with individual servos. Likewise with the tail surfaces, I added 1-1/2" trailing edge stock to make them bigger and beefed them up accordingly. Servos are in the tail.

Instead of nitro, I went electric. NTM 50-50 580 Kv motor, 100 amp ESC, 6S 5800mah battery, and 15x8 prop. 5 amp BEC, Orange receiver, Futaba ball-bearing servos.

I wanted to try something different with the finish, so it's all covered with white Ultracote. The colors are sprayed on with good ol' Krylon. We'll see how well it holds up. To be honest, I'm not so sure. Time will tell.

I was hoping to keep it under 8 pounds, but didn't quite make it. 8 lbs 2 oz ready to go with battery. The battery alone is nearly 2 pounds, so I can save some weight with a smaller one if need be.

Now if I just had a good ESC!!

Looks nice, here it is a snow/sleet mix, but no wind...so me being the dumb ass that I am ran out flew one lap then ran back in...it was fun.

Everyone else is posting up pics...pretty pics....I am too lazy so here are a few of the basement....you should be able to pick a few things out.

Looking at those pics....dear god I have a lot of crap...that ain't even the half of it.

Got a light dusting of snow before the next round 6-8" comes later tonight....might just take out the old Slash and play in the snow a bit.

Masked off for paint


All done and mounted up!!! I really like the way it turned out.


Project DONE!

Nice work

Maidened my T-copter today!

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Very nice! No nose in?

The velcro on the copter started to peel and the battery came loose before I could get more time/flights in. More tomorrow!

Just finished the latest plane to the fleet...might be a bit before its first flight...Snowing like crazy again and 28mph winds....will winter ever end.

Anyway here it is a Starmax 1400mm Cub, I also posted up a photo of the Starmax Panther and FMS HS123

Came out nice.



Sean

Here's my Axial EXO I've been working on. It's all just bolt-ons for now. The paint is Tremclad rust paint if you are interested. Body prep is the most important thing for painting, not the paint. The inside finish is just as smooth and glossy as the outside.





Actually, the color didn't come out right in those phone pics. Here's one that shows the true color. Still a crappy phone pic though.



I have a CC Mamba Max Pro SCT in it with the 2400kv 1415 series motor. Maybe a bit overkill for something that looks like it will spend more time on the shelf than anywhere else.

Next steps are some nice wheels and new rubber (sand paddles perhaps) and some lights.


Sean

Great looking buggy....I just started playing with a TIG welder and was messing around trying to make a trailer for the Tamiya sand scorcher....I want to get a tow car for it....this looks pretty darn good....I have also been looking at some of the other Tamiya offerings, Jeep and such.

Takeoffs are optional. Landings are mandatory.




Not positive what happened, but something let go in flight. I was buzzing around looping like Larry when all of a sudden it spiraled & rolled hard left. I still had radio contact, but not what you would call "control". There was nothing I could do but watch it go in.

Looking at the wreckage, everything on the swash is still intact. BUT, two of the servos have stripped gears. The tail rotor pushrod is also broken. Any one of those things could have happened in flight or on impact.

Sigh.... Time to make a list of parts to order.

Ouch, orry to hear/see that, Saget! Hope you get 'er back up soon.

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saget - nothing I hate more than a mechanical failure causing a crash!!!

If it makes you feel better, watch this old video of me flying my Raptor .50 when the receiver battery unplugs while inverted

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Dakar - looking good! I want to see the roll rate!

I am happy when I KNOW why it went down....be it being me stupid or something else.

I am really lucky at the number of times I have almost lost it. Lost half a elevator, one aileron servo...this stuff you could see and hear. Having it go down because of a WTF just happened really ticks me off. Going to have to magnet the wings on my Raidon...they are not being held quite as tight as I would like...last time it came down they had come apart pretty far.

Everyone loves a good crash....as long as it isn't your equipment crashing.

I had a Florio Flyer 60 that I had flown for many years at competitions all over the country. All that time I had a modified Helo .60 on it with a Hitori header and pipe. Unlimited vertical from a stop. Great fun. I decided I wanted to put a 120 4 stroke on it so I picked the supercharged 120, bolted it on and got it all setup. First flight out I'm ripping around the field with this gigantic prop on it and next thing I know the right half of the horizontal stab separates from the fuse. I see it fluttering to the ground...I'm trying to get the plane headed back towards the field and find that if I roll inverted it'll fly well enough to get it back. So in it comes, inverted and I plunk it into the nice hard clay soil we have here. I guess the vibrations from the 4 stroke augmented some weakness in the stab and away it came. Clean break so we think it was scored originally when the Monokote was trimmed.

That was the last 4 stroke I've ever bought. They sound cool, but the vibes are crazy!

Still have the Florio and the Helo motor for it. I rebuilt the wing and stab. Just have to put it back together. What a fantastic all around plane. Jim Florio was a genuis!


EDIT

They're offering kits for all the Florio stuff!!!!

http://greatflyerrc.com/kits/