Flying | Blue Duck Valley Rd

Z-84 flying wing

Sat, 03 Oct 2015 15:49:55 +0000

Hobbyking had a free shipping promotion recently, so I picked up a Wing Wing Z-84 flying wing like all the cool kids have.

It’s quite fun if a bit noisy. The 1500 mAh 2S batter lasts 15 minutes, which is crazy long, and it’s quite interesting how a pusher propeller changes climbs and loops – you need momentum as there’s no propeller to caster under.

Next step is to change the motor controller for the one that the PX4 team recommends and have a look for a quieter prop.

No luck on flying

Sun, 30 Aug 2015 11:09:30 +0000

Looks like the plane is too heavy. It took off OK on the first try, but I couldn’t get it to lift on five goes past that. The first flight was probably due to the little bit of extra voltage a freshly charged battery has.

I did some measurements and the plane with autopilot is 1130 g, which is 255 g / 30 % higher than the design flying weight of 875 g. 110 g of that is in the MDF plate and 50 g is in my usual higher capacity batteries.

Next step is to redo the plate in polystyrene. I’m tempted to follow Z-8’s instructions and change the prop to a APC 10×7 E and upgrade the motor to a Super Tigre .10. The Super Tigre has a higher constant power (320 W vs 210 W), is a drop in replacement, and as a bonus saves 50 g.

Edit: annnd I crashed it 🙂 I fitted a 10×7 prop and new receiver and got the elevator direction wrong. The good news is the 10×7 makes the plane leap away. The bad news is it lept away into the ground…

Dogfighter settings

Sat, 19 Jul 2014 13:10:41 +0000

I’m quite enjoying my Multiplex Dogfighter. I just fitted a new spinner and mount to replace the one chipped in a crash, and it’s smooth and quiet again at full throttle. It’s a crazy tough model plane.

For reference, here’s the settings I use on my Futaba remote:

Aileron: rate 60 % exponential -40 %
- Elevator: rate 100 % exponential -20 %
  - Flaperons: -30 %
    - Air brake: Aileron +50 % Elevator +11 % Flaps: +50 %
    This is quite docile. The flaperons could be more negative.

Some grass trimming

Sun, 22 Jun 2014 17:38:25 +0000

Two good runs with my plane today, including a good looking flare out on the second landing. The plane pulled up, stalled, and correctly came down on its belly.

The very first try was… unfortunate. I decided to take off down wind so I could have the sun behind me and a good, empty field in front. The plane stalled and somehow went to full throttle, cutting grass and leaving this for a propeller:

Up and down again

Sun, 01 Jun 2014 10:03:59 +0000

This is what success with a Multiplex Dogfighter looks like:

The canopy is on, the wing is on, and the battery isn’t kissing the motor. Success!

Pro tip: wear long pants when flying else the long grass will make you regret.