akent
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Post by akent on Sept 30, 2009 20:34:05 GMT -6
Sorry, it's a little late, but I had the most amazing ever flying day last weekend!
I went to the 'Hill Country Aeromodelers' field, and there was actually a helicopter pilot there! That's a first, as I have NEVER been around or even ever met another heli pilot in person!
Well, he was at the 'other end' of the field from the plane folks. So I asked him if it was ok to setup there, and he said SURE, and pulled a table over for me!
I pulled all the stuff from my truck and he then came over and we officially met. He flies a Raptor 50 nitro as well as a 90 nitro that had servo problems. He kept the wraps on that, so I didn't see the brand, and didn't ask about it.
It was a really fun day. He can fly really well, doing 3d all over the place.
I only did my basic FFF with a few loops, rolls and flips with the 450. Only FFF with the 500.
Then I met a few guys doing 3d with planks! They also fly helis, but didn't have any there.
One of them looked over and saw my Ultimate plank.
He goes, "Are you going to fly that?" I said that I didn't know, as it has been 25 years since my last plane flight.
He grabbed it (with my permission!), checked servo motion, checked the setup on the radio, pushed my azz towards the flight line, taxid it out and took it off!
Then he handed the radio over to me after:
1. Setting all of the trim.
2. Showing me that it will HOVER!
I flew it around the place and did a few loops and rolls. It is amazingly tight.
Ok, then the battery went dead. Well not dead as I am using a heli "real" ESC in this thing set to soft cutoff with high voltage. So I freaked out when then power dropped on the plank.
When I freaked out, he freaked out and took the transmitter, made an amazing turn and landed it at our feet with the smoothest landing I've ever seen! (Dam. I'll never be that good!)
Anyway, it was an incredible day!
I don't even know how many batteries I flew. I had one on the charger at all times!
Zero crashes! That blows me away more than anything!
It was one of those rare days!
Oh, and there was a guy flying a 100mm 12S EDF that was clocking well over 200mph over the field!! That thing was SCREAMING!
How fun is this stuff!
Kent
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fergie
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Post by fergie on Sept 30, 2009 21:03:31 GMT -6
WOW kent that sounds like a great day to me.
i keep trying to hook up with the rc club where i live, but the LHS guy never seems to know anything,and i know he flys planks, and i never see any advertisement from them. they almost seem a little fishy to me i dunno maybe i'm wrong.
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Post by Solitaire on Oct 1, 2009 0:25:20 GMT -6
Sounds like a perfect flying weekend to me too, Kent. I trust the heat wave has ended in Lone Star country. Glad to see you finally got the Bipe in the air. What did you finally install for an ESC? I got a Decathlon a while ago (still not assembled), but have really studied those EFlight planes. They certainly do a nice job and have good parts availability. The Decathlon has a 4 ft wingspan, but I really should skills up with something around 3 ft. I'm really impressed with the Pitts 12, but with the extra weight of another wing, it requires a 4S LiPo. With 1S, 2S, 3S and 6S in inventory, I don't want to start adding another size. The Bipe is probably just the right size and weight. BTW, here's an EFlight link to the Bipe in action...including hovering. www.e-fliterc.com/ProdInfo/Files/EFL2750_hi.wmv |
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19000rpm
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Post by 19000rpm on Oct 1, 2009 6:54:53 GMT -6
Kent, glad the hear you hooked up with a club. It really adds to the experience to have knowledgable and helpful guys around.
Congrats on finally getting the Bipe in the air. I knew you'd like it once you got beyond the disappointment of equipment failures.
A 200mph EDF is awsome. And they literally "scream" don't they?
Sol, good to hear you're getting into the world of planks too. You might want to start with something foam. They're really rugged and easy to repair if they break. The HZ Super Cub BL is a nice starter plane. Brushless, 3S lipo and it's easy to add ailerons and set it up with your DX6i for the future. Just a thought.
Starting with a 48" model is usually better than a smaller one. Like helis; bigger planes are more stable and handle the wind better.
My latest project: I put together a Parkzone P51 from an airframe kit a couple of weeks ago and added a landing gear to it and proped it up. Does about 70mph and flies like it's on rails. Going to change the motor to a Turnigy 35-36C, add a 40Amp ESC and 30-40C pack, prop it up a bit more and go for 100 +.
Happy landings
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akent
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Post by akent on Oct 1, 2009 11:04:04 GMT -6
Sol, I ended up installing a Hobbywing Platinum 60 amp. Since the motor pulls a little over 50 amps at full throttle, that should be safe. The ESC runs cool now.
I really like the size of this bipe. I can keep it all together and it fits in my truck back seat with no problem.
I can now just pull it out, throw a battery in it and fly! It uses the same batteries as my 450's, a 3s 2200.
It really does fly like it's on rails. There was probably a 10mph wind and this thing pretty much ignores it. And it's fast at full throttle, but you can let off and it will really fly slowly without wanting to stall.
====
I have been eyeballing those Parkzone warbirds, 19k. They look awesome. I didn't realize they were that fast!
Yeah, that fellow's EDF was incredible. He had onboard telemetry that captured the entire flight that he could later download to his laptop and graph. It captured current draw, speed (with a tiny pitot!), and other info. Amazing.
Fun stuff!!
Kent
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akent
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Post by akent on Oct 1, 2009 11:08:11 GMT -6
WOW kent that sounds like a great day to me. i keep trying to hook up with the rc club where i live, but the LHS guy never seems to know anything,and i know he flys planks, and i never see any advertisement from them. they almost seem a little fishy to me i dunno maybe i'm wrong. Hey Fergie, I hope the following page has a club listing close to you? www.rc-airplane-world.com/oregon-rc-airplane-clubs.html |
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19000rpm
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Post by 19000rpm on Oct 1, 2009 11:34:35 GMT -6
Kent, if you want plenty of info on the PKZ P51 BL visit the RCGroups warbirds forum under "gunfighter". 175 pg's and that's not including some other threads. Or, just ask me and I'll save you endless hours of reading. ;D www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1070187&page=15 The stock P51 does about 49mph, give or take, which, according to most opinions, is pretty scale. I built mine so I opted for a 30A ESC, in place of the stock 18A, and prop from the PKZ T-28/Cosair and a slightly larger battery (1500 20C) and added a landing gear (including doors) and tail wheel (doors on this too). There are vids on RCGroups speed contest thread www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1070187&page=15 with a radar guns showing 117mph with one modified P51. Smokin' ;D The guy lives up in my neck of the woods so I'm going to track him down just to see one of those passes. Anyway, not to ramble on, but you get one of these babies and you'll have a ball. It has no bad habits. You will love it in its stock form and anything beyond. Happy landings |
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Post by Solitaire on Oct 1, 2009 20:07:05 GMT -6
Geez, I can see where we might need a plank section in the forums now.  Kent, I didn't think that 480 motor would draw that much. Wow. I bought a Turnigy 35-30C for the Decathlon along with a 40A HW and 11x5.5 prop. That combination is supposed to stay under 30A with 1kg of thrust. 19k, I've drooled over some of those PZ planes. Unfortunately they want $50-$60 for shipping to Canada. I'll see what the local guys have for decent foam planes or wait til my next trip south to see what I can come up with. So many beauties to choose from. |
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akent
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Post by akent on Oct 1, 2009 20:38:18 GMT -6
Geez, I can see where we might need a plank section in the forums now. Kent, I didn't think that 480 motor would draw that much. Wow. I bought a Turnigy 35-30C for the Decathlon along with a 40A HW and 11x5.5 prop. That combination is supposed to stay under 30A with 1kg of thrust. 19k, I've drooled over some of those PZ planes. Unfortunately they want $50-$60 for shipping to Canada. I'll see what the local guys have for decent foam planes or wait til my next trip south to see what I can come up with. So many beauties to choose from. Sol, this is not a 480 motor, I don't think, but a 0.10 motor (I think nitro equivalent). I have no clue about these motor designators. I would like to learn what these things mean. What is a 0.10 vs 480, vs 500, vs 50, vs all the rest... The eFlite motor box says 1100kv outrunner, 375 watts max. 30 amps max!!, burst of 38 amps max!!, from 6-10 NiMh cells and 2-3 Lipo. So, I'm seeing over 50 amps, and it has major power. Far more than the spec sheets say!! I'm running a recommended 12-6 prop direct drive. And it spins this prop way fast, easy power for 3d and hovering! I just can't run this motor with a 40 amp ESC. It's perfect with the 60 amper that I'm running now! LOTS OF POWER! The motor draws more than 50 amps peak with this 12-6 prop. So, I sure would like to know why this motor draws this much current. === It's a real bummer for you to get stuff shipped to you up there in Santa land. Here in Texas, it might take a while from China or those places with the cheap azz shipping, but they do get here quickly with the expensive shipping. All shows up as toys on the invoice. Well that is true! Kent |
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Post by Solitaire on Oct 1, 2009 22:11:37 GMT -6
Right. Been reading so many motor stats, I got confused for a second. ;D Many of the EFlight planes use the Park480, but the Power10 has 100 watts more power. Probably similar to the Turnigy 3542C (if you ever needed a replacement). I, also, have no clue as to what the motor numbers mean.  |
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19000rpm
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Post by 19000rpm on Oct 2, 2009 5:40:55 GMT -6
Yep, guys, that's what they call a power 10 motor; as kent says it's based on the nitro equivalent.
Even though these are relatively low Kv motors they need to be because they're direct drive and when you prop them they pull some major amps and produce lot's of watts.
Sol, I'm going to use a motor similar to your's in the souped up version of the P51; the Turnigy 35 36C.
That's a huge shipping cost. Don't you have a LHS where you can buy PKZ planes? I'll check with my buds over at Hobby Zone and see if they can figure a way around it and you can email Horizon and see if they might be able to help.
Happy landings
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19000rpm
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Post by 19000rpm on Oct 2, 2009 9:54:38 GMT -6
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Post by Solitaire on Oct 3, 2009 23:35:31 GMT -6
19k
I've checked the locals online and none of them carry much of a stock.
Most of them go after the car market rather than helis and planes.
I guess I'll have to make a few trips and actually visit these stores. But thanks for the link.
I think I mentioned this in a previous post, but one of the best LHS around (a few blocks from me) closed it's doors a few months back after 60 years in the biz. Too bad really...they stocked just about everything you could imagine...3 floors worth.
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19000rpm
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Post by 19000rpm on Oct 4, 2009 6:19:23 GMT -6
sol,
A lot of the local stores don't show much of their stock online around here either, but when you go to the store they have the stock. Not having a good online inventory has to be hurting the LHS.
I can't blame the LHS for leaning towards cars. They do here too. Cars are waayyyy more popular than helis or planes. And they cost, on average, a bunch more.
We had a Hobbytown shut down here too this spring. It was my closest full service hobbyshop. Now I have to drive 45mins. for a lot of my stuff. Boo Hoo. ;D
Happy landings
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akent
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Post by akent on Oct 4, 2009 16:50:16 GMT -6
19k I've checked the locals online and none of them carry much of a stock. Most of them go after the car market rather than helis and planes. I guess I'll have to make a few trips and actually visit these stores. But thanks for the link. I think I mentioned this in a previous post, but one of the best LHS around (a few blocks from me) closed it's doors a few months back after 60 years in the biz. Too bad really...they stocked just about everything you could imagine...3 floors worth. THREE floors of stuff for an LHS!!!!! WOW! That's a REAL shame they closed up. There are two Hobbytown's in Austin. Both are at least 45 minutes from me. One is north and one is south. I live west. Neither carry much for helis or parts. Maybe I need to open up a good store with an indoor flying area in the back? Maybe with an outdoor flying field on the side? Kent |
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