BTCat
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Post by BTCat on Feb 18, 2010 20:07:03 GMT -6
It Flies! Oops! It Crashes! Nothing broke. It flies again! Oops! It Crashes again ;D
A little too windy for a beginner today, but I had to give it a shot. I found out the guy down the block has a weather monitoring system on his house that broadcasts to the local news website. Good wind info. It said around 5 mph at noon. I determined I would be home on time. By the time I got home it was 7 to 10 with an occasional 15mph gust.
Well, I got it off the ground and about 40 feet up flying into the wind, but the wind pushed it around too much and turning was rough. I got it back down with only a hard landing. I tired several more times before I lost rudder control. Turns out the plastic piece that holds the control arm on the rudder backed off and made control next to impossible. It caused a rough crosswind landing that cost me a chip out of the tip of the wing (couldn't find the piece) and a broken wing strut. Those wing struts are pretty sorry. I probably took off and landed 7 or 8 times before I called it quits for the day.
I'll enjoy this thing, but there are several things I need to address. First, the stock controls are adequate at best. That problem will solve itself when I get some parts in. Second, the wing struts are a joke. I already have some new CF struts under construction in the garage. I'll take a picture. You might even see some modified HBFP parts in there ;D
My biggest heli habit that I need to overcome is the instinct to cut back on the throttle. I turned this thing into a glider several times when I should have throttled up a little and flown through the wind. I'm going to love this as soon as I learn better control.
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19000rpm
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Post by 19000rpm on Feb 19, 2010 6:58:14 GMT -6
Sounds like you did very well for the conditions. congrats.  I wouldn't have maidened in that. The extra power you'll have will really help in windy conditions. The plane's wing area is so huge it can really get blown around and without more power can be difficult to control. I never thought of the choping the power issue, but now that you mentioned it, it makes sense that, that would be a normal reaction having flown helis first. With a plane you've got to maintain power/airspeed or you'll stall. The SC's very good on stall threshold and recovery and that's why it's such a good trainer. And remember altitude is your friend. Most new plank pilots have a tendency to fly too low thinking that if they crash they won't do so much damage. In reality you should fly pretty high so you'll have time to correct mistakes before you're too low and crash. I like your idea or using CF struts. It will be interesting to hear how that works out. Happy landings |
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BTCat
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Post by BTCat on Feb 19, 2010 9:05:07 GMT -6
Maiden flight was a bad idea, but fun anyway. I planned on going the traditional 2 mistakes up. but the wind was too much for that. With the 450, if the wind starts taking control of my altitude, I throttle back slightly to maintain control and give myself a second to regroup. I'm glad this thing glides ;D How much to ailerons help with control in wind?
The struts are looking nice. Not much to them. I'll probably finish them this evening. They should be as light as stock and a lot more adjustable and durable.
What size CF did you use for the spars in your wings?
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19000rpm
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Post by 19000rpm on Feb 19, 2010 15:30:38 GMT -6
Ailerons will help you control the aircraft through both the bank and turn and the roll axis which you can't get with rudder only. It helps in the wind as you learn how to use it, but by it'self won't make that much difference in the wind until you learn where the advantages are.
Power is going to be your biggest help in the wind. While a stock motor might almost bring the plane to a stop in a 15 mph headwind, or at least it seems that way, your new motor will keep it going about as fast as you'd want it to go in any direction at will. When you add ailerons along with more power then the fun really begins. Both working together will make the plane very agile. If that's not agile enough for you; you can cilp the rounded portion of the wings off. This will reduce wing area and with the blunt tip will allow the wing to stall quicker providing a high degree of maneuverabilty for the airframe type.
I used some 5/32" CF rods, 2 on each side to strengthen the wing, because I happened to have the stock around. Probably twice the amount I really needed. Just about anything that will add the needed stiffness will work. Weight certainly isn't an issue.
On my latest mod I used some fiberglass pieces from an old Corsair wing. They were only about 1/16" by 5/16". That was plenty.
Try to bury the spars about half way through the airfoil with plenty of Gorilla Glue all around the spar. Cover with some tape while it's curing to keep it from growing outside the area.
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Post by scarface26 on Feb 20, 2010 7:58:30 GMT -6
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BTCat
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Post by BTCat on Feb 20, 2010 15:08:54 GMT -6
Pretty cool site, Scar. I found the one below to be pretty good also. I haven't found wind forecasts, but it does give up to the minute wind info. In fact, if you find your latitude and longitude, you can get pretty close to your flying location, if someone has the equipment nearby. Turns out, I have two places withing 3 blocks of my house, so it is pretty accurate for me. Right now it's linked to Texas with alphabetical city listings. Give it a try and let me know how close you can get in your area. Just curious. www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/ListStations.asp?selectedState=TX&selectedCountry=United+States |
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19000rpm
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Post by 19000rpm on Feb 21, 2010 7:58:54 GMT -6
I'm going to try that real time wind speed out BT. Yesterday was supposed to be light and variable all day. It was in the AM, but by the time I got half way through flying in the afternoon the flag was snapping so it was at least 15mph with some gusting. Still not bad for flying, not necessarily good for landing, and way off the forecast. Knowing wind speed and direction helps me pick my flying sites. Yesterday, for instance, I probably wouldn't have chosen the ice road in the afternoon because the landings had to be crosswind between two walls of snow and ice. It gets a little hairy slowing down then quickly dropping it in. Just as you get below the level of the banks on both sides of the ice road you have a completely different wind speed and direction to deal with as you go for touch down. Some times it's OK, sometimes it's  |
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19000rpm
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Post by 19000rpm on Feb 21, 2010 8:12:44 GMT -6
I just checked it out. There are no stations real close to where I fly but probably close enough to help. Thanks BT and scar
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Post by r/c basher on Feb 21, 2010 11:21:02 GMT -6
Thanks for the links. I found one within 5 miles of my house. Thats the closest one. But Im lucky enough that I have a field right outside my house to fly in. So all I have to do is look outside to see how windy it is.
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Post by scarface26 on Feb 21, 2010 11:30:45 GMT -6
BT:
I found a guy less than a mile from where I live! He (or she) doesn't have the winds working on their equipment, but the other data is useful. Thanx for the info. I have a Davis Weather monitor II that I use though, and occasionally call Base Operations at Peterson AFB to check to see if my barometric pressure is tracking well. If you want forecast winds on the site I sent you, go to "Hourly Weather Graphs", and look for the "back 2 days" and "forward 2 days" buttons.
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BTCat
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Post by BTCat on Feb 21, 2010 11:58:28 GMT -6
BT: I found a guy less than a mile from where I live! He (or she) doesn't have the winds working on their equipment, but the other data is useful. Thanx for the info. I have a Davis Weather monitor II that I use though, and occasionally call Base Operations at Peterson AFB to check to see if my barometric pressure is tracking well. If you want forecast winds on the site I sent you, go to "Hourly Weather Graphs", and look for the "back 2 days" and "forward 2 days" buttons. I didn't see that the other day. I'll go back and check it out. Good info Scar. |
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BTCat
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Post by BTCat on Feb 21, 2010 12:05:25 GMT -6
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19000rpm
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Post by 19000rpm on Feb 21, 2010 12:13:05 GMT -6
OK, so I found a station not a mile from where I fly. The report was 0-3mph WSW. Go out to the flying site and the wind is Blowing WNW at 12+.  Maybe they keep their instruments in a closet over there and get the wind speed and direction when the blower on the heater comes on. ;D Happy landings |
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BTCat
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Post by BTCat on Feb 21, 2010 12:28:27 GMT -6
OK, so I found a station not a mile from where I fly. The report was 0-3mph WSW. Go out to the flying site and the wind is Blowing WNW at 12+. Maybe they keep their instruments in a closet over there and get the wind speed and direction when the blower on the heater comes on. ;D Happy landings That is one weakness of this site. It seems to rely on weather volinteers and sometimes you get what you pay for. The guy down the street has a real nice setup that I can see working. I can see where there is another station that is way off. Trial and error? or sometimes I suppose feeling for yourself is better. |
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BTCat
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Post by BTCat on Feb 21, 2010 18:38:35 GMT -6
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I wouldn't have maidened in that.
