The HeliShack

Garage Hangar Racks - Everything In Life Should Be So Easy!

2010-01-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Bob for the idea on how to store my planes most efficiently. I stopped by his place the other day to pick up an old drill press and lo-and-behold, above my head was the simplest - yet most elegant plane storage solution that I've seen in a very long time.

Pictures are worth a thousand words right? So, let me save my breath and show you what I'm referring to:

Thanks Bobbo!

VQ Black-Fire EP Delta Rocket 100 ARF

2009-11-23T00:07:00.000-08:00

I'm not 100% sure if this is new or not, but I found it on Hobby People's site recently (related to a sale): http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/159908.asp.

The instructions were 90% ignored during the build because:

1. It's very, very easy to build
2. Some visual references (i.e. servo orientation) were off

Needless to say, this is a fast and fun little wing to fly! Here are some pics to describe just how easy this was. By the way, this build literally took about 30 minutes tops. Here's the breakdown:

5-7 minutes for the 5-minute epoxy to dry for the top fins
5-7 minutes for the 5-minute epoxy to dry on the bottom fins
a minute to screw the motor in
about 5 minutes for the servos/linkage/zero settings).
about 5 minutes to get the CG set to factory specs

Here are the final specs on the built wing:

Powered by 3S A123 1100mAh battery
1450kv motor (Axi 2208 clone) - up to 12A
8x3.8 prop - this is a bit on the large side, but amp draw does not exceed motor/ESC capabilities
AUW: 465g
6-7 minutes of flight time, possibly more with throttle management

All stickers and coating came pre-applied. Event the elevons had their hinges pre-glued (yes, I tested it out quite a bit before trusting).

Finished product (bottom - before being screwed to the top half)

Finished product (top - & completely assembled)

Top half after screwing motor into firewall

The two halves are mated (there's a lip that catches in the front - and a bolt in the aft end).

Canopy comes with magnets installed and ready to roll!

Ample battery space

Make sure to add about 2-3 mm of upward angle prior to maiden flight

Motor installed and all set to go!

All in all, a VERY fun little wing! If you want to see drill-bit-crazy rolls on a small and low-cost wing, this is it! It doesn't flex like foam (it's all wood and monokote). I'm a foam fan, but at the price this came at I HAD to try it. Needless to say, I toss it in the truck before no matter what else I have with me out in the field.

Happy and safe flying!

Jeff

The Mojo Conversion - a smashing success!

2009-06-28T18:04:00.001-07:00

Today at around 11am I maidened the converted Mojo 3D profile plane that I blogged about earlier.

Here's what I flew with today:

12x8 APC prop - a little under-sized, but worked well enough
Suppo 3520/06 800kv (Axi equivalent: 2826/12)
6S1P A123 (2x3S1P packs in series) - the plane balanced laterally perfectly with this setup
CG @ 4 7/8" (per forum post by Paul Swany the recommended CG for this plane is 4 1/4" - 5 1/2"). I am 1/8" past mid-point - I find that CG mid-points work well for most conversions. I'll do the inverted flight test next weekend to re-check the CG. So far, so good!

With this setup my power meter read 61 amps WOT and 948 watts!At 4.5lbs that about 210 watts/lb - extreme aerobatics requires about 130 watts/lb. It's always nice to have that reserve power. I ALWAYS prefer over-powered versus under-powered.

I flew with barely any trim adjustments (thanks Bob K. for the sharp eyes on the aileron settings and with the assist on the mechanical adjustments). With just under 4 minutes of flight time I consumed 1000mAh out of one pack and 954mAh out of another pack. 5-6 minutes of aerobatics is going to be a safe range.

Take off and landing were uneventful - which is EXACTLY what I was shooting for!

Another successful conversion under the belt!

Quick and important note: I might stop by the SEFSD field next weekend and fly with those guys for an hour or two.

Jeff

Mojo .40 Project

2009-06-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

While at the DiscountHobbyWarehouse Father's Day swap meet today, I met a seller (Chris) who promptly went out of his way to remove the engine that was in this really interesting and great looking plane. That allowed me to buy it at a slightly lower price from him and convert it to electric power (EP).

Here are the specs for this project (so far):

Mojo .40 3D profile (http://www.swanyshouse.com/mojo/mojo.aspx)
60A ESC
either 4S A123 or 6S A123 (to be determined after static thrust testing)
12x8 APC prop (or something close)
AXI equivalent: 2826-4T (this motor is rated to support up to a 5.5lb plane)
total wattage: 600 (very acceptable - especally if the thrust tests produce the desired results)

Weights:

2.5lbs (1150g) plane with servos
2lbs (915g) prop, 2826-4T motor, ESC, BEC, rx
4.5lbs (2065g) AUW (all-up-weight) - estimated with current design
-OR- I could go with 6S1P A123 + A3520/06 (AXI 2826/12 equivalent) which would bring the plane weight up an additional .5 lbs (230g) for an AUW of 5lbs and the power system to approx. 900 watts <-- this looks like a ridiculous and fun setup!

Considerations:

I will most-likely use larger motor (designed for approx 6+ lb aircraft) but I'll wait and see what the initial testing results are.

Here are some obligatory pics after I got home and set her down...

Chris, if you're reading this, thanks again for the great plane! It's a solid beast and if my work week isn't too hectic, I'll fly her in Poway next weekend. By the way, the new Poway location is Pomerado Road and Stonebridge Parkway. Drive east on the parkway until you reach a gate. Drive through the gate and after a short dirt road you will see a wide open and flat paved asphalt rectangle in the middle of nowhere (we still speculate as to what it might have been used for).

Cheers,

Jeff

Hyperion Sukhoi Repair

2009-06-20T00:13:00.000-07:00

Well, when landing after her maiden flight one of the wheels simply shattered and the landing gear dug into the tarmac. Needless to say, this caused the landing gear to rip apart the lower part of the fuselage.

After finally getting a quiet hour I was able to repair her and she's better than when I first buoght her!

Time to "take 'er up" tomorrow morning!

The damage...

The parts...

All done!

Jeff

-- Post From My iPhone

Hyperion Sukhoi SU-31 25e

2009-06-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today was another fun-filled plane-building day. Below are the specs on this particular plane:

1165g (2.5lbs 3S) OR 1260g (2.75lbs 4S)
Suppo 1100kv outrunner (AXI 2826-14 equivalent) for a 2.5lb - 5lb plane
Suppo 60A ESC
5A BEC
Spektrum AR500 rx
APC 12x10 prop (4S)

End result: 1870g (4.2lbs) thrust with this setup at 700+ watts!!!

Weights

610g = Empty plane (kit only):
255g = 3S1P A123
315g = 4S1P A123
300g = Prop/BEC/ESC/BL2826
36g = Misc (screws, glue, linkage assemblies, etc)

Hyperion Sukhoi build log in German: http://www.rc-network.de/forum/showthread.php?t=50523.

Great Planes ElectriFly Fokker DVII WWI ARF

2009-06-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

First of all: what a great plane! Within a few hours of purchasing this little bad boy, I had her up and flying all with a few trim clicks - nothing else. I did follow the manual (surprise, surprise) and applied the recommended throws. After over 20 flights I'm still using the same throws and 30% expo.

Here are my build specs, some pics and a link to a video:

AUW with battery is 665g (about 1.47 lbs)
3S1P (A123) 1100mAh pack (130g)
40A ESC - that's what I had laying around - ordered a smaller ESC to save overall weight
2200kv small outrunner ($9 shipped - eBay)
APC 8x3.8 Slowflyer prop
Spektrum AR6100 rx
(4) Hitec HS-55 servos (2/ailerons, 1 rudder, 1 elevator) - I don't care for these servos, but they were sitting on the bench but I was awaiting my hobbycity HXT900 servos (and I get impatient)

With this setup I get anywhere from 7-8 minutes of flight time. I have (finally) made it a habit to to land her with elevator up to avoid nose-overs - so landings are now smooth, boring and quite uneventful :)

She doesn't need a lot of runway and looks great when performing a smooth rolling takeoff - tail up, wheels still rolling and a gently nudge on the elevator and she's aitborne. As far as I'm concerned she's got zero bad-habits. The same applies to touch-and-go's and landings - gear on deck, tail up, lose the throttle and apply full up elevator. It's a pretty sight to see her land and taxi smoothly.

Below are the obilgatory pics and video - my thanks to Tom for the time he took from his flying to take these!

Looking great!

A great back-shot

Setting throws...

Landing approach

Touchdown

Nose-overs... too easy with the Fokker!

All-in-all, a great plane!

P51-D rest in peace - for now (rebuild in June)

2009-03-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Today marks the end of an era for what was a fantastic flying electric conversion. My limited experience with war birds had me flying far too slowly and I stalled her on the final turn to begin the landing approach.

Sadly, the pictures tell the rest of the story. She was a great flying plane!

Modeltech P-51D Mustang Electric Conversion

2009-03-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

Recently, someone the I consider to be a good friend, donated this plane to my obsession - electric-powered flight! Mark Lukens (www.thelukens.net) made the offer and I jumped all over it!

What it boiled down to is a nicely powered (albeit, lighter) plane. It's not set up for unlimited verticals, etc. - but she does fly scale very nicely.

So, what were the obvious changes? Here is the list:

60A Suppo ESC (max 80A <>
1000kv Suppo outrunner (A2826/4T) - axi clone ($36)
Spektrum AR500 (5 channel full-range rx) ($54)
5A switching BEC ($9)
4S1P A123
5S1P A123 (a little more rpm than with 4S1P due the additional cell)
12 & 14 gauge silicone power leads
APC12x10E prop
Weight reduction to 5.6lbs

In case anyone is wondering, the BEC, ESC and motor (totaling approx $71) came from rchotdeals.com. They carry the same ESCs and motors that lightflightrc carries, but at a lower price, they have a lot of items in stock and they email you your order details - which lightflightrc doesn't do so it's sometimes hard to go back and review what I ordered from them.

The A123 battery packs are custom built packs that I made about 1 year ago. They're still holding a lot of charge and delivering massive amounts of current.

Next weekend I'll make some very detailed flights to determine if I need to go with 2P (doubling the 4S and 5S packs - which doubles flight time, but also the battery weight). I haven't done any power consumption testing over time. I can tell you this - the current setup runs between 54A-56A WOT (wide-open-throttle). Obviously we don't always fly that way, but it's nice to know that you won't over-draw the motor, ESC or battery capabilities.

Below are some obligatory pics :)

Prior to installation (courtest of USPS and rchotdeals.com)

ESC and motor installed - lot's of cooling for both

Back together and looking sweet...

My original collet adapter and spinner were offset so the maiden flight had some noisy vibration. This is the result - no spinner :(

The conversion only took a about two hours. The most effort was in calculating the power consumption and prop size+pitch to the weight of the aircraft and the capacity of the batteries and ESC.

All-in-all, a very nice aircraft!

Thanks everyone for stopping by and a BIG thanks to Mark for making this happen and taking her up on her maiden (electric-powered) flight.

ModelTech Mach Racer (Electric Conversion)

2008-12-07T15:00:00.001-08:00

During the HobbyPeople holiday shopping season I picked up a heavily discounted (50%) balsa/ply wing called the Mach Racer. It is designed for a .46 nitro engine. At $54 I couldn't pass this up.

I had all of the spare components lying around so I thought I'd give it a try. Here are the parts that I used for this build/conversion:

* 4S A123 2300mAh custom pack
* Align BL600L brushless outrunner (600 motor from my previously sold heli)
* APC 9x6 prop
* Suppo 60A ESC
* Spektrum AR6100E rx
* (3) HS-311 servos for elevons and steering
* 1570g (3.46lbs) AUW

The motor maxes out at approximately 1500 watts (>2HP)! This wing is HIGHLY overpowered, but I have to say, it's a lot of fun.

I maidened her last week and it was ridiculously butt-puckering especially since the CG had her extremely nose-heavy and the elevons needed trimming and I needed more expo (a lot more expo).

Today's flight was nothing short of breath-taking... The performance and speed was like nobody's business! This thing held together well and was a real crowd-pleaser. One of my friends helped trim while I worked the sticks (thanks Eric!!).

I had ~5 minutes of great flying - which chewed through 1470mAh of the 2300mAh pack. Doing the math, this means that I should be able to fly just under 8 minutes at this consumption rate. With this configuration 5-6 minutes is safe in case you need to do some fly-bys due to runway congestion, uncertainty/nerves, wind, etc.

I've added some pics for reference.

Cheers,

Jeff (Helishack)

2008-11-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

A123 packs being built and sold!

I'll post pictures of the completed packs later, but here's the latest pricing:

2300mAh packs:

2S = $45
3S = $60

1100mAh packs

2S = $25
3S = $35

All packs come with balance taps (compatible with chargers that connect to: Kokam ProTek, Align, E-Flite, Venom, Fullymax), 12awg (gauge) silicone wiring, and Deans connectors.

Packs can be built as either stick packs, flat packs or (for 3S) tringular packs. Please specify when ordering.

For questions or orders, send email to: a123sales@helishack.com

Don't foget - you'll need to set your ESC LVC (low-voltage cut-off) to approximately 2.0v/cell. Also, you will need a LiFe (A123) compatible charger. There are ways to charge them without a charger that specifically charges LiFe/A123 packs, but that's a more manual task that you would have to monitor to ensure you don't destroy your cells. This is for the more advanced user and not recommended for all users.

My Son - Tyler: Future Roboticist!

2008-10-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

My son Tyler. This 22-month old boy is a fantastic kid. He LOVES RC anything and tools of all sorts.

Anyway, here is is doing one of his many "things". :)

Multiplex FunJet!

2008-10-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased the Multiplex FunJet :) It literally does live up to its name! It's an easy build - requiring all of 2-3 hours for someone with experience, and ~maybe~ a little longer for someone with less building experience.

There isn't much to glue together. I spent the most time deliberating over the motor/battery/components combination for a decent COG. Once I figured out where everything was going I then sealed her up. I had to extend the length of the wire going from the ESC to the battery and rx. I forgot to get more servo extensions when I bought the plane so I ended up cutting the leads off of old and trashed servos (I keep them around for gears and their connectors). A little soldering and heat shrink and the servo leads and throttle lead were run to their final destination - the rx. The rx was velcro'd down right where the cockpit is permanently covered. This gives me "wiggle room" to adjust the COG (center-of-gravity) when I change from 2S packs to 3S packs.

Since I power helis and planes with A123 cells, I'm used to flying a little heavy and doing the math to get good power+flight times (i.e. higher kvm, re-gearing, props/pitch, etc.). In this case, I'm flying about 7-8 minutes on 3S1P 1100mAh and I'm actually *lighter* than the specifications - a nice change of pace for me.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I can actually swap the current motor for the inrunner I have sitting around and go with 3S2P (2x3S1P in parallel) for about 15 minute run-times and come in slightly heavier than spec.

Btw, here's my setup:

3000 kv hextronic outrunner (hobbycity ($8.95 ea) - click here for the link)
6x4e prop
40A Suppo ESC (lightflightrc ($19.95)- click here for the link). This ESC defaults to NIMH lvc so A123 batts can be run without worrying about early lvc cutoff if the ESC defaulted to LiPo
3S1P A123 batts (custom-built by me - I make lot's of these, contact me for pricing) good for 7-8 minutes with the current config. 2S1P is about 6 minutes with the current config.
HS-65HB servos (ran out of HXT900 servos ($3.49 ea) - just ordered a bunch. Good centering, strong and fast servos - never stripped one) Hobbycity - click here for the link
AR6100e rx

This setup draws 23A max. 2S1P draws 12A max. I'm going to swap in a 2500Kvm motor this weekend. I've seen a significant increase flight times on some of my wings - but not much reduction in power.

As a side note, I maidened her during lunch the other day (top painted yellow, bottom = plain white). What a BIG mistake - I couldn't tell top from bottom when I was doing a low and fast pass and a quick roll. That got me a nose-in to the ground. I snapped the fuselge in half exactly in the cockpit halfway point (like the Twister that I mentioned previously). I put 4 carbon-fiber (4" length) pieces between both sections, used some CA+kicker and had her back up in the air that evening (not to mention the bottom is now painted solid blue for good contrast).

In case you're wondering, here are the battery weights:

2S1p A123 1100mAh: 90g
3S1p A123 1100mAh: 130g

A quick technical note: I only call these A123 because that's who manufactures them. Technically, they are LiFePo4 (lithium iron phosphate - which is a chemistry that is not exclusive to A123 Systems, Inc.).

Twister Crash Repair (from nose into the dirt)

2008-10-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

I had a few very nice flights under my belt in San Diego (Poway) on 10/19- but it was a little too windy.Of course I had to push it with the wind and ended up taking a strong gust and not anticipating my next move. So nose-in to the dirt she went.

I ended up using a thin carbon fiber rod (hollow) that I cut into four 4" lengths. I CA'd and inserted 2" into each half of the broken fuse. I cut each end of the carbon fiber rods at an angle for easier pushing into the foam. After a little more CA and some goo for the cracks, and finally touch-up paint she's as good as new. I popped a servo extension out and had to glue the wing spar back in at the tip, but that was all the damage she took.

The next morning she flew like she was on rails!!

Multiplex Twister EDF (electic ducted fan - jet)

2008-10-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from my weekend build. Everything went surprisingly smooth - even the ESC placement and all the wire runs (inlcuding the servo extensions). This is probably the easiest build I've ever had - despite her size.

After dropping her on the CG machine, I see that I'll have to add between 40g - 50g to the tail to balance out the nose-heavy configuration with 4S A123 packs. It's worth it - I love the charge-n-fly I get with these packs.

A123 - By the Numbers

2008-07-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge proponent of A123 (LiFePO4 - Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries and have been converting everytihing nitro or LiPo to A123. With the elimination of bloating and LiPo-related safety issues, 15-minute charge times and high discharge rates (both sustained and peak) these batteries have been regarded as fantastic power sources.

With my charger in the field (see notes below for details) and some 12v 20AH sealed lead-acid batteries (I have 3 from old scooters) I can race 1/8th scale electric buggies, fly 600-sized electric helis or simply fly planes all day long. At 15 minutes per charge and using a dual charger, there's not much down time on a sunny SoCal day!

Before we go on any further, let's look at the cons vs. the previously mentioned pros. The things that I consider caveats with using A123 cells is the requirement for lower-than-lipo LVC settings (see note on this below) and the fact that the cells are heavier than LiPos. For instance, a standard 3S1P lipo weights in at around 160g-170g. An A123 3S1P that's wrapped with power cables and balance plug weights around 234g.

Keeping the weight in mind allows me to adjust my COG perfectly in helis and planes.

Now on to the ~good stuff~

Here's my collection of notes/links on A123 - you should have plenty of reading for the next 30-60 minutes!

Informative Links

Best Pack Building Info: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=599316
Disassembling dewalt packs!!: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=587606
Excellent Info! http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20236
Making Packs from DeWalt packs: http://www.slkelectronics.com/DeWalt/packs.htm
New Vendor: http://www.rcaccessory.com/
Charging DeWalt A123 Packs: http://www.terrorhurtz.com/a123/charge.aspx
Building Dewalt A123 Battery packs: http://www.terrorhurtz.com/a123/build.aspx
More A123 Info: http://www.flyelectric.ukgateway.net/lithium-a123.htm

Voltage comparison A123 vs. LiPo

Lipo cell = 4.2V peak, 3.7V nominal, 3.6-3.2V under load
A123 cell = 3.6V peak, 3.3V nominal, 3.0-2.5V under load

SPECS:

The M1/A123 cell has a diameter of 26mm (~1 in.) and length of 66.5mm
(2.62 in.) and weighs 72g (2.54 oz.).
Nominal voltage: 3.3V
Nominal capacity: 2.3Ah
Core cell weight: 70 grams
Internal impedance: (1kHz AC) 8 mΩ
Typical fast charge current: 10A to 3.6V CCCV
70A continuous discharge
120A, 10 sec pulse discharge:
Cycle life at 10C discharge, 100% DOD: over 1,000 cycles

Manual Charging:

Set variable voltage power supply to 3.6v-3.65v * #cells. Example: 5cell: 3.6v*5=18v or 3.65v*5=18.25. (range=18v-18.25v)
The current taken by the battery being charged will reduce once the battery is nearly full.
Once the current has dropped below the 0.1C rate then the battery is "full" (or near enough). In the case of 5S1P (2300mAh) a reading of 0.23A or less would indicate a charged pack. You can set a charge rate of 10A!

Standard Charging:There are more and more chargers that have the programming to be aware of A123 cell voltage. There is also the option to use an adapter (like the LiPoDapter, but simply called the Dapter - http://www.slkelectronics.com/lipodapter/index.htm ). In my case I use the Hyperion EOS 0610i 6S 16N DUO CHARGER with the built-in LBA10A balancer - this thing is incredible. I charge (2) 3S1P A123 packs @ 10A each with built-in balancing, status info and the ability to simply time the charge. I was previously charging manually but I decided to go the charging system route.

I was previously using the TP610C (ThunderPower) but I could only charge 1 A123 pack at a time and at a maximum of 8A (for some reason it never balanced my A123 2S1P packs correctly - the voltage in the cells were so far off from each other that the charger would stop charging). The TP610C is an 80W charger whereas my new Hyperion is a 180W charger!

Here's a great link to a review on current chargers: http://www.helifreak.com/showpost.php?p=691212&postcount=2

NOTE: If 3s is all you need to charge, do a search for "zip charge" on RCGroups.com to find out how to make a $10 charger that will charge a 3S A123 pack in less than 10 minutes from a 12 volt car battery...

Zip Charging: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=747911

One more thing to remember if you go the 3s A123 route, you MUST set your low voltage cutoff (LVC) to 2-2.5 volts per cell. If you leave it in auto lipoly, you will have issues (early cut-off/low-voltage warning too soon).

Important note on ESCs, LVCs and A123s: A lot of ESCs won't let you set the LVC that low.Castle Creations' ESCs allow me to do this and it has worked fantastic for me. For heli and fixed-wing, I make sure to time my flights. With the steep voltage drop at the end of an A123 cell's charge you'll find yourself either doing an autorotation landing or trying to glide a plane in.

Multiplex Easy Star Initial Experience

2008-07-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I've decided to do lately is start flying planes again after a 23 years departure from flying planes.

I've Always enjoyed RC cars and the last few years have been fantastic with regard to electric-powered helicopters, now it's planes (again)!

So, where do I start? A few weeks back I purchased a MS Composite Swift II (lot's of fun and small). What a great way to get back into planes. Then a week later I purchased the Great Planes Slinger. I didn't even built it with the included (brushed Speed 400) motor, instead I chose to go straight for the gusto - 2900kV brushless, CC 35A ESC and A123 3S pack. Wow, what a load of fun!

So, my restless thumbs had me itching for something that I could practice a lot of orientations with - that also can fly VERY slowly when I'm attempting to orient myself with nose-in approaches and other things that I still have a slow response time with (i.e. left is right / right is left).

Last Saturday I picked up the Multiplex Easy Star and I think I'm in love (again). She was easy to build and I was careful when I selected my motor so that the 28mm can would fit most aircraft that I'm training on. It had fit perfectly in my Slinger (flying wing) and also in the Easy Star. I made some wiring changes and that was that. Everything else was a standard build except for the following:

swapped out the 400 (brushed) motor for me handy dandy 2900kV motor
CC 35 ESC
A123 2S1P pack - when I feel I've reached that point, I'll also use the 3S1P batteries - but for now, no need for all that speed!
added very strong magnets to the canopy and cockpit - didn't use the included canopy clips - everyone seems to have the same poor experience with the canopy clips (after one or two hard landings they don't line up well anymore)
added reinforced tape to elevator and rubber as hinge reinforcements (dabbed 3m 77 adhesive to the areas to be taped to offer even more 'holding power'
added the reinforced tape to the belly of the plane since that where she's going to 'skid' when she lands
added some crazy strong hatch magnets! I was told to cut the correct size holes (so they would be flush with the surrounding areas) and CA them into place. Well they're so strong that two of them tore right through all of the CA. I reinserted them, re-applied CA and overlaid them with the reinforced tape. After a weekend of flying and reconfiguring the cockpit, not a whimper of movement!
added a "foam barrier" between the battery and the electronics (esc/rx). I hit nose-first pretty hard with my Swift II over the weekend and crushed a AR6100e rx (about $50). I won't be doing that again.
added a foam pad in the nose of the cockpit to keep the battery from sliding (even with velcro) - a decent nose tap on a slightly rough landing caused the battery to wedge itself as far forward as possible causing a bulge (almost a break in the foam). I will also be fiber-tape reinforcing the nose since it has shown a weakness here. As I get better the plane's (assumed) weaknesses will magically diminish ;)

With the build completed late Saturday night, I took off Sunday morning to some fantastic sloping hills in San Diego (4S Ranch area). With my trusty DX6i tx in hand and several A123 packs, I was all set.

Amazing - with a total flight time of about 25 minutes, I consumed 1290mAh of a 2S1P 2300mAh A123 pack.

note: for $90 I get a DeWalt pack shipped to my door. That's (5) 2S1P batteries. Hmmm, I can fly all day

Here are some pics to better reflect my positive experiences with this fantastic training aircraft.

Great - now let's get started!

2008-07-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

I'm absolutely thrilled to get this moving along as I've got a TON of things to share and document for both myself and to share with the world in general.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jeff