stunthanger.com
Electric Stunt => Gettin all AMP'ed up! => Topic started by: Tim Wescott on December 28, 2012, 12:48:05 PM
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This'll just echo what other's have said, but if anyone feels like they need independent confirmation.
On Christmas Eve the weather finally settled down enough that I could do some testing. So I took my "prototype" ET-1 out and gave it a whirl.
I'm using a Turnigy car radio that I can hold in my left hand while I'm flying with my right. I tried both the APC 6-5 'lectric prop and the APC 7-6 cut down to about 6.25. I was flying off of a short-cut grass (well, moss and weeds) field. I'm using a Turnigy $5 2805 motor, an 18-amp speed controller, and an 800mAh 3S battery. Line length was between 35 and 40 feet (I'm not sure what: I was using an old handle I had lying around, and I just paced off the line length).
Summary: This plane is great for what Larry designed it to do. Way to go, Larry! It's easy to fly, and because the throttle is radio controlled it's easy to bail out of a flight if you get nervous. I'm going to be sending off the planes to my nephews for their late Christmas presents with confidence that they'll be able to fly them out right of the box. While the planes are good for that, these things don't do anything more: if you want a plane that can stunt, build something else.
Takeoff: Takeoff with the 6.25-6 is prompt. Takeoff with the stock APC 6-5 is acceptable.
General flight characteristics: The plane is stable as a rock. With the stock CG turns are slow, and when the motor cuts off the nose points down and by gosh you're gonna land. I experimented with moving the CG back. Interestingly enough, the turns don't speed up noticeably with the CG moved back about 3/8" from Larry's suggested position (at least it's the position noted in the early-bird plans that I have: Larry may have changed it), but the landings are much more level. Flying on the 6.25-6 is only slightly faster and more solid than the 6-5, but not enough to justify modifying props if you can get the 6-5.
Stunting: Don't. The plane gets loose on the lines at about 60 degrees, so wingovers are out. The plane turns so slow that you need about 60 degrees to do a half loop -- I didn't have the courage to complete the loop, so I leveled out inverted for a few laps, then horsed it over into level flight again. Inverted flight is nice, but getting there and back is so hair-raising I wouldn't suggest doing it unless you want to prove a point (and are at least fairly skilled).
Landing: As mentioned, with the CG in Larry's recommended position, power-off landings are sudden. Partial-power fast landings are OK. Move the CG back by about 3/8", and while powered flight doesn't change much, power-off landings get a lot easier. After I had verified that the plane was more than good enough for my nephews, I had fun shooting touch-and-goes with it until a bad bounce dug the prop into the moss and ripped the motor mount off the wing.
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I am very pleased to see your review! Now that you mention it, we always did land "power on". I expect that a smaller battery is in order for individual flying.
I am currently experimenting with modifications for indoor flying on 15ft. lines. It will probably use a 450mAh pack plus fixed flaps and an elevator "kicker" to trim out the flap induced pitch.
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I do not know dimmensions of that model, but I think it is too small prop. Especially on short lines and indoor we use 10x4.7. Small prop will loose line tension overhead and prevent flying high figures.
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Thanks for report.
Is there such a thing as a break-away connector block - something that in the event of a crash could be rigged to separate the motor wires from the ESC?
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Not That we are looking for a stunter. Is the slow turn rate a function of the mid engine location ?
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Guys, it's a TRAINER. It"s SUPPOSED to have a slow turn rate. It is intended to go around in circles and be pretty bulletproof. THAT'S IT. HB~>
Now,l I may design a stunter along the same lines, but it will be light, have an airfoil and flaps.
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Larry Renger. You genius.
Even though I have to publicly admit to being way late with Christmas 2012 for the Hawaii contingent, I need to say this:
Did you design the ET-1 on purpose so that it'd fit into a box that's suitable for being hurled the length of a UPS trailer without damaging the contents, while still coming in just under the wire for oversized packages?
I just put together a box that's 80 inches combined length and girth -- that's four inches under the postal service's oversized limit, on a plane that lacks one or two inches of span from exactly what Larry designed. I think that if I had felt motivated I could have fit a to-spec plane along with a repackaged radio, charger, and spare batteries, all while still staying under the limit and having a package that is ready for the UPS shot-put competition.
Larry, you could make it an RTF. With a pretty pasteboard inner box it'd go straight to the toy shop shelves.
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Larry Renger. You genius.
Even though I have to publicly admit to being way late with Christmas 2012 for the Hawaii contingent, I need to say this:
Did you design the ET-1 on purpose so that it'd fit into a box that's suitable for being hurled the length of a UPS trailer without damaging the contents, while still coming in just under the wire for oversized packages?
I just put together a box that's 80 inches combined length and girth -- that's four inches under the postal service's oversized limit, on a plane that lacks one or two inches of span from exactly what Larry designed. I think that if I had felt motivated I could have fit a to-spec plane along with a repackaged radio, charger, and spare batteries, all while still staying under the limit and having a package that is ready for the UPS shot-put competition.
Larry, you could make it an RTF. With a pretty pasteboard inner box it'd go straight to the toy shop shelves.
Your not going to send the batteries by air too are you?
http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=30052.0
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Your not going to send the batteries by air too are you?
http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=30052.0
http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub52/pub52.pdf
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http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub52/pub52.pdf
So what does the attachment mean? You can send batteries by air domestically?
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So what does the attachment mean? You can send batteries by air domestically?
I thought you might want to read it. It's only 388 pages.
If you search on "Lithium" you'll find that it says that lithium-ion battery shipments are only restricted to a few zip codes in Alaska that can't be serviced by surface transportation "and some islands". I figure it means one of two things: either my package goes by boat, or "and some islands" means "and of course we mean all of Hawaii". If so, then when my wife gets to the post office tomorrow they'll read the "contains Lithium-Ion batteries (no Lithium metal)" message, and won't take the box.