Thanks Rudy, thanks Mike;
It took me a year to design this machine. I originally fitted AXI 2826's but found them more power
than necessary. they also whined in manuevers when I used Castle Creation controllers. I shifted to
Jeti Spin ESC's which allow brake in helicopter mode, and they do not send a screech signal to the
windings of the outrunners in heavy loading. The hacker A 30's weigh 5.1 oz, can withstand about 33 amps
constant and up to 18 volts. I have not put eagle tree measurements on it yet, but I think they are
drawing about 25-28 amps each, but maybe less. They swing the 12/6 with ease, and produce this cool
beat frequency in flight, due to the not quite sync'ed rpms. I'm using a JMP gradual 3rd speed ramped timer,
using the first speed to zero for 30 sec. to get to my handle, the 2nd flight speed is a gradual ramp up to full
power( program adjustable in the ESP) in 15 seconds, for realistic take off - which allows me to keep the bird on the ground for a quarter lap per takeoff req. in the book - and then a gradual additional ramp up 3rd speed for voltage drop compensation. I am not using heli mode.
I fly on .018, 66 feet eye to eye, and fly between 5.1 and 5.4 sec lap speeds.
the bird turns on a dime, and can do square eights all day long - the power is crazy. when I first flew
this airplane in test flights, it actually scared me - I've never flown and built or owned such a big bird.
but then I started feeling the "groove" and it is quite remarkable. It does not like wind above 10 mph,
as it gets pushed down on 45 degree maneuvers like the outside squares- probably because of it's weight.. It likes 5mph . Of course most airplanes probably do.
Airfoil is based loosely on a Dave Cook Lightning design, with additional 1/8 inch thickness. I used Tom Morris tech. in wing construction. There are no open bays - everything is planked. Aspect ratio was increased slightly, Fancher wingtips added for lift and efficiency. Tail moments are longer than normal.
thrust lines are centered across the wing. the Nacells are out further on the wing than you would expect.
I'm making modifications to the stab - it's not big enough, as the airplane sometimes rocks in the last corner of inside squares. And I'm still trimming out some issues with line tension..I am also changing the tri gear to conventional two wheel to lessen drag.
the counter rotation props seeem to cancell out some vectors. And the wing has more lift than you would expect
probably because I have 24 inches of 100 mph air blowing over it.
Do you think the paint scheme is too radical for contest work ? Is the design too radical ?
I'd appreciate some constructive feedback...
thanks again,
Will Moore