BuzzBomber

My Feedback: (4)

Hi guys. Okay, so this isn’t exactly 1/2A, but I thought this crowd would appreciate it anyway. Here’s my latest kit buildup; it’s a Micro Bipe from Dave Thacker at Radical R/C. It has a top wing span of only 10.8"! It’s powered by *cough* a Medusa 12mm afterburner brushless motor *cough* spinning a 3x2 prop as motivated by a 400mah 11.1v lipo. Total weight is 4.7oz; I opted to save weight by omitting the rudder function and landing gear. It has some pretty thoughtful design features, like ailerons on the top wing only--to avoid linkages snagging on landing, etc, and wings that are captured by the frame at the leading edge and neodymium magnets at the trailing edge--to allow them to pop free in a crash. Very nice laser cutting too. I’m waiting for a day where the winds are light enough to fly it and it’s warm enough that I can feel my fingers–I think this one’s going to be twitchy. It would look even better with an .010 on the nose, but at least the aluminum motor mount and anodized motor can have some visual presence, eh? By the way, test runs have shown that this tiny little prop spinning at ludicrous rpms probably isn’t a whole lot less noisy than an .010 would be...

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Great looking plane, Matt! Let us know what she can do. I'm hoping to hear that it'll do climbing flat spins!

Raymond LeFlyr

My Feedback: (2)

I have a couple of his kits - including that little bipe - and I am impressed with the engineering and quality of the components. I admit to having chickened out after I opened the kit. I decided to wait for a magazine review or two before diving in. So far everything I've read has been positive. So I expect you'll have a winner with yours too and I'm anxious to hear how she handles from a "real" reviewer (the magazines tend to be ever so slightly positive).

BuzzBomber

My Feedback: (4)

Don't know what the heck happened, but I typed a reply and it disappeared into the ether[:'(]. Anyhow, right now I'm waiting for calm skies and temperatures high enough that I can move my fingers fast enough to keep up with the li'l beast. I'll be sure to update the thread with my findings once I've flown the bipe. If I like the way it handles, I'll probably hook up the rudder and see what happens(course, it's so tiny, I don't know that I should bother). I bet it's gonna be a screamer!

Raymond LeFlyr

My Feedback: (2)

I bought the Micro Bipe at the Perry, Ga, swap meet last year. He (the owner, I forget his name) said that it flew well without the rudder but that it did allow a few more maneuvers - once you were able to keep up with it.

hfenn

That would be Dave Thacker at Radical R/C. I see from the vendor list they will be there again this year.

BuzzBomber

My Feedback: (4)

Well, time for an update.

I have gotten a few flights in on this contraption now, and I will say that it is, er, hmm......a challenge to fly, sort of like juggling chainsaws while riding a unicycle and being pursued by a pack of rottweillers. Seriously. Even the local 3-D heli guru said he didn't think he could fly it. Luckily, thanks to my nerves of steel and superior skill(HA!), I've only broken two props in three outings so far. Part of the difficulty in flying this wee beastie is no doubt due to general design considerations, ie, its short coupledness and short wingspan, and I think that maybe pushing 50 watts into something that weighs <5oz might have something to do with it. It's actually not impossible to keep up with at half throttle, but who can resist pushing the stick up further? The glide slope on landing approach is actually pretty flat, but did I mention that it lands at about the same speed as a fully armed F-16?

If I had to build it again, I would go with the longer wingspan, and probably try to find an .010 for the nose. I think if this plane survives the next few flights, I'm going to strip the gear to outfit something a bit less manic and hang the bipe in the nursery(first baby is due in June). Maybe I can use it to inspire my firstborn to try r/c in a few years...