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Skydrill - maiden flight report

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Skydrill - maiden flight report

Old 03-13-2008, 01:44 PM
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Tee Bee
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Default Skydrill - maiden flight report

She flies! After a failed attempt to fly her yesterday due to low voltage on my starter pack, I was able to try again this morning. First flight was made with a partial tank and a Cox 6x3 rubber ducky prop. It required several clicks of elevator and aileron trim before settling into a nice fast groove. Fuel lasted about a minute. The next flight lasted about 15 seconds due to a rich condition which killed the Skyline engine. With the needle valve finally sorted out, I flew it a couple of more times with the 1oz tank full. WOW! This thing is a blast to fly. Very fast and responsive. It seemed a bit nose heavy so required a noticeable amount of down stick during rolls to keep from dishing out toward the ground. Don't blink when doing aerobatics with a plane like this! Due to it's small size I had to keep it farely low and close to see what it was doing and due to it's high speed, it required my utmost concentration. This plane flies beautifully and is definitely not boring, folks. My heart was beating fast during every flight. Then I switched out the prop for an APC 4.2x4. The engine revs went waaay up and so did the top speed. It was great to watch this little blue and orange plane moving around the sky so effortlessly. It goes uphill like stink and draws nice big loops. Inverted flight was stable, though I kept it up high during this "getting to know you" period. Made some high speed flybys with the little .049 screaming away and it sounded and looked great! When the wind kicked in, the Skydrill seemed very little affected by it. It has no trouble penetrating thru it. I found that it is difficult to flare if you let it slow down too much on final. I guess it's the noseheaviness but it was overcome by keeping the speed up all the way down and flaring at the last second. This is not a floater like some of the other stuff I'm used to flying. It did have a tendency to drop a wing in the stall when I checked it at altitude with the engine dead. Seven flights altogether with no damage to report. I was really nervous about it since I recently totalled my Four Star 60 that I built last year. I certainly didn't want a repeat event today.

Before the next outing, I will probably modify the tank vent lines and adjust the CG back a tad. Will also plan to try the APC 6x3 prop as well for performance comparison.

Skaliwag provides a nice kit that is easy to build and flies beautifully. I'm very happy I built it and look forward to flying it more. You can get one at SelectHobbies.com.

I'm glad to finally see it covered in castor slobber!
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Old 03-13-2008, 01:51 PM
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Tee Bee
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

A couple more pics. I flew the 2-channel Pong Two several times afterward and it seemed heavy, slow, and tame by comparison. It was a nice way to "come down" off the adrenaline rush that the Skydrill provided. A good day at the field. I look forward to getting some video action of it as soon as I can so I can post it.
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Old 03-13-2008, 02:26 PM
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

Great fight report! Can't wait to see the video. I followed the build thread closely, and I'm tempted to put one in my build queue. I have downloaded the plans from ptulmers site, but after building the lasercut Sure Shark, I'm a big fan of laser cut kits.
Old 03-13-2008, 10:08 PM
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

"I'm a big fan of laser cut kits. "

Me too. It's just nice when everything fits. Looking back at the project, there's not much I would change. I would probably use foam blocks on the wingtips to prevent the wrinkles in the covering and I would just use plywood on the firewall instead of the ply/balsa lamination. The engine mount blindnuts just can't hold very good in the balsa. It squishes down too much. Those are easy fixes that won't prevent my enjoyment of this plane at all. A fellow local flyer recently gave me an original Bridi Super Kaos 60 kit and if it flies like the Skydrill, I'm going to really enjoy it.
Old 03-13-2008, 10:14 PM
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mylamo
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

Ahh! Tee Bee you done good.
Ralph
Old 03-13-2008, 10:17 PM
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Tee Bee
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

One other observation I made was that this plane can fly just fine with no rudder. As a matter of fact, the rudder alone doesn't do much for it except make it wallow to the side a bit. If you're not into knifedge and point roll maneuvers, you could simplify the plane and just leave it fixed. I had trouble coordinating turns with R/A so I just mostly left it alone and "banked and yanked" it around. Take this with a grain of salt since my model flying experience is very limited.
Old 03-14-2008, 07:15 AM
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

I'm glad to finally see it covered in castor slobber!

Hahaha, dont think I've ever heard that before....Rog
nice build
Old 03-14-2008, 07:47 AM
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Tee Bee
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

Thanks. I'm stilled stoked about it a day later.
Old 03-14-2008, 08:26 AM
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

Nice one TeeBee... So glad you like it. Certainly is no Slow Mobile is it.

Rudder.... May be a tad too big., but works well if you have a throttle and like to do hammerheads. When flying fast I tend not to use rudder anyway... Too much co-ordination for my feeble brain.

Dead stick.... I think the airfoil being thin, symetrical and the plane being light may have something to do with it not wanting to flare at low speed. There is no Dihedral so nothing to stop it from tip stalling. There is an option on the plan and the kit to put a taste of dihedral in if you wish.

Looking forward to see some footage.
Old 03-14-2008, 09:39 AM
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Max_Power
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

I know the feeling Tee Bee! I've walked like a zombie through many Mondays dreaming about how good the flying over the weekend was. When the weather agrees in the spring, sometimes the "High" can almost last till the next weekend!lol. Man That turned out to be one sweet looking Skydrill. Nice Job! What did it end up weighing in at? Todd
Old 03-14-2008, 08:35 PM
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

Nice report TB. It sounds like a winner. I'm looking forward to the video.

As for dihedral, you can always build the wing flat upside-down on the board (top spar straight across). This will give you the dihedral created by the tapering thickness of the airfoil from root to tip. In other words, the top surface of the wing will be flat across from tip to tip, but, the underside of each wing panel will angle up to each tip. I built my Sun Fli IV this way and it has never tip stalled during deadstick landings.

David
Old 03-14-2008, 08:50 PM
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skaliwag
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

There are tabs on the ribs that set up the wing to built upside down to give this "Pseudo" dihedral.
Old 03-14-2008, 09:58 PM
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Tee Bee
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

I built this one upside down with one-piece spars just as skaliwag mentioned. I have no problem with this setup. I just mentioned it since it's different from the docile stuff I've been flying lately. It performs very well as is once you adjust to it.

Flying weight = 11.8oz measured on our lab scales at work. I was pleased with that since it's covered with Ultracote.

Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone. I hope I didn't mislead any of you about the video. I don't have any footage of the maiden flights but will try to get my buddy with a digital vidcam to come out next time. It may be a while because lots of overtime hours seem to be piling up at work for the next couple of weeks. Won't be much time to play. []

Old 03-14-2008, 10:05 PM
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skaliwag
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

As a matter of interest.. What throws did you put in?
Old 03-14-2008, 10:16 PM
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Tee Bee
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

Where were you when I wuz askin' last week? Just kidding. It's not in front of me now but I think rudder 1/2", elevator 1/4", aileron 1/8" from center at low rates. At high rates about 1/4" aileron, 3/8" elevator, 5/8" rudder. Around 30% expo all around seems to work for me.
Old 03-15-2008, 09:05 AM
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BTerry
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

It looks Great, TB! Now I need to finish mine.

Since the Hypercolor engines are not available any longer, what engine would be a good replacement? I have thought about getting the AP .061 for the throttle, but the light weight of your plane is very enticing as well

How well would the Sure Start haul this plane?
Old 03-15-2008, 10:18 PM
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Tee Bee
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

I think it would fly just fine with a nice running SureStart. A Black Widow with a backplate mount might be a better option if you want more speed. If you keep it light, it should cook along nicely with any good running .049, IMHO. The throttle would be nice for doing hammerheads and such or shooting landings but it's fun to fly it in it's elemental form. When you toss it, you're making a "committment" for the next several minutes. I like that thrill. I'm currently building a 5th plane that flies that way(no throttle).
Old 03-16-2008, 02:08 AM
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

Mine had vertical with a Wasp .061 and a 7x3 MAS:


Shot with <Digimax S700 / Kenox S700 / Digimax Cyber 730> at 2007-05-23
Old 05-08-2008, 10:41 PM
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Tee Bee
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

I've taken the Skydrill out to play 5 or 6 times and it's still flying great. Probably at least 20 flights on it by now. I like the way it handles and it makes me even more excited about getting my 60-sized Super Kaos and Ultra Sport kits built someday since they should fly similarly. The Tim Wiltse-built Skyline .049 is running even better after break-in. It's seems to do well with 6x3s, 5.7x3s, and 4.2x4s. I prefer the 4.2x4 for the mean, high rpm sound it makes during fly-bys. I found a couple of Zinger wood 6x3s at the LHS today and will try one out next time just for fun though I don't expect it to perform like the APCs. Unfortuneately, I still haven't been able to post up any vids of it. My friend with the digital vidcam has been working a lot of OT and hasn't been able to come out to play for a while. I've got a couple of flights recorded on my 8mm camcorder but still don't have an analog/digital converter.

Has anyone else here finished and flown one yet? av8rsodt? Tewitt? Are they flying yet? And if so, how so? Had a chance to fly your prototype Skydrill lately, skaliwag?
Old 05-08-2008, 11:34 PM
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

Double post
Old 05-08-2008, 11:38 PM
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

Hi TB... I havn't flown mine lately (6months). I did some thing stupid last time out.
Late in the tank and too low... I did a low pass to go vertical for a hammer head.... on the way up, not very far up, .. flame out. Managed to get level but no speed and wasn't able to miss the dirt pile that the Coyotes and dogs had made while they were hunting for ground squirrel.
First look I thought I only needed to wash out the motor but not so. I had to do some Fire wall adjustments. All fixed now but not had a real chance to take her up.
The 160 acres next door to where I go on the week end (and used to fly on) has been sold to a perfect example of a Neuvo Riche city boy... 6 foot deer fence- locked fire gates- servailance cameras- God your cows stink......That type...another story.
Stay tuned though I have some thing else I am working on that I hope you might like.
Hint.... Cox used to offer one.
Old 05-09-2008, 07:29 AM
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Tee Bee
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

I understand about the shortage of open land. It's getting worse all the time. I haven't seen your new design, but have already set aside a Berg receiver and am saving the last programmable slot on my FM transmitter for it. Now I'm off to fly my 4 Star 60 for a couple of tanks before heading out to work a double shift.
Old 05-09-2008, 09:31 PM
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

TeeBee... looks like your having fun. Anxious to get mine finished (same as I left it before). Summer "things" have started to creep in... mowing grass, kids swimming lessons, etc.

Goal is to have it ready for SMALL in LR.

Brian
Old 05-11-2008, 02:36 AM
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Tee Bee
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Default RE: Skydrill - maiden flight report

Wish I could join up and meet some of y'all there in LR but my son graduates HS that weekend. I should probably be there instead.

One note of interest: While doing some Cox engine maintenance tonight, I tore open the Skydrill's Hypercolor Skyline .049 to find that it already needed the piston reset after a relatively short amount of running time with the small APC prop. Probably a half-hour or so total time. The piston is now reset and ready for more action but I decided to mount up a Black Widow with a SS backplate to conserve the wear on the Skyline since they seem to be a rare commodity right now. I hope to fly it soon with the BW and then a new stock Surestart and compare the performance.

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