micro_builder

My Feedback: (1)

Unfortunately, no, the Vapor can fly quite a bit slower than the Sparc. The plane weighs less than 7 grams and has around .3 grams per square inch wingloading, so it should be slow, but its not. I attatched a pic of it, the wing almost looks likes a Custer channel wing, so I thought it might fly slow cause it would create extra lift as the original channel wings did. But I think having the motor/prop on the leading edge, and having the prop wash going over the top and bottom of the wing, it negates any extra lift the wing might be generating. I'll be gutting it soon, but I want to put the motor behind the wing and try it like the original channel wing and see if that helps any (it'll still get gutted though ).

Nick

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Thanks for the pic, I looked it up yesterday. Looks like the prices came way down on this plane.
Can't wait to hear how it goes when you move the prop. Get some pics if you can. When you mod it that is.

Neurotex

hey nick, how you been!?
still mess'n around with that channel wing, huh?

finally got around to building a lrf.
took 3 years to get around to it though.
wingspan is 7.5"- length is 8"
the fuse is notched so the wing incidence can be adjusted.
made from a FlyTech IR Crash FX with plans found
in FlyRC magazine. there it's called the Phoenix.
it was supposed to weigh under 4 gms according to
the plans but mine weighs almost 8 gms.
still I have managed to circle my 13x13 foot living room.
does fly very well outdoors 20 feet away with no glitches.
strangely came with the same motor and prop found on the AAs.

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Hey Nuerotex, longtime no see. I am using an MSR as my lrf.

Fern

micro_builder

My Feedback: (1)

Hey Neurotex, good to see you back! And with an LRF no less, you been building that thing this whole time? Yep, still playing with the channel wings, but have yet to build a complete one

I've nearly bought that Crash FX plane a few times, how are the guts from it? Is the rudder bang/bang, or is there any proportionality in the channels?

Throw another wing on that little bird! Is that normal tissue or esaki tissue? I started building one too after gutting the Ptero-Scout, went with Billy Stiltners Square6 (again), havent built something small like that in quite a while...forgot what a pain in the butt it can sometimes be, and I havent even soldered up the actuator yet.

Welcome back to the board!

Fern, thats cheating

Nick

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Maybe just a modded Palm Z I got my son one of these for Christmas last year and we all forgot about it till yesterday.
What I hate most about this little plane is the fixed offset tail that makes it go in circles. Why couldn't they have made it straight? I was thinking about cutting it loose and putting it back on straight. What would that do?

Neurotex

hey Fern, how you doing!?

ha! no nick... bout a couple weeks.
The rudder on the FlyTech is bang-bang only but the throttle is
7 steps.
stripped down the works are a little over 5 gms.
the actuator is a bit heavy (alot of palstic)so I might try one from
a Havok Cyclone.
I tried using a geared Aero Soarer motor at first but it lacked
the power- only because I think the motor is worn out.
I'm noticing these pager motors don't last. It flew but not as
well as with the 14mm motor and AA prop.
the thrust is the same at full power as with a motor on an AA
even with a 50 lipo.
the plug for the charger had to be sanded though because it fits
too snug to be pulled from a balsa farme.
All in all I'm satisfied with the FT even if it's a bit heavy.
The covering is $1 store tissue but it's sparse even after a
spraying of dope so I purchased some plastic wrap for the next
one (a tripe).
I've cut 2 sided tape into .020" strips and layed them at the edge
of the balsa to join to the plastic wrap. I tried CA, rubber cement,
goop, but nothing sticks like this tape. No glue mess and I can
make a perfect thin bead from edge to edge and peel the backing
as I work along.

Wheelnut, as with my Cyclone the rudder is angled to deal with
the uneven thrust of the prop. On my lrf I had to adjust the motor
a few degrees off center to get it to fly straight.

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Nick, I can only be doing so much. And the MSR on the DX7 is a handful[X(]

Neuro, I am OK. I am balancing the HH micros and my other planes. As mentioned above I broke down and bought a good dsm2 tx. I hope you are doing well. Seriously, my apartment is so small that only heli's fly inside. Check the FAF youtube site.

Fern

Neurotex

fern, glad you're doing well.

also picked up one of these the other day.
it was on sale for $18 bucks so I figured it a deal.
works pretty good. forward, back + side to side.
powered by what looks like the 14mm motors and the
picco props.
haven't took it apart... yet.

also picked up the AH Havok Turbo Blast 3 channel.
trickey at first but after a while I could handle it better.

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Well, after making the huge mistake of selling my MCX earlier this past spring, I finally picked up another one for fun in the house for $50.00. We met so neither had to pay shipping, She flies great so I think it was a great deal. I'm not going to sell it until I can afford an MSR.

micro_builder

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the info on the Crash FX, Neurotex, good stuff to know. Good call on the double sided tape for attatching the wing covering, I usually use a spray adhesive, but its easy to get carried away and gain weight. I have one of those flying, spinning top things, mine barely moved in any direction other than up and down. I ended up taking it apart, figuring less weight would mean easier movement, but I never ended up finishing it...one day

Fern, I can hear the mSR calling from the hobby shop every day...I want it!!! I'm trying to hold off though, I know prices will start coming down sometime soon, and I also want to pick up a DX6i or DX7 at some point. So many toys, so little money! [:@]

I got my Square6 up and running. The little gearbox unit that comes in the SPARC Ptero-Scout seems to put out some good thrust and speed - my Square6 comes in at 5.5 grams, but the motor hauls it around in a high alpha like its nothing, even looped it once. It wants to go into a fast death spiral if I turn right too hard, but otherwise it flys pretty good for its weight. The speed of the gearbox has me thinking other things though. I'll get some pics up tomarrow.

Nick

Square6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP0BR1SSnlM

SPARC! Ptero-Scout
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMK4b7iJ3_M

Neurotex

That Square6 flies very tight!
I think I'm building too big yet so after I finish up on
this tripe I'll try something smaller.
A little over 8 gms, wing incidence is adjustable and
the motor swivels.
should have it flying this weekend.

Neurotex

The first few flights were good, about the same as
the bipe but with more lift.
I had some problems with the battery charging so
I removed the circuit board that was attached to the lipo.

Also I've had problems with the rudder flaps returning to
center. They seem to rely on prop thrust to center them
but they still flop back & forth on their own, sometimes
causing it to remain in a turn longer than input.
I solved the problem by gluing micro springs from a small
rc car to each side of the rudder and have the ends touch
the rudder flap. Now it returns to perfect center.

tam popo

Guys, anybody seen one of these, a Phase 3 Rookie. Not a real indoor flyer but Ok-ish outdoors. 27mhz and not too light. So, wha can I do to improve or change it altogether, any tips or ideas welcome. The one pictured has had foam (EPP??) cut off to lighten, scared to chop more off as access to the innards is difficult. Make this your project - educate me!!!

Neurotex

tam popo, I've seen the Rookie but never picked one up.
Looks to be the standard for the $25-30 range and should
work in the plans I posted.
The design does work for a really nice flyer. The only part
I changed was the tail boom to cf (since the balsa one kept
breaking) and the rudder flap, which is too large for 2 step
actuator and caused it to nose down in a turn.

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

I'm listening

SGC

Neurotrex,
Not trying to smartass but , saying " and the rudder flap, which is too large for 2 step "
is like saying the "rudder rudder flap", the flappy bit attatched to the "fin" is the "rudder" and flaps are control surfaces on wings to aid in shorter takeoffs and landings. Ok english lesson over. Its just I hate the ingress of Chinglish interpretations and other variations into our language - things like spinners being called nose cones etc.
Nice liveing room flyer by the way.

micro_builder

My Feedback: (1)

I dont think he meant flap in that sense, more as a general description of something that moves back and forth, or "flaps." Fortunately the air doesnt mind what its called.

tam popo, I had the original WattAge Rookie when it first came out a few years ago, it seemed to fly just fine other than the poor performing lipos. How did you want to change it?

Neurotex, I like that tripe, the purple looks good on it. Thanks for posting that 3 view too, I can always use one more. Have you tried an aerodynamically ballanced rudder? Might help the steering if its still has issues. I picked up an mSR heli a couple weeks ago, havent been doing much building since then, its honestly one of the best RC products I've ever bought. I want to build the flying semi truck though using a spare set of Cyclone guts, the mSR is fast, I need something slow to compensate!

Nick

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Nick, you can switch to lower rates, that will help you out I think. I discovered that the Micro 4 - site that I ordered and watched the LHS manager order back in early november is lost in the ether. Either he didn't get it done, HH lost it, or the mother store put it on their order. He got that I was quite displeased, and then when we talked about it he started remembering it as well, so he is in investigation mode.

Fern

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Tim,
If you have paid for it, he should be in refund mode until the plane is found or comes in.

I will definitely turn down the rates when I first get the 4-site. I will also have to get the micro cub just to have as a collectors item.

Neurotex

thanks Nick, the covering is Reynolds wrap and sticks very
well with CA glue where as the other clear wraps I used
wouldn't. It also shrinks well by holding a soldering iron
underneath the wrap.
The rudder problem I had was from painting it. Thinking
more about looks than weight & function.
I cleaned it up and works good enough now.
This build helped me with weight since in the past I always
end up with heavy models. Discoverd some building techniques
along the way and found where my models have weak & strong
points.
I purchased a FlyTech hoverpod thinking I could gain some light
gear from it for a smaller build. It has the same prop blade as the
AH JetScream. The JetScream also has the same size pagers
found in the Rolling Furys. Makes for a quicker rebuilt if you
dump those blades and add some AA props.
This hoverpod motor looks smaller...
don't know yet since I haven't torn it appart.
One drawback so far is that the tx only has one IR light while
the CrashFX tx, which has two, doesn't work on the hoverpod.

micro_builder

My Feedback: (1)

Hey Tim,
Oh dont get me wrong, I love the speed of the heli, its just taken a bit for my fingers to get up to speed...the dual rates are too soft with the stock TX...high rates are fun[>:]

Neurotex,
I picked up the AirHogs version of the hovercraft last summer, it did alright, but the guts would probably work quite well in a plane. I'm sure the hoverpod guts will do the same. I'm house sitting for a family friend right now, and this house has some nice big open spaces to fly in, going to try to get some better video of the Square6 or mSR sometime soon.

Nick

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Guys I have some batteries, a set of radio gear with motors, mosfets for the Ace gear. I want them to go to a good home. Let me know.

Fern

Neurotex

Nick, this hoverpod did ok also too but the gear in it is the
same as what's in the CrashFX.
The only differences being the prop and shortened wire to the
actuator & the length of the lipo wire. That and the hoverpod
was $15 which makes it good for parts.
So instead of building smaller I used a SingleWing rx and went
slightly larger with a blue bipe with a wingspan of 10 inches.
Getting away from the lrf just a bit but I went with the SW
to get some extra range and not have to worry about the IR if
I fly it outdoors in the bright sun.
The SW rx, cyclone actuator, motor & 135mha lipo weighs 8 gms.
Total flying weight is 12 gms and climbs well at full throttle.
I remember some time ago you showed me those NOCAL models
and I believe this set up of the SW would work just fine in one...
so I think that something along that line will be my next build.

micro_builder

My Feedback: (1)

Good to know about the hover pod, the guts are indeed nice (almost fully proportional!), especially for the price.

12 grams is pretty good for the bipe, she must have some good wingloading...is it LRF'able? There's a ton of those NOCAL plans too, perhaps too many, its hard to pick just one sometimes.

Man, if you're flying outside, your weather must be nicer than ours. It was so nice for a week or so here after our deep freeze, but now its super cold again. Very bad timing, as THIS is what I want my next project to be!! Wingloading is a bit too high for indoor flying

Nick