Posts: 1138
Joined: 4/23/2002 From: Charlotte, NC, USA Status: offline
To start out,
I just wanted to let everyone know that I am working on an "Outdoor" RC Blimp design, (well have been off and on for the past 2 years) that should have a new prototype flying in early January.
We have finally got the drive system worked out and it should be a blast. The problem in the past has been coming up with a bag design that would be forgiving in the wind, and the ability to maintain comtrol in stiff breezes. It will be helium inflated, polyurathane bag and 16.5 foot in length. The drive will be electric with backup and the lift will be in the 7 pound range. The motors are DeWalt 14.4 volt turning 6 bladed Zinger (custom) props that are shrouded.
More information to follow.....
< Message edited by heli001 -- 11/26/2003 4:34:18 AM >
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W. C. Fischer - Panacea Engineering Co. AMA 3156 Scientific Leader Member Helicopters Don't Fly....They Beat the Air Into Submission..!
Posts: 1138
Joined: 4/23/2002 From: Charlotte, NC, USA Status: offline
Tin,
I will convert them tonight, and email them to you...sorry...I thought I had done it....
If you can scrounge anyone up, get them to help us with this forum...it is going to take a while for it to "kick" off....but I am sure that it will eventually be a good forum to visit.......
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W. C. Fischer - Panacea Engineering Co. AMA 3156 Scientific Leader Member Helicopters Don't Fly....They Beat the Air Into Submission..!
Posts: 477
Joined: 7/14/2002 From: Fort Worth,
TX, USA Status: offline
We have a local outfit that is doing some cool stuff with large outdoor R/C blimps, for different UAV missions such as aerial photography. I saw them flying a 35 foor outdoor blimp the other day with a pair of 2-3 cubic inch gas engines.
Posts: 1138
Joined: 4/23/2002 From: Charlotte, NC, USA Status: offline
Thomas,
Our bag design, is somewhat different (custom built to the application) with a new style of propulsion...never have to worry about an engine out...(ever dead sticked a blimp...?)......The price of commercial blimps is high, but suited to the application. Hopefully this design will bring the cost down just a little.
Please remember, we are in the final design stages, and I will NOT be selling or promoting through RCU, so please don't ask about pricing or availability (website will be up soon).........technical questions are fine, but I do not want anyone to think that I am trying to "hawk" a product in this forum, that is NOY what it is for....!
Edited to remove some questionable comments.....
< Message edited by heli001 -- 11/24/2003 11:36:48 PM >
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W. C. Fischer - Panacea Engineering Co. AMA 3156 Scientific Leader Member Helicopters Don't Fly....They Beat the Air Into Submission..!
Posts: 477
Joined: 7/14/2002 From: Fort Worth,
TX, USA Status: offline
I certainly did imply that anyones blimp was better or worse than anyone elses. I do know that the ones flown here locally are working well, and they have sold a number of them. You might note that the ones on website photos are not their most recent efforts.
They have had an engine out all they way to a landing before on the blimp before and it was not a huge deal. I don;t think they have ever had a deadstick landing. They have the rare engine out, but with an on board electric starter built into each engine, they simply fire it up again most of the time and away they go. (once the starter did fail)
There is no selling or promoting going on here, just a desire to share experiences.
Posts: 1138
Joined: 4/23/2002 From: Charlotte, NC, USA Status: offline
Thomas,
After re-reading my post, I am kicking myself in the ass.....I did come across as a smart aleck, and it wasn't meant that way at all.
This is a project that we have been working on for over 2 years, and it is finally getting very close to the final stages. And Iam not going to sit here and tell everyone that this is the greatest thing to hit the air in recent history. Trying to produce something at a cost that is reasonable was the driving force behind this project, and there has been a bunch of interest in it. Most "advertising" blimps are really priced very high, and not afordable to the average modeler. The idea behind this one is to give a stable platform for photography, be able to transport it easily, set up and fly in minutes, and not require a ground crew of 5 people.
Weight was one of the main issues with our design, trying to keep it light enough to carry a good payload, and also be stable enough to fly in moderate winds. Hopefully we have reached a happy medium, and have something that will be affordable.
I bet having an engine out was a handful to bring back in, and with any type of aircraft like this, something is going to eventually break, or go wrong, hence the use of electric drives versus gas. Galaxy has a great site and I am sure that they have quality products to offer, and thanks for taking the time to post and show an interest.
< Message edited by heli001 -- 11/24/2003 11:39:09 PM >
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W. C. Fischer - Panacea Engineering Co. AMA 3156 Scientific Leader Member Helicopters Don't Fly....They Beat the Air Into Submission..!
Posts: 477
Joined: 7/14/2002 From: Fort Worth,
TX, USA Status: offline
No harm, no foul, heli001. Did not mean to stir up any trouble. I just like to spread knowledge when I can. The guys at Galaxy RPV wanted an electric option for the 35 foot plus blimps, but it is not cost effective or really technically feasible to go electric in that size right now.
Ut oh..they are now lurking in the forum...I predict they will chime in here and correct any misinformation that I might have accidently sent out...
< Message edited by Thomas B -- 11/25/2003 2:36:58 AM >
Posts: 71
Joined: 11/24/2003 From: Arlington,
TX, USA Status: offline
My name is Tony White, and I own Galaxy RPV. I was looking over this thread, and I noticed you had some assumptions about my blimp. This being a public form I feel I should educate you about my airships. First of all I have been in this hobby all of my life. I flew target drones in the Army, and I have been working exclusively on indoor and outdoor blimps for over 5 years. My airships run in size from 8 ft to over 50 ft in length. With my extensive background, I believe we have developed the most advanced blimps on the market. I know this because I have studied and flown just about every one of my competitor’s blimps. You may think you have come up with some new radical design, but I guarantee your blimp will not measure up to our proven systems. The reason I know this is because you are trying to develop a small outdoor electric blimp, and it is clear to me you have either not done much research or you do not know what it takes to operated a blimp in a commercial market. Clients do not have time to wait for ideal conditions to shoot pictures or advertise. My blimps can operate safely in winds up to 25 knots and gusts to over 30 knots. The local FAA representatives have approved my blimps to fly in class B airspace. I do not know if you are a pilot, but the FAA had to inspect our ships for safety, and they where quite impressed with our safety measures. As far as the shape and design of our bags, believe me they are state of the art. Along with being extremely aerodynamic both my 30 and 35 foot blimps can lift quite allot of payload. The 35 ft blimp is designed specifically for professional aerial video, photography, and surveillance. You are right; my bigger outdoor blimps are not price effective for your average modeler, but these where designed for people who want to make good money advertising and information gathering. Your limited design might be appealing to someone who does not want to spend a lot on a quality proven blimp system, but to say that an electric 16 foot blimp will out perform and is more reliable than a gas powered blimp that can fly for over 4 hours and not require the pain in the butt of charging flight packs, and having very limited flight times is pretty silly. In my experience electric outdoor blimps are neither safe nor reliable. When operating in the real world, blimp drive systems must be working at 100 percent power through out the whole flight. With electric systems, toward the end of the flight you start to loose power exponentially as the batteries wear down. This causes recovery to be quite hazardous. With having to go to extreme measures to keep you ship as light as possible you sacrifice structural integrity and make you system too fragile to handle commercial use. With my blimps I can make them strong and rugged. My system emulates full size components there fore is more suitable for commercial use. It is not built on the principles of hobby models. In the near future my blimps will have airworthiness certificates approved by the FAA for commercial aircraft. You need to do some more thinking about how this blimp will be used. People who are not electric motor experts will be buying your system, and eventually bad things will happen, and your company will be held liable. Sorry to come down so hard on you, but when someone downgrades my blimps I have to defend my company and my product. I hope you have learned a little something.
I have attached a picture of my 30 ft blimp.
Tony White Galaxy RPV P.O. Box 6155 Ft Worth TX 76134 Office: 817-615-8088 Fax: 817-551-5704 www.galaxyrpv.com
Posts: 1138
Joined: 4/23/2002 From: Charlotte, NC, USA Status: offline
Mr. White,
I certainly appreciate your taking the time to post, as I expected that you would.
You are exactly right on a few issues, and I sincerely apologize for some of the comments that I made. If you notice a couple of post up, I stated that my original post was somewhat (understatement) out of place, and there was NO intention of downgrading your products at all. The blimp I was referring to is certainly not a new radical design, although it is different in many aspects, and in NO way will be competing with or compared to your products. It is designed for a specific purpose, and will not be available to the general public. If you are interested, I would be glad to share information with you, and hopefully you won't think it is silly.
As a moderator, it is time for me to moderate myself, and I will remove the comments that referred to your products. I hope that you will continue to post in this forum, as I am sure that your experience will be a total asset for information on this subject.
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W. C. Fischer - Panacea Engineering Co. AMA 3156 Scientific Leader Member Helicopters Don't Fly....They Beat the Air Into Submission..!
Posts: 477
Joined: 7/14/2002 From: Fort Worth,
TX, USA Status: offline
Well, I certinaly never meant to stir up a controversy, here. I know Tony and he is a good guy doing some innovative work in the field. And, he is a more than a little passionate about his products....
You do have to give him a lot of credit for advancing the state of the art in outdoor large blimps.
Posts: 1138
Joined: 4/23/2002 From: Charlotte, NC, USA Status: offline
Thomas,
I don't think YOU have stirred any controversy at all....I think that is what these forums are all about, and it is certainly OK do disagree on ideas and theories.....
If everyone had the SAME expectations of aircraft, there would only be the DC-3 still flying......of course different people have different ideas, we all have passions and to say that one concept is the absolute best over another, leaves a little to be desired, but that is fine.......I don't know of anyone that has done ALL the research there is, on any given topic and can provide the absolute best without any room for improvement.....with the advances in technology these days, something is usually obsolete, before it can be flight tested, and put into production, electronics in particular.....
I certainly invite anyone that wants to discuss LTA, Rotor, Fixed Wing Aircraft, Boats Cars, Rockets, or any combination, to join in these forums (not just Unusual) for discussions as it relates to OUR hobby/sport of RC Modeling, whether it is technical in nature or just a general question.
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W. C. Fischer - Panacea Engineering Co. AMA 3156 Scientific Leader Member Helicopters Don't Fly....They Beat the Air Into Submission..!
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