| seldredg |
03-11-2015 06:37 PM |
Can a Meridian flyer chime in?
Didn't find a thread for the Hangar 9 Meridian, but I figure it's Pulse-like enough to be relevant here. So how about a guest appearance? In any case, I just finished one. I used Spektrum servos, an E-Flite Power 60B 470 KV, Talon 90 ESC, Glacier 5300 6S lipos, and Scorpion Backup Guard, which has an external switch so I can use it with an ArmSafe. Using a Spektrum AR636 six-channel receiver and satellite. DX8, but I have anew DX9 that I am setting up.
The ESC sits just behind the firewall under the battery. I opened up the cowl scoop for cooling airflow, and cut out the oval behind the wings for an exit. The kit itself was pretty good. The covering was as tight as a drum and well sealed. The hardware was not great but OK except for the small screws used for the control horns and servo covers. A number were deformed and unusable and the rest were bad, but I had spares from other planes. Biggest issue was the nose gear. It was a larger diameter than the steering arm.
The not- ready-to fly plane was about 7 1/4 pounds. With drive components and charged electrons it's about 9 1/4 pounds. I flew it for the first time this week, and came home with the same number of pieces I went with. My first big balsa plane, third plane since foam trainer. What a nice flying plane. Much nicer and easier to fly than the E-Flite Splendor I've been cutting grass with. At the leisurely pace I flew, calculations indicate I could fly 18 minutes to 80%. Didn't have to add any trim. Did have to move the battery back a couple of times because it flew nose heavy even though it was balanced to spec. Take off with a little down elevator at first to keep the front wheel planted and steerable. Easy to land, but do need to respect the fact that there's 10+ pounds coming down. Gravity. I like flaps. Where I fly the landing strip seems like an aircraft carrier sometimes.
Rolls happen in geologic time on a DNA spiral, but is ok for what I want to do, and they happen at a speed where I can enter correction inputs and see the result. I did break the tips on the prop on what seemed to be an only-slightly hard landing. I had larger-than-stock tires on, but too squishy, and the front compressed too much. Changed to 3-inch Dubro Light Flites.
Thinking I'd like one with a 4-stroke something in it. Maybe I'll add a sound board and a big radial engine...
Thanks for having me.
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