Contributed by: Erick Royer | Published: March 2004 | Views: 25771 |  Email this Article
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DEALER INFO
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DRAGANFLY
INNOVATIONS
2108A St. George Ave
Saskatoon, SK
S7M 0K7
Canada
TEL: 800 979-9794
FAX: 306-955-9906
WEB: www.rctoys.com
EMAIL: info@rctoys.com
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INTRODUCTION
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Just when I
thought I saw just about every type of flying
machine that this great hobby has to offer,
along comes the Draganflyer IV.
The Draganflyer IV is best classified as a
helicopter, though it looks more like a UFO.
Four propellers are used along with 3 gyroscopes
to control lift and flight commands, including
yaw, pitch and roll. The on-board computer reads
control inputs from the transmitter then speeds up or
slows down the appropriate propellers to
perform the given command. The gyros are used to
stabilize all 3 axes of flight.
The performance of the Draganflyer IV is very
impressive, with the ability to climb quickly
and move horizontally as fast as many full size
helicopters. The on-board 3-cell Lithium-Polymer battery pack will
give you flight times of 15-20 minutes.
While the controls react much like a
conventional helicopter, I found the Draganflyer
IV to be much easier when learning how to
hover. The gyros do an excellent job keeping the
unit stable in flight.
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PRODUCT
RATINGS
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1-POOR 2-NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
3-AVERAGE 4-VERY GOOD 5-EXCELLENT
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HITS
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◊
Indoor/Outdoor Flight Capability
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Special rotor blades are designed for safety
◊ Tri-Axis Stability - Uses 3
Gyros to stabilize yaw, pitch, and roll
◊ Rugged
design - Uses carbon fiber and space-age
polymers in structural components
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Navigation LED's provide excellent visibility in
low light conditions.
◊ Includes instructional video
◊ Fast, Easy Assembly
◊ Fun to
Fly
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MISSES
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◊ Brittle blades tend to break
easily
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Can't fly inverted
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Model:
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Draganflyer
IV |
| Manufacturer |
Draganfly
Innovations |
| Model
Type: |
4
Rotor Model Helicopter |
| Flying
Skill Level: |
Beginner to Intermediate |
| Smallest
Flying Area: |
Living
Room |
| Length/Width: |
29
1/2" |
| Height: |
5
1/2" |
| Weight
(w/o Battery) |
12.8
oz. |
| Power
System: |
Four
5:1 Gear reduced 370 size motors |
| Radio
System (Included): |
Futaba
Skysport 4 channel Radio |
| Batteries
Used: |
3 cell 2100 mah Lithium-Polymer |
| Flight
Duration: |
15-20 minutes |
| Charger
Used: |
Great Planes Triton as well as the supplied
Lithium-Polymer battery charger. |
| Sug.
List Price: |
$749.00 |
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◊ 4 channel genuine Futaba
radio
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◊ Lightweight carbon
fiber frame
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◊ Composite foam
propellers
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◊ CPU Control with
built in dual conversion receiver
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◊ Three on-board
gyros for stabilization
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◊ Fast charger for Lithium-Polymer
flight pack and transmitter battery
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◊ Tether cord for
longer flights while learning
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◊ Instructional
video
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◊ Optional Eyecam 2.4 GHz wireless color video
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ASSEMBLY
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What Comes With The Kit?
I was amazed at how complete this kit was. It
contains everything you need to get started
right out of the box. The Draganflyer IV comes
with a Futaba Skysport 4 channel transmitter
complete with NiCds. It also contains a battery
charger for both the transmitter and Lithium-Polymer flight pack.
The
field charger has outputs to charge
both the flight pack and the transmitter
battery it even allows you to charge both at the same time!). A tether cord is also included
for use while learning how to fly without
having to continually charge the battery.
Also contained in the box are extra
propellers, and an Allen wrench that is used in
assembly.
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Transmitter, battery, charger,
and microprocessor unit
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Blades, motors, and booms
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An information packet in the box included the
instruction manual and a videocassette detailing
setup and flying tips. As if opening up the box
and suffering the anticipation of flying this
unique machine isn't enough, take a few minutes
to watch the video to see what the flight
capabilities are in the hands of a trained
pilot!
Simple
Assembly
Assembly
of this model is very easy and
takes no time at all. From the time I opened
the box to turning the unit on for the first
time, took maybe an hour (and that included
watching the video and reading the
instructions).
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Motor is installed on the boom
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I began by inspecting the blades. The
instructions suggest that you shape the
leading edge of each blade, rounding them
ever so slightly. I used fine grit sanding
paper and only sanded the tops of the
blades. In addition, I also tapered the
trailing edges a bit. After talking with
Draganfly Innovations, they informed me that
this little step would help smooth out
flight and extend the flying time. Editor's note: Draganfly has recently informed me that this step is no longer necessary as the factory hand shapes every rotor blade.
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The Booms Are Installed to the
Center Hub
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Carbon Fiber Battery Tray
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Each boom comes pre-wired with the motors
already installed. I simply attached each
boom to the center pod, making sure that the
motor shaft was perpendicular to the ground.
The blades attach to each motor drive gear
with 2 nylon screws. Be sure to refer to the
instructions as there are 2 motors that
used counter-clockwise blades and 2 that use clockwise
blades.
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Controller installed on the
mounts
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Close up of the
controller.
Notice the LED's on the front
of the unit.
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"How can I tell what direction is forward?",
I remember thinking to myself. As the decals
are applied to the blades, the "front"
blade's decals are yellow while the other
three are red. This makes it easier to see
the "front" of the Draganflyer IV in
flight.
Next, I attached the included hook and loop
fastener to the carbon fiber tray under the
microprocessor board and to the battery
pack. This is what holds the battery in
place during flight.
Lastly, I installed the canopy making it
ready for flight.
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FLIGHT REPORT
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I had the most fun flying the Draganflyer
IV outdoors when the wind was calm to a
light 4-5 mph breeze. Flying outdoors gives
you some extra room for mistakes while
learning. Flying off grass also provides
some cushion in case of a mishap or bad
landing. Once I got used to the flight
characteristics of the Draganflyer IV, I
felt more comfortable trying to fly indoors. A
gymnasium or indoor sports arena would be
perfect venues for this great machine.
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Completed unit ready for
flight!
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Flight Performance
The Draganflyer IV is a real hoot to fly. The
four 370 size motors provide plenty of power
for this bird to climb rapidly. Horizontal
flight can be exceptionally fast (30mph+)
and it can be a little difficult to maintain
orientation if you let this bird get too far
from you. The yellow decals on the front
blade as well as the LED's in the cockpit
are very helpful in maintaining orientation.
The controls on the Draganflyer IV perform much
like a real helicopter with fore/aft and
left/right cyclic on the right stick and
left/right yaw and throttle on the left stick.
The flight stability on the Draganflyer is
awesome. With the 3 integrated gyros, it
remains very stable in hover as well as in
forward flight. In fact, this exceptional
stability makes the Draganflyer great fun
when flying indoors as well. I like to take
off and land from various obstacles such as
tables and chairs. I also had a lot of fun
taking off and landing from the palm of my
hand.
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POST-FLIGHT
MAINTENANCE
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While there really is not much in the way of
parts on the Draganflyer, I highly recommend
performing a thorough inspection of the
various fasteners throughout the machine.
Even the smoothest running machines can
loosen up nuts and bolts over time. Be sure
to check that the plastic screws that attach
the rotor blades are tight. Also, check to
see that all for motors are perpendicular to
the ground. Performing this simple check
after each use will ensure that your
Draganflyer will be in top shape for many
future flights.
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Check the fasteners
that hold the blades on as well as the motor
and boom mounting bolts after every few
flights.
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NEW LITHIUM POLYMER BATTERY
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Draganfly Innovations has just released a
new Lithium Polymer battery pack for the
Draganflyer. This battery has a capacity of
2100 mAh, as compared to the 600 mAh of the
old NiCd pack, and it weighs 35% less than the NiCds. The new
battery pack not only improves
performance, but it will increase
your flight time to around 15-20 minutes.
Draganfly Innovations includes a special Lithium-Polymer charger for this pack.
So Does it
Make a Difference?
You bet it does! I noticed an
unbelievable increase in performance with
the Lithium Poly battery.
With this pack it is as if the unit doubled
in horsepower. It has the ability to
blast out of sight in seconds.
It was awesome to see the Draganflyer scream
across the sky in forward flight, almost too
quick (But, can you ever be too quick?) A
major improvement as compared to the Ni-Cad
batteries. Even with the
added weight of the Eyecam, it did not seem
to affect the performance of the Draganflyer
with the lithium batteries.
Suddenly, I felt as though I was flying a
completely different animal and the run
times of 15+ minutes was just a bonus on top
of the increased performance.
Of course
there is always a downside, though this is
not too upsetting. With the extended
run time on the lithium batteries, the
motors run much hotter. Therefore the folks at Draganfly
recommend that you let the let the
helicopter rest after 7-9 minutes of flight
depending on how hard you push it.
A set of heatsinks have been engineered to
help keep these motors cool. |
New Lithium Polymer
Battery. I used a Great Planes
Triton Charger. Draganfly includes their own fast charger for the Lithium-Polymer battery pack.
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DRAGANFLYER IV w/OPTIONAL
EYECAM
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Another cool item that is available from
Draganfly Innovations, is the Eyecam,
full-color on-board video camera. (See
the review in RCUniverse.com Magazine) A
mounting bracket is supplied with the model as
well as a power port on the circuit board.
Once you master basic flight, the addition
of the Eyecam adds a whole new dimension of
fun to the model. Because of the excellent
stability of the Draganflyer IV in flight,
it is a perfect platform for taking video
both indoors and outdoors.
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The Eyecam snaps
right into the included camera mount!
Very Cool!
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SUMMARY
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If you are in the market for something
out-of-the-ordinary, then the Draganflyer
IV is for you. A high-tech toy,
if you will, that is sure to give you hours
of enjoyment and turn the heads of curious
onlookers. If you want to step
up the fun, add the optional Eyecam. I
reviewed this product last year and I must
say it is, to date, one of the coolest R/C
products I have seen yet. Attach
the camera to the Draganflyer IV and you
now have the makings for aerial videography. I
have talked with people who have
started businesses providing aerial photos
of houses, land, buildings, etc with this
cool device. When was the
last time you were able to make money with
your R/C helicopter?
Call
Draganfly Innovations for more information
or visit their website at www.rctoys.com!
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