I tested the EasyVTOL concept with a unit re-designed for propeller to see how much I can improve the flight time. I was at least hoping to get +10 minutes. It turned out to be a beauty after lots of testing and variations (see thread:
MonoProp EasyVTOL Prototype), but it didn’t break 10 min limit. The highest estimated flight time that I got was in 8-9 minutes range. This caused a light bulb moment and made me realize that if I need to get a good flight time in horizontal flight 1- I need to reduce the drag caused by the design significantly, 2- Come up with a folding wing design which will avoid continuous heavy load on the servos while the wings are extended or folded (to reduce the energy consumption).
To achieve this, I started building a new EDF unit using what I have learned from the first ever unit that started this thread and the later units. I am using paint stirring sticks from home depot to build the frame
It smells like pine and I like working with wood again. I had to use some carbon fiber reinforcements to make sure she can survive the test crashes.
Below is the maiden test flight to test the stability and hovering. I have not installed (or designed) the wings yet. But I added some surface areas at the top to balance the unit as it has a very high center of gravity. The unit is stable from the get go but with two major issues: 1- one of the brand new wing servos turned out to be defective, not performing as well as the other, 2- the unit is grossly underpowered with 3S. I need to resolve these issues before moving forward.
I am hoping that I will be able to reduce the drag significantly with this unit and get a better flight time than even the prop unit. One of the other advantages of the unit is that I can test different wing designs as the wood/carbon fifer frame below will support anything.