RE: Set Ups for 3D Buddies
Maidened the Edge Buddy yesterday.......the winds were not "ideal" for a maiden flight - 15 plus MPH but I couldn't stand it much longer! Went down to the city park and tossed her in to the wind - a few clicks of right aileron trim was all it took to get things right. Although I'm used to flying these small electrics it took me a couple of batts to get used to the way she handled and I finally stopped on the third battery because the wind was getting pretty bad.
As stated before, I had the Himax 2015-4166 mounted with a 11x3.8 APC SF prop and it was "okay". It pulled the plane around but there was just not very much authority there. So after the first battery, I changed to a Eflite 12x6 SF which made a huge difference in pull out. I was a bit concerned that this prop would get things heated up a bit so I brought her down after about 5 minutes and checked the motor and battery out. Just barely warm! So I'll contiue to fly with this set up for a while. The real test will come when the winds finally settle down enough so I can try a bit more with the bird.
On the very first "belly" landing, the motor stick bit it. I really doubted that the light balsa mount would hold up very long but was hoping it would last longer than this. So, I loaded up & came home and cut the original one out and replaced it with a 3/8" sq. hardwood mount. It didn't take long, was an easy fix and I then headed back to the park to give it another go. So far it has held up without any more problems. I really like the color scheme on the Buddy Edge but orientation is really hard to keep up with. As a matter of fact, I was coming in for a landing about the time the wind kicked up and tossed the plane up to the point that I couldn't tell top from bottom. I smacked it down on the road and thought it was toast but nothing was broken. I was definitely impressed with the integrity of the design at that point!
I can already tell that the weight is really going to affect the performance of 3Din with this plane. It will not be as "agile" as I had hoped and as you see in the videos on the web. That sux because the supposed low weight and agility was the primary reason I finally bought this plane. No - I'm not near the pilot that these guys are but was hoping that the 3D Buddy was going to be "the one" that would allow me to get a little lower and slower and closer in. I'll just have to play with it a little longer before I make any final judgments in regards to this.
All in all - except for the weight issue - I'm pleased with the plane as it is quite fun and can handle some pretty extreme winds.