DF Training Wheels
Well, not exactly wheels but some of you might find this little mod interesting. I've noticed that during hard landings the HD motors take a beating on the exposed bottom area where the small braided wires and capacitors are located. I've often had a motor stop working after the braided wire became mashed flat enough to restrict the spring contact. In addition, a low throttle up can tilt the DF to the point where a blade can hit the ground. Both of these problems can be solved by using four plastic film canisters which have the ends cut away and a side cut of 1/2 inch to allow it to wrap around the motor housing. A couple of wraps of Black tape keeps it snug to the motor. The picture below should explain it all. The total added weight for all four protectors is less than 3/4 ounce. I was very surprised to find that the DF actually flew more stable with these four protectors. My best hovering time in the 8' x 8' room before the mod was 1 minute. I am now able to do double that. Here is a little video of the modification in flight: [link=http://www.af9y.com/draganflyer1.wmv]DFinside[/link]
When flying outside, the protectors seem to act as a shock absorber during a hard angle landing and help to keep the rotors out of the grass during normal landings and takeoffs.
Mike