I also want to say that four, 10-minute flights is pushing the limits in my book.

Even though you say the servos worked after it was "on" all night, I'm guessing that you turned it off for a while first? This would give the batteries a chance to build up a little charge on their own, not much, but very possibly enough to let you move the servos around for a few seconds.

If you don't have a battery checker, use the 3-flight rule - Get 3 flights and re-charge.

And has for a volt meter look at the Hanger-9 HAN 171. It will do .5, 1 and 2 amp loads on the battery. Dennis

TZ-
Really glad to hear you found the plane relatively intact. Incidents like this seldom end that well.
Aren't you glad you weren't on final, maybe drifting slightly toward the pits or yourself, when the apparantly low battery problem happened??


Mr67Stang nailed it:

Get a voltmeter that checks the batteries under load. Use it before EVERY flight.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXNK82&P=7

Get a voltmeter that checks the batteries under load. Use it before EVERY flight.
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...?ProdID=HAN105

Get a voltmeter that checks the batteries under load. Use it before EVERY flight.

Get it? :-)

Happy Flying-
Bob

I have, and use, Voltwatch on every one of my planes. It is relatively cheap insurance. I check the voltwatch before AND after each flight to make sure that the batteries are in good condition.... before I fly to make sure they are ready to go (especially on the first flight) and after each flight to make sure that they are adequately charged for the next flight. If not.. on the charger they go.

I also have a dual battery - dual switch setup on my 'expensive' planes. Two batteries, each in a separate RX channel, and each with it's own switch. I also use 1200 mah NiMH 6 volt packs. (Spektrum DX7 system.. great system!!) I won't say that I have eliminated problems, but I sure have removed some of the potential for problems. And, I don't take chances when the charge is 'borderline'. It's just not worth it. I also have an ESV, by the way, just to make sure things are ok, and use it... not just depend on the Voltwatch.

BTW, I'm happy to read that you found your plane. I've not lost one that way.. yet.. but we do have a rather large flying field, so that does not happen all that often. Nope. When ours fail, they go crashing right in front of us.. well, almost.. [&o]

CGr.

Glad to hear you recovered your plane....

And it sounds repairable... Double yahoo!

I've got 2.4 Futaba radio, and I like it. Many people at my field have switced to 2.4. If you find out something's wrong with your current radio setup.. It'll be a great opportunity to make the switch.

One thing I did... I bought the largest capacity receiver battery I could get. The standard battery that comes with a "kit" is like 400mAh. I bought 1500mAh (I think, working on memory here). I get 3 or 4 flights on a charge, no problem.. I used the little 400 for testing 'n such in my workshop.

But the voltmeter is also attached to the side of my plane.. just to make sure...

What great news!

Years ago I lost a Sig Kadet in a sudden downpour and strong wind. The next day my wife was helping me search for the plane when she found it, undamaged, about six feet high in a tree hanging by the nose wheel like a Christmas ornament. I was much relieved as I had expected it to be in the top of a hundred foot oak.

I hope you never again have to combine flying with a hunting expedition!

jess

Thanks everyone.
I WILL get a voltmeter and check the battery under load before every flight!
I WILL observe the three flight rule.
I am going to do an extended radio check with the engine running with my new receiver and if I find any problems I am definitely moving to 2.4 ghz.
Crashing 2 planes in a row when I know it wasn't something I did on the sticks is very frustrating and I will do everything I can to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Good flying all.

BTW, did you have your name and phone number somewhere on the plane? Y'know, something like [link=http://www.modelaircraft.org/shopama/product.aspx?id=085231B9FD2F4B75972075D290D200CC&d =196BC465849848019517FE126959096E]this one?[/link]

It's great you found your plane. If you or one of your fellow club members are ever in a similar situation again, the suggestion about getting a line on the sight with a compass works even better if you have a hand held GPS. You can plot a line to the estimated crash site and follow it closely even in thick woods or brush without further reference. I learned to navigate with a compass but now use a GPS with topographical software regularly in my nature photography and wouldn't go back (but I still carry a compass which works without batteries!). We strapped my GPS in an airplane one day and plotted the area over which we flew-over 1 mile end to end and at altitudes up to 2,000 feet.

I was involved in the US Coast Guard Differential GPS system in the 1990's. When visiting Coast Guard ships in the area, I would always preach 'NEVER EVER forget how to use the compass and the sextant". Good advice.. remember how to use that compass!!

I flew an electric Little Something Extra one day using a micro receiver. Well, it got out of range quickly because I was flying it like I would fly my regular RC aircraft. It just headed away from me and over the woods. I lost control one control at a time.. first to go was the ailerons, a moment later, the elevator... I immediately reduced the throttle to 0 and it went in, oh, about 200 yards beyond the tree line.

One of the other RC'ers stood at my flight line and pointed while I walked over to where it went in. The tree line is a good 200 yards from the flight line, and the plane went in a good deal past that. When I saw that I was pretty much lined up with where he was pointing, I walked in as straight as I could. After about 5 minutes of slow walking in as straight a line as I could, there it was, on the ground, with only a broken prop. Lucky me!!! I did not have neither a compass nor a GPS unit. As I said, lucky me!!!

I removed that micro receiver and put a standard channel 11 RX, and later, a DX7 receiver. It has the power for that added few grams of weight and I have all the range I could need.

CGr

That is wonderful advice, CGR. I have often thought that I would have loves GPS in 'Nam, but my old lensatic never failed, ran out of battery, or otherwise let me down.

jess