SuperStar crash on water...mechanical failure???
 

<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt">If you see this post more than once, I apologize.</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Yesterday, I attemped my maiden flight of my modified SuperStar-EP.I had made a set of floats for it and the stock brush motor didn&rsquo;t have the power to get it off the water with the extra weight.I replaced the entire electric system with a 25A combo package from Maxprod.com.That is a 300 watt, 48 oz thrust HiMax brushless motor with the ESC and a 10x7E prop.This package is equivalent to a .25 glow according to Maxprod.com and I figured it had enough power for the SS SS-EP on floats.</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt">On takeoff, it got in the air quickly, then, it acted very erratically.As you can see in the video, it nosed over to the left and down.After retrieving the plane, I saw that the motor mount was loose.I didn&rsquo;t have much firewall to epoxy it to, so I drilled four screw holes in the corners but found that only one screw was holding the mount to the firewall. I suppose that I just didn't put in the other three screws.That one screw was in the upper left corner, allowing the motor to lift up andangleto the left.I believe that this is what made it fly the way it did&hellip;into the water.Take a look at the video and see if you think the same.</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt">The plane floated upside down on the wing as it drifted back to shore and the wing got water inside it.I punctured the covering at one end for the water to drain out.Itaped the wing to boards for a dayto try to keep it from warping as it dries out. Today Itested the aileron servo and it still works.The other servos and electrics didn&rsquo;t get much water contact and have dried out and are alsoworking, including the servo that I installed inone float to activate the water rudder.

The first two photos below show a cable from the rudder to steer the float rudder. A couple of days ago, I installed a rudder servo in my foam float with a cover to protect it. The last two photos show the water deflector I made to keep water from getting into the fuse from the underside of the engine. In the first two photos. you can see the cover I made for the bottom hatch that is open in the rear to allow air to go out but not let water in while taxiing.</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"></font></div><font size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt">The video link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAtFkmGw8mY</span></font>

RE: SuperStar crash on water...mechanical failure???
 

How did it balance.  Looks tail heavy.

RE: SuperStar crash on water...mechanical failure???
 

You are right, I rechecked the balance and found it to be a little tail heavy. I lightened the plane by several ounces by replacing the motor and battery with lighter ones. I pushed the lipo battery as far forward to the firewall and thought I had it balanced well enough. Upon checking it again yesterday, I found that it needed about 4 ounces addedat the firewall to get a correct CG balance. This morning, I melted down a 4 ounce fishing weight an poured the leadinto a mold to make a rectangular weight just wide enough to fit across the inside of the fuse at the firewall and about 1/8" thick. I secured it in place and now the CG balances correctly. I also tweaked my elevator and rudder servo linkages so that they are both in line with the centerlines of the plane with the stick trims atneutral positions.

With the firewall secured, the CG balanced, and controls lined up, I think it should be stable now. I'll give it another try, but will wait until I get my Optic 6 back from being repaired so I will have differental and dual throws to start off. I was using my JR 4-channel for my maiden flight.