Greg Covey

I decided to upgrade my bit conversion of the Icara Hangar Rat to provide more power and better handling for indoor flying. My write-up on the original bit-conversion of the Hangar Rat is [link=http://www.gregcovey.com/hangar_rat.htm]here[/link].

I used a DWE RFFS100 module, KP-00 motor, and only a single actuator for proportional rudder control. My Hangar Rat was ready to fly at 0.9oz using a single Kokam 145mAh cell.

The elevation is controlled by the plane speed or throttle setting.

Greg Covey

I used an Azarr M72U micro antenna and attached it under the wing with servo tape.

The Kokam Lithium cell is attached with Velcro for easy swapping as I have two cells to use.

The rudder is connected to the actuator using a long carbon fiber rod with short brass "Z" bend rods attached using shrink tubing. This allows the heavier actuator to be closer to the CG line and also provides fine tuning of the rudder position since the brass rod can slide in the shrink tubing when pulled with plyers.

Mike Taylor

My Feedback: (1)

You could have saved a half gram by using one of Azzar's 'Lite antennas' (the base loaded type), and it also looks like you could have use .020" CF rod instead to the (apparent) .040" rod. And, Greg, those JST connectors have got to go! They weigh a ton more than what the battery draw requires. Computer strip connectors (either home made or from DWE or BSD) are much lighter and carry plenty of current... Shave a couple of grams

Greg Covey

Mike,

See what happens when you start using grams instead of tenths of an ounce.

I expect this plane will be a relaxing joy to fly indoors after I first smash both of my Shock Flyers to pieces. I have found that you need a mix of aerobatic and slow cruising planes at any indoor meet.

Our first R/C weight class, other than free-flight class, is up to 3.0oz so my little 0.9oz Hangar Rat still needs to "bulk up" for any close encounters.

Seriously, I have found that most elderly R/Cers must use the JST connectors as a minimum size to manipulate.

Mike Taylor

My Feedback: (1)

Yes, when you start measuring in milligrams, you start getting picky! It really does come into play, though, when you get down to these sizes. I weigh all my parts on a small beam scale and it is handy to be able to tell where you can shave a bit more weight. The small amounts of aluminum tubing and thin CF rods versus wire and tape can be significant and will impact the methods you select to build. It is just not the same as when we had big ol' nitro engines that could drag anything off the ground, and 'good' balsa weighed 9 or 10 pounds or more per foot! Now I weigh every sheet of balsa, bits and pieces of wire, the magnets, connectors, etc. It is a pain in the rump but sort of needed.

BTW, that was not meant as a criticism, but rather as a suggestion.

Greg Covey

I understand.

The difference in our approaches can be attributed to several things that are related to our individual goals. When attracting new members into the world of micro flight, the KISS principle is a high priority. This approach has merit across the mainstream of electric flight also.

Micro flight, even with all its recent advances, is still a specialized interest. The majority of the R/C market lies elsewhere. For indoor flying events, all the younger pilots are now flying 3D foamies because the skill set demand is on flying instead of building. This is a great fit and a natural market direction.

The older crowd, former free-flight enthusiasts, long term glow pilots, and just on-lookers, can now fly a 3-10oz plane indoors with little commitment. Once you drop below 3oz, the size of the plane and its components become difficult for older R/Cers to manage which basically digs into your largest part of the specialized market.

The trick is to find applications that are easy to duplicate as well as handle. This is not news for you but more for our other readers.

Greg Covey

Here is a link to some of my video of the Hangar Rat flying at last Sunday's AeroFlakes event.

I fixed the audio on this video. 12/15/04

[link=http://www.gregcovey.com/RCU2/HangarRat3.wmv]Hangar Rat video[/link] (2.7meg)

Greg Covey

I fixed the audio on this video above on 12/15/04.