Hello

Awesome job !
4400 g with which batteries ?

Claude, that is with the F3A power unlimited 5100 batteries.

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Loaded up and ready for tomorrow morning.

I couldn't be happier after putting in 6 flights with the new Divergent. The biggest difference is the adjustment to the fuselage layup. Final weight is just under 4500 grams. The other changes that were made were changing the rudder shape and making it taller, lowering the stab 1" and adding the ventral fin. The only adjustments made today at the field was moving the batteries as far back on the tray as I could and attaching a small wrench to the tailwheel bracket to move the CG back. While that was a big step in the right direction, it was still on the nose heavy side. In spite of that I was able to fly the masters sequence fairly well. There is zero roll coupling in knife edge but has a slight pull to the canopy which will be greatly reduced if not almost eliminated with the correct CG. It does slightly pull to the right on an upline. Before the next trip to the field I will take out some right thrust and maybe move the battery tray back 2". I really liked the prototype Divergent and it proved to be a very competitive airplane but with the aerodynamic changes and lighter weight this new one brings the design up to the next level.

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I've got close to 30 flights on the new Divergent now and it keeps getting better each time out. As we all know, trimming a pattern airplane takes some time. Each change needs to be flown a few times to decide if it was a good change or not. The first change was moving the battery tray back to get a CG shift. Although that made a big difference, I think the CG could go back a little more. The reasons for this is that in knife edge and down lines she pulls to the canopy slightly. At this point I have only set up a mix for a little down elevator with rudder application. The downline pull is so very slight that it is actually quite difficult to see. No rudder/aileron mix is needed. The next change made was a reduction in right thrust. I went from 3 degrees to around 2.5. She wanted to pull to the right on uplines and in horizontal flight. So far I have not seen the need for aileron differential. She rolls very axial especially on up and down lines. Again I think with a little more aft CG the horizontal rolls would get easier.

Where from here? The next step will be to swap to a heavier tail wheel and add a little temporary weight to the tail. I want to see if this eliminates the need for a downline mix. I doubt it would eliminate the need for the rudder/elevator mix but I would be happy if it reduced it. If the CG change is benificial then I will be leaning toward buying 4500mah batteries. So far each run through the masters consumes between 2800ma and 3200ma depending on the wind.

Good to hear your results. I don't recall the exact difference in weight of each version but can you determine if the weight loss made a significant change? Also, still happy with the HV69 on rudder?

Could you also provide more information about the Zepsus Magnetic Switch. Is it the 7A version? Thanks.

Ted, this new one is 1000g lighter. To be honest I had expected more of a difference between the two because of the weight but they both fly so similar I would be hard pressed to say if the weight reduction is any benifit other then being legal weight. The HV69 on rudder seems to be quite happy. On Sunday I was doing several knife edge loops and Cuban eights, no lack of rudder power.

Yes it is the 7 amp version. I also have a 20 amp version in a 1/3 scale bipe and have had no issues.

https://alofthobbies.com/zepsus-magnetic-switch-7a.html

Gotta say, that's impressive. Only hope I can achieve similar results. The switch is interesting as well. I've been using the Jeti Mag switch but it's way more money so I'll pick up a couple of those. I didn't notice any air outlets on the second fuse but certainly did notice the lesser quantity of inlets, think it would tolerate Fla temps in that configuration?

We got into the mid 90's on Sunday, no issues. The prototype started out with a Hacker C50 13XL that ran really hot. The cutouts were in effort to cool it down. That being said, I'm pretty conservative on the power. A more aggressive left hand may need more airflow.

I haven't updated the thread for a while. The new Divergent flew in its first contest a few weeks ago. Due to the current Covid 19 situation turnout was low. Between the low turnout and a few masters class pilots moving to FAI silver there were only two of us flying masters, both Divergents. I took first and my buddy Russ took second.

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Where can I order a Divergent

I'm sure speedracerntrixie is the only source. I have no idea what he is doing now.

Yes as of right now I am the producer of the kit. I have been searching for someone to take over production but as of yet no success on that front. I can process orders but delivery is slow due to my work schedule. Best way to get one quickly is order the short kit which is basically a fuselage and cores. I can usually deliver one of those in 2-3 months.

What holds the wing struts in place. Looks like they just slide into the wings.

There is a tab that is part of the wing fences that passes through the wing. The struts are hollow and insert over the tab and secured with a single 4-40 screw and nylon wing nut.

Do you have a pic. I'm having difficulty picturing this.

Can the struts be eliminated. Maybe use a longer wing tube. Certainly the bottom wing does not rely on the struts I assume.

OK, sorry for the delay. We just completed a move and today I took the divergent out for a couple flights. Is there enough strength to fly without the struts? As per the original design I would say no. Could one be built with a slightly longer wing tube on the upper wing and a beefy dihedral brace on the bottom wing, I think so. You could also eliminate the wing fences if you prefer the clean wing look. How much if any difference in flight performance, your guess is as good as mine.



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I haven’t posted in a while. Not much new on the Divergent front. I did build another one and deliver it to a local customer who is currently in the painting process. I will post pictures and a write up of the maiden. I only participated in one pattern contest in 2022. Unfortunately on July 5th I suffered a minor stroke. I’m happy to say that it sounds worse then it was. I am fortunate that it was caught early and as of now I am pretty much back to my usual self for the most part. I can’t express enough appreciation for my wife who virtually didn’t leave my side for 2 weeks and then drove me to the flying field 3 times a week for a month. I told my Dr. what I did for a hobby and she thought that the complexity of exercising fine motor skills was a great rehabilitation plan. So exactly 2 months after the stroke I entered my home field's annual pattern contest. There were 3 of us flying in Masters and I had set my mind to just getting through the contest with the airplane intact. What proceeded to happen was much better then what I had expected and after getting my second round scores I actually teared up a bit. I had only flown through the sequence once prior to the contest and told my caller he was going to have to call it as an unknown. He did a spectacular job and I am truly blessed to have such a friend. At the end of the day I finished in 3rd place which was no surprise however the points spread was. Less then 300 points between me and the winner and I even won a round. A few months later I was walking my first born daughter down the isle. Impossible the Ex plane just how thankful I felt being there to do that and such a wake up call to take better care of myself and not stress over the little things in life.

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