dubd

Erik, very sorry for the loss of your UL. That really sucks, especially when it's not clear what caused the crash. Were you able to see if there was a signal loss through the PowerBox? I hope you find out the source of your crash.

FWIW, I can relate to your RC pain. After my FEJ F-14 crash, I lost my SM A-10 after I had an engine quit. Those are the breaks.

Erik R

My Feedback: (32)

Thanks Raf. No datalogger on Futaba. I started with spectrum/Jr when 2.4 first came out. Switched to Futaba about 3 or 4 years ago. Liked the frequency hopping concept better, and the functionality of the 14, and now the 18MZ. Been bulletproof. Been flying my Firebird on it. I really believe this was a power failure, not a signal problem. Thanks for the kind words.

Erik R

My Feedback: (32)

Dantley,

The powerbox was destroyed. Thanks for the kind words,

Erik

DiscoWings

My Feedback: (76)

What happened to the UL, what do you mean it just sailed away? It crashed in a lake or something, details please.

Sucks you lost your UL its a great jet I have 2 of them and they are bullet proof in terms of construction.

EDIT: looks like a lot of people replied and it appears to be an RX issues, just goes to show that even if you have the best of everything there are no guarantees.

Jack Diaz

My Feedback: (1)

Erik, most likely the "violent right snap" happened when control was regained.
You might have been applying hard right aileron and rudder during the lock out trying to level the plane.

Power failure sounds unlikely since, according to your description, it maintained the knife edge attitude. A power failure wouldn't hold a knife edge. It sounds more like a "hold".


Sorry for your loss.


Jack

impulse09

My Feedback: (3)

Sucks. Once you decided to use a powerbox, did you still have redundancy (excluding the transmitter)?

ron Sweeney

Erik, If your turbine ecu survived then there may be some data that you can recover from it. Ron.

basimpsn

My Feedback: (5)

Sounds like it, the rudder servo probably drawing too much current during the knife edge pass causing both rx to reboot. Just thinking aloud here guys.
As we speak I'm doing the two RX setup.. two 6.6 life batt, two switches and hope for the best when it's time for Maiden.

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

geez 3 grand for a TX with telemetry and no RSSi data logging?

Nothing worse than not knowing what happened........

stevekott

Erik, really sorry about your loss .. It's something we have all felt and it really sucks.

Regarding data logging on the 18mz with the new firmware update it does a very good job of it. It logs all 18 channel stick positions and rx voltage and aux voltage. It also logs any sbus2 sensors you have connected to the system. In addition it also records RSSI and any FailSafes. It writes all of this to the SD Card on the Tx and you can upload it to an XL Spreadsheet.

I have it start logging with throttle trim up and stop logging with throttle trim down.

I lost my U-Flash at BITW and was sure I had a radio failure. Going back through the data I determined it was an accelerated stall snap roll into the ground. Radio signal was good all the way down. It still sucked as I lost a new plane. It was some consolation at least knowing what happened. It all happens so quickly the brain just can't take it all in.

Carsten Groen makes a contraption called an ASSI device that works with the Futaba Sbus2. It interfaces with your turbine to record all turbine parameters along with Indicated Airspeed Angle of Attack and voltages. It also gives back real time RSSI signal quality. I just recently set it up where if the RC signal is anything below perfect it gives me a warning in the earbud. It has a micro SDcard on the airborne device that logs all those parameters in addition to being logged on the Tx SD Card.

Again man, sorry about your loss.

Steve

keyman

My Feedback: (22)

If fej was not smart enough to pick up a phone book or whatever or come up with a couple hundred original names what makes anyone think fej is smart enough to build a jet?

Why wasn't any/all those shill accounts banned including any/all of the fej accounts??

Also I wonder how many of those accounts have the same I.P. address?

and to all of you that have been swindled/scammed/ripped off/lied to/etc. by fej I am truly sorry for your loss, every time one of these threads are started it must feel like another $10k knife in the back.

Jetkopter

My Feedback: (1)

Erik, you know I don't sugar coat anything for any one friend or foe, I tell it like I see it. I didn't even know you had posted anything on rcu last week when you texted me about your f-16 project. I gave you my thoughts on going down that road,its your time and effort and who am I to tell you what to do with it. I don't post or say things without facts to back up what I say. If you want to call me a hater for telling the truth so be it. I feel for the guys that lost every thing in there FEJ models. Its a bunch of BS what s going on here with Fly Eagle. Nir knows what the problems are but he wont come on here for a minute to admit it. He showed me the pictures from the factory, we had discussion at length about what's wrong and why and who's in charge of fixing it. Maybe you don't know or don't care but Fly Eagle makes really nice paint because they have two really nice new paint booths in there new government subsidized building in bejing. They got a lot of government help because the promised to put people to work, In order to put people to work you have to sell airplanes. You cant sell airplanes when your planes are substandard. So you have to fix your reputation and re- invent your product because the government expects you to put people to work and you don't want to loose face. The problem is from what I am told by Nir is that Ken is the designer, that he has designed most of there aircraft. There Idea of design is to reverse engineer a model with a digitizer and a three D modeling program and make a mold. The end result is a beautiful mold. Now you have a nice shell of an airframe and you have to make a correct structure to support it. This is where the problem lies, they cant build a good structure and do it on a repeatable basis because of there skill of there labor force. That is why they have the problems they have. The only thing that changed over at FEJ is they have a new factory. I am not pointing any fingers at you or saying your in bed with them. I think you did what anyone would do and that is accept a replacement model. What I do think is going is that fly eagles back is against the wall and they need to sell planes and there going to do what ever it takes to make that happen. Because your friends with Nir your the first one to get the new Fly Eagle good will program. Its that simple nothing more too it. What they need is good design to go along with there good will. I think there too hard headed to admit there designs are below standards. I am surprised that you stuck your neck out , maybe you know something I don't . By the way is just WOW short for WITH OUT WARNING?

Erik R

My Feedback: (32)

Don,

You know I love you. I heard everything you said about just walking away, loud and clear. You may be right. Time will tell. If this new one comes apart, I'm out many more thousands. My heads spinning from all the events in my life this week.

I told Nir I would post something when the jet actually showed up at his house. I wasn't even sure that would happen, based on what I've heard and read. Being a man of my word, I did. I expected some heat. If it's junk, I'll say it. If it works and lasts, I'll share that too. I love this hobby, mostly because of the great friends I've made through it, of which you are one. Yesterday was the first time in 39 years of doing it, that I actually considered getting out. That didn't last long, and the UL replacement has been ordered. I'm a little punch drunk though. Stay well,

Erik

Erik R

My Feedback: (32)

Just wow means just wow. No hidden meanings.

Erik R

My Feedback: (32)

Buds,

The main reason I'm convinced it was a powerbox failure, is that I had my fail safe set to hold the flight controls in position, kill the engine, and drop the gear. The gear stayed retracted. If it was just a hold, they should've extended. I find it hard to believe that both Rx's lost signal simultaneously. I have been running single 14 ch Rx's for years,and they have been bulletproof.

I also considered that that I might have gotten signal back, because of the right snap. I'll probably never know. The gear extension failsafe situation has me heavily leaning towards power interruption though. Regards,

Erik

Ron Stahl

My Feedback: (12)

Erik, it sure sounds like you lost power. My Electra if you remember did the same thing when the battery failed;it flew from left to right in knife edge a quarter mile into the cornfield on the right at the Summer Farview rally three years ago. Sorry your having such a bad week with the loss personally and now with things that can be replaced with time and funding. I hope the new jet works out for you and that they step up to the plate, take care of all the customers who got bad planes and get someone who knows what the F they are doing at the factory to straighten out the fabrication issues. See you soon I hope.

Erik R

My Feedback: (32)

Thanks Ron. Stay well .

rhklenke

My Feedback: (24)

I've been there too man, but you know that the next time it all works out and you get that perfect flight on the Firebird on a sunny day capped off by a 10-out-of-10 landing, you'll remember why it its worth it.

Like you, I think that the possibility that you lost signal on two FASST RX's simultaneously with the antennas arranged as they were is *really* low. Some type of power interruption is the most likely cause. It could have been momentary as well - which could have caused the snap after the system came back up. It could also have been a software snafu in the Powerbox too - but that's less likely.

Hope that sunny day comes soon for you! Even if you do own a Fly Eagle Jet...

See you this summer!

Bob

Erik R

My Feedback: (32)

Thanks Bob.

dubd

Totally know the feeling. After I lost my F-14 and A-10, I bought a new Porsche 911 and hit the race track. At least if I crash on the tarmac, it won't be because crap-tastic build quality or poor design.

mattnew

My Feedback: (2)

@eric....


sorry for the loss of your family members...I've been there recently too...

The ul can be replaced...

Erik R

My Feedback: (32)

Thank you.

DiscoWings

My Feedback: (76)

Hope it was the 911 S or turbo, wasn't all impressed with stock 911.

Personally I would have gone with the Nissan GTR 2013.

dubd

911 4S. Although a great car, the GTR just isn't my style.

roger.alli

You make me laugh out loud me up dubd.

How else would you fix the “crashed model" blues.. A new Porsche of course, and make that a Track day car!!!

I love the way you roll..

Sorry to hear about the UL Eric.

Rog