Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Crashes Happen



If you're flying RC aircraft then eventually you will crash.  It's not a matter of if you will crash it's when.  The sooner you realize this the easier it will be to deal with it.  I recently lost one of my favorite daily flyers.  My 3D Hobby Shop 47" Yak 54 went in after hundreds of flights over 3-4 years.  While it's sad to loose a plane I had become so used to flying and was very comfortable with I'm also okay with it because of two things.  The plane gave me many hours of fun, and I learned quite a bit about aerobatics on this plane.  But secondly I'm okay with it because I know why it crashed and I can learn from that.  In this case it was the RX had reset in air due to low voltage supply.  I had just taken off and started my routine roll to the left when it happened.  The plane had no hope as failsafe set in with idle power and neutral controls.  It simply stayed in knife edge with no power and fell to the ground.  While I could be very frustrated with the radio failure and say it's not my fault I'd rather deal with the loss and learn from it.  I checked the battery after the wreckage was picked up and it looked okay but I want to test the pack under load.  I have had a few cases of early cut off due to weak cells in lipo packs.   The take away here is we all need to do some preventative maintenance on our planes.  Check wires, and screws to make sure things have not come loose.  Check glue joints to make sure there are no stress cracks.  Tighten up the covering before it flies off in a big chunk right after that impressive snap roll or blender.  Doing that preventative maintenance can prevent you from loosing that favorite airplane and keep your enjoyment of this hobby going strong.

Friday, October 21, 2011

E-Flite Gee Bee R2 Ultra Micro UMX



The Gee Bee R2 racer is one of those planes most everyone loves but hates to fly.  With the big round body meant to house a large radial engine and just enough wing area to keep it in the air it can be a handful to fly.  Enter E-flite and their new AS3X technology to tame down the beast and make it in a micro fly anywhere size.

The release date is late December of 2011 so we might not see it under the christmas tree but hopefully by new years we'll be tearing up the ball parks and indoor arenas with this new micro plane from E-flite.  Check back for my take on this plane once it's released.

Below are the specs from E-flite.  See the product page here:  http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLU4580

UMX Gee Bee R2 BNF

Overview

Gee Bees competed in all the popular airplane races of the Golden Era of aviation. These highly engineered, teardrop-shaped, super planes required a skillful hand and perfect circumstances, but with the right pilot, they ruled the speed course. The UMX Gee Bee R2 is yours to groove through the skies just about anywhere because it features specially tuned handling more in common with a Sunday sport model than a short-coupled engine with wings. The awe-inspiring UMX Gee Bee R2 replica offers handling so remarkably smooth, you’ll want to fly this authentically scaled model every day. Its built-in, specially tuned, AS3X System invisibly helps you enjoy the kind of silky handling and outstanding control you always wanted from a conveniently sized RC model, but never thought possible before now. And you get all the benefits without having to spend a lot of setup time. No special programming is required. Just charge the included Li-Po battery, bind to a basic DSM2™/DSMX® airplane transmitter setup and the UMX Gee Bee R2, enhanced with the AS3X System, will instantly offer you the best flight experience possible.

Product Specifications

Wingspan: 20.1 in (510mm)
Overall Length: 13.9 in (352mm)
Wing Area: 72.5 sq. in. (4.7 sq. dm.)
Flying Weight: 3.60 oz (102 g)
Motor Size: 180-size 3000Kv brushless outrunner
Radio: 4 channel minimum transmitter
Servos: (4) 2.3 g Performance Linear Long Throw Servo
Trim Scheme Colors: Red and White
Prop Size: 5.25 x 3.5 Electric Propeller
Recommended Battery: 2S 200 mAh 25C Li-Po Battery (included)
Approx. Flying Duration: 4 minutes
Charger: DC powered 2S LiPo charger (included)
Minimum Age Recommendation: 14 years
Experience Level: Intermediate
Recommended Environment: Outdoor
Is Assembly Required: No

Needed to Complete

Any 4+ channel DSM2- or DSMX-compatible Transmitter