7 Dec 13 - Update on new motors. 7 Dec 13 - Update on new motors.
| N° of launches / Time | 2 | 0 hrs 11 mins | |||
| Wingspan | 62 in. | 1570 mm | |||
| Wing Area | 740 in² | 47.7 dm² | |||
| 4S with 2x Turnigy SK4250-650 | 5S with 2x MVVS 8.0/680 | ||||
| Flying Weight | 10 lb. 2¼ oz. | 4.60 kg | 10 lb 13½ oz. | 4.92 kg | |
| Wing Loading | 31.6 oz/ft² | 96.4 g/dm² | 33.8 oz/ft² | 103.1 g/dm² | |
| Wing Cube Loading | 13.9 - Between Scale & Racer | 14.9 - Between Scale & Racer | |||
| Motors | 2 x Turnigy SK4250-650 brushless | 2 x MVVS 8.0/680 | |||
| Propellers | Counter-rotating APC 12x8-E and APC 12x8-EP | Counter-rotating APC 11x8-E and APC 11x8-EP | |||
| Speed Controller | 2 x HobbyWing Platinum 60A Pro - 60A cont., 90A burst, 2-6S LiPo, Switch Mode BEC 5.25V or 6V @ 3A | 2 x HobbyWing Platinum 60A Pro - 60A cont., 90A burst, 2-6S LiPo, Switch Mode BEC 5.25V or 6V @ 3A | |||
| Motor Batteries | 2 x 4S Turnigy Nano-Tech LiPo 3300 cells | 2 x 5S LiPo, usually Turnigy Nano-Tech 3850 mAh | |||
| Receiver | JR RD921 - 9ch DSM2 - 2.4GHz - Internal and remote receivers - dual power input | JR RD921 - 9ch DSM2 - 2.4GHz - Internal and remote receivers - dual power input | |||
| Servos | Ailerons | 2 x Hitec HS-81MG | 2 x Hitec HS-81MG | ||
| Elevator | Hitec HS-300BB | Hitec HS-300BB | |||
| Rudder | Hitec HS-300 | Hitec HS-300 | |||
| Flaps | JR NES-517 | JR NES-517 | |||
| Nosewheel | Hitec HS-101MG | Hitec HS-101MG | |||
| Undercarriage | Ripmax Diamond 200 | Electric servoless | |||
| Static motor parameters | 4S 3300mAh Turnigy Nano-Tech LiPo cells gave unknown RPM @ 15.5V with current draw of 28.9A (449W) per motor, which equates to 88W/lb. | 5S 3850mAh Turnigy Nano-Tech LiPo cells give 10250 RPM @ 18.24V with current draw of 32.24A (595W) per motor, which equates to 110W/lb. | |||
| Flight performance | Takes off amazingly quickly due to the large 'blown' area and climbs out really well. Rolls are extremely axial and loops can be huge. The top end speed is a little lower than I'd like so maybe I'll try it on 5S | Takes off just as quickly and climbs out really well, just short of maintaining a vertical climb. Rolls are extremely axial and loops can be huge. The top end speed is certainly better now; I must try it with the speed logger fitted. | |||
7 Dec 13 - I fitted the new motor a while ago and have now had a few flights; today with reduced diameter propellers to give a bit more ground clearance. It flies as well as ever and the servoless electric retracts are much nicer in operation than the spring-air previously fitted.
7 Jul 13 - Had a motor fail today, with one winding burnt out and the other 2 sucked into the rotor/stator gap. I was able to kill the throttle and land dead-stick but it's time for new (uprated) motors.
3 Jul 13 - Electric retracts fitted and main undercarriage leg doors fitted
23 Jun 13 - I've been having more problems with the spring-air retracts not extending and locking down on occasions. I that fore decided that electric retracts are to be fitted instead. I managed to find a set of retracts with the same mounting pattern, which will make fitting them simpler. I've also got a set of oleo legs that are stiffer than the original wire legs; hopefully they'll cope on the roughish grass surfaces of our runways. The nose leg is already swapped over but I need to shorten the oleo legs for the main gear; shouldn't take long once I've unburied the lathe. A little reinforcing of the battery trays is also required as one became loose whilst removing a battery.
18 May 13 - Finally around to completing the model and undertaking the maiden flight; I'm really impressed with the performance. There are still a couple of niggles to work out, e.g. sticky retracts, before it's finally sorted and handling properly assessed. The top end speed is a little lower than I'd like so maybe I'll try it on 5S; I would try coarser pitched propellers but finding pusher variants is very tricky.