X-Plane build thread

[Ededge2002]

OK OK the flight... ITS FAST! launch was a non event would have liked a little rudder but lol it was up up and away like nothing and started tracking straight in just a couple seconds. I could tell right off that it was stinking fast as at low power it was making up good ground. A couple clicks of up trim and a couple of right and it was solid. I did have it slightly nose heavy at 48mm. Prop wasn't folding when I cut the power and I need to work on the expo on the triple rates I set but very solid in straight lines. Took a lot of clicks of down to get the landing mode figured and it still balloons up too much for my liking when engaged. once settled into the landing mode though it slows like a dream with a nice sink rate. I don't know if I even flared much on the landing it came in so smooth and slid on the snow.

Very happy but a couple details to work on. Cant wait to fly it again!

Did I say its FAST?

[Papa]

I'm glad, it would have been a long trek to Buttonville!

Are you taking it to the Pilot's Meeting?

Jack.

[thehaze]

Congrats on the successful maiden! Any video of this event?

[piker]

Way to go, Ed!  And a good day for it too!

[Ededge2002]

If there was interest I could bring it to the meeting.

I did take a video but I used this app that has a fixed focal point and during the flight I received a text message causing my phone to crash. I have the video but have not been able to upload or transfer it out.

[sihinch]

If there's interest? If there's bloomin' interest?  I should say so!

YES! BRING IT!

[Ededge2002]

I fixed the video!  Play loud enough you can almost feel the speed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdxMQeXqOl4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[battlestu]

If there's interest? If there's bloomin' interest?  I should say so!

YES! BRING IT!

I would love to get a closer look at it

[Andy Hoffer]

Hi Ed:


So very sorry about the demise of your X-Plane yesterday.  It was a magnificent plane and your build was fantastic, to say nothing of the awesome skill with which you flew it.  Any idea what failed in flight?


Feel better soon.


Andy

[bfeist]

Hi Ed:


So very sorry about the demise of your X-Plane yesterday.  It was a magnificent plane and your build was fantastic, to say nothing of the awesome skill with which you flew it.  Any idea what failed in flight?

Noooo! What happened?

[Ededge2002]

Thanks Andy and yes Ben my X-Plane is a little more of an ex plane.

I've gone over everything and haven't found any solid reason for the crash. I was flying away from myself low and to the south at full speed. I climbed a little and did a roll then leveled off and intended to cut the power and climb under glide. The plane did what appeared to be a aileron/elevator snap roll followed by a brief pause then another.  It was beyond the south tree line already and I had a good line of sight and think I heard it hit the ground +300m away... When I found it it was stuck straight into the hard field to past the wing root.

I have two possible causes at this point:

I had both antennas pointing back in what was to be a 90° V but the wind and handling had them pointing almost straight back. My TX antenna was laying horizontal pointing to the right. So all antennas were pointed at each other and the lowest strength point. Also at the end of the field there is a six row electrical fence (not on fortunately) that may have caused some interference with the signal as I passed over it.  I did turn my TX toward the plane in an effort to reconnect and that may have been the pause before the second snap. The plane should have gone into fail safe though and I have tested the receiver and the fail safes are still set.

The second suspect is the castle 10 amp bec. There have been reports of them suddenly hanging up without warning and then returning to normal operation. 

The investigation continues.

[wollins]

Crap!  I feel for ya my friend. When you lose a mouldie like this it just sickens you on so many levels.  I guess a small consolation is that nobody got hurt. These "missiles" can do lethal damage if they get loose.

As you know, there was/is so much debate on the Xplane thread (and other high performance threads) about the best source for receiver power that there seems to be no general consensus as to which is the most reliable. 

Personally I've always relied on my Esc's internal Bec believe it or not in my high performance birds (Bandit, Scorpion, Wasp, Swist) and have never had an issue in that regard. However at the amp draws we're pulling these days I'm now leaning towards a separate receiver pack.  Another alternative I've researched is Scorpion's "Back Up Guard". (http://www.scorpionsystem.com/catalog/accessories/backup_guard/S_Backup_Guard/)  These options are a pain cause its one more thing that we have to stuff into an already cramped space but you do what you have to. 

Anyways, I know how much research and effort you put into this one (not to mention expense) and I hope your investigation as to the cause is successful.

Colin   

[pmackenzie]

A few of thoughts about this:

-I hate to ask, but is there any chance it was lost orientation? 300m is a long way out with a small model, up sun and down low.
Wouldn't take much to lose orientation for just a moment, with the inevitable result.
I have lost orientation flying DLG a lot closer when up-sun, and it takes a while and a clear head to stop moving the sticks while you figure out what way it is actually flying.
Something with a heavier loading like the X-plane would give you almost no chance to recover.

- Signal loss is a real possibility but that should have triggered your failsafe, not resulted in what sounds like a glitch.
2.4 installations are much more fussy than 72 ever was.
Most of the brands (including Futaba) now have telemetry systems available that could let you know if you are pushing your luck.

- I have read more threads about Castle BEC failures than the cheapo HK ones.
They are more sophisticated and controlled by micro-controllers, versus the simpler hardware types that HK sells.
But usually when they fail they send full battery voltage through and fry everything down stream.

- It could have been something as simple as a bad connector or cold solder joint, there are lots of single point failure modes in our models.


Pat MacKenzie

[Ededge2002]

Thanks for chiming in Pat and Colin!

I did a roll prior to the south fence line and the troubles started immediately after I leveled off from that.  I figure I was about 150m or so out at the start of the problem.  I was approaching the galvanized wire fence quickly and the troubles seemed to happen there.  As I throttled back and pulled up the plane pitched and responded very much like a elevator/aileron roll with a little bit of a long snap roll look to it.  This is all happening on the doorstep of 200mph so things happen very quickly.  I had enough time to physically turn myself and try to orient the TX antenna and achieve a better signal.  I am confident that it wasn't orientation as I could still see its direction and orientation when it went behind the trees.  I literally walked directly to the crash sight without having to search for it.  There IS the possibility that I just horsed the elevator going too fast and caused the snap roll.  I was far out and looking from the rear of the model it would have been impossible for me to gauge how hard of a pull it was.  I got off the sticks after the first out of control roll and got back on trying to avoid the ground.  Possibly that is the point where I saw it straighten out then snap again..  Pilot error COULD be to blame but it happened so fast and so far out that its very hard to tell.

So far my results are: loss of signal,  BEC failure or pilot error.  All of the above are my fault(imperfect antenna installation and TX antenna orientation, Trusted the CC-10bec that I had never heard of anyone having troubles with previously or flying beyond best sight angle to gauge the model.

[wollins]

Hey Ed, did you manage to at least salvage any of the gear or did you lose everything?

Colin