Experimental AirlinesPart 0 (a basic intro to the Armin Wing concept). A really quick and simple way to build an actual airfoil for an RC airplane wing. For a rectangular wing it's at least as easy to make and as strong as a KF airfoil and has the proven high-lift design approximating the "Clark-Y" airfoil used on many real and RC airplanes. Videos to follow will include improvements that take a little extra time but will make the wing more aerodynamic, water resistant, and have an integral control surface for flaps and ailerons. This is just the wing construction - overall airplane design is up to the builder!
Easy Foamboard Wing Airfoil: the Basic VersionExperimental Airlines2011-09-10 | Part 0 (a basic intro to the Armin Wing concept). A really quick and simple way to build an actual airfoil for an RC airplane wing. For a rectangular wing it's at least as easy to make and as strong as a KF airfoil and has the proven high-lift design approximating the "Clark-Y" airfoil used on many real and RC airplanes. Videos to follow will include improvements that take a little extra time but will make the wing more aerodynamic, water resistant, and have an integral control surface for flaps and ailerons. This is just the wing construction - overall airplane design is up to the builder!
Here is where I get my colored packing tape: http://www.tapebrothers.com/Colored-Carton-Sealing-Tapes-s/218.htmHomemade V Tail Pusher Aircraft for FPV Automatic Takeoff Settings & Demonstration iNAVExperimental Airlines2024-02-19 | ...Homemade FPV Plane w/ Super Flaps (STOL) - Flight Footage (AeroStuff FPV)Experimental Airlines2024-02-04 | Homemade FPV Plane w/ Super Flaps (STOL) - Flight Footage (AeroStuff FPV)Homemade Autonomous UAV (Photon Motorglider) Setup, Launch and FlightExperimental Airlines2024-01-19 | Homemade Autonomous UAV (Photon Motorglider) Setup, Launch and FlightHow to Install Strobe Lights for FPV Planes (Extremely Bright) - AeroStuff FPVExperimental Airlines2024-01-04 | How to Install Strobe Lights for FPV Planes (Extremely Bright) - AeroStuff FPVHow to build a V-Tail Aircraft for Long Range FPV - Silver EagleExperimental Airlines2023-09-04 | How to build a V Tail Aircraft for Long Range FPV & Autonomous MissionsHow to Build an FPV Racer in ONE DAYExperimental Airlines2023-08-19 | How to Build an FPV Racer in ONE DAYHomebuilt FPV Aircraft with STOL Flaps - Star Walker (AXON FPV)Experimental Airlines2023-08-05 | Homebuilt FPV Aircraft with STOL Flaps - Star Walker 1600+ (AXON FPV)H-Tail Pusher for Long Range FPV - Experimental Airlines StyleExperimental Airlines2023-07-22 | H-Tail Pusher for Long Range FPV - Experimental Airlines StyleHow to build a V-Tail for RC Planes - Experimental Airlines StyleExperimental Airlines2023-06-17 | How to build a V-Tail for RC Planes - Experimental Airlines StyleExperimental Airlines Style V-Tail FPV MotorgliderExperimental Airlines2023-05-16 | Experimental Airlines Style V-Tail Motorglider - OverviewExperimental Airlines Update 2023 (AeroStuff FPV)Experimental Airlines2023-04-27 | Experimental Airlines Update 2023 (AeroStuff FPV)DIY Tesla Tire RotationExperimental Airlines2019-08-22 | I try never to pay for something I can safely and effectively do myself. As long as I have the factory tires on my Model 3 I intend to rotate them at home for free. Here are some ideas how you might accomplish this yourself with one jack, one jack pad, and a used donut spare tire. No fancy or expensive jack/stand combos or multiple jacks. This method has been used previously for ICE car tire rotation where only one jack was available.
This method swaps front to back and side to side. There are several methods of tire rotation, and the default "Tesla way" does not switch sides. I subscribe to the idea that differential lateral loading and direction of drive rotation causes uneven wear to the lugs and siping of the tires. Rotating the tires so that each one will experience right and left side loading, and both directions of drive thrust, will result in the most even wear possible throughout the life span of the tires, possibly prolong the life slightly, and result in a better traction, however small improvement it may be.
It's just not that hard to rotate tires in this way and get the best result. Have a watch, see what you think.
If you plan on buying or leasing a Tesla I would be honored if you used my referral code: EDWARD93928Tesla M3 DIY Wind Tunnel Testing - Front End AerodynamicsExperimental Airlines2019-07-31 | Aerodynamic testing begins at 4:26.
A basic exploration of how the air flows against the surfaces of the front end of the Tesla Model 3. No fancy instrumentation, just a fun look at the streamlines, such as done with aircraft in wind tunnels.
If you plan on buying a Tesla I would be honored if you used my referral code: EDWARD93928
Music is thanks to: www.bensound.comBaby APD - portable FPV canard designExperimental Airlines2016-09-28 | The venerable Ansley Peace Drone scaled to 66%. Main wingspan 40", canard 20, length 21". This is designed to leverage new power-dense lithium ion batteries by reducing overall size and weight.
All up weight is 600g for LOS, expected to be 750g with FPV gear. Flight duration expected to be 30 minutes with 3.5aH 4s pack, compared with 50 minutes for the standard 60" wingspan APD with 10aH 3s pack and 2200g AUW.
No surprises in the design parameters and construction when compared with the full-size APD - it's just shrunken down! Still a joy to fly.WTF Plane Contest EntriesExperimental Airlines2016-07-30 | In the order received, here are the 9 entries to the Weird, Technological, and Futuristic plane contest. Judging will be performed by selected members of the scratchbuilding RC community and announced within 2 weeks. Winners receive $100 store credit from TapePlanet.com or Spektrum DX7 transmitter plus several receivers.ESC Brake - what it is, why to use it, how to activate itExperimental Airlines2016-06-08 | Tired of breaking propellers on belly landing airplanes? This is probably the solution you need.
Most modern fixed wing electronic speed controllers (ESCs) have the ability to actively slow and stop a propeller inflight by lowering the throttle to minimum setting. This ESC brake function must be turned on using one of several methods.
There is a great deal more force and likelihood of impact of a windmilling (spinning) propeller and therefore more chance of it breaking even on a normal belly landing.
This video discusses the basic physics of why this happens and how to activate your ESC brake.E.A. Workshop Tour, aka a lot of random RC crapExperimental Airlines2016-05-23 | This may be excruciatingly boring for most viewers but I figure I need to do one of these at some point in my RC life. This is an unabridged look at the place where I like to spend most of my free time building RC planes.CENTER OF GRAVITYExperimental Airlines2016-04-19 | What does Center Of Gravity mean and how to design your airplanes with understanding of this aerodynamic parameter. Also a discussion of aerodynamic center, center of pressure, and neutral point as they relate to the COG.
Flying wing CG calculator: http://fwcg.3dzone.dk/SCRATCHBUILDING CONTEST: WTF PLANEExperimental Airlines2016-04-01 | A foamboard scratchbuilding contest with prizes of $100 store credit from TapePlanet.com and a Spektrum DX7 transmitter. Video entries due by July 15, 2016. Make it weird!
Rules: 1. Electric powered motor 2. Folded foamboard "Armin Wing" 3. Folded foamboard fuselage tube (at least one section) 4. 2 takeoffs and 2 landings documented on video 5. Video deadline July 15, 2016
experimentalairlines@gmail.comWhat Is Dihedral? How Does It Work? When To Use It?Experimental Airlines2016-03-24 | A brief and basic description of how the dihedral effect works in airplanes. Useful in some situations and some airplanes, dihedral has some advantages and disadvantages. Having a simple understanding of the principle at work can help you build and operate a plane with dihedral or polyhedral.Noob Tube - Dihedral & Polyhedral WingsExperimental Airlines2016-03-11 | Here are some possible wing modifications which make the easy-to-build Noob Tube also much easier to fly.Foamboard Discus Launched GliderExperimental Airlines2016-02-28 | My first foray into DLGs, the scratchbuilt "Electron" is a 100g foamboard glider weighing 100g. The wing and tail surfaces are made of de-papered and taped ReadiBoard (aka Dollar Tree foamboard) affixed to a 6mm carbon fiber tube from Radical RC. The electronics are minimalist and not yet enclosed. The wing was provisionally mounted with 3M extreme mounting tape with the knowledge that I would crash, allowing the wing to pop off. I was aware that at some point it would detach upon launch, and it it did. After some strengthening it ought to be better able to withstand launching forces.Foamboard Spar/Former ExperimentExperimental Airlines2016-02-21 | This video analyzes the benefits and challenges of two different approaches to creating the foamboard member inside a folded-foamboard wing (Armin Wing) which serves as the structural spar as well as the former member for the upper wing camber.
The vertically oriented FliteTest style spar is tested in two versions. The traditional Armin Wing flat-laydown is compared.
Weight, deflection strength, failure strength, and crash failure modes are analyzed.ExperimentalAirlines Live StreamExperimental Airlines2016-02-06 | ...Carbon Fiber Tail BoomsExperimental Airlines2016-01-30 | Parts links below (valid 1/16):
After the first phase of making videos dialing in the basic construction techniques and offering a few designs I need help determining how I can best contribute to the foamboard scratchbuild community.
What do you want to build? What problems are you having? What ideas do you have? What limits do you want to push?
Let me know by posting your own videos and/or emailing me at experimentalairlines@gmail.comFrom the Arctic CircleExperimental Airlines2015-04-03 | On a business trip to Barrow, Alaska. No flying this time due to wind but hope to come back.10 Seconds From DisasterExperimental Airlines2015-03-24 | This is a twin-motor foamboard plane I built to try some long-duration flights. It would carry up to 30,000 mAh worth of battery (15 aH in each motor nacelle) and I estimate it would fly 1.5 hours, maybe 2 hours. The wing is 90" (three Armin wing sections, 9" chord) and the fuselage was 70" long. Control by APM and Dragonlink. FPV was 1.3GHz. Landing gear was fiberglass helicopter blades and foam wheels. It flew great....for a moment.
The main cause of error was my assumption that the plane was past that light pole, having launched my much-faster Ansley Peace Drone on this identical departure path 50+ times. By this time interval the APD would be well past and above the light poles and ready to circle around and put into a loiter until I could put on my FPV goggles. Too bad this time!RC Donkey - Details and DimensionsExperimental Airlines2015-02-20 | This video shows the main dimensions of the EA Donkey RC airplane design. It uses the standards building techniques of the Armin Wing and the foamboard fuselage tube, plus landing gear and cargo bay door. You can email me any additional questions at experimentalairlines@gmail.com
Here is a digital metal gear servo I like to use where good speed, acceptable torque, and reliability is important, especially for the elevator and ailerons. Many, many other good options do exist.
Motor
Any decent brushless motor that delivers 300w or better power is OK but this is the one I like. It has plenty of power, is reasonably efficient, and turns a manageable prop - not too big not too small.
Colored Packing Tape: http://www.tapebrothers.com/Colored-Carton-Sealing-Tapes-s/218.htmAPD main wingExperimental Airlines2015-01-31 | A detailed video on the construction of the Ansley Peace Drone rear, main wing. It is recommended that the builder have a good grasp on the Armin Wing building technique. With two 30" wings constructed in their basic form, the APD main wing can be constructed with a spar, elevons, and winglets.
The song is the Blood Groove and Kikis remix of "Holding Hands" by Nafis.Drone Candy Drop 2014Experimental Airlines2014-12-24 | Candy canes dropped by quadcopter to my son's first grade class. The flight was made autonomously from our house to the school a few blocks away. FPV video was used to monitor the flight and a spotter was present onsite and on the phone at all times. Prior permission was obtained from the school administration and the flight was practiced multiple times during the weekend.
Soundtrack is "SAturn 2014" by Steve Anderson, remixed by Shingo Nakamura. If you like trance and progressive you will love SAME Radio Show - two hours of fresh music every week. Find the podcast on iTunes. Buy the album here: www.samerecordings.com.
System Specifications:
H-frame quadcopter made from G10 Micarta 2mm, aluminum tubing motors - Turnigy NTM 900KV 2830 ESCs - Turnigy Afro Slim 20a flight controller - APM 2.5.2, Ardupilot from UAV Objects RC control - DragonLink v2 FPV camera - Pixim Seawolf CMOS VTx - 1.3GHz 400mW OSD - MinimOSD VRx - 1.3GHz ReadyMadeRCLiPo Parallel ConnectorsExperimental Airlines2014-07-10 | A brief description on some of the uses and advantages of using lipo battery packs in parallel and a complete tutorial on how to make XT60 parallel connectors for 2, 3, and 4 packs in parallel.
Disadvantages include increased weight and bulk of extra wire leads and connectors. Advantages include more flexibility on configuring pack layout inside aircraft, variable battery loads for each aircraft and each flight, and versatility of a single-size fleet pack used for a variety of applications.EA-Style Building with Depron by Andrew NewtonExperimental Airlines2014-06-25 | Andrew is a very skilled YouTube buddy of mine who has really refined the EA building techniques using Depron and made some excellent airplanes, with nice videos to match. Slope soaring at the beach is his specialty but he flies at the field as well. He has made noteworthy examples of several EA designs and many of his own.
Worth a look and a subscribe whether you build with Dollar Tree foamboard or Depron.
http://users.ncable.net.au/~anewton/DONKEY RC Cargo PlaneExperimental Airlines2014-06-14 | A long-overdue tricycle gear high wing single motor cargo plane. I hope this will be my all-rounder parkflyer, fun for dropping stuff but also just flying around, doing short takeoffs and touch-and-go's.
The 12oz can dropping idea was designed with the though that at some point I might as a novelty deliver beer for actual consumption. But I will probably transition to dropping water balloons for accuracy drops at the park.
There will be no plans or stepwise build video but I will make a detailed bench video of all of the construction techniques so a builder wishing to make a similar plane could get some ideas. The basic airframe is all EA foamboard techniques plus some basic balsa parts. The cargo bay and door and landing gear do add some complexity so I would recommend this for an intermediate builder and up.
Turnigy NTM Prop Drive 3536 1400KV motor "The Powerhouse". Note this 10x7 3-bladed prop generates enormous thrust for takeoff but it overprops this motor. Very conservative power settings must be used in flight to avoid overheating. A 10x5 2-bladed prop is a better choice for general use for this motor. http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__14342__NTM_Prop_Drive_Series_35_36A_1400Kv_550W.html
TapeBrothers OUTDOOR vinyl tape. This stuff is awesome. Be careful not to get the vinyl "marking tape". http://www.tapebrothers.com/Tape-Brothers-3-Mil-Colored-Outdoor-Vinyl-Tape-s/348.htmLiPo INTERNAL RESISTANCEExperimental Airlines2014-05-01 | Internal resistance is a very useful measurement of the health and quality of a lipo battery pack. Manufacturer-stated "maximum C discharge" ratings do not seem to have any uniform standard, and each battery's discharge rate at a given voltage will degrade over time anyway. Internal resistance is a preferable way of benchmarking a new battery pack as well as tracking its loss of performance over time, through normal use and unintentional abuse.
It must first be said that internal resistance measurement is highly sensitive to a number of variables such as the testing equipment and setup, pack capacity and cell count, temperature, and test load. Using a particular IR testing setup on a particular set of batteries to check their degradation over time is fairly accurate however be cautious about expecting accuracy between IR measurements of different battery sizes and with other users who may have different setups.
The absolute internal resistance for a given battery pack at a certain temperature with a certain test rig is a very reliable comparison when retested later. The per-cell normalized IR is a good but not perfect way to compare between packs of different cell counts. The 1C normalized IR is a very rough measure between packs of different capacities, but there is not a linear relation between C discharge rate and actual IR, so use this with caution.
All that is needed is the battery packs to be tested, a wattmeter, a calculator, and a test load. 12v halogen bulbs on a suitable base work well. I used a 100w (at 12v) test load to provide good resolution in the voltage drop measurement. It also approximates a low-to-medium draw RC powerplant, so I will know if a pack has a noticeable voltage drop at 100w, it is not fit for flying use!
Instead of using a calculator you may use the spreadsheet linked here to make all the computations for you. Download or save to your Google Drive.
For the test load it is only essential that there is some constant and safe means of resistance. 12v halogen bulbs singly or in parallel are a good option for testing 3S packs. These may also be used for 1S and 2S packs, though they will not deliver the rated wattage. The wattage is convenient to know but is absolutely not a crucial parameter. For a 4S pack a 12v bulb is probably OK, though a two bulbs in series would be safer. For a higher load connect four bulbs two series by two parallel. Use this arrangement for up to 6S. If you are using a higher cell count than that then you can probably afford a nice factory IR checker ;)Drone Parachute Candy Drop - flown with DragonLinkExperimental Airlines2013-12-27 | For Christmas and for my son's birthday shortly afterwards I designed a mission to be flown with my quadcopter to deliver a package of candy canes to his kindergarden class at the school three blocks away. The mission started at my house, proceeded following roads to the school, made a short pass overhead, dropped the candy, and returned home.
I maintained FPV (first person view) as well as line of sight contact with the copter and had the capability to retake control of it at any time using long range RC control. I had permission from the school and had a spotter on-site who was on the phone with me. I had programmed and tested this mission eight times prior to this so my confidence was high. This is a very reliable quadcopter with about 200 total flights and no mishaps.
This was just a fun event to add to the festivities of Christmas and a birthday. There are clearly countless more uses of UAVs and much more to be figured out as to rules and regulations as we go.
I should say that I personally prefer the term UAV or UAS, but I face the reality that the rest of the non-pilot world calls these drones, so I guess we'll have to live with it.SCRATCHBUILT SEAPLANE CONTEST WINNERSExperimental Airlines2013-10-25 | TapeBrothers.com grand prize $100
Here are the brave challengers for the seaplane scratchbuilding contest to make a foamboard plane that would operate off of water. There are 5 builders, 3 of whom successfully met the requirements with 4 planes among them.
The winners will receive:
Grand prize - $100 store credit with TapeBrothers.com A huge supply of amazing packing and other tape, essential for EA construction
Winners please PM me your address and email and I will get your prize to you ASAP.EA Seaplane Prototype - EXOCETExperimental Airlines2013-10-23 | Here is my seaplane creation to parallel the seaplane contest. I had some parts laying around and wanted to see what I could come up with. I started kind of late and only had time to test fly it from dry land and taxi test it in the pool, but did not have the opportunity to operate from water, which is a relatively large undertaking in Arizona.
It taxied well and flew pretty well, though I'll probably add some wingtip extensions. I might have considered de-papering some areas of the foamboard and taping directly to the foam to save weight. Although this reduces durability it would have helped save some weight.
The actual entries for the seaplane contest are in a separate video to follow very shortly.
The "official" Experimental Airlines seaplane for the core fleet will likely be a blend of the better ideas from among the Exocet and the other airplanes you will see.
In the video thumbnail you will see Armin doing what 5-year-olds do - being a goofball.ANSLEY PEACE DRONE - FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTIONExperimental Airlines2013-10-03 | Here are the step by step instructions for constructing the Ansley Peace Drone fuselage from tape pre-covered foamboard. Different options for wing mounting and motor mount block are discussed. Please see previous videos for more details on the plane overall. Future videos will include wing and canard construction, electronics, and final setup.
1 wing tiedown mounts 2 hatches 3 internal reinforcement 4 tapering rear fuselage 5 motor block 6 insert wing tiedowns 7 motor mount 8 install lower hatch 9 install reinforcing bulkheads 10 final closing adjustment3DR Y6 MULTICOPTER, PAPAGO PARK BUTTES FPVExperimental Airlines2013-09-26 | Some video experimentation with my 3D Robotics Y6 multicopter, flying around the southeastern butte in Papago Park, Phoenix, Arizona, fall 2013.
The buttes are comprised of reddish sedimentary mudstone with a variety of embedded rocks. The video was shot just after sunrise using the low-angle incident light to accentuate the shadows and contours of the butte. Also some video of local flora and of the pilot operator.
The aircraft is a 6-motor multicopter, the 3D Robotics Y6, using the APM autopilot computer, and flown variously in stabilized, altitude hold, and loiter modes. The camera is a GoPro Hero2 at 1080p, 30 fps, medium field of view. Stabilizer is an RCTimer brushless gimbal using Martinez control board.
SONG: "TEARS" BY DARREN TATE
SUBSCRIBE TO SAME RADIO SHOW: http://sameradioshow.comEA HQ & CAMP, Black Rock City, Burning Man 2013Experimental Airlines2013-09-18 | Here is a quick tour around my camp spot at Burning Man 2013, a little video of me flying my 3D Robotics Y6 hexacopter, and a quick taste of some aerial video.
I camped out alone, inside my pickup truck, but surrounded by many friendly and interesting neighbors. I actually went pretty minimalist from a camping standpoint with but one bin of clothes, one bin of food, a sleeping bag, and therma-rests. But with me came 3 bins and 2 cases of RC gear, 3 planes, and 2 multicopters. Most of this was not used. I am most proud of the fact that I received the Y6 copter, Turnigy 9XR, Dragonlink, and RCTimer brushless gimbal all within one week of departing for the event and miraculously managed to get it all working in time for the video that I did get.
To travel light and save time, I subsisted on plenty of ramen, Clif bars, and beer, plus the generosity of neighbors for the occasional hot meal.
The Black Rock Desert playa is a brutally hot and dusty place, difficult to stay cool and impossible to stay clean. Yes, you will see me wearing a sarong, in the style of a bath towel, as it is cool, stays clean, is good as a lens cloth, and well - you can wear a sarong at Burning Man and nobody will look twice at you.SEAPLANE SCRATCHBUILDING CONTEST NEWSExperimental Airlines2013-09-17 | Important note on the seaplane contest - YouTube has eliminated the "video response" function that I originally specified as the means of entering the contest. Instead, please send me a PM through YouTube including the URL to your video. I will respond to your PM confirming receipt. If you do not get a response don't assume I received it, so send again.
If you previously created a video response, please resend your video by PM.
As always I will compile excerpts of each entry into a "final entries" video, then will announce the winners soon thereafter.
This is my aerial perspective of some of the more interesting parts of Black Rock City 2013 from three radio-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles I operated each morning from Monday to Saturday. I used a fixed-wing foamboard plane, a quadcopter, and a Y6 hexacopter. All video taken with a GoPro Hero 2. The aircraft were controlled via FPV (first person view) with video transmitted back from the aircraft to video goggles.
I did not bring any trinkets, stickers, or gifts to Burning Man this year but I hope this video will remain as a small keepsake and memoir for other burners who can watch again as time goes by. There were too many amazing moments and people for me to remember but some of my favorite people and places are featured and noted in the video. Thank you for making my experience what it was, in the unique way that you did.
All of my video is open and free and encouraged for non-commercial uses. Send me a note if you use it so I can also enjoy your work. If you need raw video send me a PM and I will direct you to a download site.
If you like trance and progressive please check out the most excellent 2-hour weekly SAME Radio Show with Steve Anderson. It is all fresh, amazing, and free! Find the podcast at iTunes or visit: http://www.sameradioshow.com
Sunlight Project - I hope it's cool I used your song, which I heard on SAME Radio. It hit me as the perfect tune as I drove away from Burning Man. Many, many thanks for this beautiful and fitting piece.
BURNING MAN:
This was my fourth time at Burning Man and it gets no easier to describe each time. It is a weeklong temporary city of about 60,000+ participants (in 2013) who are all self-reliant and well-equipped to camp out in this most harsh, hot, dusty, dry lakebed but also interconnected and interdependent in a way that is really unique, tangible, but impossible to define. Foremost, it is unmistakably a huge party. There is a very large element of art of every medium and concept, plenty of music, and people generally doing the creative thing that they love to do, freely and for the enjoyment of the city, from cooking bacon to hula hooping to building amazing art cars to flying UAVs. Nothing is for sale but ice and coffee. Aside from that, Black Rock City is like capitalism in reverse. Rather than exploiting each other or looking for ways to optimize income and consumption, most BRC citizens go out of their way to give to you, to help you, to provide for your existence and your feelings in a true and meaningful way.
FPV (First Person View) and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles):
FPV is a method of operating a radio-controlled aircraft (fixed wing or helicopter) by using a camera mounted on the aircraft which transmits a live video stream back to the pilot via a small video transmitter. The video is received a the "ground station" and viewed through video goggles or an LCD monitor. This gives the sensation of being in the cockpit when flying the craft. My aircraft were a 48" wingspan foamboard creation of my own design I call the "Synapse" with a 20 minute duration, a four-rotor "quadcopter" with 9 minute duration, and a six-rotor "Y6 copter" with a 6 minute duration. Each uses a GoPro to record 1080p hi-definition video. The Y6 has an additional camera which serves as the FPV camera, whereas the other two use the GoPro for this purpose. All use lithium polymer batteries (LiPo) for power and I used 100% solar power to charge them at Black Rock City. I use the DragonLink 433MHz UHF long-range control system which about 5 miles of safe, reliable control. I never flew more than 1 mile away at BRC. The multicopters are equipped with the APM Autopilot which stabilizes flight and will return them autonomously to their launch point in case of lost video or radio control. In compliance with requirements this year my craft were registered with Media Mecca and I wore a Media pass each flight. I flew only during daylight over open playa and never at night or over crowds. Some other operators unfortunately chose to fly at night over crowds, much to my dismay. We pilots prefer the term "UAV" though many people call them "drones".
TECHNICAL:
DragonLink UHF for long-range control GoPro Hero 2 at 1080p, medium field-of-view LiPo battery power of 2200mAh or 4500mAh, charged by solar power onsite 1258MHz FPV video link 5.8GHz ground station repeater to FatShark video goggles flight times are reduced at Burning Man due to high density altitude of about 7000' by 10amCOBRA HD FPV CAMERA by Boscam, from HobbyKingExperimental Airlines2013-08-19 | Here is an FPV camera with onboard recording function, manufactured by Boscam and sent to me by HobbyKing for review. The price and release date were not given.
In summary, this camera has surprisingly excellent standard definition FPV feed (via Boscam 5.8GHz gear), very good onboard HD recording, simple and adequate controls, and a sketchy ribbon cable harness for connecting the camera head to the recorder module.
I foresee this camera best being used for applications where the recorder module could be buried flush and the camera head mounted at the leading edge of the wing, particularly a flying wing design. I would be very uneasy subjecting the ribbon cable to any regular pan, tilt, or other motion.
Given the variety of all-in-one onboard recording FPV cameras available, including one by Boscam, I could see this one having some trouble catching on.FOAMBOARD FUSELAGE TUBESExperimental Airlines2013-08-14 | Here is an easy way to make inexpensive, light, durable fuselage tubes from Dollar Tree (Readi-Board) foamboard, Depron, or any light light foamboard where the paper can be easily removed.
This is an updated version of this technique with some variations you can consider for your builds, including embossing (depressing) the inside corners instead of removing the paper from the foamboard, and some additional adhesive choices.
The tubes are typically used for fuselage construction but can be used for motor nacelles, power pods, FPV "backpacks", pontoons, biplane wing joiners, couplers, etc.
Construction requires foamboard, packing tape (aka: carton/box/shipping tape), and an adhesive to join the tube. White Gorilla Glue and 3M 77 spray adhesive are favorites, though hot glue or CA will work.
Depron users: Please see WayneRC on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/wbw40 He is a pioneer in using Depron for this building technique.MAKER HANGAR - Start-To-Finish RC Scratchbuilding SeriesExperimental Airlines2013-08-08 | Where Experimental Airlines leaves off in plans and details on RC electronics, Maker Hangar picks up. This is a good introduction and step-by-step guide into the RC scratchbuilding and flying sport. I think this will be especially good for beginners who need more explanation of what's what in an RC plane and for guys who prefer to build from printed plans rather than the modular free-form EA design philosophy. Check it out and use the best of both!
MAKE MAGAZINE YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/makemagazineLiPo BREAK IN, plus Turnigy charger efficiency and accuracy testingExperimental Airlines2013-08-03 | Here is the first part of my case-control study for breaking in LiPo battery packs. I take 5 Turnigy NanoTech 2200mAh packs and break them in by charging and discharging at 1C for 3 cycles, then charging and discharging at 2C for 2 cycles. Another 5 identical battery packs will be charged fully and used immediately without breaking in.
After randomly using these 10 packs for general use among my fleet for 100 cycles each I will assess the internal resistance of each pack as well as monitor for any failures or deviation from normal service.
In breaking in these packs I also test a method of using one pack to charge another while discharging itself, plus measuring the efficiency of mAh in vs. mAh out for this charger, and the relative accuracy of the charger vs. the power meter.
Stay tuned for the future video where I will re-evaluate these 10 packs to see if breaking in makes any difference in internal resistance.