Just thought I would do a build, trim and fly log on my Ritewing Drak.
I've been a fan of Ritewing airframes and have had the Z2, Z3 and now the Drak, looking at the spec it will be a very capable airframe and is a natural progression on his previous design's.
Chris Kick listens and reads the forums and takes note of what people want from an airframe, lets see what his latest efforts has come up with.
The build spec
Cyclops Tornado then Eagle Tree Vector
RVOSD anti vib mount
ImmersionRC 2.4GHz VTX, 5.8GHz VTX
ImmersionRC Tiny telemetry
EZUHF RX
Fatshark 900TVL camera
Fatshark pan & tilt
6 Zippy 5s 20c 4000mAh lipo's
Ritewing SS motor
Ritewing ESC
Ritewing Dig servo's
Ritewing Elevons balsa
Ritewing lam
Ritewing tray bases
Ritewing Black corex fin set (red was supplied and will keep as pattern)
12v ubec
5v ubec
Tuned 433 diepole
Tuned 2.4GHz LHCP antenna
Tuned 5.8GHz RHCP antenna
X2 Mobius camera's
3 tubes of marine Goop (UV)
Gorilla glue
White set
PLASTIDIP Black
Solarfilm Black
Solar trim Black/orange
Covering TBA
1 platelet of Tetley tea bags
1 Shipping container of family circle biscuits
2 weeks all-inclusive holiday to bribe the domestic goddess to keep out of the study.
A few pic's and thoughts before I start.
The fuss is EPP with a massive battery bay, I'm putting in x2 5s 4000mAh lipo's, which Chris says will fly this for about 40mins, on past experience you can sneak more battery in Chris's design's as he likes them fast and nibble. I just want an easy to launch airframe that will stay aloft for an hour +, the idea is to sneak another pack in as long as the CG is OK and it doesn't affect the handling too much (if it does I can remove). Chris will hate me for messin with his set-up lol, bless him.
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4521_zpsy2jvxmmt.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4521_zpsy2jvxmmt.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4529_zpsy4vjahxo.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4529_zpsy4vjahxo.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4532_zpsljjp0dyt.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4532_zpsljjp0dyt.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4530_zpsw6r3zeab.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4530_zpsw6r3zeab.jpg.html)
SS motor
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4534_zps7omc0rbp.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4534_zps7omc0rbp.jpg.html)
The quality is really good and Chris has an eye for the small details like premoulded intakes for cooling on the VTX bays etc and the really good fasteners he supplies.
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4531_zpsdskfisu7.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4531_zpsdskfisu7.jpg.html)
Just as a comparison I took some pic's of the Drak next to the Z3 Spade, you can see the progression in his designs and the size difference as well.
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4524_zpsdvvojmlo.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4524_zpsdvvojmlo.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4525_zpsysgggxvv.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4525_zpsysgggxvv.jpg.html)
Let the fun begin...
This afternoons progress was to sand all the shiny surfaces that needed gooping and cut/fit the main spar's with hot glue to position and then goop to secure (cure for 24hrs)
After hot melt, checked wing position ready for gooping, the fit so far is spot on!
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45381_zpsp8doiojm.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45381_zpsp8doiojm.jpg.html)
That is looking like a really nice aeroplane. Can't wait to see it fly. Looks like it will go supersonic!!
Nice! I'm hopefully starting mine this week too. Put of interest where did you get your tiny telemetry unit from? I'm struggling to find one!
Think I'm going with a Vector FC in mine...
Two 5s 4000's and it will only fly for forty minutes yikes! :)
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Really nice looking craft, but far to much ££ for me I'm afraid.
God luck with the build.
Cheers, Mark
Quote from: Andy Sayle on January 24, 2016, 08:38:00 PM
Nice! I'm hopefully starting mine this week too. Put of interest where did you get your tiny telemetry unit from? I'm struggling to find one!
Hey Andy, when you start your Drak post some pic's, always interesting watching a build. Just had a look for a Tiny telemetry and you are correct, they are a bit thin on the ground, got mine from BYOD or Firstpersonview and they are both out. Have brought one from a French FPV shop last time they were out in the UK, can't find the name yet, working on it and will PM you.
DP106, sure you could get an hour but not how I like to fly "Need more Amps Scotty" hehehehehe, this airframe is all about Cloud surfing and mountain bombing and that just takes Amps. Hope to see you this yr matey at a meet or two, not seen ya since Socktra!
Western, they are a bit on the pricey side so do what I did and get the wifey to buy it for Christmas, sure she buys me them so she can have a bit of quiet and the TV remote ;-)
No I really must try and make the effort to get to a Mad Dogs this year especially as the Spocktra Boys have gone rather quiet.
I'd love a Drak but just not sure its worth investing in, not sure on the future of FPV with so much scare mungering over Drones. I've got some 1.3 gear now so hoping that will enable me to fly lower and in my head be safer as in less likely to encounter something full size. My latest FPV ship is a Skywalker X1. The Drak could probably transport it for me before flying it back :-D
Quote from: mutley2 on January 24, 2016, 10:13:03 PM
Western, they are a bit on the pricey side so do what I did and get the wifey to buy it for Christmas, sure she buys me them so she can have a bit of quiet and the TV remote ;-)
Wife paid for my Hornet, and I'm happy with that, so I can't complain.
Keep the update coming.
Quote from: dp106 on January 24, 2016, 10:20:34 PM
No I really must try and make the effort to get to a Mad Dogs this year especially as the Spocktra Boys have gone rather quiet.
Looks like there will be a number of meets in Herefordshire this yr if things go to plan, and some field trips, will keep you in the loop mate.
That would be cool cheers :D
Looks awesome, nice to see the comparison between the Z3 and this, really is a bigger brother! Those batteries look completely lost in that bay as well! :)
What are the camera mounting options on this? Is it another bolt on bracket type arrangement? Am I seeing right that you are using 5.8 and 2.4GHz VTx's? Whats the plan there?
Quote from: mutley2 on January 24, 2016, 10:13:03 PM
Hey Andy, when you start your Drak post some pic's, always interesting watching a build. Just had a look for a Tiny telemetry and you are correct, they are a bit thin on the ground, got mine from BYOD or Firstpersonview and they are both out. Have brought one from a French FPV shop last time they were out in the UK, can't find the name yet, working on it and will PM you.
Ha ha, It's operation "tidy the workbench" before I can start the build, but yeah, I'll do a few pictures and stuff. I'm still trying to decide on a colour scheme. I'm thinking bright green, black and the base silver foam. I do a fair bit of LOS flying, as well as FPV, so habving a highly visible scheme is a must for me (even though the camo you use looks ace!) Then again, I might go down the route of lam, and printed vinyl. I've never done laminating around compound curves like on the fuselage/wing root area on the drak though, so we shall see...
Cheers for the links too ;)
Andy
Quote from: Andy Sayle on January 25, 2016, 11:30:41 AM
Then again, I might go down the route of lam, and printed vinyl. I've never done laminating around compound curves like on the fuselage/wing root area on the drak though, so we shall see...
Chris is not keen on printed vinyl which is my covering for the last two builds, might tone it down and I thought that I would not lam the whole fuss but just the high impact area's, not up to that stage yet so its work in progress.
Quote from: iwan_canobi on January 25, 2016, 11:27:14 AM
Am I seeing right that you are using 5.8 and 2.4GHz VTx's? Whats the plan there?
Yep have a left field idea of making this a "Two seater" fixed cam for flying and another independent cam with pan and tilt, this is something I'm toying with and is all down to flying and weight tests.
Quote from: mutley2 on January 25, 2016, 11:42:49 AM
Chris is not keen on printed vinyl which is my covering for the last two builds, might tone it down and I thought that I would not lam the whole fuss but just the high impact area's, not up to that stage yet so its work in progress.
Yep have a left field idea of making this a "Two seater" fixed cam for flying and another independent cam with pan and tilt, this is something I'm toying with and is all down to flying and weight tests.
How come he isn't keen on the vinyl? Added weight? I like the sound of that actually, nice idea! How would you control the pan and tilt though without someone else having hands on the same Tx?
I do not mind the thinner printed vinyl , just get good quality. The CF imitation type I do not like its heavy and seems to just get hot and delam after some use and time in the sun
Quote from: Ritewing on January 25, 2016, 04:26:45 PM
some use and time in the sun
You've not been to the UK then Chris lol, we don't really worry about too much sun over here hehehehe
iwan_canobi Will connect both to my ground station and TX for Pan and Tilt, tis just one of those idea's that's been bouncing round after wifey wanted to see one flight.
Quote from: mutley2 on January 25, 2016, 08:17:31 PM
You've not been to the UK then Chris lol, we don't really worry about too much sun over here hehehehe
iwan_canobi Will connect both to my ground station and TX for Pan and Tilt, tis just one of those idea's that's been bouncing round after wifey wanted to see one flight.
You could connect your passengers goggles to your tx (if they have a head tracker) and they could control where they look ;D
That's the idea, they could do as they please and I would just pilot the Drak.
Ah ok, I see! That makes sense, I hadn't thought of the head tracker output! That would be awesome if you get that working!
Up date,
This week I've been prepping and gluing the EPP for the wing spars, capping's, fibre rods and ally motor mount in the fuss.
None of this is difficult it's just Goop takes 24hrs to cure and it's a little smelly/toxic, you need a well vented room to continue working which I don't. So it was a matter of using the hot melt to tack in spars/rods then Gorilla Glue/white-set mix and Goop, if you test fit every thing and prep all you need to glue then there's no drama but you don't have time to answer the phone or go for a brew.
Spar's are
Hot melt
Gorilla glue mixed with white set
Goop
Hot melt
Hot melt to hold the EPP capping in and stop the Gorilla glue pushing out the capping
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4544_zpsgmw4jjaa.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4544_zpsgmw4jjaa.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45491_zpstznmkf73.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45491_zpstznmkf73.jpg.html)
Wings are more of the same
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4541_zpsdcopjxeu.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4541_zpsdcopjxeu.jpg.html)
Motor mount, spars and fibre rods in place, tis coming along :-)
A set of FatSharks to show the size of that battery bay, almost sure both ends of this bay are on GMT hehehehe
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45501_zpsw6gbivsp.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45501_zpsw6gbivsp.jpg.html)
You can buy 3.7fl oz tubes of Goop Marine of Ebays for about £10 but you will need 2-3 of these, or you can buy this tube for about £13 which is all you need, no-brainer!
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4547_zps91fp90en.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4547_zps91fp90en.jpg.html)
Looking great so far
I'm surprised by the lack of build threads and videos out at the moment.
Why do the big players ignore Ritewing? Flitetest have never even mentioned them for example which seems a bit unfair.
Anyway looking forward to the build- and it's nice to see a 6s setup!
Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on January 28, 2016, 10:53:04 PM
Why do the big players ignore Ritewing? Flitetest have never even mentioned them for example which seems a bit unfair.
name some other so called "big players" please... just so I know who exactly you're talking about.
Also... Flitetest is now openly a commercial enterprise, they will review/fly/feature whatever will bring THEM the most revenue. This is why they mostly go on about their own foam board aircraft, or whatever horizon hobby PAY them to review.
---------
back on topic.... I really like the look of this Drak.... come on PPI claim... I need you :) lol
I've been banned from using Goop in the house. Apparently it stinks. with a rather strong adjective or two in that sentence that I've omitted too. This was in an attached garage with the door shut. Think I might need to bring forward the fume extractor hood contraption plan forward a bit...
So what exactly is goop? What does it smell of? Is it silicon based? Salt and vinegar smell?
What's the record for consecutive questions asked?
/steve
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Its a rubbery type adhesive, with a strongly solvent smelling base. The solvent evaporates, and leaves a bloody strong join behind, that sticks really well to epp/glass/carbon etc. I think the smell is naptha. I might be wrong though... I quite like it, but then it does tend to make you go a bit light headed if used in a garage with the doors shut...
and 7. I think.
Andy
Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on January 28, 2016, 10:53:04 PM
and it's nice to see a 6s setup!
Hey Billy, I'm running the stock Ritewing setup, this a 5s setup with a custom motor which is a real jewel, batteries were a pig to find in the UK.
Guys, I'm following a build log by Chris that covers every part of the build, sure you will see a lot more of these around this summer.
Hey guys, starting to think of camera's, flight is a Fatshark but the Vid cam was going to be a Mobius V3, used this and it's good but wondered if the Runcam 2 HD would be a better choice? Using the Runcam as a flight camera it's not supposed to be great but as a straight Vid cam it handles light change better than the Mobius, any one had both a Mobius and a Runcam 2 and have a view they would like to share???
Cheers
David
Mobius v Runcam is a pretty close call. If you already have one, the difference isn't worth buying the other one !
Quote from: wgt40w on January 30, 2016, 08:28:45 PM
Mobius v Runcam is a pretty close call. If you already have one, the difference isn't worth buying the other one !
I agree, if you have neither... I'd go for the runcam 2 simply for the 1080p @ 60fps
I have always considered the mobius to be one of the most over rated cameras out there. 2-3 years ago when it came out it was great. And On a bright sunny day it's still pretty good.
But I have always found the low light performance very poor, and if facingeven a vaguely low sun the quality is shocking. I have had several and they all seem to suffer from this.
My xaiomi Yi is significantly better.
I have recently acquired a Foxeer legend, which appears to be a very modern mobius competitor- if I get around to it I will do a quick flight with them both and compare the two. But regardless, on a wing the quality of the Drak, my money would be on the Yi or the Legend. Probably the Yi given its been out for a bit and is well known and supported now.
I hear what you are saying about the low light problems with the Mobius, my only other camera at the moment is a Gopro Black.
The thought of putting that on an untested airframe gives me the shivers, this is why I thought of the Run cam 2 as a more modern camera that would deal with our cloudy days better!
I have both, the runcam image quality is much, much better than the möbius in my opinion, and it does 60fps. It still suffers a bit from bright sky/dark ground but I think they will improve this with firmware updates, it's still early days. That being said there are rumours of a Runcam HD2s coming out in April or something, which has some improvements apparently, a new sensor I think. I'll be pretty annoyed to be honest if that does happen since they only just released the HD2 but it might be worth holding off to see what happens there.
What is the mounting options for the Drak?
Quote from: mutley2 on January 31, 2016, 12:10:14 AM
I hear what you are saying about the low light problems with the Mobius, my only other camera at the moment is a Gopro Black.
The thought of putting that on an untested airframe gives me the shivers, this is why I thought of the Run cam 2 as a more modern camera that would deal with our cloudy days better!
Sounds like the runcam is the way to go then :)
Nothing to stop you making a gopro mount for the Drak and Maidening it without the camera in there. I use 1 & 2p coins for weight so when I have it dialled in, I can put the gopro in and not worry about a change of CG.
Guess it depends on how risky and aggressive you fly but if any plane deserves a gopro, it's probably the Drak......
Have fitted the nose with the Fatshark and Mobius V3, this is most likely be a temp until I decide which camera to go with, as it stands the contenders are
Mobius V3
Runcam 2
Foxeer legend 1
Have heard that the Foxeer can be switched on/off with a servo out-put, that is a step in the right direction for FPV in my book but not sure what the camera footage is like yet, research is needed on this. The Mobius has the smallest foot-print so I can mod the Drak to suit what I end up choosing.
The pic's, the front is very aerodynamic and looks kinda funky as well IMo
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45561_zpsqrf0lzzl.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45561_zpsqrf0lzzl.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45581_zpsbeqlmh5z.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45581_zpsbeqlmh5z.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45601_zpsnn55z27n.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45601_zpsnn55z27n.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45591_zpsgz7wn0sw.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45591_zpsgz7wn0sw.jpg.html)
Looks neat with that plastic sheath (from ritewing?), but do you have to take it on and off to start and stop the camera?
Nice!
Quote from: Stellaship on January 31, 2016, 07:11:40 PM
Looks neat with that plastic sheath (from ritewing?), but do you have to take it on and off to start and stop the camera?
Nope, will make some holes in the cover for start/stop and cooling, work in progress, ordered this at the same time as the airframe. The thumb screws will be turned down as I think they are too big. On to do list...
Stellaship
With all this streamlining I might keep up with your wing!
D'oh, holes of course!
I reckon I'll be the one struggling to keep up.
looks like the mobius would get very warm under that cover.
What wingspan is the Drak?
Quote from: BlueFlyer on January 31, 2016, 08:58:41 PM
looks like the mobius would get very warm under that cover.
I thought that, but there is a gap and the hole at the front will allow air to pass over the heat sink, will just have to see.
Quote from: AdamG on January 31, 2016, 11:06:50 PM
What wingspan is the Drak?
I think it's 62" in old money, much bigger than the Z3 and Z2, tis a beasties!
Team legit just released a video of Chris flying a mini drak. It looks well cool.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: stevec on February 01, 2016, 12:08:09 AM
Team legit just released a video of Chris flying a mini drak. It looks well cool.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If it's moulded out of EPP then I will get one, that vid showed it going like a rocket, another along with the MTD on my wish list lol.
Before you go shelling out for a new camera, take a look at this
http://youtu.be/h0TZ8xsLSAY
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on January 30, 2016, 09:51:15 PM
I have always considered the mobius to be one of the most over rated cameras out there. 2-3 years ago when it came out it was great. And On a bright sunny day it's still pretty good.
2-3 years ago it was significantly better than anything else out there at its price point - it was a game changer. The fact that people still buy them and use them regularly even now should tell you how good they actually are for the price you pay.
Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on January 30, 2016, 09:51:15 PM
But I have always found the low light performance very poor, and if facingeven a vaguely low sun the quality is shocking. I have had several and they all seem to suffer from this.
To be honest it's a fifty quid camera with Chinese optics. But if it is that bad why did you buy several of them?
Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on January 30, 2016, 09:51:15 PM
My xaiomi Yi is significantly better.
What, a camera that has only recently come out? I should hope so, what with the technological advances that have happened in 3 years.
Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on January 30, 2016, 09:51:15 PM
I have recently acquired a Foxeer legend, which appears to be a very modern mobius competitor- if I get around to it I will do a quick flight with them both and compare the two. But regardless, on a wing the quality of the Drak, my money would be on the Yi or the Legend. Probably the Yi given its been out for a bit and is well known and supported now.
I don't think the Foxeer is a Mobius competitor. The mobius is old tech (like you say, it's been out for 3 years now). Maybe they share the same marketplace but I don't think it's fair to say they're competitors any more than the most recent Ford Focus competes with a 2000 model.
The Drak kit is $370 inc P&P from RMRC. Is there a better place to buy this?
You can get it inside the eu from here http://www.fpv24.com/en/ritewing/ritwing-drak-vororder-8324?c=2496 (http://www.fpv24.com/en/ritewing/ritwing-drak-vororder-8324?c=2496)
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
The Foxeer is looking a lead contender at the mo because of the ability to operate via a servo out put, the Yi I'm sure is a great camera but just the wrong shape for the front of the Drak, people will fit Gopro's & Yi 's but I like the clean look that a Mobius/Foxeer give the Drak.
Quote from: AdamG on February 01, 2016, 11:30:42 AM
The Drak kit is $370 inc P&P from RMRC. Is there a better place to buy this?
Sorry fella but I pre-ordered mine last yr and have not kept track on who is selling, I did hear that Ritewing weren't selling direct but that might have changed, get one Adam cos they are soo funky
Cheers guys. Looks like RMRC is probably the best price (subject to import tax).
I'd really want one, but i really don't have anywhere to store it at the moment... and its not small :P My dad is looking to buy one though. He keeps being close to buy one, went to checkout today on RMRC and then saw the $71 for uninsured postage.
This will probably be one of my first purchases when I move back to England.
I was stung for import duty on my last order from rmrc so be prepared. What's really annoying is the admin fee they add on top
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Scratchbuild it is then!
$370 kit only is :o Plus postage + import duty + leccy bits? Is it really much better than something off HobbyKing to justify that price tag?/ I mean I know the guy has to earn a living and pay for the moulds etc but there's a point where, great as it is, the economics just don't make sense.
Get a flyingwings Venturi and glue the wings on backwards, job done surely ;D
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Well my dad went ahead and ordered one from RMRC with a load of the extras like the motor ESC combo. Very expensive! For my dad the cost isn't really an issue... for me it is an issue... and now i know the actual cost i'd really have to think hard before buying one. :-[
I was kinda lucky cos I didn't get stung for import which would have been more than just a kit because I ordered the motor, esc etc.
Is it worth the money, hell yes heheheheheehe voomvooomvoom
Quote from: mutley2 on February 01, 2016, 02:31:47 PM
I was kinda lucky cos I didn't get stung for import which would have been more than just a kit because I ordered the motor, esc etc.
Is it worth the money, hell yes heheheheheehe voomvooomvoom
Jammy git :-) I only bought a 1.3 module and vtx from rmrc and got fleeced for almost £20 extra
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Here is a few pix for my Brit Drak Masters.
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk
Quote from: Ritewing on February 01, 2016, 05:42:10 PM
Here is a few pix for my Brit Drak Masters.
Cheers Chris, Have you tried a Foxeer on the Drak yet? Was thinking of the servo switching on/off as a major plus as long as the footage was good as well.
Quote from: Steve W on February 01, 2016, 10:03:41 AM
2-3 years ago it was significantly better than anything else out there at its price point - it was a game changer. The fact that people still buy them and use them regularly even now should tell you how good they actually are for the price you pay.
You're getting confused Steve. You're arguing about how good a cam the Mobius *was*. This is not in question. The OP was asking, in todays market, how the Mobius compares to other cameras- such as the runcam 2.
And the reason people still use them now is that the direct competitors- such as the Foxeer and Runcam- are far less well known.
Quote from: Steve W on February 01, 2016, 10:03:41 AM
To be honest it's a fifty quid camera with Chinese optics. But if it is that bad why did you buy several of them?
Glad you're being honest. They are all cheap cameras with Chinese optics. I have owned 3 or 4- 1 of each generation I believe as I have been buying them since they first came out. I smashed at least 2 in various crashes. I still have one, a V3. Everyone said how great the V3 was and many of its disadvantages were minimised- so I bought a V3 hoping to run it as an fpv cam. They were wrong. It still was just as bad in low light or facing a sun. Ruins the experience in such conditions for me.
Quote from: Steve W on February 01, 2016, 10:03:41 AM
What, a camera that has only recently come out? I should hope so, what with the technological advances that have happened in 3 years.
As I said above- how good it was 3 years ago is not the subject of discussion. This is about how it's performing against newer competitors (although the Xaomi Yi is a year old now).
Quote from: Steve W on February 01, 2016, 10:03:41 AM
I don't think the Foxeer is a Mobius competitor. The mobius is old tech (like you say, it's been out for 3 years now). Maybe they share the same marketplace but I don't think it's fair to say they're competitors any more than the most recent Ford Focus competes with a 2000 model.
The foxeer is demonstrably one of the mobius' biggest competitor. They have the same form factor and are aimed at the hobby market. There's a small $17 price difference between the two on surveilzone. They are direct competitors. As is the runcam- although I believe that's a bit more expensive again.
Your Ford analogy is a poor one. If a Mobius is a Focus- it's a focus designed in 2012 and released in 2013. As we have both said- it was a market leader at the time and competed with Jaguar's best offering (the GoPro, if you're still following the analogy). Only problem was, when driving into a low sun, or at sunset, the Focus broke down instantly and wouldn't drive again until full daylight. The only solution was for Focus users to drive East in the early evening- somewhat inconvenient if they wanted to go West......
Then, in early 2015, Land Rover have come along and released a new product, the land rover legend, into an unknown market, designed in late 2014 and released in late 2015 . The LandRoverLegend pisses all over the Focus- which isn't surprising given it's newer. Best of all it can drive in any direction and doesn't break down without the sun.
People still buy the focus because most people haven't heard of the legend.
Phew. Apologies for the thread hijack :D
You said the mobius was overrated. It wasn't when it first came out - it was the best.
Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on February 01, 2016, 09:23:54 PMIf a Mobius is a Focus- it's a focus designed in 2012 and released in 2013. As we have both said- it was a market leader at the time and competed with Jaguar's best offering (the GoPro, if you're still following the analogy). Only problem was, when driving into a low sun, or at sunset, the Focus broke down instantly and wouldn't drive again until full daylight. The only solution was for Focus users to drive East in the early evening- somewhat inconvenient if they wanted to go West......
Then, in early 2015, Land Rover have come along and released a new product, the land rover legend, into an unknown market, designed in late 2014 and released in late 2015 . The LandRoverLegend pisses all over the Focus- which isn't surprising given it's newer. Best of all it can drive in any direction and doesn't break down without the sun.
lol, you lost me at "if a mobius is a focus"
it still cracks me up that people are putting anything other than a GoPro on airframes as "serious" as this. But each to their own.
Imagine a Drak is a Mercedes...
nah, not doing it ;)
Quote from: Steve W on February 01, 2016, 09:29:40 PM
You said the mobius was overrated. It wasn't when it first came out - it was the best.
It wasn't the best. Never came close to the GoPro. But it was dam good VFM.
And the mobius *is* over rated. It wasn't when it first came out. But it is now- evidence of this is the fact people *still* buy them!
Quote from: BlueFlyer on February 01, 2016, 09:31:54 PM
lol, you lost me at "if a mobius is a focus"
it still cracks me up that people are putting anything other than a GoPro on airframes as "serious" as this. But each to their own.
I didn't start the Ford Focus analogy! :D I liked the land rover legend. I can almost see it being released if a 21 year old with massive earings and skinny jeans manages to grab the reigns of the Land Rover marketing department!
I agree though. On a Drak I would use a gopro and do it full justice. It's not a bashing wing so unlikely to get smashed up. And given the price of the airframe, and the high quality components you would inevitably use to protect your very expensive airframe, a £300 gopro isn't going to increase the price of the plane by that big a %.
The Mobius V3 will stay on the Drak till the Foxeer turns up, not in any rush though.
The Drak got a dusting with Plasti-dip tonight and the wings are now covered with lam, my favourite bit of the build. yipppeeeee
Quote from: mutley2 on February 01, 2016, 06:10:54 PM
Cheers Chris, Have you tried a Foxeer on the Drak yet? Was thinking of the servo switching on/off as a major plus as long as the footage was good as well.
I have the foxeer, just have not fitted it yet. Will soon.
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk
Quote from: mutley2 on February 01, 2016, 10:46:02 PM
The Mobius V3 will stay on the Drak till the Foxeer turns up, not in any rush though.
The Drak got a dusting with Plasti-dip tonight and the wings are now covered with lam, my favourite bit of the build. yipppeeeee
Sounds like your maiden flight is fast approaching!!
Quote from: Antkol on February 02, 2016, 07:14:14 PM
Sounds like your maiden flight is fast approaching!!
Yes, would be a lot quicker but have some bits stuck in customs, it's a really quick build and no drama's to slow things down.
Enjoyed this build so far, just need a Vector now, tied of being billy-no-Vector lol
Made a start on mine tonight. job 1. putting in the little fibreglass mini spars. Lots of Goop used, some rather nice fumes for the wind to blow away... think I might start my own thread for my build....
QuoteMade a start on mine tonight. job 1. putting in the little fibreglass mini spars. Lots of Goop used, some rather nice fumes for the wind to blow away... think I might start my own thread for my build....
Do it... can never have enough build blogs!! ;D
Don't expect anything fancy then....
Andy
Hey Andy, more build the better, I've been busy on mine but my PC is a little wobbly at the mo.
Will update I the next few days.
Well the rain has been falling so I've been working away with the Drak, I've gone and Plastidipped the black bits I wanted painted which were the cooling intakes and the rear air disruptors, just cosmetic really. I made the choice to laminate the entire airframe, the bottom was much thicker than the upper surfaces as I was keeping a weather eye on the finished weight and this is not an easy task as the molding has some 3d curves that film does not want to fit nicely, job done but it took longer than I thought.
After this it was the waiting game for the balsa control surfaces and other bits from Ritewing, these were ordered on the 22nd January and just turned up today (Chris posted straight away but it does take a while to get it though customs etc) so I cracked on with the fun bit of lay-out and wiring.
Will make a start on the antenna's, a dipole and 3 leaf, will make a few and test for return-loss then cherry pick the best for the Drak.
Some pic's
Cut the balsa to shape and covered the right elevon
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45671_zpsqqosjgeh.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45671_zpsqqosjgeh.jpg.html)
Basic layout so I can start on the wiring loom
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45691_zps14rw0m3l.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45691_zps14rw0m3l.jpg.html)
It's coming together.
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45681_zpsaayfohhp.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45681_zpsaayfohhp.jpg.html)
Looking good that. Did you use the brush on plastidip stuff for the black bits? I reckon I've got another evening on mine before all the gluey bits are done, then I can think about laminating and colour schemes and stuff.
I'm not sure about laminating the fuselage, the compound curves are putting me off!
Hey andy, I sprayed the plastidip, goes on a treat but masking just eats time though, worth it.
Laminating the fuss was a bitch and while doing it I wished I'd never started, that said now it's finished I'm pleased I did it, should last a little longer and stop hanger rash.
I wonder if some decent vinyl would give a similar level of protection to the underside of the fuselage, compared to laminate? I'm guessing not, which is a shame, it's a lot easier to apply to compound curves! I'm going to do the wings, so I'll see how I get on with those, before making a decision on the fuselage.
I've stuck with the EPP elevons too. They do feel quite bendy twisty, but adding the spars has stiffened them up a bit. Laminating them should work fine I think.
How are you testing the antennas that you are making?
Cheers
Andy
Have you seen the mod Håvard Støre on the 'Lab did to his elevons to stiffen them up - apparently there should be a couple of extra glass fibre rods in the kits to do this...
I did see that, yes. I like the idea of this, but I'm going to see how it flies on just the one set of spars, and laminate. I think it should be stiff enough, so long as I don't get any flutter at speed, it should be okay. If anything, any reduction in control authority as the elevon deflects at high speed, will be like a natural dual rate!
Andy
I've said it before, I really don't need a drak, but the build looks like a really enjoyable process... and I'm so bloody tempted.
Mine has really brought back my "building" mojo again. I got a bit bored of assembling kits about 18 months ago....
Andy
Quote from: Andy Sayle on February 11, 2016, 10:14:13 AM
I wonder if some decent vinyl would give a similar level of protection
How are you testing the antennas that you are making?
Cheers
Andy
Hey andy, Yep mine is getting the vinyl treatment like my Z2 and Z3, its great at looking after the under side of an airframe and looks kinda cool as well, vinyl likes sticking to laminate but not to EPP with out some help.
Making GHz antenna's is part of my day job so I've have access to some high end VNA's, great bit of kit for testing 433Mhz etc.
I've used Profilm on laminate for a bruiser class wing ages ago. That worked quite well too, and a fair bit lighter than vinyl. I guess if you are doing the camo scheme though, printed vinyl is the way forward!
Not that I know much but isn't vinyl on top of laminate going to add a fair bit of weight? Think laminate itself adds a fair bit of strength without the need to add vinyl as well?
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Looks like it's coming along nicely.
Out of interest Why did you go for the balsa elevons?
It's such a great looking plane. I can't believe people aren't laminating every inch of theirs. It's supposed to be the ultimate wing, long lasting crash proof. Laminating really makes this possible.
Read a great tip on fpvlab- on the maiden fill the nose with the foam block that comes with it- just cut a hole for the battery. This will mean, if the plane does crash, the nose won't break off.
Tonight's progress, made a couple of 2.4GHz 3 leaf, 4 leaf and a half flexi 433mhz dipole ready for tuning/trimming tomorrow and covered the other elevon. Not bad going as it's only 8pm and I cooked tea hehehehe, this rush of work was inspired by a big glowy thing in the sky this afternoon that was rumored to be the sun.
dp109, yes it does add weight but this is not enough to make any real difference, both the Z2 and Z3 had the same treatment and they never lacked power.
Billy, I went for balsa elevons because they are a little more stable and will take more punishment than the EPP elevons, I'm sure the EPP elevons are 101% because Chris would not sell it otherwise but I do have plans to get very leery with this airframe and guess it will meet a very short sticky end.
The pic
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45701_zpsqdp0masr.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45701_zpsqdp0masr.jpg.html)
Cool looks great.
Are you planning on some serious range with this thing? Or monstrous power and deep dives?
Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on February 11, 2016, 10:09:05 PM
Cool looks great.
Are you planning on some serious range with this thing? Or monstrous power and deep dives?
A bit of both really, I've got some sites planned this year both in this country and hopefully abroad, it's down to how she performs.
Sounds mysterious!
I suspect it will excel in both these areas.
I live in North Wales. Snowdonia is a short drive away. Mountain bombing sites galore! We should organise a UK Drak owners meet at the top of Snowdon...
How do you plan on transporting this abroad?
Quote from: AdamG on February 12, 2016, 04:46:31 PM
How do you plan on transporting this abroad?
45000mah and fly it there. :sparta:
Hey andy, the guys I fly with are in and around Herefordshire so not a million miles away, when we finish these Drak's a mountain bombing sortie is a must. Will be having some meets this year and will keep you in the loop if you fancy a day out. :-)
We have a strict dress code for mountain sorties hehehehee
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/LordFlashheartk_zpsfd824488.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/LordFlashheartk_zpsfd824488.jpg.html)
Stevec it would take a bit more than 45000mAh from Herefordshire lol
Quote from: AdamG on February 12, 2016, 04:46:31 PM
How do you plan on transporting this abroad?
One of my other passions is my battle bus, I can remove the seats and partition in a few mins and this allows me to carry the Twinstar, Z3 spade, Disco and Drak fully rigged at the same time ready for flight. Went down the coast a few times last year and just opened the back door and flew, get there for dawn, fly and go for breakfast, civilized.
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/van_zpsi0laom9s.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/van_zpsi0laom9s.jpg.html)
Ha ha, Like the dress code. Enough to scare most off I reckon! I'm up for a meet or two this year, especially if it means a road trip!
Nice van that. I had an ex AA T4 up until about 2 years ago, but sold it as the engine was knackered, the brakes were knackered, fuel pump knackered, pretty much anything expensive on it was knackered. I'm intending to get another at some point, but I'm a bit addicted to my Leaf at the moment. Actually, I'm addicted to the lack of cost running it!
T4, good man, knew you had taste lol, mines been ok so far but only had it 6 months so.
Will let you know dates as and when they come up, there is a Herefordshire meets thread so keep an eye on that as the meets will be on there for sure unless it's a road trip type meet and I'll PM you.
The Drak had a bit of work today even though the domestic goddess hinted at no building on valentine's day, it's only when you stand back and have a good peek at it you realise what a beastie the Drak is, still needs centre section wrap and hatches sorting, getting close...
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45751_zpsxgqqjvbe.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45751_zpsxgqqjvbe.jpg.html)
Looking very nice, kinda looks like a batwing in that colour scheme :)
Wow it really is a beauty.
I'm really surprised hobbyking haven't tried to clone it yet.
Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on February 14, 2016, 09:42:22 PM
I'm really surprised hobbyking haven't tried to clone it yet.
That would be ideal... it would be sold out all year mind :laugh:
Quote from: AdamG on February 14, 2016, 09:43:45 PM
That would be ideal... it would be sold out all year mind :laugh:
Lol- pretty damaging to the hobby in the long term but I see your point.
They haven't attempted to copy the Zephyr in any of its guises so perhaps they consider the Ritewing following to be too hardcore and dedicated to compete with. Or just too small a margin.
If they had any sense they would release an EPO model about 45-50" big sales would rocket.
Maybe Ritewing have been particularly keen on copyright for their designs? Don't know a lot about the legal aspects of it, but if they can block off the US market then that may make it financially unviable for HK to do.
There's actually an interesting flitetest podcast (for a change!) with an interview with a guy from HK who is pretty high up in marketing and design. They certainly bring a more corporate approach to the RC hobby market compared with the LHS competitors. Anyway, back to the build...
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This is really looking awesome! If I hadn't just got the Z3 I would be really tempted. They do cost a lot more but you can definitely feel the quality, and the flight characteristics are so much better than anything else I've flown.
Have had another play tonight and decided that I'm not happy with the 4mm hatch covers, the molding is 3d and the correx is not happy to sit bent into shape even after heat.
This is me just being very picky and wanting the TX and RX covers to be flush or sub-flush, it will make naff all to the flying characteristics so the only reason to change it is cos it make me happy, 2mm black correx ordered then.
Iwan, you do know Chris Kick has one with your name on it just waiting, go on, just pull the trigger dude, its a massive Z3 that scare me just sat there hehehehehe.
Just think of a Z3 with 5S and 12000mAh :-)
Iwan I do have one here for Iwan, and yes the Drak is patented. :D
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Gah, don't tempt me! I'd absolutely love to take one off your hands but I just can't justify it at the minute! Having too much fun getting to know the Z3 just now, but next plane for definite!
Quote from: mutley2 on February 15, 2016, 09:23:52 PMits a massive Z3 that scare me just sat there hehehehehe.
Just think of a Z3 with 5S and 12000mAh :-)
It's the size that scares me tbh. 5-6s and bloody heavy loaded up- it's certainly quite intimidating!
New Team Legit Drak vid...
It looks to fly great. I'd would also like to see how easy it is to do a one man launch.
Regarding the runcam 2 they're using, it would be good if runcam offered a lens extension cable like the mobius, so that the main body of the cam doesn't have to be right up front , just the lens with the main body protected within the fuselage.
Am really tempted by the Drak but I've only just got round to repairing my Z3 which I crunched up with 3 failed launches. >:(
The Venturi is still in one piece and there's an X6 in the loft and hopefully the Z3 will get airborne, so the Draks a little way off for me.
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDiQQoyDY8M#)
Cheers for posting the vid, must have missed that one, as far as the Runcam2 goes there is a nose cone that covers both the flight and the vid camera so it should be better protected than the Z3.
Made a bit more progress tonight, mainly the pitot tube placement, this has had me in a knot for a while and it was either in the nose like my Z3 or next to the wing joint. Chris has made more than me of these Drak's so I went with the wing joint option but I have moved it slightly higher as I still think the Herefordshire grass will give it a kicking this summer.
Covers done, VTX mounted, UHF antenna fitted, boxes are being ticked but still work to do.
The Pic
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_45771_zpsw1omjcpu.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_45771_zpsw1omjcpu.jpg.html)
Quote from: MarkLloyd on February 17, 2016, 11:00:26 AM
Am really tempted by the Drak but I've only just got round to repairing my Z3 which I crunched up with 3 failed launches. >:(
I'm just building my z3 and have read lots of people have crunched the nose. I'm convinced having a long hollow nose is unwise. At least with the z3 type of foam (but some people have snapped the Drak nose off too!). I'm convinced wedging the entire nose with solid foam- and then just cutting a small section for the battery- is the way to stop the nose snapping.
Quote from: MarkLloyd on February 17, 2016, 11:00:26 AM
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDiQQoyDY8M#)
That is the best Drak video I have seen. By far. The guys incredibly annoying. But he has made some very sensible mods to that Drak.
1) at last. Someone who isn't using a shitty mobius. And someone who respects an aerodynamic profile.
2) sensible Velcro mods to the wings.
3) at long last!!!! Someone running a 6s motor on a Drak!!! That thing will be bloody efficient. Far more so than Chris 5s setup IMO.
My only criticisms is he doesn't seem to have laminated the plane- time constraints im sure. And he's presumably not aiming for crazy long range because his video system isn't suitable nor is his separation. In which case, a faster less efficient setup would work well.
That's the only video which has made me really want one so far tbh, DESPITE his irritating voice and personality.
Agreed on the annoying thing I think he needs to back off the caffeine before a vid! Did you see the Fatshark interview? It was truly terrible because he was so over enthusiastic.
I thought the massive void in front of his battery should have had a chunk of foam filling it up. I believe you get all the blanks inside the drak so you can pack it out for extra support. It does look so good in the air though. I can't wait to see one with the canards on it...
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Yeah I think you get the foam blank for the nose. Only prob is you may need to adjust cg and maiden with a super light battery. So I would always use cheaper foam blank and then, when everything was dialed in- use the the best bit of foam for super consistent battery position.
That was the first vid of his I have ever watched in it's entirety. (Ok, so I skipped the first 2 mins, but watched the rest). Every other one I have seen, I skip at least 80% of it.
I've always thought the vlog thing is a bit weird. Imagine meeting a vlogger? A random guy chatting into a little camera whilst doing the same boring day to day stuff we all do? It may not be intended to be but it all seems a little sanctimonious.
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A bit more done this weekend as the weather has been cr*p again, she lives, just need to sort throws and CG and she's good to go.
Some footage of the power tests with all the numbers, she peaked at 63Amps static with SS motor on a 11x7 APC prop, should unload loads inflight though.
http://youtu.be/fZIsW0sTXmg (http://youtu.be/fZIsW0sTXmg)
Quote from: Ritewing on February 16, 2016, 05:40:03 AM
Iwan I do have one here for Iwan, and yes the Drak is patented. :D
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk
Can you post the patent number please
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Mr Mutley,
Quick question, where did you get your printed vinyl from, and what is the thickness/weight of it?
Cheers!
Andy
Quote from: Andy Sayle on February 25, 2016, 12:54:53 PM
Mr Mutley,
Quick question, where did you get your printed vinyl from, and what is the thickness/weight of it?
Cheers!
Andy
Hey Andy
I got my vinyl from an Irish company on ebay, will see if I can dig up the link for you later. As far as weight and thickness goes, I've no idea but you should get it off the site.
Jumped on the bathroom scales last night with the Drake and with Lam and vinyl it's just over 3.6Kg flying weight, that will do for me.
Hi Mutley, just starting my Drak build and have watched most of Chris's videos. I am unable to find any suggestions regarding how to fix/hinge the red cargo hold lids. On some pictures, folk seem to put in a fold at the front of the two side lids and possibly goop them in? I can't work out how anyone has fixed the front end of the front middle section - how have you done yours? Cheers
Hey Dave, the main battery bay I've used Scotch packing clear tape and hinged it, the side VTX bays I used 2mm corex instead of the 4mm corex and used the scotch tape again. This is the same method used on my Z3 and it's worked well for the last year, will try and get some pic's for you later.
Post some pic's of your build if you get a chance, either here or your own thread.
Good luck with the build
David
The pic's, hope this helps.
Main battery bay front
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4591_zpsmrfau16v.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4591_zpsmrfau16v.jpg.html)
Side bays
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4592_zpsr6bcli2b.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4592_zpsr6bcli2b.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4593_zpszpm3vovo.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4593_zpszpm3vovo.jpg.html)
A few pic's before the maiden, no excuses now as she's finished and I had 7 flights today with the Twinstar to get me back in the zone.
The pic's
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4586_zpsygly5kj2.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4586_zpsygly5kj2.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4589_zpsmeouejr2.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4589_zpsmeouejr2.jpg.html)
Size difference between Ritewing airframes
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4588_zps5mcskxst.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4588_zps5mcskxst.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4582_zpsvju4pjgq.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4582_zpsvju4pjgq.jpg.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_4583_zpsc9akihdd.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_4583_zpsc9akihdd.jpg.html)
Thanks very much Mutley - I have to say, your 'fleet' is looking pretty dam good', cheers :D
The z3 is a lot smaller than I thought nice fleet there!! Good luck with the maiden.
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Nice. Good luck for the maiden!
Comparison shows just how big the Drak is.
Cheers Tony,
Should have a go at the maiden this weekend if the weather plays ball, I like a bit of a breeze on a maiden as it helps with launch and landing speed, bring it on...
Was looking at launches... all good for this guy
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HWKA_m6C1s#)
but a softer landing than this one ........ skip to 2:55 and turn the sound up :o
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeLzA_TRMNI#)
Hey Mark,
Cheers for the vids, I saw the mining vid Lol a few days a go, that lad was trying to avoid another model I believe, what a thump though lol.
This vid is of Hoss on the first few take-off's with his Drak and the first launch slips out of his hands, these really do have some power.
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XfrKWELp7M#)
Hi Mutley, have you considered fitting the two 'front wings'? I can't recall seeing any pictures/videos where anyone has used them. My intention is to fly my Drak around, lakes, mountains, coast etc, I'm not really a speed merchant and I'm not sure if by fitting the two small wings, the Drak might perform better (more glider) at low speed, ta
After waiting weeks for some half decent weather and not have any excuses I went for it this morning, got up at 6am so the world could not find something better for me to do and loaded the bus up. The weather was marginal as it was blowing 15-20mph and it was gusty as well, don't care I just want to fly this bloody thing now, so off I went.
First problem with the Drak and not un-obvious is its size, this is no Z3 and with the wind blowing and all my gear on my back it was a careful walk to my flying site trying not to break the VTX antenna, should have put the VTX antenna on the other wing so I could rest the Drak on my shoulder, hay-ho live with it.
Set up as I've done a million times before and all went well, or so I thought, good pic in the Fatsharks and she was tracking a treat.
Contemplated throwing the Drak my normal way but that was just not going to happen, too big too heavy so I didn't try, under arm Ritewing throw it is then, there is a reason Chris tells every Drak owner to throw it under-arm and that's cos its a breeze. She took off like a scalded cat, need to work on my throw but its there, a few clicks of trim and she was like a rock!!!
Not flown anything this stable in that kind of wind for ages, just punched though it, set up was as per Chris's down load jig, this was spot on if a bit sensitive so I dialed down the throws by 10% issh.
Two LOS flights and she good to go for its FPV maiden, third flight was going to be it for me so I took her up really high and popped on the google, just static, bug*er Bu*ger, she was just a dot but I cut the power and managed to get a LOs on her, landed ok.
What happen to that video signal??? After a bit of head scratching it turns out to be the googles were on internal RX with no antenna so range was limited, if Id know I could have just switch over to the tracker I'd would had good signal, ho-hum...
Forth flight was 100% and went straight into FPV, 2 min's in and the rain came, did a few circuits and tried PA mode (gains too high) and landed, and that was the maiden!
Good points is she flies really well (so smooth) is easy to launch and will make a great video platform, bad points is I forgot to put the foam behind the Mobius so the vid is kinda like looking though a port hole lol, sorry guys.
I've a list of things to tweak and I'm going to drop the Mobious and have ordered a Runcam2 HD, but she there, well chuffed and can't wait for some calm weather.
The Vid
All flying was in manual mode as the gains were set too high.
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxsCcAXWP6o#)
Ace!
I was very glad you missed the wet patch on the landing ;)
Andy
Cheers Andy, as maidens go it was not as fault free as I would hope and would have liked a little more stick time, can't grumble though as she flew well and came home intact. Another good shake down with 2-3 good flight and she will be in fun mode and ready for the summer. Chuffed 😀
Just brilliant man. I would use a bit more ooomph when launching so it doesn't get 18" to the ground below climbing IMO.
But it looks great for sure. What a hoot.
Now you just need to find somewhere suitably stunning to fly it!
Cheers Billy, take offs were not as great as hoped because I need grip tape on the side of the airframe to get a good hold. Could not give it the hard throw I wanted because of the lack of grip but that's now been ordered.
Looking at the land based camera views I look like I'm throwing it too far forward and not enough up, the throw works but its not a launch I'm used to yet, tis all work in progress, just pleased there was no need for the bin linner hehehehee
Good work! Very impressed on the stability in the high wind. Well done :sparta:
cheers adam :thumbsup:
Just fitted some grip tape to the sides of the Drak to help with the underarm launch, just one of those tiny things that make a world of difference and just £3 for a roll, would recommend.
Have also fitted to the Z3 as well, can give it a bit more wellie on launch.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261886347852?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=560726807290&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261886347852?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=560726807290&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_46251_zps2pjspxom.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_46251_zps2pjspxom.jpg.html)
Quote from: Dave G on March 05, 2016, 09:48:37 AM
Hi Mutley, have you considered fitting the two 'front wings'? I can't recall seeing any pictures/videos where anyone has used them. My intention is to fly my Drak around, lakes, mountains, coast etc, I'm not really a speed merchant and I'm not sure if by fitting the two small wings, the Drak might perform better (more glider) at low speed, ta
Hey Dave, sorry mate I missed ya post :o
I've got the canards and they are super cool looking BUT, there are no Ritewing recommendations for fitting as yet and I know guys that have fitted them reported a massive CG change from the 1 1/2inch in-front of the spar.
Also fitting them would help in slowing the landing speed but I've no issue with that and tend to have a rearward CG anyway as I like it sharper and slow landings as stock, fitting would not improve it enough to warrant the extra issues like venerability and added weight.
If you are flying up in the hills as I'm planning I will keep it as simple as possible to keep my flight time up, IMo
Quote from: mutley2 on April 02, 2016, 01:24:52 PM
Hey Dave, sorry mate I missed ya post :o
I've got the canards and they are super cool looking BUT, there are no Ritewing recommendations for fitting as yet and I know guys that have fitted them reported a massive CG change from the 1 1/2inch in-front of the spar.
Also fitting them would help in slowing the landing speed but I've no issue with that and tend to have a rearward CG anyway as I like it sharper and slow landings as stock, fitting would not improve it enough to warrant the extra issues like venerability and added weight.
If you are flying up in the hills as I'm planning I will keep it as simple as possible to keep my flight time up, IMo
Thanks for that, mine are staying in the box ;D
After all the wind and rain we have been having in the UK it's nice to get some proper flying weather, the Drak sat at 8 Amps just cruising around, nice...
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/Drak%20second%20outting_zpsv1tpxnym.png) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/Drak%20second%20outting_zpsv1tpxnym.png.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/8%20Amps_zpssamvnssf.png) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/8%20Amps_zpssamvnssf.png.html)
Quote from: Dave G on April 07, 2016, 09:45:50 AM
Thanks for that, mine are staying in the box ;D
Sure they will come out of the box but not yet, will keep it simple for now, just like meeeeee lol
Hi Mutley, Ive been trying to silver solder the clevis on the control arms :-[ My soldering iron won't melt the silver solder i bought, so I've ordered some lead free stuff. What did you use? Ta
I used normal leaded solder, it's strong enough and I've been making linkages like this for a very long time and not had a failure. Just make sure its hot enough and you use a good flux so it flows well. :thumbsup:
I put some together last night and just super glued them on.. Probably a bad idea but only on a glider so hopefully not subject to the same forces a Drak will be..
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Quote from: mutley2 on April 19, 2016, 09:12:05 AM
I used normal leaded solder, it's strong enough and I've been making linkages like this for a very long time and not had a failure. Just make sure its hot enough and you use a good flux so it flows well. :thumbsup:
Do you think this will work with a standard soldering iron? - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171698909973?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=470664978759&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171698909973?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=470664978759&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT)
Sorry, just re-read your post and notice you use leaded solder, not lead free - don't know where i picked up the 'it has to be lead free' bit from :+
Quote from: dp106 on April 19, 2016, 09:24:04 AM
I put some together last night and just super glued them on.. Probably a bad idea but only on a glider so hopefully not subject to the same forces a Drak will be..
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Hi DP 106, thanks for your comment, but like you, I'm not sure super glue would be up to the job - i find its normally really good at glueing my fingers together ;D
Hey ya Dave, I use leaded (full-fat) solder because it has got a lower melting point and flows better, send me a self addressed envelop and I will pop some in the post to you if this helps.
PM me for address
:thumbsup:
I've used leaded solder for soldering clevises in place before too. It works great, and if you want to make sure it works great, just add it to your pre flight checks.
I normally fit clevises that can be adjusted these days though, so on mine it will be threaded rods, threaded clevises, and locking nuts to stop them moving about when I don't want them to...
Cheers
Andy
Quote from: mutley2 on April 19, 2016, 11:40:16 AM
Hey ya Dave, I use leaded (full-fat) solder because it has got a lower melting point and flows better, send me a self addressed envelop and I will pop some in the post to you if this helps.
PM me for address
:thumbsup:
Yes please, that would be much appreciated, I'll mail you shortly,
Quote from: Andy Sayle on April 19, 2016, 12:43:33 PM
I've used leaded solder for soldering clevises in place before too. It works great, and if you want to make sure it works great, just add it to your pre flight checks.
I normally fit clevises that can be adjusted these days though, so on mine it will be threaded rods, threaded clevises, and locking nuts to stop them moving about when I don't want them to...
Cheers
Andy
Thanks Andy, I bought the stock control rods and horns, so am trying to follow Chris Clicks videos. Gonna have a go with the solder Mutley2 uses - this is the only part of the build that is casing me problems (?)
After flying my Drak a number of times in a high issh grass field I've decided to remove the outer winglets, the reason being is they keep ripping off on landing.
This has been noted by other Drak owners and I would advise others not to fit them as they have worked well on the Z3 but are a pain on the Drak, just thought I would mention this.
interesting Mutley- can you explain why they work less well on the drak? Have you noticed an increase in stall speed or any 9ther disadvantages?
Hey Billy, I think its a number of reasons like the wing span drops the tips lower, and when on the ground coming to a halt the inboard fins/skids on the Z3 are the width of the wing but on the Drak there is only a short contact area, making it more prone to skid side ways and pull the trailing wing tip skid off. Mine were stuck on with goop and have pulled off on a number of landings in long grass. Another thing I've done is the Fuzz-correx fin-wing leading edge joint tends to trap long grass and try to pull the wing out, a small wrap of tape over this joint stops this. Nothing big but helps keep you flying rather than arsing around making your craft ready for another flight, just thought I would share these ramblings, hope it helps.
Still working on the CG and failsafe/RTH so I've not got round to that yet, will report when I do.
Went for a early morning sortie this morning and although blowy it was bright and crisp, this is my first proper non-setup flights, nothing to do but play and it became clear that this is what the Drak is made for, leryness has started, nose down a tad and 101MPH in a flash and the taps are not fully open, the pic's.
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/vlcsnap-2016-04-24-10h18m36s921_zpsts10icjh.png) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/vlcsnap-2016-04-24-10h18m36s921_zpsts10icjh.png.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/vlcsnap-2016-04-24-10h05m21s101_zpsk01wp4lo.png) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/vlcsnap-2016-04-24-10h05m21s101_zpsk01wp4lo.png.html)
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/vlcsnap-2016-04-24-10h13m10s076_zpsctjfmvxv.png) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/vlcsnap-2016-04-24-10h13m10s076_zpsctjfmvxv.png.html)
Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on April 21, 2016, 02:30:53 PM
Have you noticed an increase in stall speed or any 9ther disadvantages?
Got a good amount of height and did some glide testing for fun, stopped the motor and the nose dropped a few degs and she kept 40MPH airspeed (CG is where I like it now at 41 mm from front spar slot and she balances level at this) dropped the nose and got to 50MPH and had a steady pull on the elevator, nose came up, speed dropped, nose went down, that was it. No wing drop, nothing, just nodded and picked up speed, this was tried into wind and at 90degs left and right.
Oppps
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jXFSezINbI#)
Hey guys, just an update on my Drak, after many hundreds of flights and with me getting the Sky Hunter, Mini Talon and Mini Drak the old campaigner is looking a bit rough around the edges and way under tech after a few years service, plus I don't fly her any more. :-[
So tonight I started the strip down, gone has the Cyclone Tornado, Fatshark camera, Lipo's and model finder.
The refit will have a program on my Horus 12s so all my models are off one TX, replace underside lam, new Lipo's, Eagle tree FC with all the whistles and bells, Runcam Eagle pro and I might get a new motor.
This bird should be flying again this spring and all sorted for a number of UK based road trips this summer, down side is the re-maiden which I really hate.
Roll on summer.
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/IMG_1291222_zps5zb3dlfn.jpg) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/IMG_1291222_zps5zb3dlfn.jpg.html)
Drak 2.0 :)
After getting off work because of a power cut I managed to get a cheeky flight in today and re-maidened my Drak, just as nervous as the first time but this time armed with data from my Cyclops Tornado setup. What a treat, forgot how this airframe just don't care about turbulence, she's just a rock in the air and just as well because I had way too much up-trim to try out 2Dhold. Will reset the trims and she should be good to go for a proper full fat 2Dhold/RTH and Loiter tests, then it's mountain time yippee.
Will post a vid later but I've a pic from today playing over the floods...
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/mutley2/Re-maiden%202_zpsuswob1wp.png) (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/mutley2/media/Re-maiden%202_zpsuswob1wp.png.html)