Skywalker Revolution

[BlueFlyer]

So not time for tape just yet Steve?

[Dillwhacker]

EEEK! That really does look like torque related, but in the wrong direction....
You're not using a LH prop are you?
I know, I know, sorry, sucking eggs etc...
Good luck !
;)

[FPVSteve]

nah same prop + motor as I had on my 1900

[BlueFlyer]

How did you sort the detached servo plug "mid-boom"?

[FPVSteve]

I took the tail off and fed it all back through again. With some glue on the connectors :laugh:

SHe's good to go now.

[BlueFlyer]

cool, by the sound's of you last night on shout I was half expecting another bonfire video lol

[BlueFlyer]

Oh, you mentioned it might have been tail heavy?

When I was reading up about the revolution, it appears many people have their CG at the rear edge of the spar cover, or 10cm back from the leading edge... however you want to measure it.

Where had you set your CG for that first flight?

[FPVSteve]

It was about 7cm from the leading edge.

Now I have it set to 9cm, hopefully that will make a difference.

[FPVSteve]

Well. Flew her again tonight and what a difference it makes having some weight in the nose.





I wanted to test how she flew on both 3s and 4s, with and without landing gear. To make the landing gear easily swappable I simply duplicated the bottom plate with a piece of ply and attached the wheels to it. Then I added some smooth velcro to the fuselage plate, and some"grabby" velcro to the landing gear plate ... 2 second conversion from landing gear to "chuckable". Perfect. It really helps that the bottom of the fuselage in this version of the Skywalker is broad, and FLAT .. keeps the airframe steady on the landing gear mount.

I took the 4s battery out for the 3s tests, but when I flew 4s I left the 3s battery in to keep the weight (I just pushed it back a bit to keep the CoG correct).

1000mAh battery is being used for my video gear.

3s with landing gear (Total onboard: 3s 5000mAh, 3s 1000mAh)
Slow, distinct lack of climb power, nose dropped in turns probably due to the drag of the wheels

3s without landing gear (Total onboard: 3s 5000mAh, 3s 1000mAh)
Flew well but slowly, very easy to land

4s with landing gear (Total onboard: 4s 2250mAh, 3s 5000mAh, 3s 1000mAh)
Good climb rate, fairly slow cruise and once the plane slowed down the nose dropped - meant I had to come in a little hotter for landing

4s without landing gear (Total onboard: 4s 2250mAh, 3s 5000mAh, 3s 1000mAh)
Good climb rate, decent cruise rate and floaty landings due to there being no drag underneath the plane.

So - 4s without the landing gear is the best, and I really think this plane needs 4s .. 3s just feels like it's lumbering along,although you can keep it very light which means you can cruise around for ages. Me, I like a little punch in order to climb before cruising.

I do like the landing gear but again 4s required and it needs a faster landing or else it just "plops" down once the airspeed drops.

All tests with 9x6APC 36/28 Turnigy Aerodrive 1250kv motor.

One thing is does need is the canopy secured down - it's not coming off, but it rattles a bit - my GoPro footage is pants, it's not prop related because I noticed the same thing happening when I was putting it into position for takeoff on the road. Vibration sucks!

[BlueFlyer]

I noticed the same thing regarding the GoPro footage. There's a constant shakiness to it, it's not jello... just shakiness.

But I also notice it on the FPV cam whilst flying in the goggles, so I think the canopy is just rattling or something.

I'm going to take a look at a different way of securing mine, most likely a few strips of "hook" velcro on either side of the fuselage by the canopy deck with a "loop" velcro strap over the canopy from left to right, secured on the opposing hook strips

[FPVSteve]

Yep that's my plan as well, to be honest it's an extra security measure - right now just a little plastic clip securing my GoPro + flight camera to the aircraft, not much when you think about it lol.

[Coyote]

No surprise 4S and no landing gear would give you the best results. It should stay up for ages (owww err.)

Plenty of potential now :)

[FPVSteve]

Lands nice in manual mode even in the wind :)

https://youtu.be/liRNVHoRRK4

[Drone 5]

Nice landing Steve.

[dogzilla]

I always tape down the canopy on mine with electrical tape to hold it secure or when I use my pan-tilt I replaced the stock screw with a m8 captive nut and nylon screw. Holds it down very tight.