first flight

[Baloo]

hi guys

as you all probally know there is a few issues with the x600d quad so while l wait for them to be resolved l thought l would buy an easystar and first learn to fly and then put the fpv kit l bought of Chris on board and have a practice before the quad becomes operational,

so given that l have never flown anything before not even a kite l decided to throw caution to the wind and "chuck" it in the air, well it flew but l dident really feel in control there dident seem much correrlation between what my fingers were doing and the direction the plane wanted to go  ::)

heres a few pics before l start with the questions  ;D

[Doofer]

If you've never flown before, you should feel very proud- it went up-tiddly-up-up and down-tiddly-down-down, which is the best you can hope for, especially first flight!

From the pics, remember to launch in the direction of flight ie. slightly nose down, at flying speed, and try to fly flat, or _slightly_ down most of the time!

(These days you'd do well do get some 'stick time' on a simulator. OK, simulators are a world of advice on their own, but you can get leads to plug most transmitters into the free FMS simulator.home.pages.de, which has a model of the easystar here: http://plawner.net/4/easystar/easystar.html. Yes, real stick time is worth a thousand times simulator time, but getting some time programming your brain to reverse rudder when it's flying towards you is good homework. If you want to avoid simulators, a beginners tip is:
"When it's flying towards you, push the rudder stick towards the wingtip that is dipping")

[Njoro]

Hi Baloo

I see you have the trees well trained not to get in the way of your first flight fright ;D

Well done and when's the video coming?

[Baloo]

thanks guys
  l was pleased it flew but it wasent what l was expecting, it was a bit like driving a car with the steering column disconnected  :o it went faster when it was suposed to but the lefty righty bit and the uppy downy bit was very hit and miss   :) l was trying to do level slow flight in a big wide circle but couldent do it, in level flight it would "porpoise" up and down quite a lot and the rudder was not making much of an impression either, l sort of got it where l wanted it but l wouldent call it under control,  perhaps l am to agressive with the levers rather than being gentle ? l will video the control surfaces working and post it up so as you can see whats going on,
the last landing was very hard and broke the front, nothing a bit of glue wont fix, but it was coming in nice and level and sudenly nose dived from about 20' straight into the ground, but again it might have been me getting mixed up with the controls and causing the dive  ::)

l wont give up l will have some more time with it over the next few days, or at least untill its all smashed up into little bits  ;D

Andy

[simondale]

Hi Andy,

Just two quick thoughts:

1) Only use "UHU Por" glue.  Other glue will melt the EPP foam in front of your eyes...
2) The Easystar needs a bigger rudder.  I've nver heard of anyone having success without enlarging it.  I don't have photos with me now but I bet if you Google "Easystar rudder" you'll get some hits.

All the best

Simon 

[Baloo]

hi thanks Simon
      l have had a hunt about for easy star rudder and it looks like they stick a credit card or simalar onto the rudder,  l need to get some of this UHU POR glue to fix the cracks in the nose and then l will go try again, think l need quite a bit of practice before l put the fpv or digital camera onboard, but l am sure l will get there by the summer time  ;)

[simondale]

Hi Baloo,

Have a look at page 7 and 8 of this PDF to see how we did our rudder: http://www.firstpersonview.co.uk/myfiles/file/EasyStarSetup.pdf

I also found this Wiki page about the Easystar: http://www.eflightwiki.com/eflightwiki/index.php?title=Multiplex_EasyStar

Notice that it lists the most common modification as the enlarged rudder.  I also noticed that it says this:

"If the durable Elapor foam does happen to break, it usually will break cleanly, meaning you can easily glue it back together using regular, non foam safe CA (more commonly known as Super Glue)."

So I stand corrected on the UHU Por recommendation!  (Although if it was me I'd still use UHU POR just in case.  I've seen super glue eat the foam of one of my other models before and I don't ever want that to happen again!)

All the best

Simon

[Devonian]

Hi Andy,

I'd say get the FMS flight SIM as well and download and install the Easystar model.

Get one of these to keep plugged in your PC
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RADIO-CONTROLLED-PLANE-FLIGHT-SIMULATOR-TX-with-USB_W0QQitemZ400098220731QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item5d27b65abb
Now you can crash fly without risk of damaging your model!

I used a similar one when I got back into r/c and it's saved me a few tears.

I understand the EasyStar is not brilliant 'straight out of the box' but with a few tweaks, it can be a great plane.
Another great mod is to add ailerons to it - maybe once you've mastered the basics.
You'll need to control all 4 joystick axis soon enough...

I've just converted the Multiplex Fox to powered r/c - aileron/elevator - now that is twitchy  ;D

Nigel.

[Baloo]

hi Nigel

that seems like a good idea, what do you get for you money, pressuably software on a cd, but how do you contol it, does it come with a look alike controller you plug into the usb port,
l am getting hooked here as l see that l can play with my camera and toys at the same time, l found myself looking at boats on ebay last night as l have the crazy idea that l could fix the camera on the front of a boat and sail in amongst the ducks on the pond and get some intresting shots  ::)

Andy

[simondale]

Hi Baloo,

What radio gear do you have?  Your Tx should have some kind of buddy port or simulator port on the back of it.

On the cheap bundled type stuff its often a 3.5mm headphone type jack labelled "Simulator".  On the more sophisticated sets its a buddy port.  On a Futaba its a suqare connector, on a JR its a 3.5mm jack again, HITEC a DIN6 connector, etc.

You can connect your Tx to your PC using that port and it'll usually detect as a USB joystick which you can then use in the simulators. Most simulators require you to be using their specific USB cable (it has a "dongle" in it which prevents the software from running if its not detected).  FMS is the exception I guess because its Freeware.

This simulator is pretty good and includes an Easystar (called "Dolphin" for trademark reasons) and an FPV mode (with or without OSD): http://www.aerosimrc.com

It also includes a quadrocopter mode which I have been using a lot recently in readiness for the X600D coming to life...

All the best

Simon

[Devonian]

Andy,

The USB 'transmitter' on the eBlag link is a 'dummy' 4 axis transmitter, similar to the one you are flying the Easystar with.

The downside of using your own TX on a SIM is that it has to be powered up (and transmitting?), so battery drain can be an issue.  Otherwise, it'll give you the most realistic inputs.  You'll also need a 'buddy' or trainer lead to connect from TX to PC.

The USB only one can be left plugged in all the time and the inputs are good enough for you to get used to training your brain and thumbs !
It was the best 20 quid I'd invested in.

FMS is good enough too, sure, there are better ones, but not for free!

Boats, whatever next...a submarine? (don't even think about it !!!)

Nigel.

[Coyote]

I prefer going off my transmitter as you can experiment with mixes on the tx to gauge a feel of how the mix works, but yes as you said the batteries dont lst too long :(