V22 Osprey Maiden

It was time for the maiden flight of my new V22 Osprey VTOL airplane!  I received it Friday morning and spent the afternoon setting it up and applying decals to it after lunch.  Since I bought the PNP version I also need to install a serial receiver into it.

For the maiden flight I just hovered around making sure all the controls responded correctly and that self-leveling was active.  All went as planned!

For the next flight I would transition to airplane mode for the 1st time.  I've heard that if the motor nacelles are not parallel, the plane will turn during the transition.  But, I checked the alignment on my plane several times, and all looked good!  I forgot to center the sticks during the automatic transition though, and still had the elevator forward from flying as a multi-rotor.  When the transition completed the plane dove for the ground!  Luckily I was up high enough to save it from crashing into the ground on the 2nd flight!

The last 2 flights went smoothly, now that I centered the right stick before transitioning to airplane mode.  I only flew around in self-level mode, and the Osprey flew great!  I was flying around pretty fast, for this size of plane anyway.  I was having a great time! 

Side view of the decals I've applied so far.

Three-quarter view.

Now that I've gotten the maiden flight session out of the way and confirmed the plane is working correctly, I went ahead and removed the stock JST connector and replaced it with a Mini-T style connector, which is what I have on my 3S 800mah size batteries.

Replacing the stock JST connector with a Mini-T style connector.

Black Friday Deals!

I picked up the E-Flite V-22 Osprey VTOL PNP for $100!  The normal price is $210!  That's a savings of $110 or 53% off!

I've wanted one since it came out, but I've been waiting for the price to be right, and now it is!  I had to add a serial receiver for $25, which is still cheaper than the BNF version for $229.  I still save $104 over that version.  What a deal!  It also uses the same 3S 800mah batteries as my Trex 250 and Blade 230S.

Went out flying Sunday

My flying buddy called me out to get some flights in Sunday morning.  I charged up my Goblin 380 packs and headed out to the Hoyt field.  I had fun flying around, but I really need to fly more often so I don't need so many warm-up flights! LOL!  Oh.  I also need to reconfigure my Blade 230 back to daytime flying, as it currently has night blades on it.  With these on, there's noticeably less power available for maneuvering.  Once I switch it back over I can use it for daytime practice again.

700 Stretch Kit!

I went ahead and ordered the 700 stretch kit for my Goblin 650 heli.  This kit will allow the use of 690-710 mm main blades, converting my 650 into a true 700 size heli!  This was my plan from the start for this heli, as I chose the motor, ESC, and batteries for 700 class main blades.

I've been watching the product page for the kit for awhile now, but last night it went from "In Stock" to "Low Stock"!  I figured I should order it now before it's out of stock.  I don't plan to install it right away, as I still need the main and tail blades.  Besides, I just got this heli flying about 2 months ago and don't feel like taking it apart again.  LOL!

HRB 5000 mah 6S 50C Batteries

I decided to pick up a 2nd pair of HRB 5000 mah 6S 50C batteries for my Goblin 650 heli.  I got these from Amazon with free same day Prime Shipping!  I can get a pair of these packs for the same price as 1 of my Pulse 5000 mah 6S 45C packs!  The HRB packs shouldn't be charged at more than a 1C rate, while the Pulse packs can handle a maximum charge rate of 5C.  This is no problem since the only time I plan to charge at max rate would be at the field anyway.

Since I was happy with the 1st pair I bought, I decided to get a 2nd pair, so I'd have 3 flight packs for the Goblin 650, without have to recharge batteries.  I would like a 2nd pair of Pulse packs, but they are so expensive, I'll wait for a good sale.

Weedwackers Aero Squadron Field Visit

The other weekend I visited the Weedwackers Areo Squadron field in Lakeside CA.  This field is about a 30 minute drive from my house, which is a little further than the Sea World field.

The flight line is a lot shorter than at Sea World, but at least there's a paved runway!  However, ground below the flight area has a road and rings of fences.  If you crash out there it will be a pain to get the model back.  Also, there really isn't a dedicated heli pad and flight area.  You would need to fly from the main runway.

However, this club isn't as busy as Sea World in the morning, so 1 pilot can fly at a time comfortably.  The pit area is also shaded, which Sea World could really use.

I'm not sure if I should join this club for next year though.  I really like the paved runway and shaded pit area, but I'm skeptical about the flight area and all the fences and road.  These make it difficult to retrieve your model if you crash.

Flight line

Runway

I found the above pics on Facebook from a public post about the field, since while I was there I forgot to take some pics.  Doh!

I have another field to check out before next year, Chollas RC Flyers, near Lemon Grove.  This field also has a paved runway and shaded pit area, but also has a helipad and dedicated flight area!

New AS3X Telemetry Receiver!

Next month Spektrum is releasing a new AS3X gyro telemetry receiver with SAFE!  SAFE is Spektrum's version of self-leveling, which turns the aircraft right side up and levels it when switched on.  It also provides bank angle limiting, which makes it easier for beginners to learn how to fly.

To my knowledge, this is the first Spektrum receiver to be sold with SAFE!  The only way to previously get this feature was to buy a BNF aircraft with a SAFE enabled gyro receiver.  I plan to replace the AS3X gyro receiver currently in my P51 mustang with this one to enable SAFE and telemetry!

Since this receiver has a built in XBUS telemetry port, I can add a current sensor!  This sensor can measure the remaining capacity of the battery and provide a warning when it's time to land!  No more timers!  This is a more accurate way to know when to land, since depending on how I fly, I can stay up between 5-7 minutes based on how much full throttle I use during the flight.  With a current sensor I can always land with a set capacity remaining in the battery.