It is terrible. I tell you.
Whenever my mind drifts away in everyday life I start building the Kingfisher in my head and I always encounter some difficulties.
There are several problems which all are connected. Starting with the propeller. A propeller for a plane needs a different shape than a propeller that functions in water. I’m also thinking about a jet engine but this requires further studies. Right now I’m more into having two or three propellers on the vehicle. One for air and one or two for water. This requires two ore three engines to have enough power which again requires either one huge or several battery packs. This then leads to some gain in weight which brings us to the next problem:
The weight needs to be light enough for the machine to fly but heavy enough to be able to dive into water. A solution for this would be to make openings which allow Water to flow inside some parts of the Kingfisher. This would bring a loss of weight and therefor make it easyer for the device to sink. It - on the other hand - also makes it more difficult for the device to get out of the water again as it should be able to do.
To master the transfer from air into water we need a certain stability. The material should therefor be light, waterproof and super strong. Waiting on the surface is for amateurs. I want to fly and dive into the water with almost no delay. I was thinking of aluminum or wood but I’ll need some time to discover more different materials. Maybe there’s something printable with a 3D printer.
There’s still a lot to learn and to think about this whole project.
Dienstag, 22. Mai 2018
Montag, 21. Mai 2018
Flight 3
20.05.2018
About 1630 o Clock
ca. 19°C
Wind: 6km/h
Partly Clouded
One can say my repairings are not very efficient. The more I repair, the shorter the flight periods. My main problem is to keep the engine with the propeller in a stable postition.
If you look at the plane from the nose, the first thing you see is the propeller. Behind it there’s the engine surronded by this white plastic calles Elapor. The engine was fixed with some screws and a drop of glue. Now because I usually crash nose first into the ground, The propeller gets all the force of the crash and transmits it to the engine and then to the plastic. This elapor is some sort of compressed Styrofoam. It’s very light but more stable. Still its just some kind of foam and after some crashes it gets loose.
By now the engine can move freely back and forth for about two centimeters. This is the reason why it wobbles when running and when it wobbles, the propeller is not functioning anymore.
On the other hand I can not put screws in the foam because they’ll not be stable enough and I can barely put glue because I can’t reach it properly.
Also the elapor above the engine is broken and only kept together by duct tape.
I’ll have to see, if I find something at the craft store to fix this.
The flight itself was ok. I managed to start from a street but i’m scared because of the hedge right aside of it. A little wind and the plane is stuck four meters above ground in a bush. Preferably with thorns.
It was also possible to fly a looping, this time a controlled one, and keep the plane flying straight for some time.
Things to remember
- If you press the right stick on the remote, the steering is reduced. This is good for high speed but terrible for starting.
- The engine has to be built into the plane in a stable way.
- Parts that take a lot of hits should be exchangeable. In this case the nose and the wings of the plane.
- Using the tail rudder to move left or right will cause the plane to tilt. To correct that, you need to use the elevator.
About 1630 o Clock
ca. 19°C
Wind: 6km/h
Partly Clouded
One can say my repairings are not very efficient. The more I repair, the shorter the flight periods. My main problem is to keep the engine with the propeller in a stable postition.
If you look at the plane from the nose, the first thing you see is the propeller. Behind it there’s the engine surronded by this white plastic calles Elapor. The engine was fixed with some screws and a drop of glue. Now because I usually crash nose first into the ground, The propeller gets all the force of the crash and transmits it to the engine and then to the plastic. This elapor is some sort of compressed Styrofoam. It’s very light but more stable. Still its just some kind of foam and after some crashes it gets loose.
By now the engine can move freely back and forth for about two centimeters. This is the reason why it wobbles when running and when it wobbles, the propeller is not functioning anymore.
On the other hand I can not put screws in the foam because they’ll not be stable enough and I can barely put glue because I can’t reach it properly.
Also the elapor above the engine is broken and only kept together by duct tape.
I’ll have to see, if I find something at the craft store to fix this.
The flight itself was ok. I managed to start from a street but i’m scared because of the hedge right aside of it. A little wind and the plane is stuck four meters above ground in a bush. Preferably with thorns.
It was also possible to fly a looping, this time a controlled one, and keep the plane flying straight for some time.
Things to remember
- If you press the right stick on the remote, the steering is reduced. This is good for high speed but terrible for starting.
- The engine has to be built into the plane in a stable way.
- Parts that take a lot of hits should be exchangeable. In this case the nose and the wings of the plane.
- Using the tail rudder to move left or right will cause the plane to tilt. To correct that, you need to use the elevator.
Sonntag, 20. Mai 2018
Flight 2
19.05.2018
About 1000 o Clock
ca 12°C
Light Wind
Sunny
The weather conditions were better this time. It was sunny and nice. As I’ve already repaired the plane and charged the battery packs I went to the same spot as the last time. I also started the plane the same way and finally I was able to fly for some minutes.
The secret lies in the throttle. If there’s too little speed while starting, the plane crashes immediately. If there’s too much, there’s not much time to correct before it starts going crazy.
For me it was also important to see that I continuously have to play with both the livers on the remote. For now there are only two but later on there will be more…
About 1000 o Clock
ca 12°C
Light Wind
Sunny
The weather conditions were better this time. It was sunny and nice. As I’ve already repaired the plane and charged the battery packs I went to the same spot as the last time. I also started the plane the same way and finally I was able to fly for some minutes.
The secret lies in the throttle. If there’s too little speed while starting, the plane crashes immediately. If there’s too much, there’s not much time to correct before it starts going crazy.
For me it was also important to see that I continuously have to play with both the livers on the remote. For now there are only two but later on there will be more…
Picture by Multiplex
My remote was included in the “Funman” Set. It has the throttle and the rudders for going left and right on the left stick. The rudders bringing the plane up or down are on the right one.
So if you push the left one forward, the plane accelerates and therefor rises. if you push the right stick forwar the plane descends. It is not always easy to know which liver to pull or push as the plane moves freely in every direction in a very dynamic way. There’s also no way to stop and take a second. Every action you take is immediately followed by a reaction of the plane.
I started the plane some four times. I landed it once. You can imagine the other three times it came down. It was usually after some two, three minutes that I got distracted, made a mistake or looked at something else than the plane for just a second and it hit the ground.
The problem is now, that because of all these crashes the engine with the propeller on it moves inside the plane. Also the rear wings which are glued to the plane did not stay in place. They propably took one too many hits. Therefor I went to a craft store and bought some instant glue and some better duct tape. Right now everything is drying off and getting ready for another flight. I do not yet know what to do if there are better repairs required.
Things to remember:
- White glue doesn’t do the job
- Paper tape or normal duct tape doesn’t do the job either
- Throttle is key - less is more
- The commands have to be as dynamic as the plane
Overwiew over the repaired plane
The front is the most exposed and therefor most repaired part. Now I use stronger duct tape.
The horizontal rear wings are glued to the body of the plane. I now use instand glue hoping to keep the wings attached to the body for longer.
Flight 1
14.05.2018
About 1700 o Clock
ca. 12°C
Light Wind
Rainy
The conditions for my first flight where not perfect. It was a bit too rainy and a bit too windy. Still I was motivated and took the Tram to go where I knew there was a field which was recently cut. It’s about a hundret meters long and some thirty wide.
As I was standing more or less in the middle I had a footpath and a hedge behind me, some open fields in front, on my left a street with no traffic and on my right the tramline. It’s not perfect, especially because of the tramline but there are no better spots around so it has to do.
I put the battery pack in both sender and plane, adjusted the center of gravity by moving the battery pack back and forth and then closed the plane. At first I wanted to start it from the ground. It has wheels so there should not be problems but the ground was by far not even enough and the grass still too high.
I held the plane by it’s tail, gave full throttle to the engine and then threw it gently forward. As the throttle was way too high, the plane flew a fast looping. As it was rising for an other looping i reduced the trottle. The plane stopped midair standing upright, turned upside down and crashed straight in to the ground.
I have to admitt, these planes are built to last. After some adjustments on the spot it was all ready to fly again. I started it the same way. As I reduced the throttle immediately, the plane flew a turn and landed in a tree in the hedge behind me. Only with climbing and shaking branches it was possible to get it back. I found it with some traces in the wings and a broken nose. Now it was not possible anymore to fly it so I took it back for reparations.
Things to remember:
- Increasing throttle causes the plane to go faster but also to rise.
- Take a roll of duct tape with you.
- Having the propeller in front is not recommendet for beginners. I did not believe it, now I know.
- The battery pack is quickly out of power.
Picture: Damaged plane after the first flights
About 1700 o Clock
ca. 12°C
Light Wind
Rainy
The conditions for my first flight where not perfect. It was a bit too rainy and a bit too windy. Still I was motivated and took the Tram to go where I knew there was a field which was recently cut. It’s about a hundret meters long and some thirty wide.
As I was standing more or less in the middle I had a footpath and a hedge behind me, some open fields in front, on my left a street with no traffic and on my right the tramline. It’s not perfect, especially because of the tramline but there are no better spots around so it has to do.
I put the battery pack in both sender and plane, adjusted the center of gravity by moving the battery pack back and forth and then closed the plane. At first I wanted to start it from the ground. It has wheels so there should not be problems but the ground was by far not even enough and the grass still too high.
I held the plane by it’s tail, gave full throttle to the engine and then threw it gently forward. As the throttle was way too high, the plane flew a fast looping. As it was rising for an other looping i reduced the trottle. The plane stopped midair standing upright, turned upside down and crashed straight in to the ground.
I have to admitt, these planes are built to last. After some adjustments on the spot it was all ready to fly again. I started it the same way. As I reduced the throttle immediately, the plane flew a turn and landed in a tree in the hedge behind me. Only with climbing and shaking branches it was possible to get it back. I found it with some traces in the wings and a broken nose. Now it was not possible anymore to fly it so I took it back for reparations.
Things to remember:
- Increasing throttle causes the plane to go faster but also to rise.
- Take a roll of duct tape with you.
- Having the propeller in front is not recommendet for beginners. I did not believe it, now I know.
- The battery pack is quickly out of power.
And so it begins
The idea of “Project Kingfisher” is to create a remote controlled vehicle which is able to fly, without interruption dive into water and vice versa. Just like this tiny blue bird calles “Kingfisher”.
As I had no knowledge of building any remote controlled devices, I bought a book about a remote controlled plane. By reading this I learned about engines, sender and reciever, steering servos and so far. I will elaborate more about the specific parts by the time they cause me trouble.
For further training purpose I bought a remote controlled car. It’s brand is Tamiya. The base is a chassis called “TT-02” It’s a hard plastic shell where you put the engine in and then build the power transmission from the battery pack to the engine to the wheels. On top of the chassis there is a cover in the shape of almost any car you wish made of see trough plastic which you can colour yourself. I painted mine in black and red, leaving the windows free in case I want to install a camera inside once.
Building this car was simple and nice. It took me about six hours and then worked without causing any trouble.
One bad point about this system is that as soon as you drive it outdoors all the durs and little rocks are thrown inside the car and will stay there. You’ll need to clean it properly after using it.
Another point is that you need a wide street or area to drive on where you can not break anythin nor get hit by other cars and stuff. The Tamyia TT-02 is quite fast in acceleration and top speed - for me as a beginner.
To advance in my studies for Project Kingfisher I bought a plane on the 11.05.2018. It’s a RTF (Ready to fly) model of the Multiplex “Funman”. As it is “Ready to fly” I did not need to install much. The engine, the steering servos and the reciever where already built in so I just needed to put the wings and the propeller.
A remote including batteries, a battery pack for the plane and a charger are included in the set. I used some white glue as we used for everything when we were children and went for my first flight.
As I had no knowledge of building any remote controlled devices, I bought a book about a remote controlled plane. By reading this I learned about engines, sender and reciever, steering servos and so far. I will elaborate more about the specific parts by the time they cause me trouble.
For further training purpose I bought a remote controlled car. It’s brand is Tamiya. The base is a chassis called “TT-02” It’s a hard plastic shell where you put the engine in and then build the power transmission from the battery pack to the engine to the wheels. On top of the chassis there is a cover in the shape of almost any car you wish made of see trough plastic which you can colour yourself. I painted mine in black and red, leaving the windows free in case I want to install a camera inside once.
Building this car was simple and nice. It took me about six hours and then worked without causing any trouble.
One bad point about this system is that as soon as you drive it outdoors all the durs and little rocks are thrown inside the car and will stay there. You’ll need to clean it properly after using it.
Another point is that you need a wide street or area to drive on where you can not break anythin nor get hit by other cars and stuff. The Tamyia TT-02 is quite fast in acceleration and top speed - for me as a beginner.
There’s an installment for a go pro camera above the engine but I lost the camera before I even tried running it...
To advance in my studies for Project Kingfisher I bought a plane on the 11.05.2018. It’s a RTF (Ready to fly) model of the Multiplex “Funman”. As it is “Ready to fly” I did not need to install much. The engine, the steering servos and the reciever where already built in so I just needed to put the wings and the propeller.
A remote including batteries, a battery pack for the plane and a charger are included in the set. I used some white glue as we used for everything when we were children and went for my first flight.
Picture by Multiplex
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