Jan
2
Flying Fox
January 2, 2008 |
I have gone and really done it now. Lately I have been looking for something to do up here in Isaan, other than spend all the time on the net. And then I saw it. A man sitting on the curb in Putthaisong fixing a model airplane. I strolled over and it turns out the old dude speaks English. So we had a chat. And he is making a living selling these planes, which is also his passion. He goes flying his own planes every afternoon in the park outside town.
So today I finally got up the courage and ordered everything needed to build one myself. It will be a Piper Cub, made from balsa wood, and I ordered all the parts. Like servo motors, electric engine, 4 ch radio control, a handful of spare propellers….in short everything I need to build one. What a spectacular crash that is gonna be!
I have to wait ten days for the goodies to arrive. So to keep me busy, and to really fine tune my crashing abilities, I also bought a cheap ready to fly model plane. A Flying Fox no less!
It’s a simple glider with two engines. The remote controller only has 2 Channels. One for throttle and one to control the propellers. You basicely give it throttle, and it will give it speed, and it goes up, relax it and it comes down. Direction is controlled by pushing the second control lever left or right, increasing or decreasing the speed of one or the other propeller, making it turn left or right. Simple!
Well, ready to fly and ready to fly. It required some assembly, but that was done in 10 minutes. Then followed an agonizing wait for the battery to charge. But around sunset, I was ready to fly.
So with a tail of excited kids, I set forth trough the village to the nearest rice paddy. Those are now dry. and there is a nice stubble after the harvest to catch my plane should gravity decide to assert itself.
So thus set up at the Putthaisong Aerodrome (formerly Somchais rice paddy), I was ready to launch. Okay let me see, what did the old fart tell me…okay, full throttle and send it off!
And it flew!
Well it did fly, until it stopped dead midair, and headed back to earth 5 meters bellow, hitting the ground with a thud. I ran over and checked it. It seemed okay, so another launch. Nope. It’s inability to stay airborne was rather spectacular. And when it thudded to the ground the 5th time, and having a crack in the left side fuselage I decided it was time to call it a day.
At home, I examined the damage. Nothing some tape, rubber bands and super glue cant fix. And I had been smart enough to acquire all of those. So the structural damage was soon fixed. But why would it not fly!
I set it on the ground, and gave it full throttle. It did not move. Okay, one engine at a time. Okay right engine…it rolled forward. Left engine…it rolls backward.
Now that was something I did not expect. And upon closer scrutiny I discover that the right propeller is pushing air backward as it should, while the left one is pushing air forwards!
The result…the two props are actually cancelling each other out, causing the plane to stall and crash.
Okay, no problem. Out with the soldering iron. And reverse the polarity of the offending engine. And voila, both engines are now pushing the plane forward. But by now it was too dark to fly. But I wanted to see if the combined thrust of both propeller could make it roll. And it did. But as I pushed down the throttle, it simply disappeared into the casing of the remote.
A few words not listed in the Oxford Dictionary of Current English followed, and minutes later I had that one taken apart. Okay, some plastic bit snapped off inside. Out with the super glue and tape again.
We’ll see what tomorrow will bring at the Putthaisong Aerodrome!
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Comments
4 Comments so far
Can you mount spy camera’s and Bombs on it????
Ok what is “SOMCHAI” Iv heard it before and am wondering…..
Its just a very common name in Thailand. Like the Germans calls the English “Tommy” and the Germans name for the Germans “Fritz”.
Else that thing is too light for that. But the one I am going build I could probably mount a video camera on it. As it is very sturdy and a good flyer they tell me.
Hi Rune.
This blog really struck a chord.
About two months ago in Paragon in Bangkok I saw a wonderful tiny “Fairy” helicopter about 12cm long. I thought “I am a grown man” and resisted even after the sales person demonstrated it. We were actually after a present for my stepdaughter.
When we saw the same in Pattaya a few days later I realised it was fate and I had to have it. Kai bartered 200 baht off.
Back in the guest house in Wichian I was slightly annoyed that Kai could fly it a little bit and I could not.
Then one time I got it going brilliantly. Unfortunately it flew over a 2 metre deep fish pond about the size of a swimming pool.
I could have got to the other side but Kai came out of the room and shouted “WATER WATER”.
I jumped and lost it. 45 minutes in the pool with a net and no trace.
Kai’s dad and neighbour even came round and retrieved it by diving into the pond, but the tail rotor was gone (I probably trod on it).
Now got the bug though, 40 years later than most kids, and
Yeah this thing is adictive I tell you. I am having a blast!