Comment by Robert Sinclair on May 17, 2012 at 8:22am

The removal of the camera might have shifted the CG even further back.  Nice landing.  Looks great

Distributor Comment by Dany Thivierge on May 17, 2012 at 10:55am

Do you REALLY need that much cargo room? I think it's oversized... sure you need a bay for electronics but this is huge and will cause drag and will affect how it works... 

I dont know much for planes... .sorry but this looks really too big underbelly.  :) 

Moderator Comment by Gary Mortimer on May 17, 2012 at 12:23pm

I bet it still flys for twice as long and with double the load of a multicopter Dany!

Just looking at the still the thrustline might need some attention otherwise looks great well done.

Comment by Trent at MyGeekShow on May 17, 2012 at 1:10pm

Robert: You're right! It did move a bit, we did adjust the wings forward to compensate. (Didn't show that on the video though... darn!)

 

Danny: It may be a little overkill :) We wanted enough on front to place the APM and enough in the back to have the motor... To be honest, the Shrike is really a temporary solution to test FPV and APM technology, it's got too much going on with the fuse for our USA trip.

 

Gary: Ha ha! That is true! Thrustline... still learning about that. Is that also known as center of drag? Angle of incidence on the motor? Thank you for the tips...

Comment by Carl La France on May 17, 2012 at 9:23pm

Make your self a weight and balance jig.  get yourself a piece of 2 by 4 one foot long get  get two pieces of 1/2 inch dowel 6 inches  long drill taper one end of each dowel to a point  drill two 1/2 inch holes  1 inch deep in the  2 by 4  3 inches either side of center ( 6 inches total) mount the blunt end of the dowels in the  1/2 inch holes  with the tapered end up put your plane on it so the COG in the wing (usually 1/3 cord) is on the dowels add weight to the front until it balances level   fix the weight so it doesn't move   GO FLY! any time you add or remove any thing re check the weight and balance

Comment by John Hestness on May 17, 2012 at 9:28pm

I like the cargo truck/space shuttle design.  Many planes are so cramped for space they end up with equipment sticking out or hanging on the side of the plane.  It is nice to have room for testing and prototyping.  And yes maybe a little more power would be good, no need to go vertical but a little more would probably be nice. 

Comment by Hans Cappelle on May 18, 2012 at 12:02am

Or just give it bigger wings. It should fly slower then. Google wingloading.

Nothing wrong with lots of cargo. But the fuselage could be shaped more dynamically. Like a drop of water with a sharp point up front.

 

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