Posted by
Leo Hogg on July 12, 2012 at 3:30pm
Having imported and build a Hobbyking EPP-FPV aircraft, I would reccomend against UK buyers purchasing from the states since the postage and import duty was more expensive than the model itself and the quality of the kit was below what I expected. However I have assembled it and it has proven to be useful in my exploration into FPV. I have been reading this site now and will soon buy the APM2 autopilot. It seems as if there will not be enough space inside the plane to fit all of the equipment, so I am looking for another platform to house the equipment. I am not aware of any aircraft which is affordable to buy and meets my needs, so I am intending to build from scrach out of foam.
Comments
Just looking back through my old blog. This FPV plane is dead and buried now but one issue came to light after the crash.
Im sure you all know about this already but we had mounted the Ardupilot right next to the powerful canopy magnet. Doh!
Might explain some of its drunken tracking between waypoints.
Hobbyking now stock the bixler in the UK Warehouse (they are awaiting a shipment though.) The 2m FPV Raptor is also an excellent high performance FPV aircraft at an affordable price - less than £100 delivered, just got one
I modified mine slightly, flies MUCH better but a little heavy for small flying areas.
Leo, I have the same plane and it has monstrous amount of free space inside. On my plane I put APM1 board just under the wing in the fuselage - it fits there really nice. As I understood, you're planning to buy APM2 which is much smaller, so you will definitely find place for it.
It's now also available in the newly opened UK Warehouse (hurry, there are only 2 left). No importing duties
Hey buddy welcome to the club . I have been building from scratch for a couple of months now I am about 1/2 done and my plane is sort of "Evolving" the beauty of scratch building You add things and change things as you go along the finished product will be nothing like I set out to do in the first place check out your magazine stands there are some very good air craft magazines printed in the UK that might be of help in your decisions ? Scratch building is not necessarily the cheap way to go. My fuselage was free my wing about $32. with what I had already laying around Battery, motor ,ESC, EDF around $600. 4 metal gear servos $140. CA Accelerator flap hinges miscellaneous fittings etc $40. 2.4 ghz conversion for my Futaba 72 mhz radio $100 That is just to get it to fly I already have a battery charger that will handle the battery or throw in another $80 to $100 + for a charger Let us know what you decide ?There are very experienced people on here that could give you valuable advise .
Example I designed and built my own wing only to find out there is a cad program that could have done it for me
Good Luck (I don't drink or smoke or have a wife so I can justify throwing several 100 $ to the wind)