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Building and crashing an Easystar model

Posted by Alexandre Girard on August 17, 2010 at 1:49am
This is our first post on DIYDrones, where, I hope, we'll be relating our experience about building and crashing our first Easystar model.

2 weeks ago, we've built an Easystar model, customizing the default package with various new materials (I'll update this post as soon as I've got the complete references for each part):

- brushless motor
- 6 channels RC command (for fpv-tilting later)

First flight, 5 seconds flight-path

We live in Toulouse, France, and we've got a park big enough on a hill, just east of the city center.
After few attempts to make the plane flight, we noticed easily that the plane was only going on its right, making it impossible to control anything.

Flight path was something like this: launch the plane, go 10 meters straight, it began to turn right, went upward, tilt on the right, and went down right in the grass. Time of flight: 5 sec.

Major problem: turning right

Something if not right, we've tested 2-3 things since then: remove the wings (middle and stabliators), put a string on the gravity point to keep the plane in air, start the motor and the plane naturally go right.

By putting back the stabliators, we need to move the tail in such a way that it's really bent to the right of the stabliators.

Has anyone encounter this problem?
We have doubts on the reason of this problem, any help and advice is welcome :)

update: correct 10 min to 10 meters flight path

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Tags: building, crash, easystar, problem
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Replies

  • Admin
    Thomas J Coyle III January 12, 2012 at 3:39pm

    Alexandre,

    I have built eight EZ*s and crashed four of them beyond repair. All of my present EZ*s have brushless motors, big rudders, and ailerons.

    Depending on the size of your brushless motor, you may have a brushless motor that is overpowering your EZ*. I presently use both inrunner and outrunner brushless motors of around 2200kv and ~200-250watts. The more powerful the motor, the bigger the rudder.

    Also, I have reinforced the fuse with carbon fiber rods from tail to nose including the wing shoulder.

    The EZ* will plow nose down if you only use the rudder to turn. You need to have some up elevator during a turn. Installing ailerons on your EZ* or buying an EZ* II is the best way to go. The EZ* equipped with ailerons is a joy to fly. Also you might want to consider installing a CoPilot II to help you learn to fly well.

    Just a thought.

    Regards,

    TCIII

  • Guillaume Helle January 12, 2012 at 7:08am

    Hello,

    i live in Toulouse too, i have an EasyStar too and the same problem!

    Be welcome!

    But i can not explain what...

  • Mike Bakula August 17, 2010 at 4:13am
    We had an Easystar that did this at ERAU. I didn't figure out the problem before the airframe was totaled, but the rudder control horn was well behind the hinge line of the rudder. (it was a DuBro horn into a balsa rudder for the rudder mod) This restricted rudder movement to the left, and increased it to the right. With a 400 watt brushless driving a pusher prop, there wasn't enough rudder authority to keep the plane flying straight. (Also, at full power, there isn't really enough elevator either, until the plane gets some speed.) Check your control surface throws.
  • Moderator
    Gary Mortimer August 17, 2010 at 2:04am
    Bad luck, sounds like somethings not straight, be it motor mount or flying surface.

    If this is your first aircraft try power off glides until it flies straight, maybe you could post a picture of the surfaces.

    Welcome to DIYD, remember its always darker before the dawn, it will start to work.
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