@@TheGoodLife62 actually it’s an 1800 4s but it’s getting old and a bit down on power for flat out.

@@PredatorRacingTas Have you flown it on both? Does one balance better than the other?

@@TheGoodLife62 The recommended 2200mah 4S 60C works great but if they puff a little they no longer fit in the fuselage, the 1800mah 4S 70-150 Nanotechs are an easier fit but mine are old & lack top end punch. I have also flown on 2200 3S 30C and these are great for thermalling but only give about 2/3 speed. When using the correct battery the Excalibur will clock 171KPH on a good day. CG balance is not an issue with any of the batteries & there is very little room for adjustment.

@@PredatorRacingTas Thanks for responding. I just assembled one that I've had on the shelf for over a year. Hoping for a successful maiden.

@@TheGoodLife62 Check the inside of your canopy & see if it has reinforcing ribs, my latest one has but me previous one (that I flew into the ground) didnt & the prop could catch under the canopy edge during a non powered hi-speed dive. I fitted a small clear plastic tab, fixed to the fuselage & lapped over the LHS of the canopy to fix the problem.

Yes, a bit too close for comfort methinks. Didn't look that close from the ground but the onboard video never lies.

Operator Error

@@PredatorRacingTas Ohhhh, does that explain the beeping...?

Plane uses a 6S 5000mAh battery and the motor is a large (around 5565) 400kV brushless

@@PredatorRacingTas Thank you my friend

If you want to fly in Tassie then you very quickly learn to fly in the wind as it's always windy down here.

The wind was blowing at over 20kph & gusting to 60 so it really wasn't a good day for testing. Next time we will test with a 6S battery in place of the 4S

​​@@PredatorRacingTas That's Funny 😂 Maybe change the day, not the battery 🤣 Cool watching someone flying something that doesn't cost more than most people's homes 👍 I started 6 Decades Ago, with Strings, and a Cox .049 😊

@@My-Pal-Hal We are just old pensioners down this way flying whatever we can get hold of. No million dollar RC jets down this way. We still have a lot of fun though, fly them, break them, repair them, repeat!! My bro started about the same time as you with control line planes & Enya diesel motors. Still pranged just as many as we do today though. Always trying to push the envelope just a tad too far !!

@@PredatorRacingTas Oh my friend,.. I've been there, way before I'd like to admit. But I think I did. And you don't know Old. But unfortunately you will. And that's Cool Too 😏 You guys still have the technology, us old guys only dreamed of. And Made Happen !!! I started with Strings, and cox .049's. And want on to build the stuff above you 😂 ... sorry , the rest is classified HAVE FUN 😊 IT WAS FUN WATCHING 🤗 ... memories , ow , my back 😂 , that's not funny

@@PredatorRacingTas ... you should see the old stereo stuff i have,.. most of which is probably illegal 😂 I had an answer to a question I'd get now and then. Is That Stereo Loud ??? Well, I can Sterilize Small Animals, and People if they get close 😂 And Pensions are Good 👍 Most, can't be gambled away like 401k's. ... though, i still keep an eye on mine

Found the whistle, it was the rubber band around the canopy !! It’s not needed and I will remove next flight.

I'm not surprised by the Widowmaker moniker, even the RC model is a twitchy bitch to fly. When all is working well she flies great but if one little thing is out of whack all hell breaks loose.

The C rig in this video was made by the Focus owner however B & C rigs are available commercially for the DF95 & they fit with a bit of fiddling. Just search in your local area for suppliers.

You could but they perform better with IOM sails

By adjusting the endpoint settings in your transmitter

3S 4500 75c LiPo that gives around 10 minute flight time

The Focus has a much larger sail area than a DF95 so under the right conditions it will be faster.

Unfortunately I made several mistakes that when added together all contributed to this crash; 1) I used a larger heavier battery than normal & forgot to adjust its location for correct COG 2) whilst gliding unpowered in no wind and with negligable thermal lift I took my eye of the model for several seconds & missed the start of the spin 3) as pointed out by a mate Chris (in the Philippines) I should have disengaged the autopilot BEFORE attempting to recover from the spin ( this is what locked the elevators in the full up position) 4) With the correct COG the BumbleBee recovers by itself from a tip-stall and or spin under the control of the iNav flight controller as can be seen in previous videos.This lured me into a false sense of security. Luckily, as I managed to almost level the plane before contacting Terra Firma the only damage was a loosened wing mount block which was easily epoxied back in place so BumbleBee is ready to soar again (with the correct COG this time)

That is true, but while we still enjoy our flying we will continue to make videos, whether anyone watches them or not !!. It's just what we old retirees do to keep our minds active.

Would pushing the nose down have helped?

@@daniel.mackin Quite possibly, but not until I disengaged AutoPilot

@@PredatorRacingTas definitely the first step 😄

One critical mod this plane needs whether flying on 3s or 4s is to prevent the folding prop catching on the left hand side of the canopy when powering up after a no power high speed dive (the air pressure inside the fuse pushes the canopy out just enough to catch the prop). I simply used a tiny piece of clear plastic sheet taped to the fuselage & extending over the side of the canopy in the area where the prop catches. This way you just tuck the edge of the canopy under the plastic strip & then you don't need to un-tape all the time. Without this the motor stalls on startup after a dive more often than not. It is usually reported as a motor or ESC fail but it isn't. Other than that it flies great out of the box with a 3S battery, but its much faster with a 4S. On a 4S 40C 2200mAh LiPo I clocked mine at 172kph with the onboard iNav F411-WSE that I had fitted.

These Cats came out around 8 years ago and I haven't seen them advertised since. I reckon you would need to advertise for a second hand one.

@@PredatorRacingTas we’ll do u still have your still ?

Yes, it wouldnt be the same without the Frog & Miss Piggy !!

The Super Chipmunk is built from one of the Chinese kits. These kits are still available via AliExpress but are over $600.00 Au once you factor in postage. The kits include NO electronics. It has a fibreglass fuselage & built up wings. I fly on a 4S 5000mAh battery using a 17 x 8 prop. The motor & ESC can take up to 6/7S batteries but the prop size would need to be reduced at the higher voltages. Motor is a big Turnigy C4260-500 fed via an 80A ESC. All servos are Hitech.