Reptile Dragon II - Review

[@HermyH66]

My Split4 4K has this bad washed out fpv feed, but i see you are using a Runcam Hybrid, you almost got me there (at 0:40 in the video). These split style cams just don't work for fpv, the Hybrid is the way to go.

[@bonafidepirate]

Yes, you're right! I might have called it a Split... lol It's the Hybrid though. Too many cameras to remember what's what after a long break. ;) I do like this Hybrid a lot though, it's one of my favorite cams. Great analog feed and great HD recording too, in a small package.

[@RC-um3dv]

HES back baby glad to see you doing a video of the plane I just got we are on full lockdown here so I will take my time to build this one up hoped you would have put arduplane on this one also but no big thing just glad you back out man cant wait for the next video

[@bonafidepirate]

This kit was a pleasure to build, it's well thought out and nice quality too. I think it has potential to be a great plane in the air too, mine just started out pretty far off the mark and I'm slowly getting it back in line. haha

[@RC-um3dv]

@@bonafidepirate I didn’t like the first one because I think they were trying to hard to make a good plane but l am glad I didn’t buy the first one this one I think is a winner for sure and will give the mini talon a run for it’s money I have not built yet and I already love it lol

[@bonafidepirate]

@@RC-um3dv I couldn't help thinking how this would replace the Mini Talon for me. It fixed all the things I didn't like about the Mini Talon... lol Easier access to the space inside, twin tractor setup, kept the V-tail (at least it's an option), nice medium size airframe that breaks down easy, etc. They're both good planes, but I think I'd pick this one over the Mini Talon. I don't know if it could be made as efficient and get the same crazy long range you can with the MT, but for the flying I'm doing it's more than capable.

[@MCsCreations]

Awesome flying and review, dude! 😃 Pretty nice looking airplane indeed! And it's great to see you posting videos again! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@bonafidepirate]

Yes for sure! That break wasn't bad at first, but lasted way too long. It's good to be back flying! lol

[@407-z5f]

Great to see a new video… we all missed ya ! # Florida

[@bonafidepirate]

Thanks! I've missed flying and making videos... I've got to get all the kinks worked out of the PC in the shed then get back to flying at least weekly, rather than monthly... ha

[@407-z5f]

We all totally understand!!! Just glad to see you back at it !!! Take care man ..

[@mitchellreece3711]

You are very soft spoken. Nice setup and detail

[@helmuthuneke1775]

I had some rough landing on mine and changed the tail now to V as the T got many crack. its crazy how nose heavy it got it crashed at my remaiden straight in the nose so the V tail split open. i had oscillating problem with the t tail, you are right the cg moved forward by 1/4 inch.

[@blatezers5973]

Thank you for review! What autopilot fw did you used in this plane? is it ardupilot/plane?

[@FpvBerget]

oh boi here we go!

[@dronepilot260rc]

I finally ordered one 🎉 I’m possibly going to run 2 2306.5 1900kv motors

[@upperechelon3456]

Excellent review BP. This looks like a superb platform. Great aerial shots of your county. Resub scribed. Again. Superb review.

[@Puzsek]

Nice review, may i ask your speed indicator unit? km/h? or mile/h?

[@bonafidepirate]

Thanks! It's Miles per hour, all imperial units.

[@saberwulfSC]

Love your videos!! Glad your back!! Do you a file for your pan and tilt system that you would share?

[@TheSkyPod]

Do you have the STL file for the GoPro cover ? Not going to use mine as well , but wanted something quick so I didnt have to design it , and there is nothing on thingiverse . . Thanks

[@NMdesertracer]

Nice flight! One of the things I like best about the vector is it had a 2 step down RTH altitude feature so I could RTH far out at 399.9ft and once it got close to home circle 150ft

[@bonafidepirate]

Yep, that and the ability to circle the first waypoint instead of the actual home position when it comes back. Those two are great features that I wish all FCs had... lol I haven't set up the WP in this one yet, but my other ones are set up to circle a point south of home out over the open field, worse case it will have a better chance of landing out there with minimal damage and easy recovery, instead of circling true home with trees and fences all around.

[@bomberaustychunksbruv4119]

My Albabird with Vector has a 4.5 - 6 amp cruise. So very similar. When idle the setup pulls 0.4 amps before motors run up. So pretty efficient. Thats with 10,000mah LiPo's on board.

[@flyinghigh2646]

Your gimbal looks very cool, by any chance you have an STL for that? great video btw

[@bonafidepirate]

Yep, it's on my Thingiverse here: www.thingiverse.com/thing:3937599

[@kenspaceman3938]

What size of fpv camera fits in the round hole in the nose of the airplane? I’d like to put a DJI Air unit with a hd digital fpv camera there. But should the camera be mini, micro or nano size?

[@19AndreasL90]

Nice; Thanks for the thorough Review! How does it compare to the Albabird and Binary in terms of flight characteristics? Regards from Germany

[@bonafidepirate]

I've never seen the Albabird in person, don't know a lot about it. This one seems a bit more floatier than the Binary, no doubt due to the lighter wing loading, larger wing surface. The Binary has more power, but this one still has more than it needs. The Binary will climb like a rocket... lol They both have plenty of space inside, this one is easier to access it though. The Binary is more of a scale model that makes a pretty good FPV ship, while this one was designed for FPV from the start. Both are fun to fly, neither one would make a great first FPV plane though.

[@19AndreasL90]

@@bonafidepirate Thank you! I still have to finish my Binary (extended wing chord) - been working on other planes for over 1 year now... lol

[@northernfpv9562]

@@bonafidepirate I and almost everyone else I know who has tried the Alba loves it. It’s ugly but so very effective. You should definitely give it a try!

[@sevani777]

What center of gravity do you use? Does the instruction say 56mm, how does it work in practice?

[@nighthawkvs]

Very nice clean build.

[@bonafidepirate]

Thanks!

[@rodeopilot7495]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍👍👍👍great review, I have noticed that when you were on RTH the amp drawing was oscillating, I have the same problem on my vector mini talon pro , on RTH my amp draw oscillates and the plane starts dolphining, amp drawing gets as low as 1 amp sometimes. Do you know how I can solve that problem? Thanks

[@bonafidepirate]

I think the varying throttle is a result of the porpoising, not the cause. When the Vector expects a given altitude, but the plane is climbing above or falling below it, it adjust the throttle in an attempt to correct it, along with using the pitch control. I think in my case the made issues causing the porpoising in the first place was the incorrect CG, controls being too sensitive, and possibly the wrong cruise and climb throttles set in the Vector. It's kind of a group effort, we're seeing the result of a few different things that need tuning in... lol I'll get it there eventually once I settle on which props I want to run then dial it all in.

[@popeye7833]

Nice ! Could you show us more about the Tilt please .

[@mathieusan]

That's a cool OSD, what firmware is it running on, or did you customized the INAV fonts to the graphics and everything?

[@bonafidepirate]

It's an Eagle Tree Vector

[@North49RC]

Are you using differential thrust with the rudder or just rudder?

[@bonafidepirate]

Just rudder, no differential thrust

[@North49RC]

@@bonafidepirate I built a foamboard version of the Dragon and it had some of the same flight characteristics you experienced with the factory model. Others have built this version i created and noticed the same pitchy tendencies. probably cuz its a plank style hybrid with the short tail moment. Dialing back the throws in the elevator helped for sure. I built mine as the standard tail so it wouldnt be a direct comparison. Well even being its made of FB it wouldnt compare directly at all. Overall I like the design. I can definitely see how a flight controller would help in weather or for FPV. I subbed, looking forward to what you have coming up next.

[@Tenright77]

Thanks Keith, Nicely Done. The V tail vs Conventional will always be conditional trade offs in drag vs reduced pitch/yaw control. I know you've have experience with other V-tail models, so I'll be interested to see how you achieve the desired stability. It seems the conventional tail might have potential to tolerate a larger batterie load.

[@bonafidepirate]

Yes sir! Some day I may swap to the other tail just to see how much better it feels in the air. The V tail looks so good though, I want to like it... lol

[@Tenright77]

@@bonafidepirate I thought so as well...ha

[@alex8527-w1q]

RE: less FC performance at higher power. It may have been said already in here somewhere, This is a clear indicator of motor (and/or battery) wires being in too close of proximity to the FC. That could cause all manner of issues, including all stability issues mentioned during flight. The higher the current to motors, the more induced magnetic interference from them will affect the FC. The wires after the ESC will do even more harm with the 3 phase pulsing producing huge amounts of noise. This noise can go backwards if the servo motor wires are also close to the motor wires. Wire dressing, (separation) and using ferrite torroid filters around the servo wires will make all the difference. (fix the issues). Seeing this video makes me want one of these critters badly!!

[@bonafidepirate]

Just changing to the conventional tail fixed it though, and it flies great. ;)

[@alex8527-w1q]

@@bonafidepirate Really glad to hear that you got it flying right. I did some research on V-tails, and the tendency to have a lack of elevator/rudder authority. I even saw a lack of stability flying one on RealFlight Sim !! Again, great build.

[@rcbits404]

If you make a wing of your own, I suggest not having any taper and carefully selecting the airfoil. I believe the outer wing goes below critical Reynolds number at low speeds and basically the airflow around the wing just ceases to function. My2C.

[@NOXFPV]

Another awesome video.

[@dougmcpheters1546]

I wonder if tail config has much to do with its glide ratio? ...As always, killer setup Keith. I finally saw this model at what I considered a fair price for the PNP. Really like the design.

[@henryofskalitz2228]

The standard style tail has a better glide than the v

[@stevefox3763]

That is a very nice looking plane, im liking the quality is seems to have and its tempting my twitchy buy it now finger lol.

[@bonafidepirate]

Yeah it's one of the nicer kits I've put together, well thought out and high quality.

[@michaelk5503]

You are my fpv hero! Plus, your float around video? Thanks !

[@bonafidepirate]

Thanks! and what's a float around video? lol

[@michaelk5503]

@@bonafidepirate It’s a vital recon mission you bring an ice cream cone for!

[@bonafidepirate]

@@michaelk5503 OK Now I'm more confused... lol

[@EnglishTurbines]

Had the exact same issue on my Mini Talon twin ..Had to resort to bi blades due to resonance...Yeah, balancing 3 blade props?..Nope....🤔😀🇬🇧

[@bonafidepirate]

Yep, two blades are easy, 3 is not... ha I think the two bladed props are more efficient anyway, at least in theory. If the 7x5s don't work the motors a little less than these 7x6s, I might even drop back to those 6x4.5s and call it good. They run SO smooth and quiet... lol

[@jhughes2286]

What are the stock 3-blade props brand?

[@bonafidepirate]

I have no idea, they're no marked with any branding, just some props in a plastic bag in the box.

[@jhughes2286]

@@bonafidepirate oh ok, I thought they looked familiar but I guess not.

[@v55evo]

Ding, I don't see any mountain ...at all !!!!

[@bonafidepirate]

Nope, I live on a flood plain, nothing but flat land as far as I can see! lol

[@v55evo]

@@bonafidepirate I'm here in the bay area , San Francisco, nowhere to fly coz 5 miles heli and airport zone, have to drive across the bay to Marina Berkeley to fly . and stuck with bay bridge traffic when back home...........Thats hobby !!! oops !

[@briancrick935]

Whats the length of the nose?

[@bonafidepirate]

Leading edge of the wing to the tip of the nose is right at eight inches.

[@EnglishTurbines]

Oh, there you are, I thought you'd been kidnapped lol...Like the new twin rig....So, where's the proper traditional opening hyperlapse video clip of the black Angry clouds...?.... We've had words before about this haven't we..?...lol...It's not good enough. Your letting your long time supporters down badly.....🤔😳😳😀🇬🇧

[@bonafidepirate]

lol I changed up that intro time lapse a few videos back before the break. I still have the old one, wanted something different but sort of the same, if that makes sense.

[@EnglishTurbines]

@@bonafidepirate It's not the same, please put it back .....lol...😳😳🇬🇧

[@AerialWaviator]

Awesome setup and review video. Liked how you walked thru and explained how you tuned in the Reptile Dragon. Did noticed with the bobbing, that throttle (amps) was jumping up/down a bit too. (~3.5-6A) Perhaps coupling between elevator and motor power? (ie: one being more aggressive than the other, or lag in response of one vs the other)

[@bonafidepirate]

The Vector does use throttle when it climbs and descends, to some degree. I think we're seeing the results of controls being too sensitive, and incorrect cruise and climb throttles being set. Once I settle on which props I want I'll get it dialed in for sure.

[@roy_fpv6000]

2

[@gombi77]

Hy Where is best cg point of the plane?