Fascination Maiden (FPV)

Maiden flight of my FPV Topmodel CZ Fascination
Setup:
Airframe: Fascination 3.6E F5J (Esprit Model)
Motor: MVVS 5.6/690
Propeller: 14X9 Folding
ESC: Castle Phoenix Ice Lite 75
BEC: Castle 10A
Servo's: Hitec HS-85MG
Pan Servo: MD260 260 Degrees Metal Digital Servo (Goodluckybuy)
Tilt Servo: None
LRS: Scherrer long range V6
HD Cam: None
SD Cam: SN555
OSD: Eagle Tree
Batteries: Rhino 4900 4S 25C
Vid Tx: 1280Mhz & 1258Mhz 800mw
Vid Tx Antenna: 1.3GHz Vee (Range Video)
Vid Rx: Generic 1280Mhz
Vix Rx Antenna: Homemade iBcrazy Bi-Quad

[@rsowder]

What a coincidence. My grandfather had a 1963 Cammanche 250. I fond memories flying that plane with him for a good part of my life. I really miss it. Ironically the FAA website show's it located in Ridgecrest CA, a bit south of me now.

[@rcpilot4970]

I love it when the sailplane engages it's motor and the plane following just sees it float up into the air effortlessly. The normal plane has to go vertical to keep up! XD

[@rsowder]

I'm glad you asked about the UHF antenna's. So far I'm getting horrible RC range. I'm not sure that it's the antenna arrangement, as I use the same on all my planes. But I did buy a spectrum analyzer and found that something on the wing is emitting allot of RF compared to my other planes. I'm in the process of figuring that one out. Rmontiel has one of his antenna's in the tail and it obviously works great for him.

[@bryantmaximilionalpha2840]

Is there anything more cooler, than an rc sailplane in flight?...No, I don't believe there is! :)

[@rsowder]

I think your observation is spot on :-)

[@themainproblem]

That was an excellent video! Greeting from Arizona.

[@Donatillo1961]

The best movies for FPV ..... "Echelon" making fpv so awesome !

[@alishanmao]

You lucky guys. you have the beautiful blue skies and clear weather, not to mention that beautiful scenery :) i wish i was there to fly with you guys. What you need now are the MTDs. All of you and you can do some serious long range formation flying.

[@rsowder]

Thanks! We are lucky to live in this area :) What is an MTD?

[@alishanmao]

rsowder My Twin Dream, dual motors new FPV Plane that we have flown for 50km and recent test we flown it with 5kgs of batteries inside its belly upto 4 hours :) we are trying to attempt a 200km flight with it :) amazing plane. you can find reviews on my channel or just google it

[@rsowder]

alishanmao Sounds cool. I'll check it out.

[@Soldier53flyer]

Thank you for getting back to me.I have to try the one I have out. RV is where I picked them up. Have a great day.Nice flying.

[@GeorgeBonez]

Beautiful sailplane! I am an RC Plane guy but I have never flown a sailplane like this before! I have been struggling with multi-rotors for my FPV for the last 4 months but I am thinking that I need to back-up and go in this direction! Beautiful vid man! :)

[@SouthCoastCommuter]

wonderful glider, can you provide some pictures on how you managed to get the FPV gear installed in the plane so neatly please

[@mikbacitube]

Tanks for that , I am a metric guy and could not make sense out of those numbers now I understand. 60 Mph at 25 feet its great. Nice filming as well.

[@TheJonesy837]

A few decisions made today, will make my own UHF antenna out of RG316 cable, just strip 16.4 CM braid and solder on ground element. This will be stuck onto the rudder post inside, also to keep it quiet as a mouse back there (RF), using a plastic "Bowden" style control link, moving the servo under the wing, dont like the servo back there with a big access hole, its 20g, but that needs 60g of lead in the nose to compensate if tail heavy! Good luck with the RF noise hunt by the way.

[@rsowder]

I use the Japan FPV DVR. Works great and is easy to use. It aslo doesn't go to "blue screen" when the signal is lost.

[@PavelVanecekCZ]

Absolutely fantastic. I have one Fascination glider too. Great video.

[@frank17021967]

Excellent Video! - Greetings from Germany

[@rsowder]

Thank you!

[@shelbyintheolds]

Wow... what a smooth flight and awesome secondary video.

[@Varicopax]

Very Nice! Facination is fascinating!

[@fpwolff]

Best footage I have seen so far, amazing.

[@TheJonesy837]

Very nice video, inspired my purchase, and just received my Fascination kit, look forward to having it ready for the summer. Is the V antenna arrangement on the fuselage for the LRS? Toying with the idea of making my own UHF antenna and sticking it to the rudder post inside, just a little short for the ground element but would be neat! Also waiting for a RV OSD system to arrive, like the simplicity, find the Eagle tree a little messy for installation, will have to buy another tracker though!

[@CV_CA]

Simply beautiful and greetings from San Francisco bay area,

[@hindsight99]

Excellent air2air! Matthew

[@humanmissile]

Wow that's so stable! great video, i've watched all you guys videos from team echelon.

[@rsowder]

So far I have no complaints. I use a home made dipole for my long range flights, but I have taken the "V" to over 5 miles with perfect video. I have not run out of range with one yet.

[@randalljames1]

One of those "make ya drool" videos.. nice

[@GeorgeBonez]

rsowder FPV aircraft (F450 quad NAZA-M GPS) is just a couple of days away from being ready man. I am so excited man.

[@NadsGlanzaV]

Brilliant flight. Very enjoyable to watch!

[@GeorgeBonez]

Holy Crap!! That was so freakin awesome! I am just learning to fly fpv and you just gave me a whole new perspective! GREAT VID !!!

[@SUPAD]

Very noble aircraft !

[@bisholim5377]

I have a problem and that is finding one to fly with :) and finding a place where I can fly from :) But then again I live in Europe...:) Thank's for sharing

[@Charlienofun]

Looks awesome Randy!

[@stuartclark4699]

Good grief, what a beautiful video! Well done! Thanks for uploading :-)

[@rsowder]

I have taken that antenna out about 6 miles on another plane. I did not trim it and the video was perfect. I use a home made bi-quad on the rx.

[@GeorgeBonez]

That is a cool coincidence. Man everytime I fly in this thing I always listen really hard to make sure that the retracts sound right because I cant bring myself to believe the green gear-down light. I hate retract landing gear and expect a belly-flop every time we land. BTW flying is my number one fear in this world and thats why I am so drawn to it I think. Sometimes I feel like I know too much about how planes work and thats why they scare the shit out of me. A commercial flight is horror 4 me

[@jsm99]

Is the video with the OSD data (@1:15) being recorded on the ground or in the air? I don't think I have seen FPV video that clear or constant before. Absolutely amazing.

[@rsowder]

It's being recorded on the ground.

[@richardmorris9494]

great ! thanks,i been looking at there sweet models ! ill take another look at the Fascination

[@FPVREVIEWS]

check for ground loops in the system. also, put ferrite rings on noise making devices such as cameras, video transmitter, also capacitor on video tx power supply close to the tx. also get physical seperation of the lrs reciever on the plane, use diepoles if possible. they outperform sander style antennnas. and put fetrrite rings on all the servo wires going to the reciever. anything with a voltage regulator can make noise. the spectrum analyzer will be a great help. wish u the best.

[@What_If_We_Tried]

Wow, I'm inspired, really fantastic!

[@rsowder]

The number on the left is airspeed in MPH and the right is altitude in feet.

[@petejulie1000]

Amazing camera action

[@RCFoam]

Really i hope you sinced learned it good. The KK board is great for learning although kk2 firmware 1.5 is a big improvement. You can easily flip and stuff with kk and you learned the right way without autolevel.

[@rsowder]

It was tight getting everything in. But because of the small space, the biggest problem is cooling for the ESC. I can't run the motor too long or it will overheat.

[@rsowder]

Yes. I got it at Esprit Model. This is the same glider that R. Montiel set what I think it the word distance record.

[@smoothvirus]

She's a beauty! Go Topmodel, lol. I have a Prelude, but don't plan on using it for FPV.

[@bdseidler]

Very nice. Greetings from SoCal.

[@P0iju]

Some excellent shots by your "camera man" too, great video!

[@funkybrezhoneg]

what a cool bird! is it 5.8Ghz Tx?

[@Zwyser]

nice idea to have a real glider as an fpv platform. was it hard to fit all the gear inside that little fuselage?

[@richardmorris9494]

very nice ! great glider and video. is this glider available in USA ?

[@JohnFHendry]

Really nice glider. The more I fly the more limited LOS becomes.

[@rsowder]

I agree. It's such a nice looking glider, but I never see it from the outside ;)

[@JohnFHendry]

Wow... I didn't know people came in that size.... must be hard finding shoes that fit. ;-)

[@networkit]

Great flyer! Im sure you'll get some distance out of this one!

[@eyeontheempire]

Great video! I live in Palo Alto- where is the best/ closest hobby shop to pick up an entry-level sailplane?

[@rsowder]

Thanks, I love it too :) With just the plane, servo's, motor, ESC and props it come up too about $1,080 USD.

[@rsowder]

I like the heat sink idea, but landing on the belly on a dry lake bed, which I do from time to time would damage it. Maybe I can mount it coming out of the side of the fuselage.

[@RCKenpilot]

THIS is some amazing video and great flying!

[@Soldier53flyer]

How do you like the Vid Tx Antenna: 1.3GHz Vee (Range Video)? did you have to cut it? I have one with a patch antenna and I'm putting on a plane but this is the first one I have seen at work. I have a 1.280Mhz and the 1.258Mhz 400mw Vtx, good video, and flying.

[@rsowder]

Nice glider. Those cumulous clouds looked nice. Bet you can get some strong thermals there!

[@gbraga67]

GREAT FPV. Where is that?

[@VladislavNPalkin]

Cool! Well done, fantastic!

[@Soldier53flyer]

Thank you,

[@SladkaPritomnost]

Nice, did you guys get so super 0 wind conditions? Most fpv videos with daylight are full of gusting air, thermals, etc... not very ideal for filming... but views from your sailplanes are smooth!!!

[@rsowder]

The mornings at that location are usually calm and smooth before the thermals start.

[@RCFoam]

OMG That is one he** of a fuc**** lovely plane. Whats its all up cost before fpv? Only the frame and gear...

[@rsowder]

I did all the ferrite rings, filters etc. Nothing worked. I found using my spectrum analyzer that the video Tx on 1280Mhz had a rise in RF noise right around the 433Mhz band. This vid Tx has two frequencies, so I switched it to 1258Mhz and the noise shifted down enough to leave 433Mhz clear. In flight tests the range increased dramatically :)

[@SoaringExperience]

Awesome How fast does it travel? I am asking because I want to use a glider for FPV and I think I glider which is not just a floater and can fly distances with a bit of speed is a good idea :) I see the OSD-Screen but no idea where the speed is :D

[@rsowder]

I have had it up to 70 mph (112 kph) but my flight controls are loose and half the left elevon came off and both aileron servos disconnected. Got it back safely though. If they were tighter (not loose) I'm sure it could do 100 mph +.

[@rsowder]

Thank you. I use to fly full scale gliders, so I wanted a similar experience. That's why I got the sailplane. I have a Quad copter aslo, but I kind of find them boring myself ;)

[@OzParkPilot]

Nice one - I might put my ET OSD in a DS1000 MG with verometer - Whats your thoughts ?

[@FPVav8tr]

Awesome video!

[@rsowder]

We got a couple great new shots of it this weekend. Those will appear in our next Teach Echelon video. See the description for out web site.

[@SYNFPVPILOT]

Beautiful glider!

[@skotch40]

That's awesome!

[@bigjoker4u]

that was awesome .

[@rsowder]

You'll love the cub. And yes, over an hour should be easy. With no lift I can get 45 minutes out of it :)

[@ram48heyburn]

This looks like a beauty ! I am saving to make this my next power glider. How do you feel about it as far as quality and design goes ?? Motor suggestion would be appreciated :)

[@rsowder]

It's the best glider I have owned and the build quality is top notch. I used the motor they suggested at Esprit model, which is the MVVS 46 5.6/690 Sport Sailplane Brushless Motor.

[@corerouterbgp7758]

Hey what did you use for the HUD i really want to know :D Btw the flight looks baddass

[@rsowder]

That was the Eagle Tree OSD Pro. I have since upgraded to the Eagle Tree Vector which has color graphics plus many other upgrades: www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_21&products_id=2307

[@RoboTekno]

What a beautiful plane. Also thanks for not adding music :)

[@rsowder]

Haha, you're welcome ;-) I'm a purist. Like to hear the natural sounds :-)

[@muhammadfaishalnurfauzy5626]

Love this (y)... i have a question.. could you give me some clue how to combine monitoring and mapping feature in one uav (fixed wing plane)??

[@mike_oe]

Very nice - thx for sharing!

[@smoothvirus]

You'll like the F450 Naza, I am flying one FPV myself.

[@Prometreus]

Very nice! Which wingspan is this?

[@rsowder]

Thanks! And you can thank calidave88 for the great camera work from the chase plane.

[@MichaelKGizzonimo]

Wow!

[@J2onton]

Nice video. Added to my PL

[@avisfacticius]

Great Video!

[@kevin8092]

Beauty!

[@RIPcombat]

Sweet glider, Thumbs up

[@pjclar1981]

very nice video !!!

[@hughhemington9559]

I wonder why there are no videos like this of Sedona?

[@bellopez]

Very nice

[@Soldier53flyer]

I have a patch antenna I will try to set up with the Vee antenna I would like to get 1/2 that far out. have a good day.

[@rsowder]

I did have to add some weight to the nose as I mounted the elevator servo in the tail. With all the FPV gear, there was no room to mount the servo where the manufacturer suggested.

[@ElSusurradorDeTermicas]

Great video rsowder!

[@SVSky]

Cool, Eagletree OSD?

[@rsowder]

Yes, that's the old OSD Pro. I now have the Vector in it and that's a worth while upgrade :)

[@oyvinator]

What do you use to record your flight from the video out? Its my biggest problem yet! I want a good pvr that is 12 volts in but still has the best ease of use after recording. I am a noob. Finding a good composite recorder that can handle anything from composite (and upwards) for the future have been a problem for me

[@JanuszWidlaENERGOWID]

Bravo pilots.

[@jcperdomo19]

very nice!!!!

[@rsowder]

I hope so Danny. May need to head to the desert for that though ;-)

[@iforce2d]

How is the camera guy getting such perfect tracking of the glider? Is he using one of those things where the camera is directed by an accelerometer in the goggles?

[@rsowder]

Yes he is and it's called "head tracking".

[@otepsettantotto2249]

Wow!! Fantastic!!

[@claudios.9028]

fantastico...complimenti

[@rsowder]

I have that equipment in this glider and the Vario works great. Go for it :-)