Ran D. St. Clair Flex 9 Flight

Tim Rodriguez is the drone pilot. To see more of his stuff click here.
/ timrodriguez1
To understand how & why this airplane works, check out.
• Ran D. St. Clair Flex ...
If you like full scale aircraft check out my other channel.
/ wcolby
To see all of Ran D. St. Clairs weird airplanes click..
• Ran D. St. Clair Flyin...

[@jesselovell1241]

Every now and then you come across a video that reminds you of KZbin's glory days. This is one of those videos.

[@michaelai8274]

Yeah, today it's all about Morning routines and pranks....But then this place still is the best educational platform for me Cheers

[@MattJasa]

Theirs still good content out there, it just gets pushed to the back of the library. You never know what you might be interested in.

[@RanDStClair]

I am the designer, builder, and pilot, so I can answer your questions. How long can it fly? About as long as this video. There was 27% of battery capacity left at landing, so a good safety margin. Why does it want to turn left? It only does that when Auto Level is turned off. Slight trim issues with the various elevator settings. What is the point? To see if it is possible. To learn how to do it. Because it’s fun. What is the application? High altitude solar powered aircraft are very large and delicate. This technique would reduce structural stresses when flying in turbulence. What is not the application? Man carrying aircraft. This is suitable for use with autonomous aircraft. How does it work? 3 receivers, all bound to the same transmitter, send identical signals to all 9 planes. 9 flight controllers interpret those signals to tell each plane what to do. Each plane has only throttle and elevator. Differential throttle gives yaw control (steering). Differential elevator gives roll control (like ailerons). All elevators together control pitch (up-down). What does the flight controller do? It provides rate gyro stabilization as well as AutoLevel stabilization. It also mixes the input signals differently depending on the planes location in the array. Is P factor making it turn? No, P factor relates to differential thrust across the propeller disk due to the air coming through the disk at an angle. It’s not an issue here, in part because the propellers on opposite sides of the plane turn in opposite directions so any P factor would cancel out. Can you wrap it in a circle and fly it? Circle or Ring planes can fly, but not this one. There is no structure that would allow it to hold its circular shape. Is it more efficient? In theory yes. Induced drag, that is drag due to lift, is reduced by the square of the span, so a very large span has very low drag. This specific plane is not very efficient because it is not very streamlined. How much does it cost? Not much. All the gear is simple low cost hobby grade stuff. How does it get power? Each plane has a small 2 cell lithium polymer batter, 1A hour capacity. It uses small brushless motors and electronic speed controllers (ESC) to drive them It’s all inexpensive hobby grade stuff, and readily available. Why does it flap and wiggle so much? Mostly because it isn’t properly tuned yet. This was the very first flight. It will always wiggle and bend in turbulence though, that is kind of the point. If it was rigid then the structural stresses would be higher. What’s it made of? It looks like cardboard, but it is really foamboard. It’s the same stuff you can buy at your local store that kids use to make presentations. It is brown because the paper on the outside is brown and water resistant. It’s held together, mostly with hot melt glue. The fuselage is a fiberglass tube like an arrow shaft. It’s a very simple, cheap, and not very elegant building technique, but it works fine for a quick experiment. Was it hard to build? No, it’s about as easy as a plane can be, except that you have to build 9 of them. Who launches on 4? I guess I do. 3 would have worked just as well. Why launch it from the wing tips? Because there is no other good way to grab it. You could have 4.5 people hold 2 planes each, but it would be hard to get them all coordinated. Why not add landing gear? Because it’s simpler to live without it, and the flying site we use is covered with grass, so wheels would not work easily. On a flat smooth surface, wheels would work just fine. Can you make one with 100 planes? In theory yes, but it would be a lot of work, hard to launch, and a logistical pain in the neck. Besides, for the intended full scale purpose, 9 each 40 ft. modules would be 360 ft. span, which is already way bigger than a 747 at about 200 ft. Would it fly better if the modules were swept back like a flock of geese? Not really. Geese fly that way because they are not attached. Ideally the multiple modules would be one smooth continuous wing, but this is just a science experiment. Geese do fly in a V for the same basic reason though, to increase their combined span for better efficiency. What kind of drone was used for filming? It was a more or less stock “race quad” with 5” props and a Go-Pro on the font. The pilot, however, is exceptionally skilled. Why was it so grey? The smoke from the “Camp Fire” in Southern California settled in the San Francisco bay area for several days, plus it was cloudy. Will it fly again? Yes, it has already flown and crashed since then. Flights will continue each weekend, weather permitting, until we get it tuned as best we can. There will be more video, but without all the flapping it will probably be boring. Is it hard to land? Yes, it is. If all 9 planes don’t touch down at the exact same time it tears the foam couplers between the planes. It’s an easy thing to fix, but even a good landing is a slight crash. I never said it was a practical model aircraft. How would you launch the full scale version? You get 2 really tall ladders… Just kidding. The Odysseus uses a really wide cart called a “strong back”. They mount the plane on it, and tow it up to speed with a truck. The plane flies really slow so it lifts off easily. How would you land such a big aircraft? The Odysseus needs a really wide runway. For full scale it is possible to have the modules break apart and land separately. That would offer huge advantages when operating in areas where a big runway is not available. It would also make the modules much easier to manage in less than ideal weather conditions. The model is not designed to break apart in flight, but it is theoretically possible.

[@wcolby1]

Let's start to thumbs UP on the previous comment to keep it at the top!

[@yelectric1893]

This plane concept is outstanding and inspiring. This is truly a great application of the concept of joints. Awesome!

[@mccc4559]

I wake up daily just to watch your videos...then I sleep and dream of meeting you in person one day.

[@fotoamgamgfoto3695]

hi! I am having about 50 quads at home which is 200 motors and want to build some big RC airplane using as many motors on the wing as possible. Do you now any open source projects supporting it on common FC's like F3 F4 etc?

[@brianperkins6121]

getting all those aircraft to fly in unison, assuming one used a stability control sensing of some sort ..

[@akshaynilkanth9671]

How even that design came to their mind and they made it work...that's just great

[@timaskew4837]

Put some LED’s on, fly it at night and you have a big UFO “flap”

[@jesselovell1241]

I can see the headlines now.

[@Lue_Jonin]

LOL 😆 I've seen "supernatural" channels where stuff like this is thought to be exterrestrial , interdimential or dragons of all things.

[@peterhill8310]

@@jesselovell1241 qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqàà

[@mixz9929]

I was juss thinking that before i even clicked the video however i do believe there is other more intelligent life out there

[@cemasti4524]

Or flop

[@DailyDoseOfInternet]

Thank you! Sharing your video today!

[@VijitChandna]

Hey , I'm your fan ! Whats up

[@wcolby1]

Vijit chandna #Awesome His, mine or both?

[@DailyDoseOfInternet]

this exact video!

[@fhe2000]

Wow

[@VijitChandna]

@@wcolby1 bro I just discovered your channel from Google + , but this video was awesome

[@PeterSripol]

Hahahahahaha that was awesome, now do 100 of them together!

[@DivisionRc]

PeterSripol this shocked me!

[@SpacefarerIndustries]

you have to 1up this now

[@Heksu77]

Beautiful!

[@glennllewellyn7369]

No. My MG42 couldn't cope.

[@IdeaMaker2003]

What?

[@TheAkshay1985]

Sometimes KZbin’s algorithm really works well to bring such a nice video randomly. Kudos to you guys!!!

[@alierrtrillo9368]

This is one of the few things that have brought a smile to my face lately. Thank you sire.

[@perrybb2]

This video deserves more likes for not clickbaiting and having the thumbnail picture show up within 10 seconds of starting the video instead of cutting right before and putting it around the 8 minute mark after useless and unwanted exposition. Good on you!

[@glenturney4750]

SHARE IT! 😁👍

[@josephwonch6376]

And another left turn and another left turn just like NASCAR

[@schastliviich]

А перевод?

[@pixel6173]

I love the fact that this video gets straight to the point instead of talking for 10 minutes before actually flying the thing.

[@geraldfrost4710]

"But first, hit the like button and subscribe and buy my merch!" The difference here is they are doing the cool thing for themselves, and sharing it is almost a second thought. This is nerds having a blast; love it!

[@RedHeadForester]

The best thing about this video isn't even the aeroplane, it's the brilliant back and forth discussion between the team on the ground.

[@giorgiol77]

I love how they are not amazed by the fact that that actually flies

[@BigHotSauceBoss69]

Of course it would fly why wouldnt it? The planes were ready to fly on their own all they had to do was balance the left and right movements with the flight controllers

[@taofledermaus]

Very impressive. It would be cool to see planes with swept-wings joined together in a vee-formation.

[@Bibibosh]

Maybe it needs a shotgun shell in the nose of the aircraft so when the plan kamikaze’s the ground , it blasts a shotgun shell on impact! Like them drones with the 1 bullet inside them!

[@microbuilder]

@@Bibibosh Better yet, tiny metal glider in shotgun shell lol

[@Eremon1]

@@Bibibosh Like ablative crash velocity reduction? I didn't know such a thing existed!

[@Bibibosh]

i wanna see a paper plane (on impact) deploy the smaller bullet on the market! The paper plane will need a metal tube, so a large wing span is a must

[@cornfarts]

Tao!

[@moeshipley4170]

I was on the Pathfinder and Helios solar-powered airplane program, from 1992 until 2007. We set several altitude records using span-loaded flying wings such as you have here. The stability and control issues are interesting, but at the end of the day we set an absolute altitude record of 96,863 feet in August, 2001. Wing twist and dihedral angle are two critical factors for stable flight. The latter we achieved by flying the outer panels at higher angle of attack relative to the inner portion of the wing.

[@jerryweaver2247]

Awesome have any links to share.?

[@johnparrish9215]

Moe Shipley, I do believe you are quoted in a textbook I read once.

[@moeshipley4170]

@@jerryweaver2247 Check out NASA-Armstrong's website and do a search on "Patfinder Plus" and/or "Helios," and you'll see a ton of photos. Both airplanes are also on Wikipedia. At the time (1993--2003), NASA-Armstrong was still NASA-Dryden, and they were the sponsoring agency. My employer, AeroVironment, Inc., built the aircraft. We set our first altitude record over Roger's Dry Lake there, with subsequent records set at PMRF-Barking Sands, on the island of Kauai (spending three seasons there did not suck!). Sadly, we lost the Helios aircraft in June, 2003, but I was privileged to be one of the guys who took Pathfinder Plus back east to the Smithsonian's Udvar-Museum at Dulles Airport, where it hangs today. Hope this steers you in the right direction, but feel free to ask more questions.

[@cuffaje]

@@moeshipley4170 It is absolutely crazy that you, with your pedigree have the ability to comment and communicate with us peons watching you tube. To think I am watching this video alongside a NASA engineer, and were having similar thoughts, and can just reach out to each other. life in the year 2018 who would have thunk it!?!? THANKS FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID TO MOVE US ALONG MOE!!

[@lsd-25ayahuascadmt7]

Jeremie Cuffaro couldn't agree with you more my friend, the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere, any time. We are all individuals, a singularity in a sea of singularities, playing on a massive thought playground

[@arthurwagar6224]

Amazing control system and flying.

[@jimlarsen6782]

Awesome control coordination. Bold idea and great entertainment.

[@rinardman]

The centipede of airplanes....a centiplane. :)

[@leahparsuidualc666]

Aeropede?

[@mervinclar1054]

Centipede going sideways XD

[@tmwinkler]

Enneaprop

[@jackmeakins9375]

I want to see a Human Centiplane...

[@bubba9384]

@@jackmeakins9375 watch the movies...

[@FliteTest]

this is awesome stuff as usual! love it! -Alex

[@thomashardikapratama]

Haha yeah..

[@28russ]

Flite test should have a crack at something like this but with a silly flite test spin on it

[@chandlerparr2436]

Hi alex

[@amk1108]

I thought I was watching a flight test video at one point XD

[@alexyegon2381]

I was just about to link you guys.

[@stealthmachines9057]

honestly...the best one yet.!!! VERY COOL !!!

[@RanDStClair]

I am the designer, builder, and pilot. The practical application is very high aspect ratio solar powered aircraft like the Helios, or more recently Odysseus (look them up) These aircraft fly at 60K to 100K ft. for months at a time, or at least they hope to. They are huge, extremely light weight, and subject to damage due to turbulence as they climb through the lower atmosphere. The idea is to allow the plane to bend instead of breaking. It presents unique control challenges though. This is just a simple little model to demonstrate that it is possible and to learn a few things about what is required. This was literally the first flight, only barely successful, and not tuned yet, but it makes for a more interesting video for its lack of stability. As for the aerodynamic advantage, the induced drag (drag due to generating lift) goes down with wing span, so it is potentially more efficient. This little model is not very efficient though, that was not the point. It is designed to be cheap, easy to build, easy to repair, and to survive a crash, not to be efficient. Efficiency comes later, when the concept is proven. - Ran D. St. Clair

[@oldschoolman1444]

Nicely done, cool plane!

[@AWildBard]

wow! what are these high altitude planes for ?? science? or just testing technology?

[@jimbrown9915]

Are you adding solar?

[@amec4888]

With such a high aspect ratio wing, wondering what is its glide ratio, or maximum lift to drag ratio?

[@johannnooo1]

It flies beautiful, its like the wings having their own relaxing swing. Like a leaf flowing wind the wind.

[@tat007]

Outstanding piece of aerodynamics.

[@goofboo]

The cameraman is amazing. Keeping it perfectly in frame even with a high zoom

[@mountaindewdude76]

You have redefined the term "unique" with this build! Really well done!!!

[@doloopPi]

Likelihood and impact. Pushing flight to the next level

[@freelancerwick5418]

Awesome work. Back in 2016 and as part of my PhD thesis, I have proven that "weighted average of its own plus its nearest neighbours" is a superior calculation to adjust the control variable rather using "average of its own plus its nearest neighbours". If you like this, I can give online URL to my PhD thesis :)

[@Edgaribus]

Excellent video mate. The drone pilot did amazing footage. Great flying guys

[@alphasatari]

I’m more concerned about their counting to 4.

[@welldone8405]

Ngl, we never ready for 3.

[@WafflePlaneRC]

Weird flex, but OK

[@perculiarponcho1]

best comment

[@milomorrone6105]

Oof. Only 23 likes? Must be the wrong audience.

[@dabj9546]

Weird indeed, and definitely a flex...

[@boldfaith765]

I've never seen this sentence and not flinched until now. Well played

[@_finale]

nice one

[@PlantbasedRunners]

Nine RC Plane pilots flying in close formation... incredible skills.

[@FlatlandMando]

Never seen such a crazy, wonderful flying thing

[@mikew3232]

Thats amazing.. Thanks for building / flying it and posting it on KZbin for us to see. Take a bow Sir.

[@fistawong3828]

Revolutionary concept, the airlines should think about it.i love this video.😊

[@Jakerski]

Fista wong they’ll never think about it cause of many reasons.

[@jackpotbox]

Great stuff. Absolutely stunning.

[@jeffersdom]

Thank goodness for Expert Camera Man And Drone Pilot , and Thank goodness the wing Flex wasn't Terminal . What a Great Team !

[@leroybrown9428]

Superb! Highly impressive.👏

[@richystar2001]

If I didn't know what I was looking at... I would have thought this was formation flying.. " God Level ".

[@WilliamSarokon]

This is really crazy & cool. I'm glad someone has the $ to do this & document it all. Thank you guys for this. So awesome to watch.👍🏻

[@georgiapatriot13097]

This is pretty impressive, guys! It looks very majestic & free as it flies!

[@GoGreen_Vegan]

Omg it’s not click baiting🙏🏻❤️ much respect!

[@glennllewellyn7369]

I doff my RC cap, brilliant.

[@1AFVeteran]

WOW! That's incredible flying and that landing was amazing! You guys are having loads of fun!

[@bobchannell3553]

Very interesting demonstration.

[@johnnybgood774]

"Oh boy...well it's more oscillatory than I expected" lol

[@SomeBoredGuy69]

Nice camera work on the chase plane!👍

[@benjaminhlophe]

You guys are just having a lot of fun. Very nice science in on this

[@shamandesmith538]

That's so cool with almost looks organic how it undulates through the air

[@n84434]

Can't believe that thing flies!!!!

[@GreedyNomadSoul]

THE POWER OF FLEX TAPE

[@natsariat430]

Lmao

[@wmjwell]

Awesome!!!! What a concept put to the test. Great job!!!!

[@Scp716creativecommons]

I love this, such valuable footage, truly a leaf on the wind

[@jessiejames2155]

Darth: "MOST-IMPRESSIVE..."

[@buraksanli3033]

So innovative.I watched all video with excitement

[@freshlove7926]

Burak Sanli - can i kiss your lips with excitement?

[@jaimeduncan6167]

Great test flight.

[@monkeytv2651]

It's amazing to make it fly so well, really awesome.

[@jps99]

"Because we can!"

[@alekseykirillov2359]

Великолепно! Спасибо!

[@philippepetit3105]

a step to the future of aviation a great thing you've done

[@1LongTallTexan]

I enjoyed that....thanks for the video. Great flying...something new!

[@Moento]

recommended video from youtube anyone

[@stephanbre]

Well done. Looks like you may need airspeed sensors adding rpm to the outward planes in case of lacking speed there. Great job!

[@altairdesouza9368]

A beutifull project. Congratulations!!!!

[@Obi1kenobi10]

Coolest thing I've seen since January 2020.

[@rambamesg29]

The person flying the drone great work.

[@sergeig685]

I thought they sucked. Instead of flying steady and observing the aircraft they fly erratic loops around it like it is some kind of an action commercial. Not a single steady shot. Useless.

[@maruftim]

@@sergeig685 clearly you've never been in the community or never watched any rc plane video

[@sergeig685]

@@maruftim Your statement makes no sense. But I fly drones myself, this is nowhere close to the kind of footage one would want from a chase plane.

[@rivermccaughey6933]

@@sergeig685 ay mate no need to be negative. Doesn’t matter if u could have done a better job or not.

[@sergeig685]

@@rivermccaughey6933 You are right. I just really wanted to see the aircraft up close in flight. And like 50% of videos on KZbin the operator cold not cold the camera steady for even a couple of seconds.

[@divakerprajapatibetibachao3860]

Extraordinary fantastic mind-blowing

[@profiskipinternational4402]

Bravo ... As RC pilot in my youth I am fascinated by your exiting experinent. With the drone around as close up the footage material gives a good understanding about the performance and stability. On a sunny day with solar panel film on the wing it might be intetesting to see it flying in thermics on longer distances.

[@mrmullett1067]

Fascinating aviation. Love your work!

[@shanali999]

Amazing..

[@amartchanel9711]

Wow....amazing ....

[@rjds1800]

Incredible well done.

[@hansvangelder]

Fantastic, looks like a miracle!

[@TheLiasas]

I can imagine birds being more afraid of than than an actual plane lmfao

[@samthewizzy]

I mean it looks kinda like a flock of birds

[@anonimkisi7804]

129 dislikes? c'mon!! really? haters everywhere... they are doin nothing but dislike things others do!... c'mon!!! this is awesome! keep these kind of vids coming dude! congratz

[@Smickster01]

4.4k likes, to 141 dislikes is a great ratio. id be happy to have a video with that kind of ratio.....its the internet, so even if you could show how to live forever with perfect happiness,,,,,ppl will still dislike it. great learning vid tho...i like it

[@David-bc4rh]

Dislikes are from jealous single fuselage enthusiasts.

[@Smickster01]

@@David-bc4rh lol yep. these vids have more potential than most ppl see also....it only takes one inventive mind to see the concept here and build on that with their own smarts to improve or find a new purpose for such inventions. these are the kind of vids that inspire the future, even tho only one or two aspects are built on, it could be revolutionary.

[@wcolby1]

@@coryhobgood You are a prick & I say that as an Emmy award winning photographer running a JVC GY HM 750. You can thank the California forest fires for the smoke in the air. If you want to see the drone footage its at kzbin.infofeatured And you are a prick.

[@alanstewie8235]

people will hate without reason my man even when there's nothing to hate they'll find reason

[@cybco]

Awesome landing.

[@taggartlawfirm]

There are some amazing rules of aerodynamics at play here.

[@adamrobinson9148]

I thought right at the start it was a couple old men with a couple screws loose thinking it would fly 😂 Amazing art in the rc world

[@30-06]

I wanna see a plane just like that with people on board: flop up n down and get everyone sick but they will be remembered in aviation history

[@andrewyoung4473]

This made me crack up lol.

[@GlenGiblett]

Relaxing and interesting at the same time.. 👌🏼

[@richardb8689]

Fantastic well done !

[@LorenzoJalbert]

Awesome!

[@Mannergeim]

Браво

[@wes3848]

Wow . . how neat!! That's about 1/4 mile from where I live . . .

[@maxmcneeley74]

Thumbs up to the Drone pilot too.great video.

[@IFLYChannel]

Amazing ❤️❤️👍

[@vinaybhaskarchandratre7762]

It is good control system math problem, A good MATLAB project for a student !

[@akinci8892]

I salute u bro, i salute u all those who worked behind this

[@davidschweikhart459]

This was amazing. I'm very surprised how good you can control it. Good job!

[@BrunoPOWEEER]

Hahahaha this is got to be one of the most bizarre machines I’ve ever seen, LOVE weird stuff like that... ohhh yeaaahhh!!

[@MeenakshiDutta-cu5vi]

Aha! Didn't expect you here

[@DiscoverRC]

that is very cool - well done with the build and the successful flight! congrats!!

[@DivisionRc]

Discover RC wow this was awsome

[@glennllewellyn7369]

It is cool! Though what if #3 didn't like #4 due to personal issues?

[@prg2812]

The formation flying there is almost as good as the Red Arrows.

[@SKYGUY1]

@@glennllewellyn7369 They could apply for a transfer.

[@jimthvac100]

That was very cool, Thank you for sharing

[@mariobotti9289]

Bravissimi! Molto ingegnoso!

[@Radionut]

Absolutely brilliant stunning flight. Was it hard to control? Thank you for the great video

[@getschannel]

Amazing work!! Many congratulations my dear new friend !!!George + LIKE 👍👀🙌👏👏

[@kamaldubey7347]

Sir i want join your team

[@user-ir3oq4el9t]

Спасибо!

[@garethjudd5840]

Well, that's something I haven't seen before. Awesome 👍

[@JeevesReturns]

Put lights on it, fly it at night and freak a lot of people out.

[@AstroFluid]

JeevesReturns aliens 😂

[@JustPlaneSilly]

Dude!

[@choppergirl]

Amazing crazy idea, and good landing.

[@trafferz]

That was immensely satisfying. Very cool!

[@peterhurrell3542]

Hey, very clever thinking, great job