Capricorn - the ultimate flying boat.

[Otto Dieffenbach]

Originally Posted by Larry3215

LOL!!!!!!!!!!

Watch this to the end.

Flying a 4x8 sheet of foam around

[DBacon]

Your Fly-Girl needs one of those "Roll-up" bras, that looked painful...
Or is it "Push-up"? I get confused...

The big delta was magnificent!



Or was it "push-up" I get confused...

[tregtronics]

So first of all, thanks to Otto for the great advice on all things that fly or want to fly. He is a guru, and I am soaking up as much Knowledge as possible.

I have an fpv system, and I have flown it in an easy star, skywalker, Ritewing Zephyr, and now the Mega Minor. Here is a picture of Otto FPV'ing the mega minor.



Here is my FPV electronics notes, it includes all the gear we stuffed on the Mega Minor.

There are 2 cameras, one HD camera for youtube later, and one on board camera that has on screen display so you can get information. Otto taught me a lot about how to actually fly (notice the air force academy sweatshirt) and I have now taken off and landed with Otto as my spotter ready to take over completely under the goggles.

Here's a quick list, prices are mostly from ReadyMadeRC who are really good people, and they filter out crap products:

• Control RC Receiver (DragonLink UHF) (12 channel receiver 12 grams, 0.42 oz) $99.00
• Stabilizer (Guardian Expander) $49.49
• OSD (Eagle Tree or DragonOSD) $80.99
• Video TX (Lawmate) $93.99
• Camera (ReadyMade RC) $97.99
• GPS (Eagle Tree or DragonOSD) $71.99
• Datalogger (Eagle Tree) $62.99
• Ground Station Video dist & Telemetry (Eagle Eyes FPV Station) $80.99
• ESC (Castle 75 Amp) (usually do seperate BEC)

You get what you pay for

My comments on the Mega Minor as an FPV platform...
PRO

• CAN LAND ON WATER, but duh, you knew that!
• Easy mounting of FPV equipment
• Open access to gear if surface mounted
• Very slow flyer if you want
• Very stable especially in low winds
• Taking off and landing via FPV is a breeze
• You can do lots of tricks like flips and rolls, because the mega minor is a dream to fly
• Much more inexpensive than a Ritewing Zephyr

CONS

• When going slow, I find myself making roll corrections more than on my wing. This shows up in video as wobbly video.
• Not the best platform for a windy day
• Wing is not as durable as a a Ritewing Zephyr

Notes not necessarily pro's or cons

• Vibration isolation is important, this thing tends to resonate in different nodes as you are throttling up and down, so put some vibration isolation between the plane and your cameras.
• We had separate batteries for the FPV / ESC system, and my system has never been so noise free and clear
• Mixing Rudder/Aileron is a must
• Otto center mounted almost all the FPV equipment, and mounted my 6,000 mAh battery right under the COG, adjusting it front to back for final COG.
• Otto put the go pro on one side of the plane, counterbalancing that weight with the 1 Watt Video transmitter on the other side
• I have a ham license, and make sure you do too if you use this type equipment

I will post some video, I am currently doing editing.

[tregtronics]

Mega Minor FPV takeoffs and landings.

Video as promised:

YouTube Video

[Larry3215]

Thank you so much for those posts. That has to be about the most informative posts on FPV equipment Ive seen!

[Otto Dieffenbach]

Originally Posted by Larry3215

Thank you so much for those posts. That has to be about the most informative posts on FPV equipment Ive seen!

Larry, this modified Cap is the ideal FPV training platform. It is soooo easy in light wind. Thanks again for the core design.

[tregtronics]

Originally Posted by Larry3215

Thank you so much for those posts. That has to be about the most informative posts on FPV equipment Ive seen!

These W's are so fun, thank you so much for the design.

I have been copying the best:
http://team-blacksheep.com/

They tend to fly the Ritewing Zephy'rs at blacksheep. I love my Zephyr, but it eats up sky like you wouldn't believe, so the Mega Minor with the wing loading is so low is such a great plane to FPV with, especially for safe takeoffs and landings on a short strip. A delta type wing floats when loaded with FPV gear, and can really eat up landing field when... I love how the W just comes down, and plop.... I bet you could VTOL project this thing with some ducted fans, and some... ahem, that's another thread...

Lots of good information there from blacksheep, and on the build threads for their Ritewing Zephyr's they custom build with all the FPV equipment built into the wing. They have the amateur long distance record I believe. We (well mainly Otto ) took all that same stuff I had put in my wing, and zip tyed or velcroed right onto the center line of the Mega Minor I traded from him.

Notes about placement of equipment:
I like to keep the video transmission, as well as the long range control receiver, far away from the ESC, so video tx went out on the pontoon. That weight just naturally was counterbalanced by the gopro. The control receiver dipole antenna was mounted in the tail section, basically Otto routed out a bit in the tail itself for the wire, and then ran the shielded coax up to the center line point where the long range receiver was mounted. That dipole has a 36 inch shielded coax connection that is terminated in an SMA connector, which plugs into the receiver. You can see a little bit of the dipole whip sticking up out of the top of the tail in the picture. There is a battery (1000 mAh) up on the nose powering the FPV gear. There will eventually be 2 more 30 inch extensions running from the control receiver to the on screen display unit so I can change things on screen in flight with switches, but I haven't got that gangster yet, because Otto is smarter than me, and only lets me do one thing at a time so I can tell the changes , go figure.



Prop Change:
Otto took the prop and moved it back making the prop embedded in the plane, more towards the COG, leaving the former prop mount as the new camera mount. This worked out great. I also like this in general in public, it just seems less sketchy when the prop isn't the leading edge of the plane. Otto also added his signature prop noise reduction cutout which probably reduces vibration for FPV, as well as keeping it quiet to make the neighbors happy. See top picture.

[tregtronics]

Five separate people took off and landed the Mega Minor this morning via FPV out at the Rancho Santa Fe Flyers. More adrenaline pumping than ever! It was easy as pie. This is an FPV dream for training.

I look forward to seeing some more people take the plunge! Otto's right, it is easier to stay under the goggles the whole time, you get less disoriented.

[indyet]

db , you have to love the big rudders, It's autumn over here , daylight saving has finished,so tonight I took George for a sunset flightover the local baseball ground.
First I had to bind him to the new Dx6, as the old one had "issues".the local distributer of spectrum products sent me a brand new DsmX unit free of charge with no explanation, what fine people they are. Larry, the more I fly the more I love the Capricorns , lots of wind but lots of control, when I find out how to edit the footage and how to post it on you tube (had cameras on george and on my hat) I will post them ,thanks DB

[DBacon]

Yes I finally found a windows program for video editing, was included with Win7, but I never could get it to run. I found it on my wife's computer and it ran great!

Look for "Windows Live Movie Maker" I had to go to a MicroSoft site to get it again, but I haven't used it yet on my computer. As I remember it was easy to use, and free.

DSMX for exchange, that's a good deal. I do like the Spektrum best, all the reports on it seem to indicate it has the best immunity to other Tx's. The DSMX version was an enhancement to increase the immunity when you are at a meet with 100 Spektrum Tx's on all at once. You may not need that... My Dx6 works just fine with 40 maybe 50 Tx's at the same time in an indoor soccer arena. That is the most I have ever been near.

Many have said they like a lot of rudder, but when Larry reinforced that, I became convinced it was a good thing. If you have anything up front that tends to influence the yaw of the plane, like a profile fuse, or "air dams" on the wings, or even tiplets, you can get an annoying condition called "Dutch roll", you cure this with more rudder.

[indyet]

Thanks DB , went to the bride's computer and there was the program ,now to do some more learning

[DBacon]

Why is it always in the wife's computer? Must be they need it for the family movies, so they get it, we don't...

[aeroknot]

tregtronics - thanks for the fpv setup details.
Also, it's nice how Otto linked the inner and outer elevons together.
(Otto's mega minor capricorn page).

[aeroknot]

Here's a 44 second night light water flying video - Learned that lights on top pointing at the white foam or lights in the white depron are better than the lights on the side. The rudder also needs lights to more easily see up and down.

There is a roll to the right on take-off from the 24 g "water-proof" LED (the 13 g regular LED strips are better - lighter) strip taped on the right side panel, which is randomly taped with the LED's pointing in various directions.

The lights on the side edge might be better reversed and embedded in the side edge foam.

Video link

[Larry3215]

Very cool! I especially like the way it lands on its reflection

[DBacon]

Thanks Larry, now I suddenly get it, that is how you tell where the water is!
I watch these night flights and just can't imagine myself doing this, it is so scary!
But thanks to Larry, I just got one step closer...

[aeroknot]

Thanks - I also like the "splish" when it lands on the water!

[Jan Rehler]

Larry - One of the pictures in post 56 shows a wooden doubler along the leading edge. Is this 1/16 ply?

The next pic in the sequence shows what looks like a depron doubler along the leading edge. It this on top of the wooden doubler so a sandwhich is made of the plywood being between the depron fuselage and the top piece of depron?

Finally I assume gorilla glue is good to affix these doublers?

Thanks. I'm waiting on the depron sheets to arrive to start a standard sized Capricorn. Jan Rehler,Georgetown, Texas

[Larry3215]

Hi Jan,
What I was doing there was gluing on the Depron doubler using the plywood pieces to spread the clamping forces around and prevent dimples in the foam. The ply pieces were NOT part of the model.

I have never used any reinforcements of any kind on the leading edges. Other builders have used wood dowels, carbon tubes etc. I think its lighter just to use the Depron doubler.

The doubler by the way is NOT intended as any kind of Klien-Fogleman wing. Its only reason for being added is to keep the Depron from cracking inboard of the sponsons after multiple hard landings.

And yes, the Gorilla type glues work great - just allow for expansion and your good to go.

[DBacon]

And mix GG with a drop of water, stirring until it starts to swell up, and turns milky white. This makes it set a LOT faster!

[Jan Rehler]

Thanks Larry and DBacon --never used GG before so it will be interesting. Jan

[Larry3215]

Id recommend you try a few test glue joints first.

It takes some getting used to because it foams up and expands a LOT.

[DBacon]

Just as Larry says, his graphic is very much like the real thing. But if you mix it with water first, it really tames it down. To mix it efficiently, use a flat stick, like a Popsicle stick, and "pat" it up and down, it seems to homogenize the water and GG pretty well.

It will foam up to twice its size or so, and then you apply it, but still allow for some further expansion. You can come back in 10 to 20 minutes and scrape off the excess if you like. Soon you will get a feel for the small amount needed at each joint.

I have been using "Foam-safe" CA lately, but without the "kicker" spray, which I find was the bad actor that made me wheeze for at least a couple weeks later. Water spray, with a little baking soda dissolved in it makes a fine, non-allergic kicker.

[aeroknot]

Gorrilla glue -
the original long cure yellow hardens like stiff orange yellow plastic
the white short cure cures more like mildly spongy white foam
either one is good
a little goes a long way
tape with painters tape wherever you want to prevent exuberant foaming
weigh down or clamp or tape the parts/

the glue in the bottle will remain useable for a long time (particularly if you live in a more humid environment) if you never turn the bottle upright after opening it - store and use it upside down in plastic picnic cup.

I use a water mist bottle (such as an old windex bottle) to mist on the water to one of the parts being glued.

[Tsavah]

I use the Kraft brand I purchased on a close out sale. So far, I haven't actually found a significant difference from other brands of foaming glue. What we want from foaming glue is a good bond that will flex as desired with the foam type being used, and sometimes the foaming glue brand is a bit too brittle/stiff. It is best to purchase a small bottle, use some scrap foam, and glue up a few types of joints you plan to use. Play around with how you apply it, how much, pre-mixed with/in water, or not, and such things. Allow the test samples to cure for at least 20 hours before twisting, or pulling on them for a more consistent result, which means tormented until the joint fails. In most cases, the joint won't fail before the foam near the joint fails. The foaming glue tends to be stronger than the foam itself, so the foam near the joint tears apart, or breaks apart. The results should give you a good idea what will happen in a crash. Use whatever glue you plan to use at the field to make the quick repair and test it again. I decided to use tape of one kind or another on minor repairs, and use foaming glue at home for a better repair before flying the model again.

The first mistake most foaming glue users make is to apply too much and not wipe away the excess before the foaming action has finished. I also always apply some sort of pressure device so the bond/joint will be stronger. Depending on humidity in the air, and how much water "mist" was applied, the glue may finish foaming (expanding) in 25 minutes (give or take around 10 minutes), and begin to harden, or thicken into a stiff mass. If you discover you have applied too much, wait at least two hours and try your skills at picking away the excess. If you catch the glue in the "green" stage, which is often around an hour after setting/foaming has started, you will find the glue is starting to stiffen to the point you can mash it down, and it won't foam back up very much. If you pick at it too soon, the glue will be too gummy, but it will come off in small junks without damaging the foam joint. The problem will be getting the glue off the picking device. This is best done with rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol also works well to wipe away (I use a piece of paper towel) excess glue before it starts to stiffen, which is best done after about 7-9 minutes of application. Repeat wiping down the thickening, yet still expanding liquid glue two or more times to limit how far it extends out of the joint.

When I apply a foaming glue, I use a dry paper towel piece to blot up, or wipe down/spread the excess, which normally leaves just enough to make the foam look wet with a slight tan color. I do this for both sides/surfaces of the joint. I will also use a thick pin, or round tooth pick to poke shallow holes in the foam if I think I need a small glue-pin to form to strengthen and stiffen the joint. How many shallow holes I poke in the foam after the glue has been applied is a judgement call based on prior experiences with a specific type of stress joint. The most common type of stress joint is where a thin plywood motor mount is bonded to a flat surface of foam. I will often let the glue joint cure for 24-36 hours, and use a small hand drill (moto-drill) to drill a 3/4" to 1" deep, round tooth pick sized hole near each corner of the flat faced plywood motor mount. The ideal hole size is a tiny bit smaller in diameter than the tooth pick, making a little resistance while the tooth pick is being pushed into the hole. I don't want a lot of resistance because the tooth pick might break off before I have applied the expanding glue. After testing the hole for proper size, I use a short length of stiff wire to apply glue inside the hole, and the next step is to push the tooth pick in.

If I applied the proper amount of foaming glue, little, or no extra glue will be squeezed out past the tooth pick foam anchors. If I applied too much, the excess glue will muck up my razor saw teeth a bit as I cut the tooth pick flush with the thin plywood motor mount face. I will need to quickly clean the razor saw with a paper towel/cloth piece wet with rubbing alcohol at least twice to ensure the teeth are clean of glue. Otherwise the glue will stick to the steel way too well, and it will be much more difficult to clean the saw so it will cut properly the next time I use it. Some joints can use a slight bit of excess expanding glue, as is often the case of a butt joint. The small amount of excess glue strengthens the joint, and keeps the parts together as if a fillet. If in doubt, use small sections of tooth pick like a wood worker's dowel for a better physically/mechanically strong joint. Most of what we do with foam is the same type of glue joints wood workers use for furniture, and for the same reasons. Expanding glue has become very popular with furniture makers for the same reasons it is popular with whackers of foam. The only concern everyone has about expanding glue is how long does it remain flexible before it gets brittle. Normally that is a question of more than a dozen years, depending on how much sun exposure the glue gets. Glue inside a joint get little to no sun exposure and should last closure to 20 years before there are any concerns of how brittle it might be.