The Maiden Flight

Still learning how to wire up the plane, let alone assemble it.

I was truly nervous going into my first flight. I poured countless hours into building the model, and now it all could be rendered useless in seconds. I had no idea how it would fly, as the P-733 was conceived from scratch.

 

Weather was mostly windless, but there was a heavy overcast. While I felt at home in the Seattle weather, I meant it would be hard to track the white plane amongst the white clouds.

No turning back now, as Brent tosses the '733 for her first flight

Just like the Kitty Hawks first flight, I opted for a short straight flight, just to prove that I did in fact have control. I found a flat section grass and we lined up for the launch. With shaking knees, I timidly power up the motor.

POP!!!

And the engine mounts slides out of the craft and dangles by the wires. After the laughter settles down, I discover I forgot to put the pin that holds the motor in. Ops...

So we repeat the set up procedure for launch, and the tension rises back up. The next thing I know, the '733 is lifting away from Brent. My heart races as I realize I am in control of the monstrosity I built. Ailerons: online, elevator: online, rudder: online, all control surfaces nominal. Everything checked out, so I prepare to land. With the 'runway' drawing shorter every second, I try to bleed off as much speed as I can before I set it down. What I thought would be a perfect landing proved otherwise. As the plane skids to a halt, I see the wings stay level, but the tail twisted off and was lying upside down.

Despite the crash, I was quite happy that the P-733 flew

Despite the crash, I was quite happy that the P-733 flies.

When I approach the crash site, the plane was indeed in 2 pieces. The pink foam of the fuselage was sheared perfectly in half. I was more than prepared for a crash, so I begin the repairs.

The metal wires act as rebar

It appeared that shear was the killer of the fuselage, as the cut was fairly clean and there were no signs of compression from bending. To help transfer the load, I added short metal skewers along the center of the foam. To help keep the fracture from splitting again from tension, 2 panels of the foam poster board  was glued on either side.


Much to my advantage, the glue dried quickly, as I was eager to fit in one more flight. The field repairs looked sturdy, so it was back to the skies for. But this time, it was going to be a real flight.

Proof that the '733 actually flies.

With a hefty toss, the '733 was back under my control. The first thing I noticed was the lack of power. Weighing in around 2.5 lbs., with a wingspan of 60", this is a big plane. Now unfortunately, the power-plant consists of a single 8" prop, a 3 cell battery and a lack luster brush-less motor. As I try to climb to a safe altitude I find myself stalling out. I see the nose pull up, but the plane fails to climb. I was able to remain in control of the craft, but gaining altitude was a struggle. I was satisfied with the large about of yaw authority I got from the rudder. Roll control was fine as far as I could tell; the high wing placement provided enough stability. The elevator on the other hand gave me some trouble.

When I moved the tail so far back, I also gained a lot of control authority. I noticed I could easily nose up, and stall out the craft. Especially with my lack of thrust, this proved to be a problem when trying to gain altitude. I was able to make 2 passes until disaster struck.

What you can't hear is everyone yelling "Pull Up!" Belive me when I say I yanked the stick as far back as it goes.

I was trying to climb to a safe height when I pulled a little too hard. This is where the above clip starts.I tried pushing the stick down, but no response, It kept nosing up. with not enough power to recover, the plane sank. The good news is that with the forward CG, and the large tail, it nosed down where I could then regain control. Sadly, I was too low and underpowered that I did not get enough airspeed. What really shocked me was the lack of damage the P-733 took in the crash.

I was trying to climb to a safe height when I pulled a little too hard. This is where the above clip starts. I tried pushing the stick down, but no response, it kept nosing up. With not enough power to recover, the plane sank. The good news is that with the forward CG, and the large tail, it nosed down where I could then regain control. Sadly, I was too low and underpowered that I did not get enough airspeed. What really shocked me was the lack of damage the P-733 took in the crash.

I thought it was quite peculiar that I had a sudden loss of control like that. In the blink of an eye, the elevator bugged out on me. In a later investigation, I found out that I did not push the servo wire extensions in all the way. The lessons I learn from failures

The good news is there were practically no repairs necessary when I returned home. After 2 more successful flights, I really needed to upgrade the powerplant...

The last photo I have of the '733 with the small motor and 8" prop. I added decals to help identify the plane in the clouds.