Progress with the Hubsan X4 Quadcopter...

... continues. After recalibrating the inertial platform, following directions I found on You Tube, control became easier. I could then center the trims. This can only be done in Expert mode, by the way. I also found that it was a bad idea to adjust control sensitivity down-- since it can get away from you pretty fast, control authority has to be high. I restored both normal and expert mode to default sensitivity. Only a little trim was necessary to get a stable hover indoors. In the wind, outside, you must compensate with the controls. I find that it is easier to control in Expert mode, indoors or out. Just be very gentle with stick movements. So far, I've found the Hubsan X4 to be durable, more than adequately fast, and well-engineered. It would help to have some kind of prop protection, since it is all too easy to hit something. Then a prop comes off. I've been lucky enough to find the prop each time but a bumper of some sort around the props would be nice. And if we're doing that, why not set up the props as ducted fans?

Hubsan Quadcopter arrived...

... and it works as advertised but is very tricky to fly. It will take a lot of practice. Amazing little gadget!

Hubsan Quadcopter

You can track things on eBay-- they make it easy. The Hubsan X4 Quadcopter has arrived at a local postal sorting facility. It might actually arrive today and if not today then surely tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to this one because I can fly it indoors, in the yard, in small parks, and,  if it will lift my keychain camera from Newegg.com, I can take this thing very nearly anywhere for aerial views. These Quadcopters do not seem to be very much affected by wind, and that will be another plus!

Yesterday I got a really good flight out of the EZ Hawk. The cambered aileron extensions are working fine. It does require a long landing approach because it floats forever in ground effect.

More flying today than I expected...

 ... and that was fine with me. I started off in the morning with the Hawk Sky, took out the FHX 1280 in the early afternoon, and in the evening I tested the Firebird Stratos from Hobb-E-Mart (my second recent eBay purchase). Even though the Stratos was sold as "used" and for "parts", I really couldn't find any defect apart from the fact that the left/right motor leads were not labeled. It's important to get this right because of a differential thrust feature. But I felt that I could easily get the right connection by trial and error. My first guess was correct. This plane flew perfectly. It was trimmed correctly right out of the box and the transmitter did not need to be bound to the receiver. All parts were present and nothing showed any signs of prior use, much less damage. HOBB-E-MART is worth looking into. They sell a lot on eBay, planes in various states of use, some defective items for the parts bin, but at prices determined by auction, and some of their items, like the Stratos I got at a deep discount, have only a very minor problem or defect. Everything they sell is inspected and tested and deficiencies are described in some detail. I will surely buy from them again.

EBAY DELIVERY

Last evening UPS delivered the used Cessna Champ micro rc. It had all the parts, including manuals. There were some minor dings and dents. The receiver and transmitter needed rebinding but that was easy. A test flight revealed a cg too far back but I compensated with trim and got a nice flight, despite wind. After the flight I made more trim adjustments, applied transparent tape here and there, and added a bit of nose weight. A nice little rc 3-channel flyer at a good price! It's nice to have another one of these, taking the place of the one I lost last year. I seem to be a better flyer now, and that certainly helps.

Way too windy to fly today!

 I've gotten upgraded batteries for a couple of my planes, crashed one into a playa lake several weeks ago due to a receiver problem (broken antenna) but, just like the last one that went into the drink, the plane washed up after a few hours and I found that it could be repaired. Someday I will order a new receiver for it and I can bind it to the good Dx5e transmitter. I might have to replace the ESC but I'll test it first. The Hawk Sky pnp from Grayson, I should note, was assembled with down thrust and substantial reinforcement of the fuselage, and a more efficient prop. And I should also mention, in regard to the Firebird Stratos, that I'm using a 64 rubberband to hold the wing on in back, rather than the pin provided. Not as neat but much easier to use.

I've been on a spending spree! From a local guitar outlet I bought a Line 6 amp. Nice! It is a Spider IV, a small one, but the effects sound great and it is plenty loud enough. Guitar is yet another hobby of mine.

Air Hogs Hawk Eye Blue Sky-Estes U2 Hybrid

This plane turned out to be underpowered.