Kits Eye'll be hitting the Crack Bipe !

EyeStation

EyeStation

Well-Known Member
A bit relieved that we re-signed a 3 year contract for the company I am subcontracted to, and knowing my birthday is just around the corner, I treated myself to a RC Factory/Twisted Hobby Crack Pitts Biplane kit.
I had my eye on this ebay sale,
Auction Includes:

1 - Twisted Hobbies / RC Factory Crack Pitts Bi-Plane Kit **NEW**
1 - RC Factory Landing Gear Kit **NEW**
1 - CC Phoenix 10 Brushless ESC (Never soldered up or used...heat shrink removed for weight savings)
1 - Twisted Hobbies X2204 1450KV Brushless Motor **NEW**
1 - ORANGE RX DSM2 Reciever **NEW**
3 - S3114 Micro Servos (Gently Used in previous Foamy)
1 - 9 x 4.7 Prop **NEW**

I bought all this to build a spare Crack Pitts. I've been flying my first one for over 2 years now and I don't think I'll ever need a spare....I CAN'T KILL IT. Here's everything you need (less lipo batts and TX) to have your own. My loss...your gain.

Auction was ending Monday night, just as a huge storm was hitting town. By the time I put in my bid, I figured there was no time for a price war, and put in my max bid immediately. 5 minutes later the power went out and did not come back on for another 16 hours. Auction ended and I did not know what the outcome was.
Waking up Tuesday morning in the dark, I headed to work and saw all the storm damage around my area. Overwhelmed by the damage, I pretty much let the ebay sale slip my mind.
Some time into my workday I went online and saw I won the auction for the kit. Proceded to pay for it and order up some of that Welders adheasive to have them both arrive to my door on Saturday.
Looking forward to the build and most of all the flying of this cutie.
So, Yeah, I'll be hitting the Crack Bipe all summer long!
http://twistedhobbys.com/TH-30-EPP-Crack-Pitts-M12-Biplane-Red-TH-Crack-Pitts-M12-Red.htm
[video=youtube_share;zihDNwm0o24]http://youtu.be/zihDNwm0o24[/video]
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Twisted-Hobbies-RC-Factory-CRACK-PITTS-BIPE-NEW-IN-BOX-Kit-W-Flight-Pack-/251568502446
 
EyeStation

EyeStation

Well-Known Member
Glue arrived on Thursday, Saturday at 11 am the postman brought the kit.
Spent Sunday from 7:30 am to 5:45 pm sniffing glue and getting the kit together. Build went smooth, and the time between steps letting the glue tack up was used to get my laundry done.
Brought it to work today to plan for a maiden. No luck during work hours.
So hitting the local high school to fly in their back field.
Set myself up with 2 batteries and the tx set way mild in the Duel Rates and Expo.
As you will see in the video below, (Yes I Did Say Video....TONY!!!!), the wind could easily have its way with me today.
One bad take off because of the low Elevator rates and in-familiarity with the plane. Off the restricting path way and onto a parking lot. So I start as close to the curb as Eye can. lol
The second battery was more fun, but pushed the button wrong on the key cam.
Only thing I regret is not buying digital servos for the build. I can see and feel the lack of return centering with the rudder.
Forum friends, let me introduce my new bird. The Crack Pitts 30" EPP Biplane.
[video=youtube_share;aTHc-HNBM00]http://youtu.be/aTHc-HNBM00[/video]
 
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EyeStation

EyeStation

Well-Known Member
Oh yeah Kyle, really light. I am using 2 cell, 1000 maH batteries that my buddy gave me. I think they recommend 450's, but the COG is right at the spar of the lower wing, as the manual states.
The wind was alot for the powerplant, so Eye am excited to fly it in a lighter breeze.
I kicked up my D/R up to 35 on my low rates and 70-75 on the high rate.
Before that I lessened the throw to 70% on all surfaces.
Tomorrow I try those new settings.
 
EyeStation

EyeStation

Well-Known Member
Flight #3, very minimal wind. Finding out cog is a bit to far forward. I did not have enough time to stop and adjust, so I flew it like I stole it. I upped my rates a bit too.
Sorry it goes out of frame at times, the sun was still a bit low and I kept dropping the rim of my hat. Eye'll work on that for the lunch flight.
[video=youtube_share;9-nAx7CYU6s]http://youtu.be/9-nAx7CYU6s[/video]
 
Lee

Lee

Well-Known Member
Looks like a nice little flyer.
I think your camera lens needs cleaning though. It looked very foggy.
 
EyeStation

EyeStation

Well-Known Member
Thanks Lee, I was looking into the sun too, and that only amplified the problem.
I got a better video at lunch time. Flying just above stall speed is more fun in real life than the SIM.
[video=youtube_share;TYtI_GY8O7s]http://youtu.be/TYtI_GY8O7s[/video]
 
EyeStation

EyeStation

Well-Known Member
And after works flight # 5 and # 5.5

[video=youtube_share;P6_MwbwiQL0]http://youtu.be/P6_MwbwiQL0[/video]

[video=youtube_share;uI8iu7pBSZU]http://youtu.be/uI8iu7pBSZU[/video]

By the time I was done I was down to 3.91 volts on the 2S 1000mAh battery.
 
EyeStation

EyeStation

Well-Known Member
Made it to the flying Field on 107th and Rt. 45 for my first flights there.
Seemed I picked a good time too. I pulled up in the lot and it was packed. Looked out in the field and there were pilots and planes everywhere, but nothing in the air. Upon further inspection 6 guys were out searching in the tall grass for a 40 size plane that went down.
Most of the group was a club meet. They cleared out about 15 minutes after Eye got there. Is it me???
Before they all left, I took the Pitts Bipe down to the far southwest corner and commenced into a 10 minute flight. Slightly interrupted by a T-Rex Nitro flying close enough to me overhead that I set mine down till he tanked out. Checking out some higher throws on all surfaces.
Flight #6
[video=youtube_share;dQ4bppJY8HI]http://youtu.be/dQ4bppJY8HI[/video]

Everybody gone now and I moved over to the tarmac in the normal pilots position. I want to be able to do a flat rudder only circuit, but the wind is making it tough for me. I also have a hard time with inverted flight rudder orientation. Most of the times the plane gets behind me is because of those failures. Once again a 10 minute flight,taking my battery down to 3.72 V/cell. There is a perfect prop hang in the video there somewhere. The flight ends with a faceplant into the tarmac. Only popped off the prop saver.
Flight #7
[video=youtube_share;Uonrs-Ykw_A]http://youtu.be/Uonrs-Ykw_A[/video]

And to prove how resilient this guy is, all I did between last video and this is change a battery and o-ring the prop back on. Here is the first part of Flight #8 that ended with the camera memory being full. Only a couple minutes of flight here.

Flight #8

[video=youtube_share;oeL_vSa2dCo]http://youtu.be/oeL_vSa2dCo[/video]
 
EyeStation

EyeStation

Well-Known Member
Kinda excited and cautious at the same time right now. I just got done installing an Orange 6 Ch 3 axis gyro RX onto my Crack Pitts. If it were not for my familiarity with FBL setups, I would have been stumped setting this thing up.
It has to be mounted horizontally only. Normal is with the antenna towards the forward end of the plane and servo connectors facing upwards.
Well, mines servo connections facing down.
So had to reverse the gyro directions for rudder and Elevator and totally reverse the servo on the TX for the aileron and keep the RX in norm.
Have all my gains set at 12 o'clock and not nearly as twitchy as the Beast A3SX.
Tomorrow will bring on a new test.
Till then, another episode of Jack Bauer.
ORX.jpg
Side.jpg

ORX.jpg

Side.jpg
 
EyeStation

EyeStation

Well-Known Member
Cautious, but not enough. I got the gains all set at 12 o'clock. THe thing took off from hand nicely in a pretty stiff breeze. Got her a bit away from me and tried an aileron roll, very little response. Tried to pull up for a loop and could barely keep it floating in the wind.
Then I was forward into the wind when I lost control of my tail surfaces. And did I mention I was experiencing lift too. Well tried to lower it with Aileron moves, and all of a sudden I have full surface controll of the Ailerons and snap rolled it int the top of a tree. In a public park....Just off a walking path... at 10 am....during work!
How am I going to get this down before someone else does???
Off to Menards for 30 ft of 3/4 inch PVC tubing and two couplers.
After 35 minutes of poking, I got the Bipe down in 7 pieces.

She's all glued up back to normal, just waiting on a few replacement servos. I have to learn to soften my joust when poking these things out of the trees.
Or better yet, stay out of the trees.
Not sure this rx is going back in this 3D plane.
 
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