Escape2NY Flying for Brooklyn Aerodrome

We will be doing day and night flying at Escape to New York music festival in the Hamptons. In preparation for this I have been busy building new airplanes to fit the vaguely Alice in Wonderland energy of the event.

We decided on doing a pointy heart which the first flight is shown below:

Second flight, took an ounce of lead off the nose, better footage of plane:

Very relieved builder/pilot interview:

Way better flying footage with higher kv motor and other issues sorted out.

Breck

Up To Date Parts List for Towel

Below is the current parts list as of April, 2012. Often parts are on back order so I have attempted to provide substitutes–currently almost everything is on back order from Hobby King. I fear that the days of a $100 Towel are gone due to chronic back order issues but I am still working on it. There are plans afoot for a kit but not yet available.

Home page for the project that is a good starting place.

Folks have started their own build blogs. They are doing a good job of reporting on where to get gear etc. Email me (breck@brooklynaerodrome.com) if you want your blog listed here.

• KAD’s Build Blog
• FAFOH’s Build Blog

We are starting build sessions for folks that want some help with the build and flying.

I have provided a bunch of links to Amazon sources. I have not confirmed the vendors integrity or tried to see how much shipping is etc. Someone noted that a $3 part had $8 shipping and handling. It would be nice to have a single good vendor for the parts–I am working on that.

Transmitters/Recievers:

• Optic 5 5-Ch 2.4GHz Transmitter, Minima6E Receiver
  , $83. Solid well made radio that will last for years.
• Old standby radio that is NO LONGER RECOMMENDED. Hong Kong HK-T6A v2 for less than $25 but high shipping. They are rarely in stock now and I have been noticing quality issues. The transmitter requires programming cable that is only available from Hong Kong. Programming information here–read before you buy!
• Ok radio if they are in stock. HK6DF from the Hobby King Hong Kong warehouse for $28.

Servos

You will need two servos per towel. But they can break/strip so ordering a few spares is not a bad idea.

• The standard HXT900 at Hobby King for $3. Amazon Link for the same servo HexTronik HXT900 Micro Servo 9g / 1.6kg
  for $7.

Speed Control/Motor combos

I prefer combo packs because you know that the motor/speed control are appropriate for each other. But you can buy them separately as well.

• This combo is my current go-to setup for $28. Has motor connectors. Get APC props. You want the 18amp speed control and 1400kv (means how many rpm you get per volt).
• This combo includes a prop for $15 but it has gone the way of the dodo. I don’t think it has been in stock for a year. Uses GWS small hole (3mm) props, not APC.

The propeller

Get at least 3. Be mindful that the prop fits the motor. The grey APC props have a bigger hole than the
GWS style props.

• Slow Flyer Propeller,10 x 4.7 SF
  . $2 each. Has large prop hole.
• Propeller: PS/PJ3 (10×4.7)
  . $1.50 each, get at least six. They break easily. Has small prop hole.

Motor/Speed Control Connectors

• $6 3.5mm Low-Loss Power Connector (5Pr) Enough for one motor/speed controller which uses 3 pair. Lots of other options on Amazon.
• $2 The standard 3.5mm connector Enough for 3 planes with one spare connector–you need 3 male/female per plane.

Battery

You will want at least two batteries. 6-10 minutes flight time per battery.

• $8 1750 mAh. Needs Male battery connectors, the package is enough for 5 speed controllers.
• Alternatively a $9 US warehouse 1800 mAh pack is an option. Needs same connector as above.
• Spendy at $30 but solid pack–make sure charger fits the balance connector. E-Flite 1800mAh 2S 7.4V 20C LiPo Battery, 13AWG EC3. Will need E-Flite EC3 Device & Battery Connector, Male/Female

Any of the LiPo packs with 2 cells in parallel (2S1P), a 10c or greater rating (max discharge is 10 times the capacity of the pack) in the 1500 to 2200 mAh range.

Charging Options

• Cheap, runs off of household current, 1.5 hrs to charge. $12.
• Same one as Hobby King but probably higher quality at $24. 2-Cell& 3-Cell Lipo Battery Balance Charger
• At $33 A decent looking multi-pack charger should be considered by groups building towels. You will need to get a separate 12-15 volt power supply or you can run it off of a car battery with a trickle charger.

There are tons of alternatives for charging. I have identified the easiest/cheapest solutions. Ping me if you need to know more.

Misc parts

You will also need

• 4mm/5mm heat shrink or electrical tape
• 30 small zip ties
• 2 wire coat hangers
• 3mm or 1/4 inch coroplast 16 x 11 –suggest you look for an old sign etc.
• 1 sheet 1/4 inch DOW fan foldHigh Performance Underlayment (HPU) insulation with plastic bonded to both sides (Plastic/Plastic (P/P)). Alternatively a big sheet of cardboard, presentation board, be creative
• 8 inches sticky sided velcro tape (3/4 inch wide)

A few tools are required for a reasonably easy build. They include:

• Razor blade/razor knife
• Ruler
• Felt tipped pen
• Soldering iron
• Solder
• Needle nose pliers with wire cutter
• Soldering station helping hands
• Small philips head screw driver
• Drill with various small bits (1/8 inch, 1/16 inch)