Flying
In the previous article, we saw how to build the plane. Now, let’s fly it !
In this article, i’ll share my thoughts on the flights i’ve had
Batteries, charging and flight time
With it’s tiny battery (2s 700mAh), power is not really a concern. The plane will easily fly for 12 minutes on a single charge. Flying carefully to save power, it is possible to fly for up to 16 minutes. Soaring conditions with ~20kph winds extend flight beyond 20 minutes.
Charging is done with a USB charger and a power bank, making it possible to recharge the batteries in the field.
Using a timer on the transmitter
The plane does not feature battery telemetry, so you will have to rely on the transmitter to know the battery level. On the Pocket Crush, you can configure a timer proportional to the throttle position. The timer will count at real-time when doing full throttle, twice slower at half throttle and so on. This is a good way to estimate the battery level. In practice, the estimate is pretty good and I always land at roughly 3.3V/cell. The timer is set to elapse at 12 minutes, leaving enough time to land safely.
In the wind
Surprisingly, it handles pretty well in the wind. Maybe it’s because i’m not afraid to break it ! I’ve flown in winds up to 30kph. With it’s low weight, the plane is quite sensitive to turbulence in the boundary layer close to the ground. The trick is to launch it up with full throttle so it gets out of that turbulent layer. Launching it horizontal in the wind is much harder, as the ground turbulence will try to flip it over.
The effects of slope soaring are quite noticeable. The non-folding propeller is not adequate for gliding, but much less throttle is required to stay in the air at a slope. I have yet to find an adequate folding prop for this toy.
Crashing
This is where this plane really shines ! Crashing is a non-event. The plane will roll, bend and do all sorts of stunts, but it is incredibly tough ! Most of the time, i would just pick it up and throw it again, it would fly out just fine. On harder crashes, the motor mount may break, so I print a few in advance so I can swap them in the field. Finally, reinforcements with fiberglass tape help keep the foam from breaking.