Astro-Hydro Foam Build Project

[Vifo]

Pre launch Precaution

Hi AstroBoy,
Great progress made on FINAL COUNTDOWN.
Just a concern, perhaps you would want to encase your receiver in Balloon to prevent fine water spray. Not to sure on how you can protect your servos.
For me I finger rub silicon on the servo housing joint and spray 'Corrosion X' to Servo shaft, or apply heavy grease.
Happy Maiden and Any Date & Time. (Running out of 4D numbers).

[AstroBoy]

Thanks Victor (Vifo), i intend to maiden it over grass, not water, have taxied it around my living room early this morning , after adding more rudder area, she can taxi around in figure-8 in the living room, Shiok
I need to test out the CG of the hydro-plane on grass, it's more cushy and forgiving no guts to maiden over water lah don't want to have the hydro stuck in the middle of the pond, inverted! Yoiks! Scared Scared . So my hydro will be at some secret grassfield location somewhere in Singapore over this weekend Wish me good luck folks, i really need lots of it

[AstroBoy]

Vifo,

4D numbers are 0207 or 0307

IF You strike BIG i take 1% ageeable? To finance purchase of more foam mah

[Vifo]

Hot number

Hi Fellow Astro Hydro Plane enthusiast,

You asked for it, You now get it.
Make the number hot: Go Buy your ticket and pledge 5% to a Good Cause.
Good Luck

[AstroBoy]

[AstroBoy]

Wah! Not easy man! Morning maiden flight not good at all
First, the grass was too tall, the hydro kept slowing down after hitting wave upon wave of tall grass
Secondly, the Himark motor really no kick! On hard floor i think much better, can pick up speed very well, may do 2nd 127% sized hydro maiden on concrete.
Thirdly, most probably pilot skill also not there! This thing is a completely different thing when it went airborne! Sooo twitchy!, shifted battery forward a little, take off more stable, then it just twist around so fast i couldn't keep up giving opposite input, crash! tried again..crash again, aiyoh! another one or two crashes that's it! the hydro's front broke up!
At least now i know what were the design flaws in my first hydro So it's back to the drawing board, i think maybe the hydro's small size and coupled with 8" prop is a no-no , i could feel so much prop torque to the left upon take-off. Only managed to capture one take-off pic but i can tell you airborne time is only 1 to 3 seconds only!
Looks like i have to start building the 127% plans and rectify all flaws from this first prototype I won't give up Enjoy the pics

[AstroBoy]

close-up of damages, motor mount is too weak, will need to do major re-think on the design.

[DennisP]

Sorry to hear of your problems AstroBoy, but you sure gave it your best and nobody can fault that . Still try, try again....?

[AstroBoy]

Thanks Dennis for those comforting words

I would like to thank Mike HZM (DaddyHobby) for coming this morning at 7am , Jcho, Eddie, John and Jephrey also, thanks guys

2 more pics, courtesy of Mike HZM, thank you Sir!

[stuka]

Astroboy, at least it managed to fly....great effort, good try and thanks for giving us the chance to learn from your experience, I am sure your next version will get better...

Looking forward to c Astro-Hydro II, all the best...

[Vifo]

Astro Hydro Test

Hi,
Must compliment you for your Test.
FIRST STEP FOR ASTRO AIRBOURNE GREAT DATA INFORMATION FOR ALL DADDY HOBBYIST.(Attempting this Project)
Keep it Up. Do you need the support bar at fore front of craft that came off during test. Has this in any way contribute to the stability of your design or made it worse. Since it came off can you fly it and see if it less twitchy.
Best wishes

[AstroBoy]

Yes Vifo. i'll try again without the front canard, thank you guys for the positive feedback, i suspect it's the size of this craft, plus the elect. setup i have on hand, 8" prop and so on, seems too heavy for this hydro size to begin with, anyway i still have another drawing of the original Miss Fanfold drawn slightly different, so if all else fails, i'll go and do that Miss Fanfold design, seems the most stable as it's width/length ratio dimensions are very square, this hydro dimensions are very rectangularish so to speak

I was also thinking about doing a twin-prop, would definitely reduce the prop torque effect

[Zanter]

I think when it a new testing a new design some flaws are bound to show but i dare say this is a good effort indeed. 1 thing however, i think the 2 props idea thou sound may not work cos to fly this vechicle requires 1 large prop like a IFO cos this thing doesnt have much of an aerofoil. Also 2 props, motors, etc may add too much weight.

[mechplas]

At least it went airborne, did some grass cutting and damage sustained is 10%.

I would consider this a success for your flawless next....

[AstroBoy]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback, i'm going to start making the bigger 127% hydro soon and while building that i'll address all the weaknesses in the 1st hydro, i was pressing for time, should i build the 127% and put in my 8" prop power setup on it and maiden or should i just put it in this one which i did, it turns out, a lot of lessons were learned just maidening this 1st one although i felt the setup was too heavy for this size, i'm slightly more confident to say that the 127% one would fly better than this 1st one, i'm keeping my fingers crossed

By the way, this smaller one is ideal for high-kv cd-rom class motor, 700mah 3S lipo, 6~7x3 prop setup. I will also build this one again to test on cd-rom class motors