Underpowered Storch Fun!

by Bayboos | September 26, 2016 | (7) Posted in Just Fun

The goal of this article is to show people that flying low-end, low-cost underpowered plane can really be fun, and to inspire anyone who either don't have enough resources or skills to fly more advanced plane to keep flying their "trainers"; and to show that it doesn't need to be just flying around in a circle and polishing skills (while saving money) before proceeding with their RC careers.

I do believe that in times when leading brands feed us with "all purpose trainer planes" that gets bigger, more powerful, more gadgets-packed and more expensive every season, the message of deriving tons of fun and experience from "as cheap as you can get while still looking like actual plane" plane is more than worth sharing at each and every opportunity.

 

 

The motor/ESC combo on this particular plane was never particularily powerful, and it went trough a lot in it's history; but it does have one huge advantage: it's CHEAP. Well, that doesn't stop me from having tons of FUN!

 

And all this just after my friend did his first full "solo" flights (from take-off to landing) on that very same plane, zero time buddy-box whatsoever.

 

Yes, the plane truly is underpowered. The recommended setup for FT Simple Storch calls for 280w motor (power pack C). I'm using old 140w motor that a) came from HK, b) hit the ground (hard) many times when it was one of four powering my first DIY quad, and c) went under the water equally many times when testing my floats (on the very same plane). 

 

I'm really sorry for all those who can't watch the video. Unfortunately, what such underpowered plane can do looks very nice on the motion picture; but it's not something you actually can represent on the still image. Still images can't show short take-offs and landings, because they don't look any different from regular ones. Still images can't show how the loop/roll/hammerhead/inverted flight looks like (and how fun it is), because any particular moment from any of the aforementioned aerobatic figures doesn't look any different from a moment of the other figure; so much so you can't really tell what are you looking at without elaborated description.

What you can see on the video is some clever combination of wind, flaps, smooth airfoil and the right camera angle ("vertical climb")...


... and then careful energy management (and WOT all the time) to keep the speed high enough for other aerobatics:

You can notice what I have in mind in the last 20 seconds of the aerobatic flight: I purposefully let the speed bleed off after the last climb out, and then brought the plane down in "normal flight" (which is rather slow for this plane). And, of course, the flight ended with (very) short landing:


In my personal opinion, FT Simple Storch - even with cheap electronics - is the most smile-inducing, fun-providing and skill-honing plane in the world. Even though it has the lowest power-to weight ration of my entire fleet, the fun-to-price ratio reaches way above anything I know. And on top of that, being able to bring your flight skills level literally from "ground zero" up to the point of this type of flying proves this plane is truly a PERFECT TRAINER. Thank you, FliteTest crew, for this amazing creation.

 

 

Good Luck, and Have Fun!

COMMENTS

marc60 on October 1, 2016
Nice article
Underpowered turns out to be a subjective statement :)
If it flies, it has enough power. Maybe we should talk about overpowerd set-ups

Log In to reply
Bayboos on October 1, 2016
Thank you for your comment. I call this setup "underpowered" solely for two reasons:
1. it's 2 times (sometimes more) less power than the recommended setup (and we all know everybody eventually go up from the recommendation); and
2. it's way less power than in any other similar size high wing so-called "STOL" plane available on the marked today
From this point of view, "underpowered" means "less power than everybody are used to" or "less than is commonly considered to be enough"; but yes, it still does fly. It still can fly and do all sorts of tricks; while having the side benefit of being way cheaper.
Log In to reply
raydar on October 3, 2016
Bayboos, excellent as always!!
Log In to reply
Bayboos on October 3, 2016
Thank you very much.
Log In to reply
eric75 on October 1, 2016
From the takeoff and climb-out your video, this plane is not at all underpowered for the wing loading it has! I am curious how much weight you save by using Depron foam.
Log In to reply
Bayboos on October 2, 2016
Compared to the regular DTFB (white paper) it wasn't much; maybe 50g, maybe even less than that. Bu the WRFB (or FTBF, depending on what do you want to call it) is noticeably heavier, so the savings are greater.
Log In to reply
alibopo on October 3, 2016
Hi - Nice flight video. I'm a fan of realistic power flight as well. Mostly because my planes are a bit heavy. And where I do have more power available I often choose to fly on lower throttle settings because I find it more satisfying. With some of these overpowered setups, the plane isn't flying as much as just following the prop. Plus you carry less weight with a smaller engine, and that usually improves flight times. Win, win, win. :)
Log In to reply
Bayboos on October 3, 2016
I needed to remove previous reply due to terrible spelling mistake :)

With where we are with the technology of manufacturing small electric motors, the last assumption may not necessarily be true - larger motors tend to be more efficient. But everything else is so true! Plus the fact that smaller props driven by smaller motors tend to be more quiet and perceived as less disturbing (and even less dangerous). And on top of that, they are usually cheaper. So at least a couple more wins :)

Thanks for the comment.
Log In to reply
alibopo on October 4, 2016
Now I'll have to go and look for the spelling mistake in the emails I got! No I won't :)
Good point about the efficiency. Excellent point about the noise. I really cringe when I hear some of those super-whiny motors. Remember, folks aren't always staring in admiration - they might just be wondering how ignorant you are spoiling the atmosphere of a nice quiet spot they've enjoyed walking in until you turned up!
Cheers, alibopo
Log In to reply
Bayboos on October 4, 2016
Yes, especially when flying in the evening, calm air over the lake, next to small village deep inside polish forest... Yes, that can be considered a spoiler/teaser (depending on your mood) for the next article :)

Cheers!
Log In to reply
GBJim on October 10, 2016
Bayboos: Perhaps you can help me ? I am using the same size LiPo in my Storch, a 3s, 1500 mah. I am having difficulty maintaining straight flight. At the slightest aileron input to make it turn, either right or left, it wants to tuck and turn very fast and sharp. It takes constant correction to make it fly straight. I am using Flite Test's recommended CG location, and I am wondering if this is correct. Perhaps also; I am using too much aileron throw ?

Your thoughts please ?

jim
Log In to reply
Bayboos on October 11, 2016
Let's try, but first things first: CG does not influence aileron sensitivity. The recommended location should be ok.

I never encountered problems with ailerons being too sensitive; if anything, my ailerons are sometimes a bit "lazy". But I do remember seeing a video where the Storch was flying very nice with much smaller aileron deflections that I use. I would start with reducing aileron deflections, and - if you r transmitter allows that - dialing in some (more) expo. If that doesn't work, I would need more info to work with.

I hope this would be helpful for you. Good luck, and have fun!
Log In to reply
GBJim on October 12, 2016
Thank you Sir, I will try that.
Log In to reply
minimo on October 2, 2016
What electronics did you use?
Log In to reply
Bayboos on October 2, 2016
Tgy D2822/14 motor (8x4 SF prop), unknown 18A ESC, Generic ("blue") Tgy 3s 1500mAh LiPo, Tgy 9X transmitter with 8ch receiver (7ch used), Tgy 9g servos. Nothing fancy; in fact, it's probably as cheap as you can get (while enjoying programmable transmitter).
Log In to reply
woodycarson on October 13, 2016
I've gotten this plane to fly off a blue wonder and 1300 3s pack. It flew, but just barely, and it was pretty tail heavy. I settled with a slightly more powerful setup because of the balance issues, but this was one of my favorite planes while it lasted and I'm really looking forward to building another. I don't need enough power for loops and aerobatics. Flying with the flaps down doing super low passes and turns with one wheel just grazing off the grass is so much fun.
Log In to reply
Bayboos on October 13, 2016
When I was flying on 24g hexTronik motor, I was using 2200mAh lipo just to get the balance right. And it definitely flew better than "barely"; you can tell that from from the video from my earliest article about this plane, called "Perfect Trainer".

You are absolutely right: the greatest fun this plane can provide comes from low&slow flying. I guess that's because no one does that anymore. I fly on the same field for over two years now - the Storch being the very first plane I flew there - and I still hear the same comments of appreciation and admiration when I show what this plane is capable of. It's enough to say that me flying this plane is the only pilot/plane combo allowed to fly between the flight line and the parking spots on that field :)

As I think of it now, it turns out that I never used 24g motor on this plane after making Depron conversion; and you know what? I think I will. I have 3 of those motors sitting on my bench, not used since the hovercraft trials. With the winter just around the corner, I think it's time to put at least one of them into good use :)
Log In to reply
Bellows on October 2, 2016
Great build, excellent flying and dynamite video! I love slower, lighter planes as well.Your video was excellent.What camera did you use?
LooseBruce
Log In to reply
FoamTest on October 4, 2016
Ya slow light planes are great, and they are usually cheaper too!
Log In to reply
Bayboos on October 2, 2016
Thank you for the comment and your nice words.

As stated in the video details above: "Filmed using iPhone". :) No fancy DSLRs, no action cameras, rigs etc. Just what my friend (the one soloed before making of this video) had in his pocket.

Most of my videos are filmed using iPhone or iPad. I have one video filmed with just a tiny bit advanced equipment (compact camera with optical zoom): FT Storch - perfect RC trainer. And you can clearly see the difference. Here's the link for your convenience, if you'd like to check it out:

https://youtu.be/8QiEKUJsvww

Good luck, and have fun!
Log In to reply
Slowjo on October 12, 2019
I too thought it look like it had more than enough power? great video tho , I love flying low and slow, very therapeutic : ) jo
Log In to reply
Bayboos on October 13, 2019
Thanks for the comment :)

"Enough" in this case is a very relative term. As explained in some comments above, this plane is considered "underpowered" because it has both less power than recommended by the designer, and also way less than the average for a plane of this size. But as you can see, it's still "more than enough" to do all sorts of things and have a lot of fun!

Using the low power/low budget power setup does not mean you are limited to flying low'n'slow. But it does make it more accessible. And in my humble opinion, more satisfying.

Good luck, and Have Fun!
Log In to reply

You need to log-in to comment on articles.


Underpowered Storch Fun!