Mid-Air Package Exchange - Viewer Response

by FliteTest | April 24, 2013 | (24) Posted in News

All of the episodes and articles mentioned are listed below in "Related Articles"! 

David shares some more details about his custom 360 Degree FPV Camera Pan system.  Let us know if you'd like to see a build video for this or if you'd like to see his custom setup available as a kit!

We just finished up an interview with The Crash Cast.com, an R/C Podcast covering all things R/C!  If you haven't heard of this Podcast series, be sure to check them out HERE!

While talking about some of our favorite episodes, one of Josh's was an episode that never aired called The Mid-Air Package Exchange.  We tried to do a mid-air package transfer using our EPP FPV

Flying FPV with the Tek Sumo wing, David tried to connect to the lead plane flown by Josh Bixler.
The 'package' which was a toy frog hanging on the end of a long cord. Using industrial magnets, the mid-air exchange would happen if the positive magnet got near the negative magnet on the chase plane.

It was a fun idea and David spent hours getting the transfer rigs setup but we never made a successful transfer.

Not completing a successful transfer, along with additional technical issues, the episode just never came together.  

Maybe we'll visit the idea again in the future!  Let us know if you'd like to see that.

Keep an eye out for Chad's Rotor Bone kits! These are multi-rotor components that will soon be available in the Flite Test web store!

We'd like to give LazerToyz.com a shout out for offering electronic packages that are designed specifically for some of our Speed Build Swappables! Check out thier website to find out more!  CLICK HERE!

Thanks again for all of your feedback and support!  
Be sure to check out the great articles mentioned in this episode.  That are all listed below.

Youtuber "MrCycost" - FT Cruiser - Maiden Video:



Airplanes Mentioned in this epsiode:
Skywalker X-8 FPV / UAV Flying Wing 2120mm 
EPP-FPV 1.8M X-Large EPP & Carbon Fiber R/C Plane 
Hobbyking Teksumo EPP Wing 900mm (ARF) 
- Durafly P-47 Thunderbolt w/flaps/retracts/lights 1100mm (PNF) 
 

 

 

COMMENTS

planemad man on April 25, 2013
yes i think a build video for the 360* servo mechanism would be great thanks
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Jghanson25 on April 25, 2013
I really really really hope to meet you guys some day. like really really bad. ... okay ill stop geekin out now. but seriously, you guys inspire me beyond reason. I love you guys and what you do! keep up the awesome work! its so exciting to see the growth in flitetest. I didn't know J Scott is a worship leader! thats awesome! I lead worship too! anyways, im just having happy rambles. ill stop. haha Thanks Guys! **??think about doing mini/micro swappables or mentioning the idea on the show for people who may have interest??**
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CJGFX on April 25, 2013
Another brilliant little update to let us all know how things are going on Flite Test, just really happy that things are going so well for you. Regarding the stage issue you have with the scratch build series, have you thought about getting some one based in Europe to cut out the planes for you? Another idea for you to think about incase FedEx don't get back to you! I would have thought David would know some one, I'd love to do some thing like that but I can't find anyone how sell the lazer cutters with me in France.... Let us know how you get on with that and good luck with future episodes....

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casehatter on April 25, 2013
Great Job looks like you are on your way to success remember that you are providing a very good service and even if you have to get some employee's you are serving our hobby well and we thank you..
WOULD LOVE A KIT ON DAVIDS GROUND STATION, or at least the Heli. ant. build...great and I bring in some of the old timers as well we love your show to.
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casehatter on April 25, 2013
Oh yea on the Heli. ant. 900 and 5.8 ok pretty please and I found your your diy on the sero pot David thanks, it's just some of us are not computor savy as you guys..
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philw3 on April 25, 2013
would love to see more on the ground station, maybe even a build video on just the power module? What was that LCD screen/display David used? Love your work - thanks
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Fire Flite on April 25, 2013
You guys are fantastic. I have learned so much from your episodes. I would love to see you guys sell a custom 360 degree fpv camera pan system. I would definitely support you in projects like that. Looking forward to all your future episodes.
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AlexPewPew on April 25, 2013
That ground station is amazing! Do multiple holes in the helical support allow you to easily change your coil for different frequencies or are they aesthetic?


speedbuild kit out of wood please!!
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cloud9photos on April 25, 2013
I'd be interested in a video about the 360 camera mount.
Thanks again for all of your hard work. Good luck getting your own space and a flying field, hopefully without a tower near by!
David, I have a radian pro, and I pretty much agree with you it may not be the worst plane ever but it sure doesn't live up to the original radian and that is why I think a lot of people have been disappointed in it.

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kraczekj on April 25, 2013
I Think that the 360 Servo build video would be awesome! i have learned so much from making the scratch build kits. i build the planes and learn new things and then i go and make some of my own - my grandpa has a laser and so i love scratch building and then designing it and cutting it out for a finished product. everything i have learned comes from these videos. - AMAZING. thanks for the hard work you put into these. - One thing that i would like to have explained a little more is VTOL vertical take off and landing - i looked around but most of the info that i was looking at was pretty old, i am going to be working on a foamboard VTOL in the future, but i was curious what the best electronics for that would be.
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elemental on April 25, 2013
Ground station please!!
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Good Kebo on April 25, 2013
YEEEEEEAAAAAAH Please, nice and compact. Great functional design. I like the wood idea, we all don't have CNC machines......
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jhitesma on April 25, 2013
Building a Baby Blender and having accidentally printed out the original plans and not noticing I did so until I started assembling it and noticed the lack of tabs for the horizontal stabilizer - I appreciated the feedback from Josh about the plans being tweaked for better laser cutting but still very much designed with scratch building in mind.

I found that the v2 BB plans were much more professional in appearance which I appreciated - but they took more paper to print out. I actually ended up opening them in Photoshop and cutting the pieces out into their own files to print so I could save paper and do less taping. I also noticed the rounded corners that were discussed and assumed they were for the benefit of laser cutting - but didn't bother trying to cut them myself and just squared things off like the V1 plans. The rounded corners are a great little detail and I wouldn't ask for them to be eliminated - but I'm not going to bother trying to cut them by hand either ;)

I hate to make a request that makes more work for anyone...but would it be possible in the future to make versions of the plans with tiled printing more in mind? Not pre-tiled plans - but stopping to think a bit more about where the pieces go on the page so the breaks between pages are in less critical spots and fewer pages are required for the prints. The BBv2 fuselage for example printed out across 6 sheets of paper if I just printed the plans out straight - but by cropping the file down to just the fuselage and printing that by itself I was able to fit it comfortably on only 3 sheets of paper.

For the BB wings I actually ended up just redrawing the plans manually right on my foam board because I hate tiling printed pages :D The wing design is so simple it really didn't take long. The only hard part was laying out the slots the fuselage fits into and I did resort to printing that out to transfer that part...but it only took me 2 sheets of paper so it was no big deal. BTW - Can't wait to maiden my BB2 - got my linkage stoppers yesterday and finished the controls, just need to build some landing gear tonight and pray for some calm air this weekend (we've been having 10-20mph winds the past 3 weeks, boo!)

Keep up the great work - I love what you guys are doing. I'd love to try a speed build kit but just can't quite swing the cost right now...but I just ordered a pack of the control horns to try since I like the laser cut firewalls so much and I figure every bit helps :)

Cutting out the planes by hand and drawing the wings manually like I did it felt like getting a peek into Josh B's brain and how he's designing his airframes. A lot of things started to make sense and it blew me away just how simple the BB is - yet how gorgeous it turns out! I'd encourage everyone to try doing one from scratch just for the experience and insight it gives.

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enivid on April 25, 2013
Guys I have a recommendation about the shipping to Europe problem: David do you have friends in Sweden who can prepare the same kits out of Europe and ship them? I know that this might play into costs but outsourcing might help?
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Good Kebo on April 25, 2013
Promise if you get a new place to film, the set has to look just like the Chad's garage or basement. The show wouldn't be the same without that down home cramped look.
Yes a build video on the 360 camera mount would be great, could you add tilt to it without getting too complicated?


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Dingo on April 26, 2013
still confused
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earthsciteach on April 26, 2013
+1 for a build episode or article on the 360 degree camera pan build!

+1 for many, many thanks for providing so much to the rc community at such accessible costs.
Congrats on your success and impending expansion!!!
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Wackmac on April 28, 2013
Hey Flite Test, I would like to see some info on EDF's, maybe a scratch build of a A-10 warthog. That would be awesome!!!! Keep up the good work, I am always excited to see you come out with news Vids, Thanks again!!!
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oneiwily on April 28, 2013
Few comments regarding the Mid Air package exchange.
Take a look at how air-refueling works to make this exchange work.
In modern combat history we had 2 versions of air refueling, the old one where the tanker airplane had flexible hose dropping and the modern one with rigid hose.
In the old one, combat fighters had to both balance the airplane, and move it to the hose.
This was very difficult and sometimes was referred as threading a needle while flying at 100mph.
The modern approach is way safer and requires way less from both the fighter pilot and from the tanker pilot. The fighter pilot needs to approach his jet to the tanker and open a hatch behind the cockpit (usually). A Refueling Operator then guides a rigid hose to the fueling hatch.
So my suggestions are:
1. Make the tanker airplane one with 2 engines rather than 1.
The reason for that is air flow. If you have 1 engine the air low moves along the body and pushes anything that comes directly behind the body. Using two engines creates 2 turbulences (especially if using counter rotating props) along the side of the body, this creates low pressure area just behind the body area that airplane can come and stay there with low amount of disturbances.
2. Regarding the fetch mechanism, I strongly recommend that you use a rigid mechanism rather than flexible one. Make some one that is not flying the tanker or the receiving craft as the drop mechanism operator. Using FPV he can guide the drop mechanism to the receiving aircraft while both tanker and receiver pilots focus of stabilizing the craft and maintaining distance.
If you want to simulate the fueling mechanism, you need movement in 3 axes, right/left, up / down and length of the stick.
I’m sure David can fix something up.
Hope this helps on the next try.

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liveyourdreamsRC on April 28, 2013
Great episode! I am kind of sad that you might be moving to a new location because the basement and garage and field where you shoot is kind of a symbol of flitetest. Also just remember to take small steps so you don't find yourselves in a huge mess trying to expand and release all these builds so take it slow. Also don't know if anyone will agree but since you didn't have the best of times with the X8 maybe you could try a ritewing ZII and also I would like to see a TBS Discovery with the naza system on it. Maybe to solve the problem of space you could purchase a type of shed that could house some of the airplanes, though it is a nice colage background for the show. Also could you do something on the T9XR radio and also an aquacopter, the quadcopter that is supposed to be waterproof. I also want a little more in depth build video on the 360 degree pan system. Great work, and keep it up!
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Curins on May 5, 2013
A thought on the Mid Air Exchange: Would using a larger airframe to receive the package, and a smaller airframe to deliver reduce the turbulence effects? The larger airframe having more mass than the delivery airframe should reduce the effects of turbulence due to the lower energy generated by the lead plane, as well as the greater mass of the follow plane decreasing it's susceptibility to turbulence.
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stay-fun on May 14, 2014
Hi guys, awesome show! Maybe here are some more tips, in addition to what people above mentioned about the mid-air packet exchange:

- Use a gyro (guardian, KK2, orangeRX) in the receiving plane to make it more stable
- The little thing that is towed by the tow plane could also have some aerodynamic shape to make it stable, maybe even with control surfaces and also a gyro. Like what is done in the bomb drop episode?

Keep up the awesome show guys!
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Mid-Air Package Exchange - Viewer Response