Mini Arrow to Mini Spear Conversion

I had been having great success flying my Mini Arrow with the flame graphics, getting to do more FPV flying under goggles because this great little wing just gives me the confidence to expand on my capabilities! Over this past memorial day weekend I invited my wife to come out to the local flying field with me and thought that she could help me launch the Arrow while I wore the FPV goggles. She accidentally pitched me into the ground and the Arrow's nose got munched, so I decided to take this opportunity to enlarge the center pod and turn it into a Mini Spear! Check out this video to see my Mini Spear's maiden flight!  

I started by widening the original center pod to be 4 inches, still retaining the same access door. I then removed the old pod and cut out the top of the wings to match the new pod's width. The spar was now a little further back after the trimming and no longer lined up with the openings of the center pod, so the openings on the sides of the center pod had to be cut open a little more to match. I was worried about weakness in the spar/pod area, so I double folded a piece of foam and conected the wing spars together with it. This also served as a stop for the power pod when it was pushed in from the back.

 The arrangement of the electronics was power pod in the center rear, speed control in the left side rear, radio receiver in the right rear, video transmitter and antenna in the middle, FPV camera in the normal front area, and battery between the VTX and camera. I now had enough room to lay the battery sideways, being able to shift it forward and backwards to adjust the center of gravity!

When it came time for the re-design's maiden flight, I went to a familiar park with my buddy Matt, and had one of the best flights ever! Even though the flight ended in another crash I was not upset at all, the design has been proven successful in my book and I'm going to repair or build another! What I love about these Flite Test designs is the ability to make changes and they still fly great! 

I know other people have done similar Mini Spears, but what do you guys think of my re-design?

Thanks for checking out my article and Happy Flying!

MD