At Flite Test, we’ve always been passionate about hobbies and activities that bring families together. Shane and Heather McDowell, a wonderful flying family from our community, share that passion and have traveled the country competing in wing racing.
Wing racing has a lot of similarities to drone racing, but the speeds are higher and the courses are bigger. Each pilot creates their own unique look for their wing that represents their own creativity, their team or their sponsor. Visually it is amazing and beautiful for both the spectators and the pilots.
Josh and Jen recently spent a weekend with the McDowells, who were building a wing for fellow Flite Test community members Paul and Thomas Bitmatta of BMSWeb.
The McDowells shared their technique for launching their planes with us. The wings are so powerful, that it is hard to get a stable launch when throwing from the wing tip. Launching over the head allows pilots to recover easier under the goggles when racing.
Heather and Shane are sponsored by TeamLegit, and gave Josh a chance to fly one of their wings. Josh, Jen and the McDowells also flew with a few local flying clubs as well, the Dallas FPV Wing Club and the DFW RC Flyers. They also gave us some invaluable input on one of our new designs, the Twin Baron.
During the weekend, Jen got to fly FPV for the first time. She flew one of Shane’s training ships using head plate goggles so she could fly with her glasses on.
Thanks to Shane and Heather for sharing their knowledge and passion for flight with us!
Learn more about the Dallas FPV Wing Club HERE!
Learn more about the DFW RC Flyers HERE!
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1. Run a little nose heavy. A little bit of nose weight will help to smooth out your video in higher winds. Keep in mind the changes that will occur with your plane though (slower stall speed, elevator feel, and increased landing speed)
2. Heather and I don't own a plane that weighs less than about 2.25 lbs. I know weight Nazis cringe at such things, but a heavier plane will fly better in the wind.
Sometimes it's just too windy (here, we just turn the HD cams off above 20mph winds). Sometimes the air is just too bumpy too. There's not a whole lot you can do about bumpy air. When you fly low, you'll tend to find some bumps with changes in air humidity, etc., such as transitions from grass to concrete, air over bodies of water (even large puddles) and things like that.
Also, it seems that flat-bottomed airfoils tend to not like the wind so much. All of the Team Legit wings are NOT flat-bottomed, so they seem to handle the wind better than our wings that ARE flat-bottomed airfoils. Hope this helps!
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I'm wondering what size batteries you guys run in your 32" wings.
Thanks again.
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Do you use the small Dremel bit to cut the whole bay?
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Yes, we use the Dremel bit to cut the entire bay. Basically going back and fourth, sort of like a human CNC :) If you make your passes too big, you'll get chunks of EPP wrapping around the bit and the floor of your bay won't look so great.
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Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate your help.
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