FT Versa Wing- The Crash

by noaflight2 | January 30, 2015 | (5) Posted in Just Fun

My Versa Wing

I recently made my second FT Versa Wing. The first was a tractor style, and the second was a pusher. The build was very smooth, everything fit together perfectly.  I finished the build, installed the 2dogrc.com electronics, and went to fly. My first flight was great, it was my first sucessful flight! I would recommend using 2dogrc.com products for this project as they are very reliable and easy to install. The Versa was so easy to fly, I would recommend this plane to a first time flyer because it is very docile.

The Crash

It was a very windy day. I bungee launched the plane into the wind and let the plane soar into the sky. I went about 50 feet into the wind, and then turned with the wind. I started doing some circles, and got comfortable flying the Versa in the wind, so I decided to do some loops and barrell rolls. I was doing a barrell roll when a huge wind gust took my plane into the top of a 150 foot tree. Judging by the damage, I must have been flying at speeds of about 50+ MPH. Slowly, the plane fell from the giant tree and back to the ground. I was so excited when the plane fell out, until I found out that the battery had flown out during the crash. I looked for the battery for about 30 minutes, when I finally saw something out in the tall grass. It turns out that what I saw was the battery, it was more than 100ft from the crash site. I was shocked about how much damage the crash caused, so I decided that I would put my repair skills to the test and fix the Versa Wing.

After The Crash

The Repair

During the repair, I used a lot of glue and tape. I pushed out the front of the leading edge because the crash caused a huge dent. I then covered that with tape. I also reinforced the wing with a wooden spar. The repair isn't pretty, but it flys great! 

I was very suprised when I found out that my 2dogrc.com electronics had survived the crash. Even my MadDog lipo battery was intact after the crash!

Recommended Electronics

What I Learned

I learned a lot about repairing and flying from this experience. You should always reinforce the leading edge of your plane to prevent it from crumbling during a crash. Also I learned that you should make sure that your battery is secure inside of your plane, as a plane cannot fly without a power source. Overall, I have had a great time working on the Versa Wing!

Thank You For Reading!

COMMENTS

HilldaFlyer on October 3, 2015
Ouch! We've all experienced impacts with the earth. I'm interested in how you balanced the pusher configuration. I did it by moving the motor forward: http://flitetest.com/articles/balanced-pusher-wing. Good luck on the next build.

Log In to reply
noaflight2 on October 3, 2015
For the plane I used a large 2dogrc.com battery to counterbalance the weight of the engine. The battery balanced the plane very well, so I didn't need to use much dead weight. Make sure to check out my other articles about my Versa Wings, I do a lot of crazy stuff to them. Thanks for reading!
Log In to reply
Krümelmonster on September 30, 2015
How about a picture after the repair?
Log In to reply
noaflight2 on October 3, 2015
As this article was originally written about 6 months ago, i do not have any pictures of the repaired plane. The repaired plane wasn't pretty, but it flew great (until the spar broke and it crashed again).
Log In to reply

You need to log-in to comment on articles.


FT Versa Wing- The Crash