ELECTRICS & ELECTRONICS Park Pilot
Keep your propeller balanced On the aviation front, Reese
Don Belfort
dbelfort@cinci.rr.com
>>
and Ryen seemed focused—or at least entertained—by a micro quadcopter demo I gave them.
Hi Park Pilots. I would like to begin with a quick update
on my granddaughters, Reese and Ryen, as they prepare to celebrate their fi rst birthday. Both are doing great, speedily crawling throughout the house as if they are racing each other, laughing all the way.
Out-of-Balance Racer Vibration from an out-of- balance propeller or loose motor/propeller adapter can rob you of power or performance at a minimum. Extreme vibration can rip off fi rewalls, loosen hinges, and age both the airframe and the electronics to the point of early failures. At an EF1 (Electric
Formula 1) Pylon race, which had rain delays throughout the day, my racer got caught in a runway puddle on takeoff, tipped forward, and broke part of the propeller— creating an extremely unbalanced propeller. The aircraft still lifted off, but with no speed. My brain was slow to react
to the situation as I brought the model off the course to set up for a smooth landing, expecting nothing more than a propeller change before the next race. As I neared the model to retrieve it, the fi rst signs of the damage were revealed as holes in the cowl. The outrunner brushless motor/ fi rewall had worn through the fi berglass cowl after totally breaking away from the plywood fi rewall. It was time to use my backup racer to fi nish the event because the motor mount damage was beyond a fi eld repair. Back in the shop, the motor
My granddaughters, Reese and Ryen, enjoyed their first RC experience of watching a micro quadcopter buzz around the room just days before they turned one year old.
32 PARK PILOT [Winter 2016]
mount was repaired and the entire airframe was checked for other damage. The extreme vibration had also loosened the elevator hinges and one aileron hinge that, if not repaired, could easily have caused the model’s loss. If I had the whole incident to do over, the best strategy would have been an immediate motor shutdown when the propeller fi rst became unbalanced. This may have prevented some of the secondary damage. Be mindful to note changes
in how your aircraft sounds and feels, especially at high power settings. Although most of you will never encounter such an extreme example of vibration, keeping your propeller balanced and routinely checking for motor mount integrity should allow you to get the most out of your power system. Continuing with some
lessons learned from this season’s EF1 Pylon experiences, I recommend that anyone interested in learning more about the excitement of EF1 start by volunteering at a race. The need for helpers is always there.
Pylon Racing is a labor- intensive event. You will benefi t by being close to the action and being able to learn and observe before making a purchase. The racers are great modelers eager to help newcomers get started. This was the path I took and it has worked out well. Dan Kane Jr., the current NMPRA (National Miniature Pylon Racing Association;
nmpra.net) president, shared a link to a thread on RCGroups (
rcgroups.com) for modelers to learn more about EF1 (
rcgroups.com/ forums/
showthread.php?t=1 178471&highlight=nmpra+fo rmula+one+racing). EF1 rules can be found at
nmpra.net/ rules.htm.
LiPo Battery Handling There is a great article
about LiPo battery handling
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