What's next from Motion RC?

[JamesonC]

I'm beginning to wonder whether "pressure" is being applied against MRC, since Horizon has had several new releases lately and MRC hasn't, and the scale helicopter line appears to be on indefinite hold.

Well, they did just release two pretty big planes with the F22 and the Corsair. But, they do seem really really quiet lately. No new guessing game, no clues on the next release... just very quiet which seems odd. HH has been rolling out releases quite often though, I'll agree with that!

[tengarang]

Well, they did just release two pretty big planes with the F22 and the Corsair. But, they do seem really really quiet lately. No new guessing game, no clues on the next release... just very quiet which seems odd. HH has been rolling out releases quite often though, I'll agree with that!

Yeah...seems to feel that way, agreed

[Aros]

All I can say boys is just wait and see what 2019 has in store. :Cool: :Cool: :Cool:

[Hardway]

Have 400 in reserve for the next one which I do not need or have room for, but none the less will be buying..... (unless it is a Cub, and then I could be forced to buy one if it is an L-4 and about 2m) :P

[Hardway]

Seriously, thanks for all the hard work and great birds!!! :Cool:

[Valkpilot]

I STRONGLY believe that we should not bother Alpha until AFTER February 5th. That's the day that China effectively shuts down for a month, and Alpha's got numerous flocks of ducks to get into a row prior to that.

[F106DeltaDart]

While it's still in the prototype stage, I watch this video and see an interesting model concept, combining the vertical and hover capabilities of a quadcopter, with the forward flight capabilities of a conventional airplane.

It’s a cool concept, but I would love to see some of the other VTOL prop-rotor aircraft done in RC as well. Lots of unique capabilities in a VTOL, and a well done full house version be amazing! The V-22, V-280, XV-3, X-22, X-19, XC-142, and XV-15 would all be dreams to see in RC. The pure tiltrotors would difficult and require collective pitch, but the others would be doable mostly with standard components. On a side note, Bell unveiled its E-VTOL design this year at CES. Interesting machine, stemming from the roots of the X-22 Program.

[Hoomi]

I think the advantage of Boeing's concept there, is that it doesn't have the quirks of the tilt-rotor. I've flown the V-22 Osprey in Realflight, and that tilt-rotor can be tricky. Transitioning from vertical to horizontal isn't bad, but from horizontal to vertical takes some finesse.

If a model combining the lift props of a quadcopter, with the wings and controls of an airplane, used control firmware similar to that in DJI's drones, it would be quite stable for take-off, landing, and hover, and should be easy to control for transition between vertical and horizontal flight modes.

I suspect that's why Boeing is going with the concept they're pursuing. Particularly if they're looking to market to civilian buyers, they're going to want something that is as simple to fly as possible, and as the safety records have shown, the tilt-rotors don't tend to have the best reputations, especially in their early service years. As the experience and training improve (and the bugs have been worked out of the designs), the safety has improved, but for the civilian market, a bad reputation early on can be devastating.

Granted, there are so many aircraft out there that would be cool to have in model form, that I'm sure it's tough to choose which to move forward with, and which to pass over. Trying to guess which will have a wide-enough market appeal, I'm sure, is also a gamble.

I just think the Boeing concept is interesting, and would be fun to play with in model form.

[xviper]

Here's my V-22 from Banana Hobby:

I've also got the Eflite Convergence and Mini-Convergence.

[Skyboom]

Good job brother. You have dialed it in nicely. Keep care of her.

[F106DeltaDart]

Very nice XViper! I’ve thought about the Banana version before, but I think I’m going to go with the Rotormast bird sometime down the line. The cheater fan, tiny props, and lack of a clear canopy really hurt the appearance of the model to me. I’m a Flight Test Engineer for Bell, so I’m a bit of a stickler for getting it done right. Looks like it flies quite nicely though!

[Hoomi]

The model in RealFlight looks like it's fairly scale.

[F106DeltaDart]

I think the advantage of Boeing's concept there, is that it doesn't have the quirks of the tilt-rotor. I've flown the V-22 Osprey in Realflight, and that tilt-rotor can be tricky. Transitioning from vertical to horizontal isn't bad, but from horizontal to vertical takes some finesse.

If a model combining the lift props of a quadcopter, with the wings and controls of an airplane, used control firmware similar to that in DJI's drones, it would be quite stable for take-off, landing, and hover, and should be easy to control for transition between vertical and horizontal flight modes.

I suspect that's why Boeing is going with the concept they're pursuing. Particularly if they're looking to market to civilian buyers, they're going to want something that is as simple to fly as possible, and as the safety records have shown, the tilt-rotors don't tend to have the best reputations, especially in their early service years. As the experience and training improve (and the bugs have been worked out of the designs), the safety has improved, but for the civilian market, a bad reputation early on can be devastating.

Granted, there are so many aircraft out there that would be cool to have in model form, that I'm sure it's tough to choose which to move forward with, and which to pass over. Trying to guess which will have a wide-enough market appeal, I'm sure, is also a gamble.

I just think the Boeing concept is interesting, and would be fun to play with in model form.

I see what you aretalking about there for sure. The transition and control would be pretty straight forward with the Boeing layout. I’m just not too keen on carrying 4 extra motors and exposed props only useful for hover. And I would bet that a safe and easy transition could be done with a lot of the older multi engine VTOLs that to me, just look cooler. The X-22, X-19, and XC-142 would all be fairly straightforward candidates for electric power, and were known to have good flight characteristics. If fact, the X-22 was known for being able to achieve near instantaneous transitions to forward flight. The biggest issue with the real aircraft was the complexities of the drive shafts and gearboxes. The X-19 and X-22 would pretty much fly like a quadcopter in a hover, so the controller programming would be relatively simple. As for the safety records for tilt rotors, the V-22 has done pretty well since the initial development, with an accident rate considerably lower than most conventional helicopters. Unfortunately, V-22 accidents seem to get more media attention than other types, and the blame gets placed on the machine vs the usual factors (mx or pilot error). As for what would sell, I think Alpha would be the only one who could provide the educated insight. If it was me, an X-22 would be something totally different, cool looking, and fairly easy to fly.

[xviper]

Very nice XViper! I’ve thought about the Banana version before, but I think I’m going to go with the Rotormast bird sometime down the line. The cheater fan, tiny props, and lack of a clear canopy really hurt the appearance of the model to me. I’m a Flight Test Engineer for Bell, so I’m a bit of a stickler for getting it done right. Looks like it flies quite nicely though!

The model does have some idiosyncrasies that must be learned and overcome. The flight controller used is nearly identical to the Eflite Convergence except for a lower quality software. Certain maneuvers must be avoided as the controller can easily have a "brain fart". Although the Convergence programming is a bit better, it too, has some oddities that must be understood and avoided. Most who fly these things (both the V-22 and the Connie) tend to have a mishap if the altitude if not sufficiently high to correct. I love these things and have since purchased a white V-22 in the US Coast Guard livery.

[F106DeltaDart]

The model in RealFlight looks like it's fairly scale.

Yes, I believe that model is based on the Rotormast RC version. The handling is a bit quirky at certain points, and definitely requires some experience with collective pitch helis. Flown it, and the Phoenix RC AW-609 countless times on the sim. Hoping to finally pull the trigger on the Rotormast bird either later this year or next!

[andrew_flyguy]

Having spent a decent amount with the new 850mm Flightline Mustang, I've got to say... It'd be AWESOME if there were an HE-111 or HA-1112 Buchon on the way in the same series... or any other series:Cool:

[Valkpilot]

Unless it was a podcast, Alpha seems quiet, too quiet.

[Aros]

Unless it was a podcast, Alpha seems busy, too busy.

FIFY. ;):P

[xviper]

Unless it was a podcast, Alpha seems quiet, too quiet.

He lives in Hong Kong. Chinese New Year started Feb. 5 this year and festivities have been known to last over 3 weeks. Even white guys in Hong Kong don't go against such customs and actually do work.