Bird of Time ARF

[Ross M]

Well it's taken six weeks from my last post, but I've flown it, not ideal conditions, a cold day with no lift, and no wind, so I flew it like another electric model, using power as required. It's a real floater on landing, and I'll look at further modifying it with spoilers in the future. Right now, I have 6 weeks to finish packing up house and making my big, and probably last, move, so flying has taken a back seat for now.

I haven't flown the standard, non EP, BoT, so I can't compare, but I think I'll like this model more for its classic form and appearance than its flying qualities, but I have no regrets doing the modification, and its a real attention magnet with quite a few motorists stopping for a look as they drove by. Its 3 metre span certainly has a presence in the air, and flying it parallel to a road, and about 50 meters distant, at low/ish level, really draws people's attention.

No pics/video, unfortunately, because I was alone, but hopefully I'll be able to post some in the future.

Dynaflite could do well to stretch the fuselage for their EP model making it unnecessary to load it up with a massive battery to balance??

[Grantham Kid]

Funny you should say that. I have a Naza with GPS here and can't figure it out. Like you say, I probably don't want to, so it can sit there until someone shows some interest in it. They (Naza) can't do as much as the Pixhawks so my interest in it has died.
I looked at the ArkBird once.... once... :)

[xviper]

I’m only a couple years your junior so give yourself a lot of credit. In truth, my problem is I’m lazy and tired of firing up too many brain cells to figure out certain things. I like electronic stuff but I have a very narrow focus. Like having figured out how the Biggie works, I’m too lazy to figure out how another similar product works. Eg. I just couldn’t get the T. Arkbird to work. Maybe I just didn’t understand it or I didn’t care enough to understand it since the Biggie worked so well already.
I had the BoT working really well with the Biggie. Trying to make it work with the TAB and nearly crashing it, I dumped it and put the Biggie back in, not really wanting to go another route again.

[Grantham Kid]

Too old?? Na never I am 70 in a couple of months and I am lapping this technology stuff up like hot milk. :)

[xviper]

Thanks, GK. I checked them out with your links. Add it all up and the Biggie is still better value and as you say, it's also smaller. I think I'll stick with what I know. I'm too old to figure out a new gadget. The Tiny ArkBird proved that. It may have saved me a few bucks over the Biggie but now that it just sits on the bench, having tried it in 3 different planes and failing, it cost a whole lot more. A friend bought 3 of them and he hasn't been able to use a single one of them.

[Grantham Kid]

Go to Hobby King and type in PX4Pilot. You also need a GPS. Hobby Kings one works well but is a bit big. I get mine from Banggood. Link shortly....

GPS. https://www.banggood.com/Ublox-NEO-M...r_warehouse=CN
Pixy. https://hobbyking.com/en_us/px4pilot...ontroller.html

If you are going to use it with servos you need a power supply for the Pixy like this however they are only about $7 at Banggood for the same thing. https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hkpilot-...onnectors.html
I use a BEC to power the Pixy in Quads

Like I said, the Hobby King GPS is a little large at 64 mm but it does work well. https://hobbyking.com/en_us/ublox-ne...h-compass.html

[xviper]

Granthan Kid, is it possible for you to put up a link for the PixHawk? I googled it and it came up with some that were outrageously priced. The only one that was cheaper than the Biggie was one for an FPV multicopter.

[xviper]

Yes, I remember your name. I wondered....
My problem is I have a Blog there and a few buddies that join in. :) But yes, there are those that want to better you all the time. Whilst I love the Biggy, I have been buying Pixhawks lately that do everything and are actually cheaper. They are much larger of course.

I talked my old flying buddy into fitting a Biggy on his FX-79 Wing. It has saved his hide several times already because he loses orientation easily. Flick a switch and it levels out and comes home safe.

I am open to checking out new (to me) products. I'll take a look at Pix. Thanks for the hint.

PS. I'm not against most people being on RCG for there own reasons, just the few that tend to be "weird". With any population of people in a group, there will always be a number of deviants. The larger the group, the more deviants there will be. Of all the internet forums I view, RCG has the largest number of "flagged" (IGNORE list) individuals. They would make for a field day for any psycho-analyst.

[Grantham Kid]

Yes, I remember your name. I wondered....
My problem is I have a Blog there and a few buddies that join in. :) But yes, there are those that want to better you all the time. Whilst I love the Biggy, I have been buying Pixhawks lately that do everything and are actually cheaper. They are much larger of course.

I talked my old flying buddy into fitting a Biggy on his FX-79 Wing. It has saved his hide several times already because he loses orientation easily. Flick a switch and it levels out and comes home safe.

[rifleman_btx]

I agree, I haven't looked over on rcg in well over a year, and I do not miss it one bit

[xviper]

I'm also a fan of the Bigaole BG6 AP I have 2 of them fitted to my gliders and they have saved them on numerous occasions with the RTH. They also work well in stability mode when thermalling but xcel in launch mode with straight climbs and no unwanted loops.

Hey, nice of you to join us here. Glad you found this site. Having tried other alternatives (namely the Tiny Arkbird), I will only ever buy the Bigaole. It works great in planes but I don't fly them nearly as far as I do sailplanes. It is in this arena that the Biggie is (IMO) a much needed component.
I stopped posting over at the RC Groups threads, mostly monitor a couple for interest. I got sick of the nutballs challenging my advice and demanding that I justify it or prove it. They can take it or leave it. I don't care. I only give advice here where people don't take offense and pick it apart. They are happy to hear of another opinion and appreciate the desire for someone to help them.

[Grantham Kid]

I have never called this a "great" sailplane but I must admit that with the addition of the Bigaole stabilizer and Return to Home module, this has become a very good sailplane. I now fly 3 different kinds of sailplanes - in order of best to less best - Mystique RES, Radian XL and Electric Bird of Time. All have some sort of stab/RTH module on board. All have telemetry. The only thing the BoT lacks that the others have, are airbrakes/spoilers for slowing down the landing and for coming down out of heavy thermals. I may add those at a later time but for now, I've figured out how to land it fairly well.
(To be honest, I also have an EPP Eagle and the Excalibur warm liner, which their manufacturers call "sailplanes". I however, consider them to be quite poor sailplanes.)

I'm also a fan of the Bigaole BG6 AP I have 2 of them fitted to my gliders and they have saved them on numerous occasions with the RTH. They also work well in stability mode when thermalling but xcel in launch mode with straight climbs and no unwanted loops.

[Aros]

I love the look of that Mystique RES! I wish they had that (in those colors) in an electric version. My high start days are long behind me. I earned those stripes. LOL

[xviper]

I have never called this a "great" sailplane but I must admit that with the addition of the Bigaole stabilizer and Return to Home module, this has become a very good sailplane. I now fly 3 different kinds of sailplanes - in order of best to less best - Mystique RES, Radian XL and Electric Bird of Time. All have some sort of stab/RTH module on board. All have telemetry. The only thing the BoT lacks that the others have, are airbrakes/spoilers for slowing down the landing and for coming down out of heavy thermals. I may add those at a later time but for now, I've figured out how to land it fairly well.
(To be honest, I also have an EPP Eagle and the Excalibur warm liner, which their manufacturers call "sailplanes". I however, consider them to be quite poor sailplanes.)

[Aros]

Damn shame. I was so looking forward to getting the electric version but not if I have to do all these mods just to get it to fly decent. They screwed this EP up big time.

[brk6188]

I see that the GP electric version kit is still being touted as a great electric sailplane/glider. No doubt there will be more dissatisfied builders who believe the sales hype having not read the real world comments. Have not taken mine out to the field in three months as throwing that lead sled into the air is not conducive to my "flying enjoyment". I really believe that this version has given the BoT a bad rap.

[xviper]

Yeah, I hate that huge battery in there. I fly my other big sailplanes on 2200 equivalent size 3s. I would have gone to a 4000mah, 4s had it fit. My last BoT flew on that and needed no extra weight, but somehow, this one won't fit a battery that big.

[Ross M]

Thanks guys. It was a typo xviper.....should have been 95, amd I wasn't too concerned about the
.3 mm.

I agree about the huge battery in a sailplane, not necessary, and if it's required to balance, the design is flawed. I think I figured, using ecalc, that with a 2200 mAh battery, I should have enough power for 10 climbs to 600+ feet, so somewhat less with the 1300 mAh, but the battery is to replace a winch or histart, not fly on all day.

The project has changed direction several times to overcome problems, and it's finished weeks later than I thought it would be, but that's model building.

Overall, it's been very satisfying. I'll post again when I've flown it.

[brk6188]

I think it (the GP version) would have been fine electrified if they had put some thought into it and realized that NO electric sailplane needs a power setup needing 3300 size packs, either for power or balance. An electrified "sailplane" needs just enough to get to altitude a couple of times, they should never be considered as aerobatic Hotliners ! More power to those who took the original sailplane version and did their own conversion, may you find an endless supply of booming thermals.

Ross M, nice work and good weight there, mine is at 5lb with the required "battery ballast". Heck even my gravity hunting version might fly better at 20% less weight ! Enjoy.

[xviper]

Well, it's ready to fly, but the weather forecast doesnt' look as though I'll be doing so for at least a week, heavy rain and high winds forecast. Balance was right on the button,
9.5 mm from the leading edge, with the battery and ESC placed centrally in the cockpit. The time spent on this project has been well worth it, and a larger battery wasn't required to get the CoG right.

I'm using a 3S 1300mAh LiPo, and the weight comes in at a touch under 1.9 kgs, 4.1 lbs, as close as can be deetermined on bathroom scales, and I'm happy with that.

9.5 mm? Typo? I just looked at my manual and it says 95.3mm. Mine is finished (for now) except for the spoilers. I want to see how it flies first. In stock form, with no servo in the tail, using a 3000mah, 3s, Graphene battery, it still needed many oz. of lead stuck to the nose just to balance. I've wrapped the nose with white electrical tape to camouflage the lead. There's no way of shoving that much lead inside and get that big battery to fit. Besides, anything further back than the very tip, would require even more weight.
Yours is the best solution (lengthening the front section) to make the lever longer on that end. Mine is the lazy man's way and I think if it flies OK, I may try the Radian XL fuselage option one day. I just wish the fellow who did this would have answered my question about how it flies compared to the stock XL. The absence of an answer tells me there may be something not good about that option. I also never liked that rubber band method of holding the wing on - looks like a toy and very primitive.
This was and still is a classic shape but it was a poor design for electrifying.