@Stickman Wow, that's crazy! Yeah, getting the brakes to release while the engine is running is pretty sketchy for obvious reasons! Fortunately, it was a grass strip, and that helps. It sounds like he's had the issue before. Either that, or you got lucky! Last thing anybody would want is to watch his plane take off without him, and especially with a passenger trapped inside and helpless!
There's a famous video with a Cessna that someone prop started, and it's trying to take off and the pilot's holding onto the strut as the plane spins in a circle. The poor passenger had no idea what to do!
@silentflight Ah, I see. Well, I typically build the plane with small fuselage panels and they're often hollow inside. The hardest part is finding out how to make the pieces get the proper shapes!
@SMHrubix Yeah, man! For me, once aviation went fly-by-wire, it all went downhill. Modern planes are fantastic, but they just don't have the soul that the old birds did, you know? I love those kinds of planes that, when you fasten the straps, you aren't strapping yourself to the plane- you're strapping the plane to yourself!
@Crdguy The Blasto VTOL engine doesn't do anything but allow the RCN's to work, although it can affect the helicopter's tilt just because it's heavy. The only things to worry about when adding the Blasto VTOL are just if putting it on will make the helicopter too heavy to fly or if it throws the CoM off. The RCN's are what actually cause the helicopter to tilt, and placing them does affect how the helicopter handles. The further an RCN is away from the CoM, the greater torque it has. Basically, just put the Blasto VTOL on your design, put some nozzles on it for pitch, roll, and yaw, and balance the whole thing afterward so your CoM is right under your CoT.
@PlanesOfOld Yeah, definitely! So overshadowed by WWII. So many think that these old birds were just flimsy pieces of wood and cloth that just fell apart when someone sneezed on them, and they laugh if I tell them about the altitudes where they cruised and even how the Red Baron's dogma was to avoid wasting ammo on the airframe. Wood and fabric aircraft have some kind of stigma... But, I guess that makes them more of a treasure for those who appreciate them!
@TheBigEgg Sure! Just remember that it's a fictional aircraft- especially with a foster-mounted machine gun and a six cylinder inline engine! You can modify it if you need to.
@Crdguy Well, I see a few issues. One of them is that for the VTOL RCN's to work correctly, there has to be a Blasto VTOL unit on the machine. Another is that having the hinge rotators on the engines has never worked right (for me at least); it just makes the helicopters unexpectedly roll or pitch too much to be recoverable, from my experience. The last is that there is no way to control this little helicopter from the mini aircraft collection. I would imagine that you have a cockpit attached directly to the helicopters you designed. Pulling the little helicopter off of the collection and finding a place to put a cockpit changes the dynamics and I am not sure I would be correcting the problems you had or just making new ones.
Based on what I do see with the model, though, I would recommend making one that has a Blasto VTOL unit, no hinge rotators, and a permanently attached cockpit.
I actually made a YouTube video a while back in which I make a helicopter. It might cover some of the issues you have experienced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSnEB3-GU5s
And here is the helicopter from the video, with some small changes.
@Crdguy I kind of need to know exactly how it's being uncontrollable. There are a lot of ways it can be having issues... If you uploaded the model (unlisted works fine), then give me a link, I can take a look and see what's happening, perhaps.
@Crdguy That's good. I always like seeing what people can do with only what's provided!
But, what are your designs doing? Are they just spinning out of control? Pitching/yawing/rolling way too much unexpectedly? Based on your post, is your CoT really right at your CoM? If so, move it up a little bit so the mass is basically hanging from the CoT.
Helicopters are usually tricky to fly, so even if everything is good, that could just be as good as it gets.
@MemeKingIndustriesAndMegaCorporation Oh, okay! I was just curious if my fix worked. I'm happy I could help!
Yeah, kind of typical for a physics simulator, right? I thought at first that the rotating pieces in the engine nacelles were causing the issue, then the narrow wings at the leading edge of the actual wings, but it was all due to some tiny piece of decoration that shouldn't have been any issue at all.
@cowelly Oh, ground school, huh? It's definitely nice to be able to bring new people into aviation. I'm a private pilot myself, working (slowly) toward my instrument rating.
@cowelly Yeah, I think this is a fantastic simulator. Sometimes, the physics are a little weird, but just being able to build your own aircraft and fly them is amazing enough!
@CaesiciusPlanes I'm going to do a massive exploration flight soon and I'm going to discover all of the islands, but I'd like to do that on my own. Once I find all the islands, I'll try that.
@jamesPLANESii Are you talking about the one called "Scout Ultralight - Wheels"? It flies well! When doing stalls, it does get a little weird. Is that what you're talking about?
Well, it can be a little difficult to use, but my Propeller Pitch Pro excelled at all of the challenges other than the speed challenge. The trick is that when the engine is up to speed, the propeller acts like a flywheel and if you suddenly change the propeller pitch (VTOL control), the plane can accelerate at something like 10G for a moment.
So, to take off from the carrier, throttle up all the way, then once the engine overspeed warning appears, throw VTOL all the way forward. To land in a short distance, put the propeller pitch neutral (VTOL in the middle), throttle up to about 10%, and just gently bump the VTOL forward or back to speed up or slow down. When you're ready to plant it on terra firma, put the VTOL in the middle, throttle up all the way, and right about when you touch down, throw VTOL all the way back and throttle down.
If you leave the engine running at too high throttle and without enough propeller pitch, though, the engine will explode...
If you'd like to try it, here's a link: https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/7o0Z60/Propeller-Pitch-Pro
I've got a Youtube video of it in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcNUriZA9I
@Stickman Wow, that's crazy! Yeah, getting the brakes to release while the engine is running is pretty sketchy for obvious reasons! Fortunately, it was a grass strip, and that helps. It sounds like he's had the issue before. Either that, or you got lucky! Last thing anybody would want is to watch his plane take off without him, and especially with a passenger trapped inside and helpless!
There's a famous video with a Cessna that someone prop started, and it's trying to take off and the pilot's holding onto the strut as the plane spins in a circle. The poor passenger had no idea what to do!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeTM-paAXCo
Your passage reminded me of that.
@silentflight Ah, I see. Well, I typically build the plane with small fuselage panels and they're often hollow inside. The hardest part is finding out how to make the pieces get the proper shapes!
@silentflight Thank you!
@RedstoneAeroAviation Yeah, cabin fires are bad news! Any fire on a plane is bad news!
Well, what does "good looking" mean to you? Realistic? Futuristic? Sleek?
My way of building aircraft is pretty slow and is kind of like a puzzle, but I might be able to help.
As bad as in-flight failures are, they certainly bring out the best in a pilot. Good job!
@EternalDarkness Thanks!
@NativeChief1492 Awesome! Thank you, and thanks to the person that spotlighted this!
@Fishbowl1121 I tested it before building this plane, but maybe something else blew up the plane. I'll look into it!
@MrSilverWolf Thank you! :)
@Temmie Thank you so much!
A three-engined variant? Definitely an interesting idea!
@legiondesigns Hehe, thanks!
@legiondesigns Yeah, I did not expect it to work as well as it did!
A ghost in the mist...
This is the kind of thing that happens in...
The Twilight Zone...
(Insert Twilight Zone theme here.)
@SMHrubix Yeah, man! For me, once aviation went fly-by-wire, it all went downhill. Modern planes are fantastic, but they just don't have the soul that the old birds did, you know? I love those kinds of planes that, when you fasten the straps, you aren't strapping yourself to the plane- you're strapping the plane to yourself!
@Crdguy The Blasto VTOL engine doesn't do anything but allow the RCN's to work, although it can affect the helicopter's tilt just because it's heavy. The only things to worry about when adding the Blasto VTOL are just if putting it on will make the helicopter too heavy to fly or if it throws the CoM off. The RCN's are what actually cause the helicopter to tilt, and placing them does affect how the helicopter handles. The further an RCN is away from the CoM, the greater torque it has. Basically, just put the Blasto VTOL on your design, put some nozzles on it for pitch, roll, and yaw, and balance the whole thing afterward so your CoM is right under your CoT.
@PlanesOfOld Yeah, definitely! So overshadowed by WWII. So many think that these old birds were just flimsy pieces of wood and cloth that just fell apart when someone sneezed on them, and they laugh if I tell them about the altitudes where they cruised and even how the Red Baron's dogma was to avoid wasting ammo on the airframe. Wood and fabric aircraft have some kind of stigma... But, I guess that makes them more of a treasure for those who appreciate them!
@A3 Thanks!
@PlanesOfOld I think we will! It's always nice to meet enthusiasts for the older aircraft!
@ChiChiWerx Thanks. That's a pretty remarkable video. I'll bet it's strangely peaceful up there.
@ChiChiWerx Thanks! I had a ton of fun designing it, for sure!
I like your avatar. That's the guy flying the U2 spy plane, isn't it?
@EternalDarkness Thanks a ton! That's exactly the plan- ever-increasing detail and quality!
@TheBigEgg Done.
@dragunove29 Take care!
@dragunove29 No problem!
@TheBigEgg No problem! Good luck with your project- the Somme was an incredible battle!
@dragunove29 Thank you, and welcome to SimplePlanes!
@TheBigEgg Sure! Just remember that it's a fictional aircraft- especially with a foster-mounted machine gun and a six cylinder inline engine! You can modify it if you need to.
@Crdguy Well, I see a few issues. One of them is that for the VTOL RCN's to work correctly, there has to be a Blasto VTOL unit on the machine. Another is that having the hinge rotators on the engines has never worked right (for me at least); it just makes the helicopters unexpectedly roll or pitch too much to be recoverable, from my experience. The last is that there is no way to control this little helicopter from the mini aircraft collection. I would imagine that you have a cockpit attached directly to the helicopters you designed. Pulling the little helicopter off of the collection and finding a place to put a cockpit changes the dynamics and I am not sure I would be correcting the problems you had or just making new ones.
Based on what I do see with the model, though, I would recommend making one that has a Blasto VTOL unit, no hinge rotators, and a permanently attached cockpit.
I actually made a YouTube video a while back in which I make a helicopter. It might cover some of the issues you have experienced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSnEB3-GU5s
And here is the helicopter from the video, with some small changes.
https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/3ouGJY/Cheap-Helicopter
@Treadmill103 Exactly what I was hoping it would be. Thanks! :)
@DahezDefalt Hit the brakes! Use the boost to get through! etc. etc. :)
Thanks!
@SMHrubix Thank you! I spent a lot of time getting this plane to feel just right, and I think I did a pretty good job of it!
@CODENAMEBOB I'm glad you like it! Please have fun with it and enjoy it all you want! :)
@Crdguy I kind of need to know exactly how it's being uncontrollable. There are a lot of ways it can be having issues... If you uploaded the model (unlisted works fine), then give me a link, I can take a look and see what's happening, perhaps.
@Crdguy That's good. I always like seeing what people can do with only what's provided!
But, what are your designs doing? Are they just spinning out of control? Pitching/yawing/rolling way too much unexpectedly? Based on your post, is your CoT really right at your CoM? If so, move it up a little bit so the mass is basically hanging from the CoT.
Helicopters are usually tricky to fly, so even if everything is good, that could just be as good as it gets.
Happy I could help!
@cowelly Thanks a ton! :)
@cowelly Thanks! Yeah, it's quite a bit of work- including a lot of very dry material, but afterward it'll be a huge help.
@MemeKingIndustriesAndMegaCorporation Oh, okay! I was just curious if my fix worked. I'm happy I could help!
Yeah, kind of typical for a physics simulator, right? I thought at first that the rotating pieces in the engine nacelles were causing the issue, then the narrow wings at the leading edge of the actual wings, but it was all due to some tiny piece of decoration that shouldn't have been any issue at all.
@cowelly Oh, ground school, huh? It's definitely nice to be able to bring new people into aviation. I'm a private pilot myself, working (slowly) toward my instrument rating.
@MemeKingIndustriesAndMegaCorporation I was trying to see your reply on the aircraft, but did the aircraft get removed?
@cowelly Yeah, I think this is a fantastic simulator. Sometimes, the physics are a little weird, but just being able to build your own aircraft and fly them is amazing enough!
@CaesiciusPlanes I'm going to do a massive exploration flight soon and I'm going to discover all of the islands, but I'd like to do that on my own. Once I find all the islands, I'll try that.
@Flightsonic Very impressive!
@CaesiciusPlanes Already done! It's toward the end of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSnEB3-GU5s
@AstleyIndustries I've done that before, but it's always fun to do it again.
@FireNut58 No problem. Let me know if it works out for you!
@jamesPLANESii No problem!
@Flightsonic Hmm... Now that is quite an idea. I'll have to look into that!
@Flightsonic Definitely an unusual idea. I like it!
Very fun little aircraft! It gives a great feeling of flight. Small, light, and nimble- a great combination!
@jamesPLANESii Are you talking about the one called "Scout Ultralight - Wheels"? It flies well! When doing stalls, it does get a little weird. Is that what you're talking about?
@jamesPLANESii Sounds pretty unconventional... I like it!
Well, it can be a little difficult to use, but my Propeller Pitch Pro excelled at all of the challenges other than the speed challenge. The trick is that when the engine is up to speed, the propeller acts like a flywheel and if you suddenly change the propeller pitch (VTOL control), the plane can accelerate at something like 10G for a moment.
So, to take off from the carrier, throttle up all the way, then once the engine overspeed warning appears, throw VTOL all the way forward. To land in a short distance, put the propeller pitch neutral (VTOL in the middle), throttle up to about 10%, and just gently bump the VTOL forward or back to speed up or slow down. When you're ready to plant it on terra firma, put the VTOL in the middle, throttle up all the way, and right about when you touch down, throw VTOL all the way back and throttle down.
If you leave the engine running at too high throttle and without enough propeller pitch, though, the engine will explode...
If you'd like to try it, here's a link: https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/7o0Z60/Propeller-Pitch-Pro
I've got a Youtube video of it in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcNUriZA9I
I can help, if you're still looking for test pilots!