π±π±π± MY FIRST TURBINE FLAMEOUT!! (...On a Friend's Plane) βοΈ F-22 +X45
54Oh, well damn. It happened... what are the odds??
I got a turbine flameout while doing my 'kerosene-baptism' on Norway, courtesy of my friend Jan who was kind and brave enough to let me fly his model (Freewing F-22). It all went smooth as silk right to the point where the engine stopped just after taking-off on the 4th flight of the day. π±π±π±
Jan had instructed me not to deploy landing gear or flaps and immediately attempt a belly landing on the soft-artificial-grass runway in case of a flameout. But my instinctive reaction was to deploy gear, after which, cold blood kicked in and I retracted it again. But the thing is I was low-speed, low altitude when the flameout occurred, right at the runway header and flying with tailwind so I had to come around for landing which is a really tricky maneuver and I was lacking energy so I ended up high-alpha ditching the plane on the field right behind us. Thankfully, I have quite some experience with this maneuver and I was able to perform it with virtually no damage to the airframe. only a few belly scratches and one of the horns on the gear doors broke (easy fix though). The problem is that the impact raised a small dust cloud, and although I had killed the engine way before impact, it was definitely still running at low rpms to cool down, so some of that dust may have been inhaled. It probably wouldn't have produced any serious damage at those rpms, but we deemed it wasn't a great idea to power up the engine again, so instead, Jan decided it was high time to send it back to Xicoy for an overhaul and maintenance session (it already was at 25h of use more or less). Furthermore, further research and testing by Jan revealed the fuel pump wasn't operating correctly, so that was the most likely cause for a flameout rather than an air bubble. All in all, it all ended up in just a big scare and Jan hasn't yet revocated our friendship, so I'll take it! (ROFLMAO).
Could I have made it back to the runway? I mean, it's possible but very difficult, what do you think? Maybe if I had aimed for half runway touchdown instead of header approach I would have retained enough energy. Something to think about! ( :
Again, this is Jan's Freewing F-22 Raptor, modded to accept a Xicoy X45 gas turbine as a powerplant... what a beast! Unlimited vertical performance and 6-8 min of flight time on 0.7L of kero.
These were my actual 2nd and 4th flights on Jan's Raptor, so I had had some time to start getting used to the handling of the gas turbine and was starting to get some proper fun, hehehe!
The Freewing F-22 Raptor becomes an ABSOLUTE BEAST when modded to be paired with a Xicoy X45 rc gas turbine as compared to the stock (and non-stock) EDF setups. The excess power is just perfect for this plane's size and weight and flight time improve SUBSTANTIALLY, all while keeping fuel consumption pretty low (A fuel tank is about 70mL and you can easily fly 6-8+ minutes depending on your throttle management). Servo replacement and addition of a good gyro is recommended and highly encouraged for such a conversion. ;)
As the plane was setup different than mine (nose heavier, less throws, different gyro being used), the radio system was a tray-style Jeti (different as well from what I commonly use), the day was windy and this isn't even my usual field (so I'm unfamiliar) I made a rather conservative flight nonetheless to be on the safety side (Well, many may not regard my flight as conservative lol, but I was indeed holding back, hahaha... you know, fly under your possibilities when you don't want to mess up! ^^)... not to mention I didn't want to damage my friend's model, so the flight is a bit more 'dull' than what I usually do, but that's just as it's supposed to be. :)
Despite all I think the flights came out pretty good and managed to put out a decent job despite the circumstances! :D
Keep tuned because there's another Raptor video coming and that time I had to deal with a flameout event... YIKESSS! :O
Thanks again @Jan for this amazing opportunity! :DDD
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https://airguardian.creator-spring.com
Pilot: RC4ever
Ground video: Luis IbÑñez
Airfield: Kongsberg Modellflyklubb
SPECS (Reflecting Jan's setup):
Airframe: Freewing F-22
Engine: Xicoy X45
Electronic retractable landing gear (stock)
Servos 10x (?) (Replaced, Promodeler on the stabs)
Radio system: Jeti
Gyro: Bavarian Demon Cortex Pro
Model Scale: 1/13th
Wingspan: 1060mm
Length: 1500mm
Material: EPO
Chapters:
0:00 - My second flight with Jan's F-22 w/X45
7:59 - 4th flight and FLAMEOUT!!! :o
9:35 - ACTUAL FLAMEOUT
9:56 - Emergency landing in SLOW MOTION
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