⚠ SNAP! Drop Tank Detaches in Mid Flight, GETS STUCK!! ✈️ F-16 RC Jet
39Oh, snap! Model aircraft breaking down in the midst of a flight is something no pilot ever wants to happen, and very often can lead to a crash... here, one of the mock drop tanks of my FMS 80mm EDF F-16 Fighting Falcon RC jet completely detached from the wing and got stuck between one of the underslung missiles and the wing, causing an emergency and wreaking havoc with the aircraft stability and controls, rendering control of the aircraft very difficult.
Thankfully, I managed to keep a cold head and gain some altitude so I could figure out a solution while I struggled with the jet. In this situation, the jet randomly wanted to pitch up and roll violently, all the time while drifting in yaw. It was very hard to keep steady, even with the gyro turned on. That said, the fact that I use active tailerons and having the gyro assisting helped a lot in keeping the model under a reasonable degree of control.
I tried rocking the wings several times to see if the drop tank would release but didn't succeed at it. Still, after some fighting and cold sweat, one of my inputs actually managed to dislodge the drop tank, which caused it to 'fly' to another part of the plane, and get stuck again, now with the extended landing gear. This time though, the tank remained pretty much aligned with the airflow, allowing the jet recover a good degree of controllability, so without further thought I immediately dived for the runway and managed to save the day. Funny enough, right when the plane touches down, you can see the effect of the wheel starting to turn catapulting the drop tank forward, then away from the jet.
In summary, be careful to make sure all your ordnance is properly secured!
I managed to save the day thanks to skill and no small amounts of luck, but it could have ended very differently... if you notice wiggly rails, just remove them until you get a chance to fix them properly! Preflight checks MATTER!! ;)
After that, I made several fantastic flights without further issues (with the aforementioned drop tanks removed, obviously). I also took the chance to experiment with the center tank, which makes the jet look pretty badass in the air! :D
Hope you enjoy the vid!
These were flights 6th to 8th on 'Skye'.
Pilot: RC4ever
Ground video: Luis Ibáñez
Airfield: Club Els Cards
F-16 SPECS:
Wingspan: 1000mm
Length: 1450mm
Flying Weight: 3500g aprox
Ducted Fan: 80mm, 12 blade
Motor: Brushless inrunner 3665 - KV2000
ESC: Predator 100A
UBEC: Turnigy 8-15A
Servos: (Replaced the stab servos and left everything else stock)
- 2x 13g VOTIK 9495 MG-D
- 7x 9g Stock digital metal gear
Receiver: Jeti REX6A Assist + FrSky 4ch SBUS Decoder
Current sensor: Jeti MUI200
Main battery: SMC HCL-HVP 6S 4400mAh
Receiver battery: Rhino 2S 610mAh
Chapters:
00:00 - Slow Motion snippets detailing the Drop Tank incident
02:52 - 7th flight raw, with missiles, no drop tanks
07:40 - 8th flight raw, with missiles, center tank
12:18 - 6th flight raw, Drop Tank incident
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