StormRunner after 4 years
My oldest homemade R/C aircraft – the 20″ StormRunner from 2009.
After sitting for about 2 years, how would it fly now ?
Original build log with pics: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=235502&archive=200909
Built to study Horten ‘bell shaped lift’ and modelled as a 21st century version of the Horten IX, the StormRunner project was intended to lead to tornado data acquisition.
The underwinglets continue over to the top of the wing preventing tip stall, which nearly all flying wings can suffer from (lack of such a stall out can seen at 1min in the video).
This plane can basically fly on its side, without a tumble to the ground.
Such a trait has enabled it to fly in 20mph winds.
A full sized version, with various data gathering and internet live video streaming pods as the slide on underwinglets was the intention. That was to be twin ducted fan powered, 2.4GHz, with ‘return to base’ technology and 3 axis gyro’s.
One of the top sections is missing on the intro of the vid and had to be repaired.
The motors needed a drop of oil on the shafts to loosen the Oklahoma humidity rust.
Front flaps were added in late 2009, to bring down the flight speed for stall tests..and it’s stayed like that.
It was built from the parts of an Air-Hogs mini Storm Launcher.
Everything is the same, except the battery was down on power when tried and so has been replaced.
27MHz
2 channels
Twin motors on the CG, for power and differential thrust direction control
Lipo – 300mAh
Weight, exactly 2oz (55g)
Flight time, 6 or 7 minutes, longer if strolling around in circles on half power 🙂
