Night Flying

Sahevaan · November 07, 2011, 08:13:22 PM

Thanks in advance ,
Sahevaan

Sahevaan · November 07, 2011, 08:14:32 PM

PS - the grafiti on the wing was done by a friend of mine . It turned out to look really nice !

SunLikeStar · November 08, 2011, 10:02:17 AM

I tried doing this with my easystar but it was too fast for me to fly at night, the extra weight of the lights added to its speed. If this is the first time you are going night flying, i suggest you start flying with the lights at dusk. A little sunlight will help you to get used to the orientation. No idea on amp draw and flight time.

gauravag · November 08, 2011, 11:14:34 AM

Sahevaan,
Few things:
1. Night fliying is fun. But dont take it too casually. You may loose your plane
2. Dont worry about looks first. Remove the rope ( in my opinion )
3. Get your lights as bright as possible Definately use 3Cell Lipo
4. Lights on top of the wing will be useless.
5. I would suggest you put a LED strip underneath the winds ( at the spar location ) on both wings - in a different color. and then strips on the elevators you have already done.
6. The strip you have at the belly will get damaged upon landing and possibly will short circuit. Remove it.
7. Use a seperate cell for your lights
8. Current draw, i think is mentioned on the HK lights. I think it is around 500mah for the 1 meter strip ( i may be wrong though )
9. Adding the lights may change flight characteristics. They add drag and weight. Fly ith everything installed during the day. Make sure your plane handles well. Then try it at dusk and then finally night.
10. When night flying, either fly at complete darkness or when there is enough light. A "new-moon" night is best. Worst time is when there is very little light.
11. Be wary of obstacles around the field. When flying at night you will NOT see trees. Very easy to focus on your lighted plane and fly it into a tree or a building.
12. Have a friend besides you to help you with orientation. Things can get bad pretty quickly at night, once you loose orientation
13. Enjoy !! You will have a lot of fun.

Sahevaan · November 08, 2011, 05:48:48 PM

Hi Gaurav , Thanks for the suggestions !
I will not be flying alone and someone with a lot of experience with nightflying will be with me so I that way i am sure i wont lose my plane incase i do lose oreintation .
The lights on top of the wing do help since when banking , the lights wont be visable and there is a risk of losing sight.
As far as the battery is concerned , I will be using a 2s for the lights , which is a separate pack .
There are lights at the bottom of the plane too , i will just add the tags .
The lights at the belly are protected by clear tape so they are safe , i suppose ?
They are just too bright on a 3s battery , blinding !
@sun like star - Thanks for the suggestions , will be careful

gauravag · November 09, 2011, 03:55:10 PM

Quote from: Sahevaan on November 08, 2011, 05:48:48 PM
The lights on top of the wing do help since when banking , the lights wont be visable and there is a risk of losing sight.

Do a couple of flghts and you will realize that the lights at the top are of no use. If at you all you want to put the lights on the top then just add to the top of wing tips.

Quote from: Sahevaan on November 08, 2011, 05:48:48 PM
The lights at the belly are protected by clear tape so they are safe , i suppose ?

I do not think so ! ANytime you belly land, you will risk damaging them Clear tape doesnt offer a lot of protection against grazing !

Quote from: Sahevaan on November 08, 2011, 05:48:48 PM
They are just too bright on a 3s battery , blinding !

Thats what you want. when your plane would be 200 ft high they wont be as blinding ! The extra light from the 3S will save your plane.

Night Flying

Sahevaan

Sahevaan

SunLikeStar

gauravag

Sahevaan

gauravag