Foam RC Jet

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I don't know if others already commented, but instead of a solid fuel tank you could use a fuel bag. You can fill the bag completly, so that there is no air inside, and the bag simply shrinks as the engine consumes the fuel. I have seen this type of tank used in several other rc-jets. Anyway keep up the good work :D

Thanks for inviting us to get involved in the project! It was super exciting seeing the design evolve so quickly and we had great fun working with you!

One of the reasons of shorter signal range than typical might be caused by all the foil and metal (and carbon fiber) in the airplane. Also maybe some components of jet engine (pump which stalled for ex) sparks and cause radio interference. Best solution is to keep your RX antennas as far as possible from the metal parts etc. (end of the wing is a good spot). Also DSM2 is an old technology, as other have said ERLS is great solution and should guarantee range measured in kilometres. But if you would go for ERLS I think 2.4ghz is better than sub ghz versions, as these lower frequencies can have issues with bouncing from metal/carbon parts.

Really glad that you show us the whole process, including when things don't go to plan :) Could the foil tape have blocked the signal from your transmitter?

If the signal had not been lost, you could have glided down very easily. Don’t use spektrum.

My bet is that a 1/16 Mosquito took it out - you've basically built a V1. ;) Great project - looking forward to version two.

the fact the camera survived that wicked crash speaks pretty well of your sponsor's product

Great project! As others have said, ELRS for the win. Super strong and cheap control link. Hopeful for part 2!

Why not use long-range receivers/transmitters? Such as ELRS or Crossfire?

Maybe a satellite or two on the wingtips away from the foil would have helped. Also: Do not use dsm2/x on anything else than UMX planes and little park flyers! I used to have Spektrum gear as well and had about 1-2 signal losses per year. I switched to a 4in1 modul transmitter with open/Edge TX using mostly an external ELRS module or the internal frsky. Not had a problem since and you can still use your dsm2/x receivers on little planes with the 4in1 module.

hey, i have had a LOT of problems with spektrum and classic protocol 2.4GHz links, even with satellite receiver in redundancy. I switched to ELRS and never had any problem since, at least caused by the RC link. Using spektrum or frsky 2.4, you often forget how short distance it is. It's all going great, until it isnt and you loose control. I have a crash on my channel, almost lost the plane in the river... It was more than 5 years ago, and didnt know why, until it happened again in a field away far away from any city. At this point, I knew it couldnt be interference, it just is the incredibly small range + some metal obstruction like the Jet in your case. You get at most a kilometer or so. Anyways, quick fix is to get ELRS radio with 1W transmitter and ELRS receivers. Cheers

I think the RF signal issue is most likely caused by the use of a less robust protocol. I would recommend moving to crossfire (either TBS crossfire or ELRS) to ensure that you dont loose the signal. Both of those are capable of reaching tens up to hundreds od kilometres range. Spektrum i made for LoS flying and its just not stable enough.

Average german engineer in 1940-1945

You should really switch to ELRS for your control link, even at 10mw it will far out perform the other protocols like DSMX, FRSky etc. for this project though I’d seriously consider crossfire or elrs 868mhz for simple redundancy.

Lesson of the day: Don't use Spektrum radios. A friend and I had a very similar experience recently. It wasn't a jet and luckily the plane mostly survived, but these crashes could be completely avoided by using a better radio link like ELRS or TBS Crossfire.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Spectrum failsafe's mate. That is soooo common with those radios if you don't make sure to run the dual antennas at 90 degrees to each other. Watch ANY Flite Fest footage and count how many happen with Spectrum radios every year. Get you an FR Sky or a Radiomaster. they are super reliable and well proven to be rock solid.

So sorry it didn't go to plan James! I know you have built ekranoplans before, but did you know that the soviets tried to build a huge one that they could launch the energia buran from (soviet space shuttle thing), and other spacecraft from in flight, this would be an epic combination of things you have done on the channel before, and I think it would be an epic (yet deeply sketchy) project. Good luck on the next project :)

Definitely go with ELRS. I had Frsky before and the random cutouts and resulting crashes made me switch. Now I can't even get close to the range limits.

You did a great job. I feel bad about the crash. You are a very talented & highly motivated young man. You should be proud. Always look forward to your videos.