PatrikE wrote:Maby make a dual mode for it?
Flick a switch and it change the Mix and fly like a plane...
Then it will be a real VTOL...
That might be a good idea.....
take of with normal control, same as quad....
pitch it over away from you (so the front becomes 'top'), flick the switch, and fly like a plane....
the changes in the transmitter should be
- pitch should stay pitch
- roll becomes yaw (so the roll stick will let it spin around the axis)
- yaw becomes roll (it acts as a plane's rudder).
You would need to fly it as a rudder / elevator plane.... roll ('ailerons'), will ONLY roll it, but not initiate a curve...
Still rather strange behaviour, not sure if it is less confusing as now.... the mind responds strange to switches.....
I'll give it a try weather permitting.....
Pyrofer wrote:You could make it more stable by having it shorter with control surfaces near the prop.
I would suggest a long tube with electronics/motor/battery all inside it and the prop sticking out the top. Have the 4 control surfaces just below the prop but continue the tube down low with battery at the bottom for stability. The end result would look like a giant T shape.
This would be much less prone to blowing about!
I get your idea..... it will fly probably a lot better as a copter as you describe, but you will not have the option of horizontal flight anymore..... that is some strange experience, but its also fun. Yours will look like a flying nail..... mine in the air reminds me of one of those ghosts in the old Pacman game
On second thought, It might not fly so good with the control surface so close to the prop.... it has no leverage anymore for pitch/roll.... The heavy battery way down will hold it vertical no matter what the control surfaces do. So the sideways motion you get will be by the control surfaces deflecting the air, but that will be opposite to the direction it tries to control.... The singlecopter works by pointing the prop in the direction of flight... not by thrust vectoring.... It might be possible, but you would probably have to change the mix so roll/pitch are reversed, but yaw stays the same.
Another option: control surfaces way down at the bottom, but without any area in the middle (so only a tail, without a flat body), might become very unstable. the CG will be way above any surface area....
When tilting, the singlecopter can just fall over.... there is no sideward force preventing the motor/prop to fall over to a side.. The controls will try to stop it falling over, but there is nothing to act against.... Not sure if the controls can overcome this (worth a try though....)
I think, any singlecopter will at least need some surface area.... Mine is way overdone, but the singlecopter in the first post is probably a good example....