The most incredible radio control piloting I've ever seen

[80251]

I doubt there are any drone pilots that can match this guy's skills. Can the pilot control the pitch of the propeller? Or is he doing his stunts purely with throttle control? What kind of engines do these planes use? Multicylinder 2-strokes (that was what my dad used to use 40 years ago)?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi0fherlRIk

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Like most models this one is insanely overpowered and the pilot has a wicked thumb on the throttle stick. Controllable pitch at that size, while possible for many years now, is quite finicky. And you can hear the throttle working hard throughout the entire demonstration.

 

[80251]

Thanks ex_bubblehead
Is this RC plane using a two prop propeller? Why not a four-prop propeller?
I'd love to read about what kind of engines are used in these planes.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

This is a two bladed carbon fiber propellor. At this size and RPM 3 or 4 blades GREATLY reduces prop efficiency. In fact a single bladed prop has been shown to be the most efficient by the speed nerds. As to engines, the one in this demo is a 4 stroke (likely single (or dual cylinder) 1.2 - 1.5 Cubic inches and 2 - 3 HP or more) The lack of a high decibel, high RPM scream and obvious muffler (or tuned pipe) is the clue here. He's a hell of a builder as well. Parts of that plane are experiencing at least 100G's in those maneuvers and as seen in the end shots he did strike the ground more than once.

 

[80251]

That's weird that 2 bladed props are the most efficient. The fastest prop driven fighters in WW2 -- as well as the largest bombers like the B-29 -- used gigantic 4-bladed paddle props.

Wow 100G's, I'm guessing no plane w/an actual, human pilot could take that kind of acceleration could they?

I knew a guy who had a RC jet airplane. He said flying it was exciting, exhausting and almost terrifying because crashing it was really expensive.

How exactly do you control the rudder without foot pedals though?

 

[USAFRet]

Wow 100G's, I'm guessing no plane w/an actual, human pilot could take that kind of acceleration could they?

Not even a little bit of that.
Humans can do 9-10Gs for a few seconds. One of the issues there is actually controlling the aircraft. All of a sudden, your arm weighs in excess of 100lbs. And moving/controlling the stick is in tenths of an inch. Training training training.

I got an incentive ride in an F-16 in Germany. My pilot asked if there was anything special I wanted to do.
Fly over my house, and see 9g on the meter.

At 15k feet, all those little German villages look alike to an untrained person...lol
With me driving, I got it to 9.1 on the meter. Doing a different maneuver not long after that, I almost blacked out. G-LOC (G induced Loss of Consciousness) is absolutely a thing, along with its tunnel vision.

Also, much more than that and you risk bending the wings. Yes, a permanent bend, requiring inspection and possible replacement.

How exactly do you control the rudder without foot pedals though?

Control sets for R/C aircraft are very different than real aircraft.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

....How exactly do you control the rudder without foot pedals though?

A typical 4 channel setup:

Left stick:Up/Down = throttle Left/Right=Rudder
Right stick: Up/Down = Elevator Left/Right=Ailerons

A high degree of coordination between the two hands (thumbs) is required.

That's weird that 2 bladed props are the most efficient. The fastest prop driven fighters in WW2 -- as well as the largest bombers like the B-29 -- used gigantic 4-bladed paddle props.

Multiple blades are required to absorb the massive horsepower being applied. From an aerodynamic standpoint more blades are less efficient as the turbulence created by one blade interferes with the next blade in line.

 

[USAFRet]

For your further reading on prop blade count:

https://aviation.stackexchange.com/...he-advantages-of-more-than-4-propeller-blades

https://aviation.stackexchange.com/...ence-between-a-two-blade-prop-and-three-blade

https://aviation.stackexchange.com/...lades-and-the-diameter-required-for-a-turbopr

https://aviation.stackexchange.com/...-with-more-blades-like-the-intake-on-a-fanjet

https://aviation.stackexchange.com/...as-the-propeller-with-the-highest-blade-count

 

[ex_bubblehead]

The thing about that video is that the plane wasn't actually flying (aerodynamically) for almost 3/4 of the video but was instead simply hanging on the prop and being hauled around the sky by pure horsepower. No full size aircraft is capable of even half what was shown (without spontaneously rekitting itself in the process).

 

[USAFRet]

The thing about that video is that the plane wasn't actually flying (aerodynamically) for almost 3/4 of the video but was instead simply hanging on the prop and being hauled around the sky by pure horsepower. No full size aircraft is capable of even half what was shown (without spontaneously rekitting itself in the process).

F-22 can kinda sorta do some of that.

0-0 vertical hover, balanced on the vectored thrust.
Or tooling along at 500 feet, at 30mph.

But yes, ridiculous amounts of horsepower, and ridiculous amounts of money.

 

[80251]

Thanks for the primers on aerodynamic engineering of propellers and R/C aircraft controls, interesting stuff.

Does the R/C pilot have some sort of remote fuel gauge? These R/C planes only have one fuel tank right?

With all the acrobatics and prop-hanging, I'm guessing the engine must be fuel injected right?

I wonder if the R/C pilot's thumbs hurt after all that action?

 

[USAFRet]

Does the R/C pilot have some sort of remote fuel gauge?

Experience and a timer.

Like: "Full throttle gives 9 minutes of flight time. Land at 8 minutes."

 

[ex_bubblehead]

....I'm guessing the engine must be fuel injected right?

Nope, just a standard carburetor.

 

[80251]

Nope, just a standard carburetor.

But if the plane is hanging from its propeller wouldn't the float bowls in a carb flood?

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Model aircraft engines are not identical to larger engines in that respect. No float in those carbs. Just a spray bar fed by either a fuel pump, muffler pressure, or both. At this point you should be doing some research on your own.