Looks like you've done your homework. I've been flying FPV for a few years and long range fpv for the past year or so. I think everything sounds good as far as your vid tx (I use Range video 900Mhz 500Mw out to 4 miles with the 8dbi patch and as far as 6.2 with 10dbi yagi) The kx191 is a great camera but Its a bit heavy for my taste. I really loved the sn555 from hobbywireless. Lower Lux value for night flying (If I remember correctly) smaller case, neither were noisy if I remember correctly. Now comes my only complaint with your setup. The MP EASY SCAR. Please allow me to rant for a minute. I don't know what it is about this plane that everyone loves. I did the same thing when I started flying fpv. I bought 3. HACKED AND HACKED away foam, stuffed electronics and batt's and powered them with everything I could find. Built twin boom versions, used EZG wings, wide body version using 2 kits. I have an attic full of EZG and EZ* parts from trashed planes. I finally got sick of carving out foam and as time went on I started to wonder why the heck we all put hundereds (If not thousands in some cases') of dollars not to mention hundereds of hours of programming, trouble shooting, etc into a piece of foam???
I'm now going to list everything I've fpv'd and 1-10 rating 10 being the best.
1. UHU-Electro something (Pusher, think skinny ez*) 5, too small
2. EZ* 3 enough room to tempt you to add too much gear. Prop size means higher kv motor, harder to launch then you think when loaded with gear. takes a bit to get on step.
3. EZGlider, 6 much better platform in my opinion if you don't mind looking through the prop (not as bad as you'd think) flys with more authority but Still a tight fit when you start looking into osd's etc
4. Parkzone Radian 6 same as above with a little more room and a bit easier to fly.
5. GP Electro Stick. 8.5 Just about my personal favorite. I love this plane for fpv. The receiver ready version is only 225.00 and if your familiar with the way any of the sticks fly this one is no exception, the stock motor has plenty of power for this 50 sized plane plus all the gear you can imagine. My only complaint with the electro stick is that I couldn't seem to get much more then 20-25 minute flights. It the first plane I used when flying longer range (using Scherrer UHF for RC & Diversity module with 2 900mhz RX's) the only problem I encountered was running out of Mah's before I ran out of rc/vid range.
6. Parkzone T-28, 6 Fun for a foamy but again short on room.
7. Parkzone stryker, 7 Although this thing has less room under canopy then the uhu or the ez star, I found it easier to fly. It tracks better, gives you the feeling of flying with authority. A feeling I never got with the easy star. and there always seemed to be a creative way to shove one more piece of gear in it.
8. Large flying wings balsa, foam, carbon composite materials, all the same 7 fun to fly but always dealing with an airframe that wasn't designed for our purpose.
I go so sick of trying to look for the perfect FPV plane that I started experimenting with the simplest of commercial designs out there. Thats when I came across the Isreali Skylark UAV.
you coming from a glider background should be familiar with the looks of it.
I'm currently on numbers 5 & 6. Number 3 was the first that flew decent enough to sell, 4 was sold before I finished the assembly, 5 is sold as soon as I finish the build. Its based on a 2 meter electric glider wingset. and finally 6 is all mine! I'm using a 3 meter "Bird of time" wingset, a 26" pod for enough Mah's to start refering to my batteries in amp hours. Just hope it flys well. If so then I can look at some more serious wingsets. ESPIRIT Models has a few higher end electric gliders I'm dying to get my hack saw on!
Hope this helps, GOOD LUCK! and if you finally do decide to go with the easystar let me know and I'll dig up a set of ezglider wings for you. Flys much nicer with this mod.
Edited by skylark, 26 March 2010 - 02:31 AM.
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