Well, the Skimmer rebuild saga is now officially over: The S’Timmer (T-tail Skimmer) had a wonderful and uneventful first flight this past Tuesday at the Lafayette Cloud Jockeys field Roll Call Tuesday gathering.
The down thrust built into the nose was definitely necessary as the bird pitches strongly up under full power.
Running 7×5 folding prop on 3S 800 mAh pack draws right at 10 amps static. It’s enough to make the bird really climb well, but not like a rocket.
Power off performance is light and responsive. I flew most of the first flight at 50% throws and it felt quite acceptable. I did bump the rudder up to 75% a bit at the end but it had to be handled carefully to avoid jerky flying.
Elevator is VERY responsive. I do not need anywhere near as much throw as I have and 50% D/R is just right.
This experiment just proves that Skimmers and even S’Timmers just fly right. They’re fun and responsive, little gliders that zoom.
All in all, a very satisfying project. Thanks for following along with the build.