Easy Star Brushless Upgrade

Its been almost a month now since I upgraded my Easy Star to a brushless motor. It was an excellent decision and I have been flying it almost exclusively since the upgrade. My main reason for upgrading was a desire to turn it into an aerial video/photo platform. At the moment the only camera I have (for plane use that is) is the Oregon Scientific ATC 2000 camera. This is the same one I tried with before with the stock configuration that resulted in a crash. After doing a lot of online research, here is what I ended up with.

Motor: E-flite Six Series 2000Kv Brushless Inrunner
ESC: Great Planes C-35
Prop: APC 6X4
Battery: Lipo 3S 11.1 2100mAh
Futaba 72Mhz TX/RX

I went back and forth on the motor and if I had it to do all over again I might have gone with the 2700Kv version of the motor, but the 2000 works just fine. The full up weight is 27oz. The motor is a drop in replacement as the dimensions are almost the same. The trickiest part of the upgrade was to cut out the old motor and cut the top seam to allow the motor wires to be put back in the original channel. Once that was done, it was just a matter of installing the rest of the electronics and checking the CG.

Maiden Flight: Well lets just say it is well worth checking the rudder servo to be sure things are moving in the right direction. After a few false starts I learned this lesson! With everything hooked up right I found it flew very nice. Take offs were easy and the plane quickly climbed high enough to be a speck in the sky. Through several flights I found the flight time to be 15mins plus with good throttle management. 25-50% power is sufficient to hold level altitude. The motor will not allow for unlimited vertical but according to some of the calculator software it can theoretically do about 40mph on level flight. One of the biggest advantages is the ability to fly in higher wind (10-15mph). The extra power really helps penetrate the wind and keeps you flying.

After a few flights unloaded, I decided to strap on the video camera. I made a quick mount by gluing the helmet mount to a piece of 1/8th inch plywood cut to fit in the cargo bay with the canopy off. I ended up cutting a foam wedge to elevate the camera and point it down the nose of the plane. I secured the camera by putting three rubber bands around the camera and fuselage. The total weight with the camera is 33oz. In order to balance the plane I ended up putting the battery on top of the center of the fuselage (where the wings meet). I secured it with a rubber band and velcro. This setup seemed to work well. I have flow about half a dozen times so far and am very pleased with the performance. With a good hand toss the plane dips a bit but easily gains speed for a good take off. Once at the desired altitude 50% power or so will hold level flight. Landings dead stick are a snap even with the extra weight. If anything it actually makes it easier to land as the plane comes down quicker shortening the area needed for a landing. The trickiest part is learning to fly smooth and level to make good videos. I feel like this has greatly improved my flying ability and been fun as well. When funds allow I plan to by a small digital camera and install an extra servo to start doing aerial photography.

For anyone looking to do a similar upgrade, feel free to email me with questions.