Prop Guard test.....

[John K. Fitzgerald]

for those of you considering prop guards for the Typhoon Q500 read this 1st. after testing the guards, there are a couple of problems, first off they are ugly. They dont give much protection from the right and left sides of the craft but cover the front and rear just fine, they snap in and from what i hear, if not seated properly they can come off, break a prop and cause a crash ( i did not have that issue). There were 2 issues that were deal breakers however, the worst of which is the fact that guards are almost always in the shot and since i am always recording when the Q is in the air, this just isnt going to work for me. There was 1 issue that bothered me even more, while the guards weigh only about 5 ounces, they do affect the handling especially during an aggressive descent. in the video i launched and flew out to edge of my property, turned around and came back. about halfway back i started an aggressive descent, as i slow forward motion all of a sudden the Q dropped straight down about 6 feet as if there was a hole in the air. I am used to prop wash while descending but this was quite different, i assume the guards surface area have somehow amplified the prop wash effect. but i am no aerodynamics expert. any thoughts on this? I tested it several times whit guards on and off, and the guards definitely have an effect . i was very lucky. from my view point the craft dropped behind the trees i immediately, tried to climb up then the Q popped back up and i flew back and landed....whew, that would have been my first crash. anyway here is a video, i would love to hear your thoughts.

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[Prairie Pyro]

They have a good amount of surface area that will of course affect the more aggressive faster moves IMO.
I think of them like training wheels on a bike. They have their purpose but not after you get the basics out of the way. I am thinking of not even worrying about mounting using the camera till I feel more comfortable with flying. Why risk close to $500?

 

[wedbster]

they snap in and from what i hear, if not seated properly they can come off, break a prop and cause a crash ( i did not have that issue).

Hi,
I have ordered a set, but have the little problem to get one of them snapped correctly.
First I thought it would be the prop guard, but all four guards have the same
problem at the same motor position and the same problem I have with my new
replacement frame. It looks like one motor holder is a little bit larger then the other three.

 

[John K. Fitzgerald]

They have a good amount of surface area that will of course affect the more aggressive faster moves IMO.
I think of them like training wheels on a bike. They have their purpose but not after you get the basics out of the way. I am thinking of not even worrying about mounting using the camera till I feel more comfortable with flying. Why risk close to $500?

I agree, the reason i got them is because i like to fly down into canyons up on Mt Lemmon and film the old wrecked cars that have been left there over the years. I fly pretty close and i dont really want to hike down and retrieve my Q ( as i am somewhat lazy in my old age) if bump one of these wrecks.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[John K. Fitzgerald]

It looks like one motor holder is a little bit larger then the other three.[/QUOTE]

Yes i have seen where other people have had the same issue, I guess I am lucky as mine all fit as they should. But it's still a little troubling to think they just "snap in", it seems like they might be more trouble than they are worth. at any rate I really didnt like the way they made the craft handle and the fact that they showed up in the video pretty much the entire time makes them pretty much worthless.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[wedbster]

the fact that they showed up in the video pretty much the entire time makes them pretty much worthless.

Thanks for the reply.

In your test video you can also see your propellers. Wouldn't it make sense to tilled down the camera view ?

 

[John K. Fitzgerald]

In your test video you can also see your propellers. Wouldn't it make sense to tilled down the camera view ?

You normally wont see the props unless you are making aggressive angle/direction changes. the guards made the whole thing more sensitive to even minor adjustments in flight and would bounce in and out of the shot. i should note that this was a perfectly calm day as well.

So yes i could have tilted the camera down and taken the guards out of the picture, but for when i do want to film with camera all the way up ( which is a good percentage of the time) the guards become a big problem, even on a calm day. As far as flying straight ahead with guards in place, I could slow the craft down while filming and then just speed it up in post, but again I am kind of lazy so I try to do as much of the work in the camera as i can. Now, the following day it was a bit breezy, I flew again and tried take things slow, but even the slightest breeze and the craft would tilt just enough to see those f***in guards in the shot.

Basically, I am not going to let the prop guards dictate camera angle or flying style. That would limit my options, and I like options!

 

[Sticks]

That was a bit more than 6 feet.

It almost had the spiral of death going on. I thought the Q's were immune to that. Might very well be the prop guards causing it.

 

[John K. Fitzgerald]

That was a bit more than 6 feet.

It almost had the spiral of death going on. I thought the Q's were immune to that. Might very well be the prop guards causing it.

I am positive the guards caused it, tested a few more times and got the same results. the guards might come in handy if i am flying very slow and in very tight quarters, ie: rescuing one of those little white quads that crashed close to a wall or something

 

[pownalite]

for those of you considering prop guards for the Typhoon Q500 read this 1st. after testing the guards, there are a couple of problems, first off they are ugly. They dont give much protection from the right and left sides of the craft but cover the front and rear just fine, they snap in and from what i hear, if not seated properly they can come off, break a prop and cause a crash ( i did not have that issue). There were 2 issues that were deal breakers however, the worst of which is the fact that guards are almost always in the shot and since i am always recording when the Q is in the air, this just isnt going to work for me. There was 1 issue that bothered me even more, while the guards weigh only about 5 ounces, they do affect the handling especially during an aggressive descent. in the video i launched and flew out to edge of my property, turned around and came back. about halfway back i started an aggressive descent, as i slow forward motion all of a sudden the Q dropped straight down about 6 feet as if there was a hole in the air. I am used to prop wash while descending but this was quite different, i assume the guards surface area have somehow amplified the prop wash effect. but i am no aerodynamics expert. any thoughts on this? I tested it several times whit guards on and off, and the guards definitely have an effect . i was very lucky. from my view point the craft dropped behind the trees i immediately, tried to climb up then the Q popped back up and i flew back and landed....whew, that would have been my first crash. anyway here is a video, i would love to hear your thoughts.

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i tried my new rotor guards and also saw them cut into the frame. the quad has to be perfectly level in order to hide the rotor guards.

 

[jemcd]

I have the Yuneec Brand, they are are held on with screws,not snapped on! and they work great for close flying such as checking gutters and roofs, they saved my bird several times, that is the only time I use them, they are kinda PITA to put on but worth it.they protect the props a lot better than those 3d printed snap on ones,