LiFe Saver

A flawless GP Yak-55m replacement airframe flew its father's guts today, these GP ARFs are works of art.  This one was everybit the vision of perfection, same or better than the last one.  I'm still amazed at the value, after the standard email coupons (-$25) and club discounts (on sale for $159), this big 55 oz'er came from Towerhobby for $134 with free shipping. Not as good a deal as the first airframe, but nevertheless encapsulating many man-months of stunning perfection for around a fourth of a second tier business executive's hourly rate.

Perhaps foolishly, I properly soldered the E-flight 60A "Pro" ESC adn reused it.  It is solid overkill for a 45A plane, plus, I have a trick up my sleeve to avert Horizon Hobby's next, even more creative lethal defect...

Since I fly primarily park flyers, I hadn't previously used an independent RX battery, as few extra ounces makes a big difference to a 20-30 oz airplane.  But with my reborne Yak-55m still carrying a certain-to-fail E-flight ESC, I decided to add a 6.6V LiFe battery to operate the Rx and servos.   I still have motor battery SPC and the ESC BEC as Rx and Rx + servo backups, respectively. 

I choose a 2.2 oz 1300  6.6V LiFe battery to power the 55 (now 57.2) oz Yak-55m.  In addition to relieving the motor battery from having to power the aircraft electronics, increasing flight times and recovering perhaps half the battery weight in the form of extended flight time, aerobatics also benefit from faster servo movement.

Flight tests were flawless.  I'm gong to use this method a lot in the future.