=== Let's Drone Out — Episode 151 === Title: LDO Episode; 151 X Class Special Recorded: 2018-07-19 Hosts: Andy, Jack "Brightontillifly" Nash, Tony "TheTonstar1" Marchant, Andrew "Frank" Hyams Guest(s): Zoe Stumbaugh Total audience: 2,603 Platforms: YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT-aqtnbJeU); SoundCloud (http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/483902922-letsdroneout-ldo-episode-151-x-class-special.m4a) ===================================== [0.0] Jack: Hello and welcome to another episode of Let's Grown Out. We have what number's this? [10.64] Jack: It's then there have been BMFA magazines. [14.32] Jack: Which is worrying. How many years have they been going? [17.44] AndyRC: A hundred. [20.56] Jack: Since the dawn of time. Right, tonight we are joined by Andrew slash Frank. [27.12] Jack: Good evening. [28.56] Jack: Andy R.C. [29.76] Jack: Hello. [32.48] Jack: My little Tony. [34.0] Zoe: Hello. [37.28] Jack: Our guest for tonight Zoe FPV. [40.4] Zoe: Hey everybody. [42.08] Jack: And I'm Jack Brighten Till I Fly and you're listening to Let's Grown Out. [50.64] Jack: So apparently tonight we're going to talk about X-Class. [54.48] Zoe: Dun dun dun. [55.68] Zoe: If Tony can stay connected long enough. [58.48] Jack: I'm back. [60.96] Jack: Never leave me. [62.16] Zoe: The X-Class pilot to talk about X-Class. [65.92] Zoe: Yeah, I'm here. [68.08] Zoe: So the last time I was here, you had just been getting into it. [73.36] Zoe: And now you've flown your own rig, I think in a race, right? [78.32] Tony: Not in a proper race yet. [79.68] Tony: There it is behind me. [81.04] Tony: Oh, a demo. [81.84] Zoe: You've got it up in the air. [84.8] Tony: Yeah, we've done a demo at... [87.44] Tony: Tony got it up. [90.16] Tony: Done a demo at a mini air show, which is pretty cool. [93.84] Tony: A couple of months ago. [95.6] Tony: But since then we've changed quite a few things. [98.16] Tony: We were flying 6S and it was just not working for us. [102.0] Tony: It was too slow. [103.36] Tony: And I was on full throttle pretty much all the time. [107.6] Zoe: Yeah, but the 400 PV motors, you need 8S on them. [111.52] Zoe: To get any kind of real speed. [114.8] Zoe: The funny thing with those 400 kV motors is that [118.24] Zoe: the whole concept of them is that you can't blow them up. [122.64] Zoe: Like you can try, but they're one of the most bulletproof motors out there that I've tested. [130.24] Zoe: But that also means they're not as fast as a lot of the other bigger motors out there. [135.36] Zoe: But there's definitely been a risk. [139.84] Zoe: Once you start going up in size with the current ESDs that we have, [143.92] Zoe: you're going to start seeing more fires. [147.76] Zoe: So it's really hard to find a good balance between speed and not catching fire. [159.28] Tony: We have not got anything moving yet. [162.32] Zoe: That's good. [162.88] Zoe: That's good. [164.16] Jack: But wait, why is it going there? [167.52] AndyRC: Why is it going there? [170.32] Jack: Who's not wearing it? [172.0] Jack: Zoe? [174.0] Jack: The shit shouldn't be echoing. [181.84] Tony: I've turned myself down. [182.88] Tony: Is that better? [183.84] Jack: It weren't you. [184.64] Jack: I think it was Zoe. [185.44] AndyRC: Everyone just assumes it's Tony when it's a crud. [187.92] AndyRC: Oh, it is. [189.28] AndyRC: It would look it in. [190.08] Jack: It's in. [191.68] AndyRC: No. [193.44] Jack: Tony hasn't got the bandwidth to mess it up today. [196.24] Jack: So you couldn't get on his phone. [198.16] Tony: It's on my phone now. [199.28] Tony: It's working. [201.92] Tony: And yeah, so we haven't basically haven't got anything hot yet. [206.24] Tony: But we have mapped out the track that you guys flew and the car track. [213.44] Tony: We mapped that out with flags and we were two seconds off the pace. [219.2] Tony: But that was with dual blades. [222.64] Tony: And we've got the new tri-blades that you guys run now. [225.84] Tony: So we've yet to test it again now. [228.48] Tony: So we're hoping. [230.32] Zoe: Yeah, those tri-blades have quickly become the de facto standard right now. [236.24] Zoe: I see everyone using them. [239.12] Zoe: Even DR1's secret teams I've seen little photos and snippets of are using them. [247.44] Zoe: And they make a big difference. [249.12] Zoe: That whole prop was originally designed to have a load in the air and at speed. [256.8] Zoe: So it's meant to have not a static load on it, but an active load as it's up in the air. [264.16] Zoe: A lot of people think props, you just put them on a thrust stand and you get your data. [269.76] Zoe: That doesn't tell you half the story. [272.08] Zoe: It tells you a good deal of static pressure tests, [275.28] Zoe: but it doesn't tell you how the props can reform in the air once unloaded and it's at speed [280.8] Zoe: and it has airflow already going over it. [283.92] Zoe: Realistically, that doesn't really matter until you get past 70 miles an hour. [288.16] Zoe: Once you start getting past that point, that's when the aerodynamics really come into play. [294.24] Zoe: Especially once you get past the 120 mark. [298.16] Zoe: I'd like to do that. [300.16] Zoe: You can very well get there with 8-Cell on the 400 kV motors with the master air screw 12 by... [309.52] Zoe: Sorry, 13 by... No, wait, 13 by 12s? [313.52] Zoe: Yes, 13 by 12 by 8s. [316.64] Zoe: They will do close to 140. [321.6] Zoe: At least it should in theory, because the 8-Cell definitely helps out when you go that route. [327.76] Zoe: The thing you're going to definitely have to watch for is that the prop is really heavy [331.6] Zoe: for that motor, so the acceleration time is going to be a little bit more. [337.36] Zoe: If you try to blip the throttle a lot, you're going to really start heating up the motor [341.6] Zoe: and that's going to cause... [343.84] Zoe: You'll start warming stuff up soon. [347.44] Tony: We need to warm stuff up, but we're using a no-fare ride at the moment. [353.36] Tony: Okay. [362.96] Tony: What's going on with this chat today? Echoing everywhere. [365.76] Tony: I can't remember. Is Martin in the chat? [368.96] Tony: I can find out for you, but I cannot remember what kV they are. [373.12] Jack: Why don't you just go over there and have a look? [375.68] Tony: Because that's not it. The rig is at his... [380.72] Jack: What's with the echo, people? [382.64] Jack: Don't know. [384.72] Jack: Is that you, Zoe? [386.48] Zoe: Is it me? I don't know. It could be a combination thereof, [389.92] Zoe: but I've done podcasts before with this audio set up and I haven't had any issues. [396.0] AndyRC: It's intermittent, which is weird, isn't it? It's coming in and out. [401.49] Frank: Frank. [403.73] Frank: I've been muted, so where me? [407.17] Tony: Any ideas? [409.49] Tony: Everyone mute yourself when they don't talk. [411.57] AndyRC: We need to pay attention to the green thing going up and down and see what's causing it. [418.61] Frank: I'll keep an eye out. Next time we hear something, then we... [422.13] Zoe: Dun, dun, dun! [425.49] Tony: But we've got to put a pod on, hasn't we? [428.29] Tony: Because apparently there's a pod now you've got to run. [431.17] Tony: This is the controversy. Dun, dun, dun! [435.57] Zoe: So part of the controversy. [438.05] Zoe: So let me back up to the pod thing a little bit and rewind time just a little bit back to [446.69] Zoe: when it was originally brought into existence. [450.45] Zoe: And for those that don't know, the pod thing. [455.01] Zoe: X-Class is at one point in time, and I say this at one point in time, [459.73] Zoe: instituted a rule for you to have a canopy with a five by eight surface area on it. [467.49] Zoe: It was originally intended so you could put advertising space on the side of your machine [472.13] Zoe: to attract sponsors. [473.73] Zoe: There was a whole theory behind it, and there was a really big reason for it. [481.25] Zoe: I had spent, originally back in season four, I came out with my original canopy, [485.73] Zoe: which was basically a thong. [487.81] Zoe: It covered just the basic part of the aircraft, [491.25] Zoe: but it met the current, which is now the current, five by eight canopy standard. [497.33] Zoe: At the time, I was told it was too small, so I made something bigger. [502.53] Zoe: Well, is that my down? [505.33] Zoe: What's that my down? [507.49] Zoe: This is TPU. [510.13] Zoe: So it's like flexible. [511.49] Zoe: It's actually really cool. [512.29] Zoe: This canopy has survived three crashes so far. [516.61] Zoe: So it's, it took a hundred hours to print. [522.53] Zoe: I want to say thank you, old gravy leg, for spending the time to print this out. [526.13] Zoe: But it's still holding up to all the abuse that I put it through, which is pretty cool. [533.41] Zoe: And I hand sculpted this in virtual reality using a pair of Oculus touch controllers and a headset. [541.09] Zoe: So this was like handmade in a weird way. [546.93] Zoe: So yeah, I spent a lot of time on the canopy design and the canopy was basically made a [554.13] Zoe: requirement for the track races. [555.89] Zoe: And this is also because the track owners at the time said they need to look bigger. [560.77] Zoe: They wanted them to appear bigger. [562.93] Zoe: And one of the ways you do that is by making a canopy. [567.65] Zoe: And so X-Class then spent time X-Class in the core group. [572.85] Zoe: There was like a good five or six of them that spent several weekends over a couple [578.77] Zoe: months developing out the current X-Class standard canopy. [584.37] Zoe: Although I've heard there's issues with that one because one, it's flat like a car body. [590.53] Zoe: So when you're up in the air, it's actually pushing against you and it makes the machines [596.05] Zoe: really slow. [598.45] Zoe: But the other bigger issue is that they made it with traditional design materials. [603.73] Zoe: And this is just history. [606.29] Zoe: This is just stuff that I want to get out there in the world because I think it's neat [609.89] Zoe: and interesting and no one's heard it before. [614.37] Zoe: They went the traditional route. [616.05] Zoe: So they had Katrina knows why sculpts a body for the canopy. [622.05] Zoe: So she made basically a mold for it. [625.41] Zoe: They poured silicone over it and made a silicone master and then made a proper mold from that. [633.09] Zoe: And then they did a traditional Lexan casting using a body and whatnot to make their canopy. [641.01] Zoe: It looks interesting. [645.49] Zoe: I mean, it definitely has some sexy lines to it. [648.13] Zoe: But for a drone canopy, it's not as optimized as it could be. [653.17] Zoe: And one of the bigger issues is that the mold technique, it's delicate. [659.89] Zoe: You end up breaking the masters a lot. [663.57] Zoe: So anyways, they spent a lot of time to have those canopies for machines. [669.89] Zoe: So that there could be pilots that could go out in the fields with those canopies and use them. [676.13] Zoe: And use them with the X-Class machines if they needed a machine. [681.57] Zoe: So everything was good and dandy up until the first track race when Colby and a few other pilots [691.17] Zoe: showed up, ostrich air too. [694.13] Zoe: If I'm going to name names, I'm going to name names. [696.77] Zoe: But a couple of the bigger teams showed up without canopies when it was a required rule. [702.77] Zoe: And each team was made very well aware that they needed to have a canopy. [707.09] Zoe: So almost on the spot, they changed the rule and said, okay, we get away with it for the first race, [713.81] Zoe: but the next race, canopy. [716.69] Zoe: And then somewhere between race one and two, they made it so the body of the aircraft [723.09] Zoe: at any point in time, if it's five by eight inches, meets the rule. [728.53] Zoe: Which is stupid because they're 800 by 800 millimeters. [733.41] Zoe: You could argue that that's the body of the aircraft. [736.61] Zoe: Yeah. [737.41] Zoe: And that meets the spec. [738.85] Zoe: So it's almost like they threw and this is by they, I mean, Noah, the CEO of X-Class [743.97] Zoe: throughout the canopy ruling. [746.69] Zoe: And through essentially throughout hundreds and hundreds of hours of work that I put into it, [751.65] Zoe: not once, but twice. [754.13] Zoe: So I was a little peeve, to say the least. [759.97] Zoe: I was a little, especially because there were a lot of pilots that did put in the time to make [764.61] Zoe: the canopy. [765.41] Zoe: Yeah. [766.29] Zoe: I mean, Shane. [766.93] Tony: I was seeing cars and stuff. [768.53] Zoe: Yeah, dude, that thing was so cool. [770.69] Zoe: Shane actually took the time to put that together. [773.81] Zoe: And he almost made a DeLorean, like a flying DeLorean. [776.77] Zoe: I was like, that would have been too much. [779.41] Zoe: And then it just goes back in time. [783.89] Zoe: And the funny thing is we go up to those speeds routinely. [788.37] Zoe: But yeah, so like he spent time on it. [791.01] Zoe: John Gazer, he spent time on his canopy and several other pilots, like the X-Class crew, [798.37] Zoe: like all the pilots that were fielded had canopies. [800.69] Zoe: I had my canopy. [802.69] Zoe: And that's really where my, I guess, like, issue came from. [813.49] Zoe: Because it wasn't just me that was slighted. [815.57] Zoe: In some ways, it was other people. [817.65] Zoe: And then on top of that, even have a judge, quote unquote, confirming that they had given [824.53] Zoe: pilots passes, not just for the first race, but for the second race and previous races. [830.13] Jack: So there's Tony sorting out his sound for the moment. [833.81] Jack: It was him, the echo. [836.77] Zoe: I was gonna say, my setup is always- [838.13] Jack: Have you got a cameraman, Zoe? [840.69] Zoe: No. [841.09] Zoe: So this is a role. [843.73] Zoe: It tries to track my face. [845.25] AndyRC: I don't think we can hear Tony at all now, can I just say? [847.89] AndyRC: I can see his lips moving, but no sound. [853.25] Zoe: He's saying X-Class is stupid, and it's big. [855.81] AndyRC: Not that he's saying sign language, Tony. [859.65] Frank: I don't really want to know Tony's sign language, to be honest. [865.9] Zoe: He's like, give a thumbs down on this video, please. [873.09] Zoe: But seriously, take a moment to like and subscribe to Let's Drone Out, [877.33] Zoe: because these guys are awesome. [880.21] Jack: There's so many, like, Patreons in the chat. [884.77] Jack: It's amazing. [885.81] Frank: Thunder Fluke in the chat has been asking about where to get a frame in the UK. [893.01] Frank: Just been saying that because Tony's been getting his frames through fossil stuff, [896.77] Frank: so they're developing that at the moment. [899.81] Frank: But fossils do like to tinker a lot, [904.69] Frank: so I think the best thing is to just message them and be like, stop tinkering, start selling. [910.37] Frank: That's my recommendation. [912.29] Zoe: Yeah, seriously, there's the only place that's selling X-Class frames, [916.53] Zoe: Dysonian.com, and we've been waiting for someone else to sell something [920.85] Zoe: just so we have competition on the market. [925.25] Zoe: It's one thing to be alone standing in the field, [928.21] Zoe: but to have other people with you standing in the same field, the same vision, [933.17] Zoe: I think lends credence to the idea, [935.09] Zoe: and I think there's more than one way to build these things. [938.53] Zoe: I'd really like to see more variation in the designs that are out there [941.81] Zoe: and what people can get their hands on. [943.97] Frank: Also got falling with style, so that's Luke, I'm pretty sure, [948.45] Frank: who's building his own at the moment. [950.53] Frank: He's getting a custom top and bottom plate built. [954.13] Frank: He was asking, do you have any recommendations of the sweet spot for X-Class sizes? [961.01] Frank: I'm pretty sure I've seen a lot of people have been going on the 800 side. [965.65] Zoe: Yeah, so the 800 millimeter is actually... [970.37] Zoe: There's history behind why it's not 1,000 millimeter and why it's 800 to 1,200. [976.93] Zoe: At the first X-Class race, I showed up with an 800 millimeter rig, [981.01] Zoe: and Kevin Sellers had a 1,200 millimeter rig, [985.81] Zoe: and we were like, well, that's about 1,000 if you combine the two, [991.89] Zoe: and that's kind of an open range for people to kind of innovate [995.73] Zoe: and build different types of machines, and so far we've seen that. [1001.25] Zoe: Although there definitely has been a trend towards small, [1005.01] Zoe: so a lot of people are building out the 800 millimeter spec frames, [1008.85] Zoe: and again, and it's also why it goes back to the canopy, [1012.85] Zoe: they're going as small as possible, and when you add a canopy, you add drag, [1018.85] Zoe: so competing against people that don't have canopies is kind of nasty. [1023.41] Jack: Do you know what I would do is... [1025.89] Zoe: Take off my canopy? [1028.05] Jack: If people don't show up with a canopy, you know, [1029.89] Jack: like biplanes with the flag with writing on the back of it, [1036.69] Jack: yeah, you should have them and give them to people that don't have canopies [1041.09] Jack: as it's drag and it'll be like, I'm a moron, I can't read the rules. [1045.41] Zoe: Well, I kind of want to have... [1047.41] Zoe: So with these X-Class races, for the track races, for people that don't know, [1051.65] Zoe: is completely different than any kind of drone race you've ever been to, [1055.41] Zoe: because it's exactly like an old school automotive track race. [1059.49] Zoe: So the car divisions, they have different divisions of cars that come out onto the track, [1064.37] Zoe: and as one car division comes on and does their 20 lap race or whatever, [1071.33] Zoe: they drive off the track, and then the next division comes in [1074.61] Zoe: and does their race. [1076.05] Zoe: Well, X-Class has their own division within that, [1079.33] Zoe: so we come out and do our own race, and then cars come out and do their own race. [1084.13] Zoe: So we are actually running the same basic kind of rules the cars are running, [1089.25] Zoe: we're running the same track, and we have the same audience, [1092.29] Zoe: and we're incorporated into the same racing structure of their typical race nights. [1098.53] Zoe: So it's open track racing, it's much more head-to-head, [1101.89] Zoe: and I will say there's something for head-to-head racing [1104.77] Zoe: when you have four people grouped up, and they're trying to fight for position. [1109.65] Zoe: That is really intense, especially when you have these giant machines [1113.97] Zoe: traveling at 100 miles an hour, and they're really pushing the limit. [1120.13] Zoe: I mean, every race we've had multiple crashes, and it's been kind of a spectacle, [1126.77] Zoe: and that's without having obstacles. [1128.45] Zoe: We've had crashes just by pilots pushing the limits of their machines [1133.41] Zoe: to get around the track as fast as possible to compete, [1137.33] Zoe: and that's kind of cool in its own way, and changes the dynamics of drone racing. [1143.81] Zoe: During the whole time, you can look anywhere and know exactly [1146.53] Zoe: where every machine is on the track as a spectator, [1149.57] Zoe: and that's something that's really missing with drone racing, at least traditionally. [1154.13] Zoe: Is dual canopy helping or hindering you, do you think, at the moment? [1160.69] Zoe: It's a bit of both. [1161.81] Zoe: So in the straightaways, I think it hinders me a little bit, [1164.93] Zoe: because it adds to that drag. [1168.21] Zoe: In the turns, I actually think it does help me a bit. [1171.01] Zoe: I've noticed from reviewing the footage, [1173.25] Zoe: I'm able to take the turns tighter than anybody else, [1176.77] Zoe: and part of that, I believe, is due to the fact [1179.17] Zoe: that the canopy design actually does work. [1181.65] Zoe: As I go into the turn, I push this thing sideways, [1184.93] Zoe: and I angle it in a way where it actually pushes the craft down and into the turn, [1189.49] Zoe: and actually reduces the amount... [1192.05] Zoe: I have black box logs on this that reduces the amount the craft has to yaw. [1197.17] Zoe: So instead of yawing, the machine's relying on this to hold the position of the yaw, [1202.05] Zoe: and the machine lets up off the motors for the yaw, [1204.61] Zoe: and actually allows them to go a little bit more throttle, and gives you more top end. [1211.57] Zoe: In the turns, great. [1213.65] Zoe: Coming out of the turns, going the straightways, [1215.81] Zoe: it definitely adds a bit of drag to that, [1218.37] Zoe: and definitely hinders me from passing and doing passing maneuvers. [1225.49] Zoe: I mean, it's the most minimalistic way I could do it. [1228.69] Zoe: I mean, going straight on, this does not add too much, [1232.85] Zoe: but it definitely still adds more than any other machine currently out there. [1241.65] Zoe: Ugh, it bothers me. [1246.29] Zoe: It more or less bothers me. [1247.49] Zoe: Well, not any other machine out there. [1248.93] Zoe: I should say any other machine that has a complete custom canopy. [1252.45] Zoe: Like Shane's canopy is more or less off the shelf. [1255.09] Zoe: The X-Class canopy for those pilots is off the shelf. [1259.81] Zoe: This one is bigger than it needs to be, [1261.81] Zoe: which is sad because at the beginning of the season, [1263.89] Zoe: I was told this needs to be bigger. [1266.05] Zoe: So midway through the season, I'm told it could be smaller, [1268.93] Zoe: and now I'm like, meh. [1272.53] Zoe: So a lot of the facts that they haven't had the rules completely in place, [1277.09] Zoe: they haven't been enforcing the rules completely yet. [1279.57] Zoe: For the sake of the show and the fact that it's so young [1282.05] Zoe: and they're still fleshing everything out, [1284.77] Zoe: I sort of understand that. [1286.21] Zoe: But at the same time, I'm a freaking competitor, [1288.93] Zoe: and I love to compete. [1290.85] Zoe: And since my first drone race, [1292.69] Zoe: all I wanted was a fair racing competition going forward, [1296.69] Zoe: so it'd be fun to compete in. [1299.01] Zoe: But the history has shown that drone racing [1302.37] Zoe: has been a bit of a boondoggle at times, [1304.53] Zoe: and it's been hard to get it running smoothly [1307.73] Zoe: and enjoyable enough for the pilots and the spectators alike. [1312.45] Zoe: But I still hold out hope because I believe the format [1316.53] Zoe: for giant drone racing will evolve. [1318.77] Zoe: The format for miniquod racing is evolving. [1321.17] Zoe: I've noticed that there's a general trend towards team racing now, [1325.25] Zoe: which is really cool to see. [1327.25] Zoe: And I believe team racing is going to really kind of push [1331.57] Zoe: the drama and the interaction aspect of racing forward. [1336.93] Zoe: Now, you pair that with giant drones, [1339.73] Zoe: and then you pair that with pit crews [1342.37] Zoe: and the ability for these machines to pit, [1344.37] Zoe: so you have the action continuously happening, [1347.41] Zoe: and not just happening for two minutes at a time, [1350.37] Zoe: then you have a real sport. [1352.21] Zoe: Until we get to that point, [1354.05] Zoe: everything, in my opinion, is just for show, [1357.73] Zoe: and I need to chill out because, [1362.61] Zoe: yeah, I take it really seriously at times. [1367.33] AndyRC: That sounds really interesting, the pit thing, [1370.29] AndyRC: so you land, swap battery, go again. [1373.41] AndyRC: I mean, that could really switch things up, you know? [1376.53] AndyRC: I like that idea. [1377.73] AndyRC: I missed that from Formula One, actually. [1380.05] AndyRC: Even, you know, they do the whole race now on one thing. [1384.85] Zoe: So the biggest detriment to the miniquot, [1388.05] Zoe: or drone racing in general, [1390.29] Zoe: has been the fact that they took the basic idea [1393.25] Zoe: from the first race, the obstacle course, [1396.85] Zoe: and they're like, this is a drone race. [1398.69] Zoe: And since then, they have expanded on that idea, [1401.81] Zoe: but they have not let it evolve past that. [1406.45] Zoe: And so we've been kind of selling [1409.97] Zoe: what I call drone racing version 0.1. [1414.45] AndyRC: The races last like two minutes, is that right? [1417.41] Zoe: Yeah, and you're lucky if the downtime [1420.61] Zoe: between races is two minutes. [1422.29] Zoe: I mean, on a good multi-GP race, [1424.37] Zoe: you're lucky if that gets down to about two minutes. [1427.25] Zoe: And most pilots are happy [1428.61] Zoe: if the downtime is less than two minutes. [1431.65] AndyRC: Yeah, but then you see, you know, [1433.81] AndyRC: we had Western Part this year, [1436.85] AndyRC: and it's a funny event because it runs, [1440.21] AndyRC: it's an FPV event that runs alongside [1442.85] AndyRC: a huge line of sight, large model show, [1446.69] AndyRC: you know, like so, like massive, you know, [1450.37] AndyRC: 20 foot wingspan RC line of sight stuff. [1453.57] AndyRC: And there was probably 10 to 15,000 people [1458.29] AndyRC: watching the big scale aircraft. [1460.93] AndyRC: And then the FPV side was just one bloke [1464.69] AndyRC: in a foldable chair. [1466.29] AndyRC: And it was so sad. [1469.01] AndyRC: And I said to Andy, you know, [1472.21] AndyRC: this needs changing, surely. [1475.49] Zoe: There's a weird thing. [1476.29] Zoe: So if you go to South Korea, [1477.89] Zoe: there's been crowds that a lot of drone races, [1480.77] Zoe: like South Korean audience eats it up. [1484.21] Zoe: Because like they've eaten up pro gaming esports, [1488.05] Zoe: and that's become a big thing over there. [1489.89] Zoe: And for them, drone racing is almost [1491.97] Zoe: a natural extension of that. [1493.49] Zoe: And it's kind of allowed it to grow. [1495.65] Zoe: In America, esports is only now starting [1498.53] Zoe: to kind of get its traction. [1500.61] Zoe: And that's really even hard to say, [1502.93] Zoe: because it's, I mean, it's big, [1506.45] Zoe: but it's not as big as it could be. [1509.41] Zoe: And it's starting to overpass some real sports. [1513.57] Zoe: And it's starting to almost, you know, [1516.13] Zoe: shoulder to shoulder with some of the bigger ones, [1518.05] Zoe: like golf, basketball, and even baseball. [1525.09] Zoe: But it's not that every day past time really yet. [1529.57] Zoe: And the same thing with drone racing is like, [1531.41] Zoe: we've only been drone racing for a few years. [1533.81] Zoe: Like it took gaming 30 years. [1537.89] Zoe: Like it took gaming, you know, [1539.57] Zoe: like way longer, three times as long [1543.25] Zoe: before it started to become any kind of real. [1545.57] Zoe: It is something new, isn't it, Melissa? [1549.57] Zoe: I mean, if you look at any sport [1551.57] Zoe: going back into the first couple years of it, [1553.89] Zoe: it's an absolute fucking mess. [1556.37] Zoe: Like it, it's absolutely true. [1557.73] Zoe: Like there's skeletons in every sports closet. [1560.61] Zoe: Like it is absolutely true. [1562.77] Zoe: And that's kind of, I kind of want to say that [1564.69] Zoe: in the sense that every drone league I've been in [1567.97] Zoe: has had their own skeletons and issues. [1571.01] Zoe: And a lot of the drone leagues I've heard of [1572.85] Zoe: have had their own issues as well. [1575.65] Zoe: And that's even going back from Dubai, [1577.65] Zoe: drone nationals, drone worlds. [1582.69] Zoe: Even some of the ESL events I've been a part of [1585.25] Zoe: had their own issues. [1588.13] Zoe: And X-Class, I mean, especially X-Class [1590.85] Zoe: because it's new and it's pushing a new kind of boundary [1593.41] Zoe: and a new whole new, not just a boundary, but boundaries. [1597.25] Zoe: The fact that we're doing this in a stadium [1599.09] Zoe: full of people with giant drones. [1601.49] Zoe: Meanwhile, others aren't even able to do it with mini quads. [1605.65] Zoe: That's a big deal. [1606.93] Zoe: Like that's something that a lot of people [1608.93] Zoe: haven't really soaked in yet. [1611.97] Zoe: So, you know, for the shortcomings I see within the rules [1616.05] Zoe: and in some ways competitors following them. [1618.69] Zoe: And in a lot of ways, not the competitors fault, [1620.93] Zoe: but the organization for not enforcing them. [1623.41] Zoe: And I want to make that very clear. [1624.69] Zoe: My issue is not with any of the competitors. [1627.17] Zoe: Like I love Colby Dearly. [1628.61] Zoe: I love Ostrich Air. [1629.73] Zoe: I love all those guys a lot. [1632.85] Zoe: My issue is with the fact that [1635.97] Zoe: essentially they were given passes by the organization. [1639.33] Zoe: And because of that, now we have the discrepancy [1641.65] Zoe: on the canopies. [1642.45] Zoe: People like, do I need one? [1643.41] Zoe: Do I not need one? [1645.09] Zoe: And it's caused issues like that. [1649.17] Zoe: So that's one of my issues with the X-Class organizations. [1655.25] Zoe: It's with the fact that me personally, [1658.21] Zoe: and I sadly consider myself an athlete when I compete [1661.17] Zoe: and an artist when I'm flying freestyle. [1663.57] Zoe: When I'm an athlete, I give a shit about the rules. [1666.85] Zoe: I want to follow the rules to a tee [1668.69] Zoe: and compete to the best of my abilities. [1671.09] Zoe: And I really expect everyone else to do the same. [1674.05] Zoe: That's what creates the level playing field. [1675.65] Zoe: And that's what, in my opinion, makes it fun. [1678.85] Zoe: When that doesn't happen, it kills the joy for me [1681.81] Zoe: as a competitor. [1683.01] Zoe: And it's something that I really love. [1686.53] Zoe: Like it's not so much I love winning, [1688.45] Zoe: but I love competing and even failing, [1691.89] Zoe: but still showing that I've got something, [1693.65] Zoe: but still I love a fair competition. [1697.33] Zoe: And that's something I've only really found a love [1701.65] Zoe: and a need of when I got into drone racing. [1703.57] Zoe: Before drone racing, I played video games. [1706.77] Zoe: And that was the most amount of competition I had in my life. [1709.65] Zoe: And since getting into that, or getting into drones, [1713.49] Zoe: I've craved a proper competition [1716.69] Zoe: and potentially be able to have a career as a pilot, [1719.57] Zoe: both as a competitor and as an artist. [1722.93] Zoe: And I've just been let down a lot as a competitor. [1728.61] Zoe: And I know I'm not alone. [1732.13] Zoe: Like you've seen a large turnover of drone racing pilots [1735.49] Zoe: within just the last year. [1738.61] Zoe: And it's something that... [1740.45] AndyRC: In the X-Class, or in general? [1742.69] Zoe: In general, in general. [1744.21] Zoe: In X-Class, we've seen a growth. [1746.77] Zoe: I don't think, especially the last few months, [1749.25] Zoe: X-Class has just really gotten popular. [1754.53] Zoe: Especially since it sounds like DR1 [1757.09] Zoe: is gonna be doing something with giant drones. [1759.17] Zoe: And I say that because I'm not a part of it. [1761.25] Zoe: Wish I was. [1762.85] Zoe: And I've only seen murmurs about them [1765.17] Zoe: doing something right now. [1766.69] Zoe: And I'm like, where the heck am I? [1771.41] Zoe: So it's like... [1774.21] Zoe: But that being said, it still adds fuel [1776.13] Zoe: to the fire of X-Class going forward [1778.69] Zoe: because it legitimizes giant drone racing. [1782.29] Zoe: And this goes back in the history. [1784.45] Zoe: I had a meeting with DR1 over two years ago [1788.29] Zoe: about giant drone racing. [1790.05] Zoe: I had a meeting with the CEO, Brad Fox-Avon, [1792.85] Zoe: about the possibility of implementing a meter-sized drone [1798.05] Zoe: with the ability to go 100 plus miles an hour [1802.21] Zoe: to really be exciting. [1804.45] Zoe: And I told him I could do that [1805.81] Zoe: and I was gonna do that. [1808.05] Zoe: And then they uninvited me [1810.69] Zoe: and they pulled that from the table. [1812.53] Zoe: Well, I kind of carried on with that vision. [1816.61] Zoe: I'm like, this is obviously what people want. [1820.21] Zoe: They wanna see bigger, cooler, more fast drones. [1823.73] Zoe: The format is broken and it needs to change. [1827.81] Zoe: At least it needs to change [1828.93] Zoe: if we want it to be a spectator sport. [1831.41] Zoe: And we want it to have sponsors with interest [1834.21] Zoe: and actually shelling out money [1836.21] Zoe: for pilots and people to compete. [1839.01] Zoe: And I say that more as something proper [1843.65] Zoe: because right now DR1, it's a marketing play. [1847.73] Zoe: They have a lot of backing by PepsiCo [1850.45] Zoe: and their associated brands, [1852.05] Zoe: but they're owned by that. [1854.21] Zoe: So it's basically PepsiCo's idea [1857.89] Zoe: of taking advantage of the drone racing hype [1860.05] Zoe: and selling ads. [1862.53] Zoe: DRL is trying to go about it more like an actual league, [1867.41] Zoe: but in a lot of ways, they turned it into a TV show [1871.09] Zoe: and now they're trying to actually legitimize their league, [1875.09] Zoe: which I see as kind of cool. [1878.61] Zoe: Even though I've probably been their biggest critic, [1883.25] Zoe: which for fair reasons, for fair reasons, [1886.45] Zoe: even though people criticize me for it. [1888.45] Zoe: I mean, some of it is justly due. [1890.37] Zoe: It was a very inflammatory image. [1892.85] Zoe: But the thing is the leagues are still like that. [1898.45] Zoe: If you look at the issues I brought up months ago, [1902.05] Zoe: there's still problems today in the drone industry. [1904.45] Zoe: And I've seen attempts to fix a lot of the issues [1908.93] Zoe: that I brought up, [1909.97] Zoe: but it hasn't really happened yet. [1914.61] Zoe: So I still hold out hope that my initial, [1918.77] Zoe: what I talked about months ago [1920.37] Zoe: will come back to help the industry out [1923.41] Zoe: and more female pilots. [1924.61] Frank: Pretty far in the US with the X-Class [1927.17] Frank: and that you've got the reality of racing going [1929.89] Frank: and it's building up as a thing. [1932.37] Frank: You've obviously got your taking issues with the rules [1934.93] Frank: and exactly getting the details right, [1937.89] Frank: but it's well on the way. [1940.93] Frank: In the UK, we've got Tony in a field, [1943.17] Frank: dicking around. [1946.93] Zoe: So not to disparage that, [1948.93] Zoe: but that's the thing. [1949.81] Zoe: X-Class started its own chapter program [1952.93] Zoe: and the UK chapter with Tony was the first one. [1957.25] Zoe: And the idea with that was to encourage more people to race [1961.09] Zoe: because it only takes two people to race. [1963.25] Zoe: And it's a lot of fun just racing with two people [1966.21] Zoe: at these giant machines. [1967.57] Frank: And we've got a lot of people in the chat asking about details [1970.53] Frank: about power trains and all that sort of thing. [1973.41] Frank: And I'm pretty sure there's a good list somewhere. [1976.29] Frank: You probably know the details of more than I do. [1980.53] Zoe: So X-Class.racing has a list of some of the stuff out there. [1986.29] Zoe: They just updated it recently [1988.77] Zoe: and it's on the top of the website. [1990.69] Zoe: So just go X-Class.racing [1992.61] Zoe: and you'll see rules and regulations [1995.73] Zoe: and the whole shebang of stuff and information. [2001.33] Frank: Page on the field list. [2003.33] Zoe: And if you want to see what I'm flying [2005.01] Zoe: and know what I'm flying, go to Dysonian.com. [2007.33] Zoe: I have a build list for everything there. [2011.09] Zoe: It's yeah. [2013.81] Zoe: Like the California Vixen with 666 KV motors. [2017.33] Zoe: The master is screwed through 13 by 12 by 8 props. [2020.69] Zoe: The 80 amp ESCs and a 6000 maw 75C battery. [2027.41] Zoe: That's currently the fastest recorded drone in X-Class [2030.85] Zoe: and that currently has the track time at Antioch. [2036.61] Zoe: So it's battery running? [2038.85] Zoe: 6000 maw 75C. [2041.89] Zoe: And it's too small. [2044.69] Zoe: What success for us, I guess? [2047.09] Zoe: All the ass. [2049.17] Zoe: Success. [2050.53] Zoe: So I call it the deal with the devil on this one. [2054.45] Zoe: So it's 666 KV motors running six cell on a 6000 maw battery. [2060.85] Zoe: And it hauls ass. [2066.53] Tony: Why was all 666 so slow? [2069.97] Tony: I mean, we were only running that. [2072.05] Zoe: So one of the biggest issues right now is batteries. [2074.69] Zoe: Like we have a lack of really good high C rating batteries at this size. [2080.93] Zoe: Like the mini quad market, this is what happened is like [2084.13] Zoe: the mini quad market happened. [2085.89] Zoe: The industrial market happened here. [2088.37] Zoe: The mini quad market took the battery technology [2091.33] Zoe: up and up and up and up and up and up and up. [2093.89] Zoe: And the industrial market stayed the same. [2097.25] Zoe: And my tracking on my camera sucks. [2100.45] Tony: We can say you think. [2101.25] Tony: Did it follow your hands? [2103.89] Zoe: I was trying to track my face and I was trying to make gestures [2106.45] Zoe: with my hands and it confused it. [2110.37] Jack: The hell is that thing? [2112.21] Jack: Has it got a name? [2113.65] Jack: Is it the little thing that you had on the front of your canopy [2117.33] Jack: with a little sticky up arms? [2119.73] Jack: What happened to that man? [2120.93] Jack: That was amazing. [2122.21] Zoe: That was a Photoshop. [2124.45] Jack: Was it? [2125.97] Zoe: Yeah, because when I saw the little there's antennas that stick up. [2130.53] Zoe: And in my head, I thought it just looked like someone going. [2134.45] Zoe: So I photoshopped a little hands onto it. [2138.13] Zoe: I might have to actually add those. [2140.77] Jack: Damn it. [2141.25] Jack: I'm like Tony. [2142.05] Jack: I feel like I've just found out the earth's round now. [2144.85] Jack: I'm really. [2146.53] Jack: You are woke, Jack. [2147.81] Jack: Oh, no, well, no, no, the earth is flat. [2151.17] Zoe: Find out next week on the second episode of quad bashers [2154.85] Zoe: while we test whether or not the earth is round. [2159.41] Tony: You've been flying high speed into things. [2161.49] Tony: I'm watching it slowly, but it's so fun. [2167.89] Jack: Is your battery still the same questionable shape? [2173.97] Tony: Well, last time you were on, you had a funny shape battery. [2179.9] Zoe: Oh, yeah. [2180.54] Zoe: No, I'm not going on. [2182.38] Jack: Yeah, your battery is still trying to summon Satan with 666 and the giant dildo. [2190.54] Zoe: No, no, no, no. [2191.02] Zoe: I wrote the contract with the dildo battery and we're good now. [2196.22] Zoe: So the 666 can be called on track and then I handed Satan the dildo [2200.62] Zoe: and he's like, I'm going to use this on you later. [2203.1] Jack: You ever get a new car, you name it Satan. [2207.58] AndyRC: I tell you what, a success dildo. [2209.82] AndyRC: Now that's going to be some power, isn't it? [2212.62] Jack: I'd love to see Andy running that. [2216.86] AndyRC: On the way things are going, that might be my next, having you, I tell you. [2222.3] Zoe: I don't know how much. [2224.06] Zoe: Okay, so I hadn't signed the NDA when I found it out, [2227.74] Zoe: but there's a certain motor company that's working on a success dildo. [2233.5] Jack: Shut up. [2237.26] Zoe: Let's just say the sexual wellness market is way bigger than the FPV market [2242.7] Zoe: and they're realizing their technology could be used for way more than drones. [2247.1] AndyRC: I can just see the slogan, Rip in Bulls. [2253.42] Tony: Okay, this podcast always goes somewhere, doesn't it? [2258.38] Tony: I'm just going to bring it back a bit. [2261.1] Frank: I know, I know, sorry. [2264.22] Frank: There was some question in the chat earlier about [2268.3] Frank: how big a space do you actually need to fly these things? [2272.06] Zoe: So this is debatable, depends on how good of a pilot you are. [2277.5] Frank: Bearing in mind that we're talking about all these guys in the chat that are like, [2280.46] Frank: I want to build one and then try it out. [2283.34] Zoe: So if you're talking about space, like a football field, [2287.18] Zoe: football field's a pretty good space for it. [2291.58] Zoe: That's about the general size, regular track and field. [2294.86] Zoe: If you have a track and field by your house, like a high school or something, [2298.46] Zoe: you can go there during an off time and actually do timing. [2303.02] Zoe: So the really cool thing with the track and field is that their tracks are defined by length [2307.82] Zoe: and you can use Google Earth and actually plot out your camera footage versus the time [2313.34] Zoe: it takes you to go around a track and plot out how fast your average speed is on a drone. [2319.9] Zoe: Currently, that is the most reliable way of telling you how fast a machine is. [2325.02] Zoe: And it's currently the way the Guinness Book of World Records counts drone speed. [2330.22] Zoe: So if you're trying to count your speed and get some testing data in, [2334.46] Zoe: I recommend using that method. [2336.86] AndyRC: What method was that, Zoe? [2338.38] AndyRC: Sorry, I missed that. [2339.42] Zoe: What method do they use for the speed? [2341.66] Zoe: So it's essentially measuring time over distance or distance over time. [2349.02] AndyRC: So at the average speed rather than actual top speed? [2352.06] Zoe: Yes, because so far, every measurement method that they've tried for the top speed, [2357.98] Zoe: like the absolute top speed, like radar and stuff like that has been fairly inconsistent. [2362.78] Zoe: And the most reliable method of gaining time or recording time is between two points of space. [2370.86] Zoe: So essentially, a machine starts here, ends there. [2373.82] Zoe: And that's the time it takes to go between those two points. [2377.58] Zoe: That's how you get the average speed of the machine. [2379.74] AndyRC: Yeah, I think what can happen with the bigger models is maybe it can pick up the props, [2385.26] AndyRC: like deflections from the props and stuff. [2387.1] AndyRC: Because I do speed testing with radar. [2392.54] AndyRC: And yeah, it can be off by quite a bit sometimes. [2395.98] Zoe: Yes, I think at some point in time, the prop is as wide as the arm on the machine. [2401.82] Zoe: And it's almost as thick when you combine the aluminum and stuff and its actual radar. [2408.38] Zoe: We don't know what that is in this country. [2411.1] Tony: What is? [2412.22] Tony: Aluminum. [2414.7] Tony: Sorry. [2417.58] Zoe: I'm sorry that you're using carbon fiber still. [2422.22] Zoe: We've just changed. [2423.82] Zoe: Are you using the HDPE? [2426.38] Zoe: No. [2428.14] Zoe: Aluminium. [2428.62] Tony: That's not a good deal, though. [2429.82] Zoe: So you're using aluminium. [2431.5] Zoe: You've coming to the dark side. [2433.34] Tony: We have because it's cheaper. [2435.82] Tony: Because it's cheaper. [2437.9] Zoe: Basically. [2439.18] Zoe: Okay. [2440.7] Zoe: I see how it is. [2442.78] Zoe: How many am. [2443.74] Jack: Frank, you're going to be using a potato. [2446.38] Zoe: No, it's just funny. [2447.26] Zoe: It's just like Dysonian.com like Dyson and we set the trend for aluminum frames. [2451.98] Zoe: We're like people, carbon fiber, stupid, expensive, break easy. [2456.78] Zoe: Aluminum, cheap, holds shape, easy to repair. [2461.82] Zoe: I mean, I've yet to break one of my aluminum frames. [2465.18] Zoe: And that's kind of saying something for crashing these things at 100 miles an hour. [2470.06] Tony: Our frames are still carbon, but we've just swapped to using aluminium arms [2475.1] Tony: because they're two quid a go instead of whatever they were. [2480.7] Tony: 10 quid a go or something. [2481.98] Tony: So you can just replace an arm. [2485.66] Tony: Yeah, that's a point. [2488.3] Tony: You can replace it in like two minutes. [2490.94] Zoe: And it's also it allows you to pick the breaking point. [2493.82] Zoe: If you don't pick the point that breaks on these machines, it's going to pick it for you. [2498.38] Zoe: And with aluminum arms, you have the ability to and a lot of crashes. [2503.42] Zoe: If it doesn't break, bend it back into place and keep flying, which you can't really do with carbon. [2511.9] Zoe: So it's it's definitely like I know, Armiton, they're going aluminum. [2518.78] Zoe: And it's funny that it's taking giant racing drones back to basically old school aircraft [2526.54] Zoe: building techniques, which is aluminum construction using aluminum grade aircraft. [2534.22] Zoe: So, yeah, we're going back in time a little bit with these giant rigs about aluminium for a five inch. [2541.9] AndyRC: Or does that is the power to weight ratio? [2545.34] AndyRC: You know, is it is it too much for five inch? [2547.74] AndyRC: So I've always wondered that we'll just use carbon fiber. [2552.22] Zoe: So there's been a few frames out there that have been full car or aluminum. [2557.1] Zoe: And in general, the milling on them is not enough to make them light enough [2563.42] Zoe: to be competitive with the carbon fiber frames. [2566.3] Zoe: And one of the bigger issues, these giant X-Class machines, [2569.34] Zoe: is that the flat pack carbon fiber frame works for a mini quad. [2573.98] Zoe: But once you get to the larger machines, you start having arms. [2577.1] Zoe: You can't have a flat packed arm for next class quad. [2580.22] Zoe: And if you do, it's going to be massive and really heavy and like just unwieldy. [2586.46] Zoe: So a lot of people are using adapters on the motors and the frame. [2592.94] Zoe: To hold an arm of some kind, whether it be an aluminum tube, [2596.78] Zoe: a hexagonal shape tube or whatever have you hold the arm in place. [2603.26] Zoe: And what that ends up doing is it creates a lot of extra hardware [2607.5] Zoe: that's required to hold it in place. [2611.34] Zoe: And that adds expense to manufacturing, [2614.7] Zoe: adds time for building, adds complexity, adds failure points. [2619.34] Zoe: That's a really big thing, especially out on the arms. [2621.9] Zoe: It adds really big failure points. [2625.18] Zoe: So going with like the Dysonian design [2627.9] Zoe: where we've flat packed the end of the tubes [2631.34] Zoe: and we've created a way to kind of reinforce the strength of the tubes [2635.5] Zoe: so it's not a smushed flat. [2639.98] Zoe: And even allows you to run the wiring inside the arms, [2644.7] Zoe: which is kind of nice too, [2645.9] Zoe: which is like we have a really clean wiring setup that's coming out soon. [2649.9] Zoe: And then on top of that, the aluminum frame, [2652.62] Zoe: like the one Dysonian is working on and should be out hopefully next week, [2659.58] Zoe: is $99. [2660.62] Zoe: Like you pay $99 bucks and $20 shipping [2663.26] Zoe: and we send you all the aluminum, [2665.1] Zoe: the custom made welded hub for it with the one bolt removal. [2669.9] Zoe: So the arms pop off with one bolt, [2671.9] Zoe: which makes them really easy to travel with. [2674.54] Zoe: And you print out your own parts. [2679.1] Zoe: So you can print out without motor pads, [2681.02] Zoe: you can go bare, you could just print out a little pod. [2684.3] Zoe: Hell, you can even buy some of the parts separately [2687.34] Zoe: and just buy what you need. [2689.98] Zoe: Say you wanted to hand build some parts [2691.74] Zoe: or just use the base frame for another configuration. [2696.14] Zoe: For example, there's one pilot critter. [2699.9] Zoe: He's bought the sole frame [2702.06] Zoe: and he's basically made a slam deck mount version of it [2707.42] Zoe: where the battery is on top. [2709.66] Zoe: He also he's made a couple of different variations. [2713.34] Zoe: And that's another big thing of note is the Dysonian frames [2716.78] Zoe: were planning on supporting that frame architecture, [2721.02] Zoe: like the base frames going forward for years. [2724.3] Zoe: So like when we release a new product, [2726.78] Zoe: it's going to be based off of the existing frame designs. [2730.22] Zoe: So if you have one of our frames, [2732.22] Zoe: you'll be able to basically bolt on a new configuration [2736.06] Zoe: or new arms for new motors and essentially go. [2740.14] Zoe: So the same frame and much like old school automotive production [2744.78] Zoe: will be able to go through several generations of use [2747.98] Zoe: before we discontinue it. [2751.9] Zoe: And I don't think we will. [2753.02] Zoe: I think the aluminum frame is here to stay [2755.74] Zoe: and the full aluminum build from Dysonian [2759.02] Zoe: is going to be a staple of ours. [2762.06] Zoe: We're working on a new, this is kind of babbling, [2764.22] Zoe: we're working on a new configuration of it. [2766.7] Zoe: And I don't know how much I want to reveal [2769.42] Zoe: because it's going to be unlike anything [2772.14] Zoe: anyone's ever seen before. [2776.06] Zoe: And I'm kind of worried about others [2778.94] Zoe: getting to the design of it before we get it out. [2781.58] Zoe: And there's a very large chance that we'll never sell [2785.58] Zoe: the design that we're working on next. [2788.38] Zoe: As it's a concept design and it's trying to prove a point, [2794.14] Zoe: we're completely rethinking the idea of what an X-Class drone is [2798.54] Zoe: and should be and look like. [2801.18] AndyRC: So it's going to be a five inch, isn't it? [2806.78] AndyRC: I'm kidding. [2808.94] Zoe: Let's just say X-Class gives you wings. [2811.9] AndyRC: Yeah, that's what I was thinking about. [2815.58] AndyRC: When you see F1 and we could be doing perhaps things [2819.9] AndyRC: with downforce and stuff like that. [2822.06] AndyRC: And I always thought about breaking with the motors [2827.82] AndyRC: and stuff, maybe more stuff with that [2830.22] AndyRC: when it comes to corners. [2831.34] AndyRC: I think there's a lot to be explored. [2833.5] AndyRC: So that's what I thought when you went down those lines. [2837.18] AndyRC: Yeah, wings and stuff and downforce, [2839.98] AndyRC: maybe adjustable things. [2842.46] Zoe: We've got a roadmap ahead to push ahead hybrid designs. [2851.74] Zoe: And it's something that I'm really passionate about. [2857.5] Zoe: And it's also something that we might be scaling [2860.22] Zoe: up to 1600 millimeters. [2863.42] AndyRC: You'll be able to sit in it at some point. [2866.3] Zoe: Well, so there's a 1600 millimeters is the size of a car. [2871.42] Zoe: If you put the motors where they should be, [2873.9] Zoe: they're essentially where the wheels would be on a small car. [2878.22] Zoe: So at that point in time, you're dealing with a machine [2881.5] Zoe: that you could almost say rivals that of traditional automotive racing [2887.74] Zoe: and creates a spectacle that is something to behold. [2894.06] Zoe: So I'm hoping that project will materialize sooner than later. [2899.34] Zoe: There's two different projects within that. [2901.18] Zoe: There's the 1600 millimeter project, [2903.34] Zoe: and then there's the hybrid project. [2907.74] Zoe: And the idea behind that is that it's essentially [2910.62] Zoe: one's a scaled up version of the other. [2912.54] Zoe: So we're approving the hybrid concept and the 100 millimeter range. [2917.42] Zoe: And once that concept is proven, [2920.14] Zoe: we're going to be moving on to basically proving technologies [2926.54] Zoe: within the 1600 millimeter range. [2928.86] Zoe: And I have some hopes and theories for that. [2933.58] Zoe: I know it's so hard to talk about [2936.38] Zoe: because some of these bigger projects are a bit slower moving. [2941.26] Zoe: And realistically, there's not a lot of money in it, [2944.38] Zoe: and I'm not doing it for any kind of money. [2946.14] Zoe: So there's really no reason I should be secretive. [2948.7] Zoe: But there's a couple companies that I've been working with, [2951.02] Zoe: IQ motion control and Freedom Motors. [2953.42] Zoe: And Freedom Motors makes a... [2955.98] Zoe: Basically, the next best thing to an electric motor [2959.74] Zoe: and a gas motor, which is a Wankel rotary engine variation, [2965.1] Zoe: which essentially has two moving parts [2967.42] Zoe: instead of one moving part that our electric motors have. [2970.7] Zoe: And it has the ability to change its RPM within half a second, [2975.1] Zoe: within 20% of its range. [2976.62] Zoe: So it can rev up very quickly and rev down very quickly, [2980.3] Zoe: a lot like our electric motors. [2985.1] Zoe: I know. It sounds funny, but Dr. Wankel is the guy [2988.7] Zoe: that invented this engine. [2990.22] Zoe: And there's some interesting history behind it. [2995.02] AndyRC: Would that be on every single arm [2997.34] AndyRC: or would it be one motor that drives belts? [3000.14] AndyRC: So it would be on every single arm [3002.54] AndyRC: because that would be a new thing as well, wouldn't it? [3004.22] AndyRC: Because a lot of the gas powered quadcopters, if you will, [3008.46] AndyRC: have been sort of belt driven up to now from what I've seen. [3011.9] AndyRC: So yeah, it's an interesting idea. [3014.38] Jack: Trouble is with the Wankel engine is the little seals wear out [3019.58] Jack: and also they're not that... [3021.98] Zoe: Well, this is the biggest thing with the seals. [3023.9] Zoe: The seals only wear out when you're not running the engine at efficiency. [3029.26] Zoe: So there's a big secret to the Wankel engine [3031.9] Zoe: that a lot of people don't realize is that [3034.94] Zoe: they tend to leak when they're not running. [3037.42] Zoe: So they'll leak oil when they're not in use. [3040.3] Zoe: But once it's in use, [3041.58] Zoe: the machine essentially creates an equilibrium within itself [3045.74] Zoe: and the seals are functional. [3047.9] Zoe: So if you keep it running continuously, [3050.94] Zoe: it actually stays sealed and it doesn't wear down the seals. [3057.42] Zoe: The biggest issue with the Wankel engine [3059.5] Zoe: is that a lot of people just kind of forgot about it. [3062.3] Zoe: And it hasn't really been proven against other technologies. [3067.18] Zoe: Like a lot of the projects that we're incorporating, [3071.42] Zoe: the versions of the engine, [3073.58] Zoe: especially even going back to DARPA projects [3077.66] Zoe: that the current designer of the engine I'm talking about is... [3085.34] Zoe: Gosh, I keep forgetting his name. [3089.18] Zoe: Dr. Paul Mohler. [3090.3] Zoe: So Dr. Mohler has a version of this Wankel engine [3093.42] Zoe: that he's potentially giving me access to [3096.54] Zoe: for demonstration craft. [3099.42] Zoe: And the biggest thing is changing, [3101.26] Zoe: essentially, our flight controller systems, [3103.82] Zoe: which in theory it's possible to use a high-speed servo system [3108.7] Zoe: instead of regular signals. [3111.42] Zoe: So the ESCs will be PWM using signals instead, [3115.98] Zoe: operating a high-speed servo, changing the rate of the engine. [3120.46] Zoe: And the biggest issue with that is [3122.38] Zoe: you can't get the same kind of update rates [3124.54] Zoe: on those engines as you can, electric motors. [3129.1] Zoe: So it's effectively harder to tune, but not impossible. [3133.5] Zoe: It means you have to relax the PIDs and not update it as fast. [3140.38] Zoe: Essentially, you're just changing the way it updates [3143.26] Zoe: and slowing down the updates to the motors [3147.26] Zoe: and what it expects back from it. [3149.58] Zoe: Then there's a secondary option I'm looking at [3152.06] Zoe: with IQ motion control using electric motors [3154.62] Zoe: and using the highest tech electric motors out there right now [3159.02] Zoe: to make a giant racing drone. [3162.46] Zoe: And currently, they've got the motors under manufacture [3165.66] Zoe: for electric surfboards, [3168.7] Zoe: but the same motor can be used in other applications as well. [3174.14] Zoe: That's a 5-kilowatt motor. [3175.9] Zoe: So it's potentially a 20-kilowatt machine at 1600 millimeters, [3180.14] Zoe: which is not unheard of, but it's definitely going to be beefy. [3187.02] Zoe: So those projects are kind of my long-term whales right now. [3192.94] Zoe: We have the frame. We have that. That's fine. [3196.78] Zoe: It's mainly down to the power system. [3199.02] Zoe: And while we could strap our current motors [3203.42] Zoe: and props onto a 1600-millimeter frame, [3206.22] Zoe: it just wouldn't do it justice. [3207.5] Zoe: So it's kind of a wait for the right motors and whatnot. [3214.3] Zoe: And once they get here, it's going to be a mad dash [3216.54] Zoe: to actually build the machines. [3220.06] Zoe: So that's my long-term projects right now with X-Class. [3223.42] Zoe: Because 800 millimeters is cool, [3225.58] Zoe: but I still think it needs to be bigger. [3227.98] Zoe: Wow. Bigger than that. [3229.18] Tony: I've got to shout out to Squeechie FPV. [3232.86] Tony: Squeechie? Squeechie? I don't know. [3234.86] Tony: Hello, mate. [3236.06] Zoe: Is it S-Q-U-I-S-H-Y? [3239.02] Zoe: Yeah, that's him. [3240.06] Tony: Squeechie. [3241.26] Tony: Squeechie. [3242.14] Tony: Hello, mate. [3248.06] Tony: How many more X-Class races is there in the calendar in the US? [3253.18] Tony: And can me and Martin from Fossil Stuff come over and fly one? [3258.54] Zoe: Yes and yes. [3260.86] Zoe: I think there's six more planned this year, [3263.42] Zoe: or five more planned, depending if they rescheduled [3265.98] Zoe: one of the races that got canceled. [3270.94] Tony: That was a blind one, wasn't it? [3272.06] Tony: Old tornado or something? [3274.62] Zoe: No, actually it was, I believe, [3276.78] Zoe: from the fact that we actually lost our flying field. [3279.42] Zoe: So a local airport shut down flying drone [3282.22] Zoe: at a spot that we were going to hold it at. [3286.46] Zoe: Which goes to the fact that a lot of places in the United States [3289.74] Zoe: have started adding regulations to where you can fly your drones at, [3293.58] Zoe: and it's becoming harder and harder to fly in the US. [3298.62] Tony: Do I have to take a test if I come over to fly? [3302.22] Tony: Yes. [3302.78] Jack: And do you have a registered address? [3306.22] Tony: What kind of test is it? [3308.46] Tony: Oh, I hate your test at school. [3310.22] Tony: Is it an IQ test? [3311.82] Tony: Oh, that's a five. [3312.7] Tony: You can't call me a scale IQ. [3315.34] Zoe: So the part 107 test is like 80% of what you'd have to get [3320.62] Zoe: and take for your written on a private license for full-scale aircraft. [3328.78] Zoe: You need to know how to read aeronautical maps really well, [3333.1] Zoe: and know exactly what all that shit means. [3335.82] Zoe: And you can cram it into your head in 48 hours [3340.86] Zoe: and get through the test, like a lot of people do. [3343.26] Zoe: But it leaks very badly. [3346.46] Zoe: That's why you cram for 48 hours. [3349.42] Zoe: I actually created a study guide to help me cram for the test. [3352.46] AndyRC: It sounds like none of that would be useful to actually fly. [3356.62] Zoe: It's not. [3358.54] Zoe: Literally, maybe 10%, maybe 20% of the test actually relates to drones. [3364.62] Zoe: Most of it's relating to general aeronautical knowledge, [3367.66] Zoe: and that's why I say most of it, [3369.66] Zoe: like, it wouldn't be much of a stretch for me [3372.86] Zoe: to actually go for my full-scale pilot's license at this point in time. [3377.18] Zoe: Like, I wouldn't have to study too much more on the written side of things. [3381.98] Zoe: I just have to get a lot of stick time in a plane [3385.18] Zoe: and pass another written test that's a lot like the one I just passed. [3392.14] Zoe: I'm too tall. [3393.18] Zoe: I get so claustrophobic on planes, [3396.54] Zoe: and most of the starter planes are really tiny. [3402.7] Frank: So you would go in a fleet of street poles and ultralight them? [3407.42] Zoe: An ultralight, maybe. [3408.78] Zoe: If there's no canopy, and if we're out in the world, I think I'd be okay. [3413.02] Frank: Because someone was suggesting earlier that you take the motors, [3415.58] Frank: that he's got on his ultralights and stick them on the next class. [3418.86] Frank: A lot of work. [3420.94] Zoe: That's kind of the direction we're going. [3425.74] Zoe: I really think that's the direction drone racing is going. [3429.34] Zoe: I think that's one of the reasons why Dysonian in general is kind of [3434.94] Zoe: why we're moving towards more hybrid designs, [3439.18] Zoe: is that we're playing a long game, [3441.34] Zoe: and we know that designs are going to evolve, [3446.54] Zoe: and once people are shown a better way, they'll catch onto it. [3451.42] Zoe: Jack's got something. [3453.9] Jack: Are you sure you guys would want to ride Peter's plane? [3459.1] Jack: You two were like loving aluminium. [3461.58] Jack: Have you seen his landing gear in his last video? [3465.1] Jack: No. [3468.14] Jack: It's made of aluminium. [3472.78] Jack: Sorry, I should have brought this up to you earlier. [3475.02] Jack: Do you mind erasing the raggy thing on the board? [3480.14] Jack: It's triggering Tony. [3483.18] Tony: I'm totally cool with that now. [3484.78] Tony: I'm over it. [3486.06] Tony: What was that? [3486.7] AndyRC: Is there some insider joke going on here? [3490.62] Jack: Anyway, now we started talking. [3493.82] Jack: Hey, Andy, RC. [3496.78] Zoe: So I just got to say, there is a little bit of a sore spot [3499.74] Zoe: for me and the raggy thing now, too. [3501.98] Tony: Explain, I want to know what's going on. [3505.02] Zoe: Come to the light side. [3506.86] Zoe: No, no, no, just to get it off my chest. [3510.3] Zoe: So I spent two months helping out on the Raggy WBX for Roto-Riot. [3515.82] Zoe: Is this a raggy? [3519.66] Tony: Boy, Andy, I'll say that's... [3522.7] Tony: Tussles needs to be burnt. [3524.46] Tony: Jack built this one, if that makes it worse. [3527.02] Jack: I was forced to. [3529.66] Zoe: But I worked on the variation, let me grab it real quick. [3533.9] Jack: No, actually, I don't think I did. [3535.58] AndyRC: I think this wound needs to be opened up. [3538.54] Tony: Not again. [3539.5] Tony: This has been so many times. [3541.74] Tony: What's wrong with Raggy? [3544.78] Zoe: Oh, Andy, we need a chat. [3548.14] Zoe: There's fun backstory between Raggy and Paul's and stuff, [3550.7] Zoe: but let me tell you my history with them, at least. [3555.02] Zoe: Thomas came to me a while ago and was like, [3556.94] Zoe: hey, Zoe, I've got this frame. [3558.38] Zoe: I want you to have it and just send me a bunch of stuff to review [3561.9] Zoe: and some parts to build it out. [3565.98] Zoe: I built one out. [3566.78] Zoe: I loved it. [3567.34] Zoe: I loved the way it just went together. [3570.38] Zoe: And initially, compared to the fossil stuffs, [3572.78] Zoe: I liked that more. [3575.5] Zoe: But that was kind of my initial thing. [3578.54] Zoe: So I just kind of started flying my Raggy more. [3581.74] Zoe: And eventually, the Roto-Riot guys were like, [3583.98] Zoe: hey, Zoe, we're not Roto-Riot. [3585.42] Zoe: It was Ashley Thomas from Raggy. [3588.22] Zoe: He's like, hey, Roto-Riot's interested in one of my frames. [3591.5] Zoe: And can I get some help testing it out and working on it? [3595.42] Zoe: And so I spent a lot of time. [3600.14] Zoe: I had my own frame in development that I put on hold [3604.22] Zoe: to help this out because it was the episode [3606.22] AndyRC: where they crushed it into Chadd's player. [3611.98] Zoe: Yeah, that was around the time when I initially made it. [3616.38] Zoe: And it was actually before that when I got my first Raggy frame. [3620.3] Zoe: And this is like staying back from the initial interaction [3625.74] Zoe: from Drone Nationals 2015. [3627.9] Zoe: There's a long history of interaction between them [3631.1] Zoe: or between Thomas and I. [3632.46] Zoe: So anyways, I'm working on the frame. [3636.94] Zoe: It's coming out well. [3637.98] Zoe: I like it. [3640.06] Zoe: And I'm getting no kickbacks at all for it. [3644.22] Zoe: So I spent two months on not my own frame [3646.94] Zoe: to receive nothing for it. [3648.86] Zoe: And I get no real credit at all at anything I helped with. [3653.34] Zoe: I went through piece by piece actually building the frame [3655.82] Zoe: and making sure where holes needed to be cut out for people [3659.02] Zoe: that those places were properly set up. [3663.66] Zoe: And this is where the real hurt comes in. [3665.74] Zoe: I'm fine with helping on development and stuff on things [3668.86] Zoe: just because I love being a test subject. [3672.22] Zoe: I love testing stuff. [3673.58] Zoe: That's one of my most favorite things in the world [3676.3] Zoe: is just making something new that hasn't been made before [3679.9] Zoe: and making it a reality. [3681.34] Zoe: That is the thing that gets me off more than any other thing. [3684.78] Jack: You've got a fetish of being a guinea pig. [3690.14] AndyRC: Yes. [3690.62] AndyRC: I think we all have Jack. [3692.7] AndyRC: Otherwise, we would not be on this ship. [3696.54] Jack: I'm a mad scientist. [3698.54] Zoe: But the biggest issue, depending on all the issues I had with it, [3701.98] Zoe: was that in the final production of the frame, [3705.26] Zoe: they screwed up some of the pieces and some of them were not correct. [3711.58] Zoe: So one of my fans was shipped out of frame that I helped them put together [3717.82] Zoe: only to find out that they put the holes on the wrong piece [3721.9] Zoe: and you couldn't physically put it together. [3724.3] Zoe: So I had to take my soldering iron and cut out the little structures [3730.22] Zoe: that it needed for the wires to run through. [3732.94] Zoe: And I'm thinking to myself, here I am. [3735.42] Zoe: I basically sold this personal frame. [3737.26] Zoe: They bought it because they saw it from me. [3739.74] Zoe: I didn't get paid for it. [3741.02] Zoe: And here I am dealing with the production issues [3743.02] Zoe: because they couldn't spend five minutes to check [3746.7] Zoe: to make sure the piece was done right. [3749.5] Zoe: That's right. [3752.06] Zoe: And it still pisses me the fuck off because I've been about a week and a half, [3755.34] Zoe: two weeks without a word on what is going on with production issues. [3760.14] Zoe: Good old Raggy. [3762.22] Zoe: Sorry. Okay. [3763.1] Zoe: I feel better now. [3765.02] Tony: You don't get that for some stuff, you know. [3767.1] Tony: And were we first? [3769.02] Tony: Oh, yes, we were first. [3770.46] Tony: Yeah. [3771.18] Zoe: That's the thing is like I love I love Raggy. [3773.42] Zoe: I love Thomas. [3774.14] Zoe: Like Thomas has been a good friend to me. [3776.62] Zoe: But when I am essentially working for you for free [3782.22] Zoe: and you're screwing up and it's making me look bad in front of one of my fans, [3787.18] Zoe: that becomes that's a bit of a problem. [3790.38] Zoe: And that's that's a problem. [3794.22] AndyRC: Are you continuing to work with them to sort of try work through it? [3798.22] AndyRC: Or is there something that happened a while ago? [3800.38] AndyRC: And this happened like a week and a half ago, two weeks ago. [3803.26] Zoe: Oh, right. Okay. [3804.22] Zoe: So this is this is fairly recent. [3806.22] Zoe: And it's not I haven't like it's not like I called off all working relationship with them or anything. [3810.22] Zoe: It's just like, I told them what the fuck. [3814.06] UNKNOWN: This is not cool. [3815.5] Zoe: This is this is the opposite of cool. [3817.98] Zoe: Did you have all the screws? [3820.46] Jack: Because the amount of Raggy frames that I've come into contact, but didn't have all the [3827.1] Jack: comments on that either. [3828.86] Zoe: Mikey Dred says it's not hard. [3832.22] Tony: Listen, Mikey Dred says that's what you get for working with cloners. [3839.1] UNKNOWN: But I'm Dred. [3840.3] Tony: Right. [3840.78] Jack: Right. [3841.58] Tony: Right. [3842.38] Jack: Right. [3842.7] Jack: We got we got a wrap up. [3845.42] AndyRC: That's a shame. [3846.3] Jack: I know. [3847.58] Jack: Just getting just getting juicy. [3849.58] AndyRC: I think the Raggy frames. [3851.5] AndyRC: I mean, I've heard that one, Jack, and it's like a brick, you know, it will not break. [3856.86] AndyRC: What's Tony doing? [3857.98] AndyRC: He's flashing something on the screen. [3859.58] AndyRC: Look like a magazine. [3863.82] Tony: Yeah, this is the magazine that I'm in in the UK. [3869.74] Tony: And it's also all about Frank's MS4. [3878.38] Tony: Well done, Frank. [3879.34] Tony: I got my copy as well. [3880.86] Tony: There's lots of stuff in there. [3882.38] Tony: Where can you get it from? [3883.98] Zoe: See the media likes the giant drip. [3885.9] Zoe: They want more of it. [3887.9] AndyRC: I subscribed to it. [3889.1] AndyRC: So you get it like monthly. [3892.94] AndyRC: But it's in everywhere. [3894.86] AndyRC: Corner shop. [3896.14] AndyRC: You're famous, Tony. [3898.14] AndyRC: Me. [3901.1] AndyRC: Everywhere. [3901.5] AndyRC: So strong. [3902.06] AndyRC: So, yeah, right. [3904.22] Jack: Oh, yeah. [3904.54] Jack: And I'll say you're northern. [3907.1] Jack: Apparently. [3908.7] Jack: Yeah. [3909.74] Jack: What is the word? [3911.74] Jack: Fettled. [3914.59] AndyRC: Oh, my God. [3915.55] AndyRC: I don't know. [3916.27] AndyRC: Is this an urban dictionary word? [3919.15] Jack: No. [3920.03] AndyRC: I've never heard of it before. [3921.39] AndyRC: That's what it says. [3922.51] AndyRC: It says trim or clean the rough edges of a metal casting or a piece of [3928.59] Zoe: pottery. [3928.91] Zoe: They never settled the frames either then because there's a bunch of rough [3932.43] Zoe: edges on the milling that I was like the fuck. [3934.43] Zoe: They didn't even take the roughness off of it. [3936.99] AndyRC: So what's the difference between fettled and chamfered? [3939.71] AndyRC: Is it the material that it's been fettled or chamfered? [3942.83] Frank: Fettled is more rough, isn't it? [3944.35] Frank: A chamfered, very specific. [3946.19] Zoe: If I chamfered it, I would have been okay, but it was fettled. [3951.23] Zoe: I'm adding that shit to my dictionary. [3952.99] Zoe: That was legitimately fettled. [3954.67] Jack: Chamfer means to put another edge to take an edge off. [3959.63] Zoe: What you want, you want chamfered edges on your carbon fiber frames. [3962.83] Zoe: It helps protect the carbon from shipping when you crash and in general makes it a little bit lighter. [3970.27] AndyRC: Is that a northern term, though, Jack? [3972.19] AndyRC: Just with like a term term. [3973.39] Jack: Yeah, it is. [3974.51] Jack: It's apparently northern. [3977.07] AndyRC: Shall we have a look? [3977.79] AndyRC: Oh, right underneath the actual explanation, there's an urban dictionary explanation. [3983.47] AndyRC: Can I read that one out? [3986.75] Jack: Zoe's already said the f-word about eight times. [3988.99] AndyRC: Oh, no, no, no. [3989.63] AndyRC: It says to modify, alter, change up or touch up something. [3994.67] Zoe: Wait, did I drop the f-bomb tonight? [3997.15] Jack: Yeah, it was raggy. [3998.43] Jack: You went in some sort of raggy f- [4000.27] Zoe: God damn it. [4002.35] Zoe: Raggy f-rags. [4004.51] Jack: You got two hours, though. [4005.63] Jack: You don't have to be well. [4006.75] Zoe: Not to drop the f-bomb, but I guess you're like... [4009.63] Zoe: You said f-bomb. [4010.43] Zoe: It didn't work. [4011.63] Jack: Hell of a lot. [4012.83] Frank: Oh, I thought it was fettle. [4015.15] AndyRC: No. [4015.63] AndyRC: It says here to puke from drinking too much. [4018.51] AndyRC: Other drugs may be involved, but it's strictly alcohol-based. [4025.39] AndyRC: A fettle, that's like throw up or something. [4028.51] Jack: There's a funny term where there's mark, [4032.19] Jack: full phrase, where there's mark, there's brass. [4037.95] Jack: Which I quite like. [4039.31] AndyRC: None of these are northern terms. [4041.47] Jack: Apparently so, on a website called joe.co.uk. [4046.99] Frank: So you can definitely trust them. [4050.91] Jack: On this note, do you want to sign us up, [4072.23] Jack: goodbye. [4073.67] Jack: Andy RC. [4075.19] AndyRC: Good night, everyone. [4077.27] Jack: My little Tony. [4078.55] Jack: Bonjour. [4079.91] Jack: Zoe FPV. [4081.67] Zoe: Hey, everybody. [4082.23] Zoe: Go check out my channel for quad bashers and watch stuff get blown up in slow motion. [4089.19] Zoe: Shameless plug. [4091.75] Jack: And I've been bright until I fly. [4093.11] Jack: All the links should be in the description below. [4095.51] Jack: Thank you very much for tuning in, guys. [4097.35] Jack: Hopefully, see you next week. [4099.59] Tony: Bye. [4101.35] Tony: Coming on.