EasyGLider for AP

Aerial Pictures with an EasyGlider from MPX
Pierre Rondel
14/01/2006

Having a Twinstar equiped with an Aiptek megacam 1.3, I wanted a new AP platform able to carry my 4 Mp Canon Ixus I. When the EasyGlider has been release, I really liked the design and decided that it would be my next AP platform, especially after trying one of a friend. After this test I was pretty sure that the plane with a cheap brushless motor to replace the original speed 400 would be fine. At the beginning I wanted to mount the Camera in the cockpit but quickly I thought that I could find a better solution:

Requirements were the following:

keep the mount simple and convenient
make it easy to install or remove
No heavy change on the glider

The mount is composed of a case made from plywood for the camera which includes a servo and a pushrod, and the keel. The keel is fixed under the wing. Two blocks of samba are inserted in the wing with a bolt inside (4mm). They are glued with rapid-epoxy. Initially, I had only a plywood keel, but rapidely, I molded a carbon part on top to make the part more stiff in torsion and flexion. The big screw (6 mm) fix the camera and the case on the keel. The front 3mm screw give the angle (2 positions) to see momre or less the wing on the picture.

The total weight of the mount + the camera is around 190 gr + the lead needed for the CG balance, that is to say a total of 220 gr to carry. The Easy Glider fly pretty well with the overload. You just need to trim a little to fly straight. The climbing rate is more that correct, and the 8 cells 1050 MAh NiMh batterie give around 10 minutes of autonony.

Better than a long speech, I let you with the pictures on the mount and some aerial pictures. Enjoy !