Plastic frame survives asphalt incursion

[brtmac]

For anyone wondering about the sturdiness of the Protos plastic frame, I managed to slam my Protos into asphalt with full negative collective from about 6-7 feet up (I can't quite seem to get rid of the very bad reflex learned from flying in normal mode of drop the left stick when in trouble). I lost orientation and was flying in a space that was a bit too confined by large trees and fences and preferred to hit the ground rather than something else near by or lose it in the top of a 100' tall tree.

The crash resulted in busted main blades, a bent tail boom, two busted grips, a mangled swash driver, and a damaged canopy. I can't find any other breakage. If there is anything wrong with the main frame then it's too small to see.

[whisperdancer]

I believe the newer kits have the new plastic compound used in the plastic parts of the kit. It should be stronger than the previous plastic frames.

[OnTheSnap]

With any crash, it all depends how you go in. Every crash is unique. At 7 feet, it sounds like this was a very mild crash. Hard to draw any conclusions from a hit like this. But I'm glad it survived and a total rebuild isn't required.

[JustPlaneChris]

Originally Posted by OnTheSnap

W At 7 feet, it sounds like this was a very mild crash.

Considering the power of a Protos, full negative collective from 7 feet up probably generated a fair bit of velocity.

[rcboosted]

I just broke a plastic (older) frame this weekend. For some reason the amp draw went up to 120A and my HV85 shutdown (actually fried) and I lost power 20 feet up while tail was pointed down. There was no chance to auto eventhough I tried. I only broke the frame though I'm not sure if the FS and MS are bent or not. It landed upright but not sure why everything else survived when the main frame broke.

[brtmac]

My wife heard the crash from inside the house, with all of the windows closed. It was definitely not soft, but it wasn't moving at 90mph or anything like that either. I've done nearly the same thing from the same height with my T-Rex 450 into short grass and had to replace a whole lot of stuff. I know that every crash is different, but a lot of people talk about the Protos as if it's made of glass and will shatter if you land hard. That's definitely not my experience.

[nyc863]

I think it depends on how it is struck. I had a tip over. Just a tip over. The servo plastic mount, top and bottom, and anti-rotation bracket, shattered like a light bulb. I mean a dozen different sized pieces! The mast was left with two bearings on it, standing alone.

[JustPlaneChris]

One thing that I believe has a major effect is temperature!

I too have had a relatively hard crash (tail strike, then sideways slam onto pavement) that resulted in no frame damage. But the temperature was very warm (90F) so the plastic was no doubt much less brittle than in colder climates.

I will try not to crash during the winter.