Jumper T16 Pro - is it ready for prime time?

[20 Jan 2020: this review was written before the release of ACCST v2 which fixes a bug affecting detection of invalid data. The MPM devs are working to support v2, but at the time of writing the outcome is not certain.]

The Jumper T16 has been attracting a lot of attention recently - and with good reason as it's well equipped, runs OpenTx, and is aggressively priced. Droners and sport flyers love it... but is it good enough for high value sailplanes? Could it replace my X9D Plus?

There was only one way to find out, which was to get one and play with it!

Crow-aware adaptive elevator trim

If you fly advanced sailplanes, you'll almost certainly be using crow brakes. And you'll also know of the difficulty of achieving perfect pitch trim, due to the non-linear crow/pitch coupling.

In this post I describe an adaptive trim system which makes it easy. The pilot simply uses the elevator trim to correct pitch deviations regardless of crow. The system is based on a Lua script.

A 3D printed CG scale

How do you measure the CG of your model? Very likely, you'll be balancing the model over a pair of pivoting arms, or - if you're feeling lazy - your fingertips. Low cost yes, but not very convenient or accurate. Well you've guessed: there's a better way...

A 3D-printed case for the RX6R

FrSky's latest RX6R receiver is a great little device - except for one problem: it comes with a flimsy cardboard wrapper. That may be okay for a foamie, but for more serious use a proper case is required.

Ahi 1.0: an OpenTx template for aerobatic slopers

I've just added a new setup to my library of soaring templates. It's for 4-channel aerobatic slope soarers like the Ahi, Phase 6, Voltij etc.

Frsky RX6R - a tiny full range 6CH receiver

The FrSky RX6R sounds like the answer to a lot of pilots' prayers - a receiver small enough to fit in a Pitbull or Stribog without looking as if it's been jammed in with a hammer! What's more, the RX6R is claimed to offer 40% more range than X-series receivers. Sounds too good to be true? Let's find out... [note: updated 18 Oct 2018]

Adaptable ballast spreadsheets, using array formulae

F3X pilots love ballast, however ballast arrangements seem to get ever more complicated. Many F3F models have multiple pockets for wing ballast, optional joiner ballast, and choice of carbon or steel joiner. The problem is knowing how to distribute the ballast so as to minimise the impact on CG.