Zoe’s FPV Rat, part 1

Zoe Stumbaugh flying a heavily modified version of the 290mm Blackout Spider Hexacopter design that she named “Rat” won the 1st AMA-sanctioned First-Person-View (FPV) race in May 2015.

The modifications Zoe made to the Rat were one of the main reasons she won.  They included:
•    Adjusting the frame and profile of the hexacopter to the point where it weighed 512 grams, giving it a better thrust-to-weight ratio.

A hexacopter sits on a scale. The scale readout is 512.
Zoe’s Rat only weights 512 grams, as the picture of it on this scale confirms. National Model Aviation Museum Permanent Collection, donated by Zoe Stumbaugh, 2015.31.01. Photo provided by the donor.

•    Adjusting the profile of the camera mounts for better viewing and support during fast flight.
•    Running the electric motors over original specifications in order to get the same power as a larger motor without the additional weight.
•    Tinkering with the electric speed controllers to synchronize better with the motors.

The hexacopter "Rat" has six motors and props, as well as 2 cameras.
Zoe Sumbaugh’s 290mm Blackout Spider Hexacopter “Rat”. National Model Aviation Museum Permanent Collection, donated by Zoe Stumbaugh, 2015.31.01.

Zoe also practiced a lot.  “For months I’d fly, crash, build, repeat,” she said in an email to Museum Director Michael Smith in May 2015.  “It became a normal part of my life and something I went to bed thinking about and woke up looking forward to.”  Later in the email she stated that while practicing her focus was on doing race line runs as well as keeping all the movements precise and accurate.

A transmitter, set of FPV goggles and a hexacopter displayed together on a workbench.
If you look closely at the hexacopter you can see the tufts of grass that stuck to the frame after a crash in one of the early heats during the race. The grass was still there when Zoe donated the equipment to the museum. National Model Aviation Museum Permanent Collection, donated by Zoe Stumbaugh, 2015.31.01. Photo provided by the donor.

All the hard work paid off during the race.

Shortly after the race in 2015 Zoe donated the Rat, her Turnigy 9xRPro transmitter and Boscam FPV goggles to the museum with the added comment of “keep flying!”

Continue on to part 2!

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For more information on the National Model Aviation Museum, including our location, hours and admission fees visit: www.modelaircraft.org/museum

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