Congratulations on receiving your Rocrow! I'm sure you'll want to be up and flying as soon as possible. Before you start, be sure to read the instructions inside the box. Don't pretend to read them and then fly into a tree, we'll know..
The Roprey User Guide inside the box will talk you through charging the batteries, assembling the model, how to use the stabiliser and GPS system and it even has a list of top tips from seasoned Rocrow pros.
Binding to the Transmitter
With a complete set, the transmitter in the box will always be bound to the model. However, if you change the receiver, or use a new transmitter, they will need to be bound together. This only takes a moment. First make sure the batteries in the transmitter have plenty of life in them. The LED on the transmitter should be solid red, not blinking. A blinking led means that the batteries (8 x AA) are empty and should be changed before the next flight.
Power up your Rocrow and transmitter, take your transmitter 1 meter away from the model. Now press the little black button at the back of the receiver for 3 seconds. It’s hard to see, but it’s there! You can find it under the spot where the aerial comes out. Your receiver is the thin green rectangular unit. Now wait for the green LED to blink a few times. Your model is now bound to your transmitter.
Charging Your Battery
Connect the black plug to the mains and the other end of the lead to the back of the charger
Connect the short black and red leads to the white body of the charger, matching the colours
Connect the battery to the charger using both the yellow connectors and the small white lead
Turn the charger on at the wall then hold the small red button until you hear a single beep
Once fully charged, both lights will be green and the charger will beep
Never leave a charging battery unattended. Wait until the battery is cool before recharging. If the leads are connected incorrectly, the battery will not charge and the charger will warn you by beeping.
Installing the Airbrake
Installing New Collar
Installing New Head
Installing New Fan Blade
An unbalanced fan sounds terrible and yet many modellers don’t realise just how easy it is to get a fan to sound like a turbine. Most model aviation clubs are close to residential dwellings and so noise must be reduced. Many clubs have adopted strict noise policies in order to keep the surrounding neighbourhood happy. The reason we balance an EDF is similar to the reason we balancing a propeller or a car wheel. it reduces sound, increases efficiency and minimises the wear and tear on the sensitive components in your model aircraft.
There are many ways to balance an EDF fan and in this article, we’ll cover two reasonably easy, yet effective methods.
Safety First
EDFs spin at a very high RPM and can cause serious damage to persons or property if the fan blades were to come away. If we take appropriate safety steps our chances of injury are almost nonexistent.
Always use a test stand for fuselage
Always use safety glasses
Never hold a spinning EDF for any reason
Never stand behind or in front of an EDF
Always ensure that the area is free of free clutter and loose items. Paper can easily be drawn into an EDF with devastating results.
Never attempt to repair an EDF fan whilst still connected to power
Never use a chipped or cracked fan
Never remove structural material from a fans blades
Basic Balancing
You need the following bits and pieces to complete the task.
Complete EDF unit with motor
EDF test cradle or plane fuselage
Spare collets
Good quality ESC
Screw drivers
Sharp Hobby Knife
400 Grit Sandpaper
Fiberglass reinforced tape
Isopropanol (rubbing alcohol)
Below are the steps you must follow, in order to get a basic balance.
Start by disassembling the fan and collet assembly from the motor shaft. Place those parts to one side and grab a small square of sandpaper.
Hold the motor and shroud so that the motor is at the top and is in an upwards position. This ensures that grit will not fall into the motor and damage the bearings.
Start by rubbing the motor shaft in all directions so that the smooth surface is gone and you can clearly see the abrasive marks. This will provide a better grip for the collet at a later stage. You may spool the motor up with the sandpaper to make the scoring process faster.
Next we check that the motor shaft is running true. Using the ESC, rotate the motor slowly and check the shaft is running true before proceeding. You are just going to sight the shaft. You might be surprised at just how good you’re eyes are at detecting the eccentricity
It is impossible to balance your fan unless the motor shaft is running true. Place the collet back onto the motor and rotate the motor slowly again checking for imbalance. You don’t require any special tools, just your eyes, as you’ll be able to see if its running true without any eccentricity (orbit). If you detect an orbit, rotate the collet 15deg and try again until you find a sweet spot where there is no orbit. Change the collet if required and repeat.
Place the fan on the collet and tighten the nut to bring the assembly back together again. Install the EDF into your fuselage or test platform and ensure that everything is ready for testing.
Mark the collet and fan so that you know the starting point as this will make your testing so much easier. Spooling up the fan and listen to the sound produced. Loosen the nut and move the fan 15deg and repeat. You are looking for the best sound with the least vibration.
Once you’ve found the spot with the least vibration add the nose cone, mark with a white marker or sharpie and begin moving in 15 deg steps. You will eventually find the spot with the least vibration.
Below you can find a video on how to replace the fan blade on your roprey models:
Installing New Engine
Installing New Servo
Installing New Tail
Options
Airbrake
What is it for?
The airbrake is designed to reduce the ability for falcons to carry the Roprey. It is especially useful when you are doing high flights or flying in enclosed areas where you need to land the falcon-Rocrow combo nearby.
Once the falcon has caught the prey by the head, flick the switch on the top left side of the transmitter. This releases the wing which will lift from the body at a steep angle hinging upwards about 50°. This increases the angle of attack of the wing which destroys the lift over the aerofoil and pushes the model downwards in a descent as steep as 45°. If the falcon has it by the head it should come down smoothly in a steep glide. The faster the falcon tries to fly, the more it is forced downwards.
If the falcon has caught the prey by the tail or wing, you do not need to activate the airbrake. She cannot fly forwards with the prey dangling. Do not deploy the airbrake when the falcon is not holding the Roprey – you will have a spectacular crash!
When using the airbrake with hard hitting falcons we recommend the use of a stoop pad (more info coming soon) to cushion the impact.
How Does it Work?
The airbrake kit consists of a hinged cup, spring, steel pin, airbrake servo, spare servo arms and some elastic bands. The kit is easily fitted to the standard Rocrow in a few minutes. The cup is attached to the base of the Rocrows neck held by a steel pin. The wing, secured with the elastic bands, slots into this cup which is spring loaded. At the base of the tail a servo is fitted with a small arm that holds the back edge of the wing down. This servo is controlled with a switch already fitted to your transmitter (remote control).
When this switch is pressed, the servo arm moves to the side and the wing is free to pop up under the pressure of the spring. This stops the wing producing any lift and greatly reduces the falcon’s ability to carry the Rocrow.
When the airbrake is fitted, the rubber bands are used in a different way than without. Instead of holding the wing to the whole body, the bands only hold the wing to the hinged cup. This allows for a quick release of the wing using the airbrake switch and makes changing the battery even quicker.
We supply some spare servo arms with each airbrake kit. This small plastic arm is designed to break in an impact so that no strain is put on the gears inside the servo. The arm is easily swapped with one small screw.
Weight
As with all flying things, weight is a big factor. The airbrake weighs 35g which is added to the total flying weight of your Roprey though the model is more than powerful enough to carry it. However, the heavier the model is, the more you lose the ability to fly slowly. What that essentially means is that for fast flying raptors, like falcons, the airbrake is perfect, but for raptors such as Harris Hawks where the aim is to fly as slowly as possible, the extra weight of the airbrake can make it tricky.
Stoop Pad
For hard hitting falcons, we recommend the use of a stoop pad on the Rocrow. The pad is made of foam and covers the main impact area at the base of the head and extends slightly in each direction. In order to minimise the effect on flight performance, the pad should be as light weight and streamlined as possible. We aim for a weight of 10 grams.
Here you will find a template for the stoop pad. This template can be printed, cut out and drawn around on your foam to ensure a good fit. Bevel the edges with a sharp knife, and then use sand paper to taper the edges to nothing to ensure good aerodynamics.
The stoop pad is best secured by crossing over two rubber bands that secure the wing and slipping the pad underneath them. The end of the pad nearest the head should be tucked underneath the red meat band.
We don’t have a dedicated video for the Stoop pad yet, but in the video below you can clearly see what it looks like!
Remote Launcher
Non-Standard Options
Autopilot
Models fitted with autopilots utilise GPS technology to gather information about their location. As these models know where they are, they can be programmed to remain in a certain airspace or avoid it altogether. In falconry, this allows the falconer to launch the model and request that it circle overhead, giving him/her time to pick up the falcon and slip it. Once the flight begins, the falconer can take over the controls and pilot the model. This makes Rofalconry easily accessible to those without a second pair of hands available to help.
Autopilots also have a large application in bird deterrence. Roprey imitating falcons, hawks and eagles can be flown remotely and autonomously for maximum results. These models can be programmed to fly above and below preset altitudes. They can also be programmed to avoid sensitive areas such as runways or other hazards. Preset routes can be created using a laptop or phone, and then transferred to the Roprey, sometimes via wireless signal. These routes can be developed so that they intersect with the most relevant areas of the site being worked on. To avoid habituation, many different routes can be created and then flown at random.
FPV
As well as normal filming, cameras can be fitted to Roprey that send a live video feed to the pilot on the ground, displayed either on a screen or a pair of video goggles. This First Person View technology is mostly applied in bird deterrence and RC hobby flying. It is generally not suitable for falconry flights where the pilot needs a wide field of view.
FPV flying allows the pilot to control the model at increased distances. It takes a little getting used to, but the results are excellent. It’s always a good idea to have a spotter present when flying, and especially so when flying FPV. This second pair of eyes can check for obstacles and other airspace users, and can also take control of the model if the pilot gets disorientated.
The larger the model, the more extra weight it can carry on board. The Roeagle, our largest model, can carry fully HD cameras, whilst both streaming the footage to the pilot and recording it. Such a large model is an effective tool for deterring larger pest birds such as geese.
Cameras
Attaching cameras to Roprey allows you to see the flight up close from the perspective of the quarry. A backward facing camera shows what it feels like to be the hunted, pursued by a predator in the air. Modern cameras are becoming lightweight, and more versatile. HD footage can be recorded with cameras weighing less than 30g, and even these small cameras can film for 30 minutes – plenty of time for a handful of flights.
We recommend the Mobius Mini, a camera we have used both in Europe and the Middle East with good results.
Available here
At 27g, it’s very light weight. If you need to shed more weight, the outer case can be removed and replaced with heat shrink wrap, giving you a final weight of only 18g! This camera works best on a bright day, due to its small lens.
In conditions of poor light, or where weight isn’t such an issue, the larger version can perform better. Available at places like Banggood.com or Gearbest.com.
GoPro cameras are very popular and can produce excellent footage also, but are too large and heavy for this application.
How to Mount a Camera
When mounting the camera to the Roprey, it’s important to consider the flight performance of the model. Attaching a camera away from the center of gravity – too close to the head or tail – will result in a poor flight performance. Keep any weight added to the model on the center of gravity. Learn how to find the center of gravity here.
Hot glue from a glue gun is a great method for attaching cameras. Also consider using Velcro, or tape. Where possible, tie a small length of fine cord to the camera and the model, just in case the first bond fails. Be sure to do this in such a way that there is no chance of harm to the falcon.
