Radio-controlled planes aren’t just for kids and casual hobbyists anymore. With a little planning and experience, an enthusiast can accomplish feats that would have awed NASA a few decades ago. David Windestål from RC Explorer has recently realized his dream of sending an RC plane to the edge of space, then piloting it back down to Earth. The best part is he got it all on video.
The first order of business when planning for this adventure was to decide on an airframe. Windestål eventually settled on a FunJet Multiplex because it is light, durable, and spacious enough to mount a GoPro 2 camera inside. He did have to make some modifications because of the frigid temperatures the plane would experience in the upper atmosphere. It wouldn’t do at all to have the machinery freeze up as it plummeted back down.
The plane was launched with a weather balloon for the trip up to an altitude of about 33,000 meters (about 19 miles). On the way, Windestål was able to monitor the video feed via a Lawmate 1W 1.2GHz transmitter mounted on the FunJet. The transmitter gets a little toasty during use, but that was actually a pleasant side effect. Windestål mounted it right next to the GoPro’s 2200mAh lithium-polymer battery to keep it warm and fully functional. A series of AA Energizer batteries were used to power the transmitter and other electronics as these cells work at much lower temperatures.
The craft also included a GPS chip and a barometer attached to an Arduino Mini to help track its course. An Aurora 9 with an OpenLRS long-range radio running at 2W was used to maintain the RC link on the plane, while Windestål used a larger directional antenna on the ground. Windestål managed to maintain contact with the plane most of the way up, but a technical complication on the ground broke contact. When contact was reestablished, the plane was already in freefall and some of the transmitter antennas had broken off.
Just when he was about to give up, the plane’s video signal showed up again as it neared the ground. Windestål was able to take control again, and pilot the FunJet in for a (relatively) safe landing. It traveled 101km and was in the air for 108 minutes, but Windestål managed to find the craft and salvage all the high-resolution video. I can safely say this is the most impressed I’ve ever been by a remote-controlled plane.
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