A big part in this project is choosing the size to build the HK, and also the weight. To figure this out I have been trawling the internet looking for potential motors and batteries that will be suitable. By knowing the thrust of a motor it will allow us to determine the maximum weight that can be supported and then will give us an approximation on how big to built the HK. Also knowing the battery will give us some insight into how long it will be able to sustain flight.

So in my search, I actually came across some great info. It was quite a big learning curve as I never even knew about brushless motors. I was somewhat blown away by their power and efficiency! They are smaller, quieter and more efficient that a normal bushed motor. Excellent! I found one motor which weights 76 grams and can output 1000-1500 grams of thrust. Having two of these would support anything from 2000, to 3000 grams in weight (theoretically). Batteries have also come a long way since I last checked...

I have an idea, a big one. It's going to consume many hours - and annoy the heck out of my girlfriend, but it's going to be awesome! I plan to build an autonomous model air craft based off the Terminator movies, it's call a Hunter Killer, H.K. for short..

Since this is a rather large project I plan on breaking it down into three phases. The first phase will be building the craft (my initial thoughts are to make it approx 50cm long) which will have many hard to accomplish mechanical feats. The first one that comes to mind is solving the power to weight ratio. This will require choosing the correct materials for the hull and also deciding what types of motors, batteries, etc to use which will have enough thrust to lift it off the ground. This first phase is all about building the craft so that it has the engineering to fly.

Phase two, we have the challenge of getting the HK to hover and balancing itself (autonomously). Now, if you search YouTube for "model...