Getting the Go-Cart Off the Ground (Literally)
So, I had this kinda bonkers idea a while back. Staring at the old go-cart rusting away in the garage, I thought, “What if… what if that thing could fly?” Sounds simple, right? Like something out of a cartoon. Well, I decided to actually give it a shot. Don’t ask me why, guess I had too much time on my hands.
First thing, dragged the dusty old frame out. It needed some work, obviously. Stripped it down basically. The main challenge wasn’t the cart itself, but figuring out how to make it, you know, fly. Forget wings like a plane, that needs a runway and speed. I was thinking more like vertical lift, VTOL style, like those fancy prototypes you hear about sometimes.
Powering the Dream (or Nightmare)
Okay, lift. Needed rotors. Big ones. And motors to spin ’em. This was the first big headache. I looked at gas engines, but they seemed heavy and complicated. Went electric in the end. Found some pretty powerful brushless motors online, the kind used for massive drones, I guess. Getting the batteries right was another story – needed huge amounts of power, which meant heavy batteries. Weight is the enemy here.
- Got the go-cart frame cleaned up.
- Ordered four big motors and propellers.
- Figured out a mounting system – basically welded some strong arms onto the frame.
- Spent ages trying to find batteries that were powerful enough but didn’t weigh a ton.
Putting It Together & First Jitters
Mounting the motors and props took way longer than I expected. Had to make sure everything was balanced, otherwise, the whole thing would just shake itself to pieces. Then came the wiring. Man, the wiring. Connecting the motors, the speed controllers, the receiver for the remote control… it was a mess of cables. Had a few uh-oh moments with sparks where they shouldn’t be.
For control, I rigged up a basic system using hobby radio gear. Linked the throttle stick to the motor speed. Steering? Ha! Figured I’d worry about proper steering if it ever got off the ground. Baby steps.
Testing… Sort Of
Didn’t just wanna send it skywards immediately. That seemed like a bad idea. First tests were on blocks, just spooling up the motors. The noise! And the vibration! Had to tighten everything down like crazy. It felt powerful, like it wanted to lift.
Next, I tied it down. Used some strong ropes anchored to concrete blocks in the yard. Didn’t want it shooting off into the neighbor’s fence. Slowly increased power. The ropes went tight. It lifted! Maybe only an inch or two, wobbling like crazy, but it was off the ground! Felt like a massive win, even though it looked ridiculous.
The Big Moment (Spoiler: It Was Short)
Okay, decided it was time. Found a clear patch of field, checked the batteries were fully charged, took a deep breath. Stood well back with the remote. Pushed the throttle up slowly… faster… it started to lift, unsteady, wobbling way more than when it was tied down. It got maybe a foot off the ground, drifted sideways suddenly, and then one side dipped hard. It came down with a whack, bouncing off the ground. Snapped one of the propellers clean off.
So, did it fly? Barely. More like a powered hop followed by a crash. It was kinda scary, honestly. You see these companies working on flying cars and stuff, and yeah, they have teams of engineers for a reason. This stuff is hard. Getting stable flight, controlling it properly… way tougher than just bolting on some motors.
The flying go-cart project? It’s back in the garage for now. Needs stronger props, maybe a better control system, definitely more testing. Learned a ton though. Mostly learned that gravity is a real pain. But hey, it did leave the ground, even if just for a second. That’s something, right?
