Does the duck swim?

 

You may remember that my "big" purchase from the model boat club auction, was a radio controled duck. You might even have wondered if the thing worked. After all, I only paid a fiver. 

The answer is - Yes. 

But not until I had worked out how it operated. The duck is a moulded body, which hides a radio control hull underneath. Rechargable batteries are charged from a USB port, and I duly plugged them in. 

Once fitted into the hull, the transmitter was fed some fresh AA's and swtiched on. A green light flashed on the side, but nothing else happened. I tried another battery, with the same result. 

Frustrated, i took the bird down to the boat club to enquire of the seller. At the price, I couldn't complain if this duck turned out to be a pup, but wondered if there was something I was missing. 

There was. I don't know where, but the hull has a liquid sensor. The props won't rotate until the model is on the water. Launch it, and the transmitter light comes on, and stays on. And the duck sails