Wattage 4 aileron pitts to glo
08-11-2005, 09:33 PM
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Wattage 4 aileron pitts to glo
Tonight I started putting together a glow conversion of the new 4 aileron version of the Wattage Pitts Special biplane. This is the red plane with traditional Pitts starburst on the top and red/white checkerboards on the wing bottoms. I am using an LA .15 for power.
Once I got the plane I was able to start making some detail decisions. First was how to mount the motor. I had hoped to be able to bolt the motor mount to the fire wall, but no such luck. No motor mounts that long without getting into a heavy one. So I used the motor box the electric motor is supposed to be mounted to, cut it the the length I need for my installation (about 7/8 in standoff from the firwall for the motor mount I got) and then boxed over it with 3/16 birch 5 ply. The Motor mount bulkhead is the same material. and the glass DuBro mount mounted with blind nuts to it.
I cut away the battery tube where it passes thru the firewall into the engine compartment and will cover it closed. I'm using the LA.15 with a shorter Magnum .15 muffler. This way almost the entire deal is cowlable and the muffler ends at the firewall. The exhaust points down. I was going to mount the motor on an angle to have the muffler dead center at the bottom, but it will still miss being fully cowled by about 3/8 inch so I'll mount the motor on its side and allow the muffler to exit along the bottom rounded edge of the cowling. That way it will not protrude below the bottom of the cowl line. The motor itself could be completely cowled, but since I just did that with a VectorFlight Edge 540 with a Super Tigre .90 and got overheating even with a 4 to 1 area of intake to exhaust and had to open the head area to solve it, i'm going to just go ahead and do it here. It also elininates a remote glo the weight of which I can't justify in half A. Plus its just alot less hastle in use and setup.
Looked carefully at options for servos. I do not feel the HS 50 series has enough guts for a glo engine in the .15 range, but I used Hitec HS-81's in a recent Magnum .15 Sig Little Something Extra and they work very well. Knife edge is no problem in either direction, and aileron response is fast and solid. For electric power I'm using a Great Planes 350 ma NiMH battery which I also used in the Little Something Extra and that has worked out well. For the throttle servo I will be using a 50 series servo, again, worked well on the Extra.
Fuel tank is not a problem, the fuselage is huge. I'll be using a 4 oz tank. The wheel pants are a problem as our club field is grass, and new this year so rough. I'll be using 2 inch foam wheels and no pants. Maybe I'll put them on inverted for winter flying off snow if the LA will run in the winter... anyone know the answer to that? Anyway, the pants while they look nice are so small and the wheels they put in the kit so small (size I use for tail wheels on a .90 plane) that unless you fly off firm dirt or pavement, forget them.
Kit quality looks good. First ARF other than a VectorFlight that has not required a single touch up of covering. The plastic fuselage is a nice job, seems pretty strong. I plan on going over all the joints with epoxy fillets just to make myself feel better. Not sure what they have used. I'm not convinced it looks like epoxy though. The wings were all straight and warp free as were the tail surfaces.
The cubane struts were pretty straight forward. They have replace the bolts that hold the interwing struts to the bottom wing with a rubber like fastener that supposedly pops together. I'm holding judgment there til I see how it all fits. Since I do not plan on breaking the plane apart for transport... its so small it will fit on the front seat.... that my guess is that I will bolt them instead as the used to, but I'll reserve judgement til I see how they go together a little further on.
Receiver will be a Hitec 555 or electron 6, depending on weight and balance considerations when I get there. Space is not an issue. I like to fly big patterns, even with the Little Extra so I like alot of verticle and need a receiver that still receives at a distance so that is why I am not using one of the little electic receivers. I do have to admit though that while I can still see and orient the Little Extra at pretty good distance, I doubt that will happen here. Red planes are hard to orient and, well, this thing is really tiny! The wings are smaller than the stab and elevator on my .90 size planes.
I'll keep the post going as the build progresses and let you know of any mods I have to do beyound just simple building stuff. Hope to be flying it a week from now. Oh, as to the reason for this conversion, I've wanted a Biplane, but am nust not willing to spend the time assembling it at the field. I don't like to bring only one plane in case something goes amiss so this size lets me bring another plane. Also, the Little Something Extra is my second best flying airplane, only to the VectorFlight Edge... and nothing much out flies VectorFlight stuff short of 33% or bigger stuff. Its been so much fun, I just had to do something with the LA.15 when I pulled it out of the Extra and put the Magnum in.
bob
Harsens Island, MI
Once I got the plane I was able to start making some detail decisions. First was how to mount the motor. I had hoped to be able to bolt the motor mount to the fire wall, but no such luck. No motor mounts that long without getting into a heavy one. So I used the motor box the electric motor is supposed to be mounted to, cut it the the length I need for my installation (about 7/8 in standoff from the firwall for the motor mount I got) and then boxed over it with 3/16 birch 5 ply. The Motor mount bulkhead is the same material. and the glass DuBro mount mounted with blind nuts to it.
I cut away the battery tube where it passes thru the firewall into the engine compartment and will cover it closed. I'm using the LA.15 with a shorter Magnum .15 muffler. This way almost the entire deal is cowlable and the muffler ends at the firewall. The exhaust points down. I was going to mount the motor on an angle to have the muffler dead center at the bottom, but it will still miss being fully cowled by about 3/8 inch so I'll mount the motor on its side and allow the muffler to exit along the bottom rounded edge of the cowling. That way it will not protrude below the bottom of the cowl line. The motor itself could be completely cowled, but since I just did that with a VectorFlight Edge 540 with a Super Tigre .90 and got overheating even with a 4 to 1 area of intake to exhaust and had to open the head area to solve it, i'm going to just go ahead and do it here. It also elininates a remote glo the weight of which I can't justify in half A. Plus its just alot less hastle in use and setup.
Looked carefully at options for servos. I do not feel the HS 50 series has enough guts for a glo engine in the .15 range, but I used Hitec HS-81's in a recent Magnum .15 Sig Little Something Extra and they work very well. Knife edge is no problem in either direction, and aileron response is fast and solid. For electric power I'm using a Great Planes 350 ma NiMH battery which I also used in the Little Something Extra and that has worked out well. For the throttle servo I will be using a 50 series servo, again, worked well on the Extra.
Fuel tank is not a problem, the fuselage is huge. I'll be using a 4 oz tank. The wheel pants are a problem as our club field is grass, and new this year so rough. I'll be using 2 inch foam wheels and no pants. Maybe I'll put them on inverted for winter flying off snow if the LA will run in the winter... anyone know the answer to that? Anyway, the pants while they look nice are so small and the wheels they put in the kit so small (size I use for tail wheels on a .90 plane) that unless you fly off firm dirt or pavement, forget them.
Kit quality looks good. First ARF other than a VectorFlight that has not required a single touch up of covering. The plastic fuselage is a nice job, seems pretty strong. I plan on going over all the joints with epoxy fillets just to make myself feel better. Not sure what they have used. I'm not convinced it looks like epoxy though. The wings were all straight and warp free as were the tail surfaces.
The cubane struts were pretty straight forward. They have replace the bolts that hold the interwing struts to the bottom wing with a rubber like fastener that supposedly pops together. I'm holding judgment there til I see how it all fits. Since I do not plan on breaking the plane apart for transport... its so small it will fit on the front seat.... that my guess is that I will bolt them instead as the used to, but I'll reserve judgement til I see how they go together a little further on.
Receiver will be a Hitec 555 or electron 6, depending on weight and balance considerations when I get there. Space is not an issue. I like to fly big patterns, even with the Little Extra so I like alot of verticle and need a receiver that still receives at a distance so that is why I am not using one of the little electic receivers. I do have to admit though that while I can still see and orient the Little Extra at pretty good distance, I doubt that will happen here. Red planes are hard to orient and, well, this thing is really tiny! The wings are smaller than the stab and elevator on my .90 size planes.
I'll keep the post going as the build progresses and let you know of any mods I have to do beyound just simple building stuff. Hope to be flying it a week from now. Oh, as to the reason for this conversion, I've wanted a Biplane, but am nust not willing to spend the time assembling it at the field. I don't like to bring only one plane in case something goes amiss so this size lets me bring another plane. Also, the Little Something Extra is my second best flying airplane, only to the VectorFlight Edge... and nothing much out flies VectorFlight stuff short of 33% or bigger stuff. Its been so much fun, I just had to do something with the LA.15 when I pulled it out of the Extra and put the Magnum in.
bob
Harsens Island, MI
