Raymond LeFlyr

My Feedback: (2)

Fellow little plane lovers,

I've been flying a Littlest Stick a lot this summer. Its powered with a black-tank .010, feather rcvr, HS-50 servos on rudder elevator, 110 MAH NIMH. The only change to the original plans was to add an extra rib bay on each wing panel.

Now I'm thinking about some extra "performance" and the idea of a little PBF around 9" x 9" made from 1/8 balsa seems doable. But before I strip everything out the the 'Stick, I'd appreciate any input you other .010 fans might provide.

Thanks

DICKEYBIRD

From my experience with an .049 powered P.B.F. type design, their strong point is not flying at normal cruise speeds. Mine was built torsionally rigid and it flies pretty well at higher speeds but the really big fun is the very low speed, very high alpha maneuvers like harriers, elevators, hovering, torque rolls, flat spins, etc.

What I'm saying is that unless you have a reliable throttle on your .010, you're going to be screaming around at high speeds "on the wing", not really enjoying most of the P.B.F. experience at all. It will be cute though!

81 sq. in. sounds a little small to me. I'm thinking 12"x12" would give you something you can see better and would fly slow enough to enjoy some decent flights. I would also move the CG forward from the normal P.B.F. position 'til you get some stick time under your belt. I set mine up with what I thought was the correct CG and the 1st flights were almost uncontrollable.

Good Luck!

Raymond LeFlyr

My Feedback: (2)

Dickeybird,

Thanks for your input. I've had so much fun with the Littlest Stick without benefit of throttle that I really didn't think about what the lack of one would do to a PBF's fight envelope. I thought I'd start with a PBF since it couldn't take very long to assemble, but I have also sketched out a 15" Wonder-clone too.

I have a couple of the old Perfect in 1/2, 3/4, and 1 ounce sizes that I thought I'd rig up to allow for longer and inverted flights.

I may have to try the PBF first just to "get it out of my system" and maybe work out the kinks in the fuel system.

Thanks very much for your input.

BMatthews

Go for it but start by building it light and then ballast until it "just" climbs during hovers.

The 010 doesn't make much actual thrust so you may not even be able to haul up the ening, battery, rx and the two servos let alone any wood to make an airplane with. I could be wrong on this. Tell you what. Get an accurate fish scale and hang the Littlest Stik from the tail. Do it first with the engine dead and then with it running. You'll have to be quick because the fuel will just be what's in the line but you should be able to get the running reading before it conks out.

The difference is the thrust of the 010. If it's more than the fixed gear then you're laughing. Just build a model that's slightly less than what's left. It may end up being just 1/8 square outline with jap tissue covering but if you've got something left for thrust to work with yer in.

And if it don't work then a 12x12 020 powered PBF is the next step up the ladder.

DICKEYBIRD

Hey B, you must be running the Canadian market .010's!! Our far superior American market .010's have as far as I know, one of the highest power/weight ratios of any model engine out there.

Seriously, I have built several .010 powered planes and the problem is taming all that power! With modern micro radio gear, it's no problem building a conventionally constructed balsa aircraft with 150 square inches at 4 to 5 oz, ready to fly. You have to see the performance to believe it. The only way I could slow down my "Nano Bipe" enough to see what the heck it was doing was to put the prop on backward! Then it was fairly sedate and I was able to get a grip on it.

The other .010 trait that I find amazing is that they howl right out of the box with only a little break in; never seem to need their rods reset and seem to last forever! I guess the tiny amounts of friction & inertia in an engine this small are a big advantage. I wish I could see the entire manufacturing process from start to finish. The tolerances must have to be incredibly tight.

Of course, you're right, that tiny little 3" prop is working in a very low Reynolds number area and doesn't give much static thrust for hovering.