SharpProp

Hello,
Well I am almost finished with my Herr Texan. I started putting the guts in and last night I got to the battery and receiver installation. I learned a valuable lesson. In these little planes ther is NO room for error. I placed them in and realized that I am REALLY Tail heavy. The problem is that the servo tray is glued in and I don't want to move it if I don't have to. My only option right now is to move the battery under the fuel tank I'm not sure if there is even enough room but I guess that will be tonights project to figure out what I'm going to do. This plane has been tons of fun to work on but i'm to the point now I just want to fly the damn thing. It seems like every time I solve one problem I stumble upon two more problems to fix. I'm worried that once I move the battery that far forward that it might be too nose heavy. Since that is my only option I have a feeling murphys law is going to kick in and say "nope.....that's too far forward. You need your battery right where the servos are." If anybody has any advice.... I'm all ears. Also any flying tips for this model will also be appreciated. THANKS

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

You may need a smaller battery or a bigger engine,,what engine do you have on it?

SharpProp

I have an .061 big mig on it. I have a standard 4.8v reciever battery in it now. I wasn't sure if they made smaller or not. This is my first 1/2 a size plane. I'm really hoping that I don't have to add weight to this thing to balance it out, but considering my options I may not have a choice. What would be the maximum that somebody would want this model to weigh and still fly well? I'm guessing 23 or 24 oz. would be pushing it.

eroc144

My Feedback: (1)

Been there. Done that. Bet you never forget to check your balance during assembly again, eh?

Load everything into the plane EXCEPT for the battery, and assemble it as if you were going to fire it up. Now place the battery on the outside of the plane over the fuel tank. Use some tape to keep it in place if it won't stay put. Now check your CG. Move the battery around, try bigger / smaller batteries, etc until you nail the right combination of location and weight. Add your receiver to the mix if need be. Consider adding weight only as a last option (meaning, move the servo tray first).

EG

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

A standard 4.8 battery for 1/2a is gonna be about 270mAh, may have to drop down a tank size to fit it under the tank,,,Rog
you can get a smaller battery, down to about 50mAh, good for a flight or 2,,,,,...Rog

SharpProp

If possible I would rather just keep the battery size where it is. Only getting a flight or two seems kinda dumb considering that I don't have a field charger. (maybe a good christmas wish list...hehe) After a sleepless night full of frustration I decided that the best thing to do is move the servo tray. I only CA'd it in. I'm hoping the debonder will make it fairly easy to separate. Can anybody tell me if the debonder soaks into the wood enough to help that pop loose without too much damage. I tried putting it under the tank but it just kinks the fuel lines and its a pain to get the battery back out.

Digger-RCU

SharpProp, I appreciate that you posted about this plane. I have this kit and am looking forward to building it.

I do have an idea for you though. This link list several different rx batter packs for low prices. I really like the 400mah NiMH packs. they come in a variety of shapes and sizes yet they weigh less than a 110 nicad pack. You might be a ble to get one of these packs to fit in an area that a larger pack would not fit in. This may make the balancing act easyer. Also, I believe the 061 will fly this plane, but weight is not your friend. To get the plane to fly well on this engine, I woud think you should reduce weight as much as possible.
A smaller NiMH pack would really help in this area also.


http://www.radicalrc.com/shop/?shop=...857232&cat=19&

I hope this helps.

Digger

SharpProp

Thanks for the advice digger. Well last night I bit the bullet and popped the servo tray loose. I was glad the debonder helped as much as it did to get it loose. I was worried that i would end up cracking the fuselage or something.....but with a little firm tug it came up. I'm going to stick with the battery I have now and see how it flies. I'll keep is is my first 1/2 a and i'm nervous about the flight characteristics.
Also what do you guys do to weigh your planes. I want to make sure this thing isn't extremely heavy before it leaves the ground. Thanks !

encan

I believe you covered it already but the best way to save some weigth is to open a couple ligthening holes from the rear. The vertical and horizontal stabs in Herr kits are solid sheet balsa. You can easily make holes on them. I would even do the same on the fuselage sides if they are not there already.

I hate tail heavy planes. You need 3 ounces on the nose to balance an ounce at the tail. So i started to keep the tail as light as much as possible. I think im gonna use Pull-Pull s instead of pushrods from now.

Mr Cox

Tail heavy is a disaster, but I don't think that lightening holes will actually do that much for the weight. It is quite easy to see once you do the math, could give you a gram or two perhaps (which would corresponds to more than one gram gain in front of coarse).

I think that glue, tail wheel/skid, pushrods etc are just as important if not more...
Pushrods in carbon (or balsa) are quite lightweight too are comparable to pull pull (one control horn less).