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Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

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Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Old 01-02-2007, 12:15 AM
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JustErik
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Default Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

We have been discussing the new .40-size GP Reactor in [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4455981/tm.htm]this thread[/link], however, I couldn’t seem to find a dedicated build thread for this plane, so I created this one. I will be taking lots of photos so that anyone interested can get an up-close-and-personal look at this new offering.

Here is the box. It was well packaged and nothing was damaged.

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I should note that I’m just getting back into the hobby after a break of several years. The advances in ARF quality are simply astounding to me. This plane will be the 5th arf I’ve assembled over the last few months and, like the four before it, it’s beautiful. I could go on and on about the attention to detail and so forth, but I’ll let the pictures speak for me. Here are the tail feathers, cowl and landing gear.

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In these two pics, I tried to show that the stab/elevator and rudder are airfoiled. This may be old news to some of you, but to me, this is very impressive on a 40-size bird.

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Here are the wings and ailerons. The covering is very well done and nice and tight. I will end up going over it just for my own peace of mind, but I suspect it would do just fine as it comes out of the box.

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Here is the wing root of the right wing panel. You can see the aileron is also nicely tapered.

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Here are the wheel pants. They, along with the cowl, are fiberglass and the paint seems to be applied very nicely. I know very little about paint as I’ve always been a iron-on kinda guy, but these parts really look great to my novice eyes.

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Here is a close-up of the mounting points inside the pants. You can see a nice fat piece of ply inside there with two blind nuts already installed. You may also be able to tell that the ply has been glassed into place as well. Very nicely done.

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Here is a shot of the fuse from the side.

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And here is a close-up of the canopy area.

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Here is the attachment point for the left wing panel.

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And here is the tail section. There are 3 servo cutouts on each side of the plane, but only half of them are used. The two upper ones are for the elevator halves, but the narrow fuse requires that they be staggered so the servos don’t interfere with one another. I was surprised to find that there is no provision for the use of a single elevator servo. I’m certain one would provide adequate muscle, however, I suspect the use of two helps eliminate the possibility of flexing between the halves were a joiner to be used. Oh, and only one of the two lower ones (not really visible in the picture) is used for the rudder.

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Here is the firewall. You can see the thrust lines are offset to allow for right thrust.

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Here is the bottom of the fuse. There is a long narrow hatch that provides access to the radio compartment. There is a lip on the front end of the hatch, and it is held in place with 4 sets of magnets, which is very clean and hopefully, very secure.

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Here is the inside of the radio compartment.

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I’ll be powering this plane with a YS .63, so one of the first things I wanted to check was how much room there was in the radio compartment for the fuel tank. The pressurized and regulated fuel system of the YS allows the tank to placed virtually anywhere on the plane. Putting the tank on or near the CG means there will be minimal changes in trim as fuel is consumed. I was happy to see that the supplied fuel tank easily fits in the radio compartment. In this picture, it is centered over the wing tube.


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In this one, it is as far back as I could slide it. I can’t imagine anyone will want to install it there, but you could if you wanted to.

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Well, that completes our walk-around tour of this plane. I hope to actually get started on it within the next day or so. If anyone wants any specific pictures or information that is not readily apparent or available, I’ll be happy to do what I can to help.

Erik




Old 01-02-2007, 11:20 AM
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greyfoxx
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70

Great thread Eric!

Just keep us posted on how the build goes and any problems you encounter. This is a very impressive airplane, one that I could develop a real interest in. Also, keep us posted on your maiden flight and how the little bird flies.

and always remember, "Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lesson sometime later!"
Old 01-02-2007, 11:39 PM
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JustErik
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

greyfoxx, thanks for the kind words. It looks like it might be just you and I that are interested enough to comment on this bird..

Tonight I started the actual assembly. The first step was to hinge the ailerons. The Reactor does not include conventional CA hinges. Instead, a sheet of hinge material is supplied and the builder is instructed to cut the sheet into hinges.



However, as I happened to have a package of CA hinges on hand, I added the full sheet to my stash of RC goodies and used the precut ones. The slots themselves are pre-cut, so opening them up was really a pretty simple affair. The slots were easy to find because the trailing edge of the wing and the leading edge of the aileron are covered with transparent yellow covering. I opened up the slots with a single slit of the blade and was just about to trim the covering from around the slot as described in the manual as in this picture.

.

This step always gives me fits because there is usually at least two layers of covering on the hinge line and it’s always sealed with lots of heat because it’s almost always near a seam. I usually end up making too many passes with the knife and the balsa gets all hacked up. This time, I tried something different. I propped up the surface on the opposing edge and held the blade perpendicular to the hinged edge. I was able to shave off just enough of the covering to leave the balsa in tact.



Obviously, this wouldn’t work with a flat surface like the one depicted in the manual, but it worked very well on the tapered leading and trailing edges of this plane. The next step was to insert the hinges half way, using a pin to prevent them from going too far into either surface. I made a small mark with a felt tipped marker at each pin to aid in the next step, which was to drill a 3/32” hole in the center of each hinge slot.



After doing so, the ailerons were reattached to the wing and several drops of CA applied to each hinge. Although the manual didn’t mention it, the next thing I did was to seal the hinge gaps. This is a tedious process for me and if anyone has a better way of doing it, I’m all ears. The first thing I did was prop the wing up on the leading edge and tape the aileron in full up position, thereby opening the bottom hinge area fully.



Next I cut a piece of 3M Blenderm tape the length of the hinge gap plus about one inch to ease the handling near each end. I try to lay one edge of the tape exactly on the edge of the beveled aileron.



This is where the fun begins. The tape has to be pushed all the way into the gap and then back up the taper on the trailing edge of the wing. The thing that makes Blenderm so good for this is also what makes it somewhat frustrating; it sticks like CRAZY. It would be easier with a couple extra hands, but what I do is use the straight edge of a ruler to work the tape into the gap while at the same time trying not to let it stick to itself or the other beveled surface. After a few choice words and elevated blood pressure, the job is finally done.



You can tell the tape is there from the bottom, but it is invisible from the top. The next step on the agenda is to install the aileron servos and corresponding linkage. I had hoped this would go as well as the hinging, but it just wasn’t meant to be. First I cut slits in the covering over the servo bays.



Then, I ironed the covering into the edges of the opening.



All was fine until I test fit the servo in the opening. The servo is wider by about 2 mm and at the same time it is shorter by about 4 mm. This means I have to open up the bay in one dimension and come up with a filler of some sort in the other dimension.



My first thought was a simple strip of ply across the opening.



However, I rejected that idea because it left the servo sitting at an angle relative to the surface of the wing. I also didn’t like the big hunk of wood sitting out there on the wing surface. I toyed around with the idea of blocking up both ends of the opening so the servo would sit level, but that would have looked even worse. I finally decided to build a recessed filler block that will glue to the under side of the existing plywood mount. Here is a test fitting of the block.



And here is what it looks like before being glued into place. Incidentally, the white surface on top is two layers of CA hinge material that I cut from the large sheet supplied for use as hinges. The surface of the block was slightly below the surface of the wing so I just built it up a little. The mounting surface is very solid and should make an excellent hard point for the servo.



It probably doesn’t seem like I accomplished much, but sealing those hinge gaps and customizing the aileron servo openings took a lot more time than I intended. Hopefully, my next session won’t be as problematic.

Just in case anyone is interested, I took a few minutes to weigh all the components. The total weight of everything except the engine, radio components and prop is about 3.5 pounds.



I guess that’s about it for tonight.
Old 01-03-2007, 02:22 AM
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FNG
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Looking good Erik! I was wondering if anyone might have some input on my using a Perry pump with my OS 70 II surpass so I could move my fuel tank back to the CG. This I thinks would allow me to remove the lead from the tail. Any Idea which pump I would use?

thanks

Mark
Old 01-03-2007, 07:05 AM
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Don M.
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

The plane looks good but what really impresses me is the quality of your pictures. What camera are you using ?
Old 01-03-2007, 08:33 AM
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Mark,

I don't have any personal experience with the Perry pump but I do have a couple of the [link=http://www.billsroom.com/pcfs/]Cline and Associates[/link] regulators, which work very well, although they are a bit expensive. I've also heard of a similar unit made by Iron Bay, or something similar, which works just as well. The Cline unit makes use of crankcase pressure to pressurize the tank and a regulator near the carb to only give the engine a squirt of fuel when it senses a vacuum pulse from the carb. Unless I'm mistaken, it is essentially the exact same thing as the YS system, except that it's not built in to the engine. In four-stroke applications, the Cline unit might work off of muffler pressure instead of crankcase pressure. This is all from memory, so be sure to do a little research before you reach a conclusion. Another thing to consider is the additional weight. I agree that moving the tank back will help with trim changes, but since we balance our planes with an empty tank (at least I do ) adding the pump and moving the tank might be a wash as far as getting rid of some tail weight. Just something else to consider.

And Don, thanks for your comments. The camera is a Canon S2 IS......typical point-and-shoot. I'd love to take credit for the pics, but the camera does all the thinking for me.
Old 01-03-2007, 11:51 AM
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Gulliver
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

I used a Perry pump with a Surpass and the tank moved back on a plane and it worked fine.

Just be sure and plumb in a return line from the pump, which is not mentioned in the instrucrtions that came with my pump.
Old 01-03-2007, 12:47 PM
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Yep, great build thread Erik.

I really like some of the little touches on this ARF. The wheel pants in particular look really well done. Lots of my ARFs only use one screw to hold the pant on, which rarely holds for long. Most ARFs also expect you to drill the holes for the screw(s), it takes me forever to try and line the pants up correctly.

The double beveling on the ailerons is also nice. I'm surprised at how often 3D planes still are designed with only beveling on the control surface, I sometimes have to have a large gap in the surface to get the required throw.

The Reactor looks really nice. I hope to get one and use either an OS 55 AX, or if I feel rich, use electric power.

Malcolm
Old 01-03-2007, 05:41 PM
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Nice job Eric and again I agree some really nice pictures!

I have a buddy who just finished this plane and in my opinion its as nice as the Fliton Inspire and built almost identically. Its a first class ARF too, from the covering to the construction to the hardware. This one is a great value and I believe will turn out to be a really popular plane!
Old 01-04-2007, 01:56 AM
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

I have been looking at the Inspire and Mike's review of it but I want to hear more about the Reactor and Showtime 50 before I make a purchase. Monokote is a plus in terms of repairs, etc., to me plus the Reactor is cheaper and if performance and quality is similar to the Inspire, than I might go this route. I think yellow is a better base color to see as well. My only hesitation with the Inspire is what do I do when the covering needs to be patched? The lower cost of the Reactor is nice when it finds the terra firma and can't be repaired not that cost is everything. I am interested in seeing how the Reactor and Showtime 50 perform in comparison to the Inspire so I will be watching this thread with interest. I have a Saito 82 already sitting in a box. The pics look great! Keep them coming.

ORIGINAL: MikeEast

Nice job Eric and again I agree some really nice pictures!

I have a buddy who just finished this plane and in my opinion its as nice as the Fliton Inspire and built almost identically. Its a first class ARF too, from the covering to the construction to the hardware. This one is a great value and I believe will turn out to be a really popular plane!
Old 01-04-2007, 10:55 AM
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

I have been looking at the Inspire and Mike's review of it but I want to hear more about the Reactor and Showtime 50
Me too....can't wait for the flight report.
Old 01-04-2007, 11:09 AM
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JustErik
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Mike, thanks for your comments. Coming from someone who has done as many threads as you, it means a lot. I followed your Inspire thread very closely and at one time was prepared to get one. However, the Reactor looked so nice and I had a coupon good for free shipping AND $15 off, so the price difference was just too big to ignore. I hope it turns out to be as nice as your Inspire.

Rusty, I'll do my best to keep up the progress on the plane and pics. It seems that I can only steal away a few minutes here and there lately....and I HATE to build that way. I always feel rushed to accomplish at least something, but it usually takes me at least 15 or 20 minutes just to get into the right frame of mind.

Erik
Old 01-04-2007, 11:09 AM
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MikeEast
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Mike Parsons has done a really nice review of the Reactor in an E Version. You can check it out here..

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=791
Old 01-04-2007, 06:51 PM
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Erik,

I am the same way so don't sweat it. I travel a couple of days each week with my job so my time is limited too.

ORIGINAL: JustErik

Rusty, I'll do my best to keep up the progress on the plane and pics. It seems that I can only steal away a few minutes here and there lately....and I HATE to build that way. I always feel rushed to accomplish at least something, but it usually takes me at least 15 or 20 minutes just to get into the right frame of mind.

Erik
Old 01-04-2007, 06:56 PM
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Mike,

Thanks for the link. You have officially made this a harder decision. That video is great and if the big one flies like the smaller one I think this will be a nice fourth plane for me before I build something bigger/more expensive.

ORIGINAL: MikeEast

Mike Parsons has done a really nice review of the Reactor in an E Version. You can check it out here..

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=791
Old 01-04-2007, 11:06 PM
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JustErik
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

After spending a couple hours on and off, I managed to get the aileron servos screwed into place. There was lots of filing and sanding to be done to my little plugs in order to make the servos fit just right. The little things always seem to take the most time. Here is a pic of both wing bottoms with the servos installed….linkages come next.


Here is the right wing panel servo.



And here is the left wing panel servo.



Although that’s all I accomplished tonight, I do have something to report. As you can see, the bottom of the wing is trimmed with a kind of warped checkerboard pattern, and some of the color borders are set off by thick black lines. After getting the servos installed, I was going over the wing with paper towels and window cleaner just to get rid of fingerprints and any other residue that might have been left behind. While doing this, I noticed that one of the black trim stripes was starting to delaminate near the inboard trailing edge of the right aileron.



As an experiment, I went ahead and removed the entire strip on the aileron (only 3 or 4 inches) and colored in a portion of it with a black Sharpie. In this pic you can probably tell that the last two inches or so of the stripe has been colored. It’s not noticeable from a few feet away, but it is if you know what to look for.



Unlike the rest of the covering, this stuff does not appear to be Monokote. It is a two-part material and the clear portion has separated from the black portion. I also noticed this same problem on the bottom left wing near the servo. However, this one separated cleanly without taking any of the black pigment with it. In this pic, the black arrow indicates the trim stripe which has delaminated.



I should also note that the underside of the wing is the only place this material appears on the plane. I double checked the fuse, tail feathers and top of the wing and was relieved to see no more of this funky black trim. I’m not to optimistic of how this stuff will hold up to glow fuel residue. If it is coming off with just a routine cleaning, imagine how it will behave when trying to scrub glow snot off of it. I think I will shoot an email to GP and see what they have to say about it. I’d be happy with a few feet of black vinyl trim tape so I can replace this defective stuff.

Erik
Old 01-04-2007, 11:18 PM
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Save yourself the trouble and seal the edges where you think it is going to peel with clear fingernail polish.. It will help a lot with the Glow Fuel cutting the adhesive on the back of the trim.
Old 01-08-2007, 11:25 PM
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JustErik
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Thanks, Mike. That sounds like a simple solution to me. I'll make sure to do that.

Tonight I was able to install the aileron linkage, rudder and landing gear. I don’t have any pics of the aileron linkage, but that’s very straightforward and for once I even used the supplied hardware. I almost always convince myself to upgrade, but there was no need whatsoever in this case.

The landing gear, however, is a different story. As designed, the tail wheel wire is attached directly to the rudder for steering purposes. I moved away from this a long time ago because it transfers shock directly to the servo and the rudder, which can cause damage to both of them if the impact is hard enough. And in my case, I need all the protection I can get. I like to use Dubro steerable tail wheel units because they are light and simple to install. First, here is the bottom of the rudder post as delivered with holes drilled to accept the Dubro unit.



The only problem is that this part of the fuse is not designed to accept such an assembly. My solution was to carefully cut out the bottom sheeting of the fuse in this area and replace it with a couple layers of ply. Here is the cut section, along with the replacement ply section.



And here is the new section glued into place.



And finally, here is the area after being recovered.



It’s not perfect, but it’s on the bottom of the plane and in a place where no one will probably ever look, so I’m satisfied with how it turned out. The Dubro unit is designed to be fastened to the rudder in the same way as the supplied one, but I’ve used it so many times, that I can almost modify it with my eyes closed. After making the necessary bends in the wire, I take a 1 inch length of 2-56 all-thread and bind it to the end of the wire as shown here.



After a little heat and solder, the joint is solid and durable. I’ve never had one of these come apart, but maybe I shouldn’t say that too loud. I then take a scrap of nyrod or whatever I have laying around and screw it onto the stud so that it extends out to under the rudder. Finally, a small eye hook is screwed into the bottom of the rudder. The hook is removed, thread-hardened with CA and then reinstalled. The nyrod scrap is fed through the eye and the result is a flexible link between the rudder and the tailwheel. On a hard landing, the nyrod bends and pops out of the eye, preventing the transfer of force to the rudder or servo.



You can fine tune the amount of force required to pop the nyrod out by leaving more material to the rear of the eye. The more you leave, the more force it takes to break it loose. This is lightweight and simple. It doesn’t require any additional springs or connections to the rudder linkage. I added about 14 grams to the tail doing this mod, and 10 of that was the incremental weight of the Dubro unit over the stock one, so the plywood plate did not amount to much.

As far as the main gear, here too I changed a little something. The stock wheels are about 2” in diameter and although they are high quality and very light, they are just too small for the condition of our field. I routinely go up to at least 2.5 inch wheels, and I was happy to discover that they fit into the wheel pants with no problem. Here are both wheels for comparison.



Finally, here is the fuse with gear fully installed.



Next up is the installation of the horizontal stab and elevators. With a little luck, that will be completed tomorrow night.
Old 01-09-2007, 02:42 AM
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Ernie Misner
 
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Thanks to you Erik, GP just sold (me) another one of their Reactors. You should work for them! I love the photos too, and think you are being very modest by giving the camera all the credit.

Thanks,

Ernie
Old 01-09-2007, 09:53 AM
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MikeEast
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Well, as I mentioned above my pattern flying partner has been working on one of these for a few weeks. I was not there to witness but he flew it through the Advanced sequence Sunday and told me that he was shocked at how well the Reactor flies pattern. His is equipped with a YS .63 and he said it has unlimited vertical authority. He said that he felt that it flew suprisingly comparably to his Composite ARF Impact which is a grat flying airplane. I cannot wait to see it fly. Sounds like its a lot like the Inspire in that it will do Pattern and 3D both pretty doggone well.
Old 01-09-2007, 10:25 AM
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JustErik
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Thanks Ernie, I enjoy tinkering with the camera and tend to take lots and lots of pics with different settings hoping that at least some of them will be acceptable. And congrats on your purchase...please keep us informed on how the assembly goes.

That's really good news, Mike. Did your buddy happen to mention his AUW with the YS? And any idea what he used for servos and such?
Old 01-09-2007, 11:42 AM
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

It's funny that you called him my "Buddy". That is the name he goes by.[8D]

He used 9650's on the ailerons and 9252's on the rudder/elevator.

I did not look close but I am sure he used an R149DP receiver and a BP associates 4.8V NiCad battery pack, probably 1500mah.

I did notice on the bench that he used all the stock hardware.

If my memory serves he he stated that the AUW was 5.5 pounds.

One thing that he did comment on was that the low rate ailerons were super fast, which is also like the Inspire.. With the massive aileron chord its not surprising. I never fly the inspire on high rate ailerons either. I can reverse rolling harriers and stop a torque roll on low rates no problem. I know that after the first flight he dialed the low aileron rate down to about 8 degrees so that he could get a little smooter roll control.
Old 01-09-2007, 02:25 PM
  #23  
Ernie Misner
 
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Erik and others, .... if I were to use Hitec 475 standard servos all the way around, any clue as to how they would fit in there? (Actually I haven't ordered the plane just yet...)

Thanks,

Ernie
Old 01-09-2007, 02:44 PM
  #24  
JustErik
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Ernie,

These are the sizes on the servos I've installed in the wing:

Dimensions: 1.3" x 0.7"x 1.2" (32 x 17 x 31mm)
Weight: 1.12oz (32g)

These are the ones for the 475:

Dimensions: 1.50" x 0.8"x 1.4" (41 x 20 x 37mm)
Weight: 1.4oz (39g)

I'm sure you can make the 475's fit, but it will take some work. The slot is (about) 15mm wide and 36 mm long, so I had to open it up 2mm and fill it in about 4 mm. It look likes you'd be opening it up in both directions by several mm's at the least. The instruction manual shows what side of the servo bays to open up if necessary, so I'm pretty sure they allowed for the possibility that standard size servos would be used. Having said all that, however, I broke down and ordered the Futaba 9650s (spec'd in the manual and should fit the openings exactly) for the fuse because I'm lazy and didn't like modifying the wing to accept my servos.

Edit: And Mike, thanks for the additional details. I'm hoping to stay at or under 5.5 pounds as well, and it looks promising based on his equipment.
Old 01-09-2007, 03:39 PM
  #25  
Ernie Misner
 
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Default RE: Great Planes Reactor ARF .46-.70 - Build Thread

Thanks loads Erik. The 9650's are a $60 servo I see. Gosh, for my sport flying I can't hardly justify that. Maybe I'll look at something with the 9650's dimensions that't slightly cheaper.

The landing gear looks to be made in such a way that aftermarket gear won't work. Hopefully the stock gear is up to the job though. It's very sexy the way they mount it.

Ernie

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