RE: SPACEWALKER ll 40 BY SEAGULL - GAS TANK PLACEMENT
Dave - I have a Seagull SpaceWalker II, and let me say that mine is very well built. It's my first taildragger, and it has taken a lot of abuse and just keeps bouncing back. As for the tank placement, my tank has flat sides and rounded top and bottom with a flat front and the opening located above the center line towards the top. When you install the tank, your going to be working with the bottom of the plane up, so install the tank with what I alluded to as "the top" towards the top of the plane and install the balsa brace below the bottom and that should get the tank in the proper position, or at least close. The fuel line opening should be in line with the needle on the carb, or at least in the close proximity. You are right, if the fuel line is higher, it will cause the engine to run rich and possibly flood out. As for the tank not being level, in the type of flying one will be doing with this plane, (it won't do any 3d, just simple rolls, loops, inverted, stalls, etc) if your off a eighth of an inch or so, it probably won't effect it very much, if the engine is located as it was set up (at the 7:00 position). I have not had any problem with mine at all. I run an Eveloution 46 in mine, and it is a gas hog. I wish I had a larger tank and had gone with a 51 to 53 engine on mine. It flys ok, but dosen't go vertical nor do the aerobatics nearly as crisp as my previous plane, a Seagull PC9. The SpaceWalker II is more like a "taildragger trainer," and flys very much like my trainer did. It's a nice flying airplane.
I hope this helps, as I have not had any problems with mine at all. The tank appears to be located properly on mine, and if the back of the tank is a little lower than the front, I don't think that will matter, in fact, when making an approach to land, that might be plus as the fuel will have a tendancy to flow towards the front away from the pickup due to gravity with the tank sitting level, causing a dead stick. I would not want it very much lower however.
I'm sure there are other opinions out there and mine may note be correct, but it is my experience with this plane and the set up. Yours may be different.
greyfoxx
"Experience is a hard teacher. It gives the test first, and the lesson afterward!"