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Old 05-26-2006, 11:25 AM
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Troy-RCU
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Default RE: challenging speed plane modification

I'm with ya'... I was thinking that since you were looking for an ARF airframe and didn't want to do a lot of mods, you'd want a ready to go airframe...just bolt the stuff in and go for it. You obviously have your head screwed on tight and are willing to take the precautions to make something safe and capable.

I think your project is interesting and I have done a similar task, albeit on a smaller scale and with less horsepower. I have been flying F5D pylon for about 10-12 years and helped a buddy of mine convert one of my airframes from electric to nitro. We were curious to see how fast it would go since it was more aerodynamic than anything I had ever seen in the nitro scene (which is what probably caught your eye with the Supersonic). The airframe in conventional form would seem appropriate for a 1/2A motor...we wanted to stick an O.S. .15 on 20%. The modifications were really easy and the plane turned out really light..probably half the weight of my race ready set up with 7 Sub-C nicads and brushless motor. Aside from having to repaint the plane with some fuel proof paint, it was a pretty quick and painless conversion. We flew it and it was zippy but about 40mph slower than my electric set up. Granted, my e-powered set up at that time was probably more like a screaming .32 nitro equivelant. But it was fast enough for my friend and the lower weight made it a bit more safe for landings. My buddy moved and actually gave me back the airframe. I wanted to try it again with a better motor combo to see if I could get some serious speed, but motors in that size are not always easy to find. My ideal motor would have been one of the Shurkin .049's with tuned pipe which spin a 4" prop at around 40,000RPM. Another alternative would have been one of the Enya .15 tuned pipe variants but those are not around anymore. My motivation is lacking because my current electric set ups are almost as fast as a Nitro F3D so it would take a lot of tuning and cash to get the Nitro conversion airframe to match.

This is the airframe but not the specific converted plane: This one's in your colors, too