3D Romeo

My Feedback: (111)

Sorry...Internet problems caused a double post.

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

A doubler in the center might not be a bad idea. It would not have to be out of the same gear. I could use a thinner piece from somethng else. That might be the wat to go. After I check the CG I may want to put a few holes in the legs to save some weight anyway. Hopefully I can get it without moving the batteries around to much. As it is, the battery is in the nose where the tank would be on a most models.

Thanks for the ideas, David

captinjohn

Just a Idea or anyone. If you end up with a gear the is a little too stiff...drill holes like the ones in the photo. It will allow for more flex and lighten the gear also.................

3D Romeo

My Feedback: (111)

David,

I was very surprised when it came time for balancing my QQ Yak. In the past whenever you converted a glow plane to gas you always had to figure out how to get weight into the tail. After installing the DLE-30 I had to move EVERYTHING forward! I have my flight battery, my ignition battery, my ignition, and my throttle servo all mounted in, or on, the engine box up front. If I wasn't primarily a 3D pilot, it probably could have used a little more weight up front, too!

captinjohn,

Thanks for the tip...and the photo. I was wondering what size holes you were talking about. I guess you could always start small, and increase the size as needed for either weight, or flex.

Mark

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Mine has always been tail heavy. However my 72" is one of the first ones out. Back then a few were lost to elev flutter. So I was sent an adendum with instruction on how to balance the elev halves. This required drilling holes along the LE of the elev counter balance and adding lead to get each half to mechanicaly balance. This added a few onces to the tail a LOOOOONG way from the CG. So with the 1.80 on it. I made a tray that hung off the front of the motor box and I had two packs right on top of the inverted motor. With this gasser I am using one 3S lipo to run the engine and radio. I made a tray that centers about where the front of the canopy is to mount the battery. This works out well. I should also say, my muffler is a little heavier than stock. As you know the stock muffler weighs next to nothing and the Pitts weighs a few onces.
Like you I fly mostly 3D and I have never been happy with this plane. I could IMAC with it all day long. I only put the gasser on it to get my first gas expierience and was then going to get an Extreme Flight 30CC Extra. (http://www.extremeflightrc.com/html/70extra.html) Once the gear is sorted out I will do my best to get the feel I want from it. If that does not happen, then Extreme Flight should do the trick. :-)

david

3D Romeo

My Feedback: (111)

I also have an Extreme Flight airplane waiting in the wings once I get use to flying the bigger stuff again. Mine is the 50cc yellow and black Yak with a DA-50, and Pro-Flow 3D Canister muffler. I figured the QQ Yak would be a good plane to get back into gas engines, and bigger airplanes.

My first gas airplane was a Great Planes Patty Wagstaff Extra 300, with a FPE-50 engine, that I had a few years ago. It was a used airplane, that I got from someone in my club. It had been repaired a couple times. So between all the repairs, and the engine, it was pretty heavy. And the Patty came out before they starting making 50cc airplanes with more wing area. Now days most 50cc aircraft have around 1400 sq/in wing area. But the Patty has only a little more than 1100 sq/in, and at 17-18 lbs it didn't have an ideal wing loading for 3D, or landing. But it was a good introduction to flying the bigger stuff, and it did actually 3D pretty good.

Well, it looks decent enough outside today. I think after I finish up here I'm going to head out to the back yard, and see if I can set the engine a little better. After my last mishap, I found out that the fuel line had come off inside the tank. I forgot to add a nipple to the brass tube, and also forgot to zip-tie it...Oops! Hopefully that was the cause of all my dead stick landings that always happened after throttling up, and pulling back on the elevator.

Mark

3D Romeo

My Feedback: (111)

Final results...Success!!!

The modified Great Planes Patty Wagstaff aluminum gear worked out perfectly! As a matter of fact, it worked out so well, and looks so good on the QQ Yak, that I'll probably just keep it on, and save the $50 that the carbon gear would have cost me. I had 4 flights yesterday, and every one of them went perfectly.

As for the DLE-30 engine (side carb version), I redid all the fuel lines with 3/32" I.D. Tygon tubing, and made sure to zip-tie them this time. That was the problem! This time the engine performed perfectly. The first flight took 3 flips with the choke closed for it to pop, and then it started the very first flip with the choke open. The next 3 flights needed no choking at all, and each time the engine started on the very first flip!!! Idled great, ran great, and no hint of any "tip & die" or any other issues discussed all over the forums concerning the DLE-30 side carb version. Nice little engine with allot of OOMPH!

Mark

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

That's great to hear Mark. I have my gear cut down, but not mounted. Can't seam to find enough shop time.[]

David

3D Romeo

My Feedback: (111)

David,

Did you end up getting a metal blade for the band saw, or did you just end up cutting it with a wood blade? I originally thought I used a wood blade, but after looking at it more closely I think it may have been a metal blade. It's kind of hard to tell? I know the metal blades generally have more teeth, but some of the wood blades do, too.

Mark

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Mark, I cut it down with a metal blade in a jig saw. Then used a file to clean it up. It's not perfect, but if it works out and I keep flying this plane, I can clean it up later. Going to be next week before I have any shop time though.[]

david