flyhighjoe

Hey microdon2.........I thought it was a nice looking plane as well. My LHS store has one and i looked at it there not a big fan of the Escapade but maybe later on down the road i will get one.

paof

Waooooo¡!nice looking plane.
Flight report please.

sonnytex

Nice looking plane VICRIDER - My plane is 98% complete but I would like to know how well your cowl fit? After getting my cowl cutout for the engine It seems to be a bit too small around the fuse. It will not go far enough back on the fuse so screws can be fit to hold it on. Did you have any problem getting yours to fit?

vicrider

sonnytex - Mine fit fine. Mine was just long enough to just cover the sides of the firewall, so I was able to screw in to the the sides of the firewall. I used a dle 35ra on mine, You were using the dle 30 right ? The 35ra mounts with its head straight down and the muffler just behind. I had to cut the cowl all the way back so the back of the cowl is not intact all the way around. It spreads out when you slide it over the fusalage. I looked at the promo material with the dle 30 like yours and it mounts at an angle with the muffler on the side with just a hole cut into the side of the cowl. So the back of the cowl is intact so it wont spread out like mine. Can you cut out the back so it spreads alittle or will that look like crap?

sonnytex

Splitting the lower center of the cowl should work and that was my first solution. The 30cc fits well and the angle of mount doesn't present a problem. Since cutting the cowl beneath the fuse is out of sight I can't see a problem with doing that and it, like yours, should let the cowl relax enough to enable it to be placed a little further back. Thanks for the info and suggestion - I'll be cutting the lower rear of the cowl.

vicrider

The 30cc escapade had its first flight today. I flew it 3 times and all went well except I had 3 dead sticks (im new to gas). All 3 dead sticks were easy to deal with cause the plane has excellent slow speed manners. The last dead stick I may have been risking it a little with a turn I made that was to avoid a bad area, But the plane hung up there just fine. I had all control throws set to what the manual suggests. I started at low rates but quickly went to high rates cause low was really dead feeling. high rates felt a lot better but I think I would like more throws still. With the throws it has it is very easy to fly, almost trainer like. It tracks real well too. I felt comfortable with it after a few minutes. I still need to get my motor sorted out and I plan on using what is supposed to be high rates as low and increase the throws for high. Oh, I did play with the flaps a little bit not enough to know how effective they are but to find out how much mix I needed to keep to things level. I found with the recommended throw I need to mix in 12% down elevator on my futaba 14sg to keep things level. Im really happy with it, Glad I bought it.

I have an onboard video of the third flight. Its watchable but theres a lot of vibration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNS6HmlFoGY

jet22b

vicrider;
Just watch your maiden flight video and all I can say is "WOW"!!!! From what I can see, in the video, she stay where you point her! "Sweet"!! Can not wait to finish my bird!!
I just may have to pick up one and put it on the shelf. With rain and high winds for the next three days here in the northwest, I should have my Escapade ready for next weekend.
Congrat and thanks for the video and flight report!!
I think you are right, this is a keeper!!!
Sonny
aka
jet22b

sonnytex

Great VICRIDER - glad to hear all went well (dead sticks can be dealt with until you get the engine figgered out). I usually get all the throws I can then only use what I need. Much to my distress I am still having problems getting the cowl on mine. Splitting the cowl at the lower mid-section allowed me to put the cowl on the fuse but it appears to just be too short. When getting the front of the cowl lined up with the engine both fore and aft and centered on the spinner hub, one side of the cowl is too short to allow a screw to go into the center of the firewall. Just to diagnose the problem I put a level on my bench (it was right on) then set the cowl on its back end and lay the level across the front of the cowl. This did seem to prove that the cowl was short on one side and I had to put a 3/16th spacer under that side to make it level. So, I guess it's time to have a talk with Tower to see what they will do about the situation.

vicrider

Thanks all, Im really happy with it. sonnytex- Mine is also shorter on one side then the other (not square). You can see it when its mounted cause it sits next to the front of the hatch and the back of the cowl is not parallel with the hatch line. Mine was just long enough and im surprised yours is not cause I have the single nut prop adapter on mine which makes it about 1/4 inch longer. I hope you get it sorted quickly cause it is a fun plane to fly.

sonnytex

Just my info on the Escapade - Final weight 13lb 9oz - I balanced it at 120mm with 2 1/2 oz of weight on the firewall. As you probably read I had some problem with the size of the cowl (to short front to back). I finally got it mounted but still have reservations about the fit. Was going to fly this weekend but rain prevented that. Now I will have to bite my lip until next week end. Sigh.

vicrider

Great, Looking forward to hearing how you like it. I feel your pain about the rain, we have have it in the forcast tell the middle of next week. Good Luck.

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

Mine showed up today, everything arrived in good condition and the covering looks great. See how many wrinkles show up in the next few days before I re-shrink it all for our dry climate up here.

vicrider

The covering on mine was near perfect when I took it out of the box, after a few days some areas had loosened up some. A few hours out in the sun on the first day out with it had loosened up several areas. A little time with a heat gun and iron tightened it all up again with out problem.

sonnytex

Well, my plane came out of the box without a loose spot or wrinkle. After a week or so of assembly, it still looks like it just came out of the box. If it ever stops raining I will know more about how it holds up. Local field has grass explosion because of rain. Someday things will come together (so they say). Sigh

jet22b

Hey Guys;
Just finish my Escape today!!
Mines came in at 15.2 lbs and the CG came in right at 5 1/8" Hope to run some fuel through the DLE 35RA sometime this week and hope the weekend will be good for the maiden!!
After a good week now, I still have not hit it with a heat gun!! I can not say anything bad about the build and I am happy the way it came out. Yes my canopy was a little short on the right side, but looking at the engine, It look like the firewall has some right thrust build in!!
Over all, I now this plane will turn heads at the flying field.!!
Stay tune for the flight report!!! I must stay off of Tower website, because knowing me, I will hit the "Order" button!!
Sonny
aka
jet22b

vicrider

I know what you mean, I looked at my purchase history and just about died.

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

You and me both, when I look back and think about what I have spent in this hobby over the years it is enough to make a grown man cry.

Gizmo-RCU

My Feedback: (27)

Ordered one today, got the best of me! Plan on an OS GT 33 for power? Will keep you guys posted!

jet22b

Congrat Gizmo-RCU;
Yes keep us updated on the build!!!
Sonny
aka
jet22b

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

Yes I am interested to see how the wrap around muffler fits in the cowl.

Indiomike

My Feedback: (5)

Mine arrived today and all was in good order. Covering had no wrinkles. I will be installing the DLE35RA. One thing I am wondering about is whether or not to elect to have flaps. If I choose flaps I will not have full length ailerons and will have the added weight of flap servos, linkages, etc. I always think lighter is better. So what do you guys think? Does the plane slow down enough for landing without the need of flaps. I would think it would. Also does having full length ailerons give a greater (faster) roll rate than being shortened to allow for the flaps?


I will beef up both the landing gear block and firewall area. I do that to every ARF plane that I have. I also prefer to plug in each aileron servo into it's own channel rather than using a Y harness to connect to the receiver.

All on all this looks like a pretty nice plane for the money.

Indiomike

vicrider

I set up the flaps on mine. But I really cant tell you how effective they are, cause it seems every time I plan on doing something I forget as soon as the wheels leave the ground and I end up flying around all willy nilly like. I have just 3 flights on mine so far and I just managed to get the flap to elevator mixing right, Its 12% down on my futaba 14sg. The times I did put the flaps down I was just checking for pitch changes.

On the video I posted it shows the flaps down when my engine stalled, and all I can tell you about that is that the plane remained perfectly controllable and I might have been able to turn even father. But not having a good feel for the plane it was better not to stretch it. Out of the 3 flights I can tell you the plane has excellent slow flying characteristics, And the flaps are not needed. I don't have any experience with flaps so for me its something I get to mess with and learn how to use. I believe the manual says that too.

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

Mike I thought about the wing servos as well. The Stick has the same option for the wing (flaps or no flaps) and the roll rate with flaps is not the greatest. So the way I set mine up is to use 4 servos in the wing but I set it up with a mix so the flap servos work as ailerons with the flick of a switch. Then when I plan to use them as flaps I turn off the mix. Also this way you can set up crow flaps where the outside ailerons move up as the inside flaps move down. This creates lots of drag for super steep approaches. On my Futaba 12Z I use a 14 channel receiver so I can plug each servo into it's own channel for total control of what I want to do.

jet22b

Mike;
The wings come with the aileron and flaps are pin together with two wood dowels, so you could go with full span ailerons!! I was thinking of going with spoiler after the maiden flight test with the flaps. Flaps are good, but, also a pain in the butt!! As for your DLE 35RA, she will drop right in smooth and sweet!! You will have 3/8" between the firewall and the back of the muffler. I wish I could show you my setup, but my camera has giving up the ghost!!
The weather look very good for this weekend, here in the great northwest, for her maiden flight. Got to run a few more tanks through the engine over the next 2 days. So stay tune for a flight report!!
Sonny
aka
jet22b

Indiomike

My Feedback: (5)

Thanks for the feedback guys. It just occurred to me that I can start off with full length ailerons (no flaps) and see how she flies. I can add flaps later if I should want. That would be easier than doing it the other way around where the flaps are cut and then find out I preferred full length ailerons. I would then have to follow what Super08 does and have all 4 servos working together.

By the way, I have done some mods to the DLE35. I installed a Bowman ring, did the reed block mod, and installed the prop adaptor to a single nut rather than the four bolt setup that comes stock with the engine. That prop adaptor is from ValleyView RC and it makes replacing props much easier than having to drill four holes in each replacement prop. It does extend the total length (rear of engine to tip of prop shaft) a little bit. I hope it doesn't create a problem in getting the cowl on. From what I've read, there isn't much room to get the cowl back far enough for screws to secure it. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. There is always a solution to be found. I also have a DLE30. The main difference between it and the DLE35 besides one being a side exhaust and the other a rear exhaust is that the 30 has 3.7 horse power and the 35 has 4.1 horse power. I think I'll be happier with the DLE35 on board.

Mike