msiminoff

I'm just finishing-up building a Rascal Forty ARF..... hoping to get the first flight in this weekend. I've heard that the Rascal loves to float and tends to land very long. So, I have set it up with flaperons but I could just as easily program them as spoilerons (The Rascal has outboard ailerons only)
I am wondering if anybody else is flying the Rascal 40 with flaperons and/or spoilerons and how effective they have been at reducing speed and killing lift on this bird.
Any advice would be great.
Cheers
-Mark
msiminoff AT yaho DOT com

vtx1800

I have not tried it, It seems the general rule of thumb is that outboard aelerons dont work well as flaperons. I can say that the rascal loves to take its time settling down. I used to start my approach at least 400 yards out. I wish they would make a kit so real flaps could be added. Personally I felt the roll rate was very slow at max throw.
Anyway.. good luck it is a nice plane ( like every sig arf I have tried)

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

I don't know if flaps will make it land any more quickly. It's just a lightly loaded wing with great lift characteristics. As long as you're not landing in a strong headwind, it comes in fine if you just set up yourglide slope with elevator and moderate power to control the sink rate. I actually like landing mine with a little power on, doesn't seem to bounce as much.

I also agree with vtx that the roll rate is rather slow. It takes practice to do a point roll (axial), but barrel rolls are easy and look great. One of my favorite planes to fly.

Timoteo

My Feedback: (3)

It does like to float, and if you have a dead stick situation, it'll REALLY float.

shag555

Keep your eye on the motor mount (aluminum pieces). I broke both sides by doing aerobatics. They stress cracked and eventually failed right at the point where it bolts to the engine. Both failed at different times. I replaced them with mounts ones that I made myself.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

Funny you should mention that. I thought it might be because of how I drilled mine, but I just broke my SECOND set on this plane. What the heck, a little nose weight won't hurt, the third set will be cut from steel. What kind of power are you using? I have .56 Saito in mine.

msiminoff

Thanks for all the advice.
I'll have installed an OS AX46, turning an 11x5... should be plenty of power.
The steel motor mounts are a very good idea! I will definitely make a set before I go flying.
The approach is fairly short at our flying field (www.sccmas.org)... definitely not 400 yards. So, considering what I have been reading (here and elsewhere) about this plane floating, and given the fact that I cannot have inboard flaps; I have set up the plane/radio to use spoilerons and programmed the air-brake setting.
I'll report back after I get a few flights in.
Cheers
-Mark

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Anything to report on your flights?

msiminoff

Yes.. I have a report, unfortunately it's not a pretty one;
This past Saturday was a magnificent day at the flying field. Quiet, 70 degrees, zero wind. It was the 11th flight for the Rascal and my third flight of the morning. I was really having fun practicing knife edges and spins, the Rascal was flying like a champ! As I was making a fairly low pass from left to right when an older gent' flying his T-34 at at least twice the speed I was flying. flew up my tailfeathers and slammed into me from behind. It was a devastating midair that resulted in both planes fluttering to the ground in a heap of balsa. Sadly, my Rascal is not repairable... major damage to the fuselage and both wing halfs.

Our flying club has a no-fault rule with regard to mid-airs, which is fine with me (after all it's just an airplane), but the old ******* didn't have the common courtesy to apologize... and he was obviously the one who caused the crash. That part has me pretty upset.

Anyway, the Rascal Forty was a FANTASTIC plane and a pleasure to fly, and somedy I will get another one... but it's time for a change so I stopped by my local hobbby shop on the way home from the field and picked up a new plane... a Hangar 9 Funtana 40 ARF.

As far as the flaps/airbrake on the Rascal, here's what I did:
I set up a three position switch on my radio with both flaps (mid position) and airbrakes (third position). With the flaps down the Rascal could fly along at a snail's-pace. I could easily land at speeds slower than a walk. Once on the ground I flipped the switch to the third position (ailerons up, elevator up) to keep it planted on the runway. This was especially helpful at faster landing speeds. This is the setup I used:

Flaps:
Right Aileron +70% (down)
Left Aileron +60% (down)
Elevator +14 (up)
(right and left aileron were different to get the plane to trim correctly with flaps down)

Airbrake:
Elevator +90% (up)
Flaps -80% (up)

Happy flying
-Mark

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Mark,

Very sorry to hear about the demise of your Rascal.

About the flaperons, you have given the first positive report I have been able to find and I appreciate that. Most every other thread I read about flaperons predicted doom and gloom with tip stalls. I have a Rascal Forty and have flaperons programmed so it is very good to know what you had to say.

-Tom

Copterdrvr

My Feedback: (1)

Had flaperons programmed for my Rascal 40 and it worked like a champ.

Not a chance of tipstalls-in fact you can't hardly make it stall.

Copterdrvr

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Thanks for your info copterdrvr!

65 Chevy

My Feedback: (1)

Anyone who tells you that flaperons and spoilerons are a bad idea is just a bit off base.
I have roughly 15 planes and each is set up with both. I don't always use them with a particular model but they are always there. I have planes ranging from 40 size profiles for 3D to 120 size and several in between. The flaperons work well for more than landing. Often used to suppliment the elevator in tight maneuvers and for landing. Spoilerons work great for upright Harriers (read no wind rock) I even do strip long tail drags in Harrier using spoilerons.

Talk about alot of fun and a challenge. Try toughing just the tail wheel down and flying like that down the whole runway. This coming year, I have a plane already set up with a top mounted skid so I can try that inverted.
If this is so far off base, I know of 5 pilots at our field that now have both spoilerons and flaperons set up in their profile planes since seeing me drag the tail.

I would highly recommend trying both flaperons and spoilerons, but set them up with small percentages and try them high to see how the plane reacts.