Red Max

I have read with much interest all the posts ref. the Seagull Yak 54. I have just built one using the Zenoah G20 ei. From reading everyone's experience with the C G, it seems that the correct bal. point should be 5 1/2 inches from leading edge
of wing at the root, just behind the tube. I usually balance all my planes so that the nose drops slightly at the forward balance point. Should i balance the Yak slightly nose heavy at the 5 1/2 in. marks also? I am just a sport flyer, doing an
occasional roll and loop, nothing fancy. I like my planes to fly smooth and land gently. I have only been flying 4 years; dont get out to the flying field as often as I like. I am not at all interested in 3 D flying, I bought this plane because I
loved the looks and wanted something that looked like a real plane that would do basic aerobatics. I have been flying the Twist 150 with a Saito 1.50 and the Twist .40; just wanted something nicer to fly. Any info regarding this balance point
and desired set-up for my type of flying would be greatly appreciated.

jvino

Mine is around 5 1/2" back (just behind the tube) and it is still slightly nose heavy. I would say it is a good starting point.

Red Max

To balance my Yak 54 at 5 1/2 in., I will have to move both battery packs (ignition and recvr) under the rudder servo, in order to keep from adding any additional weight. I have read where some of the other guys have removed the pilot and floor from their cockpit to lighten the plane, but I really hate to do this because I like the way it looks. Do you think having both batteries together will cause any signal interferance? I probably will have to extend the battery leads a little. I fiberglassed the firewall on the back side and into the corners for extra security; I used the Zenoa G20 ei engine.

zachnole

Having the Dickins' ( forgive the holiday pun) of a time getting my new (new to me) Hagar 9 Yak 54
to balance properly. Has a Saito 125 in the nose and had to add 2 bar lead weights below the engine box
because it flys like it's tail heavy.

Now let's get this completly clear. Is it balanced 5.5" behind the leading edge against the fuse or
5.5" behind the back of the wing tube against the fuse?

I called Horizon Hobby and a tech told me all Seagull models balance at the wing tip as in the manual,
not at the wing root. Who is correct?

lou1947

If I remember correctly my Seagull edge 540 manual said to balance at the leading edge measured at the fuselage. When I built my Yak I also measured it at the fuselage and that was a big mistake. That made the plane real tail heavy and I had to add all kinds of wt. upfront to make it balance. When I maidened the plane I was lucky to get it back in one piece. That day there happened to be a Horizon guy at our field who told me that the Yak needed to be measured at the wing tip. I then balaced the plane at the wing tip and since then has been happy flying. So no not all Seagulls are measured at the tip , my Edge needs to be measured at the fuselage but the Yak you need to measure at the wing tip. Hope that helps.

zachnole

Lou1947: Man thanks for your reply. That's exactly what I was thinking when the Horizon guy said that all Seagull models balance at the wing tips. Did not see how that could be correct as all planes have different balance points. I'll re-measure at the tips to see if it balances correctly. I think now that I have moved my NiMH battery to just behind the firewall, it will balance a little nose heavy which should be OK. It was flying tail heavy, but luckily I had some really good flyers standing next to me and they landed the plane for me. Even they had trouble getting a smooth landing out of it.

Do you know if 5 1/2 " back from the leading edge "against the fuse" on the Yak 54 would be equivalent to
balancing 3 inches back from the leading edge at the wing tips? The instructions say 7 - 8 cm back from leading edge at wing tips.
I converted that to 2.75591 - 3.14961 inches back, if my conversion is correct. Thanks so much.

lou1947

Since that first time when I measured the Yak at the fusellage I have not compared measuring from the wing tip to see where that would compared to measuring at the fuseellage. Let us know how do you like your Yak. By the way i recently bought a Seagull extra 260 180 size and I am using a Saito 180 . This is my best flying plane and for $249.00 its a steal.

greenway1964

My Feedback: (6)

I have the saito 125 in my yak also and I balanced it at 7 cm back from the leading edge at the wing tips and it too was very tail heavy. I moved battery pack underneath rear of fuel tank. It helped some, I fly it that way right now but I think it is still a little tail heavy, wants to climb when inverted.

cleverbee

NEWSEAGULLYAK 54 (DELUXE SERIES) 1.20

Having done some reasearch on my next project, I've decided to get this kit - after all the good feedback for its predecessor. However I have decided to take the Petrol route for it's powerplant. Several reasons - Cost of glow fuel, fed up of cleaning gunge off everywhere after flying, and mainly the astronomical costs of a big four stroke.....
Does anyone out there have solid good examples of this (or similar) sized A/C with a recommended petrol engine? I've been looking at the Zenoah 20 with electronic ignition, but speaking to the dealer whom I've bought the kit from, he's stated that the unit is underpowered and suggests a 26 cc unit.
I can get a Zen 26 EI for the same price as a Zen 20, but I've also seen the Spe-26 by CERMARK - it's a lot cheaper than the Zen.

HELP !!! or am I just been paranoid..........

zachnole

Hey y'all !!! Still flying my Seagull Yak54. Have some wear& tear on it from some hard landings but she's still flyin! Got it balancedright now and am putting new wheels on her today or tomorrow (3" MPI Alum. hubs). Saito 125 is stillrunning good.
I'll put a newglow plug into see if it runs even better (haven't even changed plugs since I bought the plane!).

cleverbee : I too would like to switch to gas and was alsothinking of a Zen20 or 26gasser. I got to see Mike McConville fly a bigger (I believe it was an Extra) with an Evo80GX (4.9) Gas Engine at the Nall this year, and man didit pull that plane straight up. Heard Evo makes great gasengines and for the Seagull Yak54,Iwould probably want theEvo 26GX but it's alot more expensive than the Zen. Good luck to ya!

ZNole