Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

DGUY, it took a bit of work, but adding a 90 degree adapter to my OS91 Surpass has the exhaust coming out the stock location. The only note is I followed the Harvard design that extends the heating adapter quite a bit aft. This would not work with the original short stub from the Texan.

NOTE: These pics show the heat reflector, which has since been removed and replaced with aluminum heat tape.

DGUY

My Feedback: (9)

Thanks Cougar I like the way that looks!

Finest Racing

Here is the million dollar question: Do I install an air system or do I install the Robart Robostrut #618. I already bought the air system. I would like to have a system that would be less maintenance and with the least amount of problems.

I am not able to find a electronic retract, either the stock retract or the Robart.

Finest Racing

Here is the light. It is a 30,000 LED.
The next picture is how I want it to look when I am finished.

Here is the underside of the wing:

Wing in one piece:

Here is the area I am scratching my head. I modified the area for the air system and now having second thoughts about having the system in the plane. I am on the fence to either use the stock retracts or the air system. I did order the Tom Reese support for the retracts.

When I do decide, I will coat the area and fiberglass the area to clean it up.

C.O.

I won this AT6 at a contest last year and have just started on it and have the wing together. Have read through this thread and will definitely be getting the retract boxes fromTom. Sounds like they are a must have. Any other advice will be appreciated and I'm sure I will be posting some questions along the way. Sounds like there is plenty of knowledge and experience with this plane on here.

Saillfish

My Feedback: (17)

Finest racing, I have the stock gear in mine with the Tom upgrade on it. The gear has worked perfectly for years. Only problem is the metal it kinda soft and with the gear angled forward it tends to bend forward easy on landing. The result is that it binds in the well. Fix. Just bend it back.

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

I lost one of the plastic wheel covers. Does anyone have a spare?

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Well, boys and girls, I broke down and am picking up the ARF version next weekend. Could not resist the price and may save it for next winter. Will try mine to see if I finally solved the gear problem. If so, will recover in Harvard, (Cub) yellow, swap things over and sell the kit built. Already have most of the decals and will check into the insignia for the tail.

Along with chucking their CA hinges in favor of pin type, may also make some changes to the flaps. Not really liking the extra linkage hanging out the bottom.

ton2di

My Feedback: (182)

TIme to fly guys. I am preparing my two favorite planes for our club event on the 21st. The 60 size TF is powered by an OS FS-91 II with over 250+ flights.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Nice. Who makes the larger one?

ton2di

My Feedback: (182)

It's a Yellow Aircraft 101" @32lbs. I tried to copy the exact scheme of the smaller .60 size AT-6 using a couple of Lustrekote spray paints from Tower.


These photos were taken when the Stars were not painted in yet. I'll be getting the dummy radial this week so hopefully it will be
ready for next week as well.

jet22b

tom2di;
Your planes look good!! This past weekend for Farther Day, we had a full scale War Bird Airshow. There was a flight of 5 AT-6 Texans that put on a good show after losing one two weeks before the fly-in. We had one war bird to come and stop the show!! It was a B-29 by the name of FIFI!!
Have fun at your club event!!
Sonny
aka
jet22b

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Along with the WACO and Super 'Bolt, brought the Harvard to the field yesterday to finally give the latest retract design a test. Did not turn out at all as intended. First was from the last landing. Clunk was forward and had fun trying to defuel to be able to get it back in position.

After 5 attempts had to give up. Tracking was well behaved, considering, but absolutely no way to get enough speed to launch. Back on the cradle had to pick a ton of bio off the legs and tailwheel, (which was jammed solid). Engine bay and wings also looked like a Chia Pet.

Will have to wait, (AGAIN!) for better field conditions.

In the meantime, anyone have a spare set of spring struts? Looking to work on the ARF and copy the gear installation. My P-51/FW-190 struts are far too long and the only ones I have been able to find online are the same at 140-150mm.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Not much action or flying this year, but getting ready for the build season by collecting and preparing all the bits and pieces I will need for the T/F ARF. Since I have quite a few sets of spare Top Flite 60-120 servoless, yet no longer access to the machinery to fab up some new trunnions, grabbed a set of NIB Robart 618 pneumatics for a song.

These are supposedly custom for this ARF and have offset deep-anchor trunnions and different side plates, with the supplied wheels they bind on the inside of the wells. Spent last night shortening the struts to fit within the wells without touching. Have to say, even with all the facilities at work and silver solder, no easy task. On one side pulled out the well and may reorient it to align with the strut rather than cut it up. Will have to make some balsa sheet filler and use some of the supplied silver covering.

On that note, have a question regarding the air cylinder. Will have to chop the bottom corner of the well to clear if left in the conventional position. However, it looks like there is an access hole already cut in the outer ribs in line with the end of the retract housing hole. This would seem to give me the option to reverse the cylinder to the outside, (Robarts have this capability). The manual only shows the mechanical style installation with standard units. Wondered if anyone has done air that way. Just worried about routing the air lines through the center/outer wing junctions and access for troubleshooting.

Before mounting I will make a serious appraisal of the existing ribs and pads. Even if retained will build in side plates to prevent the housing from deflecting under load. Suspect that is what causes the breaks.

Will definitely post pics once I decide on the process.

ChriCYWG

Hey guys quick question.. Ive emailed robart several times but of course never received a reply... I have the robostrut pneumatic kit... is there a 90 degree electric retract that works in there instead with the struts?? They are 90s I assume??

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

I'll cover my own fun with fitting different setups for this rather unique app.

First, yes, you will need 90 degrees if you want to try and get the wheels recessed into the wings. Even 85 degrees will have at least some part of the tire profile hanging below the wing surface.

The biggest problem with adapting standard retracts is the 15 degree forward sweep of the legs. No stock retracts will work unless you stick with the bent wire legs and I would STRONGLY recommend you avoid that for previously described geometry issues.

So far the only readily available units for this were from Robart, and even they did not work as advertised with the ARF as the wells were designed for the bent wire. I had to rip them out and it still required swapping right to left and rigging them to have the struts recess into the pockets. They were glass and some damage occurred getting them out, but hopefully nothing really noticeable.

The second problem was the air cylinders would have necessitated some major hacking of the wells to allow them to fit. Not very elegant so I reversed them and hogged out the ribs to fit. Had contacted Robart to ask if they had a 90 degree fitting to allow the air line to follow the cylinder, but now a month with no reply.

The paper tubes are all the way to the servo bay for the stock mechanical retracts and will be the guide for the air lines. They will be trimmed to extend just beyond the outer panel rib. Opting out of landing lights on this as it would mean ripping even more of the covering away.

Just have the last of the fill to sand down and the bays and flap area have been epoxied to fuel proof the wood. The flaps are another time consuming mod as I want to have just one central flap servo driving all 3 panels. This meant some method to stiffen up the soft balsa center flap was mandatory if I wanted reliable and accurate transfer to the outer panels. Along with carbon fiber tow I have 2 layers of glass cloth and now have sanding to do.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Latest update: I grabbed a second set of Robart retracts and this time did things differently. Rather than hack up the legs which compromises not only travel and strength, I used a mill to countersink the trunnions till the legs were short enough to fit into the wells. Still some binding at the axles where they drop into the recesses due to turning the wheels for a bit of toe in, (mandatory for good ground handling) but think either cutting and epoxy/glass there to clear will be the only solution if air pressure drops a bit. I wanted to install the valve on the wing so only a single air connection required at the field. Still looking at where to fit the bits since the following takes up the space originally planned for it. Tank is hot glued into the rear fuse frame and room in the tray for the rig if I go with a smaller servo.

Also completed the central flap servo system so nothing protrudes below the wings. Although identical in appearance, replaced their hinges with Robart pin type. The grey color more closely matches the covering anyway and I have a bag full of them hanging from the bits board.

This required carbon tow and tubing to stiffen the center panel enough to accurately transfer deflection to the outer wings. On my original kit version I built up those panels and that arrangement is much stiffer by design. Was thinking of repeating it here till the thought of fiddling till it never gets completed came to the fore. A bit anal, I know as each aileron has the servo arms and links protruding. Should have ordered the yellow as well as silver covering to fill in the flap servo openings.

As with the kit built Gold Version had fitted an OS 91 Surpass on a mount long enough to replace their heavier universal rig. Good thing it extends that far as now I opted for a Saito 91. Sold my first of these and regretted it ever since. now have a pair of second gen versions and always preferred their power/weight over the OS.

Was not impressed with the way the arm was bonded to the elevator control rod, (very little and spotty weld work) so bead blasted and silver soldered it completely.

In the first pic the gear is fully retracted with enough air pressure to seat the struts. The second shows the servo in the flaps up position. As with the kit built, the geometry is set up so that as the flaps deploy the arm moves more in line with the linkage, till with full extension there is no load on the servo at all.

Sorry for the poor quality of the pics. Working on the kitchen and trying to get organized before family comes down next week, so house is a disaster.

Will be interesting to find if by limiting the mods the ARF ends up lighter than the Gold.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

With the upcoming Holidays and kitchen redo, build room was ignored for a while. Just got back into it this week and made some progress.

Wing is complete with retract valve and servo mounted, all plumbing and wiring tidied up and systems checked. Opted for a multi-plug and will isolate each aileron servo. May see how it reacts with slight aileron reflex and then decide when to add it in, (flap position, throttle, etc.). Will wait for a flight or two before bonding on the joiner covers.

Fuselage also going relatively quickly. The tank and tubing have been mounted and test fit and removed again for throttle installation. I refused to use their horrible control setup and along with the throttle being my standard and much easier to route aquarium tube and cable, I found some Sullivan rod that fits and moves smoothly in the stock tubes. One of the keys it to flip their shorter control rods with the wire extending into the slide. This prevents bending of the exposed portion under load. Will do the same at the tail.

Still have to decide where to install the switches, remote glow and air fill. May go with a flip open compartment as with the Gold, but this time make it drop down. Front hinging that curved profile was a *****.

Hope everyone had a good start to their New Year.

TomTreese

My Feedback: (1)

Cougar, The retract installation looks great... However I would still recommend a set of metal retract boxes around the plastic bases. That way that can never crack on a bounced landing.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Already solved that problem. As described and with previous installations, the sides are supported. If torque cannot deflect the main bodies then the flanges should not crack or break off.

My biggest worry now are the plastic trunnions.

One other bit of news. My son gave me a cordless pump for Christmas. Uses the same A123 batts as the drill and can preset max pressure, so should have what I need at the field. Can retire the manual pump and the one adapted from the old 12V tire inflator.

Love2FlyMN

Anyone know if there's an ARF AT-6 that comes in the yellow scheme? I would like the TF ARF, but would rather have solid yellow color.
Also planning to put a 20cc gas in it.
Thanks.

Love2FlyMN

http://www.airborne-models.com/html/...?ProductID=115

Found this one. I think I'll have to do some research to see if it's a decent ARF.

Thanks.

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

I've got one of the World Models AT-6's. Set up with a DLE 20 and a 15x7x3 Master Airscrew prop. No issues to report and it flies great.

Love2FlyMN

Sweet. My other option was to find an older plane needing new covering amd covering it with Stits and paint it.
How is the covering on the world models planes?

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

In my opinion it is not as good as Monokote but it looks good and stays on. As far as power, I fly it at 60 percent power most of the time and only go to full power to climb. It's pretty realistic in its flight character.

Only fair to let you know, like all AT-6's it likes to hop on landings unless you grease it in.