bonedaddy41

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I just couldn't pass this one up. I have not heard anything bad about the .30 size Waco from Sportsman and I have been seeing the ads for a few months for the .60 size ... I even pre-ordered one from HobbyPeople but when the manufacturer started missing the ship dates I got scared and canceled. I thought I would let a few folks "guinea pig" this one for me. Well, I was walking through the local HS and what do you think was sitting on the receiving dock? I asked if I could open the box and check it out. All of the staff gathered around and inspected it with me. It all looks to be very nice ... cowl fits the fuse very nicely ... covering is top notch ... aluminum wing struts are nice ... typical ARF hardware elsewhere ... I TOOK IT HOME!!!! It will be next week before I can start on it but I am very excited. Can't decide what engine .... maybe an OS .61 FX ... have even thought about giving the MDS .78 a chance (I know, I've read the threads). I am hoping for unlimited vertical on this one!!! I will post pics as the build progresses.

Is anybody else trying this one? Which engine are you using?

Dugster

I've been waiting to see about this one myself. Some pictures of the kit and assembly would be helpful. Keep us posted. TIA.

Miloh

is there a picture of this bird on the internet or do we need to chip in and get sportsman aviation a camera???


Miloh.

bonedaddy41

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I got this pic from HobbyPeople.net online catalog

therotund1

bonedaddy... I just love that signature line you've got...

Miloh

Haya Bonedaddy do you have a weight on this bird yet??? I'm thinking about my supertiger 75 for this one.
Also what is your opinion of the wheel pant quality? do they look like they will hold up?
Any wires on it?

Miloh.

bonedaddy41

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The box says 8.5 to 9.25 lbs. I am sure hoping for the lesser. That is why I was thinking about trying the MDS 78. If you believe the marketing info on the OS and MDS engines, the OS 61FX puts out 1.9hp where the MDS 68 puts out 2.2 I think. I haven't found any numbers for the MDS 78 but the testers said it swung the same "test props" as the 68 at "substantially higher rpm". What that means I'm not sure ... but it is suppose to be the same size and wieght as a 61 so I am gonna at least look at it. The LHS is suppose to be getting one in for me to check out. We'll see.

Miloh

thanks, let us know how it flys.

bonedaddy41

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It is almost finished. After a few weeks of chaos with life, all I lack in completing the Waco is the aileron connecting linkages and breaking in the engine. I decided to give the MDS .78 a shot ... and I think the weight listed on the Waco's box is incorrect. I haven't put it on the scales yet but I don't think this thing is over 7 lbs. If the MDS performs like I hope, this thing is going to be fun on the vertical line

I will post some pictures of the assembly process this evening. And I hope to have the maiden voyage this Sunday. I am really excited to see this thing in the air.

A note on the assembly: The manual tells you to do things in a strange order ... like mounting the control horns LONG before you have run any rods. I like to have the rods in place so that I KNOW where the horns will be the most comfortable. I did it my way and everything came out just great. The hardware that is supplied is not what is mentioned in the manual but what you receive is actually of better quality that what is described. Other than that, the manual is very precise and has good photos.

bonedaddy41

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First off ... I will post a few build and maiden flight pics ... then I will give the narrative.

Here is a view of the packing ... minus the wings

bonedaddy41

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and the cowl

bonedaddy41

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The finished plane

bonedaddy41

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The fuse with tail feathers attached

bonedaddy41

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the first taxi to the runway

bonedaddy41

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The 1st landing approach

bonedaddy41

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and coming home in one piece!!!

bonedaddy41

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Ok, now that the pics are taken care of .... the real story of its maiden voyage. Since I am new to biplanes, I asked our resident veteran (Eric) to verify the air worthiness of this one for me. Now one thing to remember ... I have a $100 experiment bolted to the firewall of this thing in the way of the MDS .78 ... as he applied throttle slowly, it was obvious that the MDS was going to have PLENTY of power on hand. As the main wheels left the grass field I was VERY pleased to see a graceful climb without any leans in either direction. I noticed that it had ripped off of the field at a little less than half trottle Then I heard the JR 662XP beeping as he was trimming things in ... no problem ... more beeps ... ok, so it was out of whack more than normal ... more beeps ... I finally look over and he is adding down elevator as fast as he could and the plane was still climbing ... he started repeating the phrase "OH CRAP, OH CRAP, COME ON, OH CRAP" He finally handed me the radio and said "hold it as level as you can while I adjust the trim through programming". It was obvious that we had MAJOR pitch problems. This thing is balanced per the manual on the nose heavy side and anything above 1/4 throttle causes a climb that only 25 to 30 degrees of down elevator will control. After a few nervous moments of me trying to fly while the programming was being changed ... we at least got it to a semi-controllable state and decided to bring it in and talk about fixes. The first pass on approach was aborted and Eric thought that the low rate settings were making him a little nervous so he took it around and went to high rates. About that same time ... the MDS started sounding a little too lean and was going down on power ... I can accept that on its first flight though. Eric brought it around ... laboring as it was ... and was able to set it down on both mains and coast to a stop in the middle of the field (WHEW!!!).

I don't know what the deal is. We are going to add some shims (washers) to the top motor mount bolts and see if adding some down thrust helps. We didn't have time to try anything this evening since we played to long with other stuff and it got dark on us.

This is a gorgeous airplane ... static and in flight ... I just hope we can get it to be a little less "climb sensative". The manual recommends the CG at 5" to 5 3/4" from the LE of the top wing. I had it at 5". I plan to move forward to about 4" and add a single washer on the top motor mount bolts and see how that feels. The few seconds I got to fly it were enough to scare me to death ... and my favorite flyer is my Kyosho F4U Corsair with a Saito .72

I will keep you updated as we try to figure this thing out. Has anybody else tried this ARF yet or am I ending up as the "guinea pig"?

therotund1

You're it!!! Great job, fantastic looking plane! Good save! I look forward to your remedies.

Oh, BTW, you win a cookie for being a "pig"!

Yak18

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I'd double check the incidence of the wings...try one degree negative on top wing. If you have a biplane you must also have a Robart Incidence Meter--mandatory. I'd also try only one correction at a time until you get it flying well. I'm sure it can be made into a sweet flyer.

Yak

bonedaddy41

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from therotund1:

"Oh, BTW, you win a cookie for being a "pig"! "

Good, I like cookies!!!!

from Yak18:

"I'd also try only one correction at a time until you get it flying well."

Most definately. I am going to reverify all of my settings, CG and such before I make any changes at all. I have been known to miss something :stupid: If everything checks out, then I will make small changes ... one at a time. My first will probably be a single shim under the top motor mount bolts and see what that does.

I may have to come up with a transport system though ... it is awful hard to get this biplane, my daughter's UltraStick and anything for me to fly to relax after fighting an out-of-shape-ship in my PT Cruiser with all of the associated equipment. I made "slings" that allow me to carry the wings overhead but still ... 4 wings, 3 fuses, field caddy, small ice chest, the daughter ... the little PT Cruiser gets a little cramped

Volfy

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Is that a fiberglass fuselage? Sure looks purty.

bonedaddy41

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It is all wood and covering. Hold it up to the light and see right through this thing From the wings back ... nothing but stringers and a few bulkheads. Super light.

Dugster

Tell me about it!

bonedaddy41

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LOL!!!! That looks so familiar!!!!! For $20 a day plus milage, I've even thought about a small U-Haul truck on flying days

bonedaddy41

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Well, I found a problem. There is a slight mistake in the instruction manual. They do not mention that there is a front and rear to the cabane struts (the ones that attach the upper wing to the fuse). The instructions state "unfold the cabane struts to form an 'M' and attach to the three tabs on the fuse" ... I broke down and bought a laser incidence meter to check stab, wing and engine thrust incidence. The engine and lower wing were within 1/4 degree to the horizontal stab. The upper wing however was pitched up almost 5 degrees!!!! No wonder it just wanted to climb!!!! The cabane struts have one end that is about 5mm longer than the other ... and I had the long end on the front ... which pitched the front of the wing higher than the rear. I guess the difference was not enough to be noticeable to the naked eye because multiple people looked this thing over pretty good.

Anyway, we are going to test it again tomorrow afternoon hopefully. I obviously expect it to be a totally different airplane this time.