Bkauf001

Hello all,

I am currently trying to get back into flying RC planes. I have gotten in touch with a local club near my location and have been mentored by one of their board members. He has been EXTREMELY helpful in the process of deciding what to get and I recommend for any new pilots to go find a club nearby!

I have flown RC planes before at a much younger age, but would like to become much more involved. I wanted to see if anyone here had any knowledge of the Mentor-G 26 cc. I have read about every page I can find online and have even found a step by step build with pictures on this article:

http://www.modelaviation.com/mentorg

Unfortunately, I have been unsuccessful at finding a good review by someone who was setting it up with the Tricycle Landing Gear.

The standard setup, from what I have read, has very good reviews and I think will be a good plane to get back into RC with. ( I have flown multiple miniature RC planes, helicopters, and quad-copters that were all electric. I also will be trained on a buddy box by a veteran at the RC club)

I am just going to list what I have ordered so far so you can see where I am currently at.

Engine:
The mentor at the club(once again cannot stress how much help he has been) has offered to let me use his old Brillelli 26cc Gas engine. He has also provided me with the carburetor, ignition starter, and muffler.

Horizon Hobby:
- Spektrum DX6 w/ free receiver which was also recommended by many online and had great reviews except for the battery life. So I also ordered the 2000mAh Transmitter rechargeable battery pack.
- (5) A6180 digital aircraft servo

Maxford USA:
-Mentor G 26cc trainer w/
- (4) 12" servo extensions and
- (1) 12" Y harness

http://www.maxfordusa.com/mentor-g26cctrainer.aspx

Fults Tooling:
-RF770 (for the tricycle nose setup)

Tower Hobbies:
-Hobbico Hydrimax NiMH 5C 6V 2000mAh Reciever(for Reciever and Servos)
-Hobbico Hydrimax NiMH 4C 4.8V 20000mAh Stater Battery
-(4) Beechwood Xoar 17x6 Propeller
-Dubro Tygon Fuel tubing (6ft.)
-Dubro Fuel line barbs(5)
-Dubro Kwik-Fill Fuel Pump
-TH CA+ Medium Glue 2oz.
-TH Activator 2 oz. w/ pump


The club has also been very generous and are going to let me use an old battery charger for the two NiMH batteries as well as ignition and receiver switches.

So my entire purpose of this post was to see if anyone had any suggestions on the build or saw anything else I would need. I have read over the Mentor-G's manual and have tried my best to familiarize myself with everything I need but wanted to see if anyone had actually built this plane, especially with the tricycle setup.

Thank you so much for your time and assisting me along the way into this exciting hobby!

jester_s1

I don't see wheels, linkages and pushrods, a covering iron for getting out wrinkles, a fuel jug, or a basic toolkit.

Bkauf001

The linkages, pushrods, and fuel jug come in the arf package. I have a basic toolkit but will need to get a covering iron and the wheels.

Thank you so much for the input.

jetmech05

These are questions you should be asking your instructor. For the time being put yourself in his hands

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I don't have the Mentor but I have seen one fly set-up as a trike and spoke to the owner and he had nothing bad to say about it. Most large high wing planes like the Mentor make great trainers . With the trike gear it will make ground handling and landings a bit easier for you ; you just need to be careful when making tight turns on the ground so you don't tip forward to one side (especially if it;s windy). Once you get back into it and become comfortable you can convert it to a tail-dragger.
As far as set-up they made arrangements for the main gear to be moved rearward on the fuselage but you would have to add some plywood, a nose gear assembly(with wheel, tiller arm, some mounting blind-nuts/bolts and a push rod). As far as how to mount the nose gear assembly you should ask your instructor or another experienced builder at your field as it would be a bit difficult to do that here.
Maxford makes some nice planes and this one should be a good plane for you plus you won't get tired of it as it also makes a great float plane and ski plane !

Bkauf001

Wow! Thank you so much for the help! My instructor is excellent I just do not want to bog him down with to many questions! Thank you so much for your time and input.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

You're welcome !
Also,don't waste your money on the single rod nose gear that you typically see on planes. For this size plane they will be far too weak. Invest the money and get one of the Class 3 or 4 double spring models from Fults: You will have to determine what length unit you need once you get the plane and have someone help you to figure it out. Again it's not that difficult but easier to do in-person.
http://fultslandinggear.com/RFseries.html

Charlie P.

It's a beautiful model as a tail dragger or float plane. I would't complicate it with a nose gear. If you fly off grass I would recommend you leave it as a tail-dragger.

thailazer

A lot of the Fults landing gear models have been discontinued. Not sure if the company is going to to around long as it is for sale. Three items I have tried to order are discontinued.

RBACONS

My Feedback: (3)

The Mentor was intended to be a tail-dragger. I'm not sure you should complicate matters by trying to convert it to tricycle gear. The main gear placement will probably need to change and the plane will balance differently with the heavy Fults nose gear added to the front end (i.e., you may have to add tail weight).

Don't forget some epoxy. Maxford recommends 5-minute but 30-minute is a better choice. Its a stronger bond and useful in more situations than the 5-minute variety.

The recommended y-harness is in case you only have a 4-channel Transmitter and Receiver. Since you're getting a DX6, you should really consider putting the ailerons on separate channels rather than "Y-ing" them together on one channel. It makes set up and adjustments of the ailerons a lot easier. I think the DX6 comes with an AR610 receiver, which is 6-channel. If so, the manual recommends skipping the Y-harness and instead getting two 6" extensions. These will remain plugged into your receiver and will in turn connect to your aileron servo leads.

Jester_S1 mentioned the fuel jug. I think you might be confusing this with the fuel tank. The fuel jug is your 1 or 2 gallon red, approved gasoline container, like you use for your lawn mower. Speaking of which, you'll also need 2-stroke oil to mix with your gas. Since its your instructor's engine, you should ask him what brand oil and and at what ratio he mixes it for that engine. And you should buy a fuel filter. Actually 2. Your fuel jug should have one and there should be one in the fuel line between the tank and the carburetor. Gas engines are extremely sensitive to any dirt/debris in the fuel. I would also recommend using a three line set up on your fuel tank (Carb, Vent, Fill) in which case you'll also need a fuel dot (fitting in the side of the fuse for fueling/de-fueling the plane).

As for wheels, the plane comes with the main wheels and tail wheel. You'll just need to buy an appropriate sized nose wheel if you convert to tricycle gear.

jester_s1

I think the Fultz gears are just a waste of money. I haven't bent up a nose gear since I soloed on my trainer. Nose gear actually have very little stress on them if you know how to land. And if you don't, it's a whole lot easier to straighten out a nose gear than it is to replaced a ripped out firewall which is the next weakest link in the structure.

That said, I agree that converting this plane to a tricycle gear is a waste of time. There is a little bit more technique to learn in the ground handling, but it's not hard assuming the landing gear is set up properly.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

The OP WANTS to make it a trike. It's not something out of the ordinary.
Maxford makes provisions in the arf to convert the main gear to the trike position.
Instead of posting telling the OP opinions that he shouldn't do what he wants to do, why not help him accomplish what he wants?
He may eventually change it back to a tail dragger but at least he will have learned some building/conversion techniques.along the way.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

The Fults dual strut gear nose gear is anything but a waste of money on an appropriate airplane, Key word here (appropriate) and the airplane being discussed is most certainly that if tricycle gear is choosen. There are many airplanes that tricycle gear is appropriate on and not everything has to be taildragger. The attitude that everything has to be a taildragger is about the same as the evangelical electric folks who will not be happy until glow/gas folks are eradicated.

Now my direct contribution to the question on the Fults gear who the OP has indicated an interest in with his first post is: I have it on one airplane that has been very active for fifteen years now that weighs normally about fourteen pounds. It is a four engine Senior Cadet. I bent up my own heavy wire nose strut originally and it was a source of trouble. After adding a Fults gear I obtained in a buyout the airplane became extremely versatile. I also helped a friend who copied my Quad Cadet and he choose to go taildragger. His airplane has proven to be far less versatile however because of the gear.

To the OP if you choose to go tricycle that airplane in that weight class is crying out for the Fults nose gear. How ever if you go to the Fults website you see that he is trying to sell so purchasing new may be in question so if you cannot obtain one there or used (they are out there, put out the word in your club) The I would suggest you go with taildragger gear instead.

The fults type gear really is needed in your weight class. I am also working on another airplane that I have equipped with Fults gear and that is a bi power twin that is also in the same weight class.

John

Charlie P.

Landing a nose gear equipped model isn't the problem for me. It's taking off. Our strip is used by civilian aircraft and the occasional joy-riding kids who leave tire ruts. That nose wheel is banging all over the place. I just find tail draggers so much easier in rough field operations.

Especially with big, goofy tires!



And if you don't put a nose gear on the Mentor-G it makes it easier to swap to floats and back.