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-   -   LA Racer 40 Build and Test (https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/club-40-491/11013100-la-racer-40-build-test.html)

DonStegall 03-24-2012 09:46 AM

LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
1 Attachment(s)
We use the LA Racer 40 by The World Models in Club 40 Racing and it is a fun plane for sport flying. It makes a very good second or third plane. The benefit is that if it is set up with the correct engine and equipment, it can be used for some sport pylon racing. The LA Racer 40 shares the same basic wing and stabilizer with the Sky Raider Mach II and both are allowed in Club 40. The two planes are available in a total of 12 different color schemes and you can see pictures of the kits on my website at LA Racer 40 - Colors and Kit Info and Sky Raider Mach II - Colors and Kit Info. My web site needs to be updated as the solid colors are now available on the AirBorne web site.

I have seen these planes hovered and torque rolled. By very good pilots, but it has been done. So they are versatile fun flying everyday planes. They are more like simple beginning aerobatic trainers.

In this thread I will start with the black, red, and white ARF. I will remove some of the standard trim and replace it with ToughLon covering. I will use some of my techniques I have learned from putting many of these together to show how I do it. My planes have been very reliable and if others can benefit, then this will be time well spent. I may do videos for some parts of the assembly.

JohnMcGowan 03-24-2012 11:33 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
Hi Don.
Thanks for posting your efforts on this. Do you see any flying advantage between the SR MkII and Sanaloma vs the LA Racer for racing C40 ?
I wouldnt think there would be any, but one never knows until they ask .;)
Maybe we can get you to come down for a road trip this year and visit us at a race?
Thanks again and hope you are doing well.

John

rcpilot32 03-25-2012 03:06 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
I got my first LA Racer over 5 years ago. After It was assembled, one thought was that I would fold the wing in a short time.
After many races, and many hours of sport flying the plane, I am pleased to say that it is still flying. I have tortured the wing.

It was my first WM aircraft. I won a Sky Raider MK II at a race in Charlotte. It is just as tough. Both fly equally great.

As for one being faster than the other, I would say they are both equal in speed. I used a radar gun on both and see no difference in level flight speed.

James Barr

DonStegall 03-25-2012 08:06 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
John,

I have flown both a lot and I do feel differences in them. Speed is almost the same in straight and level. But they turn differently and handle differently to a mild degree. I feel like I fly a smoother course with the LA Racer and lose less speed in the turns. So my straight speed stays up and I can sometimes overtake the Sky Raiders. But then I sometimes dork the turns and that doesn't matter. When I was running the races in Charlotte, so much of my time was on running the races that I didn't really get to compete. And I didn't wear my distance contacts, so I was flying without good vision. But when I flew a good smooth course with the LA Racer I seemed to be very competitive with the Sky Raiders. I prefer the tight coupling of the direct aileron linkages even though the servos are out in the wind. I used Spektrum DS821 servos on one of mine and it is the best flying Club 40 plane I have had.

I will be flying both this summer to get ready for the National Championship race. If I get a chance I will come to one of your races. Its a busy year for me.

DonStegall 03-25-2012 08:09 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
1 Attachment(s)
I removed the trim covering from the wing and stabilizer. The technique is simple. Use a X-Acto knife and lift a corner of the trim. Then you can pull it up. It may be stuck harder in some places and may leave some of the backing and color on the surface. Try to manipulate how you pull the trim up to minimize how much is left behind.

The first time this happened, I was really puzzled about how to get it off. I tried alcohol and various low strength solvents. I had previously had to clean some epoxy from a glue joint on a plane covered with ToughLon with acetone and it didn't seem to bother the covering. So I tried acetone. It took the residue right off. Acetone seems to have a minimal effect on ToughLon. It does not melt it. It can seem as though it streaks it, but what that usually turns out to be is some of the residue left behind. Cleaning with a clean cloth with just acetone takes the streaks away. You do have to be careful with the acetone. As it melts the covering backing, getting it on the covering joints melts the adhesive there and your covering will come off later. One thing I want to try is Goof Off. I meant to try it this time, but I forgot.

This is a relatively busy weekend, but I'm going to try to get some of the new trim covering on today. Otherwise it will be this week.

honkerbird 04-04-2012 06:51 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
When removing stock covering use heat. Minimal residue will be left behind.

BarryReade 04-04-2012 08:05 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
I just removed all the trim on the wings and horizontal stabilizer and had just a little residue. <div>
</div><div> I used Extreme Goo Gone to easily remove the residue.</div>

DonStegall 05-01-2012 08:15 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
I've been working on other things and have not done anything on the LA Racer 40 in this thread.

Some people are having trouble with the ToughLon covering on The World Models planes and I'm going to do a video when I put the trim on later this week. ToughLon is a lower temperature covering than MonoKote or Ultracote. Exceeding 250 degrees can cause the color to separate from the plastic.

Barry Reade is doing a [link=http://www.rcpro.org/net/ThreadView.aspx?threadid=1079]LA Racer 40 Build[/link] thread for the [link=http://www.abmshowcase.com/the_world_models/sport/la_racer_40/default.aspx]AirBorne Models Showcase[/link] and he is going into great detail on his assembly process and how he is doing things. It is not just assembly by the instructions. So check out his build thread if you get a chance.

I did a video and posted it to YouTube on [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEYRD8B7P8Q]Cleaning a gummed up SuperTigre GS-40[/link]. I had posted it in 2 parts before I found out I can now post videos longer than 10 minutes because of my view count.

If you are not following my giant scale thread, you may have not seen that I did a video on a [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1BLAzqqg60]MLD-35 Test Run on a Test Stand[/link].

My shop has been converted from the photo studio back to work shop mode so I will be able to better work on building and I will get back to this build thread. But like I said Barry is doing a great job on his.

JohnMcGowan 05-01-2012 08:53 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
This is good info Don and Barry. Im subscribed!
THANKS!!!

John

JohnMcGowan 05-01-2012 09:06 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
Hey Barr,
on your aileron servos on the LA , are you using a Y harness or just using separate channels on your rcvr for each servo?
Thanks,
John

BarryReade 05-01-2012 09:28 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
John, I always use a seperate channel for each servo and always set them up for flapperons. I will cover it in my build thread when I install the radio which is a JR/Spektrum. Probably next week. If you need an answer sooner email me or call 404-805-8302.



ORIGINAL: JohnMcGowan

Hey Barr,
on your aileron servos on the LA , are you using a Y harness or just using separate channels on your rcvr for each servo?
Thanks,
John

DonStegall 05-02-2012 06:24 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
John,

It is best to use separate channels. You can then use flaperons and you can do mixing tricks.

I use dual aileron servos even on Sky Raider Mach II planes. It allows me to straighten out the rolls. The SRM2 and LAR40 do not roll axially without a little help with differential ailerons.

Most airplanes don't in reality. I learned this very early on. When I started to fly R/C again in 2000, I bought a ready to fly trainer. My next purchase a few weeks later was a Futaba 8UAPS. Some people at the club thought I was crazy for buying a $400 radio for a $200 plane. But I was mixing and correcting for idiosyncrasies in the plane in just days. And people were surprised by my flying. In reality my flying was enhanced by my full scale flight training. But the mixing and making the plane easy to fly really made the plane perform well. When I got my second plane, a Hanger 9 Stick, I was mixing from the start with a lot of success.

So when you get your LA Racer 40, I recommend that you use separate channels and play with mixing. You can really tighten up the turns with dual servos and flaperons without losing speed.

I use dual [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/products/mn48-mini-servo-JSP20040]JR SPORT MN48[/link] servos in Sky Raider Mach II planes with very good results.

rcpilot32 05-02-2012 02:07 PM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
I also use flaperons. Helps in the turns. It also looks cool at the club when I do an extremely slow landing just to show off.

The Skyraider or LA racer are both great flying planes. I have both and have won with both. Just a matter of how you fly. My first win was at Hodges Hobbies in GA.
Flying on the 3 pole 424 course. This was with the TT 40 and 9 X 6 prop.

I have checked speeds of both planes with a radar gun. Both average 90 to 95 mph straight and level.

James Barr

Oldbob 05-05-2012 03:33 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
Don, your photos do not show any landing gear. Is the LA racer still using the 7 inch long landing gear? The shorter 4.5 inch gear from the Sky Raider would allow the LA to go a bit faster, (less drag) and have less P-factor on takeoff.
Bob

BarryReade 05-23-2012 08:57 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
Bob, some of the LAR40's were shipped with the SRMII landing gear so???? that makes the SRMII gear legal on the LAR40.

BarryReade 05-23-2012 09:00 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
I just finished my first LAR40 and did a different kind of trim on it

I would post pictures but RCU has a problem both on the regular upload and the Beta!!

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Oldbob 05-23-2012 10:38 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
Barry, thanks for the feedback on the landing gear. I don’t want to accuse someone of cheating if they have the shorter landing gear. I might even buy an LA Racer.

Bob

BarryReade 05-23-2012 11:35 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
If you run up front regularly you will be accused of the "C' word. I can remember being called a cheater because I practiced and a lot of other things, like changing the rules because I was the only one doing something.

Oh well!!

Oldbob 05-23-2012 12:53 PM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
The “C word”, I like the sound of that. It’s not so harsh.

Bob

Oldbob 05-26-2012 07:19 PM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
Hay Don I now have an LA Racer and trying to figure out which way the ailerons (flaparons) should go. Up elevator down flaparons; or up elevator up flaparons?? Please help before I crash a plane by going the wrong way.
Thanks,
Bob

BarryReade 05-27-2012 02:12 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
Bob, also use flaperons and with up elevator you want some down flaperons. This helps the fuselage pivot quicker without burning off to much speed. You will have to experiment with how much flaperons. I have a three position switch on my JR9503 ans pos 1 is 0%, pos 2 is for quicker turning, and position three is for flaps to land or slow pass or whatever. The way to do it is for the turns to be linked with the elevator so 0* elevator is 0* flaperons and it is proportional on the up elevator only. I don't have any flaperons coupled to down elevator.

DonStegall 05-27-2012 03:00 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
Bob, welcome to the world of fine tuning. ;)

What Barry said is generally what you want for the Club 40 setups. So I won't go to far into the theory and just how far you can go, but I will give you some things to work with.

For my information it would help to know what transmitter you are using. Then I will know what your capabilities are.

Use your auxiliary switches to set up mixes. Use your Flaps switch for your general flaperon control. I set min so that the high position is no flaps. The middle position is for racing, with flaps mixed in to the elevator, and the bottom position is with flaps for racing. Now sometimes I use two racing positions and don't worry about a landing position. That way I can have two different tightnesses of turns. And while you are getting used to flaperons, I recommend you do the same.

Ok, here's the theory part. On a high wing plane like a Cessna where the wing is above the thrust line, when you pull in flaps, the nose of the plane pitches up, and you have to add down trim. On a low wing plane like a Cherokee, when you pull in flaps, the nose pitches down and you have to add up trim. In either case, additional list has been added to the wing. The only thing is the trim has changed. This is important to remember for your model and where mixing is important.

Since the LA Racer is a low wing plane, when you add flaperons going down to up elevator, you automatically get the "up" trim. However, the up is not quite as effective as it would be is not for the down pitching effect. So try mixing in some up ... 10% to 15% in the up direction .. to get the tightest turns.

Barry's suggestion of not mixing for down is valid. However, the plane responds differently to down elevator. This is generally a good things because usually down corrections are because you are out of shape. if you find that the different responses mess with you set up the flaperons the same for up and down in the beginning.

Now for differential ailerons. The LA Racer 40 needs differential ailerons to roll axially. Use the Aileron channel and the Auxiliary channel you have the other aileron on to mix out the barrel rolling. Don't try to assign this to a switch. It is too much of a pain in the butt. Just decrease the wing that is turning too fast by 10% to start with. I do use a mix assigned to a switch and add in a little rudder. A very small amount.

Back to your original question. if you were trying to fly a super smooth course at high speed and not pulling sharp turns, I would tell you to bring the ailerons up instead of down on up elevator. You can actually prevent loss of speed in that situation.

I hope that gives you a starting point. Have fun tweaking, turning, and burning.

Oldbob 05-27-2012 07:48 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
Don and Barry thanks for the information. Don I have a Futaba 8U which has mixing and programmable switch assignments. I will start with a little up flaparons and add more as I get use to it. I’m going to the field this afternoon to try this new stuff out. I don’t want to have a high speed snap and barrel into the ground. I’ll let you guys know how it turns out.
Bob

BarryReade 05-27-2012 07:58 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
Great. Wish you were a JR kinda guy but it is good to have different brands/manufacturers.http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/js/f...eeth_smile.gif

BarryReade 05-27-2012 08:18 AM

RE: LA Racer 40 Build and Test
 
I just finished up an LAR40 and did a complete build thread on RCPRO.

And some pics. Don was my inspiration for the trim job I did.

http://greyghost.smugmug.com/Airplan...DSCF4029-L.jpg

http://greyghost.smugmug.com/Airplan...DSCF4027-L.jpg
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