papajeff

E-Man,

Not good! I know the feeling and it's not a good feeling! I'm sorry to hear about the sad situation.
Are the wings beyond repair? I hope so.

NewFlyingMan

My Feedback: (24)

Sorry. I didn't provide enough detail. I was just mentioning what "could" have happened to them on the floor of the garage and how screwed I would have been if anything "had" happened. I got to them before anything bad happened. Had it "I" probably would have been inconsolable. I knew how hard this was to get.

I even held the UPS man against his will whenit was delivereduntil I had a chance to remove the box from the shipping container and open it to check for any damage to the parts even though the shipping container was in fairly good shape.

For the time being this thing is my baby. If they were a dime a dozen I probably wouldn't care so much.

So all is good and building continues...on rcgroups.com.

papajeff

WINGASSEMBLY

This is the first step in the eight page Instruction Manual, which contains assembly photos with
very few detailed explanations. Seemed logical, so let's start with the wings. A little issue was
found when the flap and aileron were separated from the wing, as I found only two round CA
hinges for each, but the photo showed there should be three. No big deal as I would rather
usethe typical rectangular CA hinges that I am used to and I'll have three for each moving
surface

papajeff

Before hinging the ailerons and flaps, I decided to remove the covering from the factory
made servo pockets. Holding the wing up to the light will give you the position of each
pocket and remember to leave about 1/8th inch of covering to iron it over the raw edges.

papajeff

Since the servo pockets were now open, I wanted to see if the digital servos, that Nitro sent,
would fit properly. The Raiden 12.3 Gram, Micro Plus Digital Servo, DMA-016, metal & plastic
gear with Micro Plus performance would be perfect. AT 6.0v they willproduce 36.22 oz. in. at
0.09 sec. which is excellent for flaps and ailerons. The servo pocket plastic covers will take a
little modifying as I am used to mounting the servos to a plywood cover with the typical square
stock pegs and inserting the cover into the servo pockets. We will get to that soon.

NewFlyingMan

My Feedback: (24)

You didn't find additional hinge materials in the plastic baggy that contains the clear plastic for the camera pod thingy. I actually have too many. I have about 6 extra...matbe I got yours.

papajeff

Thanks E-Man, I just found the extra hinges and decided to use them as they were more
flexible than I had thought. I used four on the aileron and three on the flap. I used thin Zap
CA and wicked it on each hinge, top & bottom of the wing, only after the moving surfaces are
attached. With this method, the CA wicks evenly throughout the entire hinge material at
the same time, making a much stronger bond and a better flexing hinge.

papajeff

For the aileron servo, I attached a 24" servo extension and used a piece of heatshrink to
secure the joint.Since there was no pre-installed string to route the servo extension thru
the wing, I inserted a long thin piano wire and taped the end to the extension. Then just
take it slow and pull out the piano wire and that's it. For now, the flap servo did not need
an extension The "RA" (right aileron) on the extension pin end is my way to identify every
servo lead at this stage of the build, because it prevents me from going crazy when it's
time to hook up the receiver.

papajeff

I started with the flap servo and cut out the provided plastic servo pocket cover. The manual photo
shows the servo glued into the servo pocket in the wing and then the cover is attached and held on
with 4 provided screws. I'm sure that would work just fine, but I felt more comfortable mounting the
servo to the cover as shown in the photos below.

First I marked the correct positionof the servo on the cover, thencut small pieces of 1/4 x 1/4" square
balsa stock and used some medium ZAP CA to glue them to the plastic cover. Then a little double
sided tape and the servo isheld in place.

papajeff

Then as extra insurance, I used hot melt glue to make sure that the servo was secured properly
to the wood blocks and would not move out of position when the flaps were engaged. Now, when
the cover is mounted to the wing, the servo is in the correct position and extremely easy to work on
if needed. Do exactly the same for the aileron servo, then to the other wing and when finished, we
can tackle the linkage.

rjmanzuk

So what distance have "we" decided to mount the control horns on the flaps and ailerons?

NewFlyingMan

My Feedback: (24)

Isn't there a Rule-of-Thumb that says the holes in the control horn should be directly above the hinge point for the control surface? As in the attached pic. Or is there a better way... There's always more than one way to do things.

papajeff

Mad Man,

E-Man is correct and his diagram is perfect. With the short control rods for both the ailerons and flaps,
be sure to attach the control horn so that the control rods are perpendicular to the servo arms. I have
a feeling that I might consider using a metal clevis rather than the provided plastic ones.

Although this photo below is of the original Predator build, it still shows what E-Manand I are talking
about.

[img]{akamaiimageforum}/Thumbnails/122105/Vt57960.jpg[/img]

papajeff

I took a good look at the provided control rods and clevises and decided that they would be
more than adequate. I did, though, use asmall piece of fuel tubing to hold the clevisarms
together just to be safe. First, I attached the control rod to the servo armand thenpositioned
the middle control horn hole over the hinge line and marked the base holes. I used two screws
and a dab of ZapCA to attach the control horn to the moving surface.

Mr. N

would u be able to fit a gas engin in it by any chance?

NewFlyingMan

My Feedback: (24)

I guess in theory you could (nitro engine), but it would take a lot of mods if you did not want the engine sticking out of the fuse. You could mount the engine forward a bit so the head is in the air intake area and use a balanced and bearing supported shaft to drive the prop, but you would have to make mods to the rudder and elevator controls and the fuse formers in the rear. And then also making a place or space for the fuel tank, whichwould probably have to be remote requiring the use of a pump and then you would probably end up wih CG issues.

I'm not sayinng it can't be done, but it would take a far amount of work, and not for the faint of heart. If you do decide to do it, Ithink a lot of people would be interested in seeing it.

Good luck.

ClrDaze

Hey Guys, haven't seen anything happening on this thread in awhile.  I am currently on a waiting list for the reaper, expected ship date 7/15 and am collecting a parts list.  I was curious what motors you guys have been using and your impressions of power/weight ratio, handling of the airframe, and flight times.  Any new lessons learned from build issues?

I look forward to hearing from any and all.

Thanks ~

NewFlyingMan

My Feedback: (24)

Hey there ClrDaze,

It seems as though everyone took a break for a variety of reasons. If your looking for some additional info on the plane you can also look here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1237390

It is build thread on RCGroups.

The biggest thing to remember with this bird has nothing to do with what you put in it or how you build it, but how you FLYit! The proof is in the pudding, as some have already found out after their birds turned into a puddle of parts after letting the airspeed drop to what would normally be a reasonable speed.

Build it like a Predator B, but fly it like a Predator C!

crustychief

Well, I have my fingers crossed, the expected ship date is/was today but sometime in the last two days, they have changed the expected ship date to August 30th! Keep in mind I pre-ordered in March and people that ordered after me have already received, built, and crashed theirs!

papajeff

Chief,

That's unfortunate to have another delay on the Reapers. I sure hope that Nitro ordered a few
hundred or more! If I hear anything good to report, I will be sure to post it.

Also, It's disappointing for me to hear that some of the guys have been having problems
flying the Reaper. Just like the original Nitro Predator, the secret is to fly these "scale-like"
UAV's in a very gentle, scale manner and leave the aerobatics to the young guns like JR's
Devin McGrath, right? RIGHT!!!!!!!

ClrDaze

I talked with Nitro Planes last week and was told that their latest batch had been delayed (from the July ship date) they are expecting a shipment sometime in August that should cover all back ordered kits.  Let's hope sooner rather than later...  I've never waited for a model this long and I've only been on the list since late May.

crustychief

Got it today. almost done with it. I can't beleive how fast you can stick together an ARF the day after you complete a short kit!

papajeff

Chief,

Now, that's what I like to see....a good "old style" MODELER! Nice job! What model is it?
I'm pleased to hear that you received your Reaper and dont' hesitate to post your build
process.

rjmanzuk

NO REPLY ON THE OTHER BUILD FORUM, SO, FORGIVE ME FOR REPEATING MYSELF:

OK, guys. I've progressed to the point at which I'm to attach the REAPER's wings (STEP 5), but the holes in the root section of the wings are way too small for the flange on the NF-1001 grommet to fit. Did you simply drill them out to fit?

Also, how did you make certain that the wings would fit snugly against the fuselage (i.e. no gap) when epoxying the four drilled tabs into the fuselage slots?

Did any of you simply epoxy the wings on? (I have a van, so my REAPER will fit for transporting it to the field without removing the wings). Recommendations?

crustychief

I just measured the tabs for the distance outside the wing when the bolts are installed then epoxied them in, I think it will be pretty close. For added security you could cut some aluminum flat stock 6.5 inches long and just have it "float" in the fuselage. The tabs are not structural but some people like to go big.
papajeff
The kit is an old great planes super aeromaster, I bought it in 1990 and just finished it yesterday I have only worked on it for the last three months though.