sargentw

I want to place an order for a Graupner Terry. Could someone itemize for me exactly what I need for a complete setup. I would like to get right so I don't end up buying upgrades.

I have a Focus FM 3 ch radio channel 26. So far, I'm looking at a 555 receiver and 55s servos. The Graupner 400 Speed Plus motor, and the Graupner stock battery. I'm reading that the Graupner stock battery is not necessarily the way to go. It seems That Wattage make a more powerful battery that fits.

I would like to get this plane ordered with all the good stuff up front and for the best price.

Thanks,

rwg

i have a terry. you''l need a 15 amp speed control, no more than a 6 cell 500mah 2/3 a battery pack ( a seven cell will bearly fit but will cause to much heat from the motor and melt the fuse.) flys good though. 2 mini servos, i used hitec 81's with slight trimming of foam but i think 55's will fit right in. most inportant thing not mentioned in the instructions is to put a strip of packing filiment tape lengthwise under wing with slight tension otherwise on your first loop the wing breaks in two and it won't fly very well. oh ive got a 555 reciever in mine also. i think the terry flies very well and i glued mine back together so many times with epoxy i think it doubled in weight and still kept flying. before i broke down and bought a new fuse. it was shapped like a cork screw and had white spots from the beer cooler foam i used to fill in for lost pieces. HAVE FUN!!!

sargentw

Hey, Thanks for the tips! So I should stick with the "stock" Graupner 6 cell nicad 500 mah battery pack. I should also go with the Graupner 400 speed plus motor?

rwg

I would, i used battery packs with 500AR sanyo cells and the 400 speed motor also the new 480 motor is the same diameter just a little longer. i haven't tried it, but i bet it would zip right along wit it and a bigger prop. just have to manage throttle to avoid overheating! might be fun if you like to experiment

dadzilla-5

Hi - not to doubt anybody else's advice, but do you think the Hobby Lobby 500AR pack is worth the 42 dollars? You can get it cheaper (23 dollars - about half) here: http://www.skybench.com/catalog.html - just scroll down to batteries. I have been told that the KAN 950 nihm is the way to go on the Terry. But I have not tried it. Did your fuse actually melt using a 7 cell pack? I need to know because I am planning to use 7 cell 600AE packs - (which you can also get for half the price of a 500AR 6 cell pack from hobby lobby) - so anyway I built the Terry but did not fly it yet - maybe this weekend. I'd like to hear how you guys are doing with yours, and certainly I hope my comments have not insulted anybody.

rwg

i'm sure the other battery would work fine. yes the fuse melted around the motor resulting a loose fit. if i had known i probably would managed the throttle better, but the way it's designed ther'es not much cooling.

SALMONBUG

My Feedback: (1)

about the terry overload...

I was reading a flight test in a european revue some months ago.
The terry was flown by a confirmed modeler to writte an article about the behaviours of the bird.
A tourist arrived to the field during the flight test. He had a digital cam with him and asked if it was possible to scotch the small digital cam on the terry wing in order to take some aerial vue....
the writter of the article first refused to do so arguing this was bringing the all assembly to sudden death.
because of the insistance of the tourist, they finaly did it.
and it worked...., the terry was a bit heavy but handled the situation like a chief...

I don't own a terry myself, but I seriously consider to buy one to learn my 5 years old daughter the basic of flights

dadzilla-5

I agree with the European gentleman that the Terry should make an excellent trainer - must have been fun for those guys with the digital camera! Now for the other fellow with the heating problems - I read in the instructions to cut two air holes in the fuselage. I can see right through the fuselage and because the holes line up with the holes in my speed 400 casing, I can actually see right through the airplane. Did you do this? I was hoping that the two cooling holes would be enough.

PaulF

$42 for the Terry battery is a little insane. You have other options, one of which is from Hobby Lobby; go with the KR600AE cells. They lack a *bit* of punch that the 500 cells have, but you are gaining 100 mah of battery capacity, which equates to longer running times.
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/nicads.htm
(see pack B600AE1 @ $20.20)

The other option is to build your own, which can be done for about $15. You can get the tabbed cells from tower (most expensive @ $3.10/cell), Hobby Lobby (cheaper @ $2.70/cell) or Eflightpacks.com (cheapest @ $1.50/cell and best service).

SALMONBUG

My Feedback: (1)

I have to apologise, my previous post was not corect. The little plane who flown with the digital cam fixed on the wing is not a TERRY but a MULTIPLEX TEDDY.

here are the infos on the multiplex teddy http://www.modelspot.com/mpx/teddy.htm

sorry about the confusion

sargentw

Ok gang,

After much research, I decided to push the envelope for the Terry.

I ordered a 2s2p pack of the E-tecs from Bishop Electronics. The battery is 2400mah, 7.2V, 14-15amps, 20amps+ in short bursts. 107grams (3.8 ounces) 4 cell (E2400 2s2p) - 63.95 each.

I also ordered the C750 basic charger which safely charges the battery in about 4 hours.

I'm sticking with the Graupner 400 speed Plus motor because of positive reviews.

Tad

PaulF

Sounds good. Let us know how it goes

nollie

Update?

sargentw

My Terry construction done. It took around 14 hours and not 2. I don't read German, took it slow, and made several construction upgrades. I've tried to make it similar to Greg Covey's super Terry; complete with wing pillar reinforcements reinforcements and an Oracover wing. I also used micro durbo control rods, sleeves, and quick connects rather than the thinner stuff that came with the kit. I plan to fly soon. With all the rain we've had I might start building a R/C Ark.

The new2s2p battery pack is pretty cool. It's 2400 mah and fits the Terry perfectly in the space just forward of the wing pillars. This location makes the COG correct. I broke in the motor using no load (no prop) running at different speeds for a couple of hours. My Hi tec FM radio ran out of juice before the battery did. This battery run and runs.

I'll post the results of the first flight, hopefully soon.

Tad

nollie

Tad,

You didn't get a set of English instructions w/ your Terry? (I did, plus a page from Hobby Lobby on suggested (basic) mods.)

I bought an extra wing recently so I can cover it w/ Oracover. I put a couple strips of wide tape on each surface of the first wing to strengthen it, so covering that wing would probably lead to bubbling.

Like you, I also used Dubro quick disconnects. Otherwise, you can't take the horiz stab off the fuse to fit the plane back into its suitcase!

Did you also do the trailing-edge bolt-down mod? I used a nylon bolt and nut set that I purchased from the local hardware store, along with a small square of polystyrene on top of the wing.

Anyway, looking forward to hearing about your flight experiences with the 2400 mAh pack. I'm getting about 12 min with my custom-ordered 1100 mAh 6-cell 2/3A packs that I bought from cheapbatterypacks.com and about 6 min on my Graupner 500AR packs. But the 500AR packs give a teenie bit more power on climbs.

BTW, I had to add weight to the tail to get the CG correct with both the 500AR and 1100 packs... even with all the electronics as far back as possible. Great to hear that your CG was spot on with the 2400 pack.

Two quick comments, if you don't mind taking advice from a newbie (w/ less than 10 days of flying):[list=1][*]If you launch the Terry motoring at full power, throw it UP. A 30-deg angle or more. Under full power, the Terry will dive like a whale until it picks up flying speed. I lost my first set of prop blades on my first powered launch, even though I'd just done a successful no-power launch to test trim.
[*]You might want to sticker or otherwise cover the fuselage sides under the wings so your fingers don't dent the foam when you launch the thing. Unlike my other foam plane (Tipsy), the Terry seems quite heavy for a foamie, so it's easier to dent while launching. I used two of the smaller "TERRY" stickers, one under each wing, as finger holds.[/list=1]
I'm having a blast w/ my Terry. Even on windier days (well, windy for me--8-12 MPH), the Terry flies like it's on rails. It's so easy to coordinate turns with it. I love flying figure-8's five feet off the deck and doing close fly-bys (me in an empty field). RC planes are so much fun when you can fly them "in close."

nollie

Whoops, one more comment...

I mod'ed the fuselage tail where the horiz stab mounts. After a few connect/disconnects of the horiz stab, the metal nut (which I glued down using 5-min epoxy) pulled off the foam, taking some foam with it. Using a thin sheet of polystyrene, I "laminated" the fuselage surface on which the horiz stab mounts. The metal nut sits below the plastic "laminate."

dadzilla-5

Hi - i'm using 600Ae 7 cell packs. They are working well and I am getting about tem minutes of flight, but the Terry seems nose heavy even with the packs pushed all the way back as far as I can get them. Has anyone tried the KAN 950 6 cell pack that the fellow at Radical RC recommends? And i agree the Terry is a blast and flies nice in the wind - it is always windy here and I flew it in a 12 Kmh wind today! It is so smooth!!
zilla

sargentw

Thanks for all the great info.

Yes I received the limited set of English instructions. Very vague. I emailed Greg Covey to find out how to set up/attach the canopy.

My terry weighs about 19 oz with battery. I've use what I call A-10 Warthog packing tape around the motor and fuse. It's lightweight very sticky 3M tape that has crisscrossed fibers. I've used it on my slow-stik, GWS tiger moth, Aerobird, and my beginner plane, Firebird II. The tape is so tough you can crash into tree branches and mow over cattails with no damage.

You are right about covering wings, remove all tape and decals first or start with a fresh wing otherwise the tape bubbles.

BTW: The Terry motor cooling holes look pretty cool. I flared them on the back sides. They will draw more air through when outside air moves over them. Maybe I should put some orange and yellow flame decals on them.

I did not put the rear bolt in yet. I may get crazy and cartwheel an Aerobird and just blow the dust off, but want to avoid that with the Terry. The covered wing and bolts are very strong and tight.

Remember I'm a Newbie too. I now have more planes than flying ability. I'm working on the ability thing. The field I fly in is 1/4 mile from my house so I'm getting alot of stick time in. The field is small 200 yrds by 500 yrds and surrounded by woods(tall trees). The field is unused and perfect for me with slow fliers. On calm days I fly 500-700 feet and over the trees and boundaries of the field. It's harder to fly in the field with the Aerobird because it flies much faster and turns slower, especially if it loses speed. Even though it may be OK, I may wait for the Terry's maiden voyage until I get to a larger field.

BTW2: Flying in close is fun!! After dinner last night I was bringing my Aerobird in close and had to hit the deck because I moved the stick the wrong way as it was approaching (20 mph). I was able to jump back up and bring it back around for a smooth landing.

Thanks again for all the info.

Tad

nollie

According to the Graupner directions, the motor vents are supposed to be on the inside of the fuselage, not on the outside. The airpath goes like this:

1. Air enters the holes on the front face of the motor through the gap between spinner and fuselage.
2. Air travels through the motor and exits out the side vents of motor.
3. Air travels through the internal channels (that you cut inside the nose) into the cockpit and battery compartment.
4. Air exits through the exit vent on top of canopy.

The exit vent on the canopy does a pretty good job of sucking air out of the cockpit and therefore air into the front vents of the motor. On my Terry, the motor gets hot, but not too hot to leave a finger on the back of it or on the ESC. The 500AR Nicad battery pack gets hotter.

You can test the airpath by leaving the spinner off, putting the canopy on, and blowing air into the front of the spinnerless plane (as if you're blowing into a pipe). Air should exit out the canopy vent.


I did the trailing edge boltdown because I was afraid that the wingmount pillars on the fuselage would break before the wing would give away on a wing-dragging landing, especially because the wing's aluminum mounting sleeves have more strength than the styrofoam pillars around the nylon fuselage inserts. My flying field is packed-down grass and dirt (soccer, football, etc), so I don't have the luxury of soft grass to belly onto. If a wingtip so much as grazes the ground, the plane will do a flat groundspin. I'm less worried about cartwheeling.


Mine is an irregularly shaped 150 yards by 350 yards. It's surrounded on all four sides by 6-to-12-story tall buildings. And it's a one-mile walk from my house. (The suitcases that came with my Terry and Tipsy are real handy for transporting my planes.) I've been launching into the wind, then turning lengthwise to the field as soon as I have decent airspeed. There's always wind here in Cambridge/Boston. (Boston is the windiest metropolitan city in the US. Chicago is called "the windy city" because of all the political "hot air," not because it's windier weatherwise than Boston, which has the highest average windspeed at 12.5 MPH.)

My guess is that I have less flying experience than you do, so you should have no problem maidening your Terry in your 200x500 field. The Terry pretty much flies itself once you get it in the air. And even though it's much faster than a slowflyer, it turns so well that I'm comfortable flying figure-8's crosswise to the field.

On sunny mornings, one of the "wider" buildings releases a good thermal off its expansive roof. The thermal isn't big enough for the Terry to climb out w/o power, but big enough for my Tipsy to stay up w/o power, no prob. I just purchased a small electric sailplane, which I plan to thermal above the building.

sargentw

Maybe my engineering change on the vent holes is worthy of attention. It did not make sense to bore internal holes. Using external vents the motor doesn't get hot at all. The hot air from the motor immediately exits the plane on the sides. Kind of like the way we used to drill holes in the slot car motors as kids to keep the windings cool.

Quote: "Hey buddy, what are those cool looking vent holes for? Dude, there is a super charged engine under the cowling of this bird that requires extra cooling"

Anyway, I may just use my field at some point for the maiden voyage. Everytime I go flying I get pumped up and get stick (buck) fevor. Practice and experience will take care of that.

The field I fly on is a spillway for a dam. They keep the grass at 6-8 inches. Nice. Softer landings.

Thanks for the update from the HUB. It's good to know wind can be managed.

Thanks,

sargentw

The Maiden Voyage is complete!

On my way to The OBX, NC (Kitty Hawk) I stopped at my brother's house in Virginia beach. My brother flies gas models and has large vacant fields near his house. The Terry flew like a dream and for 20+ minutes using the Poly battery. My first landing was a little rough, but after minor repairs we were in the air again the next day. Thanks to my brother I was given a few preparation for landing tips. This is a great plane it flies in beach breezes. We did all kinds of loops. Rolls, and inverted flight. The plane gets real high fast and glides all over the place. The plane looks and flies like a Hawk. I saw some birds give is some chase.

My next flight was at the Kitty Hawk, NC middle school which has large athletic fields in the middle of large sand dunes. This was a great place to fly and being so close to the Wright Brothers Memorial.

All good things came to an end on July 4. I went to fly with my Dad at the Kitty Hawk Middle school. It was fairly breezy, but I tossed the plane up and it did fine, but moved fast when turning with the wind. I handed the stick to my father ( an expert sailplane flyer 2 meters+) and he was doing fine until he turned and went down wind. He lost orientation then sight of the plane. I could still see the plane about .5 miles away. I took the stick and brought the plane back to within 400 yards and decided to land it in the sand in a beach neighborhood rather than lose the whole plane. With my luck, when we found the plane it was stuck straight down in a wood fence. The prop and front part of the motor were gone and the wing was damaged.

The Hobby People are now shipping me a new motor and kit. The rebuild will not take as long the second time around. This is a great flying plane and is worth rebuilding.

In the meanwhile I'm still flying my GWS Slow Stik and Tiger Moth.

sargentw

After my crash I built another Terry. Initially I did not cut external vent holes or break in the motor. The Graupner Speed plus motor simply overheated and burn out, no power and the brake stopped working.

I pulled the motor and overhauled and produced a "Cobalt Super Terry". The official announcement published in another forum is below.

******************************************

Got a break yesterday afternoon and went down to my favorite place to fly over looking the Occoquan River, Va. The winds were around 6-8 mph, skies clear, and splashes of fall colors everywhere.

Did my preflight checks, 3 test glides, then let her rip. Wow! the power. It was Star Wars all the way to 1000ft. I cut the motor off and soared catching the head wind and lift blowing up off the river. I flew for about 15-20 minutes doing several very large loops and some serious dives. Opened up, the plane seems to climb at 60+ degrees. I brought her back in for a slow landing. No sign of heat damage or anything. You can see by the picture plenty of power left. The 2400 mah li-poly battery topped off with 1151 mah of juice.

Check out the pics.

1. Cobalt motor with plywood mount
2. External cooling holes.
3. Deans connectors
4. Graphite reinforced pillars
5. Rear wing bolt using extra nylon screw and wing bolt.
6. Hitec 555 receiver.
7. Electrify 30 amp esc.
8. Combat Wings reinforced packing tape.
9. 2400mah 2s2p lipoly battery.

These planes fly great! I would install ailerons but why not keep this plane simple. It packs up in its box and can go anywhere and flies great just like it is. I have a Sky Scooter Pro II that uses ailerons and alot of fun to fly. I'll get all the aileron I need when I finish building my Combat Wings Xe2 brushless.

Conclusion: With some thought and preparation the cobalt upgrade works. I really like flying the Terry.

Tad