freakingfast

My Feedback: (3)

Well I had this delta a few years now, I snagged it at a swap meet for $25 back then. Finally got around to getting it ready to fly. I don't know if it's my kind of delta yet so I wasn't going to put too much time into it just yet. Taking off and lading on wheels is kinda novel for my delta flying. I opted to use a new in the box YS-45 RE, it seemed a natural because of the low fuel tank relative to the carb. I was originally going to use a YS 60(short stroke) but the dang thing is heavy and that means that I'd need to cut a hatch at the rear top for batteries to counter balance. The mounting beams would need some major mods too, I cut out as much as I dare just to get the 45 to fit. After all the 45 is plenty, it's not a super fast delta design to begin with. I used the cable aileron/nose gear servo (JR8611) and and separate elevator servo as originally designed, I may go elverons with servo hatches later so tell me what you guys think. Other things I may change, a strait or lower rise header and the color, YUCK. I added the stripe to differentiate the top from the bottom.

MJD

My Feedback: (1)

The only HS I've ever seen fly had piped YS .60 on it, with a retractable nose wheel and wire tip skids. It moved along. Hope this one is fun.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Back in the late 1980s I took a delta like that to the field and all the local know-it-alls swarmed around it like flies on you know what. Most of the comments were negative, foreboding, ominous...one guy said, "There's probably only a handful of guys in the USA capable of flying this plane"......

Of course it flew like a dream, half those guys were gone by the time it landed and I had a chance to turn around and walk it back to the pits....

FF, looks like a steal for $25. See if it's more aerobatic with the seperate elevator....see if you can spin it. Of course, try this at the end of Summer after you've had your fill of it....

Roary m

My Feedback: (67)

I should scan mine in just to give a few laughs over the color scheme; I built him in 1987. Ran him with a piped Como 51 with a perry backplate pump. I still can't get over how fast he was with that fat airfoil, even got into a high speed stall from a dive(that was fun). Somebody here at RCU set one up with elevons and that seems like a good idea. Interesting ship.

freakingfast

My Feedback: (3)

Oh, I won't wait to spin it, right after I run two slightly rich tanks though the engine on the ground.


I wanted to fly it today, but the wind for the last few days has been 20mph with gusts to 30, just real turbulent. Even the vultures being knocked round up there.

Roary m

My Feedback: (67)

Don't know if you have flown it yet, but he will get lots of attention at the field(why are deltas so cool any way?).

petec

My Feedback: (58)

I miss my HS. Lost it to a bad elevator servo. HB 40 PDP in the nose and it flew nicely, fast enough to make the guys at the field take notice (not as fast as the DD but still made them take notice) and landed like a trainer.

You'll enjoy the plane. A company called Four Pi is selling them these days if you want to find another one.

freakingfast

My Feedback: (3)

Hey Thanks! I never would have found that, especially since they renamed it "Skyfire". http://www.fourpi.com/

I may get another one to build from scratch, it may be a lot easier to make some cool mods like retracts, cable ways, wing servos and rear hatch.
Why on earth did the guy name his company "Four PI" the name of satanic cult.

Another reason I want to get this old dog in the air again is to see if it's docile enough to get my son hooked on deltas, he flies very good, but a few years back he tried a ARF Outlaw and that lasted about 5 seconds when he didn't get off the throttle and got disoriented(the red, white and blue looks the same top & bottom). So his ego got popped.

The wind is totally gone, it's a go for today.

freakingfast

My Feedback: (3)

Well it flew, It's quick, but not fast. Roll rate is so, so. Hard up elevator is fair. I almost killed it at first takeoff..... don't use full power or it'll toque roll...yahoo! I managed to get it into a flat spin but it took some work to do it, much harder to do than an Outlaw. Too stable, nose heavy, and of course no movable rudder to readily spin. All and all it's a fun plane, yet here's room for improvement. The the engine was flawless and never sucked air regardless of what I did to it thanks to the pressurized fuel system, OS bubbless clunk and foam rubber around the tank. The engine liked the my first choice of a 10-7 Master Airscrew S-2 series rather than an APC 10X7 or 9X9. I may try a APC 10X6 next time.

Roary m

My Feedback: (67)

I remember having lots of trouble with the cable runs to the ailerons, binding and such. I ended up cutting them out and going with bellcranks. Would think the elevon with dedicated servos would be the way to go since, if I remember, I put tail weight in mine. Was really cool to bring him in nose high for landing with that delta flair.

smoknrv4

My Feedback: (11)

Right On!

petec

My Feedback: (58)

Do you think your son will fly it? It really is a docile delta.

freakingfast

My Feedback: (3)

Yes I think he will like it, it is docile and smooth. I had the control surfaces cranked as far as the cable runs and clevises would let it, about 40*, yet I could easily fly it without any expo. Contrast that to my DF powered D Dust 100% expo is a must with 45* deflections! I flew the Dust today, almost killed it when I hiccuped, seriously!

Roary. I think I will be going with separate servos and move the CG further aft, right now it's about 1/2" forward of recommendation. The plane did not seem to like the high alpha approach but rather fly it down so CG shift may make that happen.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Man, that's a great flight report..!

I'm jealous, we just had one of the first nice days around here all year and I'm sanding drywall mud.

I remember those Holy Smoke!! advertisements when I first got into the hobby and all the warnings and negative vibes from the old fogies that hung out at the field when the subject of deltas came up. Hearing about guys running them with Comos and Royals brings back memories too.

The only delta I could get to spin would only come out of the spin if it wasn't spinning too fast. If the SPMs were too high, it was just gonna have to be landed like a Frisbee.

Kostas1

That looks sweet.....When is the maiden ?

Roary m

My Feedback: (67)

I would like to suggest two things; first, if the engine will handle it, a 10/8 prop. Secondly, if you haven't already done so is to bend the outrigger gears so that the ship is facing slightly nose up. Will make it easier on ground handling and take off.

freakingfast

My Feedback: (3)

I cut the header about a 1/2" longer than normal on a hunch that I needed more diameter and less pitch for pulling this fatter airfoil then than say a Diamond Dust or a Whiplash. The tad longer pipe will drop the top end, but give it more grunt to get it up and go after a near stop it the sky acrobatics, something you wouldn't do with the other mentioned (speed)deltas.....those can get locked in a terminal flat spin(Whiplash R.I.P 07').

I never tached the MAS 10X7 S-2, it just sounded so good, yet when I put the APC 9X9 on I had to lean it out a tad and it did rev out about 1K more. I did tach the 9X9 at 16,000 rich, that's about 500 low from a good engine with the right header length on 15%.
I think that a 10X8 will load the engine too far off this engines power band, even with a longer header. Next time out I will tach the 10X7 and try an APC 10X6, 9X8 and some pre-cut headers, that is, if I don't have too many chit-chat lookie loo's, I don't multitask well. I have a feeling I'll end up with the first prop and header length, one has to at least try tho.

It presently has a nose up stance, and I was actually going to take some of it out to get it to stick to the ground better. Unless you grease the landing, it has that aggravating, oscillating bounce like a high wing trainer with main gears that have squatted. I have a shorter nose gear on hand, but before I do that, I'm going the move the CG further aft, perhaps a bit of both will git-er dun.

freakingfast

My Feedback: (3)

I had all of last week off, that was nice with Easter included. Because of the cancellations and permit non-renewals of nuke plants (Fukushima scare), and the slow down in the gulf (Deepwater Horizon oil spill) I'm finally getting some of my vacation time granted, some 420 hrs total.

The funny thing is, of the ten days, I only got one to do what I wanted to do. Things came up or the weather didn't cooperate.

Picture: Rancho Seco during decommissioning, severing primary coolant loop, at top of #1 steam generator. Explains my glowing personality

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

The engineering that goes into that big stuff is amazing. Consider all the things that the engineers need to consider.
I'd think they would have a surplus of personel [with ample time allocated for vacations], basically if they ever needed to man up for an emergency.

freakingfast

My Feedback: (3)

Well, I'm a machinist, not an engineer. Some years ago the only job they had was field machinist. Large, build it in place, portable machining equipment for parts that are just too hard or impossible to move. Now I'm in house making the machines, Just-In-Time needed it yesterday.

That was a perfectly good nuke plant I cut up about 5 years ago, that thing was built like a brick out house. PWR type not a BWR

freakingfast

My Feedback: (3)

I flew the heck out of it today. Almost killed it when it took a while to pop out of a flat spin[sm=surprised.gif] It can flat spin at any point in flight, but the fastest are started from a dive while the right stick is banged into the left bottom corner....just plan on it may take three long seconds to stop after you let go or reverse the sticks. The left aileron hinge started to rip so that ended the day. The push-pull cable is too sloppy, it's got to go. The looseness may have caused the hinge failure from flutter. I'm going to get rid of the aileron/elevator and go with a elveron setup on close separate servos . I wonder if it will still do a flat spin after that? I give it a 70% chance. At least the roll rate will be better for sure. Shorter nose gear helped the landing, no more bouncy, bouncy. The 10X7 S-2 Master airscrew is closer to the ground now, but as nice as it lands, I don't see it a problem. Gezzz is that YS 45 getting strong!

Roary m

My Feedback: (67)

Way to go, they are a blast. I was wondering if anyone here had flown both the Smoke and the Mach Delta Racer(HobbyPeople)? I got the Racer but haven't pulled him out yet.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Sounds like you could charge admission..! Nice catch on the hinge failure. It will be interesting to see if it still spins after you re-rig it.
I've had a thick airfoil delta that was a good spinner. I think the key is having the CG as far back as you can stand it. This plane was a coin toss as far as recovery goes. If the spin rate was too fast, it was like a runaway flywheel that I doubt a rudder could have stopped.

BiggerDanno

I put my Mach Racer in after the back half of the muffler fell off in a climb...
Would love to have another if you are thinking of selling.