MJD

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Hi folks,

It must be the last vestiges of a dark, cold, miserable winter up here, because rather than working away ferverently at my winter projects, instead I seem to have the time to play "what if I put this on here?".

I've had this fuselage around for a while waiting for me to finish the bloody aircraft, and having recently scored a header for the engine on fleaBay, it seems like a natural: an old Q500 design with a piped '80's RIRE ST X.45. Whatcha think? It looks like it was meant to have a canopy-ish pseudo-pattern cowling around the engine and extending back to the high point of the pipe for those extra 2.8 mph. I recall that this engine ran like a bear, so it should at least get it off the gorund if not into the record books. Maybe I should clip a couple of inches off the wing too. And..

Oh and as an additional festive treat, since I had a few pics of my recently "tidied" workshop, I thought I'd post a "what the$%*#@$ is that ?" quiz for your frustration, amusement, and yawns of boredom. One point each except as noted:

1. What does the blue and red tail section top center belong to (apart from “me�)?
2. The black thing that looks like a bowling pin, bottom left? 2 extra points for make and function?
3. Related to #2 above, the tin thing beside it?
3. Left edge, middle height – what type of aircraft does that balsa prop belong to?
4. Name the un-built or partially built kits on the top left of the shelves. One point each.
5. The grey thingie hanging into the top edge, just left of center.
6. Top right, the strange aft section – from what?
7. Barely visible above the day-glo scrap of green covering visible at about 2:30 – what built-but-not-covered ½A kit is that (which should have been finished about 5 months ago you slow poke!)? (2 points)
7. The round yellow object hanging top left? (10 points for this one!)

There are no prizes or awards, just the satisfaction that you have as little to do as I did making this up!

Cheers,

MJD

combatpigg

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It looks like you got a fast one there, MJD! Is that a Scat Cat?

MJD

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It's a Doddger (oops, that's a quiz clue). The tail feathers are about the only thing I can think of that would identify one from the other at a distance, and mine aren't glued on yet. I got two of these many moons ago when our local club was hot into Q500, but I never got the bug at the time - mostly because I had little cash at the time (hmm, how is that different from now?) and was too stubborn/stupid to settle for low buck engines. I think the kit dates to early '90 - mid '90's. AFAIK they give away a bit of top end speed to more modern designs, and no doubt current designs turn faster and more efficiently too, but I don't care - I already own these.

I think carving a plug and molding a top fairing will be a fun project. It might look odd, but with it's nose buried 11" in the dirt who's gonna notice?

Not sure how the higher rpm performance of the X.45 is, it was intended as a strong pattern engine at the time afaik, but no doubt if I trim that header back and mess with pylon props it will do something worth the bolts that hold it in place. I would think it will make good power in the 15-18k range if nothing else - just add pitch. At least it will finally have a home on the nose of an airplane. I originally had it mounted to the front of a TF Hot Kanary, but swapped it for a Picco .40 (noticably less power as I recall) because the header/pipe arrangement I had sucked and would rattle apart at times.

If nothing else I imagine it will break 100. Or just break.

MJD

MJD

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After thinking about this last night while fondling the fuselage/tacked-on-engine&pipe, it occurs to me that the smart thing to do would be to spend an entire 2.5-3 hours to build another fuse with saddles made to accomodate a thinner airfoil, somewhere in the 8% range. After all they will be just as easy to make as Q500 wings.

MJD

combatpigg

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I remember when those Q500s were showing up as pre-fabbed planes and how amazingly light everything was. At the time the hot ticket for some sport flyers was to go with the .32-.34 size helicopter engines.
Your ST .45 should respond to revving up, I would make a 11 mm venturi and baseline it with open exhaust on bladder. One of those Q500 props would be good to start with. Then compare performance with the stock carb. I don't believe in modifying the carbs unless there are dirt cheap replacements. It is too easy to rig a venturi and fuel shutoff and tuning is more straight forward..

MJD

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You and throttles just don't get along, do you?

I'll likely start off with the carb in place, then I can play after it's all trimmed out and I like it. I've already machined a venturi blank ages ago, because at one point I thought I might build a big Starduster or Satellite FF for it.

I've already started CAD'ing fuselage sides with a little more tail moment and cowl outlines. More projects to slow me down.. .. just what I need. Oh well, that's the fun ain't it.

MJD

rmenke

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MJD:

I can see what your proboem is. The shop is too clean and neat, how can you get anything done when your cleaning all the time? Would not believe mine, yesterday, here come a 12 foot tellamaster, yes 12 feet to be streightened out and covered for a flying bud who likes strange big stuff. Is fine, he keeps me in balsa, parts and glue. Take care.

combatpigg

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Carburetor = Speed Trainer

MJD

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The irony is staggering. My shop has been a horror story for ages, months, years, eons. About a month ago I decided enough is enough and I started a rampage of cleaning, tossing junk, tidying.. literally days I spent with endless bags, boxes, broken plastic drawers from long forgotten parts organizers, etc., all filled with handful upon handful of clevises, 2-56 screws, blind nuts (assorted), mummified ladybug carcasses, old glow plugs, whatever corruption and filth that has ever been imagined or conceived even by mankind. Bags of junk out the door, a new storage cabinet, wing holding shelf bracket thingies, a high shelf for small kits and finished bits, etc etc ad nauseum.

And now I finally publish a picture of it, and look at the abuse I suffer as a result... [&o]

But have faith - I can mess it up far, far faster than I can clean it. Give me a few days and my good buddy who helped me for two days will disown, perhaps even disembowel me for letting it go to seed again.

MJD