YUKONFLYR

Finally got a viper ready to fly, going to attempt first flight tonight.

Did all the reinforcing of the tail, firewall, wing hold down blocks, replaced wheels with streamline ect, plane equiped with a Supertigre gs40 with a 9x6 and a jetstream muffler.

I know about deadsticking on final. Anyone got any tips they can share on flying the Viper?

Thank you

Fxrs_tim

Be prepared, 'cause it's going to be pretty fast! Probably the best advice is to take off on high rates, holding quite a bit of right rudder. It should get up off the ground very quickly. Once airborne, relax the rudder and immediately switch to low rates.

Once you decide that it's time to land, gain a fair bit of altitude, then shut her down and switch to high rates. Be sure to keep the plane in a nose-down attitude!! Circle the field as you lose altitude, then line up for a long, flat approach. Once you get down to about 1' off the ground, gradually and smoothly add up elevator to slow it down - it helps to have expo dialed in on this. After that, just let it touch down when it's ready. Keep the speed up for the first few landings, touching down hot, until you get the feel for it. Refuel. Repeat.

Good luck with it and enjoy!!

Tim

YUKONFLYR

Thanks Tim for the great tip. Here is how the first flight went. Got the engine revved up and got a buddy (yukonpete) to hold it for me and then at 1/2 throttle he let her go and it tracked straight down the runway. Here in the Yukon we have crushed granet which is packed down. I think it went about 10 feet and I had a little up elevator in and I forgot about the rudder. It took to the air and climbed out real nice. Needed about 2 clicks of right aileron and one click of down elevator. Its pretty quick. I got about two minutes on it and then brought it in for an approach with engine idling. tracked real nice, like on rails. engine died on final commiting me to the landing. It landed hot on it wheels and rolled out to a stop.
Real nice first landing.

Flew it next at full throttle and the engine kept cutting out. I am using a Jett CG tank so I thought I filled it wrong. Brought it in again and refilled the tank. Third flight with full throttle takeoff and it did the same thing. Seems that I left the fuel line a little long and when it started to wind up and get going the fuel line was folding back starving the engine for fuel. Refilled it and cut the line. Next flight was real nice and I kept it slightly rich. It was rich the whole flight until about 30 seconds from running out of fuel and it really started to wind up good. Brought it in for an uneventfull landing. After four flights, I could not be happier

I was worried about the tail incidence but I checked that. I was expecting a real handfull on the first flight but what I got was a real nice straight flying plane. 3 pics of plane only was pre-Maiden flight, last pic with me and the Viper Post maiden.

Thanks again go out to all of those that answered questions and those who posted good info on the Viper.
Thanks again yukonpete for the help and the four perfect launches

Richard

russm

nice highlite covering touches.

bob27s

My Feedback: (19)

Great report.....

Im pleased you are happy with the airplane

Yellowsierra02

Dang... Now you got me wanting one. It good to hear it maidened good. I like the colors you added. How fast do you think it will go? 110-120?

bob27s

My Feedback: (19)

As a reference.. a Viper will go 110-120 range with a dead-stock (but properly broken in) Thunder Tiger .40 pro, stock muffler, and a standard APC 9x6 prop. (424 racing configuration)

The GS-40 and jett muffler combo will approach the high end of this range too.

Fxrs_tim

Yukon - glad to hear everything went well! Your color accents are great - I'll bet visibility is really good. I had a totally white one that was a real pain to see in the sky until I added some trim color.

Now you're ready to lean out the motor and have fun. Then, after about 15 flights, strap on a Nelson and REALLY enjoy it.

Crazy4Flight

My Feedback: (540)

go fast turn left!

YUKONFLYR

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Sorry bout not posting prior, but had to make a trip to Vancouver to pick up a Japanese import, then a very fast trip back to Whitehorse for work today[:'(]

I used a Master Airscrew 9x6 for the test flights. Was quick and I was having problems with the Bubbless tank. Nothing wrong with tank, just me trying to figure out how to fill it properly so that there was no bubbles causing lean conditions. The last flight I got it right and had a very rich run with no bubbles at all. Time to lean it out!

Yellowsierra02 - Viper is a great plane and quick - How fast exactly I don't know but it is controlable and fun. When I get it leaned out with an APC 9x6 it will probably be the fastest at my field save Blade47's propjets with retracts! My faviorate part is when you make that first turn and the plane winds up.......................the sound is priceless!

I was a little psyched out for the first flight, thought it would be squirrly and all over the place, been reading other posts about dead vipers on the maiden flight. I put the CG at 2 3/4" Using Dub's tehnique of two flat blade screwdrivers while laying under the plane supported by two chairs. That method works great. First flight I kept expecting it to do weird things, however it flew like it was on rails the entire flight including landing which was uneventfull, Turns were uneventfull and very smooth.. I have seen other quickees land squirrly and on thier nose ect, this plane is just fast and fun. I origionally had several step up engines, but since the plane flies so nice I think I will go from the GS40 to my 14 year old retired Nelson SS. It has almost no hot compression left but will still turn a pylon prop at about 18,500. After that I have a much fresher Nelson which will step it up to the final level of frighting small children ect and waking up the neighbours.

Fxrs_tim - I only colored the top, If I see white I know i am in trouble. The neon colors really stand out but are a pain to apply over the origional covering. I must have lost my covering ablility as I did get wrinkles at the wingtips that I am not pleased about.

On the Supertigre with the Jettstream - Comments from the field, "is that a Rossi"[X(], "Oh that engine has some pull"..........That Jettstream muffler really makes the GS40 an animal

bob27s

My Feedback: (19)

If the designs were not smooth, stable and predictable, then we couldnt race them

Its great to hear your success with the project.

Amazing how the ST responds to the muffler huh [&:] Its a good combination, and does not cost a great deal.

Anyone who has a squirlly or ill-handling Q-500 has something set up seriously incorrectly. It is rare that I have undersood folks who held an oppinion that a Q-500 was in any way difficult to fly or land. For the most part, they are the most honest plane anyone will ever fly.

Years ago when guys were looking for something to use their "trainer" engine on, typically a K&B40 or a general sport engine of that type, Id recommend just going off and building a scat cat. Cheap, easy, straight..... and enjoyable. And with any engine up front, yeah, it can move too.

Flying freak

What you think i can get out of a jett 50 FIRE with a full tune pipe? Also any prop recomendations?

Steven

bob27s

My Feedback: (19)

I do not recommend using the FIRE version engine on a Q-500 airframe.

Too much complexity, lots of drag, hard to properly mount the pipe. Just not worth it.

A SJ-50 with a swap to the LX muffler would be the better choice.

But to more directly answer the question, power wise, properly set up with a 8.8x8.75 on it, the FIRE50 setup would be just a little bit slower than a current 428 racing setup (160ish).

Also worth a reminder to others reading along here ....
please do not bolt a 428 engine or anything with that sort of power onto a stock out of the box ARF Viper.

There are threads documenting how do this, but it takes some work, modification, and modeling skills.