Sundowner 50 Arf
 

What do you think about this [link]http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=HAN4725[/link]
Due out mid Jan I may have give it a try.and compare it to my Minnow

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Looks nice but for the price I would rather have something in a 60 sized like the little toni or midget mustang.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Well it does have a 60" span, so maybe you could wedge in a .90?

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

phjocker:

This bird with a 40-52 2stroke engine would be a faster than average sport plane with a 60" span, and generally fly like a sport model. In general, that would not be acceptable to the "Brotherhood" who would by nature be forced to stuff something a little quicker, like say a 60 just to perk it up a little bit. Looks like a mod to 90 would take some doing, and be a little heavy. Most of the "Bro's" stuffed 90's into the GP Little tony's and similar sized offerings, but were generally disapointed on the top end. I and a Bro. had Jett 90's in ours, too much frontal area to make them what we call fast. Fast is relative to each of us. Something around 120mph shood get your juces going. The National circut racer types will not get excited until around 200mph in general. Not a unusual speed for the top quickees and foumula type birds. The giant unlimiteds will get up to 230-250 on occasion. A good groving set up quickee is flyable by most at 200, becomes a handfull if not near prfect. The question is likely to be answered differently by almost each of us depending on age, experience and skills. ENJOY

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I was thinking pretty much the same thing...that it would probably be about like that Nemesis (what is it, World Models? )
A good .61 minimum...

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Ok..... looks very nice! Id buy one of these.

And I commend Horizon for showing the 2-c engine installation as a baseline!!! Big hi-5 there!

(most manuals/pictures for other aircraft chicken-out and show a simple 4-c install)

But 6.5 lbs, 600 sq inches... talking 90LX power here :)

Likely the Toni muffler kit will work nicely. But it would be useful to see the firewall area first.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Would a YS 1.10 fit like when shoe horn them in the WM Dago Reds.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

the release date for this plane should be soon. I and stuck between this Sundowner and a Midget Mustang. The price is about the same. I looking to put a tower .75. How will this combo match up with the sundowner. I like speed and looking to go 100+++.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I just put mine on order. Should be in next week according to LHS. Looking to put a YS 63 in it. Could probably easily accommodate a YS110 but it should still be a pretty fun sport plane and have plenty of pep with a 63. Keeping the weight down with a 63 should make it very agile and make landings easy. I'll let everyone know how she flies with that YS 63 when I get her up (hopefully last week in January). I look forward to hearing about other configurations. Please let me know if someone does put a 110 on it.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I put one on order with HH. Do anyone know when it will be release That YS should make this baby cook

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I just got my Sundowner in yesterday. ALL the controll surfaces came prehinged and control horns installed except for elevators(because sab needed to be instaled first). This plane is 99.999% built out of the box. My friends make fun of me for ARFing and never building. This is more built than even most H9 Kits. This thing is intense though!!! covering looks great and what's left of build came together pretty quickly. I look foward to getting her in the air. She'll maiden with the YS 63 on Sunday and I'll let people know how she does. All I can say is she's light, clean, sturdy with a design that supports minimal drag. The pics don't do her justice.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Good luck with the maiden. Don't forget the pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

do they have them CA hinges, I hate them

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Anybody know the weight of a ys 63? I was thinking of using a os 75 ax. Weight on the os is 26 ounces with muffler. I am just worried about weight and cutting out half the cowl to get it to fit. OS claims the 75 is almost the same size as a 61.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I'd go for the .91 FX if I was even considering the .75 AX. If I'm not mistaken I believe the .91 is lighter. And with exception to the muffler, is the exact same size as the .61 FX.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Picked up the bird today from LHS. Covering is flawless. Can't decide if standard ball bearing servos would be sufficient or if I should get high torque units. Planning on using .55 AX. Cowl is huge, .75 AX would fit easily.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Thanks I ordered the 75 ax last night. Both should be in by wednesday. I looked up the weight on the 75 versus the 91. The 91 is lighter by 2 ounces and up by .4 hp. Size wise im not so sure. In a ad they compare a 91 to a 120 ax. Stating there is not much difference size wise. I have a 120 ax and it is too big for the front of this plane. There would be no cowl left.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

what would be the best prop for the .75

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

When OS compared the 1.20 AX to the .91 FX it was a marketing ploy. They are not even close to the same size except for the bolt holes. The .91 FX is the same block as the .61 FX, which is actually smaller than the .75 AX.

Either way, if the .75 AX runs as well as the .55 AX you will be pleased with the engine I'm sure.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

For comparisons of engine sizes straight from the horse's mouth:

http://osengines.com/engines/dimension-std.html

For some reason they don't have the .75 AX listed on this chart yet.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

So I got her up. The YS 63 was plenty powerful enough! YS 63 weights 19 ounces without muffler (which the YS doesn't need). Engine started right up and sounds incredible. I ran a 13x6 APC on it and it was plenty fast. The plane flew great. You will need to bring it in fairly hot. She'll sink like a brick if you slow it down enough. good news is she seems to not have a problem with tip stalling. The low speed flight characteristics are very manageable.

I would advise not going much over a 20 ounce engine configuration. I still needed to add tail weight with the YS and a much bigger engine will probably make her a little less agile. And yes she is pretty nimble. I found the flight experience very enjoyable with that engine configuration.

Having said all that, the first flight went off without a hitch. The plane flew very smoothly and I fell in love immediately. The second flight didn’t go so well. I lost complete elevator control and lost the plane. I still haven’t figured out what happened, but the first flight was enough to convince me to order another and she will have another YS 63 on it.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

josh very sorry to hear about her going down. That sucks

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Any advice whether standard ball bearing servos would suffice on this bird or do I need to get high torque units?

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Don't worry, my replacement Sundowner will be in tomorrow and she should be ready to fly by the weekend again!! The manual recomends JR DS821 servos which I think put out in the ball park of 75 oz/in of torque. I would keep it close to that to be safe. It all depends on how fast you plan on going and what control throws you expect to use.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I'm going to use Hitec HS-475HB's and run them at 6V so I get 76 oz/in of torque. Sorry to hear about your crash; have you been able to determine why you lost elevator control? Was the plane totally destroyed?

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

There were a couple of you who PMed me about this thread and were building with SJ-50 or SJ-60LX installations. Anyone finish theirs yet ?

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

The plane was a complete loss. I still haven't figured out what it was that caused the crash but my second one is almost done and ready to fly. Probably maiden it this afternoon. Hopefully the failure was an isolated incident. I already sent in the related radio gear into horizon to get checked out and put a new reciever and servos in. I'm also gonna try a flaperon mix since she did sink pretty quick on landing. Didn't tip stall, but a fast sink rate can be almost as ugly. We got a short runway with obstacles on either side where I fly so It's almost like you have dive at the runway to land! I'll let you know how it goes. If anyone else has tried this, let me know how sucessful it's been.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Good luck. I'm very envious, gonna be a while till flying time here in frigid Ohio! Keep us all posted on how everything goes.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Got one of these last weekend and it is a nice looking plane. I had planned to squeeze a YS 91 on it but it is going to take a little re-engineering. To start with, the firewall will have to be moved back to accomodate the longer engine. Then I had thought about mounting the rudder and elevator servos in the rear of the fuse, and also the battery. Even if it balances without additional weight, do you think the airframe can stand the extra power? Thanks

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I plan to use the same servos 475 on 6v

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I want to put a 110 on it if I get this plane. Sounds like a lot of work to move the firewall back. I rather just put the mixture box right against the firewall. Let us know how it goes, I'm very curious.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

After examining the wreckage of my first Sundowner 50, I believe the wings are sufficiently strong and the fuselage should also be sufficiently strong. I would replace the horizontal stab with a solid balsa or bass stab and glass it since you're already gonna need to add tail weight. I would also reinforce the firewall considerably.

Having said that, I would be weary of going with a 91 if you still plan on sport flying or having half a cowl left on the plane. I don't think the 91 will fit side mounted and you'll have to cut out a fairly larger portion of the cowl if you mount it inverted. At one point, I thought of putting a 110 on it, and I'm glad I didn't. Even with only a YS 63 on it, it comes in pretty hot. A 91 is heavier then a 110 and the sundowner wing doesn't really generate enough lift to support the added weight. It'll increase your stall speed quite a bit. There's no racing league for the sundowner near me so there's no need to make it that much of a break to land. I'll let you know how my Falperon config works when I test it tomorrow (Weather pending). If you do put a 91 in it, let me know how it goes.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I have just finished assembling this aircraft. I put it together with a Saito .82 engine upfront. I used JR ST47 servos. According to Horizon Hobby, these will be sufficient. Just wondering if these servos will handle the load. I have these servos installed in 3 other models of the same size and a Aeromaster Biplane that is bigger and have not had a problem. I would hate to lose a 200 dollar model over a 10 dollar servo! Anyway I won't be flying this plane for a couple of months as I am waiting for the weather to clear up. I have an old beater for winter flying. No sense in tearing up the new plane landing on a rough, muddy, or frozen runway.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I mounted the os 75 on last night. I didnt have much of a problem. I did have to notch out the top of the cowl where the head was making contact with the cowl. I also had to move the blindnuts out about 5mm out each.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

easto24 how do you have the motor (side or inverted) Pay day for me is Friday so I will be putting one on order

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Side mounted.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I finally decided not to butcher the plane just yet to put in the 91. I decided to use a YS 63 I had. The plane flies great. It was a little breezy yesterday, but the plane cuts through it like a hot knife through butter. The balance was dead on with the 63. I only had a couple of props to experiment with, but I've got a 12-10 on order, that should pick up the top end a little. My buddy has a Spitfire that has been clocked at 110 and I was noticably faster when we were flying together. It does come in a little hot, so much heavier of an engine would probably make it a handfull to land. Good luck to all you guys about to try yours.

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

well mine is almost done with a Jett .50BSE im waiting on my jett in-cowl muffler because the stock muffler doesnt fit ill post pics later

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

Since some of you are using the YS 63 I thought this would be a good place to ask. How is the 63 for speed. I just acquired one and am trying to decide how to use it. Would it be competitive in a 40 size warbird? What size prop are folks using for speed?

Thanks, Terry
Revver Bro 180

RE: Sundowner 50 Arf
 

I got the SD 50 on order. How would the Satio82 and the YS.63 compare to each other. What do you think it would fly better with 2 or 4 stroke. Get more speed out of a 2 stroke. I might have a OS.61 I would try. Can't wait to get this one in the air