hehehe....got my patriot! Anybody try this set up?
 

Just got my Patriot (I sure love the RCU swap shop!) and have a couple of set up questions. The biggest complaint I've heard from other flyers is you can't put in a decent size fuel tank. With a hot engine, flights are limited to 6-7 minutes. As fast as this thing goes, maybe that's long enough! I have a YS.45 sitting in a combat models F-16 that I'm thinking of putting in the Patriot. Since the YS is pumped, I was planning on putting two 8 oz tanks just above the wing, at the CG point. Anyone try that?

I also would like to flip the nosewheel 180 degrees so when it retracts, it retacts forward. More jet-like!

What do you guys think?

Well
 

I have a header tank and then the regular tank, so flights can get to 10 minutes... Depends on the motor obviously-

The YS will be great in the Patriot (is yours SE or RE and piped?)- There is a ton of room above the wing inside the fuse so you can put quite a bit of fuel in there-

Dunno about the nose wheel, it would get tight if you made it go up forward, unless you move it wayyy back-

Good luck and keep us posted!
james

hehehe....got my patriot! Anybody try this set up?
 

The YS I'm using is the SE with a muffler from Performance specialties. With this muffler and a 10 X 7 prop, I've read 18,200 on my tach! I get the performance of a tuned pipe without all the screwing around to set it up.

My idea for the nosewheel is to beef up bulkhead F2, the bulkhead in front of the wing, and mount the nosewheel retract to it. Since the fuel tank is over the wing, there should be plenty of room for a forward moving nose wheel. I'm hoping for a F-16 type look while on the ground.

This is going to be fun!

fuel
 

I had an MK 400cc tank in my Patriot which was more than I ever needed. I had an MK nose retract. The tank slid in above the retract, no problem really.

18.2?
 

Sweet!

I am waiting for my Jett-50 for the Patriot...

Good luck,
james

hehehe....got my patriot! Anybody try this set up?
 

My next Patriot (I have one!!) will be a tail dragger. Easier to do the retracts. It will also have the side intakes removed.

Don

hehehe....got my patriot! Anybody try this set up?
 

Tail dragger sleek modern-looking jet? Huh???

Whachu talkin' bout, Willis? :spinnyeye

hehehe....got my patriot! Anybody try this set up?
 

Well, it looks more like a sport plane than a jet in my opinion. Plus the less weight of two gear instead of three and more room up front.

Oh, and no sweep on the rear of the elevator so I can do a solid joiner between the two pieces and control with one rod.

That be what I be talkin' 'bout. :D

Don

taildragger?
 

Your taildragger idea is very interesting. I'm going to have to noodle on that for a bit. I like the idea of less weight. This YS.45 is very heavy and with the elimination of the nose gear, it will really help out with setting the CG. With the wheels up, you could never tell the difference! Better grass field performance. mmmm? I like this the more I think about it! The only down side I can think of is the tailwheel hanging out. Any ideas for that problem?

I'm going back and study those plans a little more!

hehehe....got my patriot! Anybody try this set up?
 

If you make the nose gear as long as possible, and use a 1.75 inch tire (tire just missing F-2), you can fit a Dubro s-12 tank in the nose. It will stick up about 1/8 " above the fuse sides, which you can take care of by carving it out of the top sheeting, or shimming the sheeting up. To get the plane to sit level, the wheel wells on the wing will need to go butted up against the inside edge of rib W3, instead of up against the outside edge of W2. Thats if you want the added ground clearance. I needed it for the Wing tip tanks ala F-84, droppable of course ;) You can just move the stock nose gear location back about 1/2 to 3/4", alternatively.

As far as reversing the nose gear, I wouldn't. There are rules about how far the mains are apart versus the distance from the nose wheel, and you will have too wide a track for this configuration. You will have higher side stresses on the nose wheel, and it wont track worth a darn. Turning the nose with any speed could make it want to "catch" or dig in and lift the tail.

The taildragger config was one I considered. It wont help much with the CG, because you will have 2 retracts mounted much farther forward than normal. But the overall weight will go down. You can get retract tailwheels just about anywhere, and most are mechanical. I looked at it, then couldn't figure how I was going to get them to sit "flat' without gear doors. The front of the wing has a lot of taper to deal with. That front sheeting is also the heart of the wings strength (it's just a tapered D-tube), so you will have to make that up somehow. I decided it was too much trouble for a sport plane.

My latest one is almost done, but the only pictures of it I can take right now are captures off my camcorder, which don't come out well. I need a new card for my PC, it's giving me strange edges between colors, but their viewable if you want them. I've got the fuse mostly covered and I finished the wing tanks and just have to add cap strips and a few details before I cover the wing.

Uh...Weight?
 

Obviously I bought mine used- I do not have a scale but I must be a little over the target weight since mine has split flaps, and an extra servo in the wing-

Tail dragger huh? Wouldn't the mains have to be too far forward on the swept wing?

I like to come in with the nose up on landings...

Also, just a side note- You guys are far more creative than I- I am lucky to get an ARF together- :eek:

Patriots rule,
james

hehehe....got my patriot! Anybody try this set up?
 

That's the real issue with a tail-dragger. After moving the mains forward far enough to prevent nose-overs, your wings will be severely weakened without some serious thought followed by some structural changes.

Besides, this plane would just look WRONG in a tail-dragger configuration. :D

hehehe....got my patriot! Anybody try this set up?
 

Originally posted by bgi
That's the real issue with a tail-dragger. After moving the mains forward far enough to prevent nose-overs, your wings will be severely weakened without some serious thought followed by some structural changes.

I never said it would be easy! LOL!! Moving the gear forward won't be that big of a problem, structure-wise, plus the fact that the wing is swept will help with the placement because you won't have to center the wheels under the leading edge...it won't be that critical.

Besides, this plane would just look WRONG in a tail-dragger configuration. :D

I think it would look pretty spiffy...opinions will vary, obviously. Hey the ME-262 was a taildragger at first....hehehe. Once the gear is up, you won't know the difference.

As far as the tailwheel sticking out, I'm leaning toward a sub fin, making the rudder longer in chord and fairing in a wheel well on the bottom of the rudder.

I have 1 stock built Patriot and two more NIB...lots of stock to bash around with. :D

Don

I had 4 of these Patriots back in the day
 

A good setup was a side mounted YS 45 RE, with the timing raised. You will have to lengthen the cowl.

I used the stock tank plus a Sullivan "flexible" 16 ounce tank over the wing. So I think I had about 26 ounces on board.


Oh and on my last one I finally switched to Spring Air gear and I had it with the hobbicos and supras (a bit better than hobbico)

hehehe....got my patriot! Anybody try this set up?
 

OK, let's try this picture thing again :) This is the wing tank release for my Patriot. If it's clear enough, I can send some captures of my fuel tank. I've got a 12 ounce in the stock location.

hehehe....got my patriot! Anybody try this set up?
 

Hmm, let's try it as a JPEG. If anyone can point me to some hints on posting images here, I'd appreciate it.