Rafale

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Great Scott

Was good to see you're still in the air.
I went flying today, but the weather turned out disastrous. I bent the pin on the nose strut. When I took off in dead calm weather all was fine. Suddenly havoc broke loose and the wind started pumping like mad like before a rain storm. Anyway, I tried to get some better rollouts by taking out 50 grams from of the nose. Fault! The plane did not like that. Even in the bad windy conditions I could tell it was CG. The nose did not want to come down on the landing. To high all the time as soon as you bring the power down. So I will go back to 145mm from the leading edge. Lucky no other damage.

Still one of the biggest experiences to fly a Gripen.

Pierre

siddus74

Mines flying great at the moment so im not going to play with the cg, ive been doing some balls out full elevator low turns - it loves it, just wont stall!! The front retract spring is too weak and it often wont fully come down and has been calapsing on landing. I went for a rubber band assist and its been fine for the last 3 flights ... ive got some video of mine coming hopefully...

Scott

Rafale

My Feedback: (2)

Hi Jim

Yea, that is the big one on my wish list. Maybe it will happen next year. It must be before I go on pension. Did you buy the kit from Airworld direct or is there a contact in America? I suppose it’s going to be a large amount to get it into South Africa. The blue, red and white colours are not scale, or is it? That’s one of the smartest schemes I have seen.
All the best with the big one. Love to see photos as you build.
Pierre

Rafale

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Hi Scott
I think every one would like to see a video. Aspecially after all trouble you had with temprature and tubes. Hope the new sorted it out. Touch wood I never had a flame out. I do not want to think about that. Therfore mine goes just about throug a rebuild every time I go to fly.
Enjoy your Gripen.
Regards
Pierre

rcjets_63

My Feedback: (4)

Scott, I'd love to see a video of your Gripen so please post a link when you've got some.

Pierre, I bought the kit from the former Airworld dealer here in the US. They had two of them so I picked up one and a buddy got the second. There is a new distributor here in the US. I don't know anything about South African customs and duty but I can tell you that the big Gripen is really something. Nope, the red/white/blue scheme is not scale; it's something that I dreamed up back in the 90's and put on a BVM Viper back then. I figured it would look good on the Gripen and I even had some of the maple leaf dry transfers I found in my shop.

I started on the build of the Gripen but won't be doing a build thread as I just don't have the time. I'm trying to make it as scale as possible and that will take up a lot of hours. Right now I'm working on the airbrakes now (and the details on the back side), which are kind of funkey and stand-way-off scale so they are taking far more time than I thought they would. Ah well.

I was flying at an event yesterday and had the rudder and elevator channels start acting up. I'm not sure if it was the receiver or the transmitter so both are going in for service tomorrow. So I'm grounded for the moment. At least I've got lots to do in the shop.

Jim

bela

This is a wonderful thread. I have an old Gripen plug that has been buried under probably an inch of dust at the back of the shop. I had stopped working on it around the time that skymaster released theirs. The friendliness and expertise in this long running thread makes me want to at least go back and look at how much needs to be done to get this project back on track.

I do have 2 questions...... are there any notable differences between flight qualities of the airworld bird vs the skymaster bird? I remember the sky master bird had a super slow landing speed. also, a few years ago there was a gorgeous gripen in the world masters, does anyone know if that was a scratch built project?

Thnx

Bela

bela

OOps! I just found the scale gripen on this very thread. I cant look at that project without bringing a condom. Great lines Great execution. Has anyone drawn up the layout of the cockpit in orthographic view yet?

rcjets_63

My Feedback: (4)

Bela,

Thanks. The main reason I started this thread was so we Gripen modellers could share information/experiences as to what works and what doesn't and several people have commented that the info has been very helpful. It's also great to see Gripens from around the world. Please tell us more about the scratch-built Gripen that you started. What is the size?

I haven't flown my Airworld Gripen yet so I can't comment on the flight characteristics. Ali flew one with a P160 and said it was a dog and needed much more power. Radek Suk in Czechoslovakia installed a BF300 turbine in his and there are several youtube videos and it seems to fly fine. Tom Storvik in Norway has one and there is a video of it on youtube; I think it has a P200.

All the Gripens (particularly the AW Gripen with the scale landing gear location) leap off the ground.

As far as I've been able to determine, there have been two Gripens at the Jet World Masters. Boris Satovski (Russia) entered a JAS-39C (modified Airworld kit) at the 2009 JWM in Israel but the plane didn't fly in the competition. Janos Horvath (Hungary) entered a scratch-built D-model in the 2011 JWM. It also didn't fly in the competition.

Regards,

Jim

siddus74

Gripen owners, got some video of me hooning about about with me cheapo Jas .. I love this bird, bang for buck shes a beaut!

http://youtu.be/dCMUjVqzN2Y


Scott

bela

Jim


If you have the ability to design a computer for that purpose, I think you will be popular with F-4 and F-18 pilots as well, something like this has been a long time coming.
About my plug, its a bit smaller than the AW jet but larger than the SM. it is sized to 6th scale. If I can find a pic or two, ill post. I'm a bit swamped to restart the plug right now, but this thread sure is motivating. It kind of reminds me of the very supportive Group builds the display model builders do. Kudos to all.

Bela

Jonas Bergström

Hi all Gripen and Saab fans

We are a little team in Sweden that working on several Saab project to day.
The aircraft that we have most finish to day is JAS-39 Gripen in scale 1/6.
The reason for this scale is that we think the AW is little to big and the JL is to small. We also don't like this type of ARF kit with all wood inside and sometimes poor quality on the composite parts.
Our idea is to built a high quality kits in 100 % composite with good scale looking and very good flight quality.

The production method is for some parts in injection moulds and others in vacuum baging tex (fuselage) and tex fueltanks in autoclave whit overpressure and heat. It's gona be a very strong and light construction.

This is not gone be an ARF kit, we think many out there is little tiered about all ARF from china. So we are trying to make a real good kit for them who love to built there own jet aircraft. All the critical and difficult moments in the building process it's gona be done by us.

The status to day is the plug is almost finish. And we don't have any time schedule.

There is a building tread in a Swedish Jet forum, please take a look.
[link=http://www.jetsweden.se/forum/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?754.0]JAS-39 Gripen[/link]



//
Jonas

rcjets_63

My Feedback: (4)

Jonas,

Thanks for posting to this thread. Your project is looking very good and I couldn't agree more that a 1/6 scale is the right size. Put me on your customer list as I'll buy one for sure.

Hmmm, that would mean I've got a 1/8 scale Gripen, a 1/7 scale, a 1/6 scale, and a 1/5 scale Gripen. I love this plane!!!!!

Jim

Ron S

My Feedback: (2)

And obviously, 1/4 scale will be next for ya!

rcjets_63

My Feedback: (4)

What an interesting idea! Hmmm, lets look at the specs:

Length: 46 ft 3 in / 4 = 138.75 inches
Wingspan: 27 ft 7 in / 4 = 82.75 inches
Height: 14 ft 9 in / 4 = 44.25
Max Speed: 1,372 mph / 4 = 343 mph (Sssssshhhhh, don't tell the AMA)
Thrust: 18,100 lbs / 4^3 = 282 lbs

I'm gonna need a bigger trailer!!! And imagine how much the kero will cost!!!

Jim

rcjets_63

My Feedback: (4)

Further to the above post (from page 28), I've got some better information regarding the colors of the Gripen markings as follows:

All markings are FS36118 regardless of whether they are on the top or bottom of the plane. The two-tone markings (Emergency Opening, Emergency Engine Shutdown, Cut Here, etc) are FS36118 over a field of FS36495.

As for the base colors, FS36173 has consistantly been identified as the color of the upper surfaces. FS36373 is widely quoted as the color of the lower surfaces and nose. However, the letter from Saab states that it is FS36375 (though they add that the aircraft paint doesn't directly relate to FED-STD-595. FS36375 has more of a blue tone while FS36373 looks like it has a bit more yellow. I'm going with FS36373 since that's what my documentation states.

Regards,

Jim

Rafale

My Feedback: (2)

Hi Jim

Plane look so good. Are you going to use it to qualify and fly in 2013 WJM Switserland. I might be going as a helper with the South African team. Looking foward to that.
I am still flying with mine. We have quite an event (Jets over Gariepdam) comming up during the last week in June. We will post some Gripen video's.

Rafale

My Feedback: (2)

Hi Jonas

How far from production is this kit. I am very intrested.

Pierre Fouché

rcjets_63

My Feedback: (4)

Pierre,

Yes, the plan is to take the Gripen to Switzerland for the JWM 2013. Go Team Canada!!!

I'm really knocking myself out get as much info on the plane as I can (other than a trip to Caslav Airbase in the Czech Republic). I've been pretty fortunate to have the assistance of Saab who has provided a variety of information on the jet including 34 pages from the paint manual with dimensioned drawings of all the markings. See below example and a photo of my bird out on the street for taxi tests.

I really encourage you to go to the JWM; even as a helper you will have an awesome time, and you will see the best jet models and pilots in the world. Please say hello to the SA team for me (we met at Dayton where I was the aircraft safety inspector) and I wish them considerably more luck with the weather at Meiringen.

Good luck at your upcoming event and I'll look forward to seeing the video.

Regards,

Jim

NRTM

Hi Pierre.

I am the one in this project as it isrightwho make the pluggs and moulds and Jonas drawings and mekanics.I will also do the composite design on the parts before production .(composite is my profession).
We have desided to not have an exacttimeschedule in the project..Our plan is to have atleastone flying prototype early spring 2013. It is inportant that everything goes right before westart up a production
With other words produtctionstartaproxlate next spring.
You can follow the jas thread on www.jetsweden.se (It is inswedish) and also sethe "jetpac 160" there you can se in aruff wayhow we willbuild the gripen.

Regards
Niclas Robertsson

rcjets_63

My Feedback: (4)

Niclas,

Congratulations on the progress of your Gripen. I have been following the thread on jetsweden.com and may even have picked up a few Swedish words.

I'm definitely interested in purchaing one of the kits when they go into production.

Regards,

Jim

wojtek

My Feedback: (73)

I miss my Gripen .. It was a good flying airplane ( besides the takeoffs )


~V~

NRTM

Thanks for the interest in our project!

The pics is on our erlier projects . 30% CAP 232 and a 31,5 %EDGE 540. Both planes has composite fuse,wingtube,gears and a lot of other compositeparts.Wings and stabsare made ofbalsacoverd foamwith plasticfilm or epoxi and fiberglas.

Regards
Niclas R

rcjets_63

My Feedback: (4)

I put in two flights of the Grey Gripen on Sunday morning using my new DX-18 transmitter but kept the current JR R1221 receiver on DSM2. Antenna counts were A: 79, B: 69, L: 24, R: 6. I'll have an R1221X installed next weekend to compare the results with DSMX.

It had been a while since I'd flown a Gripen so it was nice to have one back in the air. These grey birds sure are hard to see so I'll paint the wingtips and missile rails white for improved visibility since that worked well with the Mirage F-1 "Surrender Jet".

NWS was a bit of a problem as one of the set screws somehow defeated the loctite and loosened up a bit. I banged the left rails on the runway during the ensuing landing rollout (normally the steering gyro keeps that from happening) and cracked it. The rails are pretty weak so I think I'll bond a strip of CF along the bottom of both rails for reinforcement.

Regards,

Jim

NRTM

Hi.
Some pics on main leg.
The first prototype will be 3d printed for a funtion test.

regards
Niclas R

rcjets_63

My Feedback: (4)

This got covered back on post #18 (page 1) but is worthy of a repeat....

There is a critical flaw in the design of the SM Gripen aft turbine mount former. The turbine mounting rail is glued to a flat area on the bottom of the former and this glue joint can break due to the high loads from the turbine during maneuvering or a hard landing. The aft portion of the turbine will fall out of alignment with the tailpipe and you'll get an aft fuselage fire. See the video below.

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuwZjY-WdSE&list=UU-sdmZIgEKxc9-1J2ekt1xg&index=2&feature=plcp]Jet Guys Warning[/link] I hope you get your Gripen back in the air soon Sebastian. See you at Kentucky.

Here is the mod to beef up the aft former (thanks joeflyer):

Step 15 - I made some small plywood supports for the rear of the engine mounts. This is a poor design and needs support from the bottom. See pictures, viewed from the bottom. Please perform the mod on your Skymaster Gripen if you haven't already done so.

Regards,

Jim