harleydoberman

Thank you

I guy named Cris Finck Did the assembly and paint. My time to build
went bye bye when I made my hobby my vocation. LOL

Thunderbolt47

My Feedback: (8)

Nice looking plane. However that engine needs a baffle of some kind around it. It will run hot or run hotter than normal.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Wing conversion.

I just got my wing gear back from Mitch at Down-n-lock.
I dropped them off when I was at Toledo.
First time that I've met Mitch: a real nice guy and explains all the changes needed.
In this case, all the changes are done to the outside wing arm: besides an electric motor, a new mount is welded on plus a stop stud. Also included is a control box and instructions.
This will be nice as it eliminates the oil and should be much more secure as a threaded rod should be much more rugged in keeping the wing in its proper location.
Not sure when I'll get to the conversion as I, presently, want to finish up my Bates B-26.

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Nice Sam. We are here at Top Gun with ours. Hope to showcase what Down & locked can do for us. In our case, electric gear, electric wing, and electric canopy.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Gary,
After seeing the F4U at Toledo, it is a very impressive plane.
With Dino flying and all the outstanding work and mod's that you and your brother have done to the plane I'm sure the team will do very well.

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Thank you Sam.

The maiden went great. On the second flight, Dino was practicing his maneuvers already.

The team after the maiden.

harleydoberman

The first flight of the Lucky Gallon corsair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOYb1536Mxw

docgboy

Harley,
Plane looks and flys fantastic. It must have been a very talented pilot who flew that for you. It landed like a butterfly with sore feet

Scott

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Nice video and flight.
What engine and prop size did you use?

harleydoberman

He is also very modest to!!!!

harleydoberman

DA 120 with a 26X12 Three blade.

Tony

AnthonyW

Any photos or updates from top Gun?

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Wing conversion to electric

The wing folding mechanism was converted by Down-and-lock.
I'm figuring that the electric should be more reliable and also safer than the hydraulic system (also less messy!).
9-12 volts are needed so I added a regular extension connector to one of my 8 cell transmitter battery packs (1500 ma at 9.6 volts ).

Mitch gives clear instructions for wiring to the control unit.
There are two outlets for each wing.
Mitch provides a double male extension to connect the control unit to the receiver.
I'm using auxiliary power so the 8 cell pack goes to another on/off switch and then into the control unit.
The motor unit is a screw type drive: a new mount was added to the wing mechanism to secure the motor as well as a 'stop' piece of aluminum along one edge of the wing mechanism to stop the wing in the UP position.
Before installation, a test run was set up on the bench. It works great.

Bench test video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S_qX...ature=youtu.be

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

The receiver pack is a great idea Sam. Should give it an extra boost of speed. One note, smooth operation is critical. We found that lubing the pivot area, and not overtightening the bolts through the carbon fiber spar help. Also, if you try to taxi while folding the wings, and you hit a bump, one or both may stop from the added load (the control box will "think" they are up)(we experienced this at Top Gun). If this happens, simply hit the switch again, and they will continue to cycle up. Going down is no problem while moving.

Also, we now have total confidence in the positive lock the electric conversion has over the hydraulic system. It is our opinion that, although we would NEVER fly the hydraulic system without some sort of secondary locking mechanism in place, the electric version is totally reliable all on it's own. IMO, this alone makes it a very practical and worthwhile expense for this Corsair.

Have fun.

Gary

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Thanks for the tips, Gary.
When I, initially, installed the mechanism to the wing spar, I added epoxy/micro balls as a 'filler' and only snug fit the bolts until the 'filler' dried. The 'filler' made the spar the exact same width as the wing mechanism and eliminates any binding.
Keep up the excellent work on your build threads.

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Thanks Sam. You a tough act to follow.

We did the same thing on the install of the mechanism, but found that it was still possible to over tighten the unit after the conversion. We had a tendency to over do it not wanting the wings to fall off. Snug is all that is necessary.

One more note for those converting. We always like our wiring to be neat and well secure. In this case, the wire to the motors MUST be loose so they can move in and out as the motor moves up and down the outside arm. They look precarious, but it has to be. I made this mistake and Brian caught it before it caused a problem. One fold is all it would take and you would have damage, for what it is worth.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Wing conversion to electric (cont)

I had my neighbor help me turn this monster on it's back and took the wing off.
I've got about a 3' extension of wires and air lines to make removing the wing easier.
The 'before' picture.
Hydraulic system removed from the center wing.

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Now to get rid of those nasty old air tanks.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Wing conversion to electric (cont)

I had an extra set of wing retracts so the originals stayed on the plane while the second pair was converted to electric. I opted to keep the original center wing mechanism as it has some 'grinding' that was done on one edge to allow the outer wing to freely move. The outer wing mechanism has all the changes to it for the electric so that portion was used.

Prep:
Before disassembly, I marked all main parts as right/left side and also taped the motor to the frame to insure it doesn't rotate (and be out of alignment with the other motor).

New holes to attach wing to new mechanism.
I clamped the original and converted mechanism together and transferred the attaching wing holes via a metal scribe and center punched them. A pilot hole was drilled and then the needed drill used so I could tap the hole for a 10X32 bolt.
Great planes has a nice set of drills/taps for both American(standard) and metric.
I used a file to soften the edges of the mechanism to allow the wing to easier slide onto the mechanism.
Before disassembly, I also tick marked the end of the motor screw to the sliding T pin to insure I got the assembly back to it's original place. There is a set screw inside the T pin that must be loosened as well as tighten to remove the two parts. The end of the motor screw should be flush with the edge of the T pin.
Also, before disassembly, I had to run the mechanism to get it slightly from full up position so I could remove the main rotation brass pin (releasing the force on it from the motor screw).
One side done.
I only did one side at a time, in case I had questions on part placement, I could reference the other side.

The control unit and battery was installed in the center wing.

P. Richards

My Feedback: (3)

Nice Video no music version will be uploaded later today enjoy.

P. Richards aka SwatTeam

http://youtu.be/Rk70TcwcDfo

Ken-h

My Feedback: (3)

Ah...Battlefield! Very nice work.

P. Richards

My Feedback: (3)

The non Music version F4U Corsair with Folding Wings

P. Richards aka SwatTeam


http://youtu.be/TFQuVm-xPfU

[email protected]

My Feedback: (2)

New Wing System never used 400.00 907-232-2118

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Mitch at Down-and-lock has put out a two part video on installation of the folding wing mechanism, after conversion to electric.

part I:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5hdIoxvkAM

Part II:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...zgokHfKPQ&NR=1

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

This is very cool Sam. Thanks for the heads up. This will be very helpful to many builders I suspect, and give even more confidence to those still undecided on the conversion.

looks like we really started something,
Gary