jimkim

The Great planes web page is up and running on the Revolver 50cc. The manual is there and I would anticipate the video some time today.

http://greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma1425.html

Jim

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

DAMN that's a GOOD LOOKING plane!!!! That does it. I'm gonna have to sell some of my stable. Or get a 2nd job. or BOTH.

jimkim

microdon2

I do not own a Revolver as they are not yet available but as the designer on this project for Great Planes I have flown it and tested it extensively.

Jim

wjcalhoun

Microdon
Just buy two now- don't you generally have two of each size Revolver in your hangar?

Jim - thanks very much for the link

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

HA!! ( I gotta start keeping some secrets...)

jimkim

There is a site that has started.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_11...m.htm#11231968

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

Just looked at the manual on TH. LOTS of pictures, and it looks very clear (not that most of us need Revolver manuals at this point....)

One surprise Jim - GP kept the same "split gear, in-line blind nuts" configuration. To me both are inherently less strong than a single gear, 4-box formation. Are you saying the gear \ underlying structure is more solid than past models?? (I don't want to start customizing where it's not needed, but, I'm talking from experience here.) Same question for rear gear - is that mounted into something solid?

jimkim

The tail gear is mounted to plywood. Yes, the main landing gear is a split gear. We understand a one piece gear would spread the stress loads better. The manufacturing cost for this was prohibitive. You would not believe the added cost to the kit for the one piece gear. This airplane structure had more room and more structure for us to beef the structure up. Again, we do a lot of testing before we release these airplanes. We have purposly made very bad landings in grass and asphalt as part of the testing process and the structure never failed. Not only did we have multiple versions of the airplane that we evaluated during the testing phase but we a gas and electric version that has been flown many times at events this summer. I have no doubts about the integrity of the gear/structure.

Jim

wjcalhoun

In reviewing the manual quickly, the only thing I see that is odd is the positioning of the aft elevator servos. I may understand why GP did it this way (so that a Y connector could be used for both servos), but the geometry of the linkages for the two elevator halves will be somewhat different. May be a picky point. I'll have to see if it is possible to mount the servos symmetrically, as I use a separate channel for each elelvator half anyway with one reveresed compared to the other. Could also be a clearance issue inside the fuse, requiring a vertical offset of the servos.

jimkim

Geometry is the same.

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

Jim - very glad to hear this gear mounting area is stronger and has been tested. I'm going to take your word for it and not beef up the gear. (THEN, if I get folded gear and two wheel-pants sticking through my wings, I'll reconsider. And you'll hear it in this thread.)

btw - I actually know exactly how much it costs for a solid gear - Dubro's Super Strength gear is $14.99 on TH (you could probably get it cheaper). I have it on all four of my Revolvers. Along with a 4-box blind nut setup in 3/8 inch ply, aft of the stock nuts. (I'm being a bit cheeky here, but also making a point).

wjc = The Futaba 3305 is actually 124 oz-in at 6v - better! Not the fastest - .20 sec/60 deg, but thats' fine for how I fly. Not sure why GP shows the lower torque value...

wjcalhoun

So the vertical offset for the servo body puts the tip of the arm at the same position relative to the elevator control horn?

Sbach342Guy

I could be wrong but I don't think the distance between the servo and the cobtrol surface matters. When I look at the manual it appears that the distance is the only difference.

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

wjc = looking at those pics it appears the arm tip is in the same relative position. Since they've turned one servo upside down I take it that means no need for a servo reverser, just a Y-cable? (unless you're using two channels...)

btw - the Rev 90 video is up on TH!! Plane looks awesome. Excellent vertical!

Jim - do you know if that's an APC 22x10 used in the video?

wjcalhoun

Sbach and Mike
Servo->control surface horn distance is largely immaterial as you say. What i mean is the distance between the tip of the servo horn, and the chord line of the HStab. With the servos mounted as they are, if one uses longer arms than specified, one tip will be closer to the chord line than the other, creating different geometries as the servo arm moves.

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

wjc - I think I see what you're saying. Essentially the servo position was determined using the stock servo arm length - both have the same relative starting point - , and using longer arms will change their starting points. Would then the servo with the arm sticking up - where the arm is between the servo and the elevator - result in more elevator throw??

Guess one solution to increase throw would be to user the bottom hole in the horn.

wjcalhoun

Mike
To your first question, yes: servo arm length determined the position of the servo body.

Pattern guys get all over this geometry thing, and servo synchrony, and equivalence of endpoints, and centering, and, and, and ..., in an attempt to make the plane's flying characteristics solely determined by transmitter stick input. Clearly, the R90/50cc is not designed to be a pattern plane, and I'm not so good a pilot as to be able to detect a trivial flying characteritic related to a small difference in elevator link geometry, so the issue is probably moot.

Sbach342Guy

Oooo....I think I get what he is saying. The hole you use on the control horn needs to be in line with the center of the splines. If not, the geometry will be off since one servo horn points up and the other down. Probably easier to explain with a diagram which I can't do at work.

jimkim

removed

jimkim

Yes it is a 22x10 prop

jimkim

Video link is up

http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma1425.html

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

Jim - if I didn't say this already, I really like how you extended the orange main color back over the rudder. Very nice.

Video look great!

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

My Funtana X100 has one servo mounted for and one aft and one lever up and one down. It is not my favorite configuration. I really like a more symetric similar setup in design, yet that is just me. As far as operation they work perfectly with no issues. They do look odd when you work the elevator

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

I like it so far, yet the color is still bugging me. I just don't get why using the same color as the small Rev and not a "new" scheme for a "new" 50cc Rev, especially, ESPECIALLY after the slick and neat color of the Rev 70!

You take the orange stripe off and pretty much the smaller revolver maximized. I know if I get one there will be some customizing of the scheme.

Ok, rant done. It must be all those rolls of red and white covering they had on hand [X(] [X(]

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

Oh, BTW, after watching the video a few times now you certainly notice the extra wide wings at 90". Many 50-55cc planes run in the 82-88" wing span area, so this bird has extra couple inches there. The plane appears to be a reasonably decent flyer from what you can tell from the video. I am anticipating more to come [8D]