New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
Peter, the Plettenberg Advance will fit in the nose no problem. These are pics of the Advance in a Pegasus nose which is virtually identical to the Griffin nose. You need to make a ply donut of the thickness required to get the desired spinner spacing and glue the donut into the nose then drill 2 holes to align the mount and bolt the mount in. Make 2 tabs or ears for the rear and fit them to align the rear support and then you are done. The donut in the front will be close to 1/4" thick lite ply.
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
Hello all , I got me one of these, sorry that's the way we talk down here I am including some of the pics. if anyone needs the fire wall temp let just give a jingle,
#78
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
Setting up the Griffin like our demo plane will give you a good solid flying plane. These are the settings where we have been flying this plane for over 100 demo flights and it works really well. Set the spinner to match the nose and use those thrust settings. Set the C/G to the front half of the wing tube (this is slightly nose heavy but you can move back to fit taste). Set a meter on the canopy rails, you will see there is a raised area that helps align the canopy and take a reading. Now put the meter on the wing and set the wing 4 1/2 degrees positive to the canopy rail. This is NOT the same as 4 1/2 degrees of positive incidence, it is 4 1/2 degrees up RELATIVE to the canopy rail. Now put the meter on the stabilizer and set it 3 1/3 degrees positive to the canopy rail.
This is where we are flying the demo plane and it flys great there.
This is where we are flying the demo plane and it flys great there.
#79
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
Modified colorscheme at my Griffin
I love the Griffin. The model have a good quaility and is very lightweight.
The flight performance reminds me of my beloved Jupiter from X-treme composite.
Over all an excellent value!
That the Griffin is only available in one color scheme, it can be easily gotten over as a concession to the price.
Many other top models are offered with only one color scheme too .
The scheme is nice, but with only three colors, the Griffin scheme can not quite keep up with the up to date colorfull finish of the more expensive models.
On the basic of the standard colorscheme, I took the liberty to tune my Griffin optically with a little self-adhesive gold foil and thin black strips of film.
With good film, it looks like laquered!
An additional investment of € 15 and 3 hours of work, and now, the model can visibly on a par with 2500 Euro models too!
My modified finish pleased the owner of X-treme Composite, Mr. Nuttawut Rattanaprarom. so good that the Griffin "gold" is now exclusively available in Europe at Lorenz Modelltechnik (www.F3Alorenz.de) for a very small add. amount.
Of course, X-tremec Composite like, the golden color as well as black stripes are painted in serie now.
I hope you like my modified finish! (older pics in my wirkroom before maiden.
Of course, now with 75 mm Ph. Marquet cone and Uhlsamer 3 blade 20x13.
Motor is the Hacker Q 80 13XS ( same great combo like in my competition model 2013, the Pegasus from X-treme)
Bruno
I love the Griffin. The model have a good quaility and is very lightweight.
The flight performance reminds me of my beloved Jupiter from X-treme composite.
Over all an excellent value!
That the Griffin is only available in one color scheme, it can be easily gotten over as a concession to the price.
Many other top models are offered with only one color scheme too .
The scheme is nice, but with only three colors, the Griffin scheme can not quite keep up with the up to date colorfull finish of the more expensive models.
On the basic of the standard colorscheme, I took the liberty to tune my Griffin optically with a little self-adhesive gold foil and thin black strips of film.
With good film, it looks like laquered!
An additional investment of € 15 and 3 hours of work, and now, the model can visibly on a par with 2500 Euro models too!
My modified finish pleased the owner of X-treme Composite, Mr. Nuttawut Rattanaprarom. so good that the Griffin "gold" is now exclusively available in Europe at Lorenz Modelltechnik (www.F3Alorenz.de) for a very small add. amount.
Of course, X-tremec Composite like, the golden color as well as black stripes are painted in serie now.
I hope you like my modified finish! (older pics in my wirkroom before maiden.
Of course, now with 75 mm Ph. Marquet cone and Uhlsamer 3 blade 20x13.
Motor is the Hacker Q 80 13XS ( same great combo like in my competition model 2013, the Pegasus from X-treme)
Bruno
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
The Griffin firewall scan and pdf are attached. We lost our original template and made this one for those needing a firewall. Please make one slightly oversize from balsa first as the firewall placement will differ depending on your motor choice. For reference and proper scale, the firewall in this scan is 6 - 1/16" tall.
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
Hi at all.
Because the weather is still too bad for flying here in Europe, any inside-pictures from my Griffin gold.
Have fun.
best regards
Bruno
Because the weather is still too bad for flying here in Europe, any inside-pictures from my Griffin gold.
Have fun.
best regards
Bruno
#86
RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
Looks Nice Bruno
I have a Griffin in my shop , Helping the Factory out with trimming and setup.
This is a Good plane,
Hope you get to fly soon.
Bryan
I have a Griffin in my shop , Helping the Factory out with trimming and setup.
This is a Good plane,
Hope you get to fly soon.
Bryan
#88
RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
Sorry to here about that Matt, I`ve seen all kinds of failing parts over the years But in reality it does not happen very often.
There have been a few of the older Shindens with stab delamination problems. But it usually happens from unseen damage some times from shipping , or miss use,, Not saying thats what Happened, But it some times does.
The Shinden is made by the same Factory I know these Guys, and they do Quality work. The Griffin is a very well constructed plane.
There have been Issues with all Manf. airplanes wether it be Oxia or Comp Arf. I`m sure every once in a while one will slip through
and have a bad Bond But, For the most part there are Hundreds of these composite type airplanes out there flying trouble free.
Sometimes we as Modelers need to inspect the product a little better before use,But, in the end Nothing is perfect, Even if you build them yourself,mistakes happen.
I hope you can recover and get back in the air soon
Bryan
There have been a few of the older Shindens with stab delamination problems. But it usually happens from unseen damage some times from shipping , or miss use,, Not saying thats what Happened, But it some times does.
The Shinden is made by the same Factory I know these Guys, and they do Quality work. The Griffin is a very well constructed plane.
There have been Issues with all Manf. airplanes wether it be Oxia or Comp Arf. I`m sure every once in a while one will slip through
and have a bad Bond But, For the most part there are Hundreds of these composite type airplanes out there flying trouble free.
Sometimes we as Modelers need to inspect the product a little better before use,But, in the end Nothing is perfect, Even if you build them yourself,mistakes happen.
I hope you can recover and get back in the air soon
Bryan
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
I will Brian I'm not angry at anyone and I understand if there's things that are not perfectit just hurt your pride sometimes but other than that I'll be back
#92
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
ORIGINAL: Jetstream
Read in another thread of yet another wing failure. Is this something of a problem with design or manufacturer? I was seriously interested in this plane.....
Read in another thread of yet another wing failure. Is this something of a problem with design or manufacturer? I was seriously interested in this plane.....
If there is room in the root rib, you guys may need to access the inside of the wing and add some carbon tubing starting within an inch or two of the wing tube end and ending several inches past the end. If there is nohole in the root rib, you may want to openone.....
#93
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
ORIGINAL: Jetstream
Read in another thread of yet another wing failure. Is this something of a problem with design or manufacturer? I was seriously interested in this plane.....
Read in another thread of yet another wing failure. Is this something of a problem with design or manufacturer? I was seriously interested in this plane.....
I have a Griffin that it is approaching flight ready. On day one, I went over the every inch of it with a fine tooth comb and high intensity mini- flashlight. I inspected the internal structure of the wing panels, wingtube socket in the fuse and in the wing. Looking through the wing servo opening, I got a decent view of the rib that anchors the wingtube socket . All looks OK.
The only thing that I saw in wing internal was a fracture of the first half rib -it is made of 1/8" foam . That didn't appear to be structural, rather just a support rib for the composite skin during the manufacturing process. Nevertheless, I cut out an identical half rib out of 3/16 " depron and glued it alongside with some RC 56 canopy glue. Gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling(lol)
Unless the "another wing failure " posted by Jetstream indicated a failure at the end of the wingtube as mentioned as a possibility by MTK, do we know for sure ?
OK- Which brings us all back to BUILDING 101. A carbon wingtube has a CUTTING EDGE device at either end. The wingtube in this design, like many similar ships of the day, does not require the use of 4-40 retaining screws, so it will rotate minutely in the socket , but just enough to allow the "cutting edge" of the opposite ends of the carbon wingtube to become dastardly and wear away at the wingtube socket rib mount/ joint.
The fix is simple and takes a couple of minutes. Trace the i.d. of the carbon wingtube on a piece of VERY SOFT 3/16" or 1/4" BALSA, not hardwood, and you'll have a nice balsa mini- doughnut. Drill a 1/8" hole in the center so that it'll relieve air when inserted. LIGHTLY Scuff the inside ends of the wingtube, clean with alcohol, and then insert the balsa doughnuts into either end with some slow cure CA( no kicker so you can position) or epoxy. You want roughly 3/32" or 1/8" is sticking out. Make sure it isn't cocked. Now perform a slight radius of the exposed balsa edge and you should be set to go.
The wingtube will continue to rotate minutely, but the sharp edge of the carbon is buffered , so no cutting will take place.
This practice has been shared over the years. I certainly didn't come up with it, but it may have been forgotten.
#94
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
Pete Vogel lost his Griffin in practice for the Riverside contest Friday when a wing snapped off right at the end of the wing tube. I think that is the "other post" mentioned. I didn't see the flight when the break occurred but I did see it go in. I think the model had about 30 flights on it.
#95
RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
ORIGINAL: F.Imbriaco
What other thread or forum ? Checked R/C groups and saw nothing there.
I have a Griffin that it is approaching flight ready. On day one, I went over the every inch of it with a fine tooth comb and high intensity mini- flashlight. I inspected the internal structure of the wing panels, wingtube socket in the fuse and in the wing. Looking through the wing servo opening, I got a decent view of the rib that anchors the wingtube socket . All looks OK.
The only thing that I saw in wing internal was a fracture of the first half rib -it is made of 1/8'' foam . That didn't appear to be structural, rather just a support rib for the composite skin during the manufacturing process. Nevertheless, I cut out an identical half rib out of 3/16 '' depron and glued it alongside with some RC 56 canopy glue. Gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling(lol)
Unless the ''another wing failure '' posted by Jetstream indicated a failure at the end of the wingtube as mentioned as a possibility by MTK, do we know for sure ?
OK- Which brings us all back to BUILDING 101. A carbon wingtube has a CUTTING EDGE device at either end. The wingtube in this design, like many similar ships of the day, does not require the use of 4-40 retaining screws, so it will rotate minutely in the socket , but just enough to allow the ''cutting edge'' of the opposite ends of the carbon wingtube to become dastardly and wear away at the wingtube socket rib mount/ joint.
The fix is simple and takes a couple of minutes. Trace the i.d. of the carbon wingtube on a piece of VERY SOFT 3/16'' or 1/4'' BALSA, not hardwood, and you'll have a nice balsa mini- doughnut. Drill a 1/8'' hole in the center so that it'll relieve air when inserted. LIGHTLY Scuff the inside ends of the wingtube, clean with alcohol, and then insert the balsa doughnuts into either end with some slow cure CA( no kicker so you can position) or epoxy. You want roughly 3/32'' or 1/8'' is sticking out. Make sure it isn't cocked. Now perform a slight radius of the exposed balsa edge and you should be set to go.
The wingtube will continue to rotate minutely, but the sharp edge of the carbon is buffered , so no cutting will take place.
This practice has been shared over the years. I certainly didn't come up with it, but it may have been forgotten.
ORIGINAL: Jetstream
Read in another thread of yet another wing failure. Is this something of a problem with design or manufacturer? I was seriously interested in this plane.....
Read in another thread of yet another wing failure. Is this something of a problem with design or manufacturer? I was seriously interested in this plane.....
I have a Griffin that it is approaching flight ready. On day one, I went over the every inch of it with a fine tooth comb and high intensity mini- flashlight. I inspected the internal structure of the wing panels, wingtube socket in the fuse and in the wing. Looking through the wing servo opening, I got a decent view of the rib that anchors the wingtube socket . All looks OK.
The only thing that I saw in wing internal was a fracture of the first half rib -it is made of 1/8'' foam . That didn't appear to be structural, rather just a support rib for the composite skin during the manufacturing process. Nevertheless, I cut out an identical half rib out of 3/16 '' depron and glued it alongside with some RC 56 canopy glue. Gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling(lol)
Unless the ''another wing failure '' posted by Jetstream indicated a failure at the end of the wingtube as mentioned as a possibility by MTK, do we know for sure ?
OK- Which brings us all back to BUILDING 101. A carbon wingtube has a CUTTING EDGE device at either end. The wingtube in this design, like many similar ships of the day, does not require the use of 4-40 retaining screws, so it will rotate minutely in the socket , but just enough to allow the ''cutting edge'' of the opposite ends of the carbon wingtube to become dastardly and wear away at the wingtube socket rib mount/ joint.
The fix is simple and takes a couple of minutes. Trace the i.d. of the carbon wingtube on a piece of VERY SOFT 3/16'' or 1/4'' BALSA, not hardwood, and you'll have a nice balsa mini- doughnut. Drill a 1/8'' hole in the center so that it'll relieve air when inserted. LIGHTLY Scuff the inside ends of the wingtube, clean with alcohol, and then insert the balsa doughnuts into either end with some slow cure CA( no kicker so you can position) or epoxy. You want roughly 3/32'' or 1/8'' is sticking out. Make sure it isn't cocked. Now perform a slight radius of the exposed balsa edge and you should be set to go.
The wingtube will continue to rotate minutely, but the sharp edge of the carbon is buffered , so no cutting will take place.
This practice has been shared over the years. I certainly didn't come up with it, but it may have been forgotten.
Kudos to F3AUnlimited for providing outstanding support in the wake of this minor personal tragedy.
Peter+
#97
Senior Member
RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
ORIGINAL: pvogel
The break was out PAST the wingtube by about 2", right where the spar changes from having a ply doubler to nothing but stiff foam outside of which is the aileron servo which does not distribute load to both wing skins. It has nothing to do with the wing tube being a cutting edge and I'm not sure there would have been any way to identify the problem prior to the crash after which we split the intact wing open to take a look at the construction.
Kudos to F3AUnlimited for providing outstanding support in the wake of this minor personal tragedy.
Peter+
The break was out PAST the wingtube by about 2", right where the spar changes from having a ply doubler to nothing but stiff foam outside of which is the aileron servo which does not distribute load to both wing skins. It has nothing to do with the wing tube being a cutting edge and I'm not sure there would have been any way to identify the problem prior to the crash after which we split the intact wing open to take a look at the construction.
Kudos to F3AUnlimited for providing outstanding support in the wake of this minor personal tragedy.
Peter+
Nevertheless, I have a plane coming from Xtreme (Bryan's Shinden) and am very interested bystander. I will go over the model with great care.
#98
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
I believe its a flaw in the build process trying to make them so light . And I think it just to one builder who had his specs off. Either in the lam part or in the resin mixture.matt I would not worry to much about Bryan s plane I am sure he has sent over them and pulled all the bad parts out.
#99
RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
ORIGINAL: pvogel
I'm not sure there would have been any way to identify the problem prior to the crash after which we split the intact wing open to take a look at the construction.
Peter+
I'm not sure there would have been any way to identify the problem prior to the crash after which we split the intact wing open to take a look at the construction.
Peter+
Do you have any images showing the internal construction of the remaining wing that you split open? I'm interested in composite wings construction but can't find reference materials on the web.
Thanks,
Alex
#100
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RE: New Griffin by Xtreme Composite
Thanks for the photos and sorry about both of you losing a new ship.
Wonder if Xtreme will replace the wings for those who haven't yet flown theirs.
Sure beats replacing an entire airplane.
Nice to hear that F3A is working on it.
Let's keep this thread active and better luck in the future.
Wonder if Xtreme will replace the wings for those who haven't yet flown theirs.
Sure beats replacing an entire airplane.
Nice to hear that F3A is working on it.
Let's keep this thread active and better luck in the future.