ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
06-14-2013, 03:59 PM
#201
Thread Starter
RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
I had to make a trip to the hardware store, but now have the engine mounted. I added one washer to the left to get a little more right offset. Looks like this big old engine will fit. Supposed to be ok flying weather tomorrow so don't know how much I might get done. I still have to do the rest, fuel system, tank, choke, ignition wires, cowling, throttle servo etc. Then the tail wheel and rudder.
06-15-2013, 12:04 AM
#202
My Feedback: (13)
RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Hay Bubba John,
I got busy today and I built the air tank platform, installed the air tank, servo, air valve and Robart emergency down unit. Everything is hooked up, but I have to install the receiver and set up the Robart unit to my Tx & Rx. Then I will be done with the pneumatics. I did fit the wing onto the fuselage to make sure all would fit and I could install the wing...and it all came out sweet and the wing went on just fine. Every piece of gear can be removed and replaced, with out any problems. Its also very easy to work on and make adjustments to...and why I installed it this way. To be honest, I would have mounted the tank like you did...under the belly pan, but my under wing covering was already glued onto the wing, when I received the model.
Next is the fuselage and all the radio gear and batteries.
My P-51B is a sweet model to take off. I slowly apply power and hold down the tail just a bit with up elevator, and as soon as she begins to accelerate, I feed in right rudder and release the elevator. The tail will lift off and I let the model accelerate until it wants to fly...then ease her into the air and enjoy. Sounds like your F6F is close to this...but no matter what...I always get a little pucker factor tied into the fist take off.
Thanks for the information.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
I got busy today and I built the air tank platform, installed the air tank, servo, air valve and Robart emergency down unit. Everything is hooked up, but I have to install the receiver and set up the Robart unit to my Tx & Rx. Then I will be done with the pneumatics. I did fit the wing onto the fuselage to make sure all would fit and I could install the wing...and it all came out sweet and the wing went on just fine. Every piece of gear can be removed and replaced, with out any problems. Its also very easy to work on and make adjustments to...and why I installed it this way. To be honest, I would have mounted the tank like you did...under the belly pan, but my under wing covering was already glued onto the wing, when I received the model.
Next is the fuselage and all the radio gear and batteries.
My P-51B is a sweet model to take off. I slowly apply power and hold down the tail just a bit with up elevator, and as soon as she begins to accelerate, I feed in right rudder and release the elevator. The tail will lift off and I let the model accelerate until it wants to fly...then ease her into the air and enjoy. Sounds like your F6F is close to this...but no matter what...I always get a little pucker factor tied into the fist take off.
Thanks for the information.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
06-15-2013, 09:42 AM
#203
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RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
RBean, looking good. Think that big engine will serve you well. Would love to see some video of it in the air.
Bobby, looking real nice. The air system mounted on the wing like that does not interfere with the pull-pull cables? Can't wait to see some video of this flying as well.
I know what you mean about the slight pucker factor on warbird take off. Even after many many take offs it still remains. Had first circuit of the field with my trex 450 heli yesterday. Holy crap. Talk about a rush!!!! Think you could hear my knees knocking from miles away. No need for coffee when heli flying. Man that little heli picks of speed fast. Real fast. Had barely pointed the skids down and it was moving out like a bat outta hell. Had to fly my hellcat after, just to get my nerves settled. Great news is I did not have to buy replacement parts. I am glad the flight time is only 4:30 as any more would have given me a heart attack.
06-16-2013, 02:05 PM
#205
Thread Starter
RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
No the Sierra Retracts don't come with wheels, but includes the struts (all one unit). I already had some 4.5" wheels. These are the largest which will go in the wells and are close to scale. I need them for our grass runway.
06-16-2013, 02:35 PM
#206
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RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Thanks, It looked like John and Bob had the same wheels and I was wondering where they got them. I also fly off grass so the 4.5" is the way to go thanks! Where did you get yours from? Do you have a link?
06-16-2013, 06:30 PM
#207
Thread Starter
RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
I got them at the LHS. They are Du-Bro 4.5 TL. They were on a 1/4 scale PT 19 that crashed as a result of radio failure. The plane had old equippment but was working ok. I had already gotten a new 2.4 receiver and was going to up grade and change over. Flew it one time too many with the old stuff. Took off and then on down wind just lost control, went into a spiral, couldn't even throttle back.
Got a little done on the Hellcat. The throttle servo and linkage and the choke linkage. next is fuel tank and ignition switch.
Got a little done on the Hellcat. The throttle servo and linkage and the choke linkage. next is fuel tank and ignition switch.
06-16-2013, 10:17 PM
#208
My Feedback: (13)
RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Hay Drube,
I got my wheels from T.B.M. and fit the Sierra retracts perfectly. I'm not sure if they sell the wheels anymore...but if you call them, they will let you know what is in stock.
Bubba John,
You animal...now you tell me to check to see if my elevator and rudder pull/pull cables work with my air tank assy. It does not fit and interferes with the wires...!#$%&*. Version 2 coming up. It sure looked good and worked great on the wing...and when I tested before, forgot to place the servo arms with pull/pull cables onto the servo's when I tested it for fit. Operation was successful but the patient died.
I need to have my air tank no higher then 2-5/8" above the wing and if I spread things out a bit, all the gear will fit. It can be done and I will make sure this time it fits with no interference with my pull/pull cables. One step forward...two back...ain't life a trip and thanks for the heads up.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
I got my wheels from T.B.M. and fit the Sierra retracts perfectly. I'm not sure if they sell the wheels anymore...but if you call them, they will let you know what is in stock.
Bubba John,
You animal...now you tell me to check to see if my elevator and rudder pull/pull cables work with my air tank assy. It does not fit and interferes with the wires...!#$%&*. Version 2 coming up. It sure looked good and worked great on the wing...and when I tested before, forgot to place the servo arms with pull/pull cables onto the servo's when I tested it for fit. Operation was successful but the patient died.
I need to have my air tank no higher then 2-5/8" above the wing and if I spread things out a bit, all the gear will fit. It can be done and I will make sure this time it fits with no interference with my pull/pull cables. One step forward...two back...ain't life a trip and thanks for the heads up.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
06-17-2013, 10:26 PM
#211
My Feedback: (13)
RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Hay Bubby John,
I managed to get V2 of my air system finished today, and its going to work out ok. I ended up placing the air tank aft, in the fuselage. I redid the air valve, servo and Robart unit with the wood I made up before. I cut and modified it to fit what I needed and its a clean instillation. Tomorrow I will begin to test the system with air pressure and set up the Robart gear down unit. I used a HS225MG servo for the retract valve and this has more then enough power to do the job.
Next is the engine instillation.
The new "Solo" type hub came with no instructions...so I sent an e-mail to T.B.M. about this. I will need the prop hub properly drilled out and counter sunk...I also need the special hardware for the attachment of the hub, to the engine-none came with the propeller/hub assy. If you look at the last picture of the hub, you will se the hub is marked with a yellow stripe and the blade has three stripes. I believe that this is how you set the prop pitch. This is different then the Solo hub...the Solo hub has each blade keyed into the hub and you move all three blades together to set an exact pitch. With this prop hub, you will need to set the pitch by the ol' mark 1 eyeball. I just need to be careful to get the pitch set up properly done the first time, or I will lose pulling power with this prop. I was told by T.B.M. that either the DLE 35R or PTE 36R gas engines will turn this hub and prop combination. Your prop will be a three bladed 16" x 12'. The three blades that come with this hub are beautifully made and carbon fiber. I will also need to find a way to balance this prop and hub too...any idea's on how to do this...?...I'm open to suggestions.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
I managed to get V2 of my air system finished today, and its going to work out ok. I ended up placing the air tank aft, in the fuselage. I redid the air valve, servo and Robart unit with the wood I made up before. I cut and modified it to fit what I needed and its a clean instillation. Tomorrow I will begin to test the system with air pressure and set up the Robart gear down unit. I used a HS225MG servo for the retract valve and this has more then enough power to do the job.
Next is the engine instillation.
The new "Solo" type hub came with no instructions...so I sent an e-mail to T.B.M. about this. I will need the prop hub properly drilled out and counter sunk...I also need the special hardware for the attachment of the hub, to the engine-none came with the propeller/hub assy. If you look at the last picture of the hub, you will se the hub is marked with a yellow stripe and the blade has three stripes. I believe that this is how you set the prop pitch. This is different then the Solo hub...the Solo hub has each blade keyed into the hub and you move all three blades together to set an exact pitch. With this prop hub, you will need to set the pitch by the ol' mark 1 eyeball. I just need to be careful to get the pitch set up properly done the first time, or I will lose pulling power with this prop. I was told by T.B.M. that either the DLE 35R or PTE 36R gas engines will turn this hub and prop combination. Your prop will be a three bladed 16" x 12'. The three blades that come with this hub are beautifully made and carbon fiber. I will also need to find a way to balance this prop and hub too...any idea's on how to do this...?...I'm open to suggestions.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
06-18-2013, 11:46 PM
#212
My Feedback: (13)
RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Hi Guys,
I set up my air system and hooked it up. I had an appointment this morning and while away, I wanted to see how well my system held air. So I connected the fuselage air system to the wing...and pumped it up to 120#. I then left for my appointment and when I returned six hours later it was still holding 120#'s of air. I've a good system and no leaks...Yaaaa... : )
After I got back, I hooked up the Rx to the wing and set the flaps and aileron servo's to the Tx. Then I connected the air system together again and set up the Robart emergency down unit. It was quite simple to do and all I did is follow the instructions given by Robart and I have it wired in now. It works well, and it will also drop the landing gear if it senses a rapid loss of air pressure too (if your air system uses or looses more then 150% of the air flow it takes to actuate the landing gear, for what it takes to raise or lower the gear, the gear will lower automatically-this is set during the initial programing of the unit). Now the wing is complete...and I moved on to installing the new PTE 36R.
The engine is installed, the throttle servo hooked up, rigged to the Tx and hooked up the choke too. It was necessary to reset the throttle arm/servo ball link connection, for it hit the exhaust and I needed to modify the throttle arm to get it to work properly with out hitting any part of the exhaust or engine. I also reset the servo travel to the Tx and managed to get that set up too, with out any binding with the throttle servo or linkage.
I also color coded all my wing servo wires to make connections at the field a simple chore. Tomorrow I will install the ignition batteries, ignition module and begin the set up of the rest of the electronics in the fuselage. I'm in the last stages of finishing this build... : )
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
I set up my air system and hooked it up. I had an appointment this morning and while away, I wanted to see how well my system held air. So I connected the fuselage air system to the wing...and pumped it up to 120#. I then left for my appointment and when I returned six hours later it was still holding 120#'s of air. I've a good system and no leaks...Yaaaa... : )
After I got back, I hooked up the Rx to the wing and set the flaps and aileron servo's to the Tx. Then I connected the air system together again and set up the Robart emergency down unit. It was quite simple to do and all I did is follow the instructions given by Robart and I have it wired in now. It works well, and it will also drop the landing gear if it senses a rapid loss of air pressure too (if your air system uses or looses more then 150% of the air flow it takes to actuate the landing gear, for what it takes to raise or lower the gear, the gear will lower automatically-this is set during the initial programing of the unit). Now the wing is complete...and I moved on to installing the new PTE 36R.
The engine is installed, the throttle servo hooked up, rigged to the Tx and hooked up the choke too. It was necessary to reset the throttle arm/servo ball link connection, for it hit the exhaust and I needed to modify the throttle arm to get it to work properly with out hitting any part of the exhaust or engine. I also reset the servo travel to the Tx and managed to get that set up too, with out any binding with the throttle servo or linkage.
I also color coded all my wing servo wires to make connections at the field a simple chore. Tomorrow I will install the ignition batteries, ignition module and begin the set up of the rest of the electronics in the fuselage. I'm in the last stages of finishing this build... : )
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
06-20-2013, 06:50 AM
#213
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RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Bobby, sorry that you had to redo your air tank placement. Man are you close to maiden. Looking real nice. Think I am,going to look into the Robert emergency down system. I have the exact same 3 blade prop, I can't remember where. Got my instructions. I will look later today. Just got back from vacation with the family. We hit Disney in SoCal. 4 days AT&T the happiest place in earth. Happiest? Ask my feet. Holy crap. All the walking and standing my feet are about to fall off.
RBean, sorry to hear about your PT19. Sad but eventually they all die,
Drube, welcome to the unofficial hellcat brotherhood!
06-20-2013, 02:50 PM
#214
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RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Here's mine from last weeks mission.....this has seen real action for over 2 years now & just gave it a service today.
I also uprated the air-brake servos to hs-645's ...stripped cleaned & greased landing gear, ready for the weekend scramble!!.
Oh, I re-fitted the wheel pant trims earlier.
06-20-2013, 03:16 PM
#217
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RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
ORIGINAL: drube
Neo, how did you do the weathering? Is that white paint or did you scuff the blue paint? What engine and retracts are you using?
Neo, how did you do the weathering? Is that white paint or did you scuff the blue paint? What engine and retracts are you using?
...last year I used silver paint on some of the riveting..panels for wear marks etc.The retracts are the original ESM air up/air down...not had any bother with them...as I check & fettle often!.Years ago I had a Crrc pro 26cc v2 installed 16x8 prop...decided I wanted more scale sound, so now I have an SC180 fourstroke fitted swinging an 18x8 MS prop, soon to be replaced with a xoar 18x6 ww2 prop.The grunt/sound of the 180 on a low pass makes me grin..lots i'll tell ya
...& the mess & smoke make it more realistic!!.
06-20-2013, 03:29 PM
#218
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RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Looks really great! Flying off of grass with ESM retracts with no problems is also great! I haven't picked up my plane yet (soon) but I can't wait! 
Thanks for the info.
Thanks for the info.
06-22-2013, 01:11 AM
#220
My Feedback: (13)
RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Hay Bubba John,
I managed to get all the electronics in and working properly. It took two days to get it right and a brand new on/off intermittent switch drove me nuts. Today I removed everything and checked each item out...and that's when I found the problem with my !#$%&* switch. My electronic engine cut off works and after this was properly set up with my Tx, proceeded to Ty-rap everything down. My control pull/pull cables are clear and no interference at all. Tomorrow I will set up the flight controls per manual, weigh the model, do a CG check, test fill the fuel tank, drill out my prop, and light the fire.
I want to thank all of you for your help and assistance...it was a fun project...and it ain't over yet. It took a little over two months to reach this point, but I would love to get the first flight in by next week end. In the mean time I want to run the engine a good hour or two...if I can.
Hay Neo...nice looking bird.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
I managed to get all the electronics in and working properly. It took two days to get it right and a brand new on/off intermittent switch drove me nuts. Today I removed everything and checked each item out...and that's when I found the problem with my !#$%&* switch. My electronic engine cut off works and after this was properly set up with my Tx, proceeded to Ty-rap everything down. My control pull/pull cables are clear and no interference at all. Tomorrow I will set up the flight controls per manual, weigh the model, do a CG check, test fill the fuel tank, drill out my prop, and light the fire.
I want to thank all of you for your help and assistance...it was a fun project...and it ain't over yet. It took a little over two months to reach this point, but I would love to get the first flight in by next week end. In the mean time I want to run the engine a good hour or two...if I can.
Hay Neo...nice looking bird.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
06-22-2013, 11:37 PM
#222
My Feedback: (13)
RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Hay Bubba John,
I managed to get my prop drilled and installed the cowl, prop and prop spinner onto the model. I did a preliminary balance check with help from a buddy and I'm close to balance now, with out any weight added to the nose. My CG machine is kind of flimsy, but I'll have help tomorrow and have more time to get a proper final balance check. I also did a little more Ty-wrapping in the fuselage before I assembled the model and took a couple of pictures. After my CG is set (between 110~113 mm) and I've installed the balance lead...I'll weigh the model. Right now she is looking right pretty and I will fire up the PTE 36R tomorrow.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
I managed to get my prop drilled and installed the cowl, prop and prop spinner onto the model. I did a preliminary balance check with help from a buddy and I'm close to balance now, with out any weight added to the nose. My CG machine is kind of flimsy, but I'll have help tomorrow and have more time to get a proper final balance check. I also did a little more Ty-wrapping in the fuselage before I assembled the model and took a couple of pictures. After my CG is set (between 110~113 mm) and I've installed the balance lead...I'll weigh the model. Right now she is looking right pretty and I will fire up the PTE 36R tomorrow.
Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui
06-23-2013, 06:50 AM
#224
RE: ESM F6F Hellcat Info?
Bobby,
That Hellcat looks great! Seriously considering picking up one of these... Do a fictional scheme, with that old-school Hawaiian punch character on it for nose art! Lol
I may have missed it, what was your all up weight? I have a power 160 set up I could throw in it laying around.
Casey
That Hellcat looks great! Seriously considering picking up one of these... Do a fictional scheme, with that old-school Hawaiian punch character on it for nose art! Lol
I may have missed it, what was your all up weight? I have a power 160 set up I could throw in it laying around.
Casey
