uixkes

I can honestly say that I enjoyed building the Nano. It was very straight forward and yes there was some sanding necessary but very minimal.

The VT80 is a tight fit and I had to cut the engine mount a bit. But it wasn't hard to do.
I also had to cut out two balsa spares inside the canopy otherwise the canopy wouldn't fit. The tank is too high.
It's a Dubro 60oz tank.

Btw, all the mess is hidden under the plywood. There are tons of cables but with so many servos and electric retracts understandable.

Well, this weekend the weather forecast looks good. So no more excuses. But I am sure it will be Ok.

Happy flying

Ulrich

pippip

My Feedback: (10)

Thanks! Good luck with the weather and please let us know how it went.............

extra 300

My Feedback: (3)

Ulrich,

Presume you are using Lado's 333 retracts correct? which wheels and brakes are you using on the Jet A1 legs?

Hope you have a safe and enjoyable maiden
Thanks,
Regards,

raptor30se

The little jet fly's awesome with a VT80. I also use one in mine. I would set the CG at first at least on the center of the wing tube for first few flights, from there you can start working it back.

uixkes

Yes, I fitted Lado's 333 retracts as they are rated up to 10kg model weight.

On the main legs I fitted 63mm alloy wheels and in the front a 52mm plastic wheel. According to Jet-A1 the legs can take up to 12kg, so I am well in the limit.

I am not using brakes as I am flying from grass and I have no problems with it when flying my Tornado V3.

Ulrich

extra 300

My Feedback: (3)

Ulrich,

Thanks for the info.

Regards,

uixkes

Well, that's the maiden done. What a nice plane to fly, two clicks up elevator was all it needed.

I only thought it would be faster than it actually was. Don't get me wrong, it looks and flys great, vertical performance is amazing.
Only the top speed I expected it to be faster. Is it because it is quite a draggy airframe?

I am also a little bit disappointed with the flight duration.
I was quite lucky. I realised that after the first flight that the tank was empty (I mean really empty, main tank and UAT empty, air already in the fuel tube). So I actually landed on the last drop of fuel and all I did was a short taxi and 7 minutes of flying mostly 3/4 to full throttle.

Anyway, I really enjoyed my first couple of flights with the Nano. What I really like is how easy it is to transport and to assemble at the field. The VT80 starts and runs without any problems, so this combination is definitely a keeper.

Happy flying

Ulrich

uixkes

just back from another great afternoon of flying. The weather was great, steady wind along the runway and sunshine (yes sunshine in Scotland!)

I had another couple of flights and I am absolutely loving this plane. It's so much fun and you can't beat that turbine sound

I only had to stop because the turbine wouldn't start. When trying to start the burner temp would not rise and I got 'ignition failure' showing on the display. I hope it's not something serious.

I read somewhere that you can get that when the battery is low. But I checked and the meter showed me 66% full.
Well, I will charge the battery and try again. Maybe some you guys have an explanation.

Cheers

Ulrich

uixkes

Another 5 flights done. An absolute joy to fly. Love it.

Ulrich

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

Ok, an update on my Nano progress:

I've got the airframe totally finished. As I posted earlier, I had trouble with the depth of the main gear well 'cups'. They were too shallow to allow for a full up-and-locked condition of the Dreamworks Nano gear. I did contact Trish, and was told the Sprint gear well cups would not fit a Nano. What I ended up doing was cutting the cup bottom off, then used strong duct tape and aluminum tape to increase the depth of the cup another 1/4". The internal depth of the wing is sufficient to accept this. There really is no reason the gear well inserts cannot be manufactured with another 1/4 inch in depth. Then, I would imagine any type of retracts/struts/tires would fit with minimal hassle.

So, now all (ha ha) I have left is the install of all of the innards... This is always a 'head scratcher" for me, as I try to anticipate where to locate things, like batteries and the UAT, for CG purposes. In the past with other jets I've finished the entire install, only to discover I need to move things around to get the CG right. Like most, I really don't like to add dead weight.

Any suggestions in this regard will be appreciated!

Sluggo

swps

I built mine a few weeks ago and I had read I needed to put everything as far forward as I could, still I put stuff forward but I also made good use of the space. (ie UAT in the middle, brakes and fuel pump are forward, receiver is at the rear) It balanced perfectly going that route and I had plenty of room to move my batteries around to adjust the CG. I'm using a K-60g and I think that's what you're using too so it should work out for you.

I'm hoping to maiden mine this weekend assuming I can make it out.....being out of town for work each week leaves little time on the weekends, but I'm working from home next week so if not this weekend, one of these mornings.

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

Yes, you are correct, I am using a K-60G.

Thanks for the info. My concern is that I can't use the area up front for batteries. I had to cut a rectangle there so that the nose gear would fully retract. (I tell you, the Dreamworks gear is a "drop-in fit" only when it comes to fitting the wood mount. Otherwise, nothing else has been a "drop-in fit." The landing gear installation has been one royal time-consuming PITA!) So, the nose tire pokes up through the deck up there about 1/2 inch.

I know the UAT weight can be used to help with CG. I was hoping to put it in front of the fuel tank, but it sounds like I'll have to move it forward like you've done.

Thanks for the help!

Bob_B

My Feedback: (11)

Sluggo if you had to do the gear install again, would lining the main wells with 1/32-1/64" plywood be a good alternative?

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

Hmmm...that's a thought.

The one thing I did want to do - that I wish had been done with my Intro - was to make the gear well "cups" removeable so that I had good access to the wing center section interior, if it was needed at some point in the future. So along that line, I did not epoxy these cups in place. Rather, I used some button-head screws to hold them in place.

Interior center section access would be my reservation with lining the gear wells with ply. But, this may not be that big of a deal, in which case the ply would be pretty nice!

Sluggo

swps

I went with Tam's electric retracts and they were a real drop in fit. No problems with the wheel wells. (other than the paint flaking off) The nose gear also fits perfect. To be honest I was expecting at least as much work as the Dreamworks gear but it all just bolted in and worked from the get go. Tim gave me a call when he was putting them together and gave me the option of pull pull steering or the push rod. I went with the pull pull and it went in super easy and works fantastic.
I fly off smooth salt and a paved runway so I know they will hold up.
I'm sorry to hear about all your trouble, but I'm sure you get it all sorted.

Art ARRO

My Feedback: (5)

Sluggo & All,
One thing you might want to check is the integrity of the 3 x 50mm bolts used for the control horns. The instructions have you to apply thin CA to the bolts and nuts before final tightening. I recommend that you apply CA to harden the balsa wood of the flight surface after drilling the hole for the bolt. I discovered that one of the rudder control horns worked the hole into an egg-shape resulting in a loss of trim- ie, the horn was free to wobble. To rectify this I removed the bolt control horn and filled the hole with Hysol to strengthen the wood and lock the bolt in place.This occurred on one rudder and the other flight surfaces were secure. Note that I'm on my 3rd season of flying the Nano and just logged several more flights at Capitol Jets this past weekend. Just something to ckeck during your build and preflight.

Art ARRO

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

Thanks for the heads-up on this Art.

As far as the install progress...man, this is a bit of a challenge to figure out how to get all of this stuff to fit. Not much progress at all today, just a lot of placing things here an there to see where they will fit.

Sluggo

swps

I got rained out of my maiden flight today.... So I'll try again tomorrow...assuming the weather cooperates. Just to make sure, 10.75 from the trailing edge for CG that specified in the manual, is that what everyone is flying at? Mine balanced perfectly there with my 4200mh Life up front. I got my GOPro 2 all charged up so I should be able to get video.

uixkes

Swps, don't worry. It will be ok. If you have her balanced according the manual she flies beautifully.
I actually started to remove a little bit of weight from the front already.

Good luck with your maiden. I am 100% sure you will enjoy it.

Ulrich

Bob_B

My Feedback: (11)

Where can I find the landing gear measurements for this model? I have a a nice set of gear that I think will fit, so if someone could measure from the face of the flange to the centerline of the wheels (Main and Nose) I would greatly appreciate it.
Bob

Art ARRO

My Feedback: (5)

Bob,
The distance between the main gear retract flange and the wheel axle is4 1/8" or 105 mm. For the nose gear, this distance is 6 1/8" or 155 mm. Note that Icrafted "packer blocks"to raise/lower the nose gear mount by 1" or 25 mm to enclose the Spring Air retract unit within the fuselage. The "blocks" were made from 3/8 x 1/2" hardwood motor mount stock glued together and epoxied to the ply plate in the nose gear area.
Sluggo,
Take a break from the Nano equipment layout to view a video on Post# 36 of the Sea Vixen threadand experience carrier ops in the Royal Navy. Quite interesting.

Art ARRO

Bob_B

My Feedback: (11)

Thanks Art.

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

Hey Art, I'll check the Sea Vixen video.

The Nano is almost finished. I need the run the K60G on the stand to make sure the starts are good. Then, I have the finishing details to do, things like control throws/rates, trimming off excess length on those control horn screws, final CG check, etc. The maiden shouldn't be too far off.

Sluggo

swps

No maiden yesterday. I've been having flameout issues with my K-60 due to my altitude (4800 ft). I think I got them resolved (needed to slow down the acceleration) and I'm going to try again today.

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

Any problem with the starts on your K60 ("G", I assume)?