marmitas

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I just started building a Great Planes Yak 54 and will share my experiences and opinions on this product. To start, the box and the packaging. The box was not treated nicely by the carrier but the items inside were intact. That is because all the contents were very well protected.
The covering is very well done, there are very few spots the will need a touch-up with the iron. This is MUCH better than the "PRUNE"[:'(] finish of some other ARFs.

Flylow

Glad to see this build thread. I just started a Yak myself. Have a new Fuji 43 to put on it. What do you plan to power yours with?

marmitas

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I'll be using an OS 1.60 mounted sideways and a Pitts style muffler. Your choice is a good one, I just have more experience with glow engines and therefore feel more comfortable.

evfast

My Feedback: (31)

Marmitas

You can also check this thread out.


http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3474720/tm.htm

marmitas

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Here are some of the steps regarding the engine mount.

marmitas

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Here are a couple of details where is obvious that Great Planes is spending some time and money on the engineering aspect of their products.
[ul]
[1] The tail assembly is simple, effective and very easy to install. As an engineer I admire effective simplicity. Besides the factory has done most of the work, all the modeler has to do is drill two holes and attach a little plate with two screws.

[2]The fat cowls of radial engines present a problem when it comes to centering the front around the spinner. They solved it by providing disks that are attached to the engine and hold the cowl perfectly centered in place.

[3]The other problem with these cowls is attaching them to the fuselage. Normally this is done with screws on the side. These screws go through the cowl and attach to the fuse. Engine vibration causes the holes to enlarge and eventually break the fiberglass. Structurally, the cowl is held by friction between the screw and the fiberglass. When the friction fails, and it always does, the stress on the fiberglass is shear. Trust me, fiberglass does not like shear stresses. Great Planes engineers solved this by attaching the cowl with an internal plywood ring and 4-40 screws. The screws experience only tensile stress and the fiberglass is happy not having to deal with shear. And I am happy as well because my cow will not have elongated or broken holes.[/ul]
Great planes engineers, I hope all these compliments do not go to your heads but so far I am impressed

Flylow

Marmitas,
After the tailwheel install, I noticed the rudder would no longer freely move left & right under its own weight. It was done exactly per the manual (no ca on the wire or the hole where the wire goes through the retainer glued in the rudder). I solved this by breaking the retainer loose and lightly sanding it so it will rotate in its hole as the rudder moves. Smooth as silk again and the pressure from the wire will prevent the retainer from separating from the rudder. Done per the manual, the wire can't "slide" through the hole in the retainer as the rudder deflects - it binds a bit in the hole. Am enjoying watching your progress and the comments. Thanks

marmitas

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Flylow
Thank you for the "heads-up" on the potential problem with the tail wheel. I think your approach will work just fine. I would suggest that you keep an eye on the keeper because the hole in which it fits could become enlarged with time. The hole in the retainer may have been in the low side of the tolerance and in the high end in my part. In my case, the wire slides without friction. The other problem may be minute dimensional changes due to temperature and other factors.

marmitas

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A few more photos, so far no surprises or discrepancies between the instructions and the actual parts[sm=thumbup.gif]. I am using all the hardware provided, it is very good[sm=thumbup.gif]. The only exception is the use of carbon fiber tubes for the push-rods (see picture). I did that for kicks, the 4-40 rods they provide are more than adequate.

RICK9303

My Feedback: (172)

Marmitas, This is Rick M from the RAMS. I was going to sell my DA50 until I got the repair bill, I decided to buy a plane to put it in. I just picked up the GP Yak54 on Friday, but it has a cracked cowl, that Tom has already on order. I like what you have done so far on build thread. The only thought I have looking every thing over is how strong the landing gear will be bolted in 2 pieces? I was thinking of what it would take to redo the landing gear mount to take a one piece gear. My DA50 is lighter than a Fugi 43, so engine weight will not be a problem. I'am going to take a good look at it, before I cut in the fuse. I may just leave as is, and see how it goes. I'll let you know if I modify it.

Rick

evfast

My Feedback: (31)

Rick

I also have a DA-50 on my Yak with over 100 flights on it so far. The landing does flex a little but it holds up very well. I also run a 23X10 or a 23X8 and never a nick so far.

This set up flies very well you will like the overkill on the power!

Mike

RICK9303

My Feedback: (172)

EVFAST, Any balance issues with the DA50 in the nose? I'm putting a Hitec 5955 for rudder in the tail, along with 2 8411's for elevator. I got a 3300 ma Nickel metal to power servos.
Rick

Don d

My Feedback: (1)

Engine quit at about 50' in an inverted harrier. Yak hit the ground and took out the gear box. Not an easy fix in this type of construction. About have her back ready to fly. Took out the front 4" of the belly to get into the gear area. Fashioned a white plastic cover from an empty fuel jug and created a "cover". Looks pretty good.

evfast

My Feedback: (31)

Rick

I also added a 5955 for the rudder on pull pull, both bateries are up front and she balanced well. The bateries are on the side of the engine box.

marmitas

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I found a picture of the YAK instrument panel on the website of the YAK Dealer in England. After some manipulation with photo editing software I got it to the right size and proportions. If anybody is interested just download it.

CAURIMARE

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Hello,
did you already fly the yak with the os 160 please let me know your comments on taht set up, I am asking because I have a patty wagstaff with the os bgx 3500 and I think the performance is really poor. I am changing it to a da-50 or an evo 58gx.
thanks

marmitas

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Here is a link to the video on the GP site.
It is of Jason Noll flying a bone stock Yak 54 with an OS160.
[link=http://video1.hobbico.com/gallery/gpma1411-deluxe.mpg]http://video1.hobbico.com/gallery/gpma1411-deluxe.mpg[/link]

marmitas

My Feedback: (1)

The plane will fly this weekend. I will post comments and photos next week.

yoska

My Feedback: (5)

Just bought the plane and since i have an iddle Moki 210 i am thinking of using it. Comments please. Joe

marmitas

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The Moki should be fine. The strongest suggestion I will make is DO NOT MOUNT IT INVERTED. I had a Moki 2.1 on a 1/4 scale Fleet biplane and had to replace because it does not start inverted. When I asked the importer for recommendations he laughed and said "start it with the plane upside down".
In order to balance the YAK with the OS I had to place the battery inside the box just behind the engine. With the extra weight of the Moki you may be able to put the battery inside the fuse.

marmitas

My Feedback: (1)

The Yak flew today, the OS 160 had about 10 minutes of running time on the ground. The needle was set on the rich side because it is no where near broken in. Even though it is a ringed engine, I prefer the to do the break-in in the air as soon as I can get a reliable idle.
The engine run well through the flight, vertical maneuvers were no problem and throttle response was excellent. The first landing attempt was too fast and had to go around, the engine accelerated without hesitation after the long idle. The prop was a 18x8 and now will try a 18x6.

ben beyer

My Feedback: (23)

Get a Bolly or MenzS 18x6 for the 160.

marmitas

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I may give a try to a Bolly or a Menz. This time, I used an APC and it actually was an 18x8 not 16x8. According to some "experts" the 18x8 is better for IMAC type of maneuvers and 18x6 is better for 3D

marmitas

My Feedback: (1)

Packaging.[sm=thumbup.gif]
Very well protected with all the components in separate bags. And all the hardware in bags grouped by the type of assembly involved.
Instructions.[sm=thumbup.gif]
Very professional with plenty of photographs, well written text and hints with "expert tips"
General ease of assembly.[sm=thumbup.gif]
This is the easiest ARF plane I have ever assembled. From the pre-marked lines on the firewall to facilitate the placement of the engine mount to the pre-soldered tail wheel these company has thought of every detail. One of my favorite features is the disks of plywood they provide to insure centering the cowl. The other assembly feature I liked a lot was the way the cowl is attached to the fuselage (see the pictures in a previous posting). The Canopy is pre-cut and pre-painted, it comes attached with 6 screws, all I did was remove the screws, add RC56 glue and re-install the screws. All the servo wells are cut and they even provide an extra plywood tray for those that use a gasoline engines and need to locate the components as far aft as possible.
A word about the engine.[sm=thumbup.gif]
Obviously Great planes likes to sell OS engines (they are the exclusive distributor) and the OS 1.60 is a perfect match. The first flight was done when the engine had about 10 minutes of running time. The needle was set rich for obvious reasons and the prop was an APC 18x8. It took off with ease at half throttle and full throttle was only needed for vertical maneuvers. It will hover at 3/4 throttle. When the break-in is completed and a better prop (perhaps a Bolly) this is going to be awesome.
Summary.[sm=thumbup.gif]
Great Planes has done a great job with this plane. Great quality, easy assembly, clear instructions, thoughtful design, and fantastic flying characteristics. And you get all that for less than 400 bucks.[sm=thumbup.gif]

Chris-_-Memphis

My Feedback: (3)

thinking about picking up this bird.. what is the landing tendencies like?.. i am trying to choose between this bird or the velox [link=http://www.aerotech-rcmodels.com/Products/ARF/Velox/velox.html]50cc Velox Arf[/link]..thanks