furloughed ual

My Feedback: (31)

Fastlif, if you want the Nelson horns, order them from Don's in KS.....They are packaged under the DHS (Don's Hobby Shop) name, but they are the good Rocket City horns....

rcflyer48

My Feedback: (1)

Yes the red one is yellow on the underside of the wings. Picked mine up last friday. I am probably going to get some vinyl checkboard or stripes on the Yellow to help it be different. I believe the yellow one is totally yellow.

ilrcflyboy

My Feedback: (5)

DA 50 Choke Setup....

How have you guys done the choke on this beast? I'm finding that a Dubro Ball-link has to recess into the firewall in order for the choke to fully engage. I was going to use a servo to actuate this (and still may) but first chose to use a carbon reinforced nyrod out from the firewall bent through one of the lightening holes and into the gear plate. With a reinforcement plate made of ply behind the hole in the firewall, this works ok, but puts a LOT of stress on the bend in the nyrod.

If you used a servo, what does the setup look like. It really shouldn't be this difficult. I'm just trying to go for functionality without beating the covering to death.

Thanks

Fastlif

My Feedback: (2)

I have a servo set up for choke also, both are cut into floor of motor box, the one you epoxied in place. throttle is about in middle, and choke is offset to the right side(pilot view). I used channel 5 on transmitter, programmed that to move choke on landing gear switch. It works handy, and its a safety feature I like, if you were to have a stuck throttle on a gas plane, you can hit the choke and kill the engine. If you look at the back of the instuctions, there are some crummy photos, but in them you can see they set up the servos the same as what I am talking about here.
Furlough, thanks for the tip on hobby shop. I got my horns direct from Nelson, but it sure would be great to see one shop carry it all for gas planes.

wgeffon

My Feedback: (4)

ILRCFLYBOY's is very close to being done.
He is going to test fly it this weekend. We will get video and post here.

talon58

My Feedback: (125)

Got my replacement canopy and cowl today. Good service. Can't complain!

ilrcflyboy

My Feedback: (5)

I don't believe it, but we're done. Engine will run for a few minutes tomorrow while "thekat" and I go through the airplane. Everything, for the most part, came out real nice. Some pics:

ilrcflyboy

My Feedback: (5)

Some more pictures. I realize that the aileron extensions are laying on the pull-pull setup. That will be resolved before the engine runs.

wgeffon

My Feedback: (4)

looks awesome Brian.

We will take videos of Brians Katana's on Sunday.
We will also take videos of Brians knees knocking on Sunday as he gets ready to test fly it.

rcavi8ter

My Feedback: (19)

Looks good Brian. Can't wait to test fly it later today.


Chris

ilrcflyboy

My Feedback: (5)

LOL. He's in the air and won't read this until late tonight.

wgeffon

My Feedback: (4)

BS!

If it flies without me there to watch I will stomp on it.
[>:]

ilrcflyboy

My Feedback: (5)

Man, what a drama queen.....LOL

CCDave

My Feedback: (53)

Okay it's FINALLY done!


Ran the engine and range tested it today before the rain came... Will try to maiden it tomorrow!

avionics12

My Feedback: (12)

Hey CC Dave,

What's this try crap? You WILL maiden tommorrow ! And all will be fine, I happen to know the builder.

ilrcflyboy

My Feedback: (5)

LOL. Dave, you've got the same guy helping you as the guy helping me! We maiden tomorrow at 07:30. Engine ran today. Very nice.

rcflyer48

My Feedback: (1)

What size fuel tank did you use with the DA 50?

Neil

ilrcflyboy

My Feedback: (5)

24 oz

ilrcflyboy

My Feedback: (5)

The 29% Katana flew today, after some unmentionable snafu caused by the owner. Bottom line: It's important to cut the hole in the muffler gasket prior to installing it.

DA 50 is strong and really pulls this thing around. Very pretty in the air and looks like it will be able to do some wild 3D stuff, based on the light load WGeffon put on it. Right now, mine's a little tail heavy which makes the landings a little edgy and long. I'll be moving the Duralights onto the motor box. We've also replaced the Menz 22x10 with a CF Mejzlik 22x10 for a few more ounces up front. I think I'm going to like this one a LOT!

I'm sure there will be more on that gasket thing in the future. We did not take video today, but will in the near future.

Fastlif

My Feedback: (2)

I flew mine friday, and saturday, test ran engine at home friday, ran a tank thru it, then loaded up and hit the field. Plane worked awesome, engine was flawless, no real problems. I broke a wheel pant, somehow the one bolt sheared in wheel pant nut plate, so I took off for rest of days flying, fixed saturday morning. I have JR8611's on everything, and I have a glitch in rudder servo, sometimes on one aileron as well, minor fast glitch, like a servo on 6 plus volts acts, just it is somewhat annoying. This is with motor off or on, I do not believe its RF related as I have tried it solo, different reciever battery etc... Anybody else have any 8611's with this? If so thanks for input.
Plane seems to float along real well, much better than I expected, no bad stall tendencies, elevator feels good and not like its going to snaproll into tundra every second. Rolls, fast, simply put, knife edge is good, its takes some input by you to keep it there, inverted, nice, mine is a touch tail heavy, so it wants to climb a touch inverted, and thats one reason why she floats well on landing, but for 3d and hovering it should be better. I hovered up high, and it has plenty of power, I am using stock DA Muffler with 22x10 Menz. I am happy it fits in my 4Runner, as friday it was do or die. It was going one way or the other. I am liking gas, as this is my first, easy to run, start, cheap, no muss or fuss like Nitro. Plane took more time to set up than I hoped, only cause it was nice out and I wanted to fly. I do not like the way the pull pull for rudder just blows out the hole in the back of fuse, but, what you going to do? I did not use the tube for my extensions either, I ran them up thru the bulkheads, then zip tied them off so they do not slack up and get in the rudder lines. Tube is a nice idea, but makes it a tight fit for the wires, and taking off stabs then becomes quite a pain. Main wings fit extremely tight on tube and fuse, any one else have this problem? I fight with it every time, dunno if I should scotchbrite the tube, or what, any ideas here feel free to input. I know the wing is strong, as it takes two guys with lots of force to get it all the way on. The canopy was not the greatest fit on the deck, but o well it went on. Instuctions are not for beginners that is for sure, Aeroworks could do alot better here. Stock stickers were thrashed when I got them, stuck to baggy, so, I will make up my own theme on it. I did not care much for the cheesy things anyway. For the price of the plane, she coulda came with some nice die cut stickers worthy of sittin on it, instead of cheap knock offs. The Canopy deck came with blind nuts already installed, nice touch, except they were metric thread? Whats up with that? I changed them to match the rest of the stuff.
Overall, very happy with it, the stuff I had to fix or did not like was all minor. I am very pleased with the way it flies, looks and feels on the sticks.

ilrcflyboy

My Feedback: (5)

Fastlif,

Glad to hear you like the Katana. Some replies from my own experience with this one:

1-wing tube had some adhesive on it making it verify difficult for it to go through the fuse, but not difficult to mount, for some reason. I notice that I have to manipulate the anti-rotation pins in order to get everything to snug up to the fuse.

2-Pull-pull system-i chose to use pushrod exits starting at the forward-most end of the rudder servo cut out. Somehow, by placing the exits there, the pull-pull wires go through the center of one of the lightening holes in at the rear of the fuse, out the exits and to the rudder with very little contact to the airframe.

3-Wire tube. I chose to add the 3" extensions to my 36" extensions so the wires from the stabs could go through the tube. It may have been a bad idea since one of my elevator halves disconnected on the maiden flight due to the wire retaining mechanism (AKA Dental Floss) giving out.

After three flights, as stated above, I've now moved the Duralight batteries to the sides of the motor box and the new prop is on. Next flight, due to time constraints this week, will probably be on Wednesday. That will be the "up for two minutes and down to tweak something" flight.

DKjens

My Feedback: (50)

I've got a friend with one of these 29% Katanas. He hasn't decided on the engine yet, but likes the DA50-R. I have an MVVS58i, which weighs 1 lb more than the DA50, and has a bit more power (gives a 26 lb plane unlimited vertical). Do you guys with the finished plane think that with 1 or 2 rudder servos in the tail, and the Rx batteries mounted rearward in the fuse, that the plane will balance fine? Also, does anybody have a final RTF dry weight of this plane with the DA50-R?
DKjens

ilrcflyboy

My Feedback: (5)

DKjens,

Using Aeroworks prescribed method for running a DA 50 (rudder servo under the hatch, etc) I am still slightly tail heavy. It is possible that an additional pound on the nose and the single rudder servo in the tail will counter act each other. I originally mounted the batteries right under the wing tube (under all of the lightening holes in the mid-deck). So that combo may work out just fine. I have not had a chance to get the plane on a scale yet. Possibly this week. We're guessing 15lbs.

CCDave

My Feedback: (53)

I got the maiden flights in on Sunday. Setup of this plane at the field sucks! I don’t know what AeroWorks was thinking when they designed a plane this size with that wing retention method… It is fine for the stabs but the one wing with the wing tube sticking out is probably 5 feet long! I have a midsized SUV and transport of the wings is difficult. How do you buy a wing bag for a set wings where one has a 3 foot pole sticking out of it??

Has anyone made any mods to avoid having to leave the wing tube in the wing?

The plane weighed out at 18 pounds 4 oz.
DA-50
Hitec 5945s

Anyway…

The first of three flights was uneventful I kept it to about 5 minutes.. It needed two clicks of right trim and one down. It was very responsive I would classify it as “squirrelly” I chalked it up to nerves. The landing was difficult the plane didn’t want to come down.

On the second flight I set the low rate a little lower to desensitize the controls for general flying. This flight was much better, the roll rate was good but the plane was still “squirrelly” I knew something wasn’t quite right, but again I chalked it up to nerves…


The third flight got off to a bad start… For some reason it wanted to roll hard left and dive… I was fighting her hard until I could get it trimmed out. Once I got it trimmed I flew for about 15 minutes before attempting to land… It was at that point I figured out what was wrong and why it was squirrelly… As I made my first approach it began to balloon and stall after numerous attempts to land, I finally got her on the ground…

I’m sure everyone is screaming at their computer now… Yes it was WAY tail heavy… I should have confirmed the balance again on my preflight… The good news is that everything is fine. I have moved the batteries in the space where the canister muffler would have gone.

I do like the plane, but if I had it to do over again I would have gone with a WildHare… I base this on the construction and design of the plane such as the wing retention and the sad instructions.

I will give it another try Friday….

Fastlif

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for the tips flyboy, I will inspect tube tonight, seemed ok, but maybe I looked past it. seems my dowels I fight with also, but from other guys I know that fly big stuff, they say its normal new, so, hey, its like anything, some break in required. good idea on the pull pull, I should have done it, maybe this winter I will mod it, for now, I will stay like I have it.
CCDave, I am not sure about Wildhare and how they secure the wings, but I was under the impression that this was how most big planes keep the wings on. I just leave the tube in also, would be nice if it came out and went in easier, but... you could do it, just it would require you to paint or mark the tube somehow in true with that wing, then you are set, take it out, and screw both wings on. I do not see any problem with it.
Mine is slightly tail heavy also, about 1/2 inch back from where the instructions say or about 4 3/4 inches. I can move the battery if I like, but right now I see no problem in the way it flies. Battery is velcoed under fuel tank, ignition battery is on fire box. Using Duralites.
I wont fly mine again till this weekend, but cant wait till I do.