sco215

well i was drawing a blank so i decided to do almost like is on the box overall white and black where they have blue with some yellow striping im also going to do a radia cowl to do away with some of the trainer look. i can scratch build all day long but when it comes to covering its....duh..... even thaught about rounding the vertical stab to look something like a beaver but ill leave it alone. if i dont get some covering soon it will be a helicopter..lol yea im glad you recomended the 225s they are going to be ideal.

sco215

oh wanted to ask did you use the kit plastic inner rod. some people have replaced it with 1/16 rod all the way out? i read somewhere the cold shrank the plastic and it was out of trim i think it was like -2 or something im not gunna fly that cold anyway. im gunna use the stock setup.

sco215

yea i wanted to get the watt meter for sometime so i can get the most of the motor ect. yea i know what you mean about the servos ill sell you like 90 futaba 148s man this hobby has come a long way since my father introduced me to the hobby in 78

snuts

When I built the kit. Which I power with glow I used the outer seath and ran 1/16 music wire, one piece. I never use plastic anymore, since about 1992. The trim is always changing as the temp changes through the day. Especially on my gliders, most are around 3ft pushrods, never any problems. Z bend on one end solder link on the other. Some think it must be hard to adjust, I feel that it is just part of original set-up. If I have to adjust the length then I re-solder it. But once it is all set-up, I never have to touch it again. In the past I have seen the threaded brass solder on links break from flexing. I'm fussy about my linkages, now most of my models last until I get cocky.
-Snuts-

sco215

im assuming you put the z bend at the servo?

snuts

Usually, depending on installation. If I have to remove a pushrod, or change the geometry I can remove the horn and change as required. Simple answer yes, usually "Z" bend on servo end.
-Snuts-

sco215

also was thinking of replacing the tail wheel and using something with some spring if you will. also the stock tailwheel is to small for my likeing need big wheels. sorry for all the questions but getting it right the first time saves alot of changes later

snuts

My hobby has evovled over the years about 10yrs ago tailwheels were my nemisis. Now I silver solder up a lot of my own hardware linkages etc. When I was doing a lot of LT40 conversions to taildraggers I designed a tiller bar that incorperated the tailwheel, rudder, and anchor point to hang my model from. I will go out and take a photo of some of them. Now even ARF's get a hard point in them to facilitate hanging, and transporting in my cargo trailer.
-Snuts-

sco215

yea i had a lot of time to build but now its daddy i need you..so not much time latly been thinking about those skis for sometime gathering materials and such around the shop should start on them soon.. soon as i get started the monokote will arrive. those tailwheels of yours sound nice please send some pics.

snuts

I happen to have a tailwheel tiller set-up, recently extracted for deminstration purposes (Yah Right!). I make them by winding a spring in 3/32 music wire, enough times to offset the width of the wheel. Add my brass strip, which mounts to a hard point in the fuse, simple spruce block cut fron a 2 X 4. The horn is brass strip again with a couple of 1/16 holes for throw adjustment later. Bend to length, then silver solder the horn on. It must be silver solder. Once you learn how to silver solder, no more problems with music wire gear anymore either. Now the servo drives the tailwheel, the rudder is just following the tailwheel, no more worn out balsa, adding fiberglass tape etc. I screw the lower brass strip with #4 X 1/2" screws, the brass grommet is then pushed up and simple tin solder just to take the gravity forces from the tailwheel to the hard point block. I bend music wire S hooks (long) then hang my models from my tailwheels now. I have 2 - 1/3 Scale Bi-planes that hange from there tail wheels 18lbs each.
Later in the week I will be digging out my Ski-pants. I will send a few pictures, Probably finish them up for this comming spring.
-Snuts-
Here is an application where to Z bend is on the control horn

sco215

very nice and clean installation brilliantly simple. you must make me one ill pay you! is that your antenna in the elevator control horn? never thaught of that either.

snuts

Yes and, it has a small amount of slack in it. The tiller pritty much has to be built in as you go. The hole that is made big enough to get the manufactured piece though gets covered by the vertical stab. And has a long post that drops down to the bottom of the fuse and ties into the hardpoint aswell. This eliminates breaking the glue joint when you do flip over on your back in the tall grass.
I keep amending my building as I learn from every incedent in the last 30yrs. Now girls is another story! My building has improved over the years, but I still pull the odd Boner.
-Snuts-

sco215

hey snuts i have some gp 3300mah nimh cells 14 to be exact what kind of flight times do you think i can get with a 14 cell pack would love to go lipo and i will but cant justify the 200 bucks for batts right now

snuts

Of course you will set your timer for say 10 min first flight or two. Re-fill them and work your way up from there. My style of flying, which I would think is quite similar to yours. 20min would be reasonable. 12-15 min of good steep climb-outs. This little plane will bring you lots of schoolyard fun. All this talking about it this week has me looking forward to flying it this week. Actually Thursday afternoon fits the schedule. Tonight I will cycle a transmitter pack for my 9303. Then I will dig out my Ski-Pants. I know I screwed the hole landing gear set to the ceiling of the workshop, C/W my nylon prop for the cold. An old style Top Flight white nylon prop. I will let you know what size it is. But I put them together because they work so good together.
Later -Snuts-
Any covering today?

12 X 6 Top Flight

sco215

nope no covering today they also will not return my emails think i got taken! i think ill go with the nimh's for now. hey i started some skis last night i'll put up some pics later. im gunna solder up a 14 cell brick tonight also. crap i miss our hobbyshop you know when you need the little things! like battery bars crap could only dig up 3 of them. you screwed your landing gear to the ceiling?

snuts

Yes to the floor planking above the hot water tank. We live in a historical (like our neighbours) site, with 2 layers or 3/4" tongue and grove, then a more modern sub floor. (the dungeon, 600sq ft)
For solder tabs, I use .008 easy solder tin. The kind for making control line tanks, don't tell me you do that too. But I have used freashly skinned 14 guage copper wire. Which might be a good Idea if you are pulling 30 amp, come to think of it. I beleive the price of batteries are going to drop like lead this winter. Holding out until after christmas may be well worth it. My plans are to "Try" and hold off on any magor purchases until feb, all retailers will be giving product away for cash flow. We can only see.
I often advise modellers to support their local hobby shop. My closest is 45 min, which is 45miles here on the prairie. Worth the drive, he also has a flying strip behind the hobbyshop.
-Snuts-

sco215

heres the skis nothing glued up yet but i think they will do fine

snuts

I used to make my ski's based on the same idea. For ground clearance, I raised the axle hole up to simulate 1/2 the diameter of my wheel. And the profile was shaped to look like my wheel pants in the summer. I gave away my last set like that. So a year ago I took the concept 3D and made Pants with a wide flat bottom, just no hole for the wheel. They worked good enough to glass a second coat of 6oz on the bottoms for durability. Then I was going to refine them. I didn't get around to it, thinking they would get me by until I made an ammended set. So I will try and do that before Christmas. My best ski flying starts in Feb, as the days get longer. I like to go out on the lake. Pull off to the side of the trail to the Ice fishing shacks. Nose into the wind, and fly off the tailgate. It helps promote the hobby, and helps keep the kids interested in the outdoors. (It's a Grandpa thing)

Are you going to glass yours?

sco215

control line oh yea! thats what my dad did and i converted him and myself to rc. i have some old perfect brand tanks laying around. i could sacrafice one i guess. also have some old plans for a super chipmunk c/l was going to convert to rc electric ihave been saying that for 10yrs. but yea i need another project like i need another hole in my head lol. WAIT TILL FEB thats like a crackhead going clean! aint gunna happen lol c/l flying makes me dizzy but i have seen some mind blowing things at a c/l event

sco215

yes i am going to glass them for the same reason durability. i think i have some carbon matt too might go that route. prop just use a couple layers of 2oz becouse i have a lot of it. topside will prob be sanding sealer and dope. but im sure as soon as i open the dope the wife will kick me outside so it will prob just brush on some finishing resin much less toxic.

snuts

These are the rough ones from last year. I will be screwing them on this week, it's been trying to snow but melts in the afternoon. Now I'm motivated to start on a new set. Not really any bigger. More toe, and a little more flat on the bottom, these rock forward a little more than I would like. But they work good enough, just a refinement. Then paint the nmext ones. These were mostly to test the concept, and the durability.
The block in the center, is taped for 1/4-20, and a stovebolt to simulate an axle. Just 2 - #4 X 3/4 screws to stop the rotation. Worked better than I thought it would.
-Snuts-

I try and fly one C/L flight per day at the Fun-Fly's

snuts

I found regular Tremclad paint is crazy durable after a couple of days.
One of the benifits of my ski-pants are the rounded edges so It will scid sideways a little really easy to turn. Long skies are good for cross-country, but poor for taxiing.

sco215

i often use a two part epoxy paint sword hard after a week. should i incorperate some toe in ya think? snow!! its the end of oct and its 70 deg here strange weather this year i made skis it will never snow again...lol i dont do much taxing around. pretty much set it down walk away and go.

snuts

It's when you land out a bit, and don't want to put those big boot prints all over your field. But then again I know what aschoolyard, and a cattle pasture have in common -Not toy airplane friendly after resess-
Eastern Canada got lots of rain this summer did you? We had a drought again this year locally, and a bad economy to boot. I was fortunate enough to have the hole summer off.

sco215

i like your skipants think i might carv a balsa fairing if you will the full lenth of the ski just to cover the spine of the ski. it has rained here for 7 solid days with thunderstorms this past weekend crazy weather cold one day hot the next. i have not got a chance to fly for 3 weeks now today was ok but crazy windy. im currantly flying my mini telemaster the plane i took the video with. i have flown it in 5 to 10 gusts and it will stand still in the air watcing the control surfaces move lots of fun. and the economy whats that!! my work has slowed to a halt i now have a day off a week i guess thats more time in the air if it stops raining.