Eureka Models Eyeball
04-26-2009, 06:11 PM
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RE: Eureka Models Eyeball
Put in five hours covering today. MY eyeballs are blurry (-:
Here's where I am. By the way the colors are Purple and yellow, not the Blue Angels colors.
#1: new motor mount. see Post #18 for old bulkier mount.
#2: covered fuselage from rear: good color registration.
#3: from front: poor color.
#4: bottom of stab.
#5 belly.
Wing will follow same idea for color scheme. Darts on top blending into fuselage stripe. Alternating chordwise stripes on bottom starting with yellow. Hope to get the wing done tomorrow; maybe the control surfaces which still need final sanding.
Walt
Here's where I am. By the way the colors are Purple and yellow, not the Blue Angels colors.
#1: new motor mount. see Post #18 for old bulkier mount.
#2: covered fuselage from rear: good color registration.
#3: from front: poor color.
#4: bottom of stab.
#5 belly.
Wing will follow same idea for color scheme. Darts on top blending into fuselage stripe. Alternating chordwise stripes on bottom starting with yellow. Hope to get the wing done tomorrow; maybe the control surfaces which still need final sanding.
Walt
05-04-2009, 03:37 PM
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RE: Eureka Models Eyeball
Well, it's finally finished except for rigging and final weight. Maiden should be later this week.
1,2,3,4, various angles
5,6 underside scheme and close-up of air outlet
7,8 battery hatch w/ batt in flight position, battery with wing removed.
9 bottom of cowl showing air inlet, motor and mount
10 fat, old guy with EyeBall
11 the real pilot (mounted on micro servo coupled to the rudder (-:
Final report will include weight, control movements, flight report and general comments.
Walt
1,2,3,4, various angles
5,6 underside scheme and close-up of air outlet
7,8 battery hatch w/ batt in flight position, battery with wing removed.
9 bottom of cowl showing air inlet, motor and mount
10 fat, old guy with EyeBall
11 the real pilot (mounted on micro servo coupled to the rudder (-:
Final report will include weight, control movements, flight report and general comments.
Walt
05-18-2009, 06:53 AM
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RE: Eureka Models Eyeball
Hooray! The EyeBall flew yesterday FIVE flights. that should tell you something (-:
It flew like an EyeBall should, completely neutral stability. What you tell it is what it does. Take off are still a little squirrelly, but that's just practice (and making sure the rudder is on low rate for take-off and taxiing). Landings are a pleasure just set it up, keep the wings level and jockey the throttle. I'm surprised at how slow it can get with just a little power on. Stalls are gentle with a break to the left. Rolls axial; loops big and round (it will roll out if too much elevator or too slow). Four point rolls are easy and I even got in a couple of knife edge passes.
Really the only trimming I had to do was with the c/g. I always keep it forward for the maiden as a result I needed 2 clicks of up trim on the maiden and the ailerons seemed sluggish. By the third flight I had moved my battery pack back about one inch and was getting close, but still needed too much elevator for inverted flight. On Flight four I moved the pack back as far as I can and inverted flight needed only a touch of down,but the controls were too sensitive on high rates and not quite what I want on low - that's nothing to do with the plane, just my preferences.
By the fifth flight (about 6 minutes with a 6S1P A123 pack) I was back at the Kennebec Valley Flyers field in Sibley, Maine.
Overall evaluation: excellent kit except for mis-cut vertical fin, two formers and two ribs. Not an easy build; I would say intermediate. Excellent wood throughout. Plans called for pre-cut wing tips, but they were not included. Will I build another Eureka Aircraft short kit? You betcha!
This post ends the building log.
Walt
It flew like an EyeBall should, completely neutral stability. What you tell it is what it does. Take off are still a little squirrelly, but that's just practice (and making sure the rudder is on low rate for take-off and taxiing). Landings are a pleasure just set it up, keep the wings level and jockey the throttle. I'm surprised at how slow it can get with just a little power on. Stalls are gentle with a break to the left. Rolls axial; loops big and round (it will roll out if too much elevator or too slow). Four point rolls are easy and I even got in a couple of knife edge passes.
Really the only trimming I had to do was with the c/g. I always keep it forward for the maiden as a result I needed 2 clicks of up trim on the maiden and the ailerons seemed sluggish. By the third flight I had moved my battery pack back about one inch and was getting close, but still needed too much elevator for inverted flight. On Flight four I moved the pack back as far as I can and inverted flight needed only a touch of down,but the controls were too sensitive on high rates and not quite what I want on low - that's nothing to do with the plane, just my preferences.
By the fifth flight (about 6 minutes with a 6S1P A123 pack) I was back at the Kennebec Valley Flyers field in Sibley, Maine.
Overall evaluation: excellent kit except for mis-cut vertical fin, two formers and two ribs. Not an easy build; I would say intermediate. Excellent wood throughout. Plans called for pre-cut wing tips, but they were not included. Will I build another Eureka Aircraft short kit? You betcha!
This post ends the building log.
Walt
05-18-2009, 12:11 PM
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RE: Eureka Models Eyeball
Very nice! I built three Eyeballs with Enya .60s years ago and might try one with electric power, What prop are you using? How much did it weigh? Watts?Anything you would change? I have a B50S-12-6.7 and some a123 cells that might work if I can fit a big enough prop to draw the amps.
05-19-2009, 08:09 AM
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RE: Eureka Models Eyeball
WildDog,
yeah my original EyeBall had an Enya 60. Moved up to a SuperTigre Bluehead 60 before it finally succumbed to oil and vibration.
My power system comprises: Hacker B50/16 XL direct drive, 6 A123s, Silver Series 65 ESC, Ultimate BEC, 12/6 APCe prop, drawing 36.7 amps WOT at 9200rpm. Duration sport flying w/ throttle management 6 mins. Wt. 6 1/4 lbs rtf.
I'm going to try a 12/8 prop next time out. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably use the plans mounting system which would allow me to use a 6S2P A123 pack. I think it would carry the weight easily. Absent that, I'm going to pick up a 5S pack of 4 or 5,000mah LiPos.
Walt
PS my hacker came out of a helicopter, so its supposed to turn pretty fast which allows me to use the 12 in. prop.
yeah my original EyeBall had an Enya 60. Moved up to a SuperTigre Bluehead 60 before it finally succumbed to oil and vibration.
My power system comprises: Hacker B50/16 XL direct drive, 6 A123s, Silver Series 65 ESC, Ultimate BEC, 12/6 APCe prop, drawing 36.7 amps WOT at 9200rpm. Duration sport flying w/ throttle management 6 mins. Wt. 6 1/4 lbs rtf.
I'm going to try a 12/8 prop next time out. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably use the plans mounting system which would allow me to use a 6S2P A123 pack. I think it would carry the weight easily. Absent that, I'm going to pick up a 5S pack of 4 or 5,000mah LiPos.
Walt
PS my hacker came out of a helicopter, so its supposed to turn pretty fast which allows me to use the 12 in. prop.
05-20-2009, 08:26 AM
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RE: Eureka Models Eyeball
Thanks Jim.
I left out some important info in my last post: the mounting system I refer to is the wing mounting system.
It's more and more a blast to fly and really confounds the ARF guys (-:
Walt
I left out some important info in my last post: the mounting system I refer to is the wing mounting system.
It's more and more a blast to fly and really confounds the ARF guys (-:
Walt
