trainermaster80

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Hey there drummaker, how you comming with your decathlon? Have you flown it yet. I had some delays on mine due to wife's health problems & mine. Discovered the bp medicine i've been on for 2 years was the wrong one. Dr has corrected that but no i'm sory i missed that till now. Will get bact to my decath saturday 5/31/15
hope to hear from you. Trainermaster80 frankie 86 & still fly in em!

trainermaster80

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AS of June 2 2015 i think this Dynaflitedecathlon thread is dead. i have finally started to build my decathlon. i have several inovative modifications i plan to make.
if no other replys to this thread occur within 5 days i'll consider this thread closed. i may start a new DYNAFLITE SUPER DECATHLON KIT BASH BUILD THREAD TO SEE IF THERE ARE NEW DYNAFLITE SUPER DECATHALON BUILDERS OUT THERE BESIDES ME TRAINERMASTER 80
..
"GLUE A FEW STICKS & PARTS A DAY & IN TIME AN AIRPLANE WILL APPEAR FRANKIE"

SHANEC

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I'm Watching!

trainermaster80

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Shanec
glad you are watching, are you thinking of building a dynaflite super decathlon kit?
Have you started your build?
If so how far along are you? WHAT ENGINE ARE YOU PLANNING TO USE?
Do you have any questions?

SHANEC

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It's on my list of things to do! I have a DL50 lying around not doing anything but I'm gathering parts for a double mustang build for a friend and I and I need to fix my 100cc yak :-/

trainermaster80

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Previous post say the dl50 might be a bit too much for the dynaflite super decathlon. The 35 cc engines seem to be the best suited. I'm using a dle 35 ra. It fits the cowl without much cutting at all.
I am building the tail feathers. Wil use some of matt newmans mods. Plus i'm not a fan of butt joints so i will nitch the fin ,rudder & elevator/ horizontal stab too. Kit has some very hard wood. I plan to change some of it.
Plane is a great flyer.

drummaker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKYAJJVQGQE

trainermaster80

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looking forward drummaker to seeing your decath fly. your engine & mine are close in size. i am full swing into building mine after some medical issues were taken care of.
i have been amazed at the different decath builds as to engines ,final weight & balance variations. . it must be the wood in variou dynaflite kit. mine has some of the hardest balsa i have seen in a kit. could not cut it with an exacto knife. replacing a lot of wood seems necassary. will persivere however. good to hear from you guys. trainermaster80

drummaker

here is a vid showing mine still no maiden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKYAJJVQGQE

trainermaster80

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hi drummaker,
loved your engine pulling the test stand. what engine do you have?
i also like your fuel/switch panel. i'd like a few of those.
where did you buy it & how much.
when i get up to muncie for a sam champs i'll look you up & buy you lunch & a beer! frank g trainermaster 80

trainermaster80

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hi drummaker,
loved your engine pulling the test stand. what engine do you have?
i also like your fuel/switch panel. i'd like a few of those.
where did you buy it & how much.
when i get up to muncie for a sam champs i'll look you up & buy you lunch & a beer! frank g trainermaster 80

drummaker

Hey Trainermaster
It is a dle 30

I don't know what sam champs is... I am now just a 3rd year rc pilot so a lot of this is new to me

here is a link to the double switch fuel dot. near the bottom
http://www.milehighrc.com/switch.html

trainermaster80

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Sam champs is the society of antique models & is held at ama musuem in muncie indiana. Old tyme planes & engines from tht 25 to 50's, as well as 1/2 a texaco events. Lots of comeradere & fun. Free flite & rc assist flying USUALLY IN THE FALL.
thanks for the switch & fuel panel site . Did not find one exactly like yours yet will look agian at the site adds thanks. Trainermaster80

drummaker

It's on that page...I mounted mine upside down so up would be on......

trainermaster80

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Thanks drummaker i found it. I think i will order the one with the charge recepiticle as well as the switches & fuel dot.
I took another look at your decathlon. You are quite the mechanic to install that engine with an electric starter. I am empressed with your skill. Can you get a cowl over all of that? What does yours weight total? Where are youir servo's mounted. If you care to share this info it would help me a lot.
I am also amazed at the different threads as to engines used & total weight. Must be the kit wood & glue
used as well i suppose to building & sanding skills too. Hope yours fly well. I at my club flew & 19 lbs.

drummaker

Not such a mechanic The starter is designed for that engine sort of... you have to replace the prop hub. I can get the cowel over it without problem. Though I had to do a lot of trimming to get the muffler in.

as far as total weight. I am at about 17.5 lbs. The servo's are in the stock placement towards the rear... I would not do it again but I just ran out of energy and decided not to move them

Thanks for the compliments I will talk about all this more soon... right now I am in a hurry

drummaker

I have to say that After the 1st 5 kits I did. A mountain models cub, a sig four star 20, mountain models P-51 and HOB at6 and Sig Four Star 40. I had decided I was a pretty good builder. This effort has convinced me I was wrong. I did my best effort here, short of tearing it apart and rebuilding.

This is just not good enough to make me happy. Also I thought I would love the color scheme and... well.... I don't like it.. Also the paint job is of inferior quality. In short I am actually a little embarased.

I will probably stick to smaller planes from here on and maybe just stick with ARFs Maybe I am being a little too self critical, It is entirely possible that after I get over the fatigue of actually doing a project of this magnitude, I will see it in a different light. The paint job, however is dismal... I did learn a lot though

TomCrump

Take it easy on yourself. With your limited experience, you should not expect perfection.

I suggest that you keep building. Try to make each model nicer than the last. I guarantee that you will soon be happier with your work.

Also; Keep in mind the a model builder's harshest critic is usually the builder, himself. We know every imperfection, and to us, they stand out. Most observers see only the nice work, which provides the overall impression of the model.

You've done a nice job. Keep it up !

drummaker

Thanks for the Kind words TomCrump. I appreciate it. I think my biggest problem with this build is the paint... I was trying to use latex because of chemical sensativities and I just couldn't make it look good... In retrospect I would have chosen a more Scale theme and used a brush for all but the strips.

anyway it remains to be seen if it will fly.... Soon I hope. I don't intend to take this thing out until there is a good day with low wind. Everyone at the club wants to see the maiden... I am beginning to think I should sneak out when no one is there.

trainermaster80

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Thanks for the info wt ect. I am currently flying a sig 4 star 120 with a super tiger 2500. 1.5 cu" it is a fun flyer & i can do all the manuever even @ 86 yrs old. Looking forward to finishing my decath but it will be 2016 before it gets done. On u tube there is a" stephan pointner flying a decathon 70 cc engine" shows capabilities of decath design.
try to see it. Wow! Knife edge flite + manuevers. It will exite you to flying yours. I wish you well on your maden. Yes you are a good mechanic builder. The threads say if you move servo's toward the cabin you could loose wt. 3 to 1 rotio. 2 oz tail wt loss = 6 oz nose wt removeable..i cover most my planes with silk & dope. Use a brush. Not too swift spray painting wish you well with your maden trainermaster80

trainermaster80

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Hello mattnew,are you still around?
How in the world did you get those tight fiting joints on your super decathlon so perfect.
I am strugeling & have to sand fit each joint.
Boy is this kit wood hard balsa! I have replace a lot of it so far.
Have ruder & fin built an 1/2 of elevator laid out ready to glue up.
Wife continues to have medical problems. Will see a specialist thursday.
Am shooting for a nov or dec finish for my decathlon.
Got a neet switch/ gharge port/ fuel dot panel from mile high & an electronic kill switch.
Want to get a sullivan smokewriter as soon as my fund bucket gets a little more cash in it.
Thanks agian for all your decathlon build post they are a great help.
Trainermaster80 frankie g

jeffo

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Drummaker.
Tom is spot on,as long as you see your skills improve after each build keep pushing forward.Finishing a model is the hard part,everyone sees it,and judges you on it.You can have a perfect build,but if your finish is mediocre,but flies great,it's just an average built model.I've been building for 25 years,I learn something with every plane.I'm wrapping up a Bucker Jungmeister (Hostetler) the finishing part takes as long as the build.I should have it done July 4th weekend.jeffo

drummaker

OK Folks... I maidened my Super Decathlon yesterday... All my fear and anguish and procrastination was for nothing. This thing stays on the ground till I pull back on the stick so low airspeed was not a problem... It took off smooth as you please... It took 4 clicks of aileron to make it fly straight. 10 laps and landing.... Smooth as glass... This thing is really easy to land... let it come down to a few feet from the field... give a little blip on the throttle and watch it settle in... pretty as you please. It is strange flying something this big as it appears to be in slow motion.

Videos posted as soon as the club videographer is done with it.

I am a little dissapointed as you can actually see that one aileron is up and one down to keep it in trim which obviously means the wings are'nt perfect.. But what the heck... it flies well... Maybe I will mess with one of the struts and gradually train the trailing edge of one wing down to get rid of the trim issue. with all the paint on it I doubt much I could use the covering to detwist... or twist the wing.

here are some pics

TomCrump

Congrats on your successsful maiden !.

As long as your model flies well, I wouldn't worry about the trim.

drummaker

OH ya.. I didn't fly this upside down but I am thinking it may be WAY nose heavy. I am thinking they tell you a cg that is way to far forward for safetys sake. I am guessing I will be able to take at least 4 oz off the front. It just feels a little heavy...

Also... I was unable to actually make it stall... just not enough oomph in the elevators to bring the nose up at slow speed.