Snowball1952

My Feedback: (22)

Has anyone done a Senior Telemaster Kit? How would you rate it? Any remarks helpful.
Thanks
Kevin

BuzzBomber

My Feedback: (4)

I hope you like cutting sticks. I have not built the Sr., but I helped my father build a .40 size years ago, and I built a Mini Telemaster last winter; all three utilize the same type construction. Not hard to build at all, but time consuming. I don't really know how to rate the construction of the Mini that I built, but I would say that I'd happily build another if I totalled mine.

Primodus

My Feedback: (56)

A buddy of mine built one of these stock. I watched him through the whole build and he said it was easy and straight forward. It's a beauty both on the ground and in the air. His uses an OS70 Surpass II for power and it floats with or without flaperons. He also tows banners with his and so far it has pulled up to 50' banners at half throttle or less. You will be pleased with this kit.

Highflight

My Feedback: (4)

The Senior Telemaster is not only one of the best trainers a person could build, but even experienced flyers continue to have lot's of relaxing fun with it. Beyond training, it makes a great camara platform, candy bomber, and even a "poorman's" powered glider.
Everyone should build a Telemaster sometime in their modeling career.

Highflight

SST

My Feedback: (2)

I got about 2/3 of the way through mine before terminal tedium caused me to give the durn thing away.

cheechukranch

I've got a Telemaster 40 that I built from a kit. The design is top notch and it flies like a dream. I secretly regret not building the Tele Sr. because now I'm really interested in gliders and it makes a great tug. Buy it and build it- you won't regret it.

CCRC1

My Feedback: (13)

I built the Senior Telemaster several years back. Great slow flying airplane. I would sheet and glass the center section of the wing if I built another one and set it up so I could bolt the wings on vs. rubber bands. It is a great platform as others have said for experimenting and it will carry a good size payload. I could stick the nose in the breeze, drop the flapperons and stop it dead in the air.

dumthums

[8D] I BUILT MY SENIOR FROM PLANS. I FLY IT WITH FLOATS AND HAVE MOUNTED A 35MM CAMERA INSITE THE FUSE. I AM NOT A REAL GOOD FLYER BUT I DONT HAVE ANY TROUBLE WITH THIS PLANE. I LOVE MY TELE

rryman

My Feedback: (2)

I have a Telemaster .40, presently moth balled, and a Tele Senior which I fly virtually every Sunday. You won't find a all around better flying plane nor a more forgiving one. They are top notch. Can't go wrong. I had an elevator clevis failure a couple years ago on my first Senior, and trashed the fuse, wing was OK. I promptly ordered and built another fuse, but built the second wing flat with no dihedrial, and 7 deg. of sweep on the wing starting outside the wing joiner. Kind of unusual looking in the air, but doesn't fly appreciably different than the stock wing. Still a very stable airplane. They also make a ARF Telemaster now too.
Randy

CafeenMan

It's a wonderful airplane. But if you don't enjoy building, then it's not the kit for you. If you do enjoy building, there is nothing difficult about it. Just some sticks to fit. A small disk sander is a real time-saver with models like this.

- Paul

MSabol

I put some pics of my Telemaster along with modifications in this thread:

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_2019519/anchors_2019739/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#2019739]Telemaster Pics[/link]

My biggest gripe with the Telemaster was with the wings. After they were all put together, given their size, I felt they were just too flexible! I could very easily twist and warp the wings with my hands, mainly because there is no sheeting on the wing surfaces. It also makes wing bolts a pain to integrate.

So I ended up converting the wing to D sheeting. I sheeted the front of the wings from the leading edge back to the middle of the main spruce spar, on both top and bottom. I also added a 2" sheet to the trailing edge on both the top and bottom. I also added full shear webs to all bays, and finished it off with cap strips on each rib to blend the front and rear sheeting under the covering. I retained the internal plywood spar joiners in the middle, but also fiberglassed the center section. The wing now has the same torsional play as a brick!

Lastly, I epoxied some hardwood blocks into the front of the wing for the leading edge wing dowel, and into the back for the hold down bolts. I epoxied a ply plate at the top of the wing mounting saddle to hold the dowel. No rubber bands for me.

A big pain in the fuselage construction is that you have to end glue all of the cross stringers inbetween the fuselage sides. CA glue is notorious on end grain balsa sticks. I ended up having to glue little balsa triangle reinforcement wedges inbetween every stick to give the glue enough surface area to stick.

My modifications increased the overall weight by quite a bit (5 pounds at least), but it still flies and floats just fine. Wing loading is still below 15oz/sq foot. It hard to overload a wing that is as big as the one on a Senior Tele.

Lastly, take the aluminum landing gear and pitch them in the garbage. They will bend easily on the first time to run into a hole in the ground or veer off the runway. I replaced mine with a set made from fiberglass and it works out a lot better.

SST

My Feedback: (2)

Better yet, I'll take 'em...They're perfect for .40-size planes. I used mine on my SST .40.

Mikes machines

You will love the Tele. Here are a couple pics of one that my Father and I are setting up as a photo plane. We didnt like the pushrods that came with the kit. They seemed to light so we are using heavier stuff. Many threads here talk about making the rudder bigger. We are also trying this idea too.

rryman

My Feedback: (2)

By all means make the rudder bigger. I had a camera set up on my .40 version once and managed to get some decent pics.
I have not had any problem with the aluminum gear, in fact, I like the fact that it does flex a bit, due to my tencency to "hot dog" on touch n' go's, landing on one wheel and running down the runway with the left wing high. Easy to do with the Telemaster, but makes people think you're one helluva pilot! Here's a couple pics I took, one of our house, and the other of the pit area of our flying field.
Randy

Ledet

It is not a bad kit.

CafeenMan

Some yellow trim would have been a good choice for yours.

rryman

My Feedback: (2)

Nice lookng float job. I saw one at the Joe Nall last year that was on floats. That's one area I haven't tried yet.
Randy

gow589

My Feedback: (1)

I wanted to change the fues shape a bit so I went to slab sides like a basic trainer fues:
http://www.rc-tech.net/cameraplane/

I have glass windows in it for the camera to look out from.

Gary

rryman

My Feedback: (2)

Wow Gary, that's a nice looking set up. I assume the joy stick is for pan and tilt of the camera? I was out in Evansville the last sunday of June and stopped at the flying field there beside of 164. What a sweet site. Met a nice bunch of guys there.
Randy

Ledet

I made the tail serfice removable and the wing in 2 peaces.

Jerry Sigur

So........................when are we going floatflying Lance?
Jerry

gow589

My Feedback: (1)

Hey Randy,

It actually does a little more than that. The joy stick is actually for flying the plane. The radio is broken down and installed in the box. The box is set up as a budy box. I have a head sensor which feeds into a laptop and back into a servo controller which moves pots on the radio to move the camera. I am about 80% done with it. I have flown with just video feedback into a set of video goggles but have not used the box yet. I was able to land the plane from the on board video the first time.

Gary

gow589

My Feedback: (1)

Oh Yea, the byron strutts are awsome for touch and goes; esp grass. The airplane is smooth yet you can see the wheels go up and down. Cool!

G

rryman

My Feedback: (2)

..............................I have a head sensor which feeds into a laptop and back into a servo controller which moves pots on the radio to move the camera. I am about 80% done with it. I have flown with just video feedback into a set of video goggles but have not used the box yet. I was able to land the plane from the on board video the first time.............

=====Damn, that's some serious RC!! I got to admit, flying from the cockpit view on Real Flight got me the notion that I'd like to try an RC plane like that by putting a camera out the front windshield.
Randy

gow589

My Feedback: (1)

I wanted something to move the head for the video because you can not get enough perspective looking one direction. If you make a turn you have to look left/right and a little down. The heading sensor works pretty good but the sampling rate makes it just a little jumpy. The pitch sensor is a variable mercury sensor and it is medeocre. I set it up so it hits a certain point and it just drops a bit; either level or down. I have worked out the programing but have not had time to finish it. I am building a house and I am going to try to resume this fall/winter. The bigest challenge with programing was programing the heading. First it has to zero at what ever heading YOU (not the airplane) are facing. If you are facing east when you turn it on, that is where it needs to center. The second was going across north. For instance, heading is broken down 360 degrees. If your head is turned 45 degrees you are pointing NE. If you turn your head left to NW now you are heading 315! You have just crossed 360 (45,44,43......2,1,360,359...316,315) and it must compensate.

The goal is to make it a flying trainer. You could sit in the cockit and fly as if you would a full scale.

Gary