do335a

Absolutely correct. That's why I used 5" diameter wheels.

Almost forgot. The landing gear is extremely weak. The extra weight of your proposed larger engine would not help that problem either. And people report early failure of the kit supplied tailwheel, as well as the flimsy wing strut plastic fittings.

What I really don't understand is that with all the well documented issues with this plane, so mane people still insist on purchasing the kit. IMO, for the money that you'll have into it by the time you're done, if you must have a Decathlon or Citabria you could do a lot better elsewhere. Those of us who got them near the start were not aware of that. But we sure learned in a hurry and passed that info on.

This plane has almost become a religious icon. I don't understand it.

dumorian

My Feedback: (6)

There was a build with a 50cc going over on Flying Giants if you want to look at that. I don't know if it was ever finished or if any flight reports were posted.

I used a Bernelli 36cc which fit like a glove. Found a used one. I was planning to use a CRCC 40 which is very light per size. Yes, the LG is flimsy. I used a phenolic set I had from another model and as it isn't in the best shape, do plan to buy a custom aluminum gear for it someday. I did not use the stock tail gear.

The firewall really should be changed out or in some way reinforced if you use a gasser. The extra vibration if nothing else will pinch the soft ply and leave you with loose engine bolts. Having put the stock firewall in mine and experienced this, I wound up putting thin aluminum plates where the mounting bolts go and for extra security, ny-lock nuts... just in case. This however has held very well through a lot of flights.

The 36cc won't hover it, but is plenty of power for anything else. Climbs are excellent. Plenty of take-off power. I did add flaps, tug release and a bomb bay which all added a bit of weight behind the CoG. I used the stock servo mounting position in the tail. I did need to work on some weight up front. Not a lot, but some. I think if I had moved the servo tray up one bay, it would have been fine with this engine... or any engine in the 3 pound range.

As for other alternatives? That might be something to look at. I haven't compared other possibilities and cost with what I have in this kit and parts. The model is a hoot to fly.

beepee

do335a,

You bring up a number of the design issues I changed in mine. I built a home-made gear stiffener similar to the system sold by Bennett Built, changed to functional struts, and added a Klett tailwheel. I never thought about these as weaknesses of the kit. I just made the changes. I still think the kit is a good basis from which to build a semi-scale Decathlon.

One of the reasons to build a kit or from plans is to be able to make changes (improvements?) in the design.

Bedford

chrisp32

Does anyone know how well a saito 1.50 works on this plane?

dabrown

I'd expect it would do fine. I have a Saito 1.80 in mine and it's plenty power for me for non-3D flying. The 1.80 and 1.50 are both very strong engines. Mine turns a 16-8 prop at close to 9,000 rpm.

As far as building and installing the engine, try to keep the ass end of the airplane light. I didn't do that and ended up adding a bunch of ballast up front, even though I installed the servos up in the cockpit. 17+ pounds but it flies just fine. The engine fits well inside the cowling except the rocker covers. Here's a pic of mine before it tried to fly under a wire fence...I'm in the process of rebuilding as we speak.

Since we're on the subject of Saitos, I should mention that I flew the airplane two times and landed dead stick both times. The last time I was way too hot, hence the fence. Lots of people have great success with their Saitos, but I have yet to break the code on how to set them up or something.

Dave

mikem99

Today was a "BANNER DAY". My Dynaflite Super Decathlon had its maiden flight. It flew like a dream, but on final, I throttled back too much and finished with a successful Dead Stick landing. My knees were shaking for an hour after. I'll be trying this again soon
When I balanced this airplane, I had to put a couple of ounces of lead on the tail, event hough I thought it would be tail heavy considering the heavy wood that was used in the tail. However, I do have an old Quadra 42 up in the nose, and it is a real heavy engine but a lot of power. The airplane weighs 19 or 20 lbs.

dabrown

Congratulations Mike. Sounds like it was nerve racking! But now you know she flies.

I did my re-maiden today and I was probably just as nervous. Flew it twice and no dead sticks!

Dave

impulse09

My Feedback: (3)

Wingtips, yay!

box car

How about an Army Super Decathlon. Double click picture

mikem99

Here are some pics of my Super Decathlon. I had it up for two more sucessfull flights today. The second take-off almost failed. I beleive that the plane was stalling as I pulled it up too early. I had alot of room but this plane is heavy, about 20-21 lbs.
Anyhow, I got it back here at the house in one piece.

All the best

Mike

flyrcboy

Your plane looks awesome. What engine do you have installed in yours? Do you find it has plenty of performance?

mikem99

Thanks Flyrcboy.
The engine that I use is a Quadra 42. The plane is heavy and flys like a real airplane. I found out yesterday that you should not lift off too early and climb at a high angle of attack untill adequate air speed is achieved. I nearly lost control as is began to stall. I am still getting used to it. I did a very nice loop and a couple of rolls and it performed well. However you need to be 3 mistakes high when rolling.


All the best


Mike

do335a

What this plane needs is several pounds less weight and lots more power.

You could start by replacing most of the unneccesary plywood and the overly heavy tail.

Mine flew with a Super Tigre 3000. All up it weighed 17lbs, while yours is almost 25% heavier with no more and perhaps less thrust. Best performance on mine was with a 20x10 prop.

IMO, it was quite porky and flew like a pig. It was anything but responsive and agile. Heavy and lumbering is more like it. And in appearance, it's a far cry from a Decathlon.

So why did I do one? That's a whold story in itself. That was now 8 years ago., There was nothing else available that fit the intended use and I believed the propaganda. Mind you, when it was completed, it certainly looked great.

mikem99

It is! What it is!. You are correct, it could have been made much lighter, but I aint gonna change it now. I will enjoy it till the end. [8D]


All the best


Mike

Zor

That shows it flew like the full size.

I was teaching on a full size and the advertising was far in excess of its capabilities.

The Super Cub behaves much better.

Zor

boolat

Good morning.

build a beautiful kit ...
thank you for the photos.
or I can buy the kits super decathlon? ?

thank you

speed37

Those of you that have used a gas engine with an electronic ignition. Where did you end up mounting it? I'm going to mount a DLE 30 with a pitts style muffler. I really didn't want to make a hole big enough for the plug boot in the firewall, but looks like I'm going to have to?

do335a

You might have a snag there but maybe not.

Have you checked the full size drawings of the DLE 30 against the full size plans?

I've got DLE drawing somehwer but not the plane plans any more. I can tell you though that my ST2500 and ST300 both fit within the cowl with more than enough room to spare. The ST3000 measures just a touch over 4" from the engine bearers to the top of the cylinder head. You can see the plane about five posts back and there is no engine protrusion.

I would think the bigger issue would be the location of your ignition box and battery. The nose of the plane is entirely closed in when built according to plan. Mods may be in order.

I believe the new owner of mine wants to install a DLE 55.

speed37

I guess I should have worded my question better. The DLE fits in the cowl nicely, with the pitts muffler, lots of room to spare, but not enough to mount the ignition box. I was actually asking about the location of the ignition box, what are your thoughts about it being in the same compartment as the tank? Ididn't like the arangement they had for the tankand modified it to be removable.There is room for it to be mounted on either fuse side but I would have to drill a rather large hole in the firewall for the plug wire.

box car

Mine is mounted on the fire wall just below the carb. The front 1/2 of the tank cover is were myengine servo is. Batt is in the cab.
Ken

speed37

Box car are you running the stock muffler? How well did it fit in the cowl?

beepee

US41 with CH ignition on mine. I did put a hole in the firewall big enough to get the plug lead through. No problem. Battery and ignition box set along side the tank.

Bedford

box car

No I am notusing the stock muffler. I am using a side mount muffler but I make my own mufflers. The stock muffler will not fit inside the cowl.
Ken

flygilmore

How would you folks describe the flight qualities of this plane overall? I have been eyeing this kit for a couple years now and almost bought one a couple times.

Thanks!!

speed37

Hey thanks you guys. I guess the plan will be to run the pitts muffler and mount the box in the tank compartment.