mothy1946

Randy,
Thanks for the tip. This power planer certainly looks good. The only problem is that in Australia we are 240volt mains power and this unit is for 110. I'm hopless when it comes to electronics so will ask around some of my more informed friends as to whether an appropriate transformer is available. Very much appreciate you interest and suggestion though.
Tim

rryman

My Feedback: (2)

A transformer should be available to step down to 110/120, but I don't know how pricey it would be. May not be worth it unless you do a lot of building and shaping. That didn't occur to me that you would have 240 volts. I assume you're referring to your plug in receptacles that are 240? Here we have 240/120. Stove, water heater, dryers, central AC use 240, lighting and receptacles are 120.
Randy

mothy1946

Randy,
Here all power is supplied domestically as 240 volts , lighting, household appliances such as toaters, dishwashers, tv sets, computers hotwater heaters even domestic airconditioning up to about 8 kw capacity ( large room size ). Smaller ducted a/c units are often 240 volts but in the part of Australia were I live which can get hot and very humid a bit like Florida the decent size domestic and certainly commercial a/c is 415volt 3 phase power. To give you an idea my ducted a/c at home has a capacity of 27 kilowatts which is about 35 horsepower ( I think).
Tim

mothy1946

Hi Guys,
No activity on the site for a while but now I'm at a point in the build where I need to ask those who have done it before me a couple of questions to help make decisions to move on. I've now finished ( except for covering ) the wings and tail. Servos are installed in the wings and I'm about to fit them to the tail. Thanks Randy for your earlier pictures of how you did it including the rudder servo mount and the access hatch for connecting servo leads. I'm doing it the same way. As the fuselage is next I now have to make a final decision on the motor as I would like to have this "on the bench " as the fuselage is being built to allow for modifications as the build progresses rather than having to change things later. I have decided to go with Zenoah after originally considering DA 50. The general concensus in our club is that although by comparison the Zenoah is "old fashioned technology" they are tough and reliable and would suit a model like this.
The Question now is what size? Randy I can see that you have gone for the G45 and seem to be happy with the performance. Jerry has used the G62 and is similarly happy it appears. But Jerry lives and flies at altitude and maybe the extra power is required. Would the G62 be over doing it at sea level where I live. You can always throttle back but at the same time I don't want to over stress the airframe by loading up with too much ( unnecessary) weight .
Also Jerry have you been happy with the ABELLRC stonger and wider undercarriage. I have to decide whether to go in this direction or stick with the original wire design. The aluminum looks better but with the heavier engine ( G62) does it have enough shock absorbing effect to take the landing loads off the airframe. The original wire design with it's bungee type rubber band shock absorber looks more forgiving with heavier landings.
Decisions, decisions . Any thoughts appreciated.
Tim

jbarnes

Hey Tim, glad to hear you are getting the airframe almost complete. In regards to the landing gear I would say that my gear is probably a little heavy and could use more spring. If I had to do it all over again I'd do it in 3/16" instead of 1/4" to make it a little less firm. Remember also that my bird is heavier than most due to the fact that I sheeted the entire fuse. I originally flew with a Fugi 43cc and then switched to the G62 and can tell you that the G62 is the way to go in my book. One other thing to note, I have the G62 plus 2.5 lbs of lead in my nose to get it to balance. Had I known I was going to have to use all that lead I would have put a G80 twin in the front.

Mine has been flying all Summer without incident and it is always a hit with all the guys at the field.
Take care, Jerry.

tsekoa

My Feedback: (2)

I have a Zenoah G38 in mine and it flies fine. The plane was designed for electric or a G26. My plane weighs in at 24.5 pounds. Gains altitude quickley but will not climb vertically. Does nice stall turns. The only time I am at full throttle is on take off because this plane really floats around the sky. I can do loops with no problem, short inverted flight, and very slow rolls. I used the original landing gear that came with the kit. The only modification I made to the gear was the way I attached the rubber bands to the fuselage. I use rubber O rings instead of the rubber bands because the rubber bands will deteriorate in a short time due to exhaust residue attacking it. The O rings last for at least one year before needing replacement. I did not use a cup hook like the plan shows to attach the O rings to the fuslage. I think it may pull out on a good bounce on the runway. I used a small kleet that all hardware stores sell and attaced it with screws and T nuts. Plenty of strength. Wrap the O rings over the gear and up to the kleet and now I have just the right amount of spring to the gear. I also went with CB Associates 7 inch wheels. Here is a tip about soldering the gear together. Get the wire very clean before you begin to solder. Don't wrap the gear with wire but use solder braid instead. Solder braid can be purchased at any Radio Shack store. It is way stronger than wire and a whole lot easier to work with. Wrap the joint with the solder braid and use flux and silver solder to solder the whole thing together. The gear has to be heated hot but not red hot to get the solder to flow evenly into the joint. Well that's my two cents worth. Good luck.

mothy1946

Thanks Guys,
As usual excellent advice.
Tim

mothy1946

Hi Guys,
Time to order the wheels.
I've decided to stick with the provided wire u/c despite the difficulties with the soldering that have been identified. Jerry your Giant looks great with the aluminum gear and particularly those wheel pants but I seem to have problems with wheel pants on other models I have ( Extra, Decathalon ) with them cracking and breaking to the extent that I usually remove them eventually.
Randy I notice that you went for 7 inch wheels rather than 6 inch as suggested. Any reason for this ?
Also you indicated that you had a wheel center bearing failure with Sullivans and later you used the CB Associate product. How have they been and is the axle on the provided wire u/c long enough to take these wider rims together with wheel collars on the inner and outer side of each wheel/

rryman

My Feedback: (2)

If you use Sta-brite silver bearing solder, I have never had a problem with the wire gear. In fact, I prefer it over the aluminum. To each his own, I guess. I use #18 solid copper wire(from thermostat wire) to wrap the gear with before soldering. I also use a torch for the soldering, not a soldering gun. It doesn't take that much heat to make the solder flow and bond to the steel and copper, certainly no where close to the heat that would be required to weaken the gear wire.
I usually use larger wheels, primarily because of flying off of grass fields, rough fields, etc. The larger the tire, the smoother the ride on the ground. There is a corn field beside our runway, and I can easily land and take off from it. (when there is not corn there) You can prretty much land and take off from any field as long as the grass isn't tall enough to get into the prop too much or in the gear.
Last year, I was at another field flying, and their field was on top of a hill, and I landed the plane in a hay field that had been mowed at the bottom of the hill, about 1000ft. away. I watched the plane and it's shadow, and when the two were about together, I flared and landed, then took off again. I like doing stuff like that.
I had the axle holes wear out simply from "hot dogging" the plane, landing on one wheel and rolling down the runway, etc. Probably under normal use it would have been fine. The Sullivans I have on now have the valve stems and can be inflated as desired.
The axles are long enough to accomodate about any tire.
Randy

mothy1946

Thanks Randy.
What a quick response!
I fly off grass too but our strip has been laser levelled, is 150 meters or more long and is diligently maintained with weekly mowing by a team of club voluteers under the supervision of a club appointed field officer. Very spoilt really but the field is maintained to a high standard as it is often used for national and international events. If you are interested check www.coolumflyers.com ( maybe .com.au, not sure but you'll find it) The flying field itself outside of the main strip covers another 25 cleared acres of mowed grass. Beyond the boundary we are surrounded by a pine tree plantation so it is not advisable to be trying anything tricky in that area.
Got the message about soldering the u/c thanks but I seem to remember you ( or was it one of the other guys) also suggesting binding the wire with solder braid from Radioshack.
regards,
Tim

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

I always intended to use silver solder for such jobs, but I never got around to using it, just plain old acid core solder. I've even used resin core solder when in a pinch. Never had a problem with either on smaller models. Never built a model as large as the 12' Telemaster before, so I'm sure I'll go with silver solder on that gear. Good old copper wire and non fancy solder always worked in the past. I am meticulous about cleaning and degreasing the surfaces. That seems to help a lot. For the smaller aircraft I use a Weller soldering gun of the 250/500 watt variety (made in the Sixties). For larger jobs I move up to a propane torch. No problems with either. No problem with the gear bending or breaking where soldered.


Ed Cregger

tsekoa

My Feedback: (2)

This is Bob, I used the 7 inch CB Associates wheels and the Sullivan wheels and the solderbraid. The landing gear wire is long enough for the CB 7" wheels but you have to open up the axle hub in the wheel a little or the wire will not fit through it nicely. Be sure to use a little grease on the axle on the final installation of the CB wheels or they may bind up and act as a brake. 6 inch versus 7 inch wheels is just a personal preferance. One thing nice about the Sullivan wheels is that if the axle hub breaks you can get new ones without having to order a new wheel. Sullivans feel harder to the touch but they bounce the same as the CB wheels when dropped from about 4 feet onto concrete. Sullivans also look better on the plane. I have used both on this airplane and I think I will put the Sullivans back on.
I used silver solder with the landing gear and solder braid from Radio Shack. The solder braid AKA solder wick, is used to remove solder from components on circuit boards so they can be removed. But when you wrap the gear with the solder braid it will soak up the initial solder that you apply and when it is saturated it will then flow into the joint. When cool it is a very stong joint. Give it a try and let us know how you like it. Then after I am finished soldering I wash the gear and clean off any remaining flux. Then prime and paint it. After paint has dried I then use heat shrink tubing to cover the joint, this makes for a very neat and tidy landing gear.

jbarnes

You know the problem with landing gear on a Giant, sometimes is just won't stay on!

tsekoa

My Feedback: (2)

Ouch!

mothy1946

Thanks Ed, Jerry and Bob,
What happened Jerry or is this you retract modification?
Tim

jbarnes

Ah stalled it on landing with a breeze, should of kept a little power on. Maybe I'll convert to hand launch! Here's a pic of a better landing.

mothy1946

Bob,
Just come back from my local hobby shop. They had 6 inch dubro wheels in stock in 2 types, the thinner treaded and the smooth non treaded inflatable. I liked the inflatable because apart from being able to change tyre pressures to suit the flying surface, the 2 part hub hides the retaining collar inside. Problem is that with this size ( 6 inch) it recomends only drilling the centre out to 5/16 and on having a look there isn't enough "meat" to drill out to 1/4 without weakening the hub. The Dubro treaded 6 inch can be taken out to 1/4.
What's the situation with the Sullivans as they are your preference?
Tim

tsekoa

My Feedback: (2)

I ran into the same problem with the Dubro inflatable tires. The Sullivan axle hubs are 1/4 inch to start with. You can drill them out larger if you have to but there is no need with your landing gear. Put a 1/4 inch wheel coller on each side of the hub. That is a total of 4 for two wheels. You will like the looks of these wheels on this model.

tsekoa

My Feedback: (2)

I have a few pictures of my plane that you can see the Sullivan wheels on one of them. These can be found on page 9, posts 214 and 216. I also made a hatch just behind the engine, like on the Senior Telemaster, that can be removed so I can get inside of this area. It makes it easier to mount the engine to the firewall this way and to get at the throttle servo and kill switch and fueling port. I tried to put one of my grandkids in there but he would not have anything to do with it. LOL
Hope the information helps.

Bob

mothy1946

Thanks Bob,
Had a look at page 9 as you suggested and reminded me of what a fine job you've done of this model. In fact having seen these pictures previously, helped me to decide that mine will also be predominantly white. As I get older I just find this the best colour to see in the air although some contrast ( as on your tele ) to aid orientation is also needed.
Back to those wheels, I can't quite tell from the picture if they are the Sullivans with the aluminum hub or the version with the plastic center. Could you clarrify? If the aluminum hub which is my preference where did you get them as I am having difficulty finding a supplier with stock and did they fit the axle ok with enough axle length to fit a wheel collar each side? Like the idea of the forward hatch. Anything to aid internal access especially to tank and to check motor mount bolt integrity has to be a plus
Regards,
Tim

tsekoa

My Feedback: (2)

Yes, these are Sullivan wheels. They have an aluminum split rim design and inside of the center is an axle hub made of some kind of nylon or something. The axle hub has a recess on each side for the wheel collars. So these wheels each are made from these major pieces: the rubber tire with treads that run straight line front to rear, an aluminum split rim in two pieces, five screws and nuts to hold the split rim together over the center axle hub and tire, and the center very hard plastic or nylon or something center axle hub. That is the what you will get if you use these wheels. They are assembled when you purchase them. They are NOT sold in pairs but one per package. You may be able to see them on the Sullivan web site.

Bob

mothy1946

Thanks Bob,
Sounds like the Sullivan "Skylite " wheels which I have seen on their website. Problem is no - one , including Sullivan's nominated retailers have them. I have sent an email to Sullivan asking for direction in sourcing them.

tsekoa

My Feedback: (2)

Here is the wheel at Tower Hobbies. It appears they are out of stock on this one.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFV62&P=7

mothy1946

Thanks Bob , that's the one. Will get onto Tower Hobbies to find out when they expect delivery of another batch. These wheels certainly are worth waiting for .
Tim

jaimicook

Hi. I have finished a 12 foot Telemaster and expect to fly it next week. Actually, a friend did the woodwork and covering in exchange for a new computer which I built. I go the accessory kit as well when I got the Telemaster. I didn't like the Kavan control horns and replaced them with Dubro giant control horns. I am using a Thor 45 which I have converted to RcExl variable timing ignition and cylinder port mods. I gained about 600 RPM by this. Swinging a 20x10 Zinger prop. Also included Kavan electric brakes and kavan plug and socket for the elevator servo so that it plugs in when the tail is installed. Same on the wing servos. Also included kavan tail wheel, which looks nice. I have been reading the problem with the nylon screws and mount tabs on the wing struts. Intend to replace the nylon with steel screws before flight. Will also replace the aluminum tabs on the struts with steel. By the way, one mod I made is to have 2 struts in v arrangement similar to CUB wing struts. That should help as well. I had to add some weight up front to balance the airplane. I used a piece of 1/4" by 1 3/4" steel bar and cut 3" pieces. I used 5 of these an each side of engine between engine and firewall to get a suitable balance. The Thor is fairly light. had I known I could have built the front of the fuselage heavire. Ah well, live and learn. Have 26 oz fuel tank. That should run the engine for slightly less than half a day!
Also included a servo controlled tow hitch just behind wing on the top of the cabin to tow sailplanes. Any suggestions before flight? John Greenshields, who retired from Hobby people will make the first flight and do the trimming. We'll see how it goes from there and then see if I want to try it. i had brain surgery and my hands don't respond so quickly to what my brain tells them. hopefully this will be slow and docile enough to allow me to fly it.
Thanks
Jim Cook [email protected]