bluestratos

Well finally finished it but I think it is going to be a hanger queen :-( It wieghs in at 19lbs 12 oz!!! I had to add over a lb to the nose even using a heavy engine and moving the battery pack and reciever ahead. I cant move them any closer as they are already to close to the 12" rule for ignition systems. Part of the problem must be the pilot I put in the cockpit, as that is so far back it really adds to the tail wieght. The wing is 960 sq in so the loading is 47.38 oz/ft. The engine is plenty big enough but I think it will come in way too hot if it flies at all. I spent 6 months building this darn thing! I used super coverite and painted the red on which is simular to what Adrian did. I have no idea what added so many pounds (he claims it should wieght between 12-14. I installed the option oleo gear and the fake engine but they are both ahead of the cg so even though they add about 1/2 lb, I would have been adding more nose wieght anyways if I had not used them.

I checked out the Byrons GB 1/4 scale and it acutally has the same wing area and is rated at 20-25 lbs.

So, with such a high wing loading should I even dare try to fly it? Any thoughts?

Best regards,

Randy

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

It will get the adrenaline going ?

Seriously, ANY plane with that heavy a wing loading is going to be a flying brick. You will have to fly it fast just to stay in the air and you will be giving new meaning to the term "Landing Hot".

bbbair

A local fellow built the GeeBee and had balancing problems - he contacted the designer and the problem was the pilot!! (The fake one in the plane not the one on the ground). This is a very tempermental design!

As to Adrian and his products - I'd recommend that you contact him directly. He wants his planes to fly well, and he is very knowledgeable about them.

Good Luck!!

AtomHeartMother

Wow..that is heavy ! I've got one in the bones right now. Gonna cover with ultracote and paint.
I'll be putting a gasser on mine for nose weight. I should weigh the plane in the bones and see where I'm at. It feels pretty light though. I think I can stay under 14 lbs no problem, even with the gasser on the nose. I don't intend to add a pilot figure for the reasons stated. I'm shooting for a spring test hop..we'll see... The covering/painting I am not looking forward to....hehe
There's not alot of info to be shared on these birds(the Page kits specifically), which is ashame...it's a really nice kit.

Adrian Page

Randy,

What kind of scale did you use to weigh the model? I took mine to the post office to be weighed.

Adrian

bluestratos

I used a digiatal fish scale and double checked it with another scale I had. In the bones the plane feels light, but adding the oleo struts, the fake engine, the gas engine, two battery packs (one for the reciever and one for the ignition, the servos, the switches etc added wieght fast. I also had to use a bit heavier wheels because the oleo struts are so narrow at the axle, the foam wheels just dont work well and besides, the foam wheels go flat right away becuase of the wieght. Well I guess I will try to fly it and if it rekits I have lots of good spare parts. This plane costs almost 2000 dollars to build including the kit, and 6 months of work build.. what a waste...but I learned a few things along the wieght ....educations is becoming costly, lol...

The only thing I found out is that the Byrons 1/4 scale model has the same dimensions and wieghts even more than mine and people have flown it..luckily I did put in a Brisson 40 cc engine with a 20/6 prop so it should have the power to get air born.

Best regards,
Randy

AtomHeartMother

It should fly...the trick will be landing because you won't be able to get very slow...
You figure jets fly with wing loadings up into the 60 oz. range and up....but you see how hot they come in to land...
The "heaviest " bird I've flown was loaded around 35 oz's. That was with about 1000 squares of wing. It surprised me actually how slow it could fly...landings weren't bad at all.. So with Adrians' washout designed into the wing..it might surprise you in a favorable way.
Be sure to let us know how it goes.... get some pics ![8D]

Adrian Page

Because this is such a large difference in weight between your plane and several others I am at a loss as to why yours would be that heavy. The first thing I would do is find something in your shop that weighs about 19 pounds and take it to the post office to have it weighed. This will rule out any error in your scale. You may have an inaccurate scale. You may be worrying about nothing. My digital scale is off on higher weights.

If the scale is accurate then you might consider trying to find a lighter pilot so you could remove some of that nose weight. I also found it helpful to mount my ignition battery in front of the firewall, under the motor. With the sliding box motor mount designed into the kit, you could shift the motor out from the firewall a half inch.(or just move the motor out with some spacers.) This would have a huge effect on the balance point.....again, to get rid of that extra pound of nose weight.

All this being said, I would consider that the fuselage adds (conservatively) 200 square inches of surface area. It will fly quite well in knife edge using no "wing" area at all. I wouldn't add this wing area into a conventional plane but then, Gee Bees aren't conventional. At 8 square feet of area your Gee Bee would have a wing load of 39 oz/sq. foot which is really not all that high for a large .

Try to avoid test flying the on a calm day. The wind will help your landing speed quite a bit.

Adrian

bluestratos

Thanks Adrian..I was wondering if the fuse actually added flying surface.. in fact the wheel pants are so large I bet they contribute some too. I cant move the reciever battery for fear of ignition iterferrance, and I have the ignition battery right against the firewall now. I cant get to the pilot now with out destrying he canopy as I have it glued on, but I wish I could becuase as you say, a few ounces less that far back would probalby save me close to a lb. of nose wieght. I look forward to flying it in the spring. I gave my wife a digital camera for Christmas so after that I can get some pics to post.

Best regards and Merry Christmas all.

Randy