saramos

If you can, move the battery back in the fuselage behind the wing. This might not get you completely balanced, but it'll reduce the amount of lead you'll need to use.

Scott

rwright142

A heavier tailwheel is a great suggestion! If I only had weighed her earlier in the week then I could have gone out and got one. I want to maiden her tomorrow if the weather cooperates.
Same goes for the canopy glue - that would have been the way to go, but of course I waited until the last minute to inquire, or get some trim tape. I was at the hobby shop yesterday so I should have got everything then. I just remembered, there's on open tomorrow (Sunday) so I may go and get some canopy glue and/or trim tape. Since I already have the tailwheel in place, I'll have to come up with something to attach to the aft of the fuselage. I'll have to check around the shop and see what I can come up with.

Thanks for the info!

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

Which engine is that you have on there? For mine when I build it later this year I'll probably use an old OS FS-61 I have.

rwright142

I have an OS FS Surpass 52 four stroke in it and I have it as close to the firewall as it will go.

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

Thought so but I wasn't sure; thought it might be the 70.

rwright142

To time my flight duration, I ran 1 full tank through at mostly full throttle and it ran for about 15 minutes. It's an 8 oz. tank which is what the manual recommends. I think I will safely fly for 12 minutes before starting to land.

Taxiing was fine - nice and straight even though the main gear is a bit off center. With the tailwheel and rudder straight she tracks perfectly straight.

To solve the balance issue (it's too nose heavy) I wrapped lead weight in a plastic bag and placed in the tail. I will cover this hatch with Monochrome when the glue dries.

Now for my battery voltage results - with the transmitter turned on the voltmeter shows full charge after the 15 minute engine run. (Oh, during this 15 minute run, I constantly moved the sticks to simulate actual flight.)

With the antenna down, the voltage reading is different. Huh???

weird. Can anyone explain this to me? I'm confused.

rwright142

I now have the tail weight sealed in and the antenna is routed and tied down with T-pin.

When checking the CG of low wing planes, balance them upside down. The manual says to check the balance from the main spar. This Fourstar checks fine because, "Nose heavy planes fly well, tail heavy planes fly once."

Hopefully I'll get to maiden her soon. Wish me luck!

rwright142

Bummer! Too windy over the weekend to maiden. At least I was smart enough (this time) to fight the urge to fly in the wind. I want it to be fairly calm for the maiden.

rwright142

MAIDEN REPORT:
Tuesday May 8, 2007

Winds were about 3MPH but thunderstorms were imminent later in the evening so I made it home from work in record time. Jumped out of the truck, engine still running, then in the front door. I kissed the wife while running through the living room - later she said she saw a blur and felt a kiss on the cheek but thought she was crazy then out to the garage...
Grabbed everything I needed, checked the trees and wind sock for wind and direction, all good - so on the field I went.

By this time it was 5:15 pm. Dark clouds loomed to the northeast, thunder could be heard in the distance, but winds were calm at the field. I charged the batteries and filled the tank the evening before so after a thorough preflight and range check I taxied out.

Test One - Taxiing.
I noticed that there is a ‘dead zone’ where the tailwheel was useless. Slow taxiing was perfectly straight. But when throttling up it pulled to the left (P-Factor?) I cut the throttle and she was still heading for the side of the runway and she would not straighten out. This occurred before the tail raised so the rudder was also useless at this point. I fly from a dirt field so I bet the problem was that the thin tailwheel did not get a bite on the runway. After a few more passes I got used to this quirk.

Test Two - Trimming
Checking the windsock, there was a slight crosswind but the wind was still about 3MPH. One more check of the control surfaces then I taxied to the end of the runway. I slowly applied full throttle and off the runway she lept. She was climbing out at too steep an angle so I applied some elevator. The elevator was VERY sensitive. She started porpoising until I got used to the elevators. I got her back on track at the proper climb-out angle and at the end of the runway I began my slow left-hand turn. Ailerons and rudder are very sensitive too. This was a challenge initially but I finally got used to them. After climbing to about 150 feet I flew one pattern before I started trimming. I only needed a little trim on rudder and aileron but needed more on elevator. Not a lot, just more than the others. I was so excited to finally get my first build in the air that I did not notice the storm approaching behind me. It was still far away but the thunder was louder and the wind was picking up so I decided to land. Two low passes later I brought her in for the most perfect landing I have ever had! I wanted to start learning to bring my planes in fast so I did. She landed on the mains like I have never seen a plane do before. I wish I had a video or eye witness! hahaha
I only got 5 minutes of flight time but I didn't want to push it and fall victim to the "just one more flight" syndrome.

I packed up and headed home. Just as I left the field my daughter called and her van had stalled just a few miles from the field. I rescued her, her husband, and my granddaughter and towed their van to their home. BTW, their home is just past the flying field - can you tell where this is going...

On the way to their home we passed through a light misting of rain. Not much at all, just a slight sprinkle. I noticed the weather is being blown in the other direction now. After getting them home and troubleshooting the problem with the van (thermostat) I decided to head home. After a few kisses and I Love You’s, it was back on the road home. Did I mention the road home takes my past the flying field - hehehe

As I approached the field I noticed the windsock was limp. There was plenty of light left and the storm had blown away. The field showed no sign of rain so guess what I did...

Test Three - Patterns
After filling up and preflighting, off I went. Take off was great but I still have to get used to the elevators. Once in the air and trimmed I flew a few patterns and figure 8's. What a great handling plane. I am really excited about flying her because I built her from a kit.

Test Four - Stalls
After climbing to the "three mistake" altitude I cut the throttle and slowly nosed her up. At stall she dropped the nose and right wing ever so slightly. Not a bad reaction at all. I did some more stalls in different directions with the same result.

Test Five - Slightly Aggressive Maneuvers
For the next test I want to put her through some more aggressive banks, rolls, loops, etc. All I can say is that she is very responsive. I can tell she has the potential of great aerobatics! She is so maneuverable. What a difference from the NexStar and Cessna I have flown. At one point I thought the prop was going to hit the tail!!! HAHAHA OK, a slight exaggeration, but you get the point. After some more time with her I will put her through more aggressive maneuvers but for now I just want to fly and get used to her characteristics.
After 12 minutes I landed (another great one) and did a postflight. All control surfaces were still intact.

Tweaking - I don't think the engine is developing full power so I will check the movement of the servo and throttle arm. I suspect it is not opening the carburetor all the way.

Conclusion
Easy to build - as long as you follow the instructions!
A great flying plane.
Thanks to everyone who recommended the Fourstar 40. I think it is a perfect 3rd plane for me. It's challenging enough for me to help advance my skills in preparation for the Corsair I am building.

Best regards and God Bless!
Richard

saramos

Great report and congratulations!

Scott

mclina

Congratulations on your first flight. I really enjoyed your build report and this was a great payoff.

You need to post pictures of what it looks like with decals. I was curious to see what you did to differentiate top from bottom, since it is all yellow in the latest photos.

And what did you end up using to secure your canopy? I have mine attached with 1/4" trim tape, but it doesn't seem too secure. I blacked mine out as well, so I'm not concerned about fogging either.

I just had my first lesson on my trainer last weekend, so I'm still a ways from getting my 4* in the air.

Nice work.

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

WooHoo!!! Congratulations!!! [sm=thumbup.gif]

rwright142

saramos, thanks!


mclina, thanks, and I hope the build helps others wanting to build the Fourstar. I will post more pictures. For the diferences in colors, I will use black stripes on the top of the wings, fuselage, and tail. Those and the canopy being black will help me distinguish which way is UP. For securing the canopy I used epoxy. I may add some trim tape too but the epoxy works fine. Congrats on your training! The best advice I can give is to take your time and advance at your own pace. Don't rush to fly your Fourstar until you are confident you are ready. And if possible have an instructor take her up first.


Kmot, thanks. Any idea when my knees will keep knocking?

rwright142

Five flights later, I have found a few things that I need to address:

1. The ailerons are taking more trim now so I will need to look at the connections, servo, etc.

2. All of the control surfaces are a little too sensitive for me right now, so I will be adjusting the dual rates to make it a little less aggressive in the low setting until I get more used to how she flies.

3. Engine - I had thought that the throttle arm was not moving all the way open (cannot see the carb opening because of the side of the nose blocking that side of the engine) but that is not the problem. I can move the throttle all the way by hand without the cable attached and with the cable attached it moves just as far. I thought maybe it was tuning or my fuel but after getting her on the bench at the end of the day I was cleaning her up and checking everything out. In the room where I build I usually have music playing but after flying I enter through my garage where it is quiet. I set her on a bench to clean her up and as I was turning over the prop I heard a hiss. It sounds like fuel leaking out of a seal. I did not see any bubbles and could not locate where it was coming from. I thought it was a loose glow plug so I tried to tighten her down but she was tight. I am not a motor-head so I do not know where to begin to troubleshoot this. Any ideas? It's an OS Surpass FS 52 4 stroke. I have not taken it off yet but will this weekend. Darn. And I wanted to fly this weekend. I think I already know the answer to this, but will it be ok to fly her this weekend maybe 2 or 3 flights until I get it fixed or will that ruin the engine?

buzzard bait

Richard, that was one of the most enjoyable reports I've read here! I think the most important key to your success was...kissing your girls first! Way to go, man.

The OS 52 FS is ringed, right? I think you had some compression leakage when you turned over the engine after it had cooled. Probably had some after run oil, right? That might be why you heard it this time but not when it was new and dry. Ringed engines don't have such tight compression when they cool. I suspect it will be fine when you fire it up again.

Jim

rwright142

Thanks Jim. I hope others enjoy it too and learn from my mistakes.
The OS is ringed and I don't use after run oil. I got the engine used so I don't know about how it was before. All I know is that it seemed to have had more power when I ran it in my GP Cessna 182. That is heavier than this Fourstar so I expected the Fourstar to be faster. From your comments, I bet it's a tuning issue. Hopefully someone at the field will be able to help tune it better. I appreciate your help.
Thanks again.
Richard

Riddle4U

Great little review of the Four-Star Richard! I know this thread hasn't had a recent post... so this is it. Nice descriptions and detail. This should help some new four-star pilot (including me). It is a THIRD airplane for sure. The Sig Kavalier is every bit a pleasure for me as this 4* is for you (the Kavalier is considered a good second plane). Sig makes great kits, and easy to build, with good manuals. If you have only flown true high wing trainers with lots of wing area, dihedral, e.t.c....fly the Kavalier before the Four-star! The Kavalier has more stability than the 4*, but some decent aerobatic capability (I can do the sportsman pattern with it). The four-stars really tear it up (particularly with the advanced control throw measurements). Good luck all!