Zor

D_I_N_O ,

Congratulations on the maiden.
The result of a build well done and a good pilot.

Nothng surpasses the flights of a Skybolt

Zor

cwhitacre21

My Feedback: (4)

Very nice! Hope you have a great Summer!! Enjoy the Bolt!!

EJWash1

My Feedback: (3)

Dino, congrats on your maiden! Your 'Bolt looks great in the air - where it belongs.

dbacque

My Feedback: (3)

You are going to have so much fun!

I don't fly my Skybolt as often as I'd like but then again I don't fly anything as often as I'd like. Great snaps and spins, big stall turns, beautiful gently arcing scale rolls, what a fantastic airplane! The 'Bolt is a snap machine, doubles are just beautiful, I think the second snap is prettier than the first. And try accelerated snaps, after the first snap reduce the elevator to half throw, especially in combination maneuvers like an avalanche, more importantly in a double snap avalanche. This will reduce the drag and the plane won't fall out of the top of the loop. You can also get lots more snaps in level flight without winding up in a screaming dive by accelerating them. I do 5 accelerated snaps from level flight (slight pull up first) and come out with just a bit of arcing over the top but no dive. It drives the guys at the field nuts.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor, you've earned it.

Dave

D_I_N_O

Thank you all, I really can't wait for next visit to field.

dbacque:
I did not try snaps yet but everybody joining us at field last weekend can agree that spins are really beautiful.

I was suprised how fast the landing speed of this plane is. Fourth flight was mainly for landing practise and Ifound that lower speeds can be used but then first to touch the ground is tailwheel. I will bend main landing gear a bit to allow three point landings at lower speed.
Video is still in progress I am really busy right now with other things. Sorry

Bi-plane meeting:

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Looks like the Dawn Patrol is ready to head out to create some havoc.

Zor

I like this photo of the three most popular biplanes in our hobby.
Thanks for the picture posting by the author.

I sure hope no havoc would result of seeing them airborne and in loose formation.

That would be quite a delightful sight.

Zor

D_I_N_O

Formation flying could be difficult due to speed range differences, otherwise nice idea. Puppeteer is powered by Saito .45 and it is really slow.

Skybolt maiden flight video is ready. As I wrote earlier weather was windy thus making second landing horrible. Pilot error anyway, Iwas somehow asleep at critical moment.
Here you are:

https://vimeo.com/68525312

sensei

Great Job on everything!

Bob

Zor

That second landing shows how well designed and built the Skybolt is.

It can take a lot of punishment paticularly if the landing gear is cross braced like most of the full size are.

Thanks for the video.

Zor

EJWash1

My Feedback: (3)

Dino,

D_I_N_O

Power to weight ratio is good. Only half throttle was used most of the first flight, full power only increases noise while speed is constant. 14x7 prop is in use now but 15x6 is worth of trying.
I haven't done any modifications to landing gear. It is quite flexible but it can handle 10lbs without permanent bends. After landing #2 it was still as before.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Not much action here for a while. I hope everyone has been getting lots of flights in and having lots of fun. Unless I buy a submarine and a canoe, this season has pretty much been a bust. Only brought the 'Bolt to the field once in the last 6 weeks as it's underwater most of the time. More rain last night..... AGH!!!!!!!!

I'm hoping it will improve by the time we're back from vacation.

D_I_N_O

Cougar:
Skybolt would look nice with floats
I really hope weather is improving there.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

I know. I had a set fitted to the old 'Bolt. Was thinking this may be a good winter project to add them here, as well.

Guess, what? Started cleaning the new van over the last few days. Amazing what stuff can accumulate so soon, (unPoplar seeds, June bugs, coffee stains, etc.). Anyway, Saturday I washed both vehicles and as soon as I was putting stuff away......... Yesterday, every time I brought out the shop vac and plugged it in it started to rain again, including once with a sunny sky.

Someone can suggest an exorcist? I mean, REALLY? The forecast is for rain every day again till at least the end of the week. I can now see why my son and his wife moved back from Vancouver...............

The corn surrounding the strip will sure be healthy. Expect it to be 20' tall if we ever have the chance to fly.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Took a short vacation last weekend to hit a flyin and despite the loss of many other planes during the event, (including one near miss where the quick response of the 'bolt was the only thing that saved it) the plane hung on and looked great. Hoping to meet the guys this morning for another round if my sinuses don't lock up again. After months of waiting for good weather NOW they decide to act up?

CNY_Dave

Hello, gents. I have a '70s vintage partially assembled wood-covered Sig Skybolt I purchased as part of a lot, am on the fence as to find it a good home or put it together.
I have the original box, plans, stickers etc. It is primed and set up for a gas engine, and is set up for bottom-wing only ailerons (top wing would have to be modded for top or 4 ailerons), I would build it as electric.

Where I'd put the battery access is one big question, but my big one is how mellow can this plane fly? I have a 50 sized Kyosho spitfire and a 5lbs Fokker D-VII for comparison.

EJWash1

My Feedback: (3)

Cool! More Sig 'Bolts! I have two kits and started one of them. I'm going with a 2-stroke OS 61. Going to keep it to original specs.

If you look at the plans and build manual you'll see that the Sig 'Bolt can be built with either two or four ailerons. You'll notice that if built in the two aileron configuration, the ailerons span the entire wing panel (tip-to-fuelage). If built with four ailerons, the ailerons are smaller in span. Four ailerons make the model more "peppy" than with two. Consider that adding ailerons to the top wing with the already long bottom wing ailerons, is going in the opposite direction from "mello". No big deal, you can fly as aggressively or mello as you want. It will just be less-mello roll-wise.

As far as your electric conversion and battery access, that's going to take some creativity being that the model is already built. Not a lot of room under the fuselage from the back of the engine cowl to the landing gear mounting plate. That's a hard one for me. Gotta think on it.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Ok guys, I've just removed a huge hunk of posts discussing problems with RCU's new software. Hijacking an existing thread to discuss problems is not the correct thing to do. If you are having problems please report them here:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/foru...orum-here.html

Any further off topic posts will be removed from this thread.

Ken

EJWash1

My Feedback: (3)

CNY Dave,

BTW, the wing struts on the model are turned backwards. Take a look at the kit box.

doxilia

My Feedback: (3)

Ken,

I believe the problems/questions were reported with no feedback from RCU.

That said, thanks for cleaning up the thread. I was just helping out a fellow member but did realize that a different thread be used.

David

CNY_Dave

Heh, yeah, I just stuck the struts in place for a quick photo. The previous owner also modified the center struts (cabanes?) to a 2-point system, to make getting the wing off easier i guess.

Zor

Hi Dave,

I am puzzled about these struts between the wings.

I just cannot see how these struts can be installed backward with their leading edge facing toward the tail.


Any comments ?

Zor

EJWash1

My Feedback: (3)

Oh, okay. No big deal. Thought I'd pass it along.

Now looking at the build manual (page 29), I am incorrect in posting that the left strut - aircraft left - is on backwards. It's upside-down AND backwards! The right strut - aircraft right - appears to be positioned correctly. Again, no big deal, no little green men, no black helicopters, no "comments" necessary. LOL!

Any idea what the builder covered the fuselage with?

CNY_Dave

I think EJ figured it out, upside-down and backwards!