Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

Root:

Got most of the wing done, but can't purchase the engine and some other stuff it needs for awhile. Spent all my money on mods to my Phantom. Maybe November sometime.

"Tovarisch" will be finished by Christmas, tho, you betcha.

rcuser002

My Feedback: (12)

Mustang,

Keep looking in the marketplace and add the engine to your wishlist ,,,,I just got an OS.15 CV-A new in the box for $65 delivered.

root

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

Ordered all the stuff for my Wonder today- 15CVA, engine mount, props, tank, Rx, etc.

Here's a shot of how I redid the wing hold down area. I filled in between the TE of the ribs with balsa stock, so the whole TE is solid in the center. When I drill the holes for the wing bolts, I use a 5/8 Forstner bit, which gives a real clean hole. I slice off pieces of 5/8" OD hardwood dowel, and epoxy them into the holes, then drill the "real" wing bolt holes through the dowel. That way, no unsightly 1/16 plywood plate on the top of the wing, and a much sturdier hold down system for very little increase in weight.

I figure to have this critter finished and flying about two weeks from today.

foosball_movie

If possible, you may want to consider stuffing a .25 sized engine into your Wonder. I squeezed an OS .25 FX into mine. The first half-dozen or so flights were pretty scary, but now, having all that available power makes it a blast to fly. It shoots vertical like a rocket and just keeps going and going and going.

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

I thought about that a lot- there's a guy comes to one of the flyins near here that has one with a .25, and it is truly awesome. I'm gonna stick with the .15 on this so I can keep the weight down and the flight times up. I think it'll be enough excitement.

FlyingGreg

My Feedback: (4)

Mustang--I agree with you. I had one with on OS 25 and sure it was fast, but with the FP.15 I have on on the current Wonder, I get 10-12 minutes on 4 oz of fuel. Besides, as thick as the wing is, it's not really designed to go that fast. Mine has Hitec HS 81on airelons and elevator, mini receiver, and small, 350nmih battery. Don't remember what the AUW is but not very much. With the hopped up .15 you are going to use, it will be plenty fast.

Luck.

Greg

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

Greg:

Were you able to get the CG correct without lead, using the 81 servos? (I was thinking of using those on mine. I have four of the metal gear variety.)

FlyingGreg

My Feedback: (4)

Bob--I don't have any ballast in mine. You can use the battery and the elevator servo that is simply double sided taped in the rear to get your CG right. Make sure and coat the inside of the rear hatch area with epoxy where you plan to tape the servo in. Use double sided servo tape and it will hold just fine.

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks, Greg

The box of stuff from Tower arrived today, just as I finished the wing.

I'm using the OS aluminum engine mount, so getting the holes and blind nuts on the firewall was a breeze.

I learned from experience not to follow Sig's instructions on the fuse buildup. If one locates the two formers the way they say, then the doublers will be too far forward for the firewall to go in properly, and the small basswood wing blocks won't be snugged in between the former and the doubler as designed. So, I do it the way it's shown here: with the right side of the fuse flat on the table, I epoxy the 1/4 triangle at the bottom, the two formers (using triangle to keep them upright), the doubler and the wing bolt block. I locate the doubler fore and aft by using the firewall. At the same time, using the same batch of 45 min epoxy, I stick the triangle stock to the bottom of the left fuse side.

Second step is to epoxy the left fuse side to the first assembly. I'll sneak the doubler and the wing block in after it sets.

rcuser002

My Feedback: (12)

Fellow Wonder enthusiasts,

I had my plane weighed on the scale at my local post office.

The only things on the frame were the covering and glass filled motor mount.

The wing was 7.5 ounces and the fuse was 7.6 ounces.

I then added two HS85MG for the Elevator in the rear and Ailerons and a HS85BB for the throttle next to F2.

There's triangle stock under the tailfeathers for landing support.

The Futaba 148DF mini receiver is parallel and adjacent to the throttle servo and the antennae is running thru a nyrod tube about mid way out the back of the vertical stab.

There's a standard mini switch and a separate standard charge receptacle both in the rear on the opposite side the elevator servo.

The 3.1 ounce 4.8V 600 mAh battery was shoved up front and under the Sullivan 4 oz. capacity tank and a OS .15CV-A is up front with an APC 8x5 prop and a 1&3/4 inch plastic spinner.

The scale at my post office then read exactly 33 ounces total and it balances at 2 & 6/16ths.

My low rate throws are 75% less than the manual recommends and I have 40% Expo dialed into my radio.

I've flown "my little Patriot" about 6 times in the last 2 days and I've gotten comments such as "now THAT'S an airplane!!" and "you need a parachute on the back of that thing!!"

Overall, everyone at my club's field was impressed ........and me most of all.

It's small to begin with and it seems far away even when you're close, so watch out and don't take your eyes off of it for more than a second.

root

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

Root:

Good info. I'm going to locate my servos and equipment exactly like you did. The pics really help.

Here's my "patented" method of balsa reinforcing for purposes of wing hold downs and control horns. In this case, I bored a 3/8 hole through each hold down point and glued in 3/8 hardwood dowel, which was later drilled for the bolts. I find this really works well. No balsa crushing.

FlyingGreg

My Feedback: (4)

Hi Root--I finally got pictures of mine. Looks like yours. I will weigh it later and post the AUW. The skeg on the bottom gets a little scratched up from occaisonly missing the grass and actually landing on the runway--he he. Mine is and OS.15FP, plain bearing swinging an 8x3 prop. I get about 17,000rpm with this set up. Fun little plane, fits in my trunk easily.

MP3_tilaco

Hi, my new Wonder (Number 10) is almost finish, this Wonder will be special because I put in the plane my new O.S. 32 SX....[>:]
Some did see this combination? [sm=confused.gif], I'm scare for the speed and power, if my Wonder 9 is a rocket with 25 FX I don't know what will happen with the new engine.
I'm building a new Top Flite P-40 and will be paint with this colors



I'll post my new Wonder, it will be with similar colors.

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

Tilaco:

Just don't get in front of it.

Here's my rendition of the "Russian", with the OS 15 CVA:

MP3_tilaco

je je,I will stay far....
I'm working in covering my Wonder yet,top and botton look like similar, top is metalic platinum and botton is gray, I ll add squares red botton the wind and square yellow at the fin.



New look, some friend told me about the monokote in my plane because I'm a chilean and not north american, I changed my plane...
Despues...

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

OK, here she is with all the gear installed. Hi Tec HS 81 MG micros, 275 mAh battery, 4 oz Sullivan flextank, OS 15 CVA, Futaba FAAST 6EX receiver.

I located the elevator servo under the top of the fuse, screwed to a couple ply plates. The hole in the fuse bottom is for the screwdriver. The Rx and the switch are both accessible through the factory rear hatch. The FAAST Rx requires that the antenna be a 90 degrees to each other, so one runs out the back with the battery charge lead, and the other is poked through the fuse side and taped to the bottom of the stab.

I located the throttle servo as far aft as I could and still be able to remove it if necessary. I had to locate the 275 battery a bit aft of the firewall, maybe 1.5 inches, to get the 2 and 3/8 inch C.G. All up weight is 33 ounces. I'm pleased. I thought she would be a little heavier, as I fiberglassed the inside and outside of the cowl to "toughen" it.

Covering is Monokote True Red and Aluminum, in the "Russian" scheme. I added some big red stars (true red trim) to the bottom of the wing for increased visibility and the "cool" factor.

I'll probably fly her tomorrow. Can't wait.[8D]

MP3_tilaco

your plane is amazing, this scheme is very pretty, maybe the better. I'm thinking in the same idea about the elevator servo because I'd like to install a camera intro the plane [>:]
Be carefull about CG, try to move forward. A good friend Ozo got the CG like plan indicate and his plane was unflyable, all my Wonder fly with the CG foward about 1/2 inch from aft.
I hope do a Wonder Twin, I'm modificating the plame for build it from scratch and plane, this Wonder will have two O.S.25 LA
I will post pic of my new Wonder twin soon.

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

I don't know, Tilaco. I had two of them before, and they both flew great at 2 & 3/8".

MP3_tilaco

May be the problem was the position of my the ailerons because it follow the top of the wing.
Good luck with your plane tomorrow.

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

Could be, Tilaco.

I did the division and 2 and 3/8 C.G. is 25% of the 9 and 1/2 inch chord. Kind of in the middle between "conservative" and "wild". Sig says in the instructions that it's not wise to get further away than 1/16" from what they recommend.

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!

That thing is more fun than the time the pigs ate my baby brother.

Sig does, evidently, have some negative incidence in that big, flat stabilizer. She needed about 1/8 inch of down trim to get her level. (Maybe that's what you were seeing as "tail heavy", Tilaco?) Other than, that, what a hoot. The little 15 CVA is magnificent- I flew around at half throttle the whole time, and I swear she was doing 60-65 mph.

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

Well, I checked the incidence on the wing versus the stab, and they are identical. Can't quite figure out why I need so much down trim. Oh, well, it flys real nice, so I'm not going to worry about it.

I think for my next project I'm going to build a 40 size Shrike and put my OS 55 AX in it. I'm going to shorten the nose so the dang thing will balance without so much lead in its butt.

I had one with a 40 LA years ago, and it was really fun, but not very fast with that kitchen engine.

MP3_tilaco

When you fly a Wonder you feel the other planes borring, I have a lot of planes ready for fly (all were kit) but every saturday I bring with me at the least two Wonders,really is a funny plane, you can flay fast or slow and Wonder always fly well.
In my club we do combat between Wonder and SPAD, to day we did 3 combat, is very funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RZy1VHNEes

Here you can see what happen when Shike and wonder crash in mid air.



I built a Shrike for a good friend, this plane fly very well but when you cut the engine fall faster than Wonder.

Mustang Fever

My Feedback: (2)

Tilaco:

Do you have another Wonder on your building board? That must have been a pretty spectacular midair you guys had.

I'm thinking about converting a Wonder to Astro 020 electric power. By using a 1200 3S LiPo, HiTec HS65HB micro servos (2), and Coverite microlite instead of monokote, I should
be able to keep the weight about the same as my 15CVA powered "Commie Pinko".

If I do a little weight saving in the fuse area, by maybe eliminating the doublers, and punch some holes in the ribs and tail section, I might be able to get it a bit liter than the 15 one.

Specs on my 020 say it will give me 1.4# of thrust at 19,000rpm (26amps) and 71mph on a 3S battery.

Since my 15 Wonder cruises around in level flight at idle speed, I'm sure this will be plenty.

foosball_movie

A pilot at our field converted (or perhaps created) a Wonder to electric. Not sure what he had in it, but it turned a 9x9 prop and was a rocket. I have a .25 OS FX, but it only had a 8x6 APC prop and wasn't able to keep up.

He stuffed all the batteries forward of the CG and created a little hatch in the top/front of the fuselage to access the batteries.