starfire73

I want to lengthen the fuse of my Dazzler kit by about 5". I want to lengthen it between the tail and wing. I have no idea what I have to take into consideration.

So, I am going to make sure that the stab is at the same incidence, and at the same level in relation to the wing. Is this a correct assumption? Is there anything else I need to take into consideration?

thanks

outdoorhunting

I would think, as long as you keep the incedence the same & everything" lined up",you would be OK. My question is, "why"? I think by making the fus longer,wouldn't you be making the plane manuever even slower? I'm no expert, just my thoughts !!

ChuckW

You might make it tail heavy by extending it so take care to keep it light in the rear.

starfire73

Well, I'm totaly moddin' this thing out. I had a Dazzler, loved it, crashed it. I had a UCanDo 46, loved it, crashed it. So, I bought a Dazzler, and I'm making a more 3D aircraft out of it. I counterbalanced the rudder and elevator, and I'm cutting an opening in the leading edge of the wing so I can fit a bigger tank in.

I want to lengthen the fuse about 3" to 5" longer, because I wanted to get a little better tracking out of it. I wasn't real impressed with the tracking of the Dazzler - and I'm hoping this makes it track a little straighter, a little easier. The Dazzler has a very short fuse so even adding 5.5" to it, will still only make it as long as my Avistar, and not even close to the now defunct UCanDo.


Does anyone think that lengthening the fuse will not help it track better?

starfire73

Yes, I think I may throw a Magnum 70 Four Stroke, or maybe a Magnum 52 Two Stroke on it. With that in mind, I might end up light in the tail, so I'm considering putting the rudder servo near the tail.

Campgems

The Magnum 70 four stroke is about 6oz heaver than the Mag 52 four stroke. That would help balance out the extra length, and weight of the extended tail and especially the serov in the rear. Personally, I would use a pull-pull on the ruder wht the servo in the radio compartment. It makes for a lighter setup and keeps the weight centered. Choice of motor mounts makes a difference also in the balance.

Don

AERORICH73

Ok Starfire: I suggest you check out Andy Lennon's book page 125 for aircraft design spec's. You will find that all of the design dimensions come from the wing cord measurement. This is not to say that you cannot change the dimensions of any part of the plane, but more research would be needed to insure the competed plane was airworthy. I have use this page information, and other sections of this book, R/C MODEL AIRCRAFT DESIGN, for many of my model repairs after bad crashes. If you are going to start modifiying your planes, this book would help you a lot. For some $20.- the investment is worth every penny.

Cheers!!!

[email protected]

starfire73

Well, I've already completed the mods I wanted to make. Hopefully there will be no adverse effects. The stab/elev, fin/rudder, combos all have the same shape and footprint, they are counter balanced though, and stab to elev. ratio is different, but together the same size. Make sense?

I moved the tail assembly back 6 inches. I kept the stab at the same level to the wing, and the same incidence. I plan to start out at the same CG location.

Campgems

Starfire, take a look at this site and chose the balance caculator. Good info there. It will help you figure the effect of your additional 6" length in flight balance of the plane.

Post some photos when you can.

Don

starfire73

What site is that?

Campgems

Sorta missed the link didn't I? http://www.geistware.com/rcmodeling/calculators.htm On the left side, find "Aircraft Balance Calc"

Don

foodstick

If you are using the same wing and tail, with the same incidences the plane should fly just the way you want it..better tracking. As long as the wing is built the same way as the kit suggested the cg will be the same place on the wing ...You are on the right track of a bigger motor to balance, or lengthen the nose, or mount your radio and battery in a non stock location to achieve balance. Its good to see people out there bashing kits! You will be amazed how much can be changed and still have success.

starfire73

Well, I used the calculator from the website, and it recommend only an extra 1.5 inches for fuse length, based on the wing span. So, I took the fuse down to 1.5 inches longer instead of 6 inches longer.

I've done a ton of model rocketry kit bashing and orginal design, and I respect how unstable something can become in flight, if there are design problems, so I'm playing it safe. I'm a little bummed though, I wanted to stretch her out a bit more. Maybe next time I'll increase the wing span in order to give me more fuse to play with.