Riverview

I think everyone must be in the same situation. I got my fuselage painted and nothing since then. wonder why summers are so busy?? !!! I still have intensions on running my engine this year.

heritageman

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Worked a little on the skylane today. Finally found a pitts muffler for the 1.20 os on this site. Really nice and brand new but had to shorten it about 3/8 in. I should be making some progress now that winter is knocking.

heritageman

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Looking for what size prop would be best suited for the OS 1.20 FS in this skylane?

Riverview

Hi there Heritageman, Seems this thread has been kinda quiet for some time. I finally got some time to run the Saito twin in my Skylane. it really runs sweet. I have 4 tanks of fuel through it now. Before I ran it, I had a 14" prop on the plane, but it looked like it was a long way from the ground even sitting level. I ran the engine with a 15 X 6 wood prop. The 15 looks good. I have not peaked the engine as yet, so not sure if the 15 X 6 will stay or not. Lots of real Skylanes converted to 3 blade props. I had a 3 blade on my Cessna 182. The three blade give a little better ground clearance, and general looks cooler in my opinion!! Winter is coming, hopefully more time to work on the plane.

heritageman

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I like the 1.20 OS a lot better in this plane because of the added weight.Still working on the cowl and fixing it where the screws that hold it will be located inside. Using the 4-40 allen bolts so I'll have a long t-handle to reach thru and tighten to the mount. Made some L type brackets out of aluminum,and will epoxy and probably glass these in.

Riverview

I used the Dubro count mount kit http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXWDH1&P=7 to mount my cowl. I liked the idea of the grommets isolating the cowl so it won't crack around the mounting screws. Still left the wood blocks taht came with the kit for support Does your plane sit on the nose gear with the wing off of the plane? Mine is still tail heavy and the tail drops sitting on the table. With the cowl on, it does not take much to drop the nose. I need to get started working on the wing.

coopdagook

Hi, don't konw if you guys are still updateing this thread but, I have just ordered my second of this kit. I really like your build and this time I think I am going to go with the paint insead of the monokote. I have the os 1.20 on mine and I can tell you it has plenty of power for this kit. I could see 15 lbs not a problem. Also my plane was tail heavy with out the wings...

heritageman

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Coop, sorta got this set aside for now,but will get back to it soon. I did start the 1.20 and it sounds good. Had to switch from .91 to 1.20 per weight issues.Klass kote is a very good epoxy base paint, but is pricey. Just remember you do not need as much paint as usual since it's a 2 part paint and catalyst. One thing I did notice is the different shades with different batches.

threads1

Hello Gentlemen...I have been following this build and I must say that I'm really impressed with everyone involved. I'm building this kit myself and really enjoying the process although, at times, I get perplexed and have to walk away for a bit. I'm at the point where I need to mount the engine. A Saito 100 twin. I am going to copy Riverview's method (thank you). My concern is, can I trust a center placement of the existing mounting block to line up with the prop hole in the cowl. Another concern is the placement of my fuel dot. Does it need to be close to the engine or is it safe to put it in the access door with the switches. Thanks

Riverview

Hi Threads1, The Saito twin fits very nice in the cowl of the 182. The original firewall has a center point marked on it for the thrust line. You need to keep this reference point all the way to the mount plate for the engine. I started out by making two plywood plates, one to be built out & epixied to the firewall and the other for the mounting palte behind the engine. Drill a hole (3/15") for 10/32 bolt the the center point on the factory firewall. I then epoxied rail to the firewall extension, let that setup and when I epoxied the ectension to the original firewall, I put a nut plate on the firewall extension and ran a machine screw from inside the original wall into the extension nutplate. That gives some mechanical strenght to joining the extension to the origianl firewall as well s epoxy. The plywood mount plate behind the engine makes a good place to glue the throttle cable and attach the ignition wires for the glow plugs. I also mounted the aluminum stand offs for the engine to the firewall estension before permanently mounting it to the original firewall. Use maching screws and then use epoxy on the screw heads to make sure they dont come loose. I used thin stainless washers, 2 I think, behind the engine to get the exact 159mm from the original firewall to the prop hub on the engine. Using that spec the cowl fits perfectly. The mufflers that come with the engine work great too.

threads1

Thanks for the info Riverview. I will order the standoffs today. I'm building this bird in my sign shop and most days I can only look at it and hope for some free time to build. I hope you guys keep posting your progress. It makes great reading & inspiration in the morning. Take care.

heritageman

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Just ordered the rimfire 1.20 electric motor and thinking this might be a good setup. I will try using two 3s 5000mah batteries and hoping this will ballance out better than the 1.20 OS . This will be my first large scale setup. Anyone having any input will gladly be appreciated. Have been taking time to get a little flying time and working on our club field.

18Echo

Great to see your planes come to life. I've got over a 1,000 hrs into mine and hit a wall. After that much time and effort into it, I started to doubt my ability to finish it perfectly. I haven't worked on it in almost 10 mos and realized that my lull was due to the fear of finishing and having an overweight unflyable model or a finish that is less than perfect. I want to use a paint that doesn't require expensive equipment to apply and is fuel proof - using 10% nitroto run a .91 4 stroke thunder tigre. I'd love to know what kinds of paint people have used to provide such a finish that deosn't leave the dreaded orange peel finish or other unsavory features or incompatibility issues. I know practice makes perfect... so in that respect, a rattle can of pactra or automotive paint with a clear coat is the way to go for me, provided it's long lasting and fuel proof. The fuselage has a layer of 3/4 oz fiberglass - set with WB polycrylic and several coats of high build auto primer - sanded down. Any questions/comments are welcome. I wouldn't be inspired to keep on if it weren't for the great posts and workmanship that I've seen on this thread. Just a few pictures of construction in no particular order. Thanks in advance!

heritageman

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18Echo, your work looks really good. Painting is not a problem for me. From what I've experienced and read, it's going to turn out tail heavy. I have experimented with three different motors, and now currently waiting to wrap up with the rimfire 1.20. I really have too many going right now, plus the wife's sickness for the past 5 mos. have stalled my work. Feel free to post all progress, and we would invite all future updates.

18Echo

Thanks for the compliment. Early in the project I knew that I wanted to fiberglass it and have scale panel lines, rivets and interior. I've pretty much followed the finishing method and materials used by Tom Pierce on his Dauntless build... dealing with the added weight (compared with monokote) and the increased moment at the tail feathers does look like a challenge. I hope that the build decisions that I've made throughout this process, such as deciding against working baggage doors and switch locations (though they look SWEET!), pay off. Heritage, saw that you were making some headway by redistributing the "required" weight. Hope the Rimfire does the trick. What paint did you choose to go with since it was 4-stroke at the time, would you use it again and, why? Thanks. I'll be sure to post new pics as I go. Condolences to you and your wife.