RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit  
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RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 3/31/2005 11:52:36 AM   
rcguy!



Posts: 2101
Joined: 1/25/2002
From: Chesterland , OH, USA
Status: online
quote:

ORIGINAL: john agnew

Dave

Congratulations on becoming a turbine driver! You will not look back. I have just sold all but one of my prop models to concentrate on turbines
and have ordered a Wren Supersport, 18lbs of thrust from a 2lb turbine! I have a notion that a Skymasters Hornet is going to be making some low passes over Scotland some time in the near future!

Best regards

John


John,
Thanks..and yes it feels good too! Having a ball. The Wren SS looks interesting. Hmmmm

Dave Rigotti

(in reply to john agnew)
       Post #: 351

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/10/2005 2:37:45 AM   
rcguy!



Posts: 2101
Joined: 1/25/2002
From: Chesterland , OH, USA
Status: online 		Well folks,
I know of another R54 to fly today. This lucky fellow put up 5 flights today including it's maiden. i'll say no more. I'm sure he'll have a flight report! This makes 3 that I know of. ANY OTHERS?

Dave Rigotti

(in reply to rcguy!)
       Post #: 352

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/11/2005 4:08:17 PM   
Gary Szetlak


 

Posts: 160
Joined: 2/5/2003
From: Lorain, OH, USA
Status: offline 		Hi Guys,

Yep 5 flights one dead stick. This is a very nice well behaved aircraft. It's almost too easy to fly. Top speed between 110 and 125. Take off is very smooth and un eventful. Flaps are effective, I tried full half and no flap configurations. The plane doesn't float but it doesn't want to land either. We are going to try crow ailerons and half flap to see how that works out. On the dead stick the engine died at the worst possible location (surprise) and I made the landing way downwind when she landed she bounce so hard that one of the struts was bent in a way I didn't think possible. I removed at home put it in a vice straightened it out and inspected the airframe. ROCK SOLID. This is DEFINETLY an airplane that will stand up to rough field flying.
Thanks for a well engineered kit Bruce, this one is a keeper.

Gary Szetlak

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(in reply to rcguy!)
       Post #: 353

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/11/2005 4:27:34 PM   
rcguy!



Posts: 2101
Joined: 1/25/2002
From: Chesterland , OH, USA
Status: online
quote:

ORIGINAL: Gary Szetlak

Hi Guys,

Yep 5 flights one dead stick. This is a very nice well behaved aircraft. It's almost too easy to fly. Top speed between 110 and 125. Take off is very smooth and un eventful. Flaps are effective, I tried full half and no flap configurations. The plane doesn't float but it doesn't want to land either. We are going to try crow ailerons and half flap to see how that works out. On the dead stick the engine died at the worst possible location (surprise) and I made the landing way downwind when she landed she bounce so hard that one of the struts was bent in a way I didn't think possible. I removed at home put it in a vice straightened it out and inspected the airframe. ROCK SOLID. This is DEFINETLY an airplane that will stand up to rough field flying.
Thanks for a well engineered kit Bruce, this one is a keeper.

Gary Szetlak


Nice job on the R54! Thanks for your help on Saturday. MUCH appreiciated! Russ and I finished our flights and qualifications on Sunday. Just need to submit the paperwork to AMA.

Dave Rigotti

(in reply to Gary Szetlak)
       Post #: 354

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/12/2005 5:44:27 PM   
BruceTharpe


 

Posts: 336
Joined: 11/29/2003
From: Rogue River, OR, USA
Status: offline 		Congrats Gary!!! Your bright color scheme must be easy to see in flight!

I'm sure glad you came throught the flameout okay. One of the biggest design considerations for this model was to be able to survive flameouts. With its huge wing, it glides really well and will safely deadstick on the runway from nearly any position. There are times however, if you are low and slow like just after takeoff, a flameout may end up off field. The low wing loading still helps out there by allowing the R54 to really slow down before contact, and live to fly another day...

Also heard of another successful maiden flight last weekend in Canada. That's four so far, and several more are nearing completion. This is fun!

Bruce
---------------------
BTE www.btemodels.com

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       Post #: 355

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/15/2005 6:33:20 PM   
rcguy!



Posts: 2101
Joined: 1/25/2002
From: Chesterland , OH, USA
Status: online 		Bruce,
Any words on setting up the flaps/ailerons in "CROW"? Have you tried this? Has anybody tried this? If so, how much, etc details?

Should be able to fly some this weekend..........

Dave Rigotti

(in reply to BruceTharpe)
       Post #: 356

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/16/2005 3:40:41 PM   
BruceTharpe


 

Posts: 336
Joined: 11/29/2003
From: Rogue River, OR, USA
Status: offline 		The flaps are the main drag-producing features of this design, along with the extended landing gear. On the prototype, I did try programming the ailerons to pop up about ten or fifteen degrees, not for the drag but to kill some lift. It didn't seem to have much effect, but I only tried it a few times. Popping up the ailerons rubs me the wrong way because I want the lift, as long as there is enough drag to slow down to landing speed.

When I think of "crow", I envision the ailerons deflecting upward as much as the flaps deflect downward, for a massive drag effect. Sounds good, but you run into some linkage/servo movement difficulties when applying aileron, at least as it's designed. If a guy planned on using crow from the outset, he could increase the bevels around the aileron hinge line (ugly) while building and hook up the linkage with crow in mind.

Both the flaps and ailerons are larger in the kit version than those on the prototype. So far, the input has been pretty good on the effectiveness of the flaps. The one thing that I have found that makes a huge difference in the way the R54 lands is a five or ten mph headwind. Makes spot landings a "breeze", if you will. If it's dead calm, my model had a tendency to float, but it just required patience to allow it to settle in on its own. Again, the kit version has bigger flaps so there should be much less tendency to float.

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       Post #: 357

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/16/2005 3:44:41 PM   
tschuy


 

Posts: 649
Joined: 7/11/2003
From: Seattle, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Hi Bruce,

Have you flown the kit version of the model yet? I was just wondering how it performed with the PST-600r


I'm still waiting on paperwork for my waiver from the AMA. Ran into some signature notary issues but since have been resolved. Hopefully Amy can get it processed quickly.

Cheers,




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Tim Schuy
tschuy@comcast.net

(in reply to BruceTharpe)
       Post #: 358

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/16/2005 3:46:33 PM   
rcguy!



Posts: 2101
Joined: 1/25/2002
From: Chesterland , OH, USA
Status: online 		Well said Bruce!

I'm going out flying today and MAY experiment a bit...maybe not! I'll post my results. Yes by CROW I meant a slight up deflection of the ailerons. I can see where a slight headwind for landing is MOST benefical!

Dave Rigotti

(in reply to BruceTharpe)
       Post #: 359

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/17/2005 3:35:50 AM   
rcguy!



Posts: 2101
Joined: 1/25/2002
From: Chesterland , OH, USA
Status: online
quote:

ORIGINAL: rcguy!

Well said Bruce!

I'm going out flying today and MAY experiment a bit...maybe not! I'll post my results. Yes by CROW I meant a slight up deflection of the ailerons. I can see where a slight headwind for landing is MOST benefical!

Dave Rigotti


Well folks,
Got out to the flying field a bit later than I wnated to. Got flights 3 and 4 on her. Didn't mess with CROW. We had a 5-10MPH quartering wind. I can tell ya...With HALF flap and a slight headwind this baby SLOOOWS way down! I hit full flap just before I cross the threshold and its almost like reverse pitch! ROCK solid in the air, I'm very comfortable with her. Landings are doing well too! Need more time to help set up a "routine". Rolls are very easy and Cuban eights are just plain fun at 400' or more in diameter. The other turbine pilots commented that they couldn't believe how slow she would fly. (Some were waiting for the "stall/spin!"

Bruce...I've said this before...GREAT JOB on the Reaction 54! Eyes pop out at the size!

I rec'd my waiver from AMA today (Thanks Amy!) so I'll be debuting turbine operations at my home field. 550' foot long pretty smooth grass strip. I'm sure the R54 will feel right at home.

Dave "can't stop grinning turbine pilot" Rigotti

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       Post #: 360

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/17/2005 4:44:54 PM   
BruceTharpe


 

Posts: 336
Joined: 11/29/2003
From: Rogue River, OR, USA
Status: offline 		Tim, I'm ashamed to say my PST-powered model is still unfinished. Right now, the priority is on catching up with kit production, including the second batch of R54s. Busy, busy, busy Hope you get that paperwork done soon and get some more flights - bet you're chomping at the bit!

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       Post #: 361

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/17/2005 5:08:00 PM   
Nick Yuhasz



Posts: 381
Joined: 12/6/2001
From: Amherst, OH, USA
Status: offline 		Hi Bruce,

3 more flights yesterday afternoon, I can't and no one else at the field could believe how slow it would land AND how short the takeoff was. I've had a little trouble with the approach and landing because I'm use to my Hotspot and F-15, so I got out the Kaos 90 and did some flights with that. It's about the same span not nearly the wing area but it slows down and makes almost the same approach as the R54 (except the R54 is slower ) Too Cool!

Gary


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Nick Yuhasz
Amherst, Ohio

(in reply to BruceTharpe)
       Post #: 362

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/18/2005 3:09:02 AM   
tschuy


 

Posts: 649
Joined: 7/11/2003
From: Seattle, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Chomping at the bit doesn't describe how antsy I'm wanting to get my R54 back up in the sky. But I want to be legal with the AMA and will utilize the utmost patience AND safety when approaching turbine flight. I'm one who likes to do things right and check everything twice and sometimes three times on my bird before lighting up the coals. Hopefully Amy from the AMA will get it out to me this sometime week. In the mean time I'm putting in a lot of time on my piped Bridi XLT which is also a dream to fly and tears up the sky at a very fast rate. She really moves when the gear is sucked up and on the pipe as they say.

I'm already looking at my next turbine project and have a few idea's as to where I'd like to go. I'm very happy with my FTE T-500 in terms of performance, reliability and support that it's got me to think seriously about buying the T-750. IMO both turbines are great engines and Frank does a super job of supporting these.


For the rest of you guys out there lets see more pictures!!!

Will post video of mine the next time I take her up. I have to agree with everyone that this thing is a dream to fly at all ranges of flight. It's very surprising on how slow this thing will fly and feel that I'll have no problem flying from my clubs 300' asphalt strip.

Would be really cool if we had a bunch of us all together at the Bardstown Jet Rally on the 5th of June for a group photo. Would really put a smile on Bruce's face.




< Message edited by tschuy -- 4/18/2005 1:08:32 PM >


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Tim Schuy
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       Post #: 363

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit - 4/18/2005 4:00:39 AM   
rcguy!