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Pentathlon - 11/18/2006 5:23 PM   
flyintexan



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Status: offline 		Well, I know several people out there that have been waiting patiently. It has flown. Two blissful test flights this morning. I will let a unbiased observer (he did get the sticks for a minute too) post later about the exact flight characteristics.

RTF without fuel is 10lbs. 5oz.

OS160fx
Perry Pump
ES pipe
Mueller Header
Aluminum wing tube
Futaba digitals
5 cell Nimh Rx pack


I will post more about the plane's details and availability soon.

-mark

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/18/2006 7:04 PM   
rwlewis


 

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Status: offline 		I got to fly it....Hehe.....

It was really great to get to see all the hard work that has put into this thing take flight.

The airframe is conventional construction balsa and plywood, but the plane was fully modelled in 3d and all the parts were laser cut and it practically fell together. There are tons of neat features that are included, far too many to mention here, but there are tabs, jigs, slots, holes, etc everywhere making the build a snap. With all the tabs, you'd really have to try not build it straight. No jig required, just a flat table. Even wing LE, Aileron pocket linings, etc...are laser cut. Wings/stabs are balsa over foam. The balsa used is NOT hand picked ultra light stuff, but just average contest grade balsa straight from the laser guy and the weight came out right on par, no problem.

Anhedral stab, forward fins and dorsal tail are all borrowed from the Nat Penton Voodoo Express, along with the "Pent" in the name.

Flight Characteristics - Light weight and high taper ratio wing contribute to a very light feel, even with wing loading that is on par for the current FAI trend. Falls very straight down in downlines, and slows down great even on the two stroke due to the thick wing root section and wide-body style fuselage. Knife edge flight requires only a breath of rudder. Coupling could not be ascertained fully in a maiden, but it seemed very, very good.

This thing will be a FAI finals machine, Mark flew the rolling S with relative ease and the fins really make it carve out the radii like I've only seen the Voodoo Express do previously.

This thing is gonna be a real winner....congratulations....


Richard
(not sure this is an "unbiased" report, but it will have to do.....)

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/18/2006 7:53 PM   
maustin


 

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Status: offline 		Mark,

Looks great !!! The laser wood build Richard describes sounds interesting since no fuse jig is required. What is the canopy made of? Looks like a nice shiny finish. Keep up the flight reports.

Mike (BBM)

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/18/2006 8:04 PM   
rwlewis


 

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Status: offline 		Hey Mike,

Richard here....believe it or not it's wood.......

Go to:

www.InsightRC.com

and click on the "SkunkWorks" link for more details.....don't tell anyone else though, it's a secret...

Richard

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/18/2006 8:47 PM   
PatternPilot



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< Message edited by PatternPilot -- 11/18/2006 8:48 PM >

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/18/2006 9:13 PM   
Super D


 

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Status: offline 		AWESOME Mark !!!
Looks great. Cant wait for the full performance reports.

hmmm, should I order another OS 140
This plane could make 9.5 lbs with Lances hotwire in the wing trick,PBG tubes, and lithiums.
Excellent job Mark, I bet it was a blast to maiden this plane you've worked soo hard on.

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/19/2006 12:07 AM   
flyintexan



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Status: offline 		Richard,

Thanks for the "unbiased" flight report... . Thank you for the kind comments...it is a nice feeling to see it fly after all the development work. With only two flights though, it's tough to be critical. As posted by Richard, the downlines were dead straight, light on the sticks, even with a 1000 sq.in. The balance is good, but will have to be flown a few more times to decide if I will adjust it. Once I am set with the balance position, I will tweak other things if necessary. The cool part is how well all the different concepts came together. As I get more flights we get to see how it does in the wind, etc.

As for the laser parts, the fit of the test kits has been very, very good. However, I have a good bit of work I want to do further improve the laser parts before getting more cut. I also am working out the foam parts supplier, which may be me, and the amounts that we will need.

Mike,
As Richard says, the canopy is wood...(see pic)....so is the chin cowl. I must give a heap of thanks to Jim Sheffield for the glasswork and paint on the fuse. He has a real eye for making a canopy just the right size, color and shape via masking and airbrush work. BTW, we have another prototype Pentathlon under construction which belongs to Jim. This one will have a DZ for power and should be a few ounces lighter than the OS setup.

Super D,
Glad you like the Pentathlon . I hope we can meet up sometime before next season.....maybe we should have an early season get together somewhere....maybe combine it with a judging school/seminar.



-mark

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/19/2006 2:28 AM   
MHester


 

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Status: offline 		Looks good Mark!

I'm playing with an anhedral stab and some form of strakes myself, not quite to that degree however....how many degrees is that?

I'm curious to hear how it does after you get some time on it. Of course with that color scheme, it looks like a tricked Focus from a distance!

Just teasing, I love the lines around the canopy and front/top of the nose. Nice blending.

-Mike

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/19/2006 2:38 AM   
flywilly


 

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Status: offline 		Can I order a kit now??
When you are ready I want one!!
-Will B.

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/19/2006 9:59 PM   
flyintexan



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Status: offline 		Mike,

Thankyou for the kind words. I know you have a real appreciation for a good looking "wood roach"...such as the Black Magic. Your drive (and others, such as Todd Schmidt, Nat Penton) is an inspiration to continue to build what we want, not just settle for what's already offered.

Will,

I'm flattered. I will try to update my site as I get time. I will post more scheduling info here as well. It will likely take me a few weeks (especially with Holiday season) to get all the final changes made and setup for the laser cutting. Once that is done we will try to get a pre-order list going so that we can get a bulk order of foam and laser parts going.

I got another three flights today and I have already started playing with throws, expos, and such. I really, really like the way this plane rolls. I did play with some snaps today and even at a slow speed, it stops and stays clean.

Here are pics....with chin on and off....yes, the chin is made of wood .


-mark

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/20/2006 6:25 AM   
Ryan Smith


 

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Status: offline 		Wow, that's awesome looking Mark! I love the design features that you incorporated into the airplane, especially the canopy. I've never seen anyone do a wood canopy like that, that's an awesome looking job. When do you think those will be ready to sell?

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/20/2006 6:45 AM   
toddblose



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Status: offline 		Great job Mark, The plane looks great. I saw the plane at the Sparks contest
and the craftsmanship on this plane is a work of art.

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/20/2006 2:31 PM   
rl56


 

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Status: offline 		Looks great Mark! Would be nice to see a home grown plane kick some butt at the World Champs.

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/20/2006 3:51 PM   
mmattockx


 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: ryansmith

When do you think those will be ready to sell?


Looks superb, Mark. You better get used to answering the "when can I buy one?" question.

So, when can I buy one?


Mark

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/21/2006 12:06 AM   
flyintexan



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Status: offline 		I'm happy to see the response here....remember though, it's not an arf... .

I have begun working on some of the said changes....one of which will be built up cheeks. Building these from foam was difficult and time consuming. The taper requirement and small span is just too much hassle. I think a built up version will actually be more accurate in the end. I have modeled two inside tabs which will insert into slots in the side of the fuse. This should make mounting/aligning them a snap.

There are lot of other little things like this I need to do before going back to the laser....so I sincerely appreciate everyone's patience. If it is of interest to anyone, I can continue to share some of the progress toward this final kit. Now, if there were 36 hrs. in a day I would be able to make some head-way


BTW, the attached photo shows the required building jig to put the fuse together.



-mark

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/21/2006 1:18 AM   
RC_Pattern_Flyer



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Status: offline 		Mark, love the new cheeks... i think alignment to the fuse is going to be great, if you remember my plane appears to need a face lift as things 'slide" when the glue expanded.

As for the building board... and i can quote a few people on this "smart a$$" err idea.

Chuck

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/21/2006 2:52 AM   
mmattockx


 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: flyintexan

I'm happy to see the response here....remember though, it's not an arf... .

-mark


Good thing, too. If it were an ARF then I wouldn't get to enjoy building it and be able to say it's MINE.

Please do share the issues as you work out the final details, it always seems to help the building if I know the history of some of the decisions made. And it's interesting reading.

What are the specs for this beast, anyway?


Mark

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/21/2006 2:53 AM   
flyintexan



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Status: offline 		Lets see if this works:

http://www.rcuvideos.com/view_video.php?viewkey=504740c3a6b10bb6d4fa

-mark


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RE: Pentathlon - 11/21/2006 3:08 AM   
Viper Driver



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Status: offline 		Mark,

Looks great! Can't wait to see it next year.

Jeff

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/21/2006 3:56 AM   
mwick


 

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Status: offline 		Cool video. ....but will it hover and how is the wing rock during a harrier, that's what I want to know

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/21/2006 4:30 AM   
flyintexan



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Status: offline 		Mike,

I don't know...send Brett over and we'll find out!


-mark

p.s. here it is in a perfect hover.

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/21/2006 4:38 AM   
mwick


 

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/21/2006 5:43 AM   
mmattockx


 

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Status: offline 		Mark,

I just went through your site and all of the Pentathlon pages. Outstanding effort! I can't imagine the hours you have invested to have the final construction look so simple and fool-proof. I design machine components for a living and I know how much time it takes for even the simple things. Congrats on a fantastic aircraft and thanks from those of us who will get to build one and reap the results of your hard work.


Mark

< Message edited by mmattockx -- 11/21/2006 5:44 AM >

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RE: Pentathlon - 11/24/2006 10:02 PM   
flyintexan



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Status: offline 		After much ribbing...I changed out my standard bolly F3A for a bolly F3A Electric gear. I could have gotten away with something in between, but this answers the big prop clearance questions. In the pics I have the 18.1x10 mounted with plenty of clearance. By measuring with the tail in the air a 21" will work.....22" will be a very close call with the tail in the air (fuse line horizontal).

I have to admit, it looks a lot better with fuse sitting up high.

Should be able to get a flight or two on it before the end of the weekend.

-mark

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< Message edited by flyintexan -- 11/24/2006 10:03 PM >


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RE: Pentathlon - 11/24/2006 11:37 PM   
Super D


 

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Status: offline 		Looks good Mark.

Ha, I thought you were at my house, we have a biplane in the landscape as well.

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