RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (Full Version)

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Rube Goldberg -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (10/6/2007 8:06:43 AM)

Fellow club member just finished a Pole Cat, and asked my thoughts on engine selection. IMO the most "bang for the buck" (since he is a turbine jet type flyer) in a 40 or so size engine hands down would be the SuperTigre G-45ABC. I've got one on my yellow Long-EZ, and it runs like a top.

So the phone rings this afternoon. It's my buddy with the Pole Cat. Can't get this %$&@$& SuperTigre piece of %^%$&% to run worth a %Y%^!! He's pretty livid, and it's his first ST engine. "Guess you get what you ^#@^&^ pay for!" I tell him hang tight, I'll be outta this cow pasture where I'm surveying and be right over.

Few hours later he is still working with it. He's got the correct APC 10X7 prop and I guess he's got good fuel. Symptoms are it can be choked at the carb and then with the throttle a few clicks above low throttle position it will run for only a few seconds then quit. Won't re-start until it is choked again.

He's already checked the plumbing of the tank. It is ok. Blow through the vent and it flows through the clunk line. Tried getting it running a couple more times and same thing. Decided to use my fuel, and when I pull off the vent line at the muffler.......

"PHOOOOOOOOPPPPPP"!

Hmmmmm, me thinks. That can't be right. Fill it up with my fuel, leave the vent line off the muffler and it fires right up on the first hand flip. Runs like a scalded dog. Problem nearly resolved, but what is going on with this vent line/muffler connection??

Take a very small allen wrench and insert it into the pressure nipple on the muffler. Hmmm, it stops. Remove nipple and take a look.......it's got a piece of plastic in it! Kind of a blue and white rubbery plastic, almost like the factory worker dipped the nipple in thread lock and then installed it into the muffler!

Well that makes sense.....the whole time with the vent line installed to the muffler, the tank was drawing a vaccuum. Choking the engine would pull the fuel up, but that's it. The fuel was being sucked back to the tank! Unclog nipple, refit vent line to the muffler and we're good to go.

When I left him the engine was running at a high idle for the past 10 minutes and didn't miss a beat, and he was grinning ear to ear especially after I told him to hang on to the plane while I went full throttle.

That's gonna be one FAST airplane![:D]

Rube



mrfixit220 -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (12/27/2007 2:21:46 AM)

ok mine has not arrived but i am of the school bigger is better. can i get a pic of the firewall to see if i could shove a zenoah g20 into that bad boy?



opjose -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (12/27/2007 3:28:45 AM)

That's really a .32 sized plane.

A .46 2C or so is really oversized, let alone a gasser.




ahook168 -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (1/6/2008 6:30:43 AM)

Just flew mine today for the first time. I hated the instructions. There is no way that a beginner could put this thing together right. Seamed to fly ok. It was a very windy day so it was bounced around pretty bad. Landing gear is week so I wired the two together. Hoping for less then 30 mph winds tomorrow.



mycarisaser -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (1/9/2008 1:47:49 AM)

I have the pole cat too
[IMG]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r53/losifanatic/100_2668.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r53/losifanatic/100_2726.jpg[/IMG]

I have converted this thing to electric and wow what a plane.
This is my second attempt at flying a bigger plane than a parkflyer. The first was a mustang(had loads of issues and crashed)

This thing has unlimited vertical(5&1/2lbs and over 1000watts) , it flys light and true(I dont think its light enough for true 3d but my flying skills arnt that good yet), and lands almost like a trainer(its a floater and I land dead stick most of the time) "Knock on wood" I havent had a bad landing yet even in 20mph winds the other day. The plane looks like it waggs it tail alittle in the wind but not to bad



opjose -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (1/9/2008 1:55:43 AM)

How about posting your configuration a pictures of your electrification work...

e.g. motor mounts, batteries, etc.

Thanks



mycarisaser -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (1/9/2008 1:57:27 AM)

Jut to let you know I have about 30 flights on her since christmass and the only thing I seem to have an issue with is the rudder. (it hits the elevator halfs before full throw is acheaved) had to dial alot out. and the elevator halves hit the rudders linkage (so I had to put it in the inner most hole and sand off the rest so the elevators could pass) I have the cg at 68mm to 70mm back.
[IMG]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r53/losifanatic/100_2754.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r53/losifanatic/100_2752.jpg[/IMG]

Ths is truely a great plane at a great price ($89.00 at texasrcplanes)



mycarisaser -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (1/9/2008 1:58:35 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: opjose

How about posting your configuration a pictures of your electrification work...

e.g. motor mounts, batteries, etc.

Thanks



Will do I will go now to take a few more pics



mycarisaser -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (1/9/2008 2:17:25 AM)

here you go

[IMG]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r53/losifanatic/100_2755.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r53/losifanatic/100_2758.jpg[/IMG]

The motor is a hxt 50x55mm 600kv (= eflite's 46)
The batteries are a 3700 and 4350 25c 5s polyrc lipo
little over 1000watts with a 13x6.5 apc-E prop
oh and a castle 10amp ubec

I have a 120A venom esc that I bought for this plane but it died as soom as I plugged my battery in so I am using a bad 60a esc that should be in the trash(praying that it keeps holding on while a I wait for a new esc) It only cut out on me a few times and once it has been running over about 45 seconds if you stop the motor it will not restart it. Man I need a new esc(This 60a esc is the one that was in the mustang crash and it didnt fare well)



opjose -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (1/9/2008 2:44:58 AM)

So you are running the two 5S battery packs in parallel for 18 volts?

Do you know what kind of draw you are getting on the combination?

You are really motivating me to electrify mine or to get another one to electrify.








mycarisaser -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (1/9/2008 3:35:25 AM)

I run them seperate. I am pulling about 52amps at 20volts=1040watts and it drops to about 950 watts before it dies. I get about 8 mis on the 3700 and about 10 to 11 on the 4350. Also it has unlimited vertical with a 13x6.5 e prop. It will hover under 1/2 throttle.

No mess and no tuneing. I fly in my front yard and in front of my yard is a 1300x600ft turf farm(my flying feild) that is surrounded by houses so the no noise is a plus.



mycarisaser -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (1/9/2008 9:13:58 PM)

Here is a link to some pole cat conversions

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=667009

My user name there is losifanatic



Vosper385 -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (3/11/2008 7:35:01 AM)

Hi there, Re the Polecat, I purchased one from Planenutz in the Uk and fitted it first with an ASP61 F/S, this combination was just about right COG wise, however I went a step forward and fitted a saito 72 F/s and what a difference, it went ballistic, although a little weight was added to the tail to ensure COG, but I certainly was not disappointed, what a fantastic aeroplane. If there is a fault I would say that the undercarriage is a little on the weak side but no other problems.



mycarisaser -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (3/11/2008 1:24:26 PM)

glad you like it. what is the hp out put of your motor?



opjose -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/14/2008 10:15:29 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: andersm3

I havent balanced my red one yet, Just got the motor mounted a few days ago, only have to balance it now. My plan''s also say the CG is supposed to be at 85mm from the leading edge, glad I havent done it yet, sounds like a bad place to have it yet. So the CG is best around 67mm??? Spending some time flying other planes today, 62 and almost windless. [:D]


I flew the Red White and Blue one last Saturday.

I had it set as per the recommended C.G. for the Nitroplanes version...I believe it''s around 65mm.

I found it TOO NOSE HEAVY this way... not unflyable though, but it needed more up trim than I would like for level flight.

This means that rolls are not axial because of the trim.

I think I SHOULD have it a 80mm or so to fix this.

Otherwise it flew great.

I have an O.S. AX .46 with a MAC tuned muffler/pipe. It is installed using a Dubro muffler extension.

This worked perfectly and it minimized the amount of cowl cutting I had to do.

I also placed a fuel dot at the center of the faux oil cooler air intake.

The plane had plenty of power and it was quite fast with an 11x8 prop, though not unlimited in the vertical...


The Macs muffler kept the plane so clean that I did not have to wipe it down at the end of the day.

The included fuel tank was good for 14+ minutes on average flight regimes.


One area of concern for me is the constant needed removal of the canopy...

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to hold it in place by provide a better quick removal scheme?


I did not feel the need to re-inforce the tail given how it is being constructed now.

I didn't have any problems with it either, although I found that the recommended throws were QUITE agressive.

Since this is really a racer, about 60-70% of the recommended throws are enough, and will certainly keep the plane out of trouble.





mycarisaser -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/15/2008 12:58:35 AM)

Yeah the recommended throws were a bit much. My cg is at 75mm back.

This plane is my daily flyer. I love it. If anything would ever happen to l would buy another in a heartbeat



opjose -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/15/2008 6:03:03 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: mycarisaser

Yeah the recommended throws were a bit much. My cg is at 75mm back.



Interesting...

At 75mm do you need to add any up trim?

If not when inverted how does it pitch to the ground?

I have my battery pack at the back of the canopy, so to adjust the C.G. further w/o adding weight I would have to move it over the stringers behind the canopy.




mycarisaser -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/15/2008 9:09:58 PM)

if you go to rcgroups.com in the glow to electric convertions section there is a pole cat thread there. I have pics of my whole set up. my name there is losifanatic. Also if you go to photobucket and search for losifanatic there i have my pics posted. Sorry my computer is down and am on a nintedo wii system so I cant post links

My battery isnt very far back either???? At 75mm back very little up trim is needed if any. I think 80 might be the ticket . inverted flight needs alittle down stick to maintain and is very stable



opjose -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/16/2008 5:01:30 PM)

Thanks.

I know that I have a bit of additional weight on the nose, thanks to the larger ( O.S. AX .46 ) engine and Macs tuned muffler pipe and extension.
But I moved the battery pack to the back to get the C.G. spot on.

Even still it wanted to pitch down somewhat harder than I anticipated in flight until I trimmed it out.

After landing you can see that there is a noticiable deflection of the elevator at zero stick...

So your own observation and experience mirrors mine... 75-80mm sounds about right.

Yet in spite of this a few people have complained that at 65mm it''s too tail heavy! Huh?




mycarisaser -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/16/2008 9:55:52 PM)

I checked mine out, it is 3 clicks up of trim for level flight.

Yeah 65 is nose heavy

Yeah, mine is a electric conversion. So my battery is a 19oz 5s lipo and to get 75mm cg it sits at the back of the fuel tank area. No reciever battery for me.
My plane weighed in at 5lb 7oz with a 16oz 3700mah batts and 5lbs 10oz with a 19oz 4350mah. How much does your weigh?



opjose -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/18/2008 4:54:25 PM)

Mine came in at 5lbs 12oz empty ( I'm running it glow ).

Powerwise it has no problems.

I've seen a few posts calling it tail heavy though, at the recommended c.g. which is a bit strange.




triboyeric -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/25/2008 4:45:29 AM)

mycarisaser,

Would this setup be good?

-E flite Power 46 BL 670kv
-Li-Po 5S1P 4350mAh 18.5V 22C
-ESC Phoenix Brushless 80
-Electric - 13 X 6.5 prop
-4x 3004 servos
-6 channel rx

What do you think?

Eric



opjose -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/25/2008 5:08:52 PM)

That should do just fine.

It will put you in the 1.2 - 1.4 HP range which is about equal to a .46 engine.

You'll want to prop it so as NOT to be able to hit MAX battery discharge rates or max amp draw on the ESC for safety.

However this will still give you great performance.




triboyeric -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/26/2008 1:19:01 AM)

So a 2c .46 engine would be the glow way to go? Thats a lot of power, nice!
I might go with a .46 engine then, and what kind of fuel? Nitro mix, etc. 10% should be good right? I dont want to cut the cowling too much or at all really, and whant a aerobatic (1 roll per second or something) yet not extreme plane as a good sport plane. This one looks good, but they recommend a .32 engine. Wouldn't a .46 be overkill? Any recommendations for an engine for my flying style?


Eric



opjose -> RE: Pole Cat 50 - 51" ARF (4/26/2008 5:34:18 AM)

I put in an OS .46 AX with a Macs muffler. The engine is side mounted. The muffler has an extension on it to clear the fuse.

This required minimal cutting of the cowl.... however it required a LOT of careful work to get things just right.

I think I spend 2-3 hours just cutting the cowl... measuring, cutting, refitting, replacing the cowl, measuring a bit more, removing cutting, etc... but it really looks quite good.

I did put holes in so I could remove or insert the muffler cap screws from the top.

I did not feel like putting in a remote glow fitting, so I put in a hole in the side of the cowl just large enough to fit my glow ignitors.

The muffler itself hides the cutout perfectly.

I also installed the full filler in the "oil air scoop" ( the thing hanging down from the front "chin" ) so it looks right at home there.

Because it is a light plane I'm using an 11x8 pitch APC prop on it.

The 11x8 is a bit much for the engine which usually uses an 11x6, so I do not get unlimited verticals this way... it does eventually slow down on a straight up climb, but it takes so long that I loose sight of it anyway...

However on straightaways the engine unloads nicely, causing everyone to wonder what I have in there...

The plane would fly well with a .32, but with the .46 it's a speedster.

Trade pitch for prop size ( say 13x6 ) and I'd get unlimited verticals, but I'm having fun with it as is.




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