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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 2/21/2011 5:24 PM   
smithcreek



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From: Westerly, RI, USA
Status: offline 		I filled the weave on the glassed parts of the fuse with thinned body filler and sanded it back. Put on the fairing for the cabanes. I need to do a little filling between the fairings, final sand and glass them.



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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 2/22/2011 1:32 PM   
flyrcboy


 

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Status: offline 		Looking good! It's neat to see the progress.

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 3/14/2011 3:47 AM   
smithcreek



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From: Westerly, RI, USA
Status: offline 		Got some done on the struts, slave struts and aileron linkages. I was hoping to put fabric on the wing today, but that didn't happen.

I epoxied the the rods into the slave struts, need to put fairings on them, then some work on the aluminum fittings to take off extra material and make the look better. The strut fittings double as attachment points for the flying wires.

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 4/4/2011 2:19 AM   
smithcreek



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From: Westerly, RI, USA
Status: offline 		Got the wings covered, pk screws and finishing tape applied. Need to glass the center section on the top wing and belly pan on the lower wing, then do the ailerons next.



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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 4/4/2011 4:28 PM   
flyrcboy


 

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Status: offline 		SmithCreek,

It's looking good!! Keep the pictures coming. A Starduster or Acroduster is one of the most beautiful biplanes.

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 6/23/2011 8:08 PM   
Lone Star Charles


 

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Status: offline 		Any news?  I am anxious to see the latest.

Charles

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 6/26/2011 2:04 AM   
smithcreek



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Status: offline 		Hey, while waiting for it to warm up to paint I started a couple other projects. I should be done with those in the next two weeks and get back on the Acroduster. I need to cover the struts and finish making the landing gear cover things (fairings?) then start painting. I'll update as soon as I get moving again.

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 8/21/2012 5:26 AM   
107ch


 

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Hey Smithcreek,
Whatever happened with the Acroduster? I would love a set of plans if they ever become available.
Thanks !!
Dennis



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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 8/21/2012 5:23 PM   
flyrcboy


 

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Status: offline 		107ch, I've been wondering the same thing. I would like to see the finished product and have a flying report. How can we engage Smithcreek?

Phil

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 8/21/2012 6:03 PM   
smithcreek



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Status: offline 		Hey, I'm here and just got back to work on it. I spent the winter finishing the P-26 Peashooter, building a Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro, and now it's time to finish the Acroduster. Just made new struts, I really did not like the old ones, in fact the last time I put the Acroduster aside was because I did not like the struts. The new struts are much simple and will just be held on by an aluminum tab screwed to the wing. I will build the strut up with some balsa for looks. After I fly it, if it flies well there are a couple changes I would like to make to the plans, then I will give them to anyone interested in building one.

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 8/21/2012 6:46 PM   
Lone Star Charles


 

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Status: offline 		'Bout time.  Saw the P-26 & the PCA-2 - both outstanding!  Thanks for posting your work (art).

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 8/21/2012 7:01 PM   
flyrcboy


 

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Status: offline 		Great to hear from you. Keep us posted on the progress of this airplane.

Phil

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/20/2012 1:28 AM   
smithcreek



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Status: offline 		I'm hoping to have it all together by the end of the weekend, then maiden it on the first nice day. Just need to paint the green on the bottom half of both wings and I'm done painting for now. I'm going to leave a lot of stuff for after the maiden. If the maiden goes well I'll fly it a few times then add the flames and scale detail over the winter.



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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/20/2012 2:13 AM   
TFF


 

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From: Memphis, TN, USA
Status: offline 		Looks good.
There was a improv to Starduster get together at one of the local airports and just recently there was a another a little further North. http://www.biplaneforum.com/f35/east-miss-fly-6641/
Being a West Coast design most are out West. Pitts were the same but for the East Coast until they went certified.

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/21/2012 7:20 PM   
smithcreek



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From: Westerly, RI, USA
Status: offline 		Dry fit everything last night. I'll glue the hinges in tonight. I know I could make this lighter if I built it again, but the good news today is as it sits with everything but a couple servos it weighs a hair under 20 lbs and balance appears to be good from a quick estimate. If it stays under 21 I'll be happy.



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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/21/2012 10:05 PM   
balsa brain


 

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Status: offline 		That is a beautiful job Sir. Thanks so much for sharing your build.

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/22/2012 1:50 AM   
TFF


 

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Status: offline 		Man! That looks good!

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/22/2012 1:57 AM   
flyrcboy


 

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Status: offline 		I concur!! It looks great!

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/22/2012 2:33 PM   
smithcreek



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Status: offline 		Thanks guys! Up close the paint leaves something to be desired. Long story short, I tried to go super-lightweight on the paint and ended up with pinholes where the fabric contacted wood. I noticed it as soon as I started to spray the color coats so I went back and added a couple more coats nitrate dope on those spots. Got rid of most but not all of them, good enough for me. Also lots of spots where the red bled under the tape. If she flies well I will go back and touch those up.

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/22/2012 3:37 PM   
flyrcboy


 

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Status: offline 		Keep us posted. I am definitely interested in a set of plans. What engine did you use? What paint is on it?

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/22/2012 4:30 PM   
Lone Star Charles


 

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Status: offline 		I always enjoy watching your builds.  The craftsmanship is "first class".

About the pin holes - don't you just hate 'em?  Don't worry, nobody can see them on a fly-by.



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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/28/2012 2:17 AM   
smithcreek



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From: Westerly, RI, USA
Status: offline 		Ok, like I said, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, in that order.



The Good:
The plane flies and I'm happy with it. The CG needs to be moved back a bit, but overall flies better than I dreaded it would and it's home in one piece. Takeoffs and landings are easy. My digital camera ran out of memory right as I was landing, so you'll have to take my word the landing was fine, in fact landing is one of the things I am most happy with so far.



The Bad:
About a year and a half ago I bought a new Futaba 8FG transmitter. One of the first things I did was set up a model for the Acroduster. I had read a review that said one of the wonderful features was the ability to assign trim buttons to any switch or button. The author recommended reversing all your trims. In other words, put your aileron trim where you rudder usually is, your rudder trim where you aileron usually is and same with elevator and throttle. This way you could trim say the aileron without letting go of the stick. I must have thought this sounded like a great idea and set up the radio that way. Then I stopped working on the model for a year and completely forgot I did this. See where this is going?
So I took off for the maiden and it had a bit of roll to the left so I started feeding in right trim. More and more but it didn't do anything, because I was actually feeding in right rudder. So now the plane is crabbing right, so I start feeding in left rudder, but that makes the plane roll more left because I'm actually feeding in more left aileron. Elevator and throttle, same thing. The plane is ballooning a bit, I keep trying to give down elevator but nothing happens. When it's time to land the engine is running fast, because if all the trim I added, so I try to trim the throttle down, and that just makes the plane balloon up more.
Time to land, so I have to come in with all sorts of cross control, pushing the nose down, rudder so it doesn't crab and aileron just to keep it level, then hit the kill switch at about 2 ft. high. At that point I didn't really care that I had landed it because all I thought "two years and it flies so poorly." Once it was on the ground I walked over and saw all the right rudder, probably 3/4", and thought, "what?!". I figured maybe one of the pull pull cables slipped, then I saw the down elevator, again, "what?". So I tried to put the rudder back to center and it did not move, and then the light went on and I remembered it all. As stupid as that was, at least I knew it was worth flying again.

The video of that flight is not worth watching. Just a lot of wallowing around the sky and me saying what a piece of crap it, how lousy it flies and how trimming it is just making things worse, which it was!

The Ugly:
I'm embarrassed to admit this, but before the first flight I did one of the stupidest and most dangerous things I've ever done in RC. The plane was running and I needed to reverse my rudder servo. I reversed the throttle by accident and sent the plane across the pit area into the tall grass where it tore off one wheel pant and broke a wingtip. The last time I did something remotely as dumb was years ago. Nothing and no one was hurt is the good news. I'll fix the wheel pant right away and get to the wing after the season is over, which is not too far now.





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< Message edited by smithcreek -- 9/28/2012 4:19 AM >

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/28/2012 3:04 AM   
TFF


 

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Status: offline 		All right, a flier!
I have not heard of opposite trims since Kraft did it on the Signature radios.

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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/28/2012 5:23 PM   
flyrcboy


 

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Status: offline 		Wow! It sounds like you had a quite an experience on the first flight. I am glad you were able figure out the problem.

The video appears to demonstrate its a good flier. Looking forward to more about this plane. It's a beauty!



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RE: Acroduster Too Design/Build - 9/28/2012 7:00 PM   
smithcreek



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Status: offline 		Here's a video of the last couple minutes of the maiden and a couple of screen shots showing how far out of trim the rudder was on a fly by. Now that I know what was going on it's funny to hear what I was saying, "I've given it tons of left rudder and it just does weirder things (goes right)."





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