PylonDave

Looks Great Scott!! Give us a Flight report will you ?

sahartman21

I checked the CG and found it about 3" behind the leading edge. Typically I target about 2 7/8" back, which can be achieved by adding 10 quarters behind the back plate or by lengthening the nose.

I chose to lengthen the nose by adding a piece of 3/8" thick plywood between the front of the fuselage and the motor mount. This option added about 0.7 ounces to the model vs. about 2 ounces for 10 quarters.

A friend of mine got home a few minutes before dusk, so off to the field we went.

The first flight was uneventful, but required a little up elevator trim. The model turns quickly and has no apparent faults.

It was too dark for a second flight, but I had accomplished what was needed, a trim flight. I am now ready for the Wichita race next week.

See you there!

Kevin Matney

My Feedback: (1)

Bring home a win, Looks Great

sahartman21

Since you can never have too many racers I took time to vacuum bag another wing.

Use an electric blanket when the temperature is below 70 degrees F.

diggs_74

You should have left the CG at 3" and then you probably wouldn't have any trim and would require less throw to make the turn.. Just sayin'

sahartman21

I thought about flying the model with the CG at 3", but later desided to lengthen the nose to move the CG forward.

The model flies great with the CG at 2 7/8" back.

In races in Wichita (Goddard) this past weekend, the model was as fast as the composite airframes.

sahartman21

I finished glassing the wing and now is time to pot the wing.

1) Check the incidence prior to potting the wing. Mine needed a 1/32" plywood shim in front of the large hold down bolts.
2) Cover the wing surface with shrink wrap. Place a paper towel inside the fuselage.
3) Make a mixture of finishing epoxy and micro-balloons.
4) Apply oil to the screws to help reduce sticking.
5) Dab the micro-balloon mix on the wing saddle.
6) Attach the wing and gently tighten the wing mount screws.
7) Clean up any excess on the surface of the fuselage.
8) Double check the wing and engine incidences. They should be 0-0.
9) Set out of the way to dry.

sahartman21

I modified a string level to work better with the "Candy Kane" style of tail.

In an earlier post I mentioned that my first model needed a little up elevator trim. This was traced back to the standard string level being too wide for a tail surface that was cut off. With the wide stance the front of the level was in a narrow area of the stab with the rear being at the fatter thickness. This cause false reading that resulted in the tail glued off.

I modified a string level by installing a screw at each side, just outside of the glass.

The modified level should work better with this model as well as others with a narrow tail, such as the Seeker.

sahartman21

The control horn was made from a Dubro 3/32" E/Z Adjust Strip Aileron Horn Set (Cat No. 556).

A piece of balsa (1/16" sheet) was used to fill the groove.

A mixture of micro-balloons and finishing epoxy filled the grove.

Set out of the way to dry.

sahartman21

Scrape off or use a Dremel tool to remove the excess micro-balloon mix.

sahartman21

The tail surfaces were checked for proper alignment and then glued in place with 6-minute epoxy.

sahartman21

Duane touched up his model and according to him, "flies great"!

The model uses the Candy Kane fuselage and Seeker tail.

sahartman21

It is officially building season as I won't be doing any racing in the snow. I took this opportunity to work on my #2 Candy Kane.

Pushrods were constructed as per earlier posts. These were made to 18.5" for each side. They were snapped in place at the rear ball joints.

A servo tray was cut out and test fit with servos inside the fuselage. Pushrods were connected to the servo horns.

A bead of Shoe Goo was spread on the balsa rail. The tray was then allowed to float to the correct location and then allowed to dry.

This method is a little easier than cutting off and bending each pushrod separately.

sahartman21

Yesterday I applied a basecoat to the Candy Kane.

The paint is an off white acrylic enamel that uses hardener.

sahartman21

Black shaker can spray paint was used for trim.

Allow this to dry a couple days and then follow with clear coat.

sahartman21

I took the time to wet sand the trim edges with wet-and-dry 2000 grit paper.

The model was then cleaned up and insured to be dust free.

Spot panel clear coat and hardener were used to coat the surface. About 5 ounces of clear coat were mixed.

A light mist was applied first to the surface. A couple minutes were waited and clear coat was sprayed on for a shinny surface.

Parts were set out of the way to dry.

sahartman21

The temperature was cold this morning so I used a portable propane heater to warm up the garage.

Begin by wet sanding the model with 2000 grit wet-and-dry sandpaper. Just take off the dust and don't sand off the paint.

This was followed by polishing with various cleaners and polishers.

Begin by wetting the bonnet and apply a small amount of cleaner first.

Clean or change the bonnet and follow with less abrasive cleaners and then a wax.

After a little buffing the model looks as good as any of the commercially available composite models.

sahartman21

Next was the installation of the landing gear.

I began by installing the blind nuts. You then apply some CA over the blind nuts to keep them in place.

You follow by shaping the gear with a file.

Some streamlined tires (from Sam-Rai Racing) were attached to the gear and it was mounted to the fuselage.

sahartman21

The aileron servo was installed in the wing and the ailerons were cut free.

sahartman21

The engine kill, tank, and engine were installed.

sahartman21

Next was final assembly and checking the final weight.


It weighed in at 61.15 ounce or 1.15 ounces over the minimum.

sahartman21

Here are pictures of the final model.

GSJames

A beautiful job.

fizzwater2

My Feedback: (61)

Now that's the kind of Candy Kane I'd like to see on MY tree!

DHULEN

My Feedback: (11)

Very nice and yes it would look good under my tree too