Si_B

That looks fantastic. I'm going to the March meeting so looking forward to seeing that in the air. Nice mix between the high viz and the camo scheme.

Regards,
Simon

Texan2

My Feedback: (4)

Hi guys, I just bought the kit from a friend a very good friend of mine. This is going to be my first jet. im just wondering where I can find the retracts.

Dave Wilshere

The package is normally sold with the retracts. Talk to Eric Clap at Jet Central

Dw

Dave Wilshere

Took the Vampire to Scotland last weekend, not the friendliest site to operate jets, but the guys had done such a good job on the strip I decided it was a good time to show her off to our northern most friends. Looked great in and out of the trees :-)

chrigui

super !!!

Quandry

Looks amazing - very nice!

flyingdan

My Feedback: (5)

I fell in love with the Vampire after seeing it at the Kentucky Jets event last summer. There I met Jim Hiller and Eric Clapp of Jet Central/Der Jet. The rest is credit card history.

John Cunningham and I just finished building the Vampire and I wanted to share a way to save on nose weight. From the picture on the left you can see the area next to the nose gear where the UAT is placed. It is supported by the partial box and the gun port in front. In the back it is locked in with a forked wood support that has a blind nut, screw etc. The picture is looking from the bottom up.

I followed Jim Hiller's balance suggestion and placed the CG 15 mm behind the leading spar blade edge. The total of 35 oz of lead was used or 2.18 kg. All components are in front of the duct work as you can see in photo number 2.

Perhaps someone will like what I have done here as the UAT represents close to 8 oz of usable weight instead of lead. The turbine is a Kingtech 100, the flight batteries are 2-3800 LIFE packs, and the turbine battery is a 3800 9.9V Life as well. I have completed taxi tests, braking tests and will perhaps fly it this weekend.

By the way I hope everyone is enjoying the latest RC Jet International Magazine, our Monster Energy Jet Jam is featured in this issue. I am president of the club and want to extend an invitation to everyone here to come out and fly Jets with us.

Here is our clubs web site. www.cvrcclub.com Go to the video page and enjoy the Jets flying in our clear desert skies. We have videos from past jet events there.

Perhaps these suggestions help someone out.

Daniel Metz
CVRC Club President

Jetmodeler

Dan, Good luck with the test flight, you know I enjoy flying my Vampire. Be careful with the elevator control throws, follow the recommended travel from the manual, and and expect elevator trim center end up a bit, may 1/16" or so. Enjoy flying her.
Jim

flyingdan

My Feedback: (5)

Hi Jim and Everyone, once again Jim thank you for your input, I will follow those suggestion to a tee.

We built the vampire in a Jackie Cochran Airport Hanger, on the other side of the air port is a hanger that houses a real Vampire. I had the good fortune to get into the hanger to take some pictures. I know they are not the best quality but you can see the Whittle Engine, and the Elevator lead weight balance etc.

One of the shots has a Vampire Bat doll in it, what a hoot. also in one picture, the fourth image, there are two yellow stakes that are diamond shaped they are on top of both wings, I am puzzled as to what they are used for? Any ideas? They could not be fuel dump sticks?

Dan

Dave Wilshere

Video from last week at a very damp CJ event. The thread starter still flys great
http://youtu.be/MnQM4_4pzag

flyingdan

My Feedback: (5)

Beautiful flying with the thread starter Dave

I wanted to build this plane because my first wife was English, she was from the Isle of Wight. We visited Bournemouth many times with our sons. She passed when she was very young. Even though this is the Australian version she would love it because it is British.

I do love your country, we spent many summers there, having tea at the beach hut, visiting Longleat, Corfe Castle, Perbeck hills, the rude man of Cerne abbas which my sons loved, what a hoot. Lovely country and people.

How many flights do you have on your Vampire now? You fly it well.

Dan

Dave Wilshere

Dan

thank you for the comments, not sure on the number of flights as I don't log them, it was a new turbine so I can look at runs. Its a lot! People love the Vampire and I have flown it from dozens of sites, funnily I'm in Aberdeen (Scotland) again where some of the shots on this page were taken.
The Vampire is seen in various schemes as it operated in so many different theatres, but people here don't think of it as anything other than British :-)
IOW is a beautiful place, a favourite of my children.

Dave

derjet

Dave, Thank you for the video. It is so beautiful flying with slow and low pass-by. Amazing, you have kept your DH Vampire very well like a new one.

Jack, DerJet Model

flyingdan

My Feedback: (5)

Gentlemen

http://cvrcclubvideos.us/HDVids/DanVampire.wmv

First of all thank you all for all of your past posts, in a word it flew flawlessly. Jim Hiller thanks to you for the elevator tip too.

As you will see I kept the gear down for this first flight as I had a leaking nose gear door cylinder. It was easily bypassed by pressurizing the system then unplugging the door valve. Eric is sending me another one.

Below is the fruit of our 6 week build.

Enjoy

Dan

derjet

Dan,

Congratulations. Very nice maiden flight of "Blood Sucker" DH Vampire.

Jack, DerJet Model

flyingdan

My Feedback: (5)

Open Question about the brakes.

I am encountering asymmetrical braking, with the right wheel locking up even under the pulse braking mode. The right wheel locks up and causes a unanticipated slide.

Any ideas on setup? Do the wheel axle shafts have to have the same length flat spot? There is a ever so slight difference in the ground flat areas.

Thanks in advance for any helpful ideas.

Dan

Dave Wilshere

Dan

Have you examined the brakes? Mine has always been very consistent and matched. But its a disc brake and I run a light smear of grease on the surfaces

Dave

flyingdan

My Feedback: (5)

Hi Dave

Thank you so much for your quick reply, I did inspect the brakes extensively. I did this after writing my post.

Here is what I found, upon tightening the axle retaining set screw I noticed that the axle shaft itself moved outward on the left wheel. That led I believe to the left wheel brakes being slightly further away from the O ring when under pressure. I measured the difference of the two axle flat spots so as to make sure that the two flats are now equidistant and have the same length etc.

So far the axle adjustment now gives an even braking on both wheels. I have not tested this new setup at the field.

Dave you bring up a very good point about grease. I did not apply any to the braking surfaces other than the sides of the O ring. I fly in the desert and was worried about a lapping compound effect.

Nothing was mentioned in the instructions about grease, but there is nothing like having those flying these in the field to show the way.

Thank you so much Dave for your input. I will apply a lite coating per your suggestion.

Dan

Dave Wilshere

Not everyone does it, but a very light smear (even in your dusty environment) will just stop it locking solid and destroying the tyre.

Dave

Jetmodeler

You hit one source right on the head, after 300+ flights I had a bearing shift in the wheel, result more gap on that set of brake discs compared to the other side, this was a source of pulling I had last summer. My Vampire has had very few flights off grass, I still have the original brake pads and tires, so things are getting pretty worn, but flex of the tire sidewalls has been increasing as of late, and they no longer are holding air so this will make the Vampire more sensitive to unequal braking.
Jim

flyingdan

My Feedback: (5)

Hi Everyone

Just got back from The Dixie Jets event in St. George Utah.

I was honored to win the Best Scale Jet award with the Vampire.

I have attached some pictures to share with you all.

Yes I know one of the shots is of my Torus but it was so neat I just had to included it too.

I also must say that a lite dab of grease on the brakes solved my braking problem too. Excellent advice.

Thanks to everyone for being so helpful!

Dan

Dave Wilshere

Thread starter out again today, great conditions made it a ball to fly, so much so, I allowed "little Stevie" his first complete flight with it-loved it!!

dubd

Gorgeous plane Dave! I hope to get a chance to see one in person in the not so distant future.

Dave Wilshere

You need one! Everyone does, its a fabulous model.

Dave Wilshere

Bit of a Vampire weekend, there were four DJ Vampires at CJ63 on Friday but I was too busy to get them together! Had the pleasure of test flying another in the guise of Mark B's example powered by a P-100RX turbine and driven by JR 28X. Faultless build by Steve Howe I did not at a peep of trim!
Rob Westwater had his Swiss Target drone version out (P-100RX also) and there was the thread starter with a P-120SX and John Hartley's P-100RX version. All the later models are lighter than mine!
We had a club BBQ today so I took my Vampire along to please the "extra mature" members who remember the Vampire and in some cases worked on them as Hatfield DH is very close by.
Thanks to Dave Bugz for grabbing my camera and shooting some shots.