CJ2002

Unless you've changed email addresses again, you're already on my 'list', Paul. Dunno about Jo though...let me have his email address and I'll add it.

Dick

jason

My Feedback: (1)

Mick, No its not the AGM meet, Chris Gregory will arrange that as usual. This is a aditional meet ive managed to arrange with the owner of long marston.

Dick, Yes if you could send details out that would be great. I will send you something soon.

Paul, I think you know what I mean about evening entertainment! and I have already warned Sara from Wren about what you get up to...

Back to the Bandito now,

I have received some of that twill weave cloth that Dick talks about in his recent article in RCJI and hope it will help me make a better tank I will keep the progress posted.

jason

GrayUK

E mail is as was, but have not got one from you.

P

jason

My Feedback: (1)

The inlets are now installed, because they have been cut down to accomodate the Wren 44 rarther than electric they ended up a bit smaller than the holes in the fus so if anyone else orders a Bandito then it would be a good idea to ask him not to cut the holes out in the fus. I had to fill mine with balsa and micro baloons which was not a hard job but it would have been better if the holes were cut by me to the right size. So now it's built I can say that I have spent as much time building this as I did a Super Bandit but thats mainly down to the bypass and the tanks (which are not done yet) Its off to the paint shop next week. I really cant wait till its flying.

heres a pic next to my Super Bandit for size comparison.
[img][/img]

GrayUK

This is magic!
Cant wait to see it airborn.
Get in touch before test flight.

Chris True

My Feedback: (14)

I fly one of these electric.

What is your fueled weight and estimated landing weight? I've flown mine as heavy as about 8.6 pounds. It handles OK as long as the power is there. Depending on how heavy you wind up you will want lots of flap deflection for landing. If you are interested, when you are ready for radio setup drop me a note, I'll measure exactly the degree flap and amount of elvator comp I have dialed in. The landing switch on my 8103 drops the flaps, puts a bunch of down elevator comp in and raises the ailerons slightly for a bit of extra washout. It flies the approach basically hands off, it is a well behave plane once everything is setup right! She is a bullet too.

jason

My Feedback: (1)

Im not too sure what the weight will be yet but I have built it as light as posserble. I have a concern on the live hinges on the tail have you had any issues?

jason

Chris True

My Feedback: (14)

No, not at all. It is kevlar I believe. My kit is one of the pre-retract gear kits. I retrofitted retracts and flaps later, both the elevators and the ailerons have the live hinges. No problems with either.

I've been flying it for two complete seasons. First year it was bungee launched/belly landed then last year I put the gear on it. I did rip an elevator half off the plane on landing just before I put the retracts in. I was landing in very deep grass faster than I should have and longer than normal. It touched not quite level and one stab half took it on the chin. So, now one stab half is not removable and has a piece of 5/32" music wire inside the carbon tube to regain the strength lost when the tube split.

jason

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks chris,

I am a bit concerned about mine as I can see gaps in mine when held up to the light so as it needs painting now it may get weaker when the gap is sanded to remove the paint. Also it would make them much more rigid if there was a false leading edge glued on the tailplane. I might just hack em off tonight and fit some robarts.

jason

Chris True

My Feedback: (14)

Hmm, there should not be any gaps other than the holes in the cloth weave of course.

You may have cut through the cloth in spots while making the small V on the top surface, or maybe there is some defect to begin with. If there are gaps other than the cloth weave then maybe Robarts would be a good thing. As for the false leading edge, you can sand a slight concave in there and fill with a stiff mixture of expoxy / microballoons. I haven't bothered, it's been rock solid. BUT, mine only goes maybe 140 out of a big dive. The Turbine has the potential to go much faster...

Chris True

My Feedback: (14)

Just in case you need some motivation

jason

My Feedback: (1)

They really do look a babe in the air dont they. I choped the elevators off and hinged them normally last night. I feel a lot better about them now especially when I seen easy the live hinge was cut by a ageing blade! Its nylon by the way. This made the stabs MUCH stiffer and also allowed me to reduce the cut outs for the torque rods in the fuss sides which looks a lot neater.


jason

GrayUK

come on Jason, get it airborn!

jason

My Feedback: (1)

OK Mr Gray.Its off for painting tomorrow so not long now.

jason

GrayUK

Give me a ring when you are going for it.

viper21

My Feedback: (9)

Wow Jason, what a cool idea I have an El Bandito that I am setting up with Tanic Lipos and the EDF. I cant imagine how fast yours will be Like Joe said it will be a rocket I look forward too reading about the test flight.
Viper

PS: Chris, nice shots of your EB.

Dave03B

Thanks for the info Jason,


Looks great!

Good luck!

Any updates?

jason

My Feedback: (1)

Dave,

nothing to report other than I ran the engine for the first time in the bypass the other night and it was perfect. I have a feeling the guy who is suposed to CNC me some moulds for the tanks may let me down so I will have to manualy make some which is not too hard as ive already done the plugs and they have been painted in two part paint.The airframe itself is at the painters and I will collect it Monday.

should be in the air in a couple of weeks maybe three with the work on the tanks.

jason

GrayUK

Get on with it!
We want to see it!

Gordon W

Here's my electric version.

I always found that mine landed rather hot on tarmac, even on full flap. Often I'd have the plane porpoising along the runway if I didn't get the attitude and speed spot-on at touchdown. No longer, however.

Recently I experimented with drooping the ailerons along with flap - full flap has the ailerons drooped 5mm at the inboard te. Now every landing is much slower and softer, so any bounce doesn't build up into a series of kangaroo hops.

As Chris commented above, a lot of down-trim is ususally needed when full flap is selected. However, drooping the ailerons along with flap introduces a nose-down couple, so that much less elevator down-trim is needed and the plane seems to me much nicer to handle down the glideslope as a result.

My El Bandito weighs around 8lb on 20 cells and the retracts are the Springair 600s.

Hope this helps

Gordon

Gordon W

Pics didn't show

viper21

My Feedback: (9)

Hi Gordon, its JJ I wanted to ask when you droop the ailerons on your El Bandito how is the roll control on final? Does it get mushy and slow at approach speed and flair speed? I am going to use the same idea because I will only be flying from a paved runway so I am curious. I just read your latest column and its fabulous I absolutely love Chris Wolfes F14 and Really want one of the other Chris's Vigilantes. Will there be any plans to kit the plane do you know? I also like the big Rafale it makes my Midi EJF Raf look like a toy is the one in your column the same in the construction article? I am ordering a set of plans.
Thanks Joe

Gordon W

Hi JJ

Roll control stays crisp, though I do switch to high aileron rate before lowering the flaps.

Re the Vigilante, no kit, but Traplet has the plan.

Gordon

Chris True

My Feedback: (14)

Not to take over the turbine thread but how many degrees flap are you using for full flap Gordon? I'll have to go measure mine now but just comparing the pics I think I may have quite a bit more flap than you do.

I use about 20 degrees for takeoff and double or more for landing. I flew at the beginning of January in Florida and made one approach with only takeoff flap - not much speed reduction and it was really slippery on final. I went around and realized my error and selected full flap this time - huge difference. From 1/2 way downwind at full throttle the plane quickly slows to landing speed on a fairly steep glideslope the whole way to touchdown. I'd even say if it wasn't on an 8 or more degree glideslope it would need a fair amount of power to sustain flight.

I do want to try the drooped ailerons soon! Sounds like another good refinement.

Gordon W

Hi Chris

The previous photo was of a take-off with no flap. What looks like a flap is the wing stiffener.

I did use the 20/40 flap angles originally but finally settled on 20deg take-off and 50deg landing. I fly exclusively from tarmac with frequent crosswinds, so need to get the landing speed slowed down as much as possible.

Aileron upset (spoileron) is really the province of the bungee/bellyflopper fliers who want to reduce the possibility of tipstall as they raise the nose of the plane for landing, and can't use flaps because they'd get wiped off. However, I never found that this setup reduced landing speed by enough on tarmac, but have been using aileron droop for landings for the past 24 years on strip aileron-equipped models. Many full-size jets especially those using tailerons, use full-span te flaps. So I decided to try it on the Bandito.

What I'm doing is essentially increasing the camber of the outboard wing slightly to generate more lift at a slower landing speed without looking for more drag, of which there's enough from the flaps. It's not my original idea, BTW. Professor Willi Messerschmitt employed coupled flap-aileron droop on the Bf 109, Bf110 and Me 210/410 Of course, he also used automatic slats to obviate tip-stall.

Here's an early flyby on 40deg flap.

Gordon