The Pilot's Fei Bao SU-27 Build *** Flight *** Report
12-17-2008, 12:29 AM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
Finished up the fuel systems. Working with JetTech, I found a couple of stock tanks at about 25 ounces each to increase fuel capacity to 90 ounces a side. I built small mounting platforms for the UATs and they dropped into the fuse on either side of the nose gear.
I was a little concerned about 6 pounds of fuel weight 9 inches in front of the CG, but my calculations show the CG will only shift about 1/2 inch during the flight.
I was a little concerned about 6 pounds of fuel weight 9 inches in front of the CG, but my calculations show the CG will only shift about 1/2 inch during the flight.
12-17-2008, 12:42 AM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
The two Rabbits just dropped into place like the kit was designed around them. All that was required was a little shim on the front mounting bolt to align with the pipe angle. The pipe was a perfect fit in the formers and exhaust cones. I haven't screwed it into the mounting plate in this photo ... that is tomorrow night.
I did make a heat shield for the stab servos to give them a little added protection from the temps in the rear fuse.
The turbine electronics are next ... the pump and valves will fit into the space between the tanks and the landing gear in the fuse, and the plan is to velcro the ECU's to the top of the tank so they are accessible. While the space in this plane isn't cavernous, there is a comfortable spot for everything.
If I am not interrupted, the plane should be ready to fire up this Saturday. Test flight in the next couple of weeks.
I did make a heat shield for the stab servos to give them a little added protection from the temps in the rear fuse.
The turbine electronics are next ... the pump and valves will fit into the space between the tanks and the landing gear in the fuse, and the plan is to velcro the ECU's to the top of the tank so they are accessible. While the space in this plane isn't cavernous, there is a comfortable spot for everything.
If I am not interrupted, the plane should be ready to fire up this Saturday. Test flight in the next couple of weeks.
12-19-2008, 07:20 AM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
I have another SU27 in 1/9. These is constructed by Harald Huf. I use two JetCatP60. Weight is about 17kg with 3 litres fuel and flies fanstastic!
Andy
Andy
12-20-2008, 07:50 AM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
ORIGINAL: Andy Scholl
I have another SU27 in 1/9. These is constructed by Harald Huf. I use two JetCatP60. Weight is about 17kg with 3 litres fuel and flies fanstastic!
Andy
I have another SU27 in 1/9. These is constructed by Harald Huf. I use two JetCatP60. Weight is about 17kg with 3 litres fuel and flies fanstastic!
Andy
12-21-2008, 07:13 AM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
ORIGINAL: pilott28
Andy, where is the CG on the Huf version?
ORIGINAL: Andy Scholl
I have another SU27 in 1/9. These is constructed by Harald Huf. I use two JetCatP60. Weight is about 17kg with 3 litres fuel and flies fanstastic!
Andy
I have another SU27 in 1/9. These is constructed by Harald Huf. I use two JetCatP60. Weight is about 17kg with 3 litres fuel and flies fanstastic!
Andy
12-23-2008, 11:39 PM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
The twin engine installation. The valves and pumps are mounted to a small board and velcroed into the wing root adjacent the main tanks. The ECU batteries are also in the wing root, just ahead of the component board. The ECUs fit perfectly underneat the hatch, velcroed to the aft main tank.
12-23-2008, 11:45 PM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
Here it is the finished project. Filled and drained both fuel systems ... no leaks. Engines fired up perfecftly the first time around. Can't tell you how neat it is to hear the twins running. With the straight through intakes and exhaust, they are very strong ... the plane should be an excellent performer.
Still planning the test flight in the near future. I will have final weight posted in the next day or two as I complete the Weight and Balance exercise.
Still planning the test flight in the near future. I will have final weight posted in the next day or two as I complete the Weight and Balance exercise.
12-28-2008, 08:12 PM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
Finished up the build and got the test flight in this weekend. Here are the stats:
All up weight less fuel was 38 pounds, a couple less than I anticipated. The savings came from the fact that the SU-27 needed no ballast weight to hit the CG ... with the batteries in the nose it came out right on the projected CG. With the Rabbits at 19 pounds each, thrust to weight was 1 to 1 exactly.
Fuel load was 2.6 liters usable per side, or just shy of 90 ounces. I haven't computed the fuel burn yet, but in the Bobcat, the Rabbit consumes 7-8 ounces a minute so even with a margin for saftely flight times should be reasonable. The final fuel and electronics install is shown below. With the fuel weight right at 10 pounds, total takeoff weight was 48 pounds ... a very legal twin.
As you would expect, flight performance was excellent at this thrust to weight ratio. The Flanker rotated nicely at about 300 feet with a gradual increase in the throttles. I flew most of the flight at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle, even with the gear down. Rates were set on the high side for safety, but even so, the plane was very stable in the air. Flaps produced a marked pitch down, corrected by trim. Despite the fact that they sit just inches in front of the taileons, they didn't blank out elevator authority. The 27 did seem a bit less stable in roll, possibly from the windy conditions or possibly from the disturbed air from the flaps ... in any case, I decided to do a flap up landing and will experiment further next flight. Just not enough time on the trial run.
Landing was very predictable, much like any other heavy scale aircraft. Reminds me a bit of the F4. Even without flaps, it slowed down nicely. Despite the gusty conditions, there was no bouncing tendency.
The Rabbits performed flawlessly. They have a unique whine that is really accentuated with the twins .... amazing sound.
We had a number of small things to adjust and the winds were getting to uncomfortable levels, so we took our success home with us. My thanks to Steve Burnett for his able job of spotting and talking me through the test flight.
I have submitted my final report to Wagner ... my understanding is that it will go to Fei Bao and they will consider my recommended changes and start production in the near future. I will hopefully have some video to post in the near future as well.
All up weight less fuel was 38 pounds, a couple less than I anticipated. The savings came from the fact that the SU-27 needed no ballast weight to hit the CG ... with the batteries in the nose it came out right on the projected CG. With the Rabbits at 19 pounds each, thrust to weight was 1 to 1 exactly.
Fuel load was 2.6 liters usable per side, or just shy of 90 ounces. I haven't computed the fuel burn yet, but in the Bobcat, the Rabbit consumes 7-8 ounces a minute so even with a margin for saftely flight times should be reasonable. The final fuel and electronics install is shown below. With the fuel weight right at 10 pounds, total takeoff weight was 48 pounds ... a very legal twin.
As you would expect, flight performance was excellent at this thrust to weight ratio. The Flanker rotated nicely at about 300 feet with a gradual increase in the throttles. I flew most of the flight at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle, even with the gear down. Rates were set on the high side for safety, but even so, the plane was very stable in the air. Flaps produced a marked pitch down, corrected by trim. Despite the fact that they sit just inches in front of the taileons, they didn't blank out elevator authority. The 27 did seem a bit less stable in roll, possibly from the windy conditions or possibly from the disturbed air from the flaps ... in any case, I decided to do a flap up landing and will experiment further next flight. Just not enough time on the trial run.
Landing was very predictable, much like any other heavy scale aircraft. Reminds me a bit of the F4. Even without flaps, it slowed down nicely. Despite the gusty conditions, there was no bouncing tendency.
The Rabbits performed flawlessly. They have a unique whine that is really accentuated with the twins .... amazing sound.
We had a number of small things to adjust and the winds were getting to uncomfortable levels, so we took our success home with us. My thanks to Steve Burnett for his able job of spotting and talking me through the test flight.
I have submitted my final report to Wagner ... my understanding is that it will go to Fei Bao and they will consider my recommended changes and start production in the near future. I will hopefully have some video to post in the near future as well.
12-28-2008, 11:32 PM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
ORIGINAL: pilott28
Finished up the build and got the test flight in this weekend. Here are the stats:
All up weight less fuel was 38 pounds, a couple less than I anticipated. The savings came from the fact that the SU-27 needed no ballast weight to hit the CG ... with the batteries in the nose it came out right on the projected CG. With the Rabbits at 19 pounds each, thrust to weight was 1 to 1 exactly.
Fuel load was 2.6 liters usable per side, or just shy of 90 ounces. I haven't computed the fuel burn yet, but in the Bobcat, the Rabbit consumes 7-8 ounces a minute so even with a margin for saftely flight times should be reasonable. The final fuel and electronics install is shown below. With the fuel weight right at 10 pounds, total takeoff weight was 48 pounds ... a very legal twin.
As you would expect, flight performance was excellent at this thrust to weight ratio. The Flanker rotated nicely at about 300 feet with a gradual increase in the throttles. I flew most of the flight at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle, even with the gear down. Rates were set on the high side for safety, but even so, the plane was very stable in the air. Flaps produced a marked pitch down, corrected by trim. Despite the fact that they sit just inches in front of the taileons, they didn't blank out elevator authority. The 27 did seem a bit less stable in roll, possibly from the windy conditions or possibly from the disturbed air from the flaps ... in any case, I decided to do a flap up landing and will experiment further next flight. Just not enough time on the trial run.
Landing was very predictable, much like any other heavy scale aircraft. Reminds me a bit of the F4. Even without flaps, it slowed down nicely. Despite the gusty conditions, there was no bouncing tendency.
The Rabbits performed flawlessly. They have a unique whine that is really accentuated with the twins .... amazing sound.
We had a number of small things to adjust and the winds were getting to uncomfortable levels, so we took our success home with us. My thanks to Steve Burnett for his able job of spotting and talking me through the test flight.
I have submitted my final report to Wagner ... my understanding is that it will go to Fei Bao and they will consider my recommended changes and start production in the near future. I will hopefully have some video to post in the near future as well.
Finished up the build and got the test flight in this weekend. Here are the stats:
All up weight less fuel was 38 pounds, a couple less than I anticipated. The savings came from the fact that the SU-27 needed no ballast weight to hit the CG ... with the batteries in the nose it came out right on the projected CG. With the Rabbits at 19 pounds each, thrust to weight was 1 to 1 exactly.
Fuel load was 2.6 liters usable per side, or just shy of 90 ounces. I haven't computed the fuel burn yet, but in the Bobcat, the Rabbit consumes 7-8 ounces a minute so even with a margin for saftely flight times should be reasonable. The final fuel and electronics install is shown below. With the fuel weight right at 10 pounds, total takeoff weight was 48 pounds ... a very legal twin.
As you would expect, flight performance was excellent at this thrust to weight ratio. The Flanker rotated nicely at about 300 feet with a gradual increase in the throttles. I flew most of the flight at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle, even with the gear down. Rates were set on the high side for safety, but even so, the plane was very stable in the air. Flaps produced a marked pitch down, corrected by trim. Despite the fact that they sit just inches in front of the taileons, they didn't blank out elevator authority. The 27 did seem a bit less stable in roll, possibly from the windy conditions or possibly from the disturbed air from the flaps ... in any case, I decided to do a flap up landing and will experiment further next flight. Just not enough time on the trial run.
Landing was very predictable, much like any other heavy scale aircraft. Reminds me a bit of the F4. Even without flaps, it slowed down nicely. Despite the gusty conditions, there was no bouncing tendency.
The Rabbits performed flawlessly. They have a unique whine that is really accentuated with the twins .... amazing sound.
We had a number of small things to adjust and the winds were getting to uncomfortable levels, so we took our success home with us. My thanks to Steve Burnett for his able job of spotting and talking me through the test flight.
I have submitted my final report to Wagner ... my understanding is that it will go to Fei Bao and they will consider my recommended changes and start production in the near future. I will hopefully have some video to post in the near future as well.
There are more than afew companies that would be very wise to follow this procedure.
Thanks for this great post on this product.
12-29-2008, 12:01 AM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
I have done a couple of planes for them, and to Fei Bao's credit, they have made many of the structural changes I have suggested. The SU27 has some nice things in the prototype that are a step up in quality ... much stronger bearing boxes, dual carbon fiber spars for the wings with heavy duty mounts, upgraded hinges, much nicer landing gear mounts, a better and thicker grade of ply and from what I can see, more consistent glue work. The servos were drop in's without the need for cutting larger openings. Even the tricky 3301's for the rudders fit nicely into place. The struts and wheels are also very nice ... in heavy kits like this you often find inadequate strut springs but these were sized nicely. The fit of parts was good and the plane was super simple to assemble. I had it built in under four weeks, start to finish.
There are some additional things I have suggested to them as a next set of improvements, and only time will tell if these changes are incorporated. I suspect the more consistent the input they get, the more likely they are to make changes. I would always suggest you give Wagner a call and discuss your thoughts with him ... he is good at taking them back overseas.
There are some additional things I have suggested to them as a next set of improvements, and only time will tell if these changes are incorporated. I suspect the more consistent the input they get, the more likely they are to make changes. I would always suggest you give Wagner a call and discuss your thoughts with him ... he is good at taking them back overseas.
12-29-2008, 04:33 AM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
Keith
Well done with the first flight and thanks for sharing the info with us. Can you confirm how the fins are fitted. I take it they are removable after flying for transport? Also are you removing the stabs for transport?
John
Well done with the first flight and thanks for sharing the info with us. Can you confirm how the fins are fitted. I take it they are removable after flying for transport? Also are you removing the stabs for transport?
John
12-29-2008, 07:35 AM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
ORIGINAL: Jgwright
Keith
Well done with the first flight and thanks for sharing the info with us. Can you confirm how the fins are fitted. I take it they are removable after flying for transport? Also are you removing the stabs for transport?
John
Keith
Well done with the first flight and thanks for sharing the info with us. Can you confirm how the fins are fitted. I take it they are removable after flying for transport? Also are you removing the stabs for transport?
John
I have a trailer, so I don't need to worry about transport. I would suspect this plane would not be much of a problem, though. Even in an SUV, with all three gear in the fuselage and the nose gear set so far back, it would sit on it's wheels and the very narrow and long nose would fit between the front seats. The tail stinger is also removable with two bolts.
Setup at the field is very quick ... connect one servo wire, push the wing in and tighten four cap head bolts. Takes a minute per wing.
12-29-2008, 08:43 AM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
Keith
Thanks for the info I cannot wait to get mine!
Looks like it will fit in the car with more than one model, which is important to me.
John
Thanks for the info I cannot wait to get mine!
Looks like it will fit in the car with more than one model, which is important to me.
John
12-30-2008, 11:27 PM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
ORIGINAL: Jgwright
Keith
Thanks for the info I cannot wait to get mine!
Looks like it will fit in the car with more than one model, which is important to me.
John
Keith
Thanks for the info I cannot wait to get mine!
Looks like it will fit in the car with more than one model, which is important to me.
John
12-31-2008, 06:17 PM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
ORIGINAL: AndyAndrews
Congrats!!!!! She is a beauty. And twin Rabbits! wow, so cool. This is a show piece and could be used as a poster for Jet Central.
Congrats!!!!! She is a beauty. And twin Rabbits! wow, so cool. This is a show piece and could be used as a poster for Jet Central.
This color scheme is a lot more visible in the air then I thought it would be .... it stands out very nicely.
01-01-2009, 07:20 PM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
Keith,
Congrads on the flight of the SU-27. I cannot wait to get mine in the coming weeks. What servos did you use for the elevator? Also, did you use the speed brake at all during your test flight? Hope, the weather is good for you on Saturday, cannot wait to hear more flight information.
Jason
Congrads on the flight of the SU-27. I cannot wait to get mine in the coming weeks. What servos did you use for the elevator? Also, did you use the speed brake at all during your test flight? Hope, the weather is good for you on Saturday, cannot wait to hear more flight information.
Jason
01-02-2009, 12:44 AM
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RE: FB SU-27 Build
I am normally a JR guy, but I purchased a pair of Airtronics 94780 at 423 oz of torque and am giving them a try.
I did not pop the speed brake ... not enough time on the first flight. Wanted to keep it short so spent most of the first flight on trim, testing CG, throws and approaches. Speed brake will come later.
I did not pop the speed brake ... not enough time on the first flight. Wanted to keep it short so spent most of the first flight on trim, testing CG, throws and approaches. Speed brake will come later.