MHester

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Perry.....

bokuda

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Anyone know where I can get a cowl for the T2K/Tempest? Preferably TWO cowls.

Dave

macro-RCU

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Look for Rodney Tanner here at RCU

MHester

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You mean Gator is STILL out of stock?????

Well, hopefully I'll have something much better than a T2K or a Tempest available soon. I'm testing my tail off, so far so good. When it's ready I'll start a new thread.

Till then, good luck and good building.

-Mike

bokuda

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Last I knew Gator lost contact with their supplier for these and the supplier has the molds. I haven't had any luck getting them through Rodney either. (Rodney doesn't make them, someone else does.)

I may try to make them myself. It will be a learning experience!

MHester

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It's really not that hard Dave. It's time consuming and can get expensive. But not hard. I'm sure there's a cheap way of doing a one-off mold, but I just ain't wired like that. So when I make a mold, it's production level. And that gets expensive. I start out simple, but the A&P in me takes over and I just go nuts.

Get some polyurethane foam. Make a balsa backing and then just glue on the foam in a stack until it's bigger than the part. Then just sand it to rough shape. Apply resin and glass, and finish like normal. Paint it and wax the heck out of it. Then follow the instructions [link=http://www.cstsales.com/HTFiberglassMold.htm]here[/link] and it'll work out.

Here's a couple of quick snaps of my latest to give you an idea. If you have specific questions, ask in the composite forum here and guys like Mike James will hook you up.

-Mike

MHester

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WHOA that did NOT thumbnail!!!!!!!

Oh well, you get a good look at what I'm talking about

-Mike

macro-RCU

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Mike

can you post some OS 1.60 installation pic's?

it will be very helpful to me....

thank's in advance

MHester

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I'd be happy to oblige, except I just replaced the 160 with a 140RX and didn't take any pics of the previous installation []

However it's fairly straightforward, but you have to get creative in positioning the pump so the vent hole is down and the arrows point in the right direction. Also if you use a hyde mount, make sure to mount your main needle on the airplane, not the engine itself.

I couldn't get what I wanted out of the 160. It definitely has more power, but if I wanted to mess with an engine that much, I'd have bought a YS. Hehe.

So, time to rebalance and fly it again. On the bright side this plane is now under 10 lbs!!! And that's with retracts!!!

-Mike

rodney tanner

Roberto: Bob Pastorello has some good info. on the OS 160

[link]http://www.rcaerobats.net[/link]

Saludos

Dave: The supplier to my builder apparently has given up producing parts. Worse still, my builder has decided to get a real job and will not be building Wood Roaches anymore. Double bummer :-( Sorry to have kept you waiting around.

Actually, I am really only just starting to get with the Tempest and I have the Tem-Phoon as back up. Both are excellent airframes and I am in NO hurry to change. Knock on wood: baring disasters and the wrath of the Pattern gods, they should take me up to Masters in a year or so.

macro-RCU

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Thank's Rodney, I'll check

ata

Hy,

my plane is almost perfect, but it has a bad habit and I can't cure it. If I fly knife edge from right to the left, it is dead perfect, but if I fly it from left to the right it pulls to the belly (the plane is correctly trimmed, no CG problem). After 200m knife edge flying it turns about 20-30 degree. I made some templates to check wing and stab incidences, and everything seems right. I've checked the control throws too. Last I tryed to twist stab halves againist right to the left, and this partiallly cured the problem (200m -> 10 degree deviation, reverse direction is dead perfect). I twisted left stab LE up by 0,4 degree and right stab LE down by 0,4 degree. Other direction gave worse results, the problem was bigger. I can't understand what can be the problem, everything is straight and square.

Have anybody seen similar problem? Any suggestion?

MHester

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Atilla, I haven't seen a similar problem, as a matter of fact mine pitches slightly to the canopy in KE.

What you are describing, with it being good one way and pitching out the other, sounds like a function of thrust and fuselage shape. It's quite common for a plane to need some mix, and no matter how hard you try to get 2 to behave the same way, there are subtle differences, sometimes large differences.

A lot of things come into play with rudder coupling. Balance point, incidence, thrust, wing/stab shape and location, airfoil to some small extent, fuselage shape, weight....so it's a balance. If you've checked and seen that everything is straight, I'd first suggest some mix if your radio allows it. if not, You're going to have to try small changes, one at a time, until you find one that gives a good result.

There's nothing that can't be fixed or changed, sometimes it takes a while though. I'd love to hear what you come up with, because that's a new one on me.

-Mike

bokuda

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Mike: I'm working on the landing gear mount for the Tempest. I'm thinking of using your gear mounting method shown on your drawings.

Do the mount bolts go through the gear and the ply plates? Or do they just go through the ply plates and "pinch" the gear in place? If so, what prevents the gear from sliding out?

Are the spacers between the plates ply or balsa?

Thanks, Dave

ata

Hi Mike,

what do you think about too much right trust? If I set up too much right trust, then I need (I think) different rudder input for level KE flying in different directions. Could it be a reason?

How many right and down trust does your tempest have? I set up my plane wit 1° down and 3° right trust (needs for uplines), it's perfect except this KE habit.

MHester

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Dave, the bolts go through the top and bottom plates and through the gear itself, all of which is drilled and tapped for a 6/32 screw. I install them from the top down, and only use blind nuts inside the pipe tunnel where it's exposed. The outer bolts are just tapped straight through everything and tightened up. So far about 1500 flights and no failures of any kind, it's almost overkill. But you won't rip a gear out without taking half the fuse with it. The spacer plates are a/c ply, sanded to slip fit the gear. It should be snug and shouldn't wiggle much without bolts. Don't use anything less, it'll split. I know this for a fact.

Atilla, The thrust angles sound ok, mine is set up with 3 1/2 deg right and almost 2 degrees down. I would also ask what size prop you are using, as this also has a great effect on the slipstream. The only time I have ever seen the symptoms you describe was on a plane that had the vertical stab and rudder tilted to one side. I'm not suggesting yours is this way, but it's just one more thing to check. One thing about right thrust, if you set it to where vertical pulls are perfect, negative pushes will require a lot of rudder. It's all a balancing act.

-Mike

ata

Mike,

I use 16x8 APC on my engine, ~9100 rpm, 94% methanol 6%oil 0%nitromethane. Maybe I will try 16x10, but my enginee isn't so powerful like an OS140RX. Vertical pushes and pulls are the same, both perfect. Vertical stab and rudder is square, not tilted.

Attila

ata

Mike,

congratulations on your fourth place! It's time to move to masters, isn't it?

Attila

rodney tanner

Mike,
I´ll add my congrats too.
When do we get the full story?
Well done !!

Rodney

troyhm

Yep

I third that when do we get the full story. And furtermore I am sure would all love to see some more pics of that fabalous plane the Black Magic. I bet there is a few of us waiting egarly to build that one

Well Done

Troy

MHester

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Thanks guys, it was a lot of fun!!!

Full story hmm? Wind, heat and nerves. That just about covers it. First day the wind was dead cross and screaming. The next 2 days it was so hot I was actually seeing double on my last round. No kidding, I had to close one eye to fly.

Every question I had about this plane just got answered I think. It's pretty awesome. AC Glenn was in his own world, that was just destiny that he won. Scott pavlock flew his rear off and jumped to second with great rounds Wednesday. I was actually second going into the last day, and the Nats nerves and the heat got me. Actually I flew ok and pretty consistently, but others stepped it up and flew even better. The scores were unbelieveably tight going into the last day, mathematically any of 11 people could have won. The spread from 2nd through 9th was only about 60 points. Believe me, I am WAY happy to squeak out of there with 4th on my first attempt. Those guys can FLY!!!

I met some great people there. Everything you've ever heard about the Nats is absolutely true. At practice you think "ok no biggie, it's just another contest in the middle of a cornfield, walk in the park". Then you hear "You're on the clock" and it hits like a ton of bricks. NATIONALS!!!! Hehehe. Great fun, intense and humorous and competetive in a BIG way.

As for the plane, I'm now reconsidering a couple changes I was going to make. I'm now going to give it a slightly taller fuse at the tail, a fraction taller fin and leave it alone....it's fine. It's ME that needs work. When I let go it flew like a dream. Hard to fly straight with shaking hands. But I just watched a ton of video my wife took, and wow it looks good. It's a good enough plane to win the Nats easy; the pilot isn't ready for prime time yet

So, after a much needed rest, I'm going to get my butt in gear and get this thing available.

Thanks for the good words,
-Mike

sigk

Here are some pictures of my Tempest and Mike thank you so much for sharing your design. The new wing works so well, it just seems to do everything well, it is real joy to fly.
The plane weights 4.360 kg and could be made lighter with a carbon pipe and wing tube, but I don't think it is necessary since the MVVS turns a 17x12 prop 8000rpm on 5% fuel and vertical performance is very good.
My plane flies with a little elevator trim and does pull slightly to the canopy when in knife edge.
Right now there are two fuel tanks in the plane because I had to use a header tank since the MVVS carb did not work well with a Perry pump.
I plan to get a Perry carb for my engine and if it works well I can get rid of the header tank and the plane should be easier to trim with the tank on the CG

MHester

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That looks fantastic! And um....cold.....

You say yours pitches to the canopy on knife edge? What's your wing incidence set at? Just curious, most pitch slightly to the belly, and slightly to the canopy on down lines. Nothing that can't be mixed out though, and not as bad as most. I'll be interested in more info after a good deal of flight trimming!

And before I forget to the rest of you, the Black Magic project is coming right along. I have a few details to work out but be expecting a Black Magic thread within the next few weeks. I'll be building and documenting both IC and electric versions, as I have quite a few to build, with the electrics being first priority.

Cya and get 10s,
-Mike

Chris Moon

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Mike:
What are you going to use for electric power - Hacker -Axi - Plettenberg etc....? I think that I'm going to build an electric for next yr also. Good to meet both you and your wife at the NATS. Congrats on your finish!! I was just happy to make the top 10.

Chris

MHester

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Yep, great to meet you Chris [8D] I had a great time, and you were one of the people I was looking forward to meeting.

I was praying I would stay in the top 10, judging was odd to say the least. I hosed both avalanches and I'm lucky I didn't drop to 12th fast, but then everybody except AC was making a few mistakes here and there so it just worked out. Maybe next year I'll do better, who knows. But I will be there nonetheless!

I'm using the Plettenburg Xtra 30-10 (I think that's the correct nomenclature). This plane is ridiculously light so it should have power to spare. I am wondering how a 20-22" prop will affect the aerodynamics, but there's only one way to find out! Actually it makes it fly much better, but a couple of things get wierd, like holding power on the stall turns and gyroscopic precession becoming a little more pronounced. I don't think it will require any actual aerodynamic changes.

This is going to be fun!
-Mike