squirrly

My Feedback: (3)

Way to go Rob! Sounds like a great day!! What pitch prop was on her? Not the 3 blade...we'd see pics of that for sure. By the way I'm one of those guys that likes to run smoke(on certain planes of course, mostly scale) and I ALWAYS try to install the largest smoke tank allowable by both the given space and my preferred CG...a little nose heavy. Reason being is, whenever I put on a little smoke show people love to see a good run( at least 8-10 min) and I also like to see a long thick smoke trail. It looks sooo cool!! I set it up to one of the switches( usually Gear rather than Throttle Mixing) and adjust the oil flow by way of the Servo Travel function. You guy's know. This way no matter what maneuver I perform the smoke stays nice and thick. It won't peaterout as when mixing and throttling back like in a dive. When it does start to puff a tittle sporadic you know you are out of oil. Lastly, when flying without smoke (tank empty) you can't feel the weight of the larger tank. So go big and put on a COOL SHOW!!

Jeff

squirrly

My Feedback: (3)

Double post...

mrdhud

My Feedback: (48)

sorry i missed that

John_M_

LoL... I'll steal a quote form you Ace "no video or pictures, it didn't happen!" ... I just couldn't resist

Only 74 mph, that's a fair lick for 50 lbs to be moving, I certainly wouldn't want to be hit by it ... as long as you have good vertical performance, forward speed isn't as important ( with that 170 you have all the vertical you need lol )... anyway, it sounds like the prop is a good match.



John M,

acerc

That go around was with a JC Super prop 33x14. The Fiala 3 blade got hung up at customs in Germany, but does show it hit the states this morning. I still don't thing I will get by tomorrow which is what it would take to have time to get it drilled, painted, and ready to go. As for the smoke, "Ditto"!

You will have plenty of opportunities to see it.

I think 70 is a good clip as well. I did not try going vertical but it had absolutely no problem pulling up into the loop. If I think about it tomorrow I will do a vertical climb just to see.

stevegauth30

Music to me ears.

John_M_

Well 1/2 scale airspeed would be 87.5 mph... 46% would be 80.5 mph... so I think you're right on the mark (scale wise)


John M,

acerc

And here I thought I was the only one anal enough to do math to see. Of which does not always equate out at scale. For instance at 46% scale weight should be around 330lbs. LOL!

John_M_

LoL.. anal is my middle name ... that's definitely one area, I don't think will ever work out scale wise... balsa would not be the building material for one, and you would need a bigger engine; not to mention the wing loading would be incredibly high.



John M,

acerc

I wish you could have been their to see the joy as it came out of the loops and the roll. Man! What a feeling, but everyone here knows what it feels like. And just wait until you are done with that lion you are working on, I'll hear your knee's roar from here.

acerc

Ok guys, as mentioned "No video no happened", here is a video of todays outing. There was good winds and out of the S/SW of which I really don't like flying in. But with this big of a bird I figured it could handle it, and handle it it did. The first approach for landing was a bit to fast so I went around, when I throttled back up to around half throttle the engine was telling me it needed a better tune on the bottom end of which I will get to. This time around the approach was better, the cross wind was creating quite a crabbing approach, but when close enough I straightened it out and put it down on the mains. The tail wheel is still sloshy and after hashing it over with some guys at the field I have an idea on the fix, more on that later.
Another good flight in the books!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc_ysIPVOWE

Melchizedek

Nice flight Rober, the smoke was fantastic. Suits this plan well

Kevin

stevegauth30

Looks like your finding your comfort level. Have you spun it yet? Smoke looks great. Is it on a throttle mix or switch driven? I prefer on a switch so I get thick smoke at lower throttle settings. Hopefully we'll see another video once you can really bang the sticks. Getting there.

acerc

Thanks, Kevin and Steve.
Actually Steve yesterdays flight started the "being comfortable" with it. Today I was not nervous at all, which is unusual for me. Also today was the last of testing things out, I know what I want to do and what I need to do. When I get back from Texas I will disassemble it, take it in the shop, and rework everything that I want to do. The flight after that will be the best of them all for the batteries will have been moved and the added weight removed. The tail wheel fixed for good, the temp sensor moved and fastened in a slightly better place. A small baffle on the one cylinder that runs warmer because I would like them to be balanced.

stevegauth30

Sounds like you got a good plan of action.

R/C Art

My Feedback: (38)

Robert

That seemed like it went rather quick - getting it adjusted and dialed in enough to get a good comfort level going.

Kudos!

Once I know a new one of mine flies and is somewhat predictable then I feel pretty comfortable. The dialing in and fine tuning of balance, trim and control surface deflections - now that is what takes me a long time to get accomplished. I have been known to fly a model a season or two before it actually flies the way I want it to.
Mostly because I am having too much fun just flying it.....but when it does get close to where I like it to be, well then that is when the magic happens. Is there any better hobby than ours? I don't think so!

Cheers,
Art

The smoke is awsome Dude!

John_M_

Show center smoke on !!, Wow very nice Ace... she sounds like a Harley taxiing , just luv that valach 170 .

Jacquie is going to be so excited when she sees that in person.


***EDIT***

You know she weighs something when she lands; she makes quite the thud on touch down.


John M

acerc

Thanks Art. And you are correct in it takes time to really dial them in and I am a short distance from that point.

Thanks John. As it currently sits it is still very tail heavy, just balanced with lead. Once I get the batteries moved forward and the 2lbs of lead out of the airframe it will fly like a different bird.
Some may not understand the idea of still being tail heavy but balanced at the same time, for those I would be glad to explain it a little.

stevegauth30

I think i get what your getting at, but ill take the explanation anyway, just to be sure.

acerc

The plane has been balanced for flight, flight being 50-70mph. As it slows down the lift generated at the tail becomes less and is overcome by the weight of the tail long before the wings are at the same point of loss. If you pay close attention in the last video where I powered up in an aborted landing, the plane climbed. This climbing was not due to me pulling up on the elevator but rather the weight of the tail with the lack of sufficient airspeed. Thus it is tail heavy even though balanced, it is balanced for 50-70 not 30-40, this is why one is best suited being nose heavy. If it were say a tad nose heavy instead of this self induced climb it would remain level until I made it climb.

Melchizedek

Robert,
Is the tank on the Red Eagle over CG ?

Reason I ask is, if you balance a plan with empty tank and tank is slightly in front of cg this makes it nose heavy unless tank is ran dry.

Does this agree with your method ?

Kevin

Hinckley Bill

My Feedback: (569)

When you say biplane smoke should be the next word out of your mouth......your flight proves my point.

What an awesome plane Robert...looking forward to more vids of this bad boy

acerc

All my tanks are centered on the C of G. For the very reason you speak of.

Thank you Bill. And you are absolutely correct, a Pitts without smoke is like a Vette with a Yugo engine.

John_M_

Well, the pitts doesn't have a lifting horizontal stab, so I don't see how the tail becomes heaver as the airspeed slows... my understanding is, the "center of lift" on the lower wing is aft of the center of gravity, while the center of lift on the top wing is somewhere close to the center of gravity... when lift diminishes the aircraft will loose altitude.

But I can see if the aircraft was slightly tail heavy on the center of gravity to begin with, then as the airspeed slows and lift drops off, the weight transfers aft, because the center of lift rotates on the center of gravity... somewhat acting like a fulcrum; the more nose heavy the aircraft is, the longer the moment arm, or relationship between the center of lift and center of gravity is, making the aircraft more stable and less sensitive to pitch... the more tail heavy the aircraft is, the closer the moment arm, or relationship between the center of lift and center of gravity is, the more unstable and sensitive the aircraft becomes to pitch.

The center of gravity can't change as it is set by the weight placement, but the amount of lift does change with airspeed, that's why a tail heavy aircraft is more controllable at higher airspeeds, but becomes unstable at slower airspeeds.

I think we're on the same page though if I'm understanding it correctly.



John M,

stevegauth30

gotcha. thanks.