Macchi 205 : Veltro [98" WS]
10-13-2014, 07:38 PM
#51
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Hey congrats on all accounts: maiden, piloting her back with cracked fin, and cool looks!
And I love your flight report, very colourful
Now, I have to get mine finished soon ...
And I love your flight report, very colourful
Now, I have to get mine finished soon ...
11-04-2014, 07:01 PM
#52
OK - "maintainance" complete . . . Well, this brings a new meaning to that word now. More like "Rebuild" complete.
Finally got all the formers back in position and glued them. Funny, was having a hard time getting both sides to line up equally ? Hmmm. Then, I took a mirror and took a good look at the formers that didn't come loose.. and guess what? They don't really fit to the side of the fuse.
One side is pretty well attached, but the other side - not so much. I figure they built the fuse in 2 halves, installed the formers on the one half, then "glued" the other half on. Except - the formers don't really reach the other half of the fuse! Oops. Dammit, spending WAY too much time fixing the poor manufacturing issues on this "ARF". Will not be buying one of these ever again .....
So - how to fix? My buddy Jack and I finally got the formers tack glued with CA in place. Then we cut some "shims" from tapered balsa to fill in the gap to the side that does not fit. Add Gorilla glue, which expands with water.. and it filled in most of the gaps and actually bonded the fuse together.
Crazy dam Chinese ARF.
Anyway, now I have inspected all the glue joints and fixed them.. it's ready to go, again. Of course, the paint or gel coat is chipping very easily.. it's a bit too thick and brittle. At this point, I don't care.. just want to fly. Have other "real" projects waiting in the wings...
Takiing it to a fly in this weekend - we'll see what else decides to fall off, comes loose, or fails this time! Report to follow next week -
Good Day !
Finally got all the formers back in position and glued them. Funny, was having a hard time getting both sides to line up equally ? Hmmm. Then, I took a mirror and took a good look at the formers that didn't come loose.. and guess what? They don't really fit to the side of the fuse.
One side is pretty well attached, but the other side - not so much. I figure they built the fuse in 2 halves, installed the formers on the one half, then "glued" the other half on. Except - the formers don't really reach the other half of the fuse! Oops. Dammit, spending WAY too much time fixing the poor manufacturing issues on this "ARF". Will not be buying one of these ever again .....
So - how to fix? My buddy Jack and I finally got the formers tack glued with CA in place. Then we cut some "shims" from tapered balsa to fill in the gap to the side that does not fit. Add Gorilla glue, which expands with water.. and it filled in most of the gaps and actually bonded the fuse together.
Crazy dam Chinese ARF.
Anyway, now I have inspected all the glue joints and fixed them.. it's ready to go, again. Of course, the paint or gel coat is chipping very easily.. it's a bit too thick and brittle. At this point, I don't care.. just want to fly. Have other "real" projects waiting in the wings...
Takiing it to a fly in this weekend - we'll see what else decides to fall off, comes loose, or fails this time! Report to follow next week -
Good Day !
11-05-2014, 07:33 PM
#54
Now we will see how this airframe holds up after all my work, eh?
I see Mr Vech is working on a Macchi project. When, and if, he decides to sell the plans and parts, I am so going to build a proper Macchi. Now THAT is something to look foward to, and worth the time!
Off to bed - leaving at 5 am for a 700 mile drive to a fly in tomorrow . . . damage report next week. LOL
01-27-2015, 05:38 PM
#56
And . . .
I am a bit behind in reporting on an update on this "on-going" project. We drove down to the Gathering of Eagles" fly in last Nov. That is a bit north of Atlanta. That is the last time this plane was in the air... We had a great time, and the Macchi was a crowd pleaser... it did make the SKS video for the event.
BUT - here we go, again, with the maintenance issues.. lol.
So, day 1: get all my planes together, and many folks stopping by to look the Macchi over.
Lots of comments on it's looks, and how it is unique. Cool.
Take off on flight one.... SKS video is rolling. No problem! lifts off, retracts work.. and Oops.. what was that ?? Something flew off the plane. Hmm. Now, I immediately do a control check... seems everything is working? Make a few slower passes, cannot see what departed the airframe?? Hmm. Slowly increase throttle while keeping the plane away from the flightline. Want to be safe, just in case!
However, it is flying normally? All is good. Maybe it was a gear door... can't tell. So - continue flying.. all seems fine. About 3/4 way through the flight, I am doing some slow passes, and I notice the tail is wagging, but only at slow speed. Strange, I fixed the issue on rudder flutter from before? [ So I thought anyway]. At high speed, tracks great.
Continue flying.... drop gear, set up for landing... video rolling of course! lol
Plane is wagging, but get her down OK - and notice, as it rolls by, the rudder is broken off. After shut down, I inspect the tail - seems the hinges all failed.. these are Robart China knock-offs. Turns out the pull-pull cables held the rudder in place mostly. I suspect, during the last flutter incident, they were failing.. oops.
And what fell off? the carb intake on the cowl.. Walked the field for an hour, and found it! Glue that back on... OK, static display for the next 2 days.. Then: One of the jet guys is pitted next to me.. we chat.. he says: I have Robart hinges, a drill, and some epoxy, want to fix it? I of course take him up on his offer. Spent about and hour drilling out and removing the old hinge points and glue the Robarts in. Of course, manage to twist the pull-pull cables up in the process. Ugh. Get a bit frustrated with the whole thing.. my flying buddy John says : walk away, I will fix it. I did, and he got it ready. Thank you John!
Fly the Mustang, fly the FW 190... then back to the Macchi on day 2. Second flight is great.. of course NO video running this time.... haha. However, one of the China gear will not come down when it's time to land.. try every trick in the book to help it - to no avail.
Set up for landing on the grass .. set it down on one gear.. hold the wing up until it's almost stopped... slide home ... safe!
Zero marks or damage. Notice the pilot has come loose.. always something with this plane. Decide at that point, I have had enough of this thing for now.. and put it aside for the rest of the weekend. have other good planes to fly and enjoy.
Have decided to order some Robart 635s and new struts. The will bolt right in basically. Looks like the China knock-offs are based on 635s. Had to cut canopy off and re-glue pilot.. and add some more supports for the cowl. It has weight glued on it out front and is elongating the mounting holes. Also want to add another wing hold down bolt.. not happy with the set up they have.
And that's it .. until the summer anyway! Bitter cold here, building and repair season! Stay warm folks !!
I am a bit behind in reporting on an update on this "on-going" project. We drove down to the Gathering of Eagles" fly in last Nov. That is a bit north of Atlanta. That is the last time this plane was in the air... We had a great time, and the Macchi was a crowd pleaser... it did make the SKS video for the event.
BUT - here we go, again, with the maintenance issues.. lol.
So, day 1: get all my planes together, and many folks stopping by to look the Macchi over.
Lots of comments on it's looks, and how it is unique. Cool.
Take off on flight one.... SKS video is rolling. No problem! lifts off, retracts work.. and Oops.. what was that ?? Something flew off the plane. Hmm. Now, I immediately do a control check... seems everything is working? Make a few slower passes, cannot see what departed the airframe?? Hmm. Slowly increase throttle while keeping the plane away from the flightline. Want to be safe, just in case!
However, it is flying normally? All is good. Maybe it was a gear door... can't tell. So - continue flying.. all seems fine. About 3/4 way through the flight, I am doing some slow passes, and I notice the tail is wagging, but only at slow speed. Strange, I fixed the issue on rudder flutter from before? [ So I thought anyway]. At high speed, tracks great.
Continue flying.... drop gear, set up for landing... video rolling of course! lol
Plane is wagging, but get her down OK - and notice, as it rolls by, the rudder is broken off. After shut down, I inspect the tail - seems the hinges all failed.. these are Robart China knock-offs. Turns out the pull-pull cables held the rudder in place mostly. I suspect, during the last flutter incident, they were failing.. oops.
And what fell off? the carb intake on the cowl.. Walked the field for an hour, and found it! Glue that back on... OK, static display for the next 2 days.. Then: One of the jet guys is pitted next to me.. we chat.. he says: I have Robart hinges, a drill, and some epoxy, want to fix it? I of course take him up on his offer. Spent about and hour drilling out and removing the old hinge points and glue the Robarts in. Of course, manage to twist the pull-pull cables up in the process. Ugh. Get a bit frustrated with the whole thing.. my flying buddy John says : walk away, I will fix it. I did, and he got it ready. Thank you John!
Fly the Mustang, fly the FW 190... then back to the Macchi on day 2. Second flight is great.. of course NO video running this time.... haha. However, one of the China gear will not come down when it's time to land.. try every trick in the book to help it - to no avail.
Set up for landing on the grass .. set it down on one gear.. hold the wing up until it's almost stopped... slide home ... safe!
Zero marks or damage. Notice the pilot has come loose.. always something with this plane. Decide at that point, I have had enough of this thing for now.. and put it aside for the rest of the weekend. have other good planes to fly and enjoy.
Have decided to order some Robart 635s and new struts. The will bolt right in basically. Looks like the China knock-offs are based on 635s. Had to cut canopy off and re-glue pilot.. and add some more supports for the cowl. It has weight glued on it out front and is elongating the mounting holes. Also want to add another wing hold down bolt.. not happy with the set up they have.
And that's it .. until the summer anyway! Bitter cold here, building and repair season! Stay warm folks !!
Last edited by IFLYRC-RCU; 01-27-2015 at 05:45 PM.
04-13-2015, 06:20 PM
#58
Picked up some 635 Robart gear and struts for the landing gear upgrade while at Toledo... Will have to redo the mounts a bit, and some gear door work, but not too bad. First Warbirds and Classics fly in is coming soon.
Funny, I see a Macchi on display at Toledo show? Suddenly seems to be a few popping up here and there ?
So much for being "different" .. lol Now I am a bit embarrassed by my very "semi-scale" 205 - looking at some of the other work on the various sites.
I hope Chad V offers a 202 kit sooner rather than later so I can build a Macchi that has a scale outline. When Chad, when ?? I am ready!
Funny, I see a Macchi on display at Toledo show? Suddenly seems to be a few popping up here and there ?
So much for being "different" .. lol Now I am a bit embarrassed by my very "semi-scale" 205 - looking at some of the other work on the various sites.
I hope Chad V offers a 202 kit sooner rather than later so I can build a Macchi that has a scale outline. When Chad, when ?? I am ready!
04-14-2015, 11:49 AM
#59
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Davison, MI
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Hi IFLYRC-RCU,
Mark your calender for June 13th and join us at PMAC for a evening of flying at our Warbird Festival !!
I'm finishing up a 60 sized Fiat G-55 and another Club Member is finishing a Reggaine 2005. So the Italians will be out in force this year.
I will be creating ads, flyers, and other info for our event once Tax day is done but thought you might enjoy the event and wanted to let you know early.
Our event is a little different this year, since we are running it from 4pm to 9pm in the evening. Our field was laid out with evening flying in mind and it really shines at that time of day. The sun is behind you, the winds die down, and it's just a great time to fly.
You can see the videos from past events, the Event Flyer, Maps and other info at the www.pmac.us web site. Look on the multimedia page and the Warbird page.
If that date doesn't work, Please keep us in mind for some flying any Tuesday evening all summer long. We really enjoy having guests join us in flying warbirds.
We fly warbirds every Tuesday till dark and it's not uncommon to have 6-8 grouped in formation for several flights every Tuesday.
If I know your coming, we'll set up the PA with WWII music, News Feeds, and Movie Theme Music playing in the background. We just look for an excuse to set things up and enjoy the evening.
Thanks for a great thread and I hope to see you soon.
Joe
Mark your calender for June 13th and join us at PMAC for a evening of flying at our Warbird Festival !!
I'm finishing up a 60 sized Fiat G-55 and another Club Member is finishing a Reggaine 2005. So the Italians will be out in force this year.
I will be creating ads, flyers, and other info for our event once Tax day is done but thought you might enjoy the event and wanted to let you know early.
Our event is a little different this year, since we are running it from 4pm to 9pm in the evening. Our field was laid out with evening flying in mind and it really shines at that time of day. The sun is behind you, the winds die down, and it's just a great time to fly.
You can see the videos from past events, the Event Flyer, Maps and other info at the www.pmac.us web site. Look on the multimedia page and the Warbird page.
If that date doesn't work, Please keep us in mind for some flying any Tuesday evening all summer long. We really enjoy having guests join us in flying warbirds.
We fly warbirds every Tuesday till dark and it's not uncommon to have 6-8 grouped in formation for several flights every Tuesday.
If I know your coming, we'll set up the PA with WWII music, News Feeds, and Movie Theme Music playing in the background. We just look for an excuse to set things up and enjoy the evening.
Thanks for a great thread and I hope to see you soon.
Joe
Last edited by Joespeeder; 04-14-2015 at 11:52 AM.
08-18-2015, 01:12 AM
#60
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Well, after a year and a half with this bird, I finally maidened her this past weekend. Once I got her trimmed in, she flew great although I could use some more speed out of the G62 swinging a 22 x 8 prop.
She lands like a dream and I got two good flights and picture perfect landings out of her. Looking forward to taking her up again.
She lands like a dream and I got two good flights and picture perfect landings out of her. Looking forward to taking her up again.
Last edited by miklos; 08-18-2015 at 01:14 AM.
08-18-2015, 03:37 PM
#61
Well, after a year and a half with this bird, I finally maidened her this past weekend. Once I got her trimmed in, she flew great although I could use some more speed out of the G62 swinging a 22 x 8 prop.
She lands like a dream and I got two good flights and picture perfect landings out of her. Looking forward to taking her up again.
She lands like a dream and I got two good flights and picture perfect landings out of her. Looking forward to taking her up again.
It does fly well.. keep an eye on the formers inside if you didn't already add some glue..
I have flown mine many times now . . . put a 24x12 3 blade prop on to slow it down a bit. Didn't really help! plan to attend Indiana Warbird fly in next with it..
10-05-2021, 01:45 PM
#62
Long term report ..
The Macchi is still flying... Many flights. Some video here from this year at 25:40
Still looks good, but always worried about the durability.. Sooo.. It has earned the right to be improved.
Have stripped the wings to glass them. They need some better strength.
It has way too much power, so a few more lbs wont hurt.
Will also glue the stabs on full time.. pretty small, and they vibrate - don't need any more shake-n-bake wear on them!
Also plan to make the flaps as a split flap like it should have been from day one.
NOTE: If you ever build an Easy tiger model.. do NOT use the knock off Robart hinges.. They wear out and fail. Ugh. Need to rehinge as well now.
Question: Is anybody distributing parts for these by any chance?
One of the oil coolers fell off and I need a replacement. I have heard another company picked these up?
Bueller ?? Bueller ???
The Macchi is still flying... Many flights. Some video here from this year at 25:40
Still looks good, but always worried about the durability.. Sooo.. It has earned the right to be improved.
Have stripped the wings to glass them. They need some better strength.
It has way too much power, so a few more lbs wont hurt.
Will also glue the stabs on full time.. pretty small, and they vibrate - don't need any more shake-n-bake wear on them!
Also plan to make the flaps as a split flap like it should have been from day one.
NOTE: If you ever build an Easy tiger model.. do NOT use the knock off Robart hinges.. They wear out and fail. Ugh. Need to rehinge as well now.
Question: Is anybody distributing parts for these by any chance?
One of the oil coolers fell off and I need a replacement. I have heard another company picked these up?
Bueller ?? Bueller ???
