KMP Hurricane in detail
08-27-2004, 05:41 PM
#1
KMP Hurricane in detail
Finaly its here! the first thing I want to look at is the fuse. The glass is very thick and its weight struck me right away when I pulled it out of the box. It seamed to have good bulkhead support, the firewall being a better than light ply could even be a marine ply of atlease 1/4 in thick glued to the back of the glass fuse. The tail post is all of glass with some balsa at the hinge points right were it should be.
I'll continue to post pic's and comments as I go through the Kit. If you have questions let me here them and I'll try to answer them as I hit that area.
I'll continue to post pic's and comments as I go through the Kit. If you have questions let me here them and I'll try to answer them as I hit that area.
08-28-2004, 06:43 AM
#4
RE: KMP Hurricane in detail
Lets take a look at the retracts.
The body is a Century Jet type body. I noticed as I was assembling that the cam was not parallel to the frame sides. As soon as I realized this I checked the other thinking I had assembled something incorrectly but the other was the same. I found the reason for this to be the pivot hole was not drilled perpendicular to the body walls. It should have no affect on the unites to function correctly. The base is aluminum with a steel cam pivot and an oil lite bearing to distribute all the landing and rotating loads to the aluminum to reduce wear. With the cam pivot press fit into the cam I could not look at exactly how the oil lite bearing was mounted.
The strut in this case 3/16 in cold rolled steel (I’m sure it is metric but my calipers are in English). It is held in the cam by a split ring and set screws. The screw that tightens the split ring is close to a 4-40 and is moved with a 2.5mm Allen wrench. The set screws would thread into an 8-32 about four turns before they bind so again they are metric and a 2mm Allen wrench is used to move them. While two are provided only use one at a time, leaving the other hole empty because two will oppose each other and loosen up very quickly.
The cylinder simply unscrews from its base to expose the piston and spring. Everything was well oiled and the spring was chrome plated to prevent oxidation from wearing off the spring and ruining the pistons o-ring. Everything looks first rate here.
One of the problems all retracts that are cam and actuator is bind points during the actuation of the gear that are caused by the cam and follower alignment. Most retracts are set up so that the base of the cylinder can move a little to prevent this. These trap a peace of plastic between the retract base and the cylinder to provide that motion. Quit ingenious if it works.
The valve looks very nice, and well oiled. My picture shows the aluminum base with the brass plunger out.
The filler valve looks to be a check valve that has been threaded to allow it to be mounted through the skin of the model some where. Both ends have nipples. I already have two pump pigtails for all the air systems I have now and the last thing I want is a third so that will probably be replaced.
In conclusion they look very reasonable, and well thought out.
Joe Felice
The body is a Century Jet type body. I noticed as I was assembling that the cam was not parallel to the frame sides. As soon as I realized this I checked the other thinking I had assembled something incorrectly but the other was the same. I found the reason for this to be the pivot hole was not drilled perpendicular to the body walls. It should have no affect on the unites to function correctly. The base is aluminum with a steel cam pivot and an oil lite bearing to distribute all the landing and rotating loads to the aluminum to reduce wear. With the cam pivot press fit into the cam I could not look at exactly how the oil lite bearing was mounted.
The strut in this case 3/16 in cold rolled steel (I’m sure it is metric but my calipers are in English). It is held in the cam by a split ring and set screws. The screw that tightens the split ring is close to a 4-40 and is moved with a 2.5mm Allen wrench. The set screws would thread into an 8-32 about four turns before they bind so again they are metric and a 2mm Allen wrench is used to move them. While two are provided only use one at a time, leaving the other hole empty because two will oppose each other and loosen up very quickly.
The cylinder simply unscrews from its base to expose the piston and spring. Everything was well oiled and the spring was chrome plated to prevent oxidation from wearing off the spring and ruining the pistons o-ring. Everything looks first rate here.
One of the problems all retracts that are cam and actuator is bind points during the actuation of the gear that are caused by the cam and follower alignment. Most retracts are set up so that the base of the cylinder can move a little to prevent this. These trap a peace of plastic between the retract base and the cylinder to provide that motion. Quit ingenious if it works.
The valve looks very nice, and well oiled. My picture shows the aluminum base with the brass plunger out.
The filler valve looks to be a check valve that has been threaded to allow it to be mounted through the skin of the model some where. Both ends have nipples. I already have two pump pigtails for all the air systems I have now and the last thing I want is a third so that will probably be replaced.
In conclusion they look very reasonable, and well thought out.
Joe Felice
08-28-2004, 08:26 AM
#6
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RE: KMP Hurricane in detail
Great!! Keep reporting as you go. IF this turns out to be a really quality bird, I`d wager there`ll be more than a little interest. I know I am.
08-28-2004, 04:07 PM
#7
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RE: KMP Hurricane in detail
Hi Paladin,
just caught up with the thread, very interested in your review/thoughts of the Hurricane. I have ordered one myself, but it won"t be over here in the UK before December!!.......still I"ll be watching your every move with this plane
Cliff
just caught up with the thread, very interested in your review/thoughts of the Hurricane. I have ordered one myself, but it won"t be over here in the UK before December!!.......still I"ll be watching your every move with this plane
Cliff
08-29-2004, 01:07 AM
#9
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RE: KMP Hurricane in detail
That is a nice looking plane so far... And I promised myself that I wasn't going to get any more ARFs (cheap plastic, weak construction, etc.)[:@] Well, I may have to re-think that...
What would you fellows think of a Ryobi 31 cc gas engine in this bird? Too much? I have been wanting to get into gas engines, and you can get a converted Ryobi for under $200. Might fit well in that narrow cowl.
Keep the pics coming... I'm about half-way sold...
What would you fellows think of a Ryobi 31 cc gas engine in this bird? Too much? I have been wanting to get into gas engines, and you can get a converted Ryobi for under $200. Might fit well in that narrow cowl.
Keep the pics coming... I'm about half-way sold...
08-29-2004, 05:40 PM
#10
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RE: KMP Hurricane in detail
I wonder how much a set of nice air retracts would be if you had to buy them separate? The whole retract kit like the tank lines valves?
Keep the pics coming paladin
Keep the pics coming paladin
08-30-2004, 04:20 PM
#11
RE: KMP Hurricane in detail
More pictures, I’m trying to finish up a flying styro FW and ME and get test flights before NEAT. So we wont get to any building before then.
Rudder – Is built up with hard point and fabric covered with no hinge slots.
Hori. Stab – Comes with the elevators already hinged with EZ Hinges (I’ll probly use a knuckled hinge with one wire through all the hinges so those EZ’s will end up in my hinge drawer waiting for a .40 or smaller plane to come along). You will notice that one of the elevators is askew, the hinge causing this had its slots not cut across from each other (again not a problem because I’m using different hinges.
elevators - are built up with hard points, fabric covered, and hinged (two EZ hinges).
Hori. Stab – Is fully sheeted, fabric covered, and hinged.
Outer wing panels – Seam to be plastic or fiberglass with the covering stretched all the way over them ( it looks very good). On the end of the wing that encloses the barn door aileron there is a hole drilled into the wing tip area to allow pressures to equalize.
Aileron – is built up with hard points, fabric covered, and hinged with three EZ hinges.
Flap - is solid wood and completely fabric covered. The top of the wing sheeting above the aileron seams to be good quality.
Wing center section – I’ve included pictures of the un cut peace but the real story here will be what it looks like once we start to install the retracts. This section is built just like the outers and also contains some flap built just like the outer.
Joe
Rudder – Is built up with hard point and fabric covered with no hinge slots.
Hori. Stab – Comes with the elevators already hinged with EZ Hinges (I’ll probly use a knuckled hinge with one wire through all the hinges so those EZ’s will end up in my hinge drawer waiting for a .40 or smaller plane to come along). You will notice that one of the elevators is askew, the hinge causing this had its slots not cut across from each other (again not a problem because I’m using different hinges.
elevators - are built up with hard points, fabric covered, and hinged (two EZ hinges).
Hori. Stab – Is fully sheeted, fabric covered, and hinged.
Outer wing panels – Seam to be plastic or fiberglass with the covering stretched all the way over them ( it looks very good). On the end of the wing that encloses the barn door aileron there is a hole drilled into the wing tip area to allow pressures to equalize.
Aileron – is built up with hard points, fabric covered, and hinged with three EZ hinges.
Flap - is solid wood and completely fabric covered. The top of the wing sheeting above the aileron seams to be good quality.
Wing center section – I’ve included pictures of the un cut peace but the real story here will be what it looks like once we start to install the retracts. This section is built just like the outers and also contains some flap built just like the outer.
Joe
08-31-2004, 07:45 AM
#14
RE: KMP Hurricane in detail
No, Infact the scalping one would expect on all the fabric covered control surfaces does not show. I beleive each of the control surfaces was built then placed it a jig and belt sanded because they look like solid balsa surfaces to pick them up and look at them. Its only after you run you finger down the fabric you can tell the surface is built up and were the hard points are. The next question in my mind id are the hard points hard wood suplimented or all balsa. As for the Hori. Stab it is balsa sheeted, and it is airfoil shaped, but it does not have any scaloping that shows up.
Joe
Joe
