Tsunami - composites, part 2
07-22-2002, 07:37 AM
#136
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Yep!
Hi Michael,
Great work, and constant improvement too!
I always like seeing how others do these things. Everybody has their own way of doing the steps, and yours seem to be working really well.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to post all the great photos and info in these two articles. As long as RCU is in business, it's a great reference article for anyone doing composites.
Best wishes with the races!
Great work, and constant improvement too!
I always like seeing how others do these things. Everybody has their own way of doing the steps, and yours seem to be working really well.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to post all the great photos and info in these two articles. As long as RCU is in business, it's a great reference article for anyone doing composites.
Best wishes with the races!
07-22-2002, 02:35 PM
#141
Tsunami - composites, part 2
Okay... been a busy past few days!
Saturday was the test flight of my Tsunami. Basically uneventful. Had some issues with the engine (don't use McCoy 4 stroke plugs in a YS!)...
So, at 4:30 am Sun, it was off to Sacramento for racing. Chris elected to do a test flight and on the takeoff roll the gear collapsed, grinding down a $35 carbon prop. We didn't figure out why it collapsed (spring airs don't just collapse), so the valve must have been inbetween positions or something. Anyways, we set off to race after that incident. Chris few his heat and the engine was not running right. In the first turn the thing snapped and he was not able to recover safely. It hit hard, with the left wing slightly down, almost pancaking. Surprisingly, the airplane was only in two pieces - wing and fuse. But, the damage is enough where we can build a new one faster and much lighter. His plane was heavy and I think the engine running bad and the excessive weight caused this. His was the first all composite prototype, so it did serve as a useful testbed for its short life and will continue to do so as I analyze areas for improvement. This crash is all part of the hobby and we accept it like anything else...
So, amidst our little tragedy, I flew my four heats, placing 1st, 2nd,3rd, and 2nd in my heats. The YS motor was overpropped for the nitro I was running and the motor never really was on the power curve. Otherwise, it was decently fast, but not the gold speeds it should have been. Total weight on my plane is 9lbs dry. Not bad. The airframe is 3lbs 4oz by itself. The rest is servos, hardware, a heavy motor, etc. We have certainly progressed though! Anyways, not exactly sure where I placed. I think overall, I was 4th or 5th, but not in the top three where they handed out prizes. I'm happy because my Tsunami comes home to be worked on some more. Next up is 40% nitro!
Chris took some cool sunset photos Sat eve. Here are a few. We have more pics to post, but that'll come later as we recover this week from a long weekend
. I slept 9 hours last night and could have gone more!
Michael
Saturday was the test flight of my Tsunami. Basically uneventful. Had some issues with the engine (don't use McCoy 4 stroke plugs in a YS!)...
So, at 4:30 am Sun, it was off to Sacramento for racing. Chris elected to do a test flight and on the takeoff roll the gear collapsed, grinding down a $35 carbon prop. We didn't figure out why it collapsed (spring airs don't just collapse), so the valve must have been inbetween positions or something. Anyways, we set off to race after that incident. Chris few his heat and the engine was not running right. In the first turn the thing snapped and he was not able to recover safely. It hit hard, with the left wing slightly down, almost pancaking. Surprisingly, the airplane was only in two pieces - wing and fuse. But, the damage is enough where we can build a new one faster and much lighter. His plane was heavy and I think the engine running bad and the excessive weight caused this. His was the first all composite prototype, so it did serve as a useful testbed for its short life and will continue to do so as I analyze areas for improvement. This crash is all part of the hobby and we accept it like anything else...
So, amidst our little tragedy, I flew my four heats, placing 1st, 2nd,3rd, and 2nd in my heats. The YS motor was overpropped for the nitro I was running and the motor never really was on the power curve. Otherwise, it was decently fast, but not the gold speeds it should have been. Total weight on my plane is 9lbs dry. Not bad. The airframe is 3lbs 4oz by itself. The rest is servos, hardware, a heavy motor, etc. We have certainly progressed though! Anyways, not exactly sure where I placed. I think overall, I was 4th or 5th, but not in the top three where they handed out prizes. I'm happy because my Tsunami comes home to be worked on some more. Next up is 40% nitro!
Chris took some cool sunset photos Sat eve. Here are a few. We have more pics to post, but that'll come later as we recover this week from a long weekend
. I slept 9 hours last night and could have gone more!Michael
