khornet

Have read posts on the senior telemaster being a real floater. Are flaps a necessary addition to make it better on approaches for landing ?? If so, what's the best installation method? Also, structual and some control surface modifications have been mentioned. The kit is going to be a winter project and will be flown off grass.
Any info or opinions greatly appreciated. Will be putting a Super Tigre .75 on it and where as my radios are antiques, I will most likely buy a new computer 6 channel radio. Speaking of radios, has anyone had any experience with the Tower computer 6 channel ? Don't think a JR is in the budget and will most likely buy a Futaba, Hitech or Tower radio.
Thanks, Bob

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

If you're landing on the kansas prarie then no you don't need flaps. But we don't have long, flat, over flight areas so they allow the plane to come in steep and slow. Plus they are fun to play with

OzMo

My Feedback: (3)

I have a 2000 telemaster on the bench. I went with individual aileron servos so I would have max aileron control and can mix in flap function if I want to play.

Gringo Flyer

My Feedback: (18)

You dont "need" flaps on the telemaster but they are fun. On landing or takeoff they arent necessary but flaps are a lot of fun when you have a little headwind and you fly the plane at a standstill or backwards.

A plane like a telemaster is a lot of fun bc it gives you a lot of flexibilty. You can easily change engines, add bomb drops, flaps, smoke, use it as a tow plane, trainer, etc etc.

I have a scratch built plane very similar to the telemaster and bc of its flexibility I use it to test engines. The plane will fly on anything from a 40 2 stroke to a 1.20 4 stroke. I just bought my first twin and cant wait to break it in on the plane.

jetmech05

I too have heard that the Telemaster floats...with that in mind what is the function of flaps...flaps are to increase the amount of lift a wing can produce at lower airspeeds, by increaseing the curvature of the wing.....yes yes a side effect is more drag..if you want to stop the Telemaster from floating then some speed breaks would be fun...along with flaps..but flaps certainly aren't required

rallison

Bob,

I just maidened my e-powered SRTM yesterday, so this comes from someone with limited experience on this model, but:

For approach, my opinion is you'd be better off programming spoilerons to kill the lift a bit. I found that I could get a more normal/less floaty approach that way. Almost no change in attitude upon deployment, which is nice. Flaps could be fun, but are certainly not needed. Spoilers got me down to the runway a bit faster without picking up forward speed, and then I switchd back to normal ailerons for touchdown.

My main mod (aside from going electric, meaning some cooling openings and a battery tray) was a bolt-on wing. (I hates me some rubber bands.)

I second the notion that these planes need a bigger rudder, though.

- Rick

rogsteele

I have a 6 ch tower computer radio, its a good radio, used it for 3 years, then went to a 7 ch Hitec. For the price the tower cant be beat.
I also have a 6 ft telemaster flaps are a lot of fun, makes final steeper and real short, 20% flaps off of grass is a lot shorter[8D][8D][8D]

skylark-flier

First - the radio: I run a 5-yr old Tower 6-ch computer radio with all the success in the world. As far as I'm concerned, it's positively GREAT![sm=shades_smile.gif]

Now, the Telemaster. We fly an old Telemaster-40 and it has flaps but they aren't used very much, mostly for fun. The basic TM (probably all variants) is an extreme-high-lift design, it's not very fast under most circumstances but it'll float all day long. Case in point; we regularly lift her off and put her to about 500 ft, then cut the engine and fly her like a glider, landing deadstick within a 30-ft area (and that's WITHOUT using flaps). She'll soar with the best of them if there's any thermal activity at all - 15 minute soaring flights are not uncommon with ours. Using flaps though, she's like a homesick angel on take-offs, will climb at about a 70 degree angle with an Enya .45 (an OLD enya) and about 20 degree flaps, and will almost come to a complete halt in the air with full flaps. We've landed her backwards many many times (5-7 mph headwind).

One note on an item that was mentioned by Rallison (Rick) - spoilers. That might actually be a good idea, she floats in the extreme and there might be occasions when you NEED to get rid of altitude. I'd be tempted to actually build them into the top of the wing - glider style. There have been occasions with ours when we had to run tight spirals to bleed off extreme altitude ((as in "can't hardly see her, she's so high")). Also, and I'm going to be a bit "conservative" here - I haven't seen the plans for the Sr. TM but if they don't include webbing between the top-bottom spars for at least the inside half of the wing, I'd do it anyway to help strengthen them a bit. I HAVE seen Sr. TM's snap wings on occasion - no TM-40's have, that I know of, but the Seniors will.

Also, you might SERIOUSLY think about colors - white or light blue is NOT for this bird, she'll disappear in the sky in a matter of minutes if you get any altitude at all. Ours is white with red stripes, and they're not nearly wide enough at 8". When it comes time to re-cover her we're going with much darker colors.

One rather important item, in my opinion, and I see it's already been mentioned - - dual aileron servos. I wouldn't build/fly her without them, you wouldn't believe how much they help with maneuverability.

The only thing that OUR Telemaster doesn't/can't do is knife-edge flying, and she's not particularly happy with inverted flying, but she WILL do it with enough down-elevator.

Above all, enjoy your bird! She's a great flier.

note: pics below; our TM-40 at about 400 feet. I know they're lousy pics but you can see what little effect those 8" wide red strips have with visibility.

Dave

Bigshark

I recently remaidened a Senior Telemaster ARF after clipping two bays and the canted wing tips off of the wings. I added back about 4 inches in the form of some curved wing tips. As a result the plane will roll better, move a little faster, and go verticle much better on a tower .75 with a long exhaust diverter. Unfortunately the bloody thing STILL floats like crazy on landing. I've got e-powered gliders that comedown easier.

I played with flapperon and spoileron before I hacked the wings and couldn't get the setup right without either ballooning or diving on deployment. I'll be giving it another try now. With shorter ailerons on the shorter wings, it'll be easier.

On another note, despite it's light weight the ARF Telemaster wing is built like a brick house! The spars are HARD maple. I had to stand on the wing to crush it. I literally couldn't break it by hand. The Telemaster ARF wing is at least as strong as the wing I asembled on my Sig Fourstar 120 kit and that was unexpected.....

skylark-flier

AHA! That's GOOD news. Glad to hear that those spars are that tough - makes it a lot more reliable platform.

Yeah, they definitely float!!!! Sometimes, when a student is approaching landing, you feel like you're going to have to shoot the plane out of the sky to get her down - most have had a terrible tendency to approach too fast and she simply sails right on by.

I like that idea of clipping the wing - and the curved tips. Good idea.

Dave

flyingvranch

Here's my version of flaps on my Senior Telemaster. I scratch built a new set of wings for the Hobby Lobby arf. Fully extended they allow you to approach nose down at 45 deg. and then flare at about 3 feet altitude. By the way I'm running a gas Ryobi 31 cc in mine to tow gliders. All up weight is about 14 lbs. No flaps and she still floats into the next county. Flaps down...a 1 foot landing roll usually. They are well worth the effort to build. Hope the pics help.

rjpcan58

My Feedback: (4)

flyinvranch, what is the length of the flaps on your telemaster?

flyingvranch

The flaps are 18 inches long. The ailerons are 21.5 inches long.

rjpcan58

My Feedback: (4)

Thank you, flyingvranch.

I've seen your "quasi fowler flaps" design in other threads and I think that I will try it on a Senior Telemaster kit build.

skylark-flier

Awesome! Need to try that with my next build - they look quite interesting.

Dave

rallison

Agreed on colors. On mine, the undersides of the flying surfaces and fuselage are orange, which not only helps visibility at altitude but (because the outer 18" of each wing are orange top and bottom) at landingthe orange stands out against green/brown background growth.

Also agree on the dual aileron servos... which enables the flaperons, in my case...

- Rick

senrak

I have installed flaps on my Telemaster 40. See post 18 at:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_50...tm.htm#5082070
Flaps are always fun.

welister

My Feedback: (2)

I plan to mount a 31 Ryobi in my Senior Telemaster Arf. Did you move the firewall to mount yours?

bogbeagle

Fit flaps ... the most fun you can have, with your clothes on!

noveldoc

My Feedback: (2)

Going to try computer radio flaperons also.

If you want to try spoilerons, simple with the right radio. You set the flap switch on down, first click. Readjust your ailerons until bottom is even with bottom of the wing. Then fly and click the flap switch up. Voila, spoilers.

If you have a 3 position flap switch, you can do both spoilers and flaps this way.

Tom