jerusha

okay, i am planning on using the norvelle .069 for and engine. but what prop would be good for it? it has to be wood not nylon!!!

Bipe Flyer

Any particular reason you want wood? The reason I ask is because the selection of wooden propellers is very limited in small sizes. You could go with a Zinger 5X3 or 6X3 for an .061 and a Zinger 7X3 for an .074.

jerusha

the reason i want wood is because i have heard and seen how nylon propellers bend/wobble at high rpms and wood props dont do that

Andrew

jerusha --

As Bipe Flyer noted, the selection of wood props is relatively limited in the smaller sizes. However, blade flex is not a problem with the engine sizes we run. Some 1/2A props may de-pitch slightly, but it is not a noticeable effect. Many of our planes are flown without landing gear and a prop strike with a wood prop usually means the end. Some of the most coveted propellors in this engine class are composite -- the COX grays are examples.

Wood props can actually be more dangerous since a hairline crack may go unnoticed and you end up shedding a blade on the ground, which can be hazardous, or losing one in the air and having your plane literally shake itself apart.

There is a tremendous amount of small engine experience in this forum. I would guess that the vast majority of flyers here use MA, APC or COX props exclusively with a few other brands thrown in -- all composite, nylon or GRP construction.

I can't recall the last time I used a wood prop on a 1/2A plane -- maybe some of the other guys will jump in with their prop preferences.

efish

My Feedback: (5)

Hi Jerusha, I've had a brief fascination with wooden props on my 1/2A planes too. Mainly because they look cool on the right plane. They do seem to spin a little quieter too. Never bothered to tacho the props, so I can't offer any objective performance figues.

Anyhow, my 2 cents would be that a wooden prop would be really cool on something like an LST, provided you fly from a field with a nice runway and can land well consistenctly. The fields I fly from are rather lumpy and its almost inevitable to have to "cut a little grass" either on take off or landing. The wooden props I've tried (ASP) just can't deal with such abuse and don't last more than a few flights before they develop a hairline crack and have to be put aside in the interest of safety.

For my money, the APCs are FAR more durable and seem to provide much better performance - since my LST is being used as a trainer for a friend, that's what I'm turning in mine. Flew my LST with a Norvel 0.061 and a 6x3 APC - and that seemed to work about perfect. Just be prepared for very long flights at about 1/3 throttle or less!

jerusha

okay ill see what i can find with both nylon and wood props and try some combinationns. i just got the wing and tail done. all i have left to build is the fuselage. however the landing gear is confusing me could some one post a picture of a closeup of the landing gear area? i cant wait to get this plane flying!

jerusha

one question would an AP .09 be able to fly this or would that be to heavy and big

jerusha

now that i think about it i dont want a .09 but will the .061 wasp handle this bird?

efish

My Feedback: (5)

Hi Jerusha, On my LST, I've had 4 different engines - an AP Wasp, a Thunder Tiger 0.07, A Norvel Big Mig .061 and an Enya 0.09 - IVBB.

I've found that the AP Wasp was probably the best match for the plane. The Enya really overpowered the plane and the extra weight really detracted from its the best attributes - slow easy handling. With an 8 x 3 prop it did give the plane a really wicked vertical climb out!

Best engine was the big mig, but the extra power was unecessary and I felt that such a nice engine really deserved a different plane (its now on an enlarged Blink).

The TT was just disappointing. All engines except the Enya were run on 15%. The Enya was run on 5%. So, if you're planniong to use a little more nitro, then you'd probably be getting a little more power. Also, I'm told that the humidity here means that engines typically produce about 5% less power than in more temperate climes, so, I'm guessing you'll find the Wasp more than adequate.

Typically, my LST flies great at around 1/3 throttle or less!

Bipe Flyer

Any updates, Jerusha?

jerusha

no, i still need to finish the landing gear and buy and put the wasp on. does anyone have a picture of the landing gear, that would make it a lot easier.

Bipe Flyer

Hope this helps.

Farmbuyer

Hello all,
Great thread. I think I have read most of it all but I hope I didn't miss anything such as the answer to my question.

Bipe, Anyone.....

How much would one scale the plane up for it to be a perfect match for a Norvel .074 through the full throttle range? I know it is sized to fit a range of engines but I want to make it a little bigger just don't know how much. Just give me an idea on the final wingspan or fuselage length or even a % and I can use ACAD to resize the .dxf file.

Also, was there ever a final put-together of all the materials, dwgs, directions etc? other than the various posts, .gif and .zip on the MSN 1/2a site?

Thanks for the plans Bipe! Sure is a neat plane.
Greg

Bipe Flyer

I think that somewhere around a 46" to 48" span would be pretty good.

Nothing has been put together in a single download yet. It would be a good thing to do though.

Farmbuyer

Thanks Bipe.

I have all the info that I need now. On to building.

Greg

tcopeland

Hello everyone I am very new to the whole rc world, as a matter of fact i havent even built, begun to build or owned an rc anything. I am very interested and would love to begin building, i want to get into airplanes im facinated with them, I am also good with fiberglass construction, and wood. As a matter of fact that is my occupation i rebuild wrecked boats. I was also in the airforce so I do have a good idea how aeronautics and such work. Since I am a beginner in every since of the word what would be a good place for me to start? Any information would be helpful at this point.

mylamo

My Feedback: (1)

TC I would suggest that you find a local RC club and visit
on any Sunday with decent weather. You should introduce
yourself and you'll likely find more help and advice than
you thought possible.First you will be advised to join AMA.
At least one of the geezers will give pointers on what you
will need to get started in one of the most rewarding hobbies
imaginable. Your skills will all be put to use and you will
develop new ones. I'm one of those geezers and always
enjoy helping when I can.
Ralph

weathervane

Bipe Flyer,

I'm going to build this plane of yours. I have a brushless 480 and 3 cell lipo. Will it be ok for this plane? To much or to little??

Thanks, Andrew

Bipe Flyer

It's probably more power than you need, but you can always throttle back or use a smaller prop.

weathervane

OK, Thanks.
I will post some pics when I start the build.

Andrew

mnrcaerobat

My Feedback: (197)

How many of these have been built? It is a fun plane to fly with the norvel 049. I have built two and the second became too heavy once we put several layers of paint on sig Koverall.

Bipe Flyer

Jerusha, DBronk, Weathervane - any updates on your builds?

jerusha

i just need to break in my engine and then bolt it on and i am ready to fly

Bipe Flyer

Do you have any pictures?

jerusha

it doesnt look very pretty since this is my first build and i cannot cover to save my life[&o]