GallopingGhostler

A small diesel like those would be a nice ticket for it, Chris. If I were to do one, I'd probably go electric, inasmuch as that might grate some to an extent. Reason for electric is that power can be completely shut off so it can thermal, then power back on to seek another thermal. However since diesel is so economical, you'd probably have a real decent time with it.

ffkiwi

Indeed-besides its about time some of my little jewels actually started earning their keep-and I have plenty to choose from. The only issue in this case is how much prop clearance there is-the wee elfin runs nicely on a 5-1/4x3 Topflite-or the DC equivalent (the notorious 5-1/4x3-1/2) but the Schlosser is better on a 6x3 or 6x4-which might be a bit tight for clearance on the engine pod.....

...notorious? Well Hefin Davies toured the US in the late 50s visiting some of the key manufacturers-such as Cox etc looking at their production methods. This was just before the UK 1/2A revolution took place-in late 59-which saw four new indigenous British glow 049s appear on the market in quick succession-one of which was the long lived but otherwise unspectacular DC Bantam-which survived all through the 60s till 1971 when it was replaced by the much better DC Wasp. ...and the other better competition-such as the AM049 and KK Cobra 049 fell by the wayside after only a couple of years.....the secret to the Bantam-gutless wonder than it was, was using DC's 5-1/4x3-1/2 prop-which seems to be a direct copy of the Topflite 5-1/4x3 nylon....possibly even made under license from topflite-who knows.....but it sounded great on the Bantam-though in practice was so soft and flexible it washed out to about zero pitch and made the Bantam look-and sound-good-the Bantam was extremely low priced when it entered the market and sold for a lower price than even Cox could manage in the UK. It was my first ever new engine-I got it as an Xmas present from my mother in 1970-and still have it. About the same power as an OK Cub-but a lot less fussy to handle-and keeps running when you launch the model-unlike a lot of Cubs!

..end of anecdote!

ChrisM
'ffkiwi'
Over the years I've found it to be a very good load for the very small diesels such as the Bambi, Elfin 0.25, ED Baby 0.25 etc.

bokuda

My Feedback: (7)

Has anyone tried an electric version of this plane? What did you use?

I built one recently, but have not come up with a good motor/esc combination.

This one built from plan obtained from Outerzone. Silkspan and Brodak dope. Flown a few times successfully, but cheapo motor/esc conked out after 6-8 flights.

bokuda

My Feedback: (7)

fizzwater2: How did that electric combo work out for you?

fizzwater2

My Feedback: (61)

I haven't flown it yet - been busy with pylon racing season with what little hobby time I've been able to squeeze out. Seems as if there's always maintenance to be done...

I'm using an e-flite BL280 motor, 10a ESC, and I had to cut down a prop a little in diameter to avoid having to re-build the support pylon. I may have to go with a 3S battery because of the small prop, but I haven't tried much experimenting with it yet.

The Nomad came from the LHS, and was setup with a TD.020 with it's associated small prop.. and I am trying to avoid any significant alterations, in case I want to go back to the pulse rudder only radio and the TD just for fun some day.

bokuda

My Feedback: (7)

Thanks for the response. I may just go ahead and get the 280 and see how it goes.

I built the power pod on mine with electric in mind so it's an inch or so taller than on the plan. If I remember, it will accommodate a 7.5" prop. It flew great until the motor/esc went bad.

I built one of these when it was first published. I was about 14 or 15 then and it was my first plans built airplane. It had babe bee .020, Mule tx /rx and Citizenship escapement. Single channel, rudder only. It flew very well.

fizzwater2

My Feedback: (61)

the 280 was a recommendation from someone at Horizon when I asked about a similar power level to a TD .020. A larger prop would be good, I think.

I suppose I could make a ply plate that would fasten to the existing firewall, and extend the motor upwards a bit to clear a larger prop. I would think 1/8" ply (not lite ply) would be sufficient. Hm... might have to look at that this winter.

GallopingGhostler

Or, you could go to a 3 or 4 bladed prop.

Andrew

Interesting that this thread has resurfaced after a number of years. I, too, have been looking at the Nomad plans during the last week or so thinking about building another, but as an electric. However, finding a prop/motor combination that would have sufficient thrust with a reasonable current draw has also been a bit of a challenge -- prop clearance is the problem. I think extending the pylon height may be a reasonable solution, although I don't know what impact the taller pylon would have on forcing the nose down. OTOH, being able to power up/power down at will is very appealing.

mgnostic

I suppose one could look to one of the smaller drone motor-prop combinations. Lots of KV and a small three blade prop. If the pylon is taller you would want to add up thrust to compensate.

GallopingGhostler

Basically one would want to opt for a high KV outrunner that spins a 5" prop at speeds approaching a 1/4-A glow engine. One could go for a 4 bladed drone prop, which would lessen RPM but adequate thrust. Perhaps a motor 4,000 KV or higher? It is these type motors that are used on jet style aircraft with small propellers. I'm sure there is a suitable compromise one could achieve. With throttle one would have better control over the thrust needed, and finally come up with an optimal solution to share.

Today, I'd probably go with something like a Cox .049 Sure Start on exhaust or choke tube throttle and 3 bladed prop and a 1 ounce external tank.

Another plane that has a similar layout is Ken Willard's .020 powered Virus.

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=5713



I think one can come up with a motor / prop combination that would be reasonable on battery power but still be light enough to power these lightweight aircraft.

mgnostic

Looking at the differences in the thrust line on various pod mounted power plants it seem like it would be easy to whip up a pod with an adjustable thrust line. With a brushless motor and a well balanced prop you wouldn't have to contend with things vibrating loose. A pivot near the top of the pylon and a couple of screws to lock it down would probably do the trick.

bokuda

My Feedback: (7)

I have mine flying again successfully using a Turnigy 2211-1700 motor, ZTW 15A ESC and a 6 x 4 prop. I raised the pylon; the top is 3 3/4" above the wing. Because of the curvature at the front of the wing, it will accommodate up to a 7 1/2" prop. I have noticed no issues with the raised pylon. It flies well with this combo so I'll leave it as is. It has more power than I remember my .020 glow version that I built as kid having.

ffkiwi

Its already been done-there was a plan published in the UK 's AMI about 10 years back -IIRC it was for a small flying boat-which had a pylon mounted engine on a pivoting mount for infinite thrust adjustment. I'll have a fossick in my archives and see if I can find it-if I do i'l post a scan of the relevant part of the plan so that people can produce their own interpretation if they wish.

ChrisM
'ffkiwi'

Andrew

That's good to know. I was hoping to use at least a 7" prop to maintain thrust and reduce current consumption with a motor in the 1200 to 1300KV range. Thanks for the info.