digital_trucker

Some good news...the Wasp is finally starting to settle in. I've finally got something very close to a reliable idle (slow enough that it comes DOWN and can land the thing). The high end is closing in on 18K. I reiterate; Wasps do NOT tolerate running rich, period.

digital_trucker

Well, I flew my 2nd plane in ten years today - *gasp* it wasn't 1/2A (an Ultra Sport 60 that's been sitting in my basement for a decade 95% finished). It flew beautifully, but the Q-Tee was still more fun, even on three channels. The Q-Tee gets more attention too - everybody watches me twist it around (been nicknamed the 'Lightning Bug' buy the fellers). I've already lost count of how many times someone has come up to me after a flight and is astonished it has no ailerons, and the older guys like the trip down memory lane. That Wasp is absolutely humming now...it's drastically overpowered - enough to warp the tailfeathers The outside loops and inverted passes always draw comments - the thing will snap roll like nobody's bidness. It's a blast if I can get it in the wind right and do a vertical axial roll - can nearly get it in line sometimes. We had a fly-in at the club today..the first time it's really been flown in a crowd. Turns out it'll keep right up with most of the big boys, and it'll outrun several of them. I shudder to think what it'd do with a Norvel on it.

I've got a Shrike kit coming with my latest batch of Tower goodies - I think this Wasp will go on it now that it's nicely broken-in. I can already tell my Q-Tee is going to be my all-around sport and backup plane - it'll be responsible for breaking in 1/2A's too. It flies like it was designed to at less than half throttle on the Wasp - gonna be my workhorse, I think.

digital_trucker

...pondering building another wing for the Q-Tee and turning it into a bipe - perhaps making the extra wing one bay shorter on each side. Whaddaya think? I figure if I build a saddle into the new wing I can rubber-band it to the existing plane I can experiment with it. I don't want to mess up the current CG, so tips on incidence and stagger are welcome.

chevy43

There are acouple of bipe conversion to the Q-Tee's on the other site in the sport flying forum. Or course they are sparkys......

rainedave

My Feedback: (1)

A spark ignition Q-Tee?! Maybe with an Atom .099.

Just kidding; we always called pre-glowplug engines Sparkers or Sparkies since they use spark plugs.

digital_trucker

Well, since it's greatly overpowered with the Wasp, I'm thinking it should be able to haul around another wing.

G Man 66

DT,
Here is my bipe conversion of the Q-Tee. Though, as somebody noted, it is leccy powered. Had a couple of Q-Tee wings laying around, so I built a fuse and tailfeathers and viola! Lower wing leading edge is up against the rear of second bulkhead from the nose. Same incidence as the top wing. Raised the top wing about 1.5" but if you want an accurate measurment, I can try to dig out the plans as I drew the new strut positions on them. Firewall per the plans. Flew great the one time I got out to give it a try. Covered in silk dyed with RIT dye and Randolph dope.

digital_trucker

So, essentially there is NO stagger to the wings. Did the CG remain in the same place?

ehverne

WHERE DID YOU GET THE Q-TEE KIT? IT LOOKS LIKE THE ONE AIRTRONICS MADE IN THE 70'S, WOULD LOVE ONE FOR MY BOY, USED TO FLY IT ON A TEE DEE .049 ANY RESPONSES WOULD BE GREAT. USED A LITTLE RED BRICK IN FOR A RADIO.

EHVERNE

digital_trucker

The Airtronics line was bought buy Aerosphere. The kit is now all laser cut, and goes together beautifully. Read the entire thread for certain mods I found necessary.

The kit is available here; http://aerosphereonline.com/


p.s. Please don't type in all caps, that's considered 'shouting'

G Man 66

DT,
Actually, there is some stagger. Since the top wing leading edge is about 1/2" forward of the cabane, which is at the second bulkhead, it gives some stagger. Not sure where the CG is supposed to be, I used the TLAR method for everything on it. I think I ended up balancing on the top wing spar.

ehverne

SORRY FOR THE CAPS DT, Shouting is part of being excited, can't wait to get one, well gotta wait for the bucks and to finish the last "yahoo I found it again". This is what 20 years of raising children does to you when all the scenery has changed in your favorite hobby. Thanks for the steering to the source.

Great thread on an awesome craft.
By the way guys still have my original Q-tee and wing, we always removed the wing mounting pylons (what ever you call them) and replaced them with a foam block thus sealing the deck from fuel,dirt,etc and allowing us to add an old witch doctor wing (poly dihedral) or similiar for some real gentle floating on the thermals.

Regards Ehverne

digital_trucker

Seal it from fuel? Sacrilege!

tewitt1949

Someone said it was overpowered with a wasp. Isn't the tee dee more powerful than the wasp? We use tee dee's on our q-tee. I'd like to make a larger q-tee and put a .015 on it. I love flying the q-tee with a tee dee but I'd like to build on that had a throttle and avoid all the noise. Think its possible?

digital_trucker

The Wasp is a good powerplant for the standard Q-Tee. The reason I said it's overpowered is because at full throttle it's much faster and climbs quicker than it was really designed for (the Q-Tee was originally intended for Cox reedies). To get 'stock' performance I fly it at about half throttle, and at WOT I've got a tail-twisting (literally) aerobatic screamer that'll pass up many of the bigger planes in the air

tewitt1949

Hey Digital, You say you use a wasp for the Q-tee, I assume the wasp is a little heaver than the tee dee, if it is heavier how much? what about CG? What about gliding when dead stick? If I'm building one with a wasp would a little bigger wing work better as far as longer glide rate?

rainedave

My Feedback: (1)

The CG will effect the glide more than the difference in wing loading the Wasp and throttle servo will make. With a plane like this (high wing/flat bottom airfoil) you can test glide it over tall grass and set the CG so that it neither dives or noses up and stalls with the elevator at neutral. Once you get that adjustment made it will float in on deadstick landings. You can even test glide with your transmitter on in case it does dive or stall on that first test.

David

chevy43

The wasp is a very light engine at 1.9 oz. It may be heavier than a cox but not by much.... Don't change the wing.

digital_trucker

The only real mod I made was to extend the nose about 1". With that mod I didn't have to add any nose weight to balance it up. It balances just *slightly* nose down on the spar with an empty tank. It'll glide real good, it doesn't need any more wing.

tewitt1949

Excuse me if I misunderstood, but didn't you say the wasp is a little heavier than the tee dee? If so wouldn't it be nose heavy with the wasp? Wouldn't extending the nose make it even more nose heavier? Just wondering before I start building.

digital_trucker

Q-Tees were designed for reedies, heavier than TeeDees or the Wasp. Even then they had a tendency to come in tail-heavy, probably because it was originally designed in the '70s r thereabouts before ultralight radio gear.

JoeAverage

S-TEE
Our Price $10.00

by Lee Renaud,

36" span, 250 sq. in., .049-.051, 2 ch., built-up balsa, plywood, and spruce, one sheet 32" x 44",

Issue: RCM 4-78,

I would order the plan myself. Not a lot of work to cut this kit.

JoeAverage

Many years ago before I knew the Q-Tee plan was for sale I drew one from a picture. I had the Airtronics Gere Sport and knew the Wing was nearly identical. I just assumed the Q-Tee was an Airtronics kit and long gone. I found a crude 3 view on dreamcatcher and it helped. Then at a swap one day after a hundred hours drawing I found a set of RCM Q-Tee plans.
My drawing was good practice and it was right on except for the height of the rear deck. Where there is a will there is a way. Now I look harder for plans before drawing them. The Pica Jungmeister was a good example recently. It was published in quarter scale by Platt in RCM but not called a Quarter Scale. Now I don't have to shell out the $350 bucks on ebay for a Pica 1/4 kit which is what I really wanted but would have bought glass parts for anyway.

digital_trucker

There's a picture of a certain Q-Tee making rotation as the 'shot of the day' on the RCU homepage

JoeAverage

I have found that if one types the body of the post, posts it, then goes and hit edit the "Add Attachments or upload files" message appears right below the window.

I have a couple Q-Tee's on the go. A great model. I don't think the wife will be intimidated by learning to fly on it. I have enlarged the RCM plan 133% to 48" and powering it after the SR Cutie. There is a lot of info on SR's site except for the washout. Don't forget the washout.
I have an Eflite 10 going in one 48" version and an OS .10 in the other 48". SR uses a geared 400 or a 15/3 Phasor on theirs at about 48" as well.