digital_trucker

pt - what do you think about the edge of the rudder having a 'chewed' look? /\/\/\/\/\

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

DT, maybe a round chunk or two with those type of teeth marks? For some reason the new vertical turned out a tad bit smaller than the original? I think I used the numbers from the Blink vertical during a brain-fart. Of course it was already epoxied on when I noticed. Thankfully, the original was oversized!

Weather looks crummy for tomorrow and there are a few parts to be made on the Smithy. Three balloon tank adapters and three spinners. Using balloon tanks instead of Sullivan 1oz tanks will save me 3oz on an airframe that's already getting heavy. It'll get finished tomorrow and I post some numbers.

ptulmer

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Here's the next update: It's not a diet... It's WEIGHT WATCHERS! Too bad I can't find a scale anywhere in this house or we'd have an idea what these weigh. A little successful trepanning using a tool I made for the wheels cut a bit off the total weight. But the original solid style wouldn't register on a postal scale, so it was really about pushing my skills a bit further. Either way, they aren't even in the same ballpark as the Sullivan tanks which actually weigh as much as they hold. 1oz! With these, a nimh battery and a little luck it should come out less than a # AUW.

ptulmer

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Proof of actual work:

Toad

Very Cool [sm=thumbs_up.gif][sm=shades_smile.gif]
I hope someone can video it for you. looks great.

flying poodle

Maybe make it a tri-tail by adding two outboard fins on the tips of the elevator?

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Rat Fink guy says he wants to maiden it for you........

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

Rat Fink can have it! If it was going to be named after a movie, it should have been "There will be blood". Mine. Trying to tune the middle engine had a pretty nasty result. There is some video, but I haven''t even looked at it yet. It''s thoroughly disgusting. After all three engines were peaked and running hard FS gave it the ol'' heave-ho and it shot out his hand like a bullet. A couple hundred feet out the right engine cut out. No problem, it still flew fine. Then the center engine coughs, spits and sputters out. Still, it doesn''t roll over and die. The tail drops like it''s tail-heavy and the left engine sounds like it plans on running all day. So I hang on to it trying to put it into a circle, but there''s not enough control. It goes across the highway and into the trees. Strangely enough there wasn''t a big enough part left over to use as a toothpick. In these woods I''ve picked up airplanes and flew them again the same day, but this thing got butchered! Never did find the left engine and firewall.... Makes you wonder how far it went before running dry!

Jburry

Bugger! Maybe next time!

J

digital_trucker

So why should we have throttle control again? Yowch pt, sorry about the wreck. Sounds like it need lots more rudder than it had. Maybe the engines should''ve been a click to the rich side of peaked [&o]

It lived up to it''s name, sounds like (sorry ''bout that too)

KidEpoxy

OWCH!

Throttle would be nice,
but what about just a single servo & strings to pinch cutoff the 3 fuel lines at the engines?
Put it on the Flap channel... heck, could run the strings of a Flap servo-
"Cut Engines & Deploy SplitFlaps"

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

This just means that you''ll try this again someday [>:]!

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

Dude, I hate to hear that...I bet it woulda gone vertical!!!....Rog

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

What really bugs me is that I put it into an area that I knew was brush and would minimize damage. But the county had come through and cleared it out! I was just too busy flying to notice. DT, they were running a bit on the rich side. It just didn''t seem necessary to peak them for maximum power on the maiden flight. Could have been a stray air bubble in the balloons. Just an idea since it happened as the stick was pulled back.

CP, the wings will be stretched a bit to eliminate the risk of adjusting the middle needle and I''m ordering some short kits. The sound was incredible. Looking for my firewire cable right now.

Larry Driskill

[quote]ORIGINAL: ptulmer

Here''s the next update: It''s not a diet... It''s WEIGHT WATCHERS! Too bad I can''t find a scale anywhere in this house or we''d have an idea what these weigh.





Well . . . I hesitate to give up secrets . . . but I have a very nice gram electronic scale that one of my friends gave me.

I was telling him about weighing balsa and small parts and he allowed he had something that might help me.

He is a property manager. The scale came to him when he had to evict a tenant. They left in a hurry and the small scale was among the stuff they abandoned.

. . . ''wonder what they were weighing with it?

You might ask an acquaintance, who does property management, if he has an extra scale?

digital_trucker

Office Depot sells an electronic postal scale that measures in grams and .1 ounce increments for less than $40. Seems to work pretty good...told me my Q-Tee weighed in at 16oz RTF (and my new Cloud Ranger''s fuse is 5.5oz with 3 HS-65''s in it).

I can''t help but wonder if using a normal fuel tank might not have been a better idea in hindsight. Proven technology and all that!

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

Larry, I double-dog dare you to lick that scale! The bubble tanks ended up weighing .46oz for all three giving up 2.5oz of weight savings over the Sullivan tanks. The trepanning probably did end up helping quite a bit.

Here''s the life and death of the first Langolier: [link=http://www.ulmer-rc.com\Langolier.wmv]www.ulmer-rc.com\Langolier.wmv[/link]

DT, If that was the problem, it was operator error. Balloon tanks work fine! The excitement of the moment was too much and I missed a detail. Shoulda bled the tanks before starting.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Patrick, Make the next triplane a better knife edge flyer because flying with just one of the engines running should actually be fun once you get used to it. For example the same idea [3 surestarts]on a profile 3D type plane would be a great way to get your feet wet, simple to build and you could stay with non throttled engines and ride it out like you''re at a rodeo.

Raymond LeFlyr

My Feedback: (2)

Patrick,

I remember when I first saw your post of the Langolier project that I though to myself, "self you handsome devil, you should chime in and recommend that he make sure the center engine quits last". Yep, I remember thinking that.

I learned that lesson with my Tres Face. The only difference was that the last running engine - didn't for long. But I can't say that I was in control while it was running. Its still flyable but only when I'm feeling particularly lusty.

Is there any way you can blame Wilson? A bad launch is often the cause of many mysterious problems. Vic can vouch for that I betcha.

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

He launched it too hard... the suction feed on the engines just didn't stand a chance!

Raymond LeFlyr

My Feedback: (2)

See! I knew it! Ah relief!