UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
06-25-2009, 10:03 PM
#51
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
Flight report of the Vamp-a-doo.
It was nice and windy out there and the sky was a nice shade of gray that matches the plane perfectly.
The plane ended up 13.4 ozs RTF. CG at about 28%. 3/16 each way on the elevator and half that on the ailerons.
Launching is rock solid, straight ahead. I grab the tail cone and just push it away. The vertical is like a missile and this plane is faster than what I figured, right up there with anything else I've built for 1/2A. It was too gusty to get cute with low passes, but after 4 flights it proved itself.
It glides forever and it was a challenge not to overshoot into the freshly fertilized section of the field.
Nothing broke today, flew off, blew out, blew up, caved in or went wrong.......well, the canopy glue never did thoroughly dry and it needs to be redone. I'll have to drill some holes in the roof of the engine compartment to allow ventilation, then plug them up.
The shot of the innards shows how cozy it is in there for the RC gear.
It was nice and windy out there and the sky was a nice shade of gray that matches the plane perfectly.
The plane ended up 13.4 ozs RTF. CG at about 28%. 3/16 each way on the elevator and half that on the ailerons.
Launching is rock solid, straight ahead. I grab the tail cone and just push it away. The vertical is like a missile and this plane is faster than what I figured, right up there with anything else I've built for 1/2A. It was too gusty to get cute with low passes, but after 4 flights it proved itself.
It glides forever and it was a challenge not to overshoot into the freshly fertilized section of the field.
Nothing broke today, flew off, blew out, blew up, caved in or went wrong.......well, the canopy glue never did thoroughly dry and it needs to be redone. I'll have to drill some holes in the roof of the engine compartment to allow ventilation, then plug them up.
The shot of the innards shows how cozy it is in there for the RC gear.
06-26-2009, 07:24 AM
#54
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
Great to hear it went well. I have bult slope soarers in the twin tail configuration, looks cool, but the real motivation is it is strong when you hit a wingtip and cartwheel.
...But I think you wouldn`t want to test that with the cyclon up front.
How is your engine shaping up?
S
...But I think you wouldn`t want to test that with the cyclon up front.
How is your engine shaping up?
S
06-26-2009, 09:17 AM
#55
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
Hey JM!
This one was sold by DG, my first one was straight from the factory. This one is hyper-sensitive to the needle position and how I fill the bladder. I get 1 or 2 bad [lean] runs every outing. DG removes some liner pinch and sets the head at .015"
My first Cyclon was capable of a bad run every now and then, always corrected with a new glow plug or new bladder. To be completely fair about comparing the 2 engines, I'm not using the same glow plugs, fuel and bladder material with both. My main complaint is the current set up is not nearly as care free as I know it can be.
Neither Cyclon has been as care free as the old Fora. That engine you could set the needle once for the Month of July, then just gas 'n go.
On the positive side, when everything is right the Cyclons will put a smile on your face and stress every single glue joint and "engineering idea" that your plane has got.
This one was sold by DG, my first one was straight from the factory. This one is hyper-sensitive to the needle position and how I fill the bladder. I get 1 or 2 bad [lean] runs every outing. DG removes some liner pinch and sets the head at .015"
My first Cyclon was capable of a bad run every now and then, always corrected with a new glow plug or new bladder. To be completely fair about comparing the 2 engines, I'm not using the same glow plugs, fuel and bladder material with both. My main complaint is the current set up is not nearly as care free as I know it can be.
Neither Cyclon has been as care free as the old Fora. That engine you could set the needle once for the Month of July, then just gas 'n go.
On the positive side, when everything is right the Cyclons will put a smile on your face and stress every single glue joint and "engineering idea" that your plane has got.
07-01-2009, 10:49 PM
#56
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
JM, the Cyclon just about lost the plastic venturi insert, saved by the cowl. DG offered to make a tighter one out of delrin. I'll try my hand at it first, just to see if I can do it. More unfinished business.
More unfinished business....
This one goes back to last year. I took a delta that was originally powered with a .061 and decided to try a .15 on it. The first attempt sucked.....it looked like the airframe had too much torque on it. It was like a wrestling match to keep the plane upright and it slowly twisted leftwardly into the dirt.
There might even have been some glue joints on the original [1/2A] frame work that never got done. [X(]
This will be resurrection attempt #2.
The photos show what looks like an abnormally large prop for such a small air frame....I might end up running a 5x5 for the maiden flight instead of this 7x5.
Weatherman predicts 90 degrees tomorrow so there should be no reason why judgement day should get put off any longer.
More unfinished business....
This one goes back to last year. I took a delta that was originally powered with a .061 and decided to try a .15 on it. The first attempt sucked.....it looked like the airframe had too much torque on it. It was like a wrestling match to keep the plane upright and it slowly twisted leftwardly into the dirt.
There might even have been some glue joints on the original [1/2A] frame work that never got done. [X(]
This will be resurrection attempt #2.
The photos show what looks like an abnormally large prop for such a small air frame....I might end up running a 5x5 for the maiden flight instead of this 7x5.
Weatherman predicts 90 degrees tomorrow so there should be no reason why judgement day should get put off any longer.
07-02-2009, 11:43 PM
#59
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
Rob, that's what today's landing looked like, RE-ENTRY. The smartest thing I did today was choose a 7x3 prop for the maiden. I figure it was going only 70 mph when it hit dirt today, instead of more like 90 with a 7x5.
The launch was perfect and the plane flew great for about 5 seconds.......then it failed to respond to a roll command and it went into a rapid, ballastic route to Hell.
I was surprised to see that the damage was so slight. The plastic engine mount broke and it popped the Monokote. Upon inspection of what went wrong, I found one of the elevon servos unplugged from the Berg RX. After plugging it back in I discovered that the servo doesn't work.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
I'm going to assume that more attention to the servo matter is all that stands between this plane the way it sits now and finally having some fun with the plane tomorrow.
I don't plan on getting too fancy with tonight's repair job, though.....
Vic, good luck......
The launch was perfect and the plane flew great for about 5 seconds.......then it failed to respond to a roll command and it went into a rapid, ballastic route to Hell.
I was surprised to see that the damage was so slight. The plastic engine mount broke and it popped the Monokote. Upon inspection of what went wrong, I found one of the elevon servos unplugged from the Berg RX. After plugging it back in I discovered that the servo doesn't work.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
I'm going to assume that more attention to the servo matter is all that stands between this plane the way it sits now and finally having some fun with the plane tomorrow.
I don't plan on getting too fancy with tonight's repair job, though.....
Vic, good luck......
07-03-2009, 01:44 PM
#61
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RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
ORIGINAL: combatpigg
I was surprised to see that the damage was so slight. The plastic engine mount broke and it popped the Monokote. Upon inspection of what went wrong, I found one of the elevon servos unplugged from the Berg RX. After plugging it back in I discovered that the servo doesn't work.
I was surprised to see that the damage was so slight. The plastic engine mount broke and it popped the Monokote. Upon inspection of what went wrong, I found one of the elevon servos unplugged from the Berg RX. After plugging it back in I discovered that the servo doesn't work.
What's next - build a triangle from CF tube, cover in Monokote, then inflate to desired airfoil thickness? Hey wait.. [sm=idea.gif] .. exosekeltons and inflated airframes.
07-03-2009, 02:30 PM
#62
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
KP, those are the air sampling tubes for the airspeed recorder. It's called a "How Fast?" and has a led that flashes the speed of the last run when you "ask it". On paper this plane should go 102 mph with a 6.5x5 prop, so it will be interesting to see how close to theory and to see how efficient this delta design is in real life.
First we gotta master basic 60 mph flight with it.....
MJD, I'd like to build a 1/2A plane entirely from C/F tube and use aluminum wire joiners at the intersections. Build something like Skaliwag's full scale project.
First we gotta master basic 60 mph flight with it.....
MJD, I'd like to build a 1/2A plane entirely from C/F tube and use aluminum wire joiners at the intersections. Build something like Skaliwag's full scale project.
07-03-2009, 05:12 PM
#64
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RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
Cp,
Wow, that's somethin' else!
On this video below, the results show multiple readingsonly on"passes". How is this timed?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i9LrB_m3wA
KP
07-03-2009, 07:17 PM
#65
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
Almost 6 hours of trudging thru the chigger, tick, snake, and all other forms of irritating life form infested mountains wearing jeans, gaiters, a long sleeve shirt, and machete to stave off the briars there is still no love. [&o]
I felt a little like Job when my wife called me and told me to just forget it and come home, I said "but it's a Nelson! It's gotta be here somewhere."
I felt a little like Job when my wife called me and told me to just forget it and come home, I said "but it's a Nelson! It's gotta be here somewhere."
07-03-2009, 07:42 PM
#66
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
The How Fast? is plugged into a spare channel and records the highest speed that it sees, which could be a dive. If you want only recording on level passes it would need to be controlled via a switched channel.
The trials of the EVIL DELTA continue......
This morning the first flight went very well with a 7x3 until it was time to glide in. On the final turn it stalled at 10 feet up and did a bounce off the spinner. This crash took more work to fix than the one yesterday that was at full speed. I took the plane home and moved the engine back almost an inch, figuring that is why it flew perfectly until it was 10 feet away from touchdown. Nose heavy.
Back to the field, still with the 7x3 prop. The flight went perfectly and the landing featured one of those "Space Shuttle" approaches. The CG is good now.
This model is touchy in the roll axis, though...but the roll rate is not that high. I think it's just a little bit heavy and eager to drop a wing if you're not careful. The speed recorded was 67 mph which is almost exactly what the ground rpm check predicted.
Next flight I'm a little bit cocky and put on a MAS 7x4. Great flight, good speed....but something is going haywire with the radio. Combine that with a touchy model and this was a wild ride. For a few seconds it looked like it was headed to Canada, but I regained control and worked it back home. It finally ran out of fuel as I circled up high, then it made a bee line away from me into the next field [>:]!!
I'll have to admit that I've had more fun in this hobby than what I've had with this plane.
The read out for speed was 113 mph.....that's some real rpm with a 4 pitch prop!
Time to move this radio gear to a different toy to see what is wrong.
I'm ready to call this evil plane "finished business".....time to move on..........
Sorry Vic.....this is the part of the sport that no one tells ya about
The trials of the EVIL DELTA continue......
This morning the first flight went very well with a 7x3 until it was time to glide in. On the final turn it stalled at 10 feet up and did a bounce off the spinner. This crash took more work to fix than the one yesterday that was at full speed. I took the plane home and moved the engine back almost an inch, figuring that is why it flew perfectly until it was 10 feet away from touchdown. Nose heavy.
Back to the field, still with the 7x3 prop. The flight went perfectly and the landing featured one of those "Space Shuttle" approaches. The CG is good now.
This model is touchy in the roll axis, though...but the roll rate is not that high. I think it's just a little bit heavy and eager to drop a wing if you're not careful. The speed recorded was 67 mph which is almost exactly what the ground rpm check predicted.
Next flight I'm a little bit cocky and put on a MAS 7x4. Great flight, good speed....but something is going haywire with the radio. Combine that with a touchy model and this was a wild ride. For a few seconds it looked like it was headed to Canada, but I regained control and worked it back home. It finally ran out of fuel as I circled up high, then it made a bee line away from me into the next field [>:]!!
I'll have to admit that I've had more fun in this hobby than what I've had with this plane.
The read out for speed was 113 mph.....that's some real rpm with a 4 pitch prop!
Time to move this radio gear to a different toy to see what is wrong.
I'm ready to call this evil plane "finished business".....time to move on..........
Sorry Vic.....this is the part of the sport that no one tells ya about
07-03-2009, 09:31 PM
#67
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
Sorry Vic.....this is the part of the sport that no one tells ya about
After today those locator things don't sound so corny anymore.
07-04-2009, 08:56 AM
#70
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
I had a golden retriever who found everything. You could hit a golf ball 500 feet back into the woods and she would find it. They cost a lot initially but they are priceless dogs. They should only live where they have room to roam.
I wonder how well those TXs hold up wired to a buzzing engine?
I wonder how well those TXs hold up wired to a buzzing engine?
07-04-2009, 03:35 PM
#71
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RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
CP,
Thank you for the further explanation. I suppose that it depends on what you want and what you are willing to add to the plane.
By the way, some results you got there! What else did you change between the second and third flight that gave you more speed? Prop change couldn't have been the single reason for this, could it?
KP
Thank you for the further explanation. I suppose that it depends on what you want and what you are willing to add to the plane.
By the way, some results you got there! What else did you change between the second and third flight that gave you more speed? Prop change couldn't have been the single reason for this, could it?
KP
07-04-2009, 03:57 PM
#72
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
I figure that the engine would have needed to hit almost 30,000 rpm with a 4 pitch prop to make this plane go 113 mph. Hmmm.... I know for sure that I've seen it tach in the low to mid 20's with a 6.5x5 prop, more runs would be needed to back up the 113 mph claim. The only other change was I went for an aggressive needle setting on the faster run.
The model looked like it was doing 100, but when you are in panic mode with the plane intermittently going out of control, it is hard to be a good judge. 5 minutes seems like a half hour and 100 mph seems more like 190.
For some reason the MAS 7x4 and 7x5 props give my .15s great results. I haven't done enough testing with .15 speed planes to know if they are better than APC, but they seem hard to beat for a $2 prop.
For about $4, the 6.5x5 APC is even better, but I'm going to reserve props like that for planes that are better behaved.
This plane's going to become part of my barn's decor in the rafters.
The model looked like it was doing 100, but when you are in panic mode with the plane intermittently going out of control, it is hard to be a good judge. 5 minutes seems like a half hour and 100 mph seems more like 190.
For some reason the MAS 7x4 and 7x5 props give my .15s great results. I haven't done enough testing with .15 speed planes to know if they are better than APC, but they seem hard to beat for a $2 prop.
For about $4, the 6.5x5 APC is even better, but I'm going to reserve props like that for planes that are better behaved.
This plane's going to become part of my barn's decor in the rafters.
07-04-2009, 08:56 PM
#74
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RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
ORIGINAL: vicman
MJD, I didn't have that much in the engine![X(]
MJD, I didn't have that much in the engine![X(]
A small length of fluoerescent plastic marker ribbon, maybe 24-30" - that plastic stuff in a roll for cheap, ya know? - firmly fixed to a short fishing leader clipped to the engine, could be easily rolled up in a small tight cylinder, and inserted into a small tube recessed in the airframe. Might show up better on the ground. Kind of like a streamer recovery rocket.
MJD
p.s. edit - I added a helpful illustration..
07-04-2009, 11:22 PM
#75
RE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!
MJD, I can see how those 5 years of ART you took in high school paid off!
The streamer's a good idea. Nothing sucks worse than tromping around looking for your lost engine............well, tromping around looking for someone else's lost engine is even worse.
The streamer's a good idea. Nothing sucks worse than tromping around looking for your lost engine............well, tromping around looking for someone else's lost engine is even worse.