TailTwister

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Here is a look at a few of the things I'm trying. There are new wheels on the plane. I used DB 3 inch wheels shaved down to a trapezoid shape. I mounted the wheel on my Dremel tool, and spun it up against a sanding block. I also cut out the hubs leaving only the spoke parts. I also used a light weight muffler. In my C/L days, we called them tongue mufflers. It weighs a hair under 0.5 ounces including the clamp. The 25LA looks right at home in the plane.

Sorry for the low res pics, but you guys get the drift...

George E.

My Feedback: (16)

Try the Dubro super light wheels. I used the 2.5 inch wheels, they are 9 grams each. The smaller 2 inch wheels are 5 grams each.

WingIT

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Just got mine out oday and it flew awesome with the 25 LA. More than enough power and slowflight like a feather. It does take some runway, but I had a blast

TailTwister

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Still snowing here...[]

tashley

My Feedback: (9)

Cool, I flew mine finally, got a very short break from the monsoons. First flight was with the stock mains and 2" Dave Brown Electra Lite wheels and I could not get it to rotate. Had I not been flying crossways on a freshly mown soccer field and sped across the drop-off between fields I don't think it would have gotten airborne. Went home and cut off the bottoms of the gear legs and bent some up out of 1/8" piano wire that were 1 1/4" longer and made a joiner sleeve out of some thin walled stainless tubing I had and joined the new leg bottoms to the original uppers with some Loctite #638 sleeve retainer and it made all the difference in the world. Now it rotates perfect.

All Thumbs

I'm curious, is this something you made yourself, or ordered? And...what's the difference in noise level with that thing (i.e. is it a lot louder)?

I've gone ahead and moved my receiver back to my rear-wing hatch location as well. I like it much better there. I'm now down to three 12" extensions and one 6" extension. I also took out two small pieces of wood I had added in the nose to form a sort of tray. All in all I've saved over an ounce and moved my C/G back just a little. Even with the stock muffler I'm a good 1"+ back from the spar. I've also swapped out my servo arms as suggested by Going Vert.

Now, if I can just fly it! It keeps snowing here too, but the real problem is the blustery winds coming off of Lake Erie. Twice now I've shoveled myself about a 60'x15' runway on our field and the plane took off without any problems (although it uses most of that length ). The ground is frozen here now and I find it's really easy to shovel without worrying about getting too close to the ground or ripping up any of the turf...and it's working well (when the winds aren't 20mph that is). This plane does an excellant job of tracking straight on a slippery surface. It's also so light it just seems to ride on top of everything.

As for you Tashley, I've always felt there should be a good inch added to the landing gear. That's not a bad idea except I'm still managing to get my plane to leave the ground. I'm curious though...how long is your takeoff run now? If you've moved from 50' to five or ten feet...I might have to consider making a change.

Chuck

going vert

My Feedback: (11)

Chuck - I just came back from a business trip to Cleveland last week. You guys get hammered on the east side of the lake. I was looking at that new lifestyle center - Legacy Village right by you. Have you been there?

Drew

TailTwister

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I've had that tongue muffler for years. It was made to fit a C/L Fox 35. Most of the ones now available are for the 40 to 50 size C/L engines. It could be made very easy, by anyone with a drill press, and a few other machine shop tools. It's basically a chunk of aluminum that is about 3/8x1.25x1.25 (not exact measurements). Then it's hollowed out (from the side that contacts the engine) and holes are drilled into it for the exhaust to escape. Add a pressure tap and a worm clap, and you're done. A guy in Atlanta named Tom Dixon used to sell them, but the selection now seems limited.

As for noise, I ran one last on a Super Tiger 51, and then changed to an Ultrathrust muffler. The UT muffler was louder, primarily because of the hight pitch I think. The tongue muffler had a much lower pitch sound, and wasn't what I'd call excessively loud, but it was louder than a stock muffler.

I can try my Mini with both, someday, and I'll compare rpm and flight charachteristics. That concerns me, as C/L engines (of that time) were not screamers at all. They generally ran at fairly low rpm. These mufflers may not like high rpm situations. I'm in hopes that since the muffler was designed for a slightly larger engine (.35), that the muffler will have volume enough to allow a bit more rpm on the 25LA.

Basically, which ever muffler gives me the rpm, gets the job. With a stock muffler, I'm ahead of the 1 inch back from the spar point. With the tongue muffler, I'm right at it. Either way is sure to fly well.

Another concern I have is the GOO FACTOR. This muffler is gonna spew!

All Thumbs

Yeah, we can get a boatload of snow when the lake's not frozen. East of Cleveland the shoreline veers northeast and sort of juts out into the wind. You probably already know how the lake effect machine works...those are your ingredients. If you like or don't mind the snow too much, it's kind of cool in it's own way...just not very helpful to flying.

But, I've never heard of Legacy Village, sorry. So obviously I've never been there (There's an awful lot of stuff in this area, with new things springing up all the time). What city is that in?

Chuck

tashley

My Feedback: (9)

Chuck, the landing gear mod made all the difference in the world. Even with an engine not broken in, running rich, and taking off from wet grass it rotated in about 25'. I think I would be safe to say that a ten to fifteen foot takeoff is likely given the right conditions. i.e. a well broken in engine and either a close mown dry grass field or pavement.

All Thumbs

That gear mod looks pretty sweet, nice job. It's got me thinking...

And thanks TT for the info on the muffler...keep us posted as to how it works out. I have some slight noise concerns when I fly it at a nearby field instead of the club field.

I've charged into this hobby full steam for the last two years...but I've got a lot to learn and see yet. It's always good to see alternate solutions and especially what hardware's available. I'm playing catchup .

Chuck

Edit: I almost forgot. This is my fifth plane, and nothing I've had has ever been such a goo magnet! That right wing just catches a whole slopload of it. I'm in the habit of giving it a wipe down after a few flights.

tashley

My Feedback: (9)

Chuck, you're right about the "goo". Even with the exaust outlet pointed at 45 degrees away from the fuse and wing it the goo still covers the top of the wing. I think I'll try and find some silicone tubing to fit the muffler stinger and extend it a couple inches.

Tom

All Thumbs

I had a silicone extension on mine at first...pointing well up and away at a 45 degree angle. But I still got goo over everything, including the bottom of the wing! I took it off and noticed no change in the goo factor. If it helped, I sure couldn't tell. Perhaps it's the 3D factor that causes this, I don't know. Maybe when you're hovering and such you don't get that smooth airflow to carry everything away? And that big, fat leading edge seems to be a great collector of the stuff. Maybe you'll have better luck, but Like I said, I noticed no goo advantage using the extension so I'm just going to save the weight and leave it off for good.

Chuck

wgeffon

My Feedback: (4)

This is really the only solution to the goo problem.
Put a gasser on it like the DA-150.

All Thumbs

Hey, for the price of that engine you could buy a lot of paper towels!

TailTwister

My Feedback: (1)

To put a DA-150 in there is rediculous! I would never consider anything above a DA-100 in this small of a plane. What are you thinking, Wayne?

tashley- How many landings have you done with your gear mod? Do you think it will last, or will the sleeves need replacing at some point? Our field gets pretty thick sometimes.

tashley

My Feedback: (9)

Ok, I'll try it, send that DA down my way.

Twister, the only way those sleeves are comming off is with a torch. We use 638 in an indurstrial application and as a test I machined an aluminum sleeve with a 1" id and smeared some 638 on a piece of 1' round stock, put the sleeve on, and after a 24 hour cure time it took 5,000 lbs. of hydraulic pressure to take it apart. This stuff in the proper application is stronger than silver solder. You just have to make sure that your fit between the sleeve and gear legs is snug. I used a piece of 1/8" id stainless tubing 3/4" long to make mine because I happened to have it lying around the shop.

Tom

Ian.W

What about the DA-200 (whenever it comes out lol)

Can i get one of theese in canada, how big is the box.

tashley

My Feedback: (9)

Don't be ridculous, a 150 would be the absolute most this airframe could stand.
The box is about the size of a large break down shotgun case.

tashley

My Feedback: (9)

Here's what I wound up doing for a hatch. It lets me take a little peek once in a while just to make sure that I haven't slung the battery off it's velcro.

TailTwister

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I like the hatch! Mine is just going to be some 1/64 with a patch of covering on it.

I know, not to creative...[]

Upon further consideration, I believe that the Mini 3D airframe would handle the DA-150. Apologies to Wayne for flying off the handle before doing some research.

wgeffon

My Feedback: (4)

It handles it fine.
The TR's are amazing.

TailTwister

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Let me guess, the prop stays still, and the plane rolls at 7,000 rpm?

wgeffon

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So you have seen the video....

ROGER RUSSELL

My Feedback: (12)

I fly my MINI with a 150.

OH, I forgot about the decimal place.

Roger