Rich, DETAILS PLEASE!!!!

That ME landing gear is tough! Now living a second life on a QHOR.
(Along with all the other non-wood parts of the ME)

No glue required!

[pic deleted]
This is the part where I said "Darn"!

I was having a lot of fun flying my ME on field day, stepped into a little rut and took my eyes off the plane for a second.
When I looked up, it was coming towards me and the pits (full of people), so I cut the power and yanked the stick back.
Of course, it was inverted and that's all she wrote.
The fuse would be too much work to repair (for me anyways), but the wing could be back in shape in a few hours.
The right side LE peg was pushed back an inch.

I took the gear out and put it on a QHOR Spad and found out it's a lot more fun to fly!
Just finishing up Spad#2. It's a SPA3D and will be pulled by the Mag .52 4-S from my old LT-40.

Bummer! I was hoping to fly mine for the first time this weekend, but our field is tied up with a scale competition. That's O.K., We're going camping instead, so I'll get some grip time on my KTM!

Wow! Funny, my ME looks just like yours!
Moral: Don't fly 3D is your engine is not runnig good! Low, inverted, engine cough, pull full up,.. and it pancaked the field, just missing the high grass (of course). The landing gear literally tore the nose off the plane when it hit. A winter project.

Oops. Forgot a few things. I would certainly mount the landing gear with nylon bolts vice metal (simply so it will shear, not shearing the nose off). Of course, I used metal like a dummy. I guess you could also beef up on the inside of the fuel tank compartment, such as epoxing in a few feet of triangular stock, particularly where the back fuel tank firewall meets the fuselage.

Some one also asked whether this flies good 3D with an OS46fx. Yes, it does and it does it well. This was a new OS46fx I was using but I eventually found out that a portion of my rack used for transportation was rubbing against the needle valve. I usually check it every flight but the day I pancaked it, I didn't (in a rush of course) and it must had been a bit rich. I used a Zinger 12x5 with good success. Hovers better/easier than the UCD3D 60. I hope my new UCD3D 40 size flies as well as the ME. We'll see.

I'm flyn this baby... when the weather allows.

Thanks for all your comments on this arf.

4.75 lbs finished.

OS46FX

Belly pan was an 1/8 inch too long. Wing bolts were not alligned properly and replaced them with 1/4" nylon. Engine mount holes were also not alligned properly, reamed out the motor mount to make it work. Replaced stock main wheels with Dubro 2-3/4 light foam ones and they fit nicely into those off color molded wheel pants. Replaced the maroon spinner with a Dubro (better color match). Used a Sullivan 8 oz. rectangular flex tank instead of the one supplied. Added a third fill drain line to the tank because the spacing of the 46FX and the 4" thrust washer from the fire wall measurement makes a tight fit.

CG at about 4.5 ...... if everyone else that has flown this bird with the CG there.. i'll give it a try too.

I also coated all the black stripes with clear dope in hopes that they won't peel off.... at least until the 3rd flight. LOL.

It was alittle more work getting this ARF together than my GP Venus40 ARF.... hope she flies good.....

I like the airplane except for the thin weak fuselage. A hard landing tore the front end off. I repaired it and reinforced it with plywood. The next hard landing broke the fuselage. I have made harder landings with other planes with no damage.

Gene

Hey Guys.

I have been flying the Model Tech Magic Extra for a month or so and thanks to all of you on this thread. According to the posts I was able to get it real close on the first flight. I think I started at 4 3/4" and it was safe and easy to land.

CG is now 4 7/8" from LE. When I was at 5 1/8" back it was neutrally stable with the motor running. When the motor died during the maneuver it could not recover from a flat spin. It was an easy fix. I do flat spins when the motor is at idle.

When landing, I find that a little throttle up will allow the plane to actually glide a little and have some roll out on the ground rather than pancaking in because it can practically stop in mid air if your not careful with your flair.

I now fly it with a newer GMS 47 (it looks like the Tower Motor with the large muffler) and an APC 12.75x3.75 It will hover just under 1/2 throttle and pull straight up with authority at full throttle. My model weighs 4 lb. 9 oz. with what ever little is left in the tank.

Throws are 30 Deg. on ailerons and 45 Deg. on the tail feathers and use a Stylus radio with Acro card with lots of expo to keep everything under control. I am use two HS-85 servos for the elevator--one for each elevator half. I was thinking on mixing the elevator to the ailerons for better roll speed, but it's not necessary. Rolls are very fast now with the 5 cell pack. I use a 5 cell 500AR RX pack for better and crisper reaction compared to the 4 cell pack.

I did not like the 13x4W on the Magic Extra with a GMS 47. It flies much better with the APC 12.75x3.75. Yes, there close but the 14x4w seem to grip to well and would not let the airframe do a flat spin or snap very well at all. It now flat-spins and snaps good with the 12.75x3.75 and the CG is little farther forward too. Like a said it's now at 4 7/8.

Just a note on the GMS motor. On the first day, I and the rest of the "Motor Gurus" in the area, could not get the motor to tune. It would run and cut out, die out and was not tunable. Went home and took the head off to measure the head shim. And guess what...the factory used the thick .030 in the head space right from the factory. Took that out and replaced it with the other one in the bag. It's .003 and it ran hot. Burned out a glow plug getting it close to running good. Added the second .003 shim for a total of .006 head shim and now this baby was running good. I am now able to fine tune the low end so it had no delay and the top end was great too. Glow plug still looks like new one run after run. So far I have ran a gallon through it. Most of the guys are amazed at the power. I am new to Glow planes (About 6 months) so I can't compare it to other motors of the same size. If your interested you can pick up the motor at Model Engine Company Of America, Cermark or Great plains. Great motor at a great price. And let me know what you think.
I can get em for you too...$79.00 shipped.

BTW. I just picked up the FuntanaS by Hanger 9 and a New YS63. This power stuff is really cool

How does everyone's battery fit into the fuse? I can only get foam around the sides of my 4 cell pack, leaving the ends of the cells exposed. Otherwise the pack fits a bit too tight for my liking.

My battery fits tight as well. Not much room in there. Still have to seal the seams and pin striping, just been spending time camping and dirt bikin' in the mountains. It's done, otherwise. Should be able to get it in the air this coming week. It's got the new Magnum .52 XLS on it, I'll have to break it in also. Once done with that, I've got some APC 12x4 props to pull it around with. I'd like to see a report on the assembly and flying of that Funtana......looks like it might be my next plane!

Just got back from the field on her maiden flight.

The OS46FX has loads of power for this plane.... 4.75 lbs.
Only used an 11x6 prop for these first flights.

Got her off the ground in 10 feet of roll. Brought her around and trimmed her off. Just three clicks down and one click right. Not bad.....

The winds were blowing at 14 mph with gusts to 20... but she flew just fine...

She floats real well in this wind.

Brought her down, nice smoothe landing. 4 minutes.

Checked things out.... my muffler exhust exit was in the wrong direction. 2nd flight much more relaxed. 8 minutes.

3rd flight went 10 minutes, dead stick. Floated her in until 3 feet above the ground and a gust of wind took me sideways...

Just bent the landing gear abit... and my pride..... no other scracthes except where the landing gear is mounted and the 4mm bolts are bent.

**** The problem... why the engine quit. I still had a 1/4 tank of fuel (flying at 1/3 - 1/2 throttle)... In my opinion the tank is too low to the carb. She started right up but would not run.. changed glow plug ( A3 new one ) the same. Filled the tank full. No Problem!.... Tank too low to the carb.

So, how do we solve this problem, then?

Don't know .....

If I invert the tank this will bring only the opening of the tank higher but the fuel will remain lower therefore still require the same amount of pressue or draw to get it to the carb......


ANY SUGGESTIONS FROM THE "UNIVERSE" ?????????

Meanwhile..... I'll just limit my self to 8 minutes of flight.

I was able to add packing foam to the bottom of the tank compartment to raise the tank to the top of the hatch. I also enlarged the hole in the firewall to allow the fittings to go through. You might need to lower the engine too. I got mine down as far as reasonably sensible. (Some cutting of the sides of the fuse was necessary.) This will get the tank fuel supply line about 1/4 lower than the needle--this is close enough for without noticing any in-flight differences. Once your finished fuel proof the intire tank area, sides of the fuse and firewall.
Be sure to check your tank for leaks if you develop a problem. Remove the tank and put the hole thing under water. Seal the tubes and squeeze that thing to see if any bubbles appear around the seal or other places.
Double check your clunk to make sure it's clunking correctly.

This should take care of the problem.

Thanks for the insight..

I just got back online from reviewing the ME. You are correct. There is some room left to raise the tank up another 1/2" or so. And yes the hole in the bulk head will need to me elongated or moved up also. I'll do this tonight..........

I don't like to move engines because that changes the designed "thrust vector"........ did you notice any difference after you moved the engine down????

That's a good point, a priority point of view.

I would move the gas tank to needle valve priority above the "thrust Vector" (actually--Thrust line) priority.
Heck, if it don't run it can fly!

So to answer your question--I don't know. I changed it before I flew it for the first time.

This leads to another question. Why was it designed that way in the first place--answer: because its a cheap plane. You only get so much for your money or, you get what you pay for... In this case you get a lot of airplane for a cheap price and fix what you need too.

OK, Sorry. That's a MFG. point of view--I'll try to stick to the subject next time.

Why not just rotate the engine 90 degrees, cut one side off to clear the head of the motor & mount it on the same thrust line. I've mounted almost all of my engines at this angle , whenever I could . I'm going to do this to the one I have when I get my new wing in the mail & put it all back together. I had a Saito 72 on it before the accident, I'll be putting a GMS 40 on it now.

I took Cavazos's advice ....

there is room under the hood to raise the tank a good 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch... stuffed some foam underneath the tank, Dremelled a new hole, Patched the old portion of the hole with light ply and 5 min epoxy......

OS46FX runs great now.

It is a fun plane to fly... worth every bit of the construction hassles....... best bang for the buck.

PROBLEM: I was breaking in my new Magnum .52 XLS, and anything above 1/3 throttle, and the servos get the jitters, intermittently. What is weird, is if I moved my hand near the front of the airplane while the engine was on (the transmitter was about 5' in front of the plane), it would do it also, like maybe my wedding ring had something to do with it at times. I'm wondering if the throttle linkage, being a metal rod with a Z-bend going through the metal carb arm is vibrating so much that it is causing harmonics. It is a loose fit, and defineately is vibrating when the engine is running. This only happens when the engine is running, and only at 1/3 to 1/2 throttle. The flying wires I have are nylon, and the antenae wire exits the side of the fuse in front of the radio, and is attached to the top of the tail. What should I check, and in what order?

Do a good range check with the engine running.
Put a rubber band on the linkage to load it down a little.
That will dampen the vibrations and let you know what might the
cause.
I would double check the rec. The crystal might be loose in it's socket.

Sometimes a servo will get a bad spot on the pot at the center of it's trim and buzz a lot. I see this on my glider a lot.
Servos will also buzz if they are under a load too.
Worse, is my HiTec gear will buzz a servo when the transmitter is too close to the plane. Move back 10 feet and it's fine!!
Rich<>

The range check with the engine running is how I found the problem, and ALL servos are affected at the same time. All of the control surfaces just start moving erratically. Gets worse the farther away I get, but will do it fairly close with the antennae down. I'll check the crystal, and try the rubber band on the throttle linkage also.

Sledman

There is a "GOLDEN RULE" Never have any metal to metal connections. This includes pull-pull cables, Guy wires, metal push rods that might touch each other and any carbon made parts that might come in contact with any carbon or metal parts. Yes, Carbon fiber should be treated as a metal or metallic surface. Guy wires should have a nylon coating of the wires. Dubro sells there cables this way. The only metal to metal should be treated as a bearing or bushing surface. Similar to your Piston and sleeve; ball bearings and other tight fitting usually designed for movement metal to metal contacts. The guy wire "strap to tensioner" might fall into this category--double check for loosens or possible vibration.
To correct your problem simply put a ball link on the throttle arm. I especially like the heli connectors for this--but be careful the 2-56 rods usually will not work. Get the correct mm size pushrod if you intend to go with the Heli connectors. Loctight the thread on the ball link and over tighten the nut with a good pair of pliers for extra security of it not coming loose while flying.

I have seen many airplanes crash because of the problem you encountered.
Good thing you decided not to fly. You plane would not have made it very far.

I'm sure I've got some of the smaller metal rod with a plastic clevis on at home, from a previous model or something. I'll switch that out, and re-test. I'll bet that's it. The "middle" part of the Z-bend that goes through the metal throttle horn on the carb slides back and forth just by breathing on it, practically. With the engine running, the thing was probably really singing.

FINALLY got the Magic in the air! Two flights, flies GREAT! Boy, that thing rolls FAST on high rates! Time to take the 10x6 prop off and put on the 12x4, now. I have several tanks of fuel through the new Magnum .52 XLS, looks like a screamer. More to follow......