Gumby2!

Bill,

Forgot to mention I am using 15% omega 2-stroke fuel!

Thanks,
Alan

LancelowDowell

Is anyone having thrust issues with theirs? In vertical uplines and prop hangs, mine wants to turn to the left violently... i can correct it in vertical uplines using rudder, but in prop hangs the rudder doesn't have enough authority to correct it before it falls over. I checked my thrust angle, and I have about 4 degrees of right thrust, but it's still kicking to the left. Running a saito 72. Any help would be great.

bpryor

My Feedback: (45)

Alan:

Thanks for the additional info. That all sounds good. Your engine should still pick up some substantial gains as you get some more time on it, but it should be pulling well at this point.

I think mine makes it's debut at the field tomorrow. I'll be putting up pictures and specs on it after the flight. It's a bit of an experiment, but I think it should work out pretty well.

tiggerinmk

My last flight of the day.... here]

LancelowDowell

Just a bit of warning... replace the elevator and rudder pushrods. I lost my funtana today, and although I'm not 100% certain, I think it was the 2/56 pushrods combined witht the plastic clevis flexing and couldn't pull the plane out of a dive. went straight in and is now nothing more then scrap balsa.

On a good note though, I also baught a ohio models sukohi the cowel is rediculus, it's pretty much a 5 gallon paint bucket.

Abraxxas

Well I just finished my wing dowel fix... 11/32" thinwalled brass tubing from your local hs is a perfect fit over the dowels so I cut two pieces and epoxied them to my dowels right up to the shoulder of my bevel on the edge. Then I took a piece of 1/8" light ply and made some doublers in the bulkhead around the wing dowel holes and drilled them through with the same size as the originals. The holes are too small for the brass tubed dowels so they need to be augered out, I chose to do this with a slightly smaller drill bit wraped in some 180 grit sticky backed sand paper as you can make them PERFECT this way, plus it is a much nicer hole than a drill bit makes. I enlarged the holes only in the direction facing the canopy and the sides, leaving the bottom of the original hole where it was, this made for a tighter wing to fuse mating. Then soaked inside the holes with thin CA and re-touched them up with the paper and they are beautiful, wing is a pressed fit to get the dowels in and I pull closed about a 1/16" gap with the wing bolt at the trailing edge to fuse mating edges which makes the wing TIGHT, no slop at all and never should be. Flying it tonight so should know how it affects the flight characteristics soon.

B.T.W. - Is it just mine or have any of you guys had your carbon tail reinforcements tearing out on one end or the other?? Maybe I just have to be nicer to Mr.Airplane in the air? ROFL

LancelowDowell

Use epoxy, not ca to put them in. I used ca at first, and lost one on my first flight. Epoxyed them in that night and they even held after I destroyed the rest of the plane.

hookedonrc

Just a warning, there is another thread about the rods coming loose. We had a guy in our club lose both stabs and of course the plane after they came loose. Both stabs folded up, right at the fuse.

YNOT

OK, I'm starting to like the plane a bit more now that I have a few more flights on it. In fact, Saturday night, I flew it at a night fly.

Set Up: Irvine 53 w/ Tower muffler, 4721's in the wing, 9402 on the rudder, 9203 on the elevator, CF gear, lighter foam wheels, Tru Turn spinner & tail wheel, 6 volt 1100 mill pack, CF rods and ball joints on all surfaces, aluminum servo horns, 5 lbs 8 ozs.

On the stabs breaking: I used Dave Brown carbon fiber, that I laminate onto the bottom of the horizontal stab at the trailing edge. I have used this method on several planes and have NEVER had one break. I have broken many with flying wires.

I did not add any additional right thrust to the motor and I have no vertical issues. I am using a 2 stroke only swinging a 12' prop, however if you are using a 4 stroker swinging a 14" prop, you may want to add a washer behind the mount and add some right to it.

I moved the CG back some, 7 inch's back. It flat spins better, hovers better, knife edges a little better and does everything just a little faster. I have the battery pack located right on the CG and the receiver on the other side of the middle bulkhead. So no additional weight was added.

Mods: I double beveled the horizontal and vertical stabs to get more throw. Elevator high rate is 70 degrees and low is 45. On high rate it will do a waterfall, however you have to work the throttle. If I use spoileron it will just flip over and over and over and over. It does a great knife edge spin. The rudder will now SLAP the elevator half's at high rate. I used 1 1/4" servo arms. To do this, you need to swap sides on the elevator and rudder servos, so you don't get a weird angle on your control rod. This bird does a great Harrier and spoilerons are not needed.


The Funtana does not seem to like flying very slow. I was thinking mine was heavy, however with the Funtana weight thread, I am right on par with others.

The Funtana is not as forgiving as the Flip or UCD or a Profile. This bird is not for the faint at heart and it will keep you thumbs, eyes and brain on FULL alert.

Abraxxas

Ok, finally here are a couple pics of my wing dowel fix I mentioned in an earlier reply to this thread... the mounting holes are doubled and the dowels are "brassed".

Abraxxas

and the dowels...

bpryor

My Feedback: (45)

Hi YNOT,

You have me confused with your last post. You said you double-beveled horizontal and vertical surfaces. I can understand the horizontal, but the vertical will hit the elevator easily with the stock single bevel, so I was wondering if you re-cut your elevators to allow for more rudder throw?

>>This bird is not for the faint at heart and it will keep you thumbs, eyes and brain on FULL alert.

Also, my guess is that your impression of the plane as being hard to fly is a result of your control throws, not the weight of the plane, or any inherant characteristics. I believe if you set your throws on low rates to the suggested stock settings and fly the plane with these settings, except when performing specific maneuvers requiring the high throws, you will find the plane to be quite forgiving and very easy and relaxing to fly. On low rates my plane is docile and is very smooth and easy to control for all "standard" aerobatic maneuvers, including slow flight and landing. On high rates, which are about the same or a little more than you have your low rates set to, it becomes very sensitive to control input, even with 80% expo....which is what I would expect.

YNOT

Hi Bill,

Yea, I double bevel the rudder also, in looking back I did not need to. It slaps the elevators half's pretty hard. It was not needed.

I posted on another thread about adding 1/2 ouch of weight on the left wingtip. It stopped the right wing dropping in a hard pull. Now it does a great wall and parachute.

I have several more flights on it now and have gotten it dialed in. I am running a bunch of expo on my low rate and only use the high rate for a few extreme tricks. It will do some very cool things on high rate.

bpryor

My Feedback: (45)

Hi Tony,

Thanks for the answers. With the many Funtana threads it is hard to read everything, and also to remember where you posted what. I'm glad you got your lateral balance issues fixed. I was lucky with mine and it was balanced and stable in walls from the get go.

>>It will do some very cool things on high rate.

I bet it will. If I keep this long enough I'll probably go back and do the double bevel just to see the difference.

hookedonrc

I finally got mine back into the air on Sunday. I did exactly the same mod on the wing dowels and dowel bulkhead as Abraxxas, and the wing is snug and has no more movement. I also added wing wires on the horizontal and vertical stabs just like the SIG Something Extra. These, I am sure will keep the stab from folding even with the carbon rods like some others have done. I am about to lean out the high end of my Saito as I now have about 14 flights in and think the engine is probably broken in now. I will be at the field tomorrow after work, so I should find out then.

JP 3D FLYR

I just flew mine over the weekend it a fun plane but it wasn't what i expected. I think that it it built to light which makes it weak in some areas. I almost put my finger through the underneath part of the firewall and a rib in the wing was broken which i had to fix. plus mine pushes hard to the gear in a knife edge it was fun but i think there is to much hype over this airplane, i have way more fun with my h9 aresti. I'm not bashing the funtana but i just expected a little more.

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Hi guys, I just put the Saito on mine this AM and ran into a snag.
The motor wont slide back enough to give the recommended
4-3/8" from drive washer to firewall. The motor mount screw hits the screw that holds the carb on. Did you guys leave your or
countersink the screw.
Also is the throttle linkage easier to run with the carb normal or flipped with the needle out the top.
Thanks David

RC_Junky

My Feedback: (1)

I agree, it's close but mine clears. I couldn't put washers under the front of the engine for right thrust or it would hit. I had to get right thrust at the motor mount. I always run my needle valve on top and the throttle linkage is a straight shot with the stock hardware. The ounce out front is because I've been flying it without the cowl and spinner.

YNOT

GEEEZ Junky, whats with all that weight in the nose. Thats over an ounce!!!!

Abraxxas

ROFL YNOT!!! Those are the words of a certified R/C sicko

RC_Junky

My Feedback: (1)

The weights are there because I've been flying it without the cowl and spinner. I'll loose the weights once they are installed.

hookedonrc

I flipped my carb and valve to the top and have had no problems and the engine fit in fine (Saito 72). On the throttle linkage, I drilled a 1/2" hole in the firewall where it came through and then epoxied a piece of firwall material right behind it then drilled a hole for the linkage. It set the wall back just enough to avoid any problems.

Ed_Moorman

My Feedback: (1)

I am doing a kit review of the Funtana for R/C Report magazine. I have a Saito .72 in it, the one I took out of my TopCap and replaced it with a Saito .91. I am balances at 6 inches with an empty tank. I am using JR 811 sport digital servos and a 5-cell battery. Control throws are 55 degrees elevator all the rudder and aileron I can get. I use a lot of expo on all channels.

Roll rate is blurry fast.

I, too am getting a slight wing drop on walls. Harriers are good especially with spoilers up. Mine hovers so-so, but it's probably me.

Mine does waterfalls just great. Flips over without needing rudder as the TopCap does.

I only get a fair flat spin where as the TopCap can climb.

Level knife edge is good, but I can't get anywhere near a KE loop. The TopCap does a KE loop easily. I did not find the extrene pitch down and roll with rudder as I have in the 2 UCD's I have flown.

Overall, a very good airplane, very smooth, with a few faults. It does most everything well except for the KE loop and climbing flat spins. I would say it is a pattern flier's 3D plane where as the TopCap is a combat flier's 3D plane. It depends on your style of flying.

YNOT

Ed, latterly balance the plane. I needed 1/2 ounce on the left wingtip. With that, the plane would not drop the right wing. And it knife edge's better.

And yes, I am a R/C sicko. I weigh the foam that goes into a plane. Did you know different foam weigh more than others. I am so glad the wife got that digital food scale.

adrian-RCU

with a little cg mod the futana ke loops marvelously, we have had ours for a while and like most specialist planes a little setup and test, test puts it on track and now we are positively impressed with our funtana