RE: Showtime
 

[&:]]HelloAll! Raideron, Barry Cazier. Seem to be following these guys around the Forums. UCD 46 is still my favorite. Picked up a Showtime on Ebay. Problem is that I am missing ailerons, one SFG, rear landing gear. If anyone has spare parts laying around from dumb thumbs,:( let me know. Especially airerons. E-mail if you have any of these & we can deal. hate to have to buy a wing to get an aileron.
Great info here and it helped me decide to start looking for one. Really looking forward to putting this Showtime together. Keep in touch all!
Saito 125
Hitec 645s (So far)
Thanks All

Doug:)

RE: Showtime
 

Hey everyone! I'm just about finished my Showtime; hopefully going to maiden it this weekend.
Set-up:
Engine: Enya 1.20 R 4-stroke (Dubro remote glow for now, but may go to a Electro Dynamics on board glow)
Radio equipment: 5 Hitec HS-5645's, 1 HS-322 for throttle, Supreme 8 ch reciever, Eclipse Tx, Tenergy 6.0 V 2000 Mah battery, heavy duty extensions and switch.

Everything is per the manual except for a few small items. Instead of epoxying the bolts through the control surfaces, I used finishing washers and a nut, as is seen in thr last pic. I used slightly larger wheels, and enlarged the hole in the wheel pants a bit too.

Just have a few more things to finish up and its ready to go! ;)

RE: Showtime
 

Hey Doug :D..... Welcome.. I'll keep an eye out... Guessing ebay sold that
"parts" one already... I really like the S.T. Built per man. using stock parts
except for using GP pinned hinges and a tetra tk. at the tube.. and stretched
tail wheel springs and glued the Hori. stab in...
No problems to date out of about 80 flts.... She will show u're bad moves
because she does all that you ask of it;)... And foe me[:@] a few "Bad" ones...

Spitfire222... Looking good!!... I was also going to add washers/nuts, but ended
with it per man.... So far so good....

RE: Showtime
 

Thanks Ron! I thought the washer added a nice look to the pieces, and plus they're removable for when the model reaches its expiration date. (Hopefully, a long time from now! [&:])
So, how does she fly? Any habits I should know about? ;)

RE: Showtime
 

Well im ready to put my showtime in the air. Do have a question about the rates. What is everyone using for normal rates? Is the stock recomended rates good? Ive heard from a few people at the club a couple people lost their showtime because of the low rates given was too much.

RE: Showtime
 

I really do not notice any bad habits.... I guess T.O. is a bit longer???? But IMO
no problem with it... She flys and lands great IMO... This is a first for me in this
wing type and size of plane.. My other planes have high lift wings.. UCD, profiles
on the high power side... She is touchy... But I like how she flies!!! So I anticipated
a bit more speed for flying and landings...
I guess from reading a lot here, I do keep the "prop" wash up on my final turn
for landing, and I do land a bit faster than my other planes... But lately, I have
been creeping in on the landings with no problems to date...
Only other thing I can say is... Don't do like me.. starting out with the rec. 6V
just in frt. of the tail mounted servos, and now it's next to my Tk just in frt. of
the wing tube.... It makes flying very interesting :D

On my rates/throws.... Hi= everything I can get with 70/80 % expo.... IIRC
Low= 20-30%, 70% expo..... Low still changes from time to time...

RE: Showtime
 

Fury:

I'm not that experienced a pilot, so take that for what its worth, but I saw the deflection amount and the size of the surfaces and thought no way will I be able to fly this at the recommended rates, so I have my high rates set to the low rates with about 60% expo and the low rates are set to about 25% with about 65% expo. I only have a few flights on it, but I will tell you that the high rates mentioned above are not that crazy on the plane -- I was surprised. My low rates make it very easy to fly around, but still maneuverable -- the roll rate is still quick and the elevator has good authority at the 25% -- The plane is able to do all aerobatic maneuvers (not 3d) at 25% of the recommended low rates, but I was able to land and take off at the recommended low rates (my "high" rates). Hope that helps

RE: Showtime
 

Thanks for the response. That is the information i wanted to hear. I was kinda sketchy when i saw the low rates in the manual but, i wanted to double check. Did you find 65% expo really soft for your "low rates" that seems like a lot for that little deflection. One thing i seem to do is put in too much expo for the desired rates which then ends up being too soft to fly normal so I end up either making this HORRIBLE landing or nearly crashing the model.. Then again to little expo makes it too touchy which, ends the same way. Haha!! Well Ill find out next week when i get to put this bird up in the air where it belongs.

RE: Showtime
 

Well, I don't jam the sticks around and still find that 60-70% expo is good for me. Raiderron above says he flys with 70% and I have heard others talk about that much or even a little more -- I think really that it is setting it up for how you personally like the aircraft to "feel". My baby low rates with that much expo do a fine job on the plane -- the surfaces are rather large so a little movement still works -- Maybe some others on here will chime in -- I would hate to be responsible for your maiden flight and me with not much experience with this type of aircraft.

RE: Showtime
 

I fly the ST with the recommended throws, it ends up on low rate all the time so I am going to do as Isaacslaw and make my low rate the high rate. I also fly a pattern and find that even the recommended low rate is a little more than I need to do the sequence. As far as the expo I also fly anywhere between 60-70% I feel it makes the manuvers a lot smoother and graceful. This plane is a dream to fly, go out have fun

RE: Showtime
 

I have been flying for a while, and this is one kickass plane. Even in the 105 degree F heat. Mine flys perfectly strait and the knife edge is awsome. It locks into a hover really well, I love how this plane TR's I brought it down infront of me for like 3 minutes today. However if the nose gets off going to the side about 5 degrees, you cant get it back into the hover with the rudder you have to roll and use the elevator. Its only like that for me though because I am using a saito 100 that has not been run for over a year and a jug of 30% that has been sitting half empty for over a year. Oh and the glow plug probably needs replacing, I can only get about 9400 rpm but that should change.

I have all the rates and throws just the way I like them. The plane flys great, its just lacking in the thrust category but that should change.

Have any of you spent some time using differential, My ailerons both travel perfectly evenly but I cant really tell if I need any differential because my virticle is only like 10mph and it slows down when I roll.

RE: Showtime
 

Have a question about snapping. I have been having a snapping problem with the showtime 4d. Any speed with full elevator (up or down) It will snap to the left. I have a problem with the left elevator half. With the elevators centered using the counter balance, the left elevator trailing edge will be lower than the right. I have tried using a heat gun, sealing iron, cussing, praying. But no success. I can get it close, but after a flight in the sun, it will go back to where it was. So here is the question, should I try a new elevator set, or center the elevator half and ignore where the counter balance is. Other than that, if I am very careful with the elevator, it is a dream to fly.

RE: Showtime
 

raideron

Ron that Ebay one was the one I bought. Even with the missing pieces it was a good deal. Can't wait to get started on this Showtime. Nice looking plane.:D If I have to build airlerons from scratch than I will. The SFG shouldn't be a major deal either.

Doug

RE: Showtime
 

Hey Doug... Yeah it was, I almost bidded on it, for parts and or another plane.... It should
be not much of a problem for the parts that was missing... And the SFG's... Well I have not
tried mine yet.... She will show bad habits, But IMO... She is Sweet!!!

RE: Showtime
 

:)goldenclan...

I don't think you have anything unusual. Mine does this all the time. It's just part of this plane. It snaps. Many say they don't have the problem but many (me included) do have the problem. Nothing I do to mine makes it go away. I just learn to live with it. It'll never be a plane I fly super low. Or trust.

Thanks
Barry

RE: Showtime
 

Hello barry, been talking with Mike McConville about the problem. He asked me to check for wing warp on the side it snaps to. Wing looked good (both) but noticed some play in the aileron on the left wing. The screw was loose enough to be pushed out of the hole and had enough play to let it deflect over an 1/8 inch both ways. Re-glued with some microballons and I am going to test the thing later this week.

RE: Showtime
 

I did get my Showtime in the air to day, 6 flights.I have a problem that the plane will roll(not mutch,but I`m use to pattern plane) in both directions in straight flights,trying to trim it but its like this plane is flying on the edge and will roll.I have HS5945mg all around and they have barely any play (less than 1/10 inc or 2mm) on the aileron surface.Is this the cause or is it still a warp in the wing?It did have a 0,5 degree warp in one wing half I fixed when I put it together.Cg as recomended but fuel tank up front,emtyweight 4055gram (8,9Lbs) w/SFG.

Or is this plane only for very experienced pilots?I didnt like that I have to watch it carfully all the time to fly straight and level.

I did check the plane now and had a 0,3 degree warp in one wing half,and 0,5 degree downtrust on the engine.
Is this the reason to the problem?

RE: Showtime
 

are you using the side force generators? I have just had problems with the plane snapping out during a hard pull on the elevator, but I think that I have that fixed.

RE: Showtime
 

Rydning:

Is it rolling in one direction down the field and the other direction up the field? Is it rolling both ways in a single line? Is it laterally balanced? What are your throws set at. to me, the plane feels kind of touchy, but not at all uncontrollable on the factory spec low rates. I have not flown it yet on the 3d rates. I do not believe that .3 or even .5 degrees of twist will produce such an effect as you describe -- that much should not be noticeable and I believe is within the margin of error in measurement with the large throw of the surfaces. Are you measuring this with the Hangar 9 angle pro incidence meter? Keep in mind that there is at least .1 to .2 degrees of play when using the bar that comes with it. I measure everything 3 times minimum from each direction and take the average of the readings, throwing out any high deviations. The Angle Pro is very good, though, for helping to set your throws. I believe that you should also re-check your cg -- I had some trouble in this area -- read above.

RE: Showtime
 

There are SO MANY POSTS on this airplane, I hope that is a good sign since mine will be arriving on Tuesday. =)

I am planning on putting a BCMA SPE 26cc (1.6 cu.in.) engine on it. Has anyone else put a similar gasser on this plane? Should I be really concerned about weight in the nose?

I read through several pages in this post and it only increases my enthusiasm about this aircraft! I hope it lives up to its reputation...

RE: Showtime
 

My pal just attached an SPE 26 on his, not flown yet but from the static thrust I will say that it will need a lot of throttle to hang. The muffler will stick out a little and so might the carb. However, fuel savings will be really a lot. Enjoy yours.

RE: Showtime
 

I have about 50 flights on mine now with the saito 100. It is sweet, I am soo happy, I have a great solid setup with 5645's so and everything is strait. I have never ever not once experienced this snapping everyone is talking about. On a windy day I can turn into the wind at a low throttle and It might drop the left wingtip and start heading toward the ground but it is totally expected. Mine is a little tail heavy but it flys perfectly strait. I love it.

I did replace the tailwheel with a graphtec 15lb carbon fiber one and the stock landing gear is holding up really well, I think that the mains would go through the fuse before they started to delaminate.

RE: Showtime
 

Banche, good to hear you're having good results with the 5645's. (I'm using them too) [sm=thumbup.gif] I assume you sealed the hinge gap? Also, what servo arms are you using? I cant wait to fly mine when I get back from vacation! [8D]

RE: Showtime
 

I did more flights to day.After staighen the wings and set 0-0-0 trust/wing/stab.The airplane felt better to day.But I feels like you have to fly it all the time,you cant take of the hands.
This airplane is might like this,very sharp.And I think it is a incredibel plane for experienced pilot.So I need more practise.
I did harrier and elevators to day and it realy flies well in this manuvers.

RE: Showtime
 

Yah it is a sweet plane, it fly's alot better than my funtana 90, even in 3D. Maybe its just because I am better, that Funtana was along time ago.

On the hinges, I just shoved the controle surfaces on there and sloped on the CA, (it wasnt really that boorish sounding of a process but thats it really).

There was very little gap between the serfaces, and in some places they were touching so I did not seal the gaps. I have a big role of clear ultrakote but there is no need to seal them on my plane, it all depends if you use the supplied hunges or not and how close the surfaces are.

The CA Hinges work great though and it is unessisary (spell) to reinforce them or use pinned hinges, well unless you use something like a saito 180, then that might require something a little different.