Well after installing all of the elevators and rudder, I found, the bottom of the rudder is warped to the right a little bit. So I might not have any thrust issues at all. I think it will take care of itself, I hope. Tonight, I am going to get the cabanes installed, and maybe the motor mounted. Its going to be atleast another month before I can get some decent flying weather, so I am no big hurry.

CrashBurn69,
Do you see any problems with mounting the O.S. 160 to the original firewall or did you have add any spacers/blocks. I just ordered my Stearman and have a new 160 waiting for a home in the garage. I have seen one here fly with this set up awhile ago and it was great. Thanks.
Stangevil29

I ended up not getting that far tonight. I finished getting both wings mounted. I really dont see much trouble in getting it to fit. I might have to make a plate at most I think, but dont quote me yet. This is such a great looking plane. The biggest nit pick grip I have with it so far is, all the hardware bagged together and it takes a good bit of time if you are the type that likes to leave it in the bag and just fish out whatever you need a peice at a time. One thing you might what to get before you start mounting the wings is some 4-40 1/2 socket head screws and do away with the philips head screws that go in part of the cabane assembly. The heads are a little soft on these. I can't wait to finish it up in the next week or so and get some good weather in another month to try it out. If this plane flys half as good as it looks I might have to trade off my 1/4 scale Super Cub for another one for a spare.

re the Ailorons with servos only on the bottom wing. I did as the book said re measuments and the top wing had a lot of throw but the ailoron on the bottom wing had a lot of throw on the up position and not much on the bottom position, is this right or should the throw be the same on both ailorons.

How much is a lot? On high rates, it only calls for 1" up and down on the bottom wing and 1 1/4 up on the top wing and 1 1/2 down on the top wing. Do you get at least that much movement? If so dont worry about it. But a question for those who have flown theirs, what is the role rate like on high and low rates? Was the high rates a really fast role or maybe 1 roll every two seconds? Thanks

That's the problem. I am getting about 1 inch and less that a half inch on the bottom wing and on the top wing an inch and a half and same on the down part. What measurement is the rod from the bottom ailoron to the top one. what is the distance from the trailing edge of the ailoron to the the clevis on both the top and bottom ailoron. For some reason I think the measurements they are giving in the book is wrong. Could someone give me their measuremnts Install the Aileron Connecting Rod. instructions no. 4 and no.9. those measurements from the trailing edge. I want to make sure if I have it right and somehow not getting the proper throws.
I also changed the hinges to Robarts, as I am going to install a First Place 2.4 gasser. As the plane will weigh about 15 lbs, it will be a good engine to have in it.

Hello everyone, I'm getting my saito 180 this week and I sould have my stearman in the next couple weeks following. Anyway are there any thoughts as to weather or not use 2 or 4 servo's in the wings??? I am hearing that the 180 might but at the far end of the envelope as far as power to airplane ratio goes and I wouldn't want to end up with another pile of smoldering fuel soaked balsa. So are any opinions on this subject? Also I am curious about this vibration phenomenon with the 180, soft mount or soes it really matter? I'm thinking 18-8 and low rpm 8000-8500. Low RPM = low noise oh yeah gotta like that putt putt sound

Did you mount the top aileron horn as per page 17, step 4....? It should be changed from 1-3/8" to 7/8". Works just fine on mine..
Larry
AMA 11269[8D]

I do not have that 1 3/8 to 7/8 where did you get that, My kit is about 6 months old and I just started working on it. Is this a change in the manual. Thanks

It was a change that was mentioned in R.C. Report. I did mine this way and it worked out just fine.
Another thing to watch, the slots for the Aileron hinges, some are off set..will cause binding..I did not use CA hinges...used Klett type.

Larry AMA 11269

Thanks, that works. There must of been a change in the instruction book. Thanks again

I used Robarts as I am installing a gasser, First Place 2.4. Again Thanks, this is going to save me alot of problems.

My tailwheel snapped off at the base on a nice grass landing. I seen where Cannonball used a Chip Hyde tailwheel, does anyone else have a different type they tried and liked on a Super Stearman?

Hello everyone, I'm getting my saito 180 this week and I sould have my stearman in the next couple weeks following. Anyway are there any thoughts as to weather or not use 2 or 4 servo's in the wings??? I am hearing that the 180 might but at the far end of the envelope as far as power to airplane ratio goes and I wouldn't want to end up with another pile of smoldering fuel soaked balsa. So are any opinions on this subject? Also I am curious about this vibration phenomenon with the 180, soft mount or soes it really matter? I'm thinking 18-8 and low rpm 8000-8500. Low RPM = low noise oh yeah gotta like that putt putt sound.

This is the perfect engine for this plane. Of couse, thats my opinion. I had to add ZERO weght to this plane with the Saito 180. It gives me just the right amount of power, and allows me to get out of trouble if needed. I have about 20 flights on mine, and love it. It also allows me to ad a smoke tank later on. I cant wait for good weather. This is definatly a Sunday good weather plane.

The only issue I have with the Saito, is I get about 5-6 flights out of a gallon of glow fuel. i am using 15% nitro Omega fuel, and it gulps it down like water. I just chalk it up to big ol burley slogging airplanes.

Good luck

Thanx for the update. I have a few questions. Did you slave your ailerons or use 4 servo's. What prop are you using on your 180??? I thinking about going with a slimline smoke system. Anyway I read that some of the older kits had crappie covering and also what about this offset hinge problem? Did you have any problems or have these been resolved? Also with the Saito 180 what should I expect for take off and vertical performance. I have a dragon lady with a Saito 150 and it does well, dry weight right around 10 lbs, take off roll out is about 10 ft. with phenominal vertical. It won't hover but I'm not into 3D yet. What did yours weigh? Did you use a 24oz tank or is that too much? Well hope that isn't too much. If you can't tell I'm a little excited about this model and I have spring fever to boot. I just went through my dragon lady for her post winter tune up. Wow good thing I did, reciever and battery tray was broken and I couldn't see it because of the foam. It's not a good thing to have your RX pack come loose in flight!!

You know guys, all this talk about huge power in your stearmans kinda makes me nervous. Consider this, the airframe was designed for a 120 fs max 91 2s min which is what I have in mine by the way(os 91 fx) and I could not be happier! I can loop from level flight do the most beautiful stall turns and shoot touch and goes for 30 minutes on one fill up. I would never tell a fellow modeler what he/she should use in their setups, but I truly feel if this plane is overpowered, a lot of problems could arise. I 'm talking cowl bolts backing off, same for interplane bolts, vibration cracking the nice but fragile glass parts and last but not least, airframe failure at increased speeds and g loads. Its such a nice flyer, give it a try with the recommended power, if you're after scale fight, this is it in a very nice package. I added the weight box and exactly 3.75 oz. of lead to mine to achieve perfect balance.An apc 14-6 handles the propulsion chores and I have Futaba 148's in the bottom wing driving the uppers as well. Absolutely nothing special and I haven't been happier with an arf in my 20 plus years of modeling!!!

Ok Sterling. I have a NIB 91FX. I might give it a try. Have you tried an APC prop on it? How big are the loops can you pull with that motor. Can you get giant 100 foot loops? I was not worried to much about the airframe, but now that you mention the interplane bolts I had not much thought about shaking those loose. I need to pick up a new muffler for the engine, and I might try it out first before I put the big one in it. It just gives me the hevy jevy's just putting a 91FX in a 15 pound plane. Although I must admit, I have been putting mostly 3d type craft in the air lately and I have gotten used to the power to rate ratio. At least it will make flying it a little bit more of a challange.

Sterling it's not that I want to rip my engine off my airframe or even perform 3D I do however like a little extra power to play with. A nice climb out, maybe 2 or 3 vertical rolls thats fun. But its not just that, power can save a plane. If I overshoot my landing and need to climb out or I have a low level stall extra ponies can save my butt. As for breaking things I have the same concerns as you, that's why inquired about the quantities of servo's in the wing. To me it wasn't the engine in question it was the size and weight of the airframe itself. My madness is really simple but not all that scary. If your thinking of a 120 fs say a ys it will happily turn a 15" or 16" prop as well as a saito 150. The saito 180 will turn a 18-6 at about 8200 to 8800 rpm and provide ample thrust to weight ratio. Now I'm not saying that there isn't enough power to pull the wings of that plane but that's why we have a throttle stick. Wing loading isn't really and issue because by my estimation your making up the extra weight of my engine with dead weight. So the only difference is power. High G loading is a consideration but only if I were pushing the airframe extremely hard and at that point I think flutter would be more of an issue. You don't have to fly full throttle all the time. I would rather fly my saito 180 at 25-75% throttle and have low rpm's low vibration and low noise than have to fly a smaller engine at 75-100% with high rpm. I'm saving on fuel and engine wear. Not to mention I have the extra power when I need it. I'm not knocking smaller engines but If you need to ad weight, maybe it should help you fly and not hinder. Also I think the larger prop will look great and sound fantastic on slow flyby's. As a fellow modeler don't take offense to this I am just explaining my reasoning behind using larger engines vs. smaller. Your caution is appreciated but from what I read this particular application could use a larger engine.

Crashburn, if you are nervous about using your 91 in a 15 pound bird by all means don't, use what you are comfy with and what you think will work for you. I have an APC 14x6 on mine right now and with 15%Cool Power it works great for me. It will loop from level flight but don't expect 100 footers, ain't gonna happen! Like I said, it flies nice and scale and thats what I got that plane for. If I want to rip it up, I also have the GP Gee Bee with a Saito 150 so you see I am a big fan of lots of power too! I wilber, I take no offence to you comments, thats what these forums are for and it is so cool to be able to share thoughts and ideas with people so far away. You obviously know what the left stick is for so you will have no problems at all with your choices. Hopw you guys enjoy your Stearmans as much as I amenjoying mine!!

Did anyone have to cut any of the wood off on the aileron links to screw the clevis's down far enough. Sterling, I think I might be glad I went with the smaller motor. I was finishing the aileron links tonight, and noticed, this thing is hardly tail heavy at all. With no servos or engine or anything in, it might balance at 6 inches. Besides, going with the 91 will free up the 160 to go in my Katana once I get it from a guy at my club. And the Gee Bee sounds nice. I bet you draw a big crowd when you have all the models setting out at once at the field.

What type of clevis's are you using...I had plenty of room, using Sullivan 4-40 type, locking with 4-40 nuts.[8D]

Hey Crashburn, a couple things I should have mentioned, I modified the reciever/battery tray to accomodate the elevator and rudder servos and mounted it right behind the fuel tank, essentially moving it forward one bay in the fuse. Also I put the battery on top of the fuel tank right behind the firewall. If you haven't already cut your pushrods to length, they are long enough to let you do this. I used a mini on the throttle and built a mount for it on the side of the fuse. Instead of the stock pilots, my 9 year old was good enough to let me saw Barbie in half right at the belly button and she sits in the rear cockpit. All these little things add up to a plane that balances with the 91 and 3.75 ozs. Good luck, let her fly on the wings and enjoy!!

I picked up a 4.8 volt glow ignitor that needs a little service. With the extra weight of 4 1800mah AA's and ignitor unit, that should make up most of the weight. The pilot I really want to find for this plane is an Indianna Jones doll, but right now I cant find one. Thanks for the tips. I will get it finished next week, and it will be about another month before I get some decent flying weather to try it out.

Has anyone tried a YS 91 FZ in this plane? It seems like this engine could provide 'scale-like' performance, and I have one sitting around.

Someone posted using a Saito 100 in theirs. They said that it would fly it, but you would have to make a shallow dive to get it to loop. It would be very scale and not leave a lot of room for error. I have never owned either engine, but from what I have read YS typically puts out more power than other engine in the same size range. So I think it would get it in the air, but the performance would be in the eye of the owner.