lablkilz699

Hi. I have just gotten back into my RC place project and im stuck at the same spot i was stuck at when i put it on the shelf a few months ago....

I have a supersportster by great planes, with a LA .46 OS engine and a 4YF futaba radio/servos setup. I know it may be a little underpowered but i dont really care because im sorta a begginer anyways so its probably better off...safer. haha.

Anyways, i have built the plane almost entirely, but i havent installed the engine, throttle or landing gear. The landing gear i can do once i put on the wings but the engine has be sort of in a state of unsureness.

How do i go about mounting it? Im using a great planes engine mount, and its attached to the firewall already. I went to a few hobby shops and no one has any idea how to do it? preatty bad for these "professionals" but whatever. Im assuming i need to drill holes then thread them? or can i get screws that will screw in and thats it? like wood screws or something... ive gone to autoparts stores...hardware stores...no one has a small enough drill bit or thread to fit...where can i go to get these if these are what i need.

Hobbytown U.S.A. is useless in this department....the response i got from them was "wait...why are you mounting the engine on the plane?" that was preatty explanitory that they wouldnt be much help...and i havent found it anywhere else. hope one of your guys can help out here.

Thanks


P.S. What will i need to do this job....like the tools and any special type of screws or anything.

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

You can screw that engine to the mount. I prefer to nut and bolt mine or use blind nuts but many guys have great success screwing them down. What you need is a screw with a socket head and a washer. I think Great planes makes them. Be sure to get the wood thread not the machine threaded screw. Then just pre drill the mount and screw it down. Great Planes also has a dead center tool that is helpfull. If your LHS is no help Tower has everything you need.

If this is not specific enough ask again. Help is available here. David

roltech

I am also building a GP RV 40 Sport Scale, and according to the instructions manual
for the engine mount ( Mark the location for the holes for mounting the engine mount.
(Hint: The great Planes Dead Center" Tool (GPMR8130) works fast for marking these holes! On the marks you made on the engine mount, drill a 7/64" hole into the engine mount. After drilling the hole. tap each hole with a 6-32 tap. Once tapped, mount the engine to the mount with four 6-32 x 3/4" socket head screws and #6 washers.) well I'm not there yet but just reading ahead. Hope that helps. Good luck

roltech

lablkilz699

okay thanks for the numbers, that should help. does anyone know a website i can order these off of? or even a store? does tower carry them? i will check around but i want to be positive i buy the right ones. I've looked at that dead center tool but last i check it was sort of expensive for my no income 16 yr old budget so i held off. I heard you can find the holes by just putting a little baby powder or flour down and then drilling right through. Seems feasable. Still will try to get my hands on one of those dead center tools though, sounds very handy.

Nice plane btw, roltech.

Thanks for the help, i think i have the right sized drill bit so i will go try that right now if its right.

BillS

A dead center tool is expensive and is not mandatory. Often I use a drill the correct size of the engine holes. Hit the drill with a small hammer and rotate it 90 degrees and tap it again and the center of the hole will be marked. Sometimes I will mount the engine with a single screw and then mark the other three holes.

Bill S

carrellh

6-32 tap and drill $4.79
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXE215&P=0

6-32 x 1� Socket head screws, washers, lock nuts (4) $1.80
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXD961&P=0


Any hardware store or home improvement store should have these items in stock; they will not be Dubro or Great Planes brand but it doesn’t matter. The screws, washers, etc will probably not be packaged together and will probably be MUCH cheaper than hobby store prices

www.smartpages.com can be your friend to find things

Here are some hardware stores near you
Ace Hardware-Tomasini's Rex Ace Hardware (707) 762-7355
313 B St, Petaluma, CA 94952

Rex Ace Hardware & Country Store (707) 762-7355
313 B St, Petaluma, CA 94952

Yardbirds Home Center (707) 762-5600
1310 Clegg St, Petaluma, CA 94954

Yardbirds Home Center (707) 778-6100
2000 Lakeville Hwy, Petaluma, CA 94954

lablkilz699

wow this is first class service! thanks very much. i was just cleaning out my drawers and i happen to find a small drill bit....it fit perfectly in the engine mount holes so i decided to see if i could at least drill the holes....everything went fine and the holes are all perfectly aligned. I used a pinch of flower to mark the hole, i grabbed a small nail and hammer, tapped a little ***** into the plastic, and then went on to drill the holes through.

The strange thing is...i never bought this bit and neither has my dad.....weird how things seem to show up in your room after you neglect to clean it for a long time.

I will go get the hardware from one of those stores tomorrow. Its not exactly roomy though...how should i hold the nut in place while im screwing in the bolt? special tool for this? I dont think i could even fit my pinky finger in the space between the engine and the plane, let alone hold a nut in place. got any tips for me?

Thanks so much.

DragonHeart

Hi,

Ok as to how do u put the nut on the bolts ?????? U DONT , comming from someone who has this plane........... thier is simply just no room........

I found you have to use Self Tapping Screws with a washer, just make sure the holes u drill are smaller than the thread of the self taping screws.... then simply put a washer over the screw and then screw it into the engine mount........ it should require a bit of force if it doesnt your holes have been drilled too big .............

Hope thats of some help..... PS (The GP Dead Center Hole Maker - Is an excellent tool makes this job soo simple) and good luck its a great flying plane and i have a 46 LA in mine and belive me its not slow with this in this model shifts

lablkilz699

ok thats a relief! i got some self tapping screws and screwed them in with a washer and its mounted very tightly. seems to be very strong. The holes i drilled were JUST big enough to get it to screw in. Anyways....i got it all screwed in and screwed down now. just hooked up the throttle....seems to function correctly.....all servos are tuned correctly it appears...just have to hook up the engine with the fuel tank i believe...install the landing gear and i can begin breaking in the engine....how many tanks of gas do you reccomend for a good break in?

roltech

The manual for the os 46LA can be read at the link below
http://www.osengines.com/manuals/15-...a-s-manual.pdf
I think those should all be the same.

roltech

Fubar-One

My Feedback: (1)

I highly recommend getting a drill and tap set in the future. And that Dead Center Tool is about the best thing since sliced bread. Well worth the price.
The OS .46LA engine, while not being a powerhouse, is a great running engine once it is broken in. I have had mine on at least 3 planes and it is still going strong.

lablkilz699

im reading over the manual PDF as i type...well not exactly as i type...but im switching off...lol.


ok im the part where you fill your tank with fuel for the first time...i have one of those sqeezer kind of pumps where you sqeeze a rubber thing and it sucks up the fuel, and then you attach it to the tank tube and it fills it by you sqeezing it from the pumper thing to the tank.

well its not exactly that easy i found out....its sort of just coming out the top tube and going into the muffler nipple...im about 99.9% sure it isnt full and jsut overflowing.....anyways....i just left whatever i had successfully pumped in there in the tank, and then poured out the fuel that was in the muffler (it poured right out the tube coming off of it) i then went on to the next direction just out of curiosity....

i twisted the prop (primed) while covering the carb with my finger and fuel went to the carb...im assuming this is correct....anyways...the glow plug batt....i need to get one i suppose according to the directions....(thanks for telling me hobbytown experts...). Where can i get the right batt and glowplug heater for this engine? do i need it for sure?

any tips on getting this thing running would be great. thanks.

carrellh

You definitely have to have something to heat the glow plug, and a "glow driver" with rechargeable battery seems to be the best choice.
I'm pretty sure this is the one I have
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/ByC...ProdID=DYN1925
If not, it's a Hangar 9 branded item that looks identical.

Oddly enough, I bought it at Hobbytown in Dallas. Our Hobbytown doesn't have a lot of airplane stuff but they do have 2 guys who are pilots and are knowledgeable enough to help you.

lablkilz699

ok i will get one....is it really heating it or is it giving it an electric charge?


my hobby town here a lot of plane stuff, just no one who owns one or has flown one. they are all car guys.

carrellh

The glow plug does not get charged. Connecting the glow driver to it heats a wire element like is in a toaster. The wire contains platinum and other materials that react to the alcohol in the fuel. The heat from the glowing element gets the engine running. The chemical reaction between the fuel and the element keep it glowing after the battery power is removed.

ifixairplanes

My Feedback: (9)

Suprised no one has asked yet.... Is this your first plane? Are you with a club?

The SS is a great flying plane, you'll love it. I had one, may it rest in pieces now though.
If your fuel is coming out the top tube and into the muffler even though your tank is emtpy, then you have a plumbing problem. Make sure the muffler line goes to the top of the tank inside. Your carb fuel line gets connected to the line in the tank with the clunk on it. Fuel should not come out the muffler line until the tank is full to the top.

Sean

Crash90

My Feedback: (17)

I second that. Dude, do yourself a favor and find somebody locally that can help you out. If you tell us where you're from, maybe we can direct you to a club. Obviously you have never started an engine before, you will also need to tune it. We would hate to see that plane end up a pile of sticks.

lablkilz699

yes this is. and the closest club is about and hour and half away. not exactly local...lol.

anyways...yes, tried loading fuel in again today and it worked. Im not sure why it was doing whatever it was doing last night but it seems to have worked now.

And yes, i dont plan to fly it until i run at least a few tanks of gas through the engine and get better with the whole starting thing in general....

also, where can i get a 12V battery for my starter with banana clips? someone once told me the grocery store might have them but i dont know about that...

ifixairplanes

My Feedback: (9)

So I am to assume you will be flying this plane by yourself?
Beginner + fast aerobat - training = crash
remember that formula!!
Goodluck
Sean

lablkilz699

yeahh.....i found that out after i had basically built the thing entirely....im gonna try to get out to that club one sunday or something to see if i can get some help. but i think just getting the engine running to break it in would good enough for right now...until i get get some help.

lablkilz699

would something like this be a good idea to get and learn to fly before i fly my super sportster? i know its preatty lame, and its electric, but just to get the hang of flying controls...???

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...954277766&rd=1


By the way...this is the finished super sportster...

http://www.rcuniverse.com/gallery/ga...emberID=122313

thanks for the help.

DragonHeart

Gald to see uve got it finished lablkilz699..........

But wheres ur pilot ????????????? it cant fly without one lol..................

PS : Just get a good 4 channel glow trainer you can pick them up cheap........ maybe someone at your local club has one you could buy or maybe the local club has a club trainer that you could learn on ( I personnally wouldnt bother with electric, as its just as expensive as glow with the chargers and stuff)....... the Super Sportster was my second plane and its a great plane BUT no way is it a first plane......... you need at least to master a trainer first

Ps : That electric thing youve posted is just a toy, its nothing like flying the Super Sporster....... that thing the wind flys it more than you do soo i would say its not a good choice......

Good Luck...........

lablkilz699

cheap as in like... less than 120 bucks for the whole thing?? i dont think ive seen anything for that cheap in glow, although ive only been look for about an hour, and thats all i got in the bank right now so i think i will have to wait until i save more, unless you can show me something real cheap, i dont care what it is.

and about the pilot...i went to the store thinking "oh why not get one, what the heck!?" well i picked the one they had up and looked at the price.... $17.95....i said forget it, its not that important to me i can get one later or something. About 20 bucks with tax for 1/3 of a plastic man...i dono...just didnt seem worth it at the time.

anyways...if you know of something extremely cheap...let me know.

DragonHeart

Just find an old Action Man even a barbie and slice it up...... alot of my pilots are old action men cut in peices just paint them and stick them in a cheap alternative to buying one......... just raid some kids toy box its amazing what u find lol......... (just dont tell the kid)

Ever checked Ebay ? alot of bargins can be had on thier just go to the radio controlled section and type trainer....... i know ebay in the uk u can pick one up for about $90 for the airframe and engine, of course u will have to add ur own radio gear.....

DragonHeart

If u look at my pic below.......

You will see Ken and Barbie Sitting in my Yak.............. i picked them up from a toy store for $8.00 for both

And they love gettin dizzy in the air lol