Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
05-05-2008, 03:14 PM
#51
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RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
ORIGINAL: WMB
My Venus was short lived and I have wanted another, but didn't want the engine hassles that came with the high tank height. Lowering the tank floor looked like major surgery as it tied into the former that the wings plugged into. Could you explain how the tank floor was lowered.
I tried three engines inverted. The Saito 65 was the only one I could get a reliable idle with. Do you ever want more power than the 70 puts out?
Thanks, MikeB
ORIGINAL: submikester
You need to use Thin CA for the CA hinges unless you want them to fail of course.
I've been flying a Venus with an OS 70 4 stroke for a couple of years now. It's a fantastic plane though the primary modification I made was to remove the tank floor and lower the tank as low as it would go. Otherwise it is just too high for any reliable inverted solution that isn't pumped or regulated. Once I did that my engine would idle extremely well where as prior it would constantly flood out and no matter how lean I made the low end it still never really was reliable.
I don't know why or how they get away with always making the tanks on ARFs too high...
You need to use Thin CA for the CA hinges unless you want them to fail of course.
I've been flying a Venus with an OS 70 4 stroke for a couple of years now. It's a fantastic plane though the primary modification I made was to remove the tank floor and lower the tank as low as it would go. Otherwise it is just too high for any reliable inverted solution that isn't pumped or regulated. Once I did that my engine would idle extremely well where as prior it would constantly flood out and no matter how lean I made the low end it still never really was reliable.
I don't know why or how they get away with always making the tanks on ARFs too high...
I tried three engines inverted. The Saito 65 was the only one I could get a reliable idle with. Do you ever want more power than the 70 puts out?
Thanks, MikeB
to move the tank down I had to eliminate the cut out they built into the bottom of the firewall/fuse so there was surgery that had to be done. When it was done though the engine ran fantastically and had a perfect idle. The OS 70 puts out more power than a Venus will ever know what to do with.
05-05-2008, 07:33 PM
#52
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RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
I tried to use an inverted OS 70 on the Venus I had, and had a heck of a time getting it to run. I tried installing the tank a bit farther back, allowing it to sit a little lower. But I don't think it made much difference. I pondered the surgery to lower the tank even more ,and possibly using a check valve. But I re-installed the engine sideways instead. The OS ran like a top from there on out. I really had fun flying her after that. And Submikester is right - the OS gave her a lot of power. But later I lost an elevator servo, an that was that!
05-05-2008, 11:36 PM
#53
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RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
The surgery was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. It is relatively minor. Unfortunatly in my 4 years flying the Venus I have had the tank rupture 2 times and then other tanks leaks from the plug in front. Those few soakings weakened things enough it seems. I was letting my dad fly it a few months ago and he was doing touch and goes. With the old saggy landing gear and the loooooong 14" prop on that 70 when he touched down he did it just right so that the prop touched on end and simply knocked the firewall loose.
It was funny.
Somehow I ended up with an extra fuse and one day she will fly again...
It was funny.
Somehow I ended up with an extra fuse and one day she will fly again...
09-09-2008, 01:06 PM
#54
RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
I think I'm gonna get the V40. I just got the VII a week ago and LOVE IT!!! I went back to flying my Dolphin and am selling it tomorrow and need a nice little plane to practice my pattern stuff with.
I'm using my 46AX to power the plane, so am looking for ways to shave weight as I wish I had more power. Pilot will not fly the plane[&o], will probably go with a mini servo for throttle. Carbon fiber rods were suggested to shave weight too.
Will mount the engine at 145* to center muffler along bottom of plane, and allow ability to access glow plug.
Any other ideas? I've got a 120AX in my VII and am spoiled, so any tips to get the V40 to fly great with the 46AX are greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I'm using my 46AX to power the plane, so am looking for ways to shave weight as I wish I had more power. Pilot will not fly the plane[&o], will probably go with a mini servo for throttle. Carbon fiber rods were suggested to shave weight too.
Will mount the engine at 145* to center muffler along bottom of plane, and allow ability to access glow plug.
Any other ideas? I've got a 120AX in my VII and am spoiled, so any tips to get the V40 to fly great with the 46AX are greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
09-09-2008, 06:45 PM
#55
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RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
I've almost got her rebuilt but I am trying to decide if I want to redo it with the engine inverted or go through the trouble of lowering the tank and do it inverted.
09-10-2008, 03:00 AM
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RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
ell I've had two and at my club there are at least three more all running inverted OS 70 four strokes or clones thereof, and to my knowledge none have had any odifications regarding position of tank and yet they all run and fly extremely well.
10-22-2008, 08:59 AM
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RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
Here are a few pictures of mine. Saito 62 inverted. I've had it for a month or so now. Sweet flyer!! You can't see it from these pictures, but the bottom of my wings & tail were recovered in orange. I couldn't stand that they covered it in PINK! And since these pictures have been taken, I've gone to a much smaller spinner.
Adam
Adam
01-03-2009, 09:46 AM
#58
RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
Where are folks balancing their planes? The 4 5/8" back shown in the manual is very nose heavy. It calculates to about 27% of the MAC. The manual suggests moving the CG back another 5/8" which puts it at about 32.6% and that seems a lot better. At any rate, I have moved the cg back on my Venus and it takes off and lands much better.
David
David
01-03-2009, 11:32 AM
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RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
Just flip it over while in a 45 degree climb and release the elevator stick. It should continue to fly and revert into no more than a gentle downward arc. Maybe you already know that. 
04-19-2009, 10:45 PM
#60
RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
I really don't like the dual elevator setup with the joining of the two push rods. I think a one piece elevator would have been sufficient. It's too much of a PITA to make small adjustments for more precise pulls and pushes.
Maybe two micro servos??[sm=idea.gif]
Maybe two micro servos??[sm=idea.gif]
12-18-2009, 07:02 PM
#61
RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
BuMp.
Still need to do something with the elevator setup. Plane needs a ton of elevator to roll to inverted, but very little once it's there - I think the rods are deflecting a bunch? I haven't really been happy with the flight performance of this plane - hoping it's just a setup issue. Went up to a .55AX, not broken in yet and it's been too cold to fly for 2mos now.
Still need to do something with the elevator setup. Plane needs a ton of elevator to roll to inverted, but very little once it's there - I think the rods are deflecting a bunch? I haven't really been happy with the flight performance of this plane - hoping it's just a setup issue. Went up to a .55AX, not broken in yet and it's been too cold to fly for 2mos now.
12-18-2009, 08:07 PM
#62
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RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
Extra
I think that 2 smaller servos installed in the tail will work great. I had asked the same question when I had mine and was told that it woldnt work; So I sold it. BIG mistake - I regret it. After looking at some other planes....like the Fliton Extra 330... flyers do the 2 servo mod and it works just fine.
ORIGINAL: gaRCfield
I really don't like the dual elevator setup with the joining of the two push rods. I think a one piece elevator would have been sufficient. It's too much of a PITA to make small adjustments for more precise pulls and pushes.
Maybe two micro servos??[sm=idea.gif]
I really don't like the dual elevator setup with the joining of the two push rods. I think a one piece elevator would have been sufficient. It's too much of a PITA to make small adjustments for more precise pulls and pushes.
Maybe two micro servos??[sm=idea.gif]
02-21-2011, 04:07 PM
#64
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RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
I know that I'm two years from the last post on this but i have had mine since 2003 and it is still the best flying plane in my hangar. I hate to say but my 14 year old son is somewhat better flyer than me and he does not hold back when he fly's the venus, the knife edge flight that you have to carefully use the rudder to control the up or down line of its path so my son really enjoys flying this plane.
Has anyone thought about changing one by installing retracts? I am and the progress is coming along just fine, ill post pictures as to where im at with the change/add on. The retracts i have no idea who makes them but they are pneumatic low profile that i had laying around and so i got to work.
Has anyone thought about changing one by installing retracts? I am and the progress is coming along just fine, ill post pictures as to where im at with the change/add on. The retracts i have no idea who makes them but they are pneumatic low profile that i had laying around and so i got to work.
02-21-2011, 06:04 PM
#65
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RE: Great Planes Venus .40 ARF
Love the retrack idea please keep posting I have both venus & venus 2 too bad they have boyh been discontinued I guess to make way for 3d crap
06-24-2014, 05:24 PM
#69
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I wanted to put this out there, I really enjoy flying my Venus 40 plane. I don't wish nothing bad to no one by no means but if there is someone out there that has a crashed Venus 40 plane that they are about to throw away I ask that you don't destroy the plane no more than what it is, the reason I ask this is because Great Planes seems to be no where interested in bringing this plane back nor the Venus II so if there are any of you modelers that has a wrecked or damaged Venus 40 plane that you don't want or cant repair message me and send me a picture of the Venus 40 you have and ill let you know if im interested.
