ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Outstanding. Congrats on your maiden! Nothing wrong with learning to walk before you run. -Al

xraysrt6

Yes much better to walk the plane back to the pits than run to pick up the pieces.

xraysrt6

Just got RF 7.5 and was wondering if anyone has the GSS for it?

PacificNWSkyPilot

My Feedback: (19)

A few posts back I spoke about flying my GSS through a powerline and then rebuilding it back to new condition.

What I didn't tell you about was my re-maiden flight afterward. It flew great, and I was delighted to have the old girl back in flying shape, gracing the skies with her presence. I hadn't trimmed the throttle all the way down, and the Syssa 30CC is pretty powerful. When I landed the GSS, it was rolling kind of fast, and it rolled right through the grass at the end of the field and then it hopped off the bank and into the lake, where it sat and floated, waiting for me to fish it out of the water.

The water fried all the servos, and wrecked a few other things as well. As I recall (or perhaps more accurately, what my wife won't let me forget), that little incident required well over $250 in new parts.

You have to keep your sense of humor!

And your job, to pay for the parts.

Jim

xraysrt6

For anyone interested I found the GSS here for real flight 7.5 seems to work pretty good. http://www.knifeedge.com/forums/down...o=file&id=8175

IneptCorpse

Looking at these 3 covering schemes trying to decide which to go with. The current scheme is below which would make the blue/yellow the easiest.

PacificNWSkyPilot

My Feedback: (19)

I vote for the Blue Scheme just for ease of application. If it was all white, I would have voted for the stock standard Red & White scheme. But in your case, the Blue makes sense, and looks good. See if you can get your hands on some black covering (flat if possible), and cover the blue in front of the cockpit with the black.

~ Jim ~

IneptCorpse

Yeah been meaning to redo the cockpit and pilot..
Thanks

u2builder

I just acquired a GSS nib and Fuji BT-34T nib and have been reading through this long thread. I am planning to put the gear on the fuselage as many have done. I am thinking of a CF gear since I want to keep the upfront weight down as I already have a fairly heavy engine. Any suggestions. Also I would like to know the height and spread of gear such as the Super Stearman gear that many seem to have used. Thanks! Edit. Probably will go with Giant Big Stick gear if Tower ever gets it in stock.

I have read this entire thread. These things are like a time capsule. It is fun reading about a new design coming out, all the issues and fixes that people come up with, the occasional disaster, and the great flight reports. This thread started before I became active in the hobby just before I retired in 2007. This plane has hung around for a long time and so have a few of the folks who were involved.

I am a builder at heart, and have built dozens of planes from kits since 2007. Many are 3D profile planes like the MOJO, and I have a half dozen bipes built from long obsolete kits, like the Great Planes Ultimate and Pica Waco. Most are so called 60 to 90 size, most are Saito glo fuel powered. I also have a couple of first generation DJI FPV Flamewheels set up for FPV, a few small EDF jets, and a few small electric foamies like the Multiplex Fun Cub and the recent QQ Extra (fantastic flyer).

I only have one ARF balsa plane, the 60 size U Can Do which I really like flying. This will be my second AFR (not counting the foamies) and my first gasser. I really would not have gone out and gotten this plane but I had a chance to pick up the plane and engine for a very low cost and just couldn't resist. It will be my largest (heaviest) plane so far.

My favorite planes to fly are my 3D profile planes. It is not like I am all that good at 3D, but rather that they are so utterly forgiving and easy for me to fly. I love my bipes but have so many hours into building them that they make me nervous to fly.

It am not used to flying something like the GSS. I am used to flying quite low and will need to adjust my old neck to fly a bigger patterns a lot higher and will need to learn to become patient on landing.

It is a pretty plane, that's for sure, and will be fun to "build" and give me a small project for the long winter that is just around the corner..

As I mentioned, I will relocate the landing gear and do the tail brace mod.

I like the looks of the Fuji BT 43B engine that came with my GSS. It looks nicely finished and made. It is a bit of a boat anchor weight wise and is now "obsolete" and discontinued and replaced by lighter and more powerful motors. But I have it and I might as well use it.

I hate adding lead to the tail, but so be it. I will for sure be putting the RX battery in the tail (might as well put in 2), and won't worry about the weight of the tailwheel and bracing!

I am currently thinking I will go with the Giant Big Stick gear if Tower ever gets it back in stock. It is simple and cheap.

I get it that I should use metal gear servos for this big gasser. That is going to be my big expense I guess. Hitec 645 or 5645 seem to be used a lot in this thread. If I go with these do I need digital? It seems like this is going to be a slow flyer and analog would be OK, but digital seems the norm now. Which is the best re the flutter issue.

If anyone has a recommendation for a less expensive servo I would be interested. I was looking at a Bluebird BMS 620 MG akaTurnigy 620 that had great specs and half the price but I just don't know if I can trust something like this. On the other hand, with Futaba, Jr or Hitec I know I am spending a lot on full page magazine articles and sponsored pilots. I have had several of the smaller Hitec micro servos that I thought centered poorly. Mostly I use Futaba 3152 digital in my planes, but they have nylon gears. Anyone used these Bluebird/Turnigys?

I will probably use 1/8" solid CF control rods with titanium 4-40 ends with clevis on the horns and ball links on the servo arms since I have a set of the fittings already.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome and I am sure I will have a few questions along the way if anyone is still here. I think we are probably at the point where most of the new subscribers are those like me who happened to pick up an old kit or plane.

PacificNWSkyPilot

My Feedback: (19)

My Super Stearman gear are out on my bench, I think. I'll try to remember to get a measurement and post the width here.

Jim

u2builder

Not much action here anymore, huh? The Giant Super Sportster had a very long run. Probably kinda winding down now. Like me. LOL Its all Extras and such now.. Always late to the party!

I downloaded the Realflight Model. It sure flies nice on the sim! And looks great too. I can't believe the workmanship on my GSS ARF. It's only the second one I have so I don't have much to compare it too. After sitting in someone's house for 8 years there is still not a wrinkle to be found in the covering, and whoever had it never unsealed the plastic so that's how it left the factory.

PacificNWSkyPilot

My Feedback: (19)

No, it just slows down in the winter months, but it usually picks up as we head toward spring. But things are a-changing in our hobby, for sure. And in my opinion, not for the better.

But there are still plenty of GSS's around, and plenty being sold. They're in every sales flyer and catalog from Tower. They price them right, and they're big, sleek, sharp-looking ARFs.

Okay, I measured my Super Stearman gear, and the spread is about 15-1/2". They're pretty heavy.

As far as servos go, I would recommend the JR ST126MG. I use them with the JR 1" Gold aluminum servo arms. Lots of power, and I've never had one fail.

U2builder,
Your Fuji 34 should be just fine. Don't worry about the weight; the GSS can carry it easily. You'll certainly want the servos to be mounted in the tail (see the photos of mine here in this thread), and the batteries back a ways, but I doubt it'll take much more than that to balance it.

Your linkages sound just right. Don't worry about the flight characteristics; they're GREAT. And the landing characteristics are also excellent. You'll fall in love with it!

Jim

u2builder

Thanks Jim.

Please tell me a bit more about servo selection. First, are metal gears necessary (that seems to be the consensus in this thread but I just want to ask again). Second, please comment on analog versus digital servos. Many folks are recommending digital, but I would be happy if you tell me I probably wouldn't notice the difference as long as I had a servo that centered well. I assume the JR's you mentioned does that. Some say that the often mentioned Hitec 645 doesn't always center well.

Thanks for your encouragement. I didn't go looking for this plane, but rather it came to me I guess and I am quite excited about it! Joe

PacificNWSkyPilot

My Feedback: (19)

Hi Joe,

I'd say that metal gears would be preferable on this bird. Big plane, large surfaces, that means the forces upon those surfaces are pretty substantial. When it comes to servos centering, well, I'm sure it's important, and I know that with the many 3D birds out there these days the centering is critical. This is a sports bird, so exact center might not be as critical, but holding together is critical. I'm a little spoiled, because I only use JR servos that I feel are rugged enough to do the job, and I'm sure they do a pretty good job of centering in the process. The JR ST126MG servos are $37.99 each, or at least they were two months ago when I bought these. They center well, and they're really powerful. I've had Hitec 645's fail before, and also one that didn't center. Almost lost a GeeBee Y.

Do yourself a favor, and buy your servos and receivers from a hobby shop. I found out the hard way that there's a ton of counterfeit JR stuff for sale on the internet. If I hadn't sent the items in to Horizon for a checkup, I would never have known, until something crashed. Fortunately I had used PayPal to buy them.

This thread has its active times, but just before Christmas probably isn't one of them. Stay tuned, and I think you'll see it liven up some before spring. Also, if you do some talking in here, they usually start to wake up and post some.

Jim

PacificNWSkyPilot

My Feedback: (19)

Oh, and by the way, Joe, if you think it's not a small world, think again. Alstead NH sounded familiar to me, so I looked it up. You live about 5 miles away from my ex-wife!

Jim

u2builder

Thanks again. Small world indeed. I don't intend to actually start building this bird until our long winter sets in (since you used to live in Maine you know about these). So now I am just gathering information and the parts I need.

Good advice about the servos sticking to known vendors. I also agree with your logic that holding together is a lot more important than perfection. Take care, Joe

PacificNWSkyPilot

My Feedback: (19)

Not just servos. Receivers are counterfeited, and they present a real risk for your models. Horizon told me that some of the knock-offs look so real that they can't tell until they open the cases and look at the electronics and workings.
Yes, I'm real fond of the ST126MG's. I've had great luck with them, and I'm not a Sunday flyer. I put my birds through the paces when I get them in the air. Having confidence in the assembled craft keeps the fun in flying a bigger bird with more expensive components. I also like to save a buck when I can, and being one part Scottish, the 126's are even more to my liking!
What RC flying fields are near to you?

Jim

u2builder

Hi Jim,

I have been flying my electric planes with Frsky equipment and the Taranis radio, inexpensive, challenging to program, but very economical with great telemetry options. I have a lot of nitro planes, and they are all on 72 mHz on my old Futaba 9c and high end Futaba RX's I bought secondhand. I have too many planes so equipped to even think about changing and I am the only one left at my field on 72 mHz. I am not sure what I will do for the GSS. I understand 72 may be a bit more sensitive to ignition noise, but I do like and trust my Futaba gear.

Here is where we fly. It is quite isolated and rather beautiful. I feel very lucky to have access to it.

http://www.rcgroups.com/place/6407-a...lyers-surry-nh


Once you open this page enter Alstead or 03602 to get the rough location, then go to map view and enlarge under the airplane symbol. The field is a bit north or Surry Village and an Surry Mtn. Lake.

Where are you flying out of in the NW Jim?

u2builder

Regarding control horns and clevises what are people using. Does anyone use the supplied control horns attached as per instructions with screws?

As far as clevises I think I remember reading early in this thread of clevis (and control rods) breaking. I am going to use CF control rods with titanium ends but am unsure of the brand/type or elevis and/or ball joint attachment and would like opinions.

PacificNWSkyPilot

My Feedback: (19)

I went onto Google Maps and found your field, down the trail off of Dort Road. That's a nice, remote field. That's the kind of field I'm used to, the kind I really like. And anytime you want to take a break from flying, you can just walk over to that stream and go fishing! Nice. And not far from your house at all.

I've been visiting fields since I got here. I'll be joining several of them - one is for electrics, and very close to my house, the other is further away, but it's a huge club with a big field and pavillions, etc. I didn't like that one at first (the people I met when I went there), but I dropped by two more times this summer, and it was quite a bit better, so I'll probably be joining them come January or February. It starts raining here around the middle of November, and then stops in March or April, and that's our winter. Average daytime temps here in winter are about 45 degrees, and the rain is usually a drizzle or a pitter-patter, so flying is possible through much of the winter, especially for us former New Englanders. We got almost exactly the same weather in Maine, but our New England temps were much colder, so we got lots of snow all winter (usually) because the precipitation froze. I don't have to tell you about that in mid-NH!


Here's the bigger field: http://www.mrrcs.org/
It's about 45 minutes south of Tacoma.
Here's the electric field: http://www.pugetsoundsilentflyers.org/
It's just north of Olympia, and a little east.
Here's the one that's a ways from my house, but the guys there were just so nice! : http://kitsaparcs.org/
It's out on the Olympic peninsula in the town of Port Orchard. Pretty country out there!

Interesting to read about your models being all on 72mHz. I remember having a conversation about exactly that scenario, saying that the last guy at the field who has his birds on 72 is still in pretty good shape, since there's nobody left with any 72mHz Tx's that can shoot him down!

Still, I'd recommend that you try to at least start moving your systems over to 2.4 when you can. There are lots of inexpensive used radios out there on 2.4mHz now. I'm a JR & Spektrum fan, but Futaba is also very good. Either way, there's a lot of good used (and inexpensive) gear to be found at the swap meets, and you can often trade gear rather than spend a lot, although you might not find a lot of interest in your old 72 gear. That's about 3 generations old. You can also trade here in RCU in the Buy and Sell section.

The large black control horns that come with the GSS are top-notch, and I didn't hesitate to use them. I'm known for throwing away the ARF linkages and such, so it has to be real good for me to keep and use them. You can see my linkages up-close in this thread and in the GP Super Stearman build thread. I keep it simple. CF with titanium ends - check, you're already there. I use the gold 1" arms on my ST126MG servos, and I usually buy a DuBro #2318, package of 12, Monster heavy duty ball joints, which attach by threading through the arms with an included 4-40 screw. Also, on final assembly, add a drop of blue locktite to the servo arm screw so it doesn't vibrate loose of the servo shaft. That's the servo end of the linkage, complete. On the surface end, I use DuBro #818, package of 12, 4-40 safety lock kwik links - they're black nylon, square, very strong, and the pin locks in so your linkage doesn't come apart in flight. Both ends screw onto the titanium threads securely, are super-rugged and strong, and give good adjustment. Each of the DuBro packages I mentioned above are enough to do a whole plane.

u2builder

Thanks for the info on the control connections. I've built "dozens" of models, but most are 60-90 size. I had wondered about the Dubro 818's but couldn't really "see: them and it is good to see here you like them. I think the nylon with metal pin is better than the all metal types.

Jim, living in a more populated area, you clearly have much larger clubs, way better facilities, more events, and web pages! We only have about 20 people in our club, and about 8 people who actually show up on a regular basis, and our field is inaccessible in winter. But like you noticed, it is darn close to my house. We do have a nice 600 foot by probably 50' runway with decent approaches, a big field, and a parallel mountain (or hill) ridge for orientation, and of course there is not much competition for time at the flightline (half of the 8 people that show up are usually fiddling with helis under the tent (LOL)).

I have been going 2.4 on all my electrics on my Taranis radio to take advantage of the telemetry. The Taranis stuff is very inexpensive ($25 for RX, $2.5 for battery volt sensor, etc) but the radio uses Open X programming which has a steep learning curve. It probably is time to start going to 2.4 with new glow/gas models. I have Frsky TX modules that fit my Futaba 9C and also a JR 9303 (that I acquired with a Heli I am slowly trying to learn to fly) so maybe I will use one of those radios.

I checked your profile and think you have a nice assortment of planes. I too like bipes and actually have a Sig Hog Bipe, and have also built a Pica Waco which I have deemed "too nice to fly." . I also have a Great Planes Ultimate, an old Sterling Stearman, and a Pilot (old Japanese kit) Tiger Moth and a Super Skybolt, and a Stampe, all built from kits, all 60-90 size powered by Saitos. . Honestly, except for the Hog Bipe, I don't fly the others all that much since I spent so long building them but all except the Waco and Stearman have at least flown ! The Hog Bipe is my favorite because it was simple to build and flies very nicely. The only downside is it seems to be a bit squirrelly on takeoff. I've moved the landing gear a few times but just can't seem to solve that problem and might try a stabilizer.



Time to decorate the tree. Take care, Joe

PacificNWSkyPilot

My Feedback: (19)

If you enjoy flying your Hog Bipe, then you'll like flying the GSS just as much. Being a bigger plane, it's slightly slower to respond to control input, but it feels great to the touch.

The Super Skybolt is a great flyer, but it responds faster than the Hog Bipe to control input. Nice and responsive. The Stearman is a nice, responsive flyer, not too much different than the Hog Bipe. The Waco is a bit sluggish compared to the Hog Bipe, and it flies like an 'Old Style Bipe," responding better to turns when you add some rudder. Same with the Tiger Moth, and probably even less responsive. Kind of a kite!

Yeah, there are lots more people here, and the cost of joining these clubs is horrendous. I like when the clubs are smaller with fewer members. Your field is just like the field I flew at in Maine. I miss that field every day!

Yeah, I've tried most of the various linkage ends out there, and those 818's are the best. I use them at one end and the ball links at the other end, to accommodate the flex and alignment variation throughout the movement of the servo arm and the control surface throw.

On your Hog Bipe, reduce the throw on your rudder low rate, and in case you haven't flown many tail-draggers and bipes yet, remember to accelerate slowly, and pull back on your elevator before you accelerate, to keep the steering wheel on the ground, and then ease off as the speed increases (by then the wind will help you steer). That should help a lot with squirrely handling. Big rudders and/or a lot of rudder throw can make ground handling a real handful. You can go to high rates once you're in the air. That's why dual rates come in so handy.

You won't need any other radio. I have a JR 9503, essentially the same radio as your 9303, except the 9503 has a backlit screen and takes 20 more models. Awesome radio. You can send it into Horizon and they'll upgrade yours to 2.4Ghz for 75 bucks. In fact, they'll upgrade it all the way to DSXM - and it will control any of the JR or Spektrum 2.4Ghz receivers made. I just had mine done a few weeks ago. While they have it in the service department, have them remove the incremental ratchet from behind your right-side stick, if it's still there. Heli radios have that, and it makes it tough to fly a plane with it.

u2builder

Ah, good stuff Jim. Yes, the Jr is a very nice radio. It came with used heli but I certainly could update it and will look into.

I am a good taildragger pilot, and only have trouble with the Hog Bipe. I think that you may be on to something with the rudder. My Hog is overpowered with a Saito 115 swinging a big low pitch prop and I made my rudder a little bigger than stock (what was I thinking). It is fine in the air but I think the huge propwash on the ground may contribute along with perhaps too much travel. I'll take a look again this spring. The Hog bipe is a great flying bipe.

If it seems like I am "stalling" on my GSS build, I am! I am forcing myself to wait until after the new year because I like to have something to help me get thru the long winter. I also need Tower to get the Giant Big Stick gear in stock. It is not available anywhere. Crazy how often these companies run out of stock of many popular items for a long time in these days where their inventories are computerized. Frustrating too. I waited for more than a year for a Saito con rod for a current production engine.

In the meantime I am in the learning/thinking phase, and I enjoy that.

Charlie P.

Control horns - I drilled the holes (bit held on a pin vice), soaked in some CA, and then set the included machine screws into place. They're holding up fine.

Regarding clevii - I attached them with ball and socket 4-40 replacements at the servos.



I also substituted pinned hinges throughout.

Regarding building - no problem. This is an ARF. Some kid in Asia already did 90% of that for us. ;-)

u2builder

Thanks Charlie,

Good to know that. I know this won't be hard to build, as I have built many kits from scratch and this is really only my second balsa/ply ARF. I have to say that kid in China did a fantastic job on what I can see! The covering is rather perfect, even though my plane sat in a box in someone's house for the past 8 years. As I mentioned I am gathering information while waiting to get a little deeper into winter to actually put the plane together. The anticipation is a lot of fun.