av8r1

I agree! Thanks very much for doing this, MinnFlyer. The reason I'm here is because I want a biplane, but I want a gas engine in it for the sound and hopefully less mess than glow. Nothing against those that are using glow power. I've flown glow a lot and loved my Saito .82 and many fine OS 2-strokes, but am currently flying all electric. Nothing against those that are doing electric in this plane either, I'm definitely a fan of electric power, but I just think the sound of a gas engine would make a big difference to me in a plane like this. I've never flown gas so a thread like this is very interesting to me. I haven't found any other planes of this type and size that will work with a gas engine so this is really tempting me. Still holding out for a Stearman or Waco... (for now)

drone pilot

No other biplane this size for a gasser? Whoops, my GP Super Stearman has a Zenoah G-23 and it flys great. The new Cox/Pica Waco will take a gasser, either size, the 1/5th or 1/6th. I fly the Camel with a Saito .91 FS and fly at 1/2 throttle most all the time and it sounds good to me... to each thier own though.

av8r1

That's very cool. Those two planes you mentioned are the only other ones I've found and I've been seriously considering them as well, but I think they are a little bigger and pricier than the Sopwith, which isn't really a huge problem. And they will take a Zenoah G26 too which is also tempting.

And it's not the sound of the glow engine that I have a problem with, it's the oil mess. Believe me, the sound of my Saito .82 put big smiles on my face every time I flew it. There's nothing quite like the sound of a Saito.

drone pilot

Yeah they are about half again as much. Gas is cleaner even with the added oil, if you use the right stuff. I use Zenoah oil and it is not as messy as cheap 2 stroke oil for sure. Don't forget though, on the news every night we hear about the high price of gas, gosh!!!! 2.50 a gallon !!!! Thank goodness my van doesn't burn glow fuel......

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Thanks guys, it was a fun review to do. I don't know what I enjoyed more, the plane, the engine, or the combination of both!

jbarbee

I have a question about the aileron throws? I get the one inch down...but the covering seems to not alow the one inch up. Can anyone advise. I'm ready to fly it!

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Just get what the covering will allow. It will be plenty

jbarbee

Thanks Mike...I'm getting about 7/8 of an inch up and no problem on down. I also sprayed it with flat clear fuel proof and its dull finish looks great.

tclaridge

OK, after all the good advice on this thread about weight and balance, I did some numbers and saw I was heading for a pig. I am now working to move things forward to avoid adding too much ballast. Boy is this thing sensitive to CG!!

I had to cut the firewall to get the battery forward, and most electronics will go under the cowl (except the Rx). I am posting a little Excel sheet to share my weight and balance. I hope it may be useful for other folks to plan their radio, motor, and equipment install. For us electric guys, the lighter motor seems to create a balance challenge.

I will post pictures of the final installation when it is done.

PS Just change the *.txt filename to *.csv for Excel to read it.

brazz

I moved my Rx and battery forward - they reside in a little slot next to the fuel tank, as close to the firewall as possible. I also moved the throttle servo forward to a spot next to the fuel tank. This must have helped a bit, but I still had to cast a lead block to fill the entire weight box, and I had to add some lead to the inside of the cowl. I have a .72 Saito installed, so less weight would have been required had I opted to go for a bigger motor.

orenda635

Hello everyone. First post on RCUniverse but I've been flying RC for six years.

I bought the Camel to try my hand at scale since I was getting bored of sport and patten. Nice aircraft. I'm thinking I'm going to power it with a 91 four stroke if I can find a decent used one. Somebody above did mention it flies fine with a 72 four stroke so that broadens my options when I go to our club's swap meet. I'll maybe set it up on my 2.4ghz system but I haven't decided yet.
I just have a question. For those who own this plane, did anybody else have a problem with the suspension? All six o-rings have snapped on it and it hasn't even left the basement. Not all at once either. Three shortly after I installed them, then the rest I found broken today over a week later. I had used a pair of needle nose pliers to install them since they were so tight. Perhaps I damaged them? I bought some replacements from a plumbing store (LHS didn't have them) and I want to make sure they don't break again. What's the best way to instal them?

ElectRick

My Feedback: (2)

I don't have the plane (yet), but I've seen a lot of posts on various forums of guys having the same trouble.

Neoprene o-rings don't have ideal elastic properties to be used as repetitive shock absorbing devices. They are designed to seal against liquid intrusion. It seems to me that o-rings are a poor choice for this particular application.

I would recommend getting some elastic jewelry thread form a craft store, and use it to make a more scale looking and sturdier bungee for the gear axle. You can control the amount of bounce by varying the number of wraps around the axle. When I get around to getting the plane, I'm not even going to entertain the o-ring method.

The stuff I'm referring to is about 1/16" in unstretched diameter, cloth covered rubber. It comes in black and white. It's easy to find.

Rick

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

orenda, Welcome to RCU!

I have heard of a few people who have had them snap. Getting replacements from the local hardware store is probably the best (Read, cheapest) way to do it.

Try making a hook from a piece of pushrod wire to pull them with

EDIT - Rick's method sounds good too

orenda635

Thanks for the tip. I'm thinking rubber bands used for attaching wings might work as well. Not exactly scale but they should make a good temp fix since I already have them on hand.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

That'll work too

ElectRick

My Feedback: (2)

Rubber bands will work fine, temporarily. The downside is that they will deteriorate from exposure to ozone and UV light just like they do as wing hold downs, and will break on you at a most inopportune time, like on landing. The cloth covered rubber bungee I would expect to hold up a lot better.

Rick

Kostas1

[:-][:-]POST SOME DAMN PICS PLEASE![:-][:-]

brazz

Here are some pictures of my Sopwith Camel taken on the day of it's maiden flight. It was a beautiful day, although a bit windy...

ElectRick

My Feedback: (2)

Wow--too many cups of coffee? [X(]

Demanding things while using profanity probably isn't the best way to get what you want from fellow posters. I've found that courtesy works much better.

Rick

Kostas1

Did i speak badly?HOHOHO!

orenda635

I picked up a nice engine for the Camel. New in box OS FS-90. 1983 was a good year for engines. Tons of compression. With the valve header, push rods, and cam at the back and the sleeker design, it should fit quite nicely without modifying the cowl too much.
http://www.osengines.com/history/osm...1983-fs-90.jpg

Anybody with the missing copper rigging brackets problem, here's a tip. I couldn't find the Hangar 9 replacement at my LHS, but Sullivan makes something similar that works quite well.
You can see them here in this bracing kit. (Top row right below the wire)
http://www.greathobbies.com/productinfo/?prod_id=SUL546
They are sold separately though so you don't have to buy the entire kit. Comes in packages of 8, just enough. I paid $6 CND for them.
It's a bit easier to do this than the method Mike Buzzeo mentioned in his review.

tclaridge

I have installed LEDs into the Vickers guns to simulate the muzzle flash. It works great!!! From the side, the LED reflects inside the black barrel, and from the front, WOW, the LED looks like gun fire even in my bright shop!! I can't wait to see and hear this in the air. It was worth the two hours it took to fish the LEDs into the guns.

I will soon post the firewall cutout for the battery installation, and show how I got the sound system and electronics all stuffed into the cowl.

lastgoodbye69

Great stuff Tclaridge, keep it coming. Please try and get us some vid of the final setup in action.
cheers,
Paul

Glacier Girl

My Feedback: (4)

orenda635, in case you missed it, or for anyone elses help in the future, Horizon knows about the missing tabs, there is a service bulletin on their site. Call em and they'll send em to ya.


TC, looking good.

orenda635

Good to know, I'll send them a wire. I told my LHS about the problem. The Sullivan ones do work if you need then now. The ARF companies are getting like Ikea.