Hi all, I'm in the process of getting one of these together. I will be using a OS 52fs for power and I was wondering if I would need an onboard glow driver to keep the engine running or just mount the engine and take my chances. Any info would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Mike

My Rascal 40 started life with a ASP .52 four stroke and it just did
not like to idle while mounted inverted. Upright, it would run just
fine. I installed a MPI on-board glow driver and it fixed the idle
problem, but I now had bad radio glitches in-flight. Not wanting
to risk the plane any further, I replaced the ASP with a OS .52
four stroke and it was just like night and day. It had great idle and pulled the plane better than the ASP. And without the glow
driver. You should be fine with the OS as long as it is broken in
right and adjusted well.

Their are 5 Rascals at our field 3 os 52's and 2 Saito 56 and none of us run onboard glow drivers.

No one thought it was funny when I suggested we all 5 go up at the same time the other day. I have the only blue one. hehehehe!!!!!!

I personally have experience running an O.S. .52 inverted in my Tiger Moth. I t runs beutifully without an onboard glo driver. However, you might want to put a remote glo starter in the plane as it's a pain to get that glo clip on an inverted engine.

How do you guys like the Sig Rascal?

Tim

You guys should trade up to the big 110 size Rascal and put them
up all at once! Maybe even some "Rascal Combat"!

Jesse

My first engine in the Rascal 40 was an OS .52. It ran just fine. Of course, it also ran just fine in my Cub inverted.

Just a *tad* finer tuning is required for inverted operation, but after that... It's all fun.

Enjoy your Rascal, it's a fun, fast little plane. I still have one of mine with an FX .46, and it has been the plane that I can ALWAYS take out and fly. Well, I could take the others out as often if I'd quit messing with them!

Thanks for all the advice guys, I can't wait to finish the beautiful bird!

We all love this plane, it does anything you ask and does it with little effort and it's a nice looking plane also. The break down wing makes it easy to transport.

Possibly it only quirk is its a little sensitive on the tail wheel and rudder on the take off roll, the engine toque steers it quite easily The engine toque effect is worst on this tail dragger than most of my others, I feel this is due to the size and light weight.

As for advice on assembly just go ahead and reinforce the land gear block(all 5 of us have had the main gear fold on landing)and make a second set of motor mounts, 4 of us have had the aluminum mounts break, that come with the kit, even with these 2 problem areas I still feel its one of the best arfs for under 200 bucks.

Hey Guys,

I am also in the process of putting one of these together. Could some of you chime in on the throttle pushrod installation. Did everyone use the bend? And when you reverse the throttle arm to the down position, what position works best, that is ,should it point straight down when the throttle is about 1/2 open? It seems that at the servo end the nyrod has to make a sharp bend to reach the servo.
Also mine had a lot of wrinkles when it arrived, but all came out great with a sealing iron. Its a beautiful plane!
Thanks all for your input.

Hal

I didn't like the bent wire pushrod that Sig suggests, so I used a
flexible cable and nylon outer sleeve. Leave the throttle arm on the engine where the factory put it and drill a new hole in the fire-wall for the flex cable to have a straight shot from the servo to the engine arm. I use EZ connectors at both ends, too. Much easier and smoother than the wire pushrod. Du-Bro makes a flex
cable kit that includes the cable, nylon outer sleeve, and solder-
on clevises. I prefer the EZ connectors to the solder-on ones. That
makes it easier to fine tune the length of the cable and the posi-
tion of the throttle arm on the engine.
What engine will you be using? I started with a ASP .52FS and it
did not like being mounted inverted. Bad idle. That was just the
ASP, though. I tried a on-board glow driver to help the idle, but I
got too many radio glitches. I went to a OS .52FS and it worked
better and without the glowdriver. Most any two-stroke should
give you no problems, as well as any reliable 4-stroke. Good luck!

whstlngdeath
what prop are you using on the os52fs? Any other mods, besides turning the landing gear around?

MasterAirscrew 11x7. I didn't turn the gear around because I
don't see the need. I first read about this in RC Modeler review
of the Rascal. They say it cured a "ground handling problem" but
don't mention what this problem was. The only thing I noticed
was a tendency to not track straight on roll out. I added some
toe-in to the main gear,(just a tad, say 1/8"), and that remedied
that. Also make sure the tires don't rub on the wheelpants any-
where. That will throw off the straight tracking down the runway.
Nothing more needed mods so right out of the box, great plane.
I'm not sure if it's my technique, (or lack of!), but it doesn't seem
to like windy days. It became a handful with a 15mph crosswind.
I flew a buddy's Rascal 110, the huge one, and it was much more
stable. Maybe just my imagination. You'll love yours.

Jesse

Whstlngdeath,

I am using the OS 52. Did you have to install the engine end before dropping the engine and can you get to the EZ connector to adjust or just do all adjusting at the servo end. With the space there, I didnt know if you could get to the set screw if it is on the fueselage side. Also is your cable easy to cut without fraying up the end. It seems as if my servo throw is much more than needed at the throttle end. Sorry for all the questions, but I am new at this. I am currently using an older JR radio and cannot adjust the amount of travel.

Thanks,
Hal

You're right, there isn't any room in there to get to anything once
the engine is in the bay. Attach the cable to the engine with a EZ
connector before mounting the engine. Then as you lower the
engine into the bay, slide the cable in through the hole in the fire-
wall into the nylon sleeve. You have to work the engine in care-
fully while sliding the cable in. Leave the cable full length at first,
until the engine is mounted. Then you can adjust the throttle at
the servo with another EZ connector on the servo arm. Once you
get the whole deal where you want it, and the throttle does what
it's supposed to do, then you can cut the cable on the servo end.
I used a pair of wire side-cutters on the cable and then soldered
the cut end to keep it from fraying. It doesn't fray when you first
cut it as the snips crush the ends together. I also locktite the hold
down screws on the EZ connectors. Here's a pic:

Jesse

I swear the designers of this plane made gliders before they made the Rascal, the Plane only needs an engine to get airborne!!!

Lands very easily, not a typical tail-dragger. Put the power on and mine will climb and climb. Very nimble.

The only problems has been some of the fuse struts coming loose, like there wasn't much glue...a glue-syringe and wood glue took care of that little problem...

Also, I recomend some bottom-wing identification sticker, as disorientation with this bird happened quickly...

My 2 cents...

Cappie

Speaking of disorientation, another thing I noticed is that when
the sun is low, either early morning, or late in the day, and I am
on final approach with the sun behind me, I lose sight of those
thin wings! Plus mine was the blue-trimmed one and it becomes
quite stealthy at certain angles and light conditions. I considered
adding some reflective strips to the leading edges for visibility.

You can make the engine installation much easier if you get rid of the "lip" on the bottom of the engine compartment. Using a sanding drum in a Dremel, sand the lip so it is flush with the inside of the sides of the nose. Also sand it back to the firewall. This gains at least a 1/4" of space for engine installation and linkage hook up. I did this to both of my Rascals, and it made it so much easier to work on.

whstlngdeath
I see you used the kwik-fill fueling valve, have you had any problems with it? Does it leak air or fuel? What brand is it.I wanted to use one of these but the guys at my club said that the valve is more of a problem. They suggest I use a fuel dot instead. Thanks again
Mike

I've never had a problem with either fueling valve or a dot. It's a
Du-bro valve. I only use them on setups where getting to the fuel
line to disconnect it from the carb is hard to get to. On other planes like my Duraplane, which has no cowl, I just disconnect the
fuel line at the carb to drain and fill.

Jesse