andrewjet

My Feedback: (16)

Hi Rod(Balsafire), what motor were you using and what exhaust can i buy over the counter for it?

balsafire

My Feedback: (4)

Hey Andrew.
I was using a O.S. BGX-1 3500 and a custom(home) made pipe/header. This time around I'm going to go with a Slimline Pitts for the big O.S. It's on the tower sight for $75.00. The main reason for the muff is although it screamed on top end I was seeing pretty high temps because of the back pressure right at the exaust port and at the time I was to cheap to shell out the dough and didn't want to wait for the order. Also, I was using a 15x12 APC prop but this go-a-round I'm going to try a 16x12 for a little better idle due to the flywheel effect. I didn't have her really long enough to do a lot of different things but these were my first(and last) impressions.
Hope this helps.

Happy flyin' all,
Rod

andrewjet

My Feedback: (16)

would a ys 160 be faster?

FlyerRick

Mike McConville, if you read this...I too am in the final stages of build with my "Downer" and what you are doing for Rod is really a SUPER way top treat your customers and fellow fliers! I know I appreciate this kind of service and respect from a vendor and I WILL buy your product (or endorsed product) again. [8D]

I got my radio situation all under control and thanks to all you guys for your responce and help. The bottom line is that you "have to be smarter than the tool your working with!"...I finally got SMART. Took me awhile but hey, I got there!

bzyguy01...thanks for the offer to call and give me a hand. I was going to hit you up at the field anyways if I hadn't got it by the weekend. Thanx again...

FlyerRick

This is the same engine I'm putting in my "Downer" and I am using the "Slim-line Pitts"...fits perfect under the hood. The only trimming to the cowl was for the exaust tubes coming off of the muffler. I'll post some pics tonite!

balsafire

My Feedback: (4)

I've never owned a YS myself but from what I have seen and read they are awesome power. I don't know which would be faster but it certainly would be a good choice for this bird. It is a pricy engine but the old addage in racing is $=fast. Either way you can't go wrong. Best of luck and happy flyin'.

Rod

mrfixit220

hey guys. i like what i am reading. just finished mine tonight ready for her maiden tomorrow morning. what i did is something completly diff. than all of you. instead of my gas motor i installed my evo 100 glow. i did a custom pitts muffler with shortened tubes. i then used stainless flex lab gas tube and formed a duel custom exhaust that exits in the cutout. also installed a remote glow driver so the cowl isnt cut at all. as well i remoted the mixture screw into the cowl under the pilot.i read that somone else had the tube going to their clunk split at the tank fitting behind the stopper. it seems if the hose is put on crooked the screw that expands the stoppes cuts the tube and causes a massive air leak.. guess what? me too, what a ***** to find after the tank was already installed. ill post some pictures after tomorrows flight. bad luck to take pictures before.

jasonred007

Yes, I posted the split hose....... what a pain in the but, It was the last thing that I expected to have happen. Read thru the posts, there are a lot of little things that could ruin your maiden.... Good luck.

mrfixit220

wow. if i posted my pictures they look exactly like twins. after 30 minutes of flight mine looke EXACTLY like this one...i have never been so sick to my stomach about a plane in my short flying life. wow. 20 or so hours of detail to make sure of perfection and it was distroyed on its 3rd flight. and i was only going 75 mph in figure 8"s.i wish i also had the presence of mind to take a hands off approach when it started to spin i may have been able to save it but i did what most seem to do and pull up full elevator. not the right choice as it piled in from 100 feet . boy did i like this plane.. ken [email protected]

F1 Rocket

Are you saying your fus cracked ahead of the stab and caused a crash?


Danny

mrfixit220

nope not according to the guys that were watching me.they said it stalled. i am still puzzled as to how i stalled it at 75 mph or so. i had made 6 or 7 full figure 8's before it went into a violent death spin. tried to pull up but that obviously was the wrong thing to do. but if you put them side by side they sure look amost the same. that was one bad ass plane. i am ready to order another tomorrow.

F1 Rocket

Ok, now I feel better, although I'm sorry you lost your plane. Sounds like what happened to you was the plane stalled due to G load and then snapped. When this happens the last thing you want to do is keep pulling back on the stick even though it's the instinctive thing to do when your plane is headed to the ground. Better to get off the elevator and let the plane start flying again. Then gently add elevator if needed. The Sundowner flys great but it is short coupled and has small tail surfaces which tends to make it a little less forgiving. Keep the speed up and don't pull so hard when its slow. Good luck on your next one.


Danny

RPool

Mine snapped out on me too. Luckily I was high enough to recover safely. However, I was attempting a touch and go on my grass strip and the prop struck the ground. I thought I was ok so I gassed it and and pulled up. The engine did not respond and it snapped again...6' off the deck! It rolled over perfectly and landed on its back. Miraculously there was very little damage but I need to be a lot more careful. I measured my throws before flying, but I'm going to change that End Point Adjustment just a little bit anyway.

F1 Rocket

Something that helps on a plane that's a bit snappy is to setup the low rate elevator throw so it will not snap at the top of a loop or pylon type turn with the stick all the way back. Keeping the CG biased a bit to the nose heavy side helps as well. We have 10+ flights on ours and it really goes well when the speed is up. My 14 year old is starting to get comfortable with it at speed but he's pretty carefull landing it.


Danny

mrfixit220

i am willing to part with 2 wings and set of rear stabs to anyone that has crashed theirs. i will give them to anyone that shows they need them free of charge if they pay shipping.

reincarnate

Great gesture mrfixxit! However if you're buying another one...

PHall

Flew my Sundowner /26 combo. The plane cuts the air with superior ease and with precise control. You point and it goes. Nice. The Evolution 26 and Bisson muffler turn an APC 15X10 8700rpm on the ground. By radar upwind was a solid 105mph and down wind 118mph. I do not care what a calculator says. These numbers match Mike's and both came from radar so believe what you want.

Take offs need to start slow with a steady increase in power. I can not punch and go with this one. Landings, as said, will require some runway and patience to wait for it to slow. If you need to abort a landing, power up, count to 3, and then start to gradually pull up. Acceleration is slow with this setup.

In summary, the 26 does not seem to turn up very well, however it does go 100mph. I am going to try some different exhausts which will probably conclude with an inverted engine and a tuned exhaust down the side. The plane just looks like it needs to go faster. I would probably go with the 35 if done again. As said, it is super smooth and it always flys fast.


For some of the others.......if this is your second plane, it won't be for long. Definitely get a seasoned pilot to take off and land for you. Even after that this thing cruises at 60-70 mph or it drops from the sky and it will tip stall in a heart beat. That is a big difference from a trainer. Just a little more advice to save you some headache and money.

mrfixit220

well stated. it was a lesson learned as i really liked this plane more than my ability to fly it allowed. i didnt do anything fast,or dumb but my ability and understanding of snap and tip stall didnt match my flying skills. i will accept that it stalled and now i have learned hands off and try and recover. taking off,and even the landing was not too bad as long as the fear factor of coming in hot doesnt over take your emotions. this is not a sunday flyer as i attempted to make it. it however it is as i said a bad ass plane. i do think i will go back to my flying my velox and order a new funtanna 100 to replace this one as i was very comfortable and proficiant flying those. again the pieces are there when somone needs them.

firestone1121

im still waiting for youtube videos on this plane. horizons website just doesnt show enuff! anybody else have pics or video of this plane??

FlyerRick

Just about done with my "Downer. I am in the finishing few steps of completeion and will hopefully do her maiden this weekend at AMPS. I want to thank a couple of our members for their help in getting my project off and running... bzyguy01, MikeS, Ken, and RickP (who doesn't know it yet but will give her the first dial-in test flight )Thanks guys!

GR7Racer

We just had our first attempt at racing these airplanes at the USRA event in Ashtabula Ohio. Here's a couple of quick things that we have learned.

First...the CG is very important on this airplane. You'll want to set it no further back than 3-1/8"....3" would be better. Any further back and the airplane will show a snap tendency... The snap is usually pretty mild and easily recoverable, but an inexperienced pilot could panic and lock the stall/snap in with too much elevator.

Second... with the carb sitting right at the opening of the air inlet on the cowl, it get's a fair amount of ram air that will change your mixture considerably once in the air. Usually it gets into the air, leans out, and quits. You can compensate by running it really rich, or by closing the inlet some by placing a piece of tape over the inlet right in front of the carb.

Hope this helps some of you.

KMac

thunder34

Indeed it does help, thank you very much!!

reincarnate

GR7... Assuming you're not a sponsored flyer and have to purchase your own engines, did you baffle the Evo 35 or not? I had some problems with running once airborne also, and haven't had a chance to get it up since then. Did you take some temp readings on the engine post race? I've got some temporary baffles I'm playing with, but I'm wondering if I can block part of the intake (in front of the carb) since I had the same issue, without blocking air intake off.

GR7Racer

Baffles would probably help, but might not be necessary. We did not get any temp readings so we can't give you any definitive data on that. We are thinking that the primary problem is the air ramming into the carb which leans the motor out once you are in the air. By taping off the inboard part of the cowl cutout , you can minimize this. Taping just this small part of the cutout should leave you plenty of airflow over the cylinder. We had some pilots doing this sucessfully at the race, but only have a couple of flights in this configuration. If cooling turns out to be an issue after this is done, a baffle could be installed that isolates the airflow coming through the cylinder-side cowl cutout so it directs the flow over the cylinder. Some extra cutouts or louvres aft of the cylinder would then be needed to provide an exit route for the hot air. I would experiment with just taping the cowl cutout first before you start installing baffles. It might be all that is necessary.

KMac

jasonred007

I am extremely nervous now...... I have had problems with mine (not even a maiden yet) my motor box came apart, and one of the inside formers pushed out while inserting the fuel tank. Minor stuff. I want a plane to put through its paces not a sunday flyer. On the positive their are many good posts about the plane , soooooo heres to flyin I hope to have another set of eyes look it over on Saturday before my maiden and let er rip. How's the CG working for everyone from the factory???

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Well Guys on my second flight things went pretty well, I got it up, went a few rounds ,big loops figure 8 etc., 3 or 4 touch and go's brought it around on a bank for final approach and all HELL broke loose. She went upside down and wouldn't come back up (not by my control). I went over to presumably "pick up the pieces". and much to my amazement the motor box was ripped off the front barely there........... I called HH on Wednesday after my maiden out of concern for my findings from my earlier post and was told by the tech. "that was the first that he had heard of this, and I should not be concerned it was probably isolated". By re-gluing the pieces I should be OK. I am using a Spectrum DX7 and after a check upon retrieval all systems were normal............ Any way my final thoughts are nice looking plane..