RC_Fanatic

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Finally ready to fly the one I won in a club raffle tho Christmases ago! Tower 75. Even with big cutouts, engine overheated with the cowl on. So I made a baffle to duct air over the engine. Runs cooler than without the cowl!

What have you found works for the CG range? Book says 105 mm, I'm at 100 now. Probably okay for maiden but I'd like to move it back. Plane came out quite nose heavy even without the baffle. I needed 2 oz in the tail to balance.

maukaonyx

Just want to report that my LG door attachments (several posts above) work fine! The rear top corner of each door puts a little dimple in the covering, so I could bevel it down a little for more clearance, but maybe I will do that later since it is minor now. The doors stayed secure to the Robart LG covers and just make the plane look so cool on the ground and on take off and landing approaches, haha.

RC Fanatic, re CG, mine is pretty much on the recommended location in the manual. I don't see any lead weights under my stab, I know there aren't any up front, so at most maybe I shifted batteries, but I don't recall doing so, so I am guessing my CG is per manual. I would say you are starting at a great place, just a little nose heavy for safety during early flights. The plane will want to float right on by landing with nose weight, so get those flaps working and play with them up high first. They will slow you right up when deployed. I don't have any elev programmed to counter the flap deployment, as I pop them gradually at low throttle. The WHOLE plane then bobs up when the flaps go down, but it does not pitch when done this way. If you pop them at full throttle get ready for pitch up. Lastly be prepared for a wild climb if you did not put any down thrust on your engine. I glued a home made ply thrust plate on the firewall for about 3 degrees down thrust and it works good. When in the air and I apply full throttle from straight and level slow flight (no flaps), the plane goes straight, not up, not down. Good luck you are gonna just love this plane. The guys at the field love it, the onlookers love it, but you love it most of all for its great looks and flying characteristics...makes a pilot look good, haha. I need all the help I can get. Jon

RC_Fanatic

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Thanks for the tips. I hope to get it out tomorrow.

RC_Fanatic

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You got that right, Jon! [X(] I was prepared but now it is back to the bench to put in down thrust. The problem is that I will need to move the motor-mount blind nuts in the firewall to keep the prop centered in the nose of the cowl, and the prop will be at an angle to the front of the cowl. Interestingly, in a couple of photos I have of the full scale T-28, the front of the cowl seems to be angled down. Other than that, the plane flew well, but very slow compared to my T-34 pylon racer. I did not get to use the flaps, but it was easy to land. Needs some drag on the wheels though as it rolled off the end of our (rather short) runway. I did not do any real trimming as I need to get the thrust line fixed before anything else makes sense.

Ground attitude is still too high, even with the nose gear bent to simulate the real gear and a smaller nose wheel. A shorter nose gear will get the prop rather close to the ground so I may consider making up a new set of mains.

maukaonyx

GLAD you got it up and down safely for your maiden! Maybe nobody will notice tha the prop hub is off center if you just shim in some down thrust? Good luck on moving the blind nut locations, but that is the right way to do it. If the engine was not sufficient power, maybe it's a good time to go to 70 or 80 four stroke! I'm running a Saito 82 with 13" prop, using 3" wheels on the mains and 2.5" on the nose, and have about 2" prop clearance from the ground with the plane sitting level. I kinda forget what happened to my stock nose gear, maybe it broke, but I am pretty sure I now have an old Tower Hobbies 40 Trainer nose gear in it, and it is a perfect fit and length for this T-28. Anyways, just trying to help. Jon

RC_Fanatic

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Thanks, Jon. I have another plane I need to finish, then will tackle the T-28. The engine (Tower 75, 12x6APC) has plenty of power! It was climbing out at 60 degrees until I could dial in some down, and I was cruising at 1/3 throttle. I have the stock nose gear, bent in a dogleg, with 2&1/4" wheel and the stock 2&3/4 mains. The wheels already look much larger than scale, so I'd rather not go larger. Bending shorter mains should not be that hard. Time will tell.

Sure looks cool in the air! I can see why some have installed retracts. Now, if I could find a reasonably priced set of electric retracts...

Warbird Joe

RC the eflite retracts are not expensive at all. A few of the guys at the field swear by them. I've been tossing the idea of putting retracts on myself. The plane would look amazing with them. My only concern would be the nose gear one.

Joe

RC_Fanatic

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$185 is more than I have invested in the plane so far! I'd consider that expensive. Guess I've not priced retracts other than mechanical ones. Still, they would look great!

RC_Fanatic

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Don't you love it when, for a change, things work out! I had a piece of .096 aluminum sheet which, when placed behind the upper motor mount, angled the engine down about 2.86 degrees. Any more than that and the back of the muffler would hit the fuselage. I was able to slant the cowl down to match without any problems. Not only does it look okay, but when you look at a side view of the full-size T-28, the cowl slopes down about the same.

Took it out for a test flight today. It was really gusty but the plane flew well. From part throttle in level flight, hit full throttle and the nose barely rises. Flew well inverted with only slight forward stick required so I can bury the tail weight in the fuselage and the lateral balance weight in the wing tip to improve the looks. I'll take it out again next week to play with the flaps.

Had lots of good comments from the guys at the field "Looks great in the air and on the runway. But, I need to think about retracts.

tailskid

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Congrats....now you have to get one of those T-28 Tee-Shirts!!!!

http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemID=744648

joe7387

hi guys i just got started building my t-28 and i just got a good deal on a saito 115 and was wondering if it would be way too much for this plane or if it would work

mesaflyer

Mine had (I sold it) a Magnum 61 2S with plenty of power, and it was nose heavy. I guess you would have to decide what "way too much" is, but I would think that it is.

Warbird Joe

Joe7387,

First, welcome to the T-28 group. It's a great plane. Flys unbelievable. Just read through the previous posts and your first flight will go without a hitch.

Secondly, I hate to be a bearer of bad news but that engine will be way to much. I have a 91 magnum 2 stroke on it with a 3 blade prop in it and it rips through the sky. My plane balanced perfect with thus engine. No added weight at all. Hope this isn't a let down for you.

Joe

MX240

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Hi Guys,
I test flew a friends T-28 with a OS 61 2-stroke and she flies fine....but while doing a nice big loop at the bottom she likes to snap roll badly.
Too slow a landings and a wing drops and drags the runway.
Landing with flaps are a lot better and really nice landings can be done.
Not sure where his C/G is....any one else haveing this bad wing tip stalling problem?
Jim

Warbird Joe

Hello Jim! Man I haven't heard one issue with this plane. It flies like a dream. I'm going to have yo guess CG is an issue. Because even as a low wing. This plane floats nicely.

Joe

joe7387

hi guys,
i got my plane finished and i did end up going with the saito 115 4 stroke and i got to maiden the plane yesterday i was very impressed on how well the plane went together and flew it was really fast with the 115 but not overly fast and the plane balanced perfect with no added weight

MX240

My Feedback: (4)

Ok Joe,
I will check the C/G next time he is out at the field as it sounds like it is not a common problem with this plane.
Jim

Warbird Joe

Jim that plane doesn't even need flaps to float in. Might want to check the balance on the wings as well. Pick the plane up and have one person hold the plane from the back and one from the prop and see if it tips left or right. It's just not a bad habit this plane has. As a matter if fact the plane has none from my experience or from the rest of the guys experience. Hope this helps.

Joe

Kostas1

Any pictures from the finished airframe;

ronwc

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Put both ailerons up about 1/16 of and inch -

Warbird Joe

Hello Ron. What is the reason for doing that? Learning experience here. Does that help level the wings out in flight?

Joe

ronwc

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It adds washout to the wing to prevent tip stall. You could still stall the plane, but it will normally stall straight ahead - which is much more controlable than a tip stall. I hope that makes sense -

Warbird Joe

Thanks Ron it makes sense. I appreciate the explanation. Thanks.

Joe

MX240

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Let me tell you what this guy did to his t-28.
He added 3 inch triange stall strips to each wing root (next to fualage) on the leading edge and now this plane flies like a baby.
You see these on a lot of Beechcraft airplanes to make the center section stall first.
I have done the same thing to a scale Glassaire made by Bryon Originals back in the eighties to tame the tip stalls down.
I have a large scale Stinson Voyager (see my profile) that I am going to cut wing slots in this winter as the real one had them.

Raiseing the airlons up a little on each wing helps also like Ron suggested.
Jim

Xhigh

Just wanted to say high - new to this forum but not new to the hobby. Wanted to see if anyone was still fly and building the BH T-28? I recently just purchased this one and am eager to get it in my hands. Been flying for many years now, mostly electric war planes and edf. Have had an AT-6 .60 size plane sitting unfinished for a few years. I have a magnum .91 four stroke sitting and decided to buy the t-28 based off the reviews. One thing i have been looking for is a Pitts style muffler for this engine. Does anyone have a picture of this motor with the Pitts muffler. I'm still reading the previouse threads but wanted to check in and see if anyone is out there!