Spaul302

Here ya go frivera!

Powered by a TT46pro 11 X 6

hsukaria

Looks like you got the Sullivan tailwheel on. I think I will end up doing that this winter in preparation for next season. The original tailwheel worked fine for a couple of years and then the spring got weak and kinked. I will straighten the original tailwheel bracket and install it on a small electrical trainer that I have.

Spaul302

Yes, that is the sullivan tail wheel. My advice is to put the one that is rated for .40 to .60 sized planes, as the wire is a little more robust. I have well over 300 flights on that combination this year, and it has held up very well.

tms96460

Here is my Escapade with a 46ax and a 11x6 prop,


Tim

frivera12

Hey nice Escapades. My Escapade is going to maiden this weekend. Will take pictures........

AA5BY

I don't own or have never flown an Escapade... but I've watched several fly and crash, one by a very experienced pilot. My reason for posting to this thread is simply to offer some comparison of the Escapade to an old plane I'm currently refurbishing. A comparison of the two is legitimate because they are/were both billed as intermediate .40 size low wing sport planes. The comparison plane I refer to is a '70s era Alley Cat, designed by Ed Keck, which was produced by Southern RC.

The Escapade has a high aspect ratio wing with a loading number of 27 oz sq ft. High aspect ratios offer low drag and thus higher speeds but suffer stalling at greater angles of attack. The Alley Cat had a low aspect ratio wing with 21 oz sq ft of loading, therefore it had good lift and could continue to produce lift through a wider angle of attack range. The plane wasn't fast and it could slow down for very gentle landings.

Is one design right and the other wrong.... no. They are two differing approaches to a low wing .40 size intermediate design. One was designed for speed and the other for overall good flight performance. If performance to you is speed... then the Escapade is the plane. If desired performance is overall good flight manners... then look for lower wing loading numbers and a lower aspect ratio wing than the Escapade has.

hsukaria

AA5BY,

I am not sure about the 27 oz/in wing loading you mention, the manufacturer states around 23 oz/in? It would ultimately depend on the engine and radio weights obviously. Another ubiquitous low wing trainer is the Sig 4*, which I owned before the Escapade. That flew very nicely until a tree jumped in front of it. The wing area on the 4* is generous (600 sq. in.), aspect ratio is fairly high, and was very easy to land since it floated forever. Actually, sometimes I had trouble landing the 4* if I did not begin the approach very far in advance.

I had some concerns when I bought and got ready to fly the Escapade because of the slightly heavier wing loading, but after trying it with an instructor standing by, I felt that it was very easy to land. The slightly heavier wing loading also helps in windy conditions, but it still floats in with engine at idle, I don't have to land it with power like a scale model.

oldvet70

My Feedback: (10)

I also dont know where the 27oz wing load comes from. My wife has one and it's wing load is 24.5oz per sq foot, it required No additional weight to balance. It will land very slowly. The design is a very good one for a second plane. My wife has flown hers for over a year and she has never had any difficulty landing it.I have flown it myself and it is difficult to stall and will give ample warning of an impending stall. I suspect nostalgia sometimes over takes us older pilots but I try to keep an eye out for any new plane that is a good plane. At a little over $100.00 the Escapade is a great flying plane and a great valve.

AA5BY

I'm not sure about the weight thing... the specs say 5-5.5 lbs, which provides a range from 23.85 to 26.2 oz sq ft. While there is a lot of chatter about the Escapade, and many comments about having to add nose weight, I found no post that offered an auw measurement. Perhaps I'm wrong in concluding the many commends about needing to add nose weight puts the weight of the plane at the upper end of the scale?

In the scheme of things, I wouldn't even argue that a low wing intermediate with a heavier loading and high aspect ratio wing is a bad thing... if the goal is to teach respect in preparation to a more advanced plane and hone skills for landing hot.

My simple goal was to make a comparison of two approaches to intermediate design.

hsukaria

AA5BY, no arguments here. Your point has been well taken.

oldvet70

My Feedback: (10)

My wife's Escapades AUW without fuel is 5 lbs 4 oz. . 24.5 oz per SQ.FT. wing-load. There are many people who think they need to do modifications to planes that they don't need and they drive the weight of the plane, not just this one, above the design weight. Then all bets are off as to what it will fly like. If assembled as designed and powered with the recommended engine this is a docile handling plane that also has very good aerobatic capabilities. Maybe you should get one yourself and see first hand how good a plane it is before trying to write about what it is not, " If desired performance is overall good flight manners... then look for lower wing loading numbers and a lower aspect ratio wing than the Escapade has ". Clearly this is an assessment that is incorrect. The Escapade is a well designed plane and has very good flight manners, assuming one has at least basic flight skills.

AA5BY

Quote: "Clearly this is an assessment that is incorrect. "

All personal perspectives are correct or incorrect depending upon which facts are given more or less weight.

If the Escapade is a great flier based on its flight performance to dollar cost... no argument here.

If the Escapade is a great flier due to ones skills.... no argument here.

If the Escapade is a great flier due to ones building skills.... no argument here.

Is the Escapade a great flier due to the flight envelope I personally value after having observed several flying locally, listened to the pilots comments and read the comments online made by owners... sure.... but only in relation to the philosophy that all planes are good, some being better than others.

That you and the wife are happy with it.... makes me happy. That there is more than one design choice for a .40 size low wing intermediate flier makes me even more happy. That we can discuss the design comparisons.... makes me even happier yet.... and that your opinion is just as valuable as mine.... thrills me beyond measure.

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

AA5BY, I have/had both the Alley Cat and the Escapade. I flew the Alley Cat for 3 years back in '78-'80 and have been flying the Escapade since it first shipped. There are many differences between the two, Alley Cat is a kit, Escapade is an ARF. The Alley Cat has a nose wheel, the Escapade is a tail dragger. Though both are .40 size planes, the Alley Cat is some what larger than the Escapade. The Escapade is faster than the Alley Cat but both slow down nicely for landing. If the Alley Cat is built light, it does have a some what lighter wing loading than the Escapade. This results in the Alley Cat tending to float on landing while the Escapade does not - at least in my experience. Of the modern planes, I would say the Alley Cat flies similarly to a Pulse XT which I also have. I had no problems with either plane stalling. Both planes can and have been used as a first low wing plane for a novice. They are very different designs but both are great planes. If I could find an Alley Cat kit, I would like to build another one.

BTW, my Escapade came in just a hair over 24 oz per sq. foot and had no added lead weight.

Bruce

frivera12

I bought the Escapade at a LHS. They had planes twice the price of the Escapade. They still reccomended the $100 ARF for a second plane..............

TimBle

AUW for my Escapade is 2492 gr or 89.9 ounces

zthats with an OS 46Ax and std muffler, Futaba S3004 servos in the wings and fuselage and a World models tail wheel. Std spinner too with a JXF GRP 11x6 prop.
Rx is the Futaba R617FS running Futaba servo lead extensions to the wing servos of 30cm length each.
tank empty (Standard tank)

Plane will flaot to landing or flies predicatbly to the ground under power (Yes the wheels do get in the way of a crash)

it can be built to around 2350gr I believe if a Irvine .39 engine is used, the decals are left off with only one clunk in the tank.

frivera12

It finally flew. The Escapade had her maiden flight.First was the official test pilot for the club and them he gave the controls. I tought it was going to be waytougher to fly than the Avistar but it is almost the same, just a little bit faster on the landing speed. Photos will be posted soon.

billmay

My Feedback: (1)

Did all of you permanently epoxy the battery/tank tray in? I guess I'm reluctant to do that in case you'd ever want to get at the landing gear area. I have a low temperature hot glue gun that I've used on my foam planes and was thinking of hot gluing some dabs in the areas near where the "temporary" screws are and also some along where the front tab inserts into the firewall. This is on a battery/electric installation. Do you think that's sufficient???

Bill

hairlesshippy

My Feedback: (1)

TimBle

MY Escapade met its demise yesterday

I was practising some outside loops and accidentally flipped the elevator to low rates when I noticed she was extending the downward leg of the loop too much. the wind had changed direction  and I was flying the  inverted section downwind with a stalled airplane. She went  in nose first, full throttle.
the engine and firewall moved all the way back to the wing. Along the way the tank was squashed like a coke can, the throttle servo reverted to assembly line status.
I sadly stripped own her remains last night, wrapped her in a plastic bag and laid her to rest. She was a great little bird.

As a 2nd plane she was a fun little flier. Not the most steady on a windy day but her looks made up for flight imperfections.


Lying in wait for me at the LHS is a Sportsman Aviation Focke Wulf FW-190 .46.
Escapade will be sorely missed. She took me from novice flyer to knociking on the door on my Instructors rating. It was during practice for this test that I failed her.

RIP little Escapade.

TimBle

PS: wrt to the posted bulletin in post #1318, forget the foam tabs supplied and fit a pice of fuel tubing to either dowel on the canopy. Cut the ful tubing to half the length of the dowel. It makes for a much more secure fit of the canopy.

hsukaria

TimBle, my condolences about the demise of your Escapade. If only the fuselage was destroyed and the rest is ok, you can purchase the spares or a whole new ARF like I did. I now have a spare tail set, landing gear, and wings. Mine crashed a couple of years ago and the nose section from wing on forward disintegrated (also full power nose-into-ground).

Billmay, I am not sure about the structural integrity of the fuse if that shelf is only temporarily set. Some others may have a more informed opinion, but I glued it down solid to give the fuse more strength.

billmay

My Feedback: (1)

Point well taken....that's why I was wondering if anyone had significant flight experience with a less permanent installation. I'll probably just brush on some epoxy along the seams and be done with it.Thanks for your reply.

Bill

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

Tower has just announced the Escapade 60 size set for a late January delievery:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LNAMXN&P=G

Bruce

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

BTW, the Escapade 60 comes with a fiberglass cowling. I just placed it on order.

Bruce

hsukaria

The question now is whether there should be a new forum for the Escapade 60 or should this forum be broadened to include both? I guess the moderator(s) decide that.