mach2

My Feedback: (5)

I went out for a couple more flights yesterday morning. Again, we couldn't find the charger for our video camera so my wife just took some cell phone video. It's not great video, but it's video none the less. After flying WITH the canopy on I could tell it was a little more tail heavy than it was with the canopy off. I haven't measured it since I did the changes, but it is on the verge of being tail heavy. I am personally good with it. It is more agile, but still flies solid. I wouldn't want it any more aft though. With that said, even with a ton of deflection on the elevators and an aggressive CG, the Revolver's airframe simply does not allow it to do a FLAT spin (upright or inverted) like an Edge 540. I expected this to be the case since this really is a sport plane, but I wanted to see if I could find the limit of the Revolver. I did do a short spin in the video (45 degrees of deflection on the elevators), but I mostly did typical sport flying. I did try and do some hovering, but it was just too gusty.

Anyway, here's some Revolver footage...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgr0...zfV0-1cjA35yLg

Jeremy

mach2

My Feedback: (5)

Got a few more flights in today. With some storms moving through its been a little windy. Even so, I was able to get a good hover with the Xoar 17x6. When I need some new props I'm going to get some 3d props from Redwing. They have tons of pull. The small ailerons make it a little tougher to hover without torque rolling, but it's still doable.

Even though she won't do a real flat spin, I was able to do a decent "pop top". With some more practice I may be able to get a 3/4 flat rotation at the top. I was able to get it to spin a little more than half way around today. It was some good fun.

Jeremy

Sbach342Guy

I still wish they would come out with a "3D" version of the 70" Revolver. I know it wouldn't handle the same but I love the color scheme.

silverwings

My Feedback: (21)

If they did, it would probably be a different color scheme than the one we really like. lol

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

The plane can be set up to do way more than you think it might by just looking at it. Don't discount it because it's not an Edge or a Yak. It's about managing control throws and CG mostly (just like you might on an Edge or a Yak to make them fly right!). Taking your time to get to know the plane, set it up, and learn how to fly it, will pay off huge. That's why it's so darn popular! It's much more capable "as is" than most guys flying them, myself included....

That said, for true 3D, it's kind of a porker. It would need more side area, more wing area, and more control surface area to do well. All of that would kill it's triple digit speed capability, turning it into a plane you need to be careful with on the down lines for fear of flutter/blowing a control surface off!

Nope, good 3D planes are a specialty that drives you off into a corner where that's about all they're good for. It wouldn't be nearly as versatile as what we have now, ruining it's appeal for many.... -Al

mach2

My Feedback: (5)

Well there was a lot of requests for a 50cc Revolver and since the 70" plane sold so well, great planes obliged (although I doubt the 50cc version will be as popular as the 70"version). I highly doubt that they will come out with a 3d Revolver. To do that, it's basically got to be a totally different plane, and since they already have aircraft to fit the 3d bill, they just don't need to do it.

That said, I do think the Revolver could have been a little bit better had they done a few things differently. I would have liked the plane to have had dual elevator servos (which a few of us have done on our own), larger and longer ailerons, a full symmetrical wing, and a little more elevator surface. I don't think those changes would have made it any less appealing to the sport flying crowd. But again, it is a decent performer for being a sport plane, and at a good price. I do really like the plane and I'm glad it was available. I got mine as a first plane after a trainer and it got my confidence up to start flying planes like the Edge 540 and Extra 300. At this point, I do feel like I'm going to get bored with it soon so I think I'll enjoy it a little while longer and then probably sell it to get something like a 30cc Edge. I've got the 50cc Extra but I want something a little less expensive that I can really push the limits with with less fear of crashing such an expensive plane.

Just my thoughts on it.
Jeremy

109....someday

My Feedback: (1)

The Revolver is looking really nice. What do you guys think of a YS 175 on a 70" Revolver? I had it on an Escapade, but I have been thinking about a more robust plane. With a little help the Revolver seems to be doing well with the 20cc gas engines. I saw that a couple guys had 30cc gas engines on them, but they seem to have disappeared from the thread. My 175 runs 18.1x12 to 19x11 props so I think its close to 30cc gas powerwise. Did the 30cc setups die out because it was just too much for the plane?

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

I have two Rev 70's - one with a DLE 20 and one with a YS 140. I've seen a few others at my fields with the Rev 70\ DLE20 combo, and I think it's the perfect pairing of plane and engine. PLENTY of power - for both speed and vertical, at a low fuel cost. The YS 140 is also a beast of an engine (though it does like the Nitro) - but I love the sound. That engine is heavier than the DLE. I would not recommend a DLE 30 or larger 4s for this plane as I think it would be WAY overkill, you wouldn't have the ground clearance for a larger prop (unless you used taller gear) and those larger engines would be better matched with a 73-75" plane.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Knowing full well some guys enjoying flying with way over the top power, I'd say it comes down to what you're expecting from the plane? If you're looking for something that flies like a P51, the kind of power you're talking about might be fun.

The 20cc engines deliver power that is capable of well over 100mph, yet maintain the ability to slow right down and remain civilized at speeds much lower what you might expect. From a versatility stand point, 20cc is great compromise for sport flying.

mach2

My Feedback: (5)

I've not seen anyone on the thread or on YouTube that has run a 30cc engine on a 70" Revolver (I'm gonna have to do some searching because it sounds interesting). I'm running a DLE 20 on mine with a 17x6 prop. With that combo the plane has unlimited vertical. Actually it'll climb vertical at anything over half throttle. I can stop and hover, then pull out vertical with good authority.

The 17x6 looks like a pretty large prop on the Revolver, but I've still got good ground clearance on asphalt. I do have a thick aluminum plate between the fuse and gear for reinforcement. I do however also have an Aeroworks tail wheel that makes the tail sit a lot higher which in turn lowers the nose, so it's probably close to the standard prop clearance.

I'm all for putting in larger than recommended power plants. Especially on planes from Great Planes. The motors they recommend for all their planes simply aren't strong enough to fly the aircraft with good performance. I'd say the high end should be the minimum used. For example, the 70" Rev is a .61-.91 plane (or something like that), so a .91 is the smallest I'd use.

The first time I saw the Revolver was on a YouTube video with a DLE 20. I knew right away that's what I wanted. In my opinion, the DLE 20 is the perfect motor for the Revolver. The best match of weight, power and cost to fly. You can't beat $3 per gallon (oil is only $10 per qt. and will mix many gallons of fuel). On top of that, I love flipping the prop a couple times and you're good to go. No more tuning before every flight.

All of that said, I think if you've got a YS 1.75 without a home, go for it! I'd recommend doing the dual rear elevator servo mod that a few of us have done. It's not only a better setup but will also help you balance the plane with the big motor up front (I'd assume the YS is probably fairly close to the DLE 20). If the motor is heavier it won't be an issue if you just sport/pattern fly. I had a smoke system on my last Revolver which brought it close to 11 pounds dry. It still flew real well. It's got an impressive wing on it. She'll float around like a darn glider when the power is pulled back. My current Revolver weighs 9.5lbs. With a CG around 6"-6.25" she floats in on landings and sets down on 3 points nicely (with a slight headwind she lands at a crawling speed). If you do end up putting the YS in a revolver, make sure you reinforce the engine box/firewall. Also, inspect the plane often to make sure the engine isn't tearing the plane apart. Oh, and use robart pin hinges for all the control surfaces...

Jeremy

mach2

My Feedback: (5)

I had another good outing with the Rev yesterday. A great day actually. It got pretty windy though. Not a big problem because the Rev handles wind well. It just reduces the fun factor a little. Even with the gusty wind I was able to improve upon some fun maneuvers. I worked on Blenders and Pop-Tops mostly. At the bottom of the blender I was getting a much flatter spin. I got similar results on the top of the pop-top. I got one full flat rotation (spin) at the top. Looks real cool.

I tried a knife edge circle (circled towards the gear with down elevator). It was smooth and needed very little Aileron coupling. I also did a few snap rolls started from knife edge, stopping back on the knife edge. So the left wing was down, I rolled the plane right while keeping in right rudder and stopped back a knife edge. I think it's a neat little move that adds some flare to a knife edge. Of course you guys know that the Revolver needs a little down elevator to keep it tracking straight.

I'm going to try and find the charger for our video camera. Hopefully I can get some video this week. I've only got 12 flights on her right now, so with some good luck we can keep exploring the limits of the Rev. I'm not a great pilot, but I think I can keep improving.

Jeremy

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

"Of course you guys know that the Revolver needs a little down elevator to keep it tracking straight."

Um, nope. Not all of them. My CG has been trimmed for neutral KE.

mach2

My Feedback: (5)

I'd imagine that yours doesn't do it because you've added spacers behind your motor mounts to give down thrust, rather than a different CG. I'd think a different CG would change the amount of rudder needed to keep the nose from dropping. I haven't confirmed where my CG is currently at, but it needs almost no down elevator while inverted.

I was going to try some down thrust on the motor, but my cowl would have needed a lot of trimming to line up well.

And Al, I'm still hoping for some videos from you! Everyone loves fresh Rev videos. My last one was a crappy cell phone video. I gotta find the stinkin' charger for my camera...

mach2

My Feedback: (5)

I did some searching on youtube for a 70" Revolver with a 30cc engine, or a similar sized glow motor. I couldn't find anything bigger than a 20cc gasser or a 1.20 glow engine. Anyone know of any videos? I'd like to see it.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

I think there's been a couple of guys that have built R70's using 30cc power that have written in here, but they never had much to say. Not sure if that's because the planes were short lived or if they're just not guys that have a lot to say?

As mentioned earlier, I say go for it if that's what you're looking for. Run a 3 bladed prop for clearance if necessary. It would be interesting to see just how fast a plane like that would go. Maybe 135mph plus?

Second plane didn't need to have the mount shimmed. Did not display the power on/off climb/dive the first one did, which came as a bit of a surprise. Having learned the lesson the hard way on the first plane, this one had 10 flights on it before fitting the cowl....

Not a chance of a video by me. That would require a camera or smart phone, and I don't have or use either....

mach2

My Feedback: (5)

The three blade prop is a good idea. The Revolver would look sweet with a carbon fiber 3 blade prop and an aluminum tru-turn spinner!

109....someday

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the replies everyone. I found a video one of the 30cc guys posted. He was running a Syssa 30cc gasser. From watching videos on youtube, the 20cc really does seem a great setup, but I have the 1.75 hanging out. Plus I worked in a lawn mower shop for 10 years and I just don't like the sound of a 2 stroke gasser on a plane. The 1.75 has a great sound on a low flyby with just a short exhaust stack and no muffler. I'm guessing the YS won't be much faster than the 20cc gas setups at all as the motor really doesn't RPM that well. The fuel cost is fairly crazy though and because of that I will probably use 4 stroke gas in the future. The power might not be quite as good, but the fuel is so much cheaper its good enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRNbs9Jz_ik

I basically had been wondering the same thing, did the guys disappear from the thread because the planes didn't last long or did they disappear because they aren't very talkative? Suppose I could PM some people and see if I get any responses, but I think I have decided to try it and see what happens anyway.

I already had a list of mods including replacing/strengthening all of the landing gear, adding tri-stock and beefing up the motor-box/firewall area, moving the rudder and elevator servos to the rear, using 4-40 rods for all of the controls, and replacing all of the hinges with the Robarts. I figured for prop clearance I could use taller gear than the factory 2 piece or go to a multi-blade prop, especially since I am going to be working on the gear anyway. Probably would look really good with a 3 blade prop and nice Tru-turn spinner on it....hmm. Maybe after a few good flights without prop damage- those big 3 bladers cost some decent money.

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

I like the idea of a 3 blade prop, too. I have a 14x8x3 Master Airscrew prop and spinner - haven't tried them yet on the Rev 70 / DLE 20, but will. I've read that the more blades the less efficient the prop (yes, 1 blade props do exist and are the most efficient, evidently). other consideration - how much of a gap do you want between the cowl and the spinner backplate? I like less than 1/8 which I JUST achieve with the DLE 20 by removing the plastic engine mount's top cross beam to make room for the carb. With the DLE 30 I suppose you could settle for a larger gap, or shorten the engine box. Your plan?

109....someday

My Feedback: (1)

Yeah, all true about the prop blades- at least that's what I have heard. Single blade is actually the most efficient and it gets worse as you go up. I'm not super worried about efficiency on a setup like this though. It would be more about the sound and look than anything else. I mean we are already talking about massively overpowering the air frame anyway...

For the first few flights I had planned to leave the cowl off for cooling/testing/learning the plane. But it is an important consideration for a few flights down the road. My YS is only just over 5" long so I think I can get a 2 piece mount that will get me close to the 5-11/16" that the manual calls for. 1/8" gap would be fine for me, really anything in that ball park - 1/16" to 3/16" would look fine to me. I will try and use the stock firewall first since that would be easiest even if I have to install some new blind nuts. If that won't work and I just need more room I can cut down the motor-box and make a new firewall altogether. Now that I think about it...In a way that could be quicker- just cut it off and move forward instead of trying to use the original stuff. I could also get really serious about beefing up the rest of the box at the same time.

As far as a DLE 30 would go I think you would have to cut. I think a DLE 30 is something like 6, 6-1/2" long? Maybe a hole in the firewall for the carb to stick through? Might be tough to get the linkage in to the carb. I dunno. I've never done any RC gassers.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Re the throttle linkage for gassers, everyone worries about that until they realize the fuel tank is generally moved back to be located on or just in front of the plane's CG. This leaves a TON of room in back of the firewall for anything you'd like to do. On this plane, many mount the throttle servo right on the box carrying the firewall.

Unless you were to make an attempt to see how fast you could make the plane go, agree with the thought about having enough extra power available for a 3 blade prop. Actually, when talking speed, you're going to be running so much pitch, I doubt you'd have a problem with prop clearance? Thinking something like 17x12?

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Wow, haven't done that in a while. Sorry, double post.

mach2

My Feedback: (5)

I looked up 3 slot spinners from tru-turn. The 3 1/4" Ultimate 120 would look awesome! Not cheap at $58.95 though. You may have to open the slots depending on what prop you use.

Nice spinners are pricey, but they definitely make a plane look great. One of my big pet peeves is when people use spinners that are too small. Especially on the Revolver. It just kills an otherwise beautiful plane. The spinner that comes with the Revolver is a good looking piece. I also highly dislike a large gap from the back plate to cowl. Some people don't mind this stuff, so to each their own...

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

If you order from TT direct, you can have the spinner cut for the prop of your choice. Small charge, well worth it for the job they do. They're not difficult to work with either.

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

Speaking of over-powering a plane, I'm putting an OS 91 Surpass (4s) into a 59" Revolver (have done it before - flew great! Till I killed it...). But this time I'm having real problems getting the engine running (I just changed the rocker springs after one broke, after a backfire). If anyone wants to read the details and give suggestions I'd appreciate it. Here's the thread:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/glow...then-dies.html

Mike D

teckbot

My Feedback: (2)

My season is done, silly white stuff covering the field. The Revolver 70 with DLE20RA was my last winters project and the "go to" plane this year. I started flying 4 years ago on electrics and last year i came into a 30cc gas Cap232 and wasn't very happy/comfortable flying. So the Revolver was to be my gas trainer. It has proven to be a great flyer, the DLE20 combo works equally well with no fuss to speak of. With an 8oz tank, i fly a very comfortable 8 minutes (can't hold my breath any longer) with almost 1/2 tank to spare. I tore off the LG early in the season and fixed it as per this groups recommendations and it has held just fine. Of course my landings have also improved in the process. Only winter work / improvements i have planed is to re-hinge all control surfaces with pin hinges. Not because i have to, but because i want to.

Thanks to all that passed on advice and recommendations, it has been a good learning and a good year flying. Don't tell her, but i have an AeroWorks 50cc Extra 260 on the way as a hangar mate.