LA Racer, World Models
 

I've just started putting this together and I'm very impressed. Wing halves and joiner all fit together perfectly. I rounded the corners of the joiner where they go between the spars, to make it easier to fit. That made it much easier. It's quite tight, but perfect when you get it. Hardware looks good.

Took some measurements and got a tail volume of 0.7, which is on the high compared to most designs. This measure is the ratio of stab area to wing area, multiplied by the ratio of the tail arm to the wing chord. So large stab, long tail, narrow chord = big tail volume. What it means is that the stab has a lot of leverage on the wing. The 0.7 figure is is much like the old classics such as the Goldberg Falcon and the Taurus. This measure can be used to calculate a CG, and when I do that, the kit recommendation of 3.35 inches comes out on the conservative end of the normal range. By the calculation, 4 inches should be OK, but I'll start pretty close to the recommendation and work it back with testing.

Airfoil is fully symmetrical, with a thickness of about 16% of chord. That's a little thinner than a Stick type, and again, about the same as a Falcon.

Wing area is 556 sq ins, which is the same as a Goldberg Falcon 56. So overall, the size, proportions and force arrangement are very similar to those of the Falcon 56. It says the weight should be about 5 lbs. I notice some have said theirs weighed less than that...I let you know how mine comes out.

It is intended to be flown with an OS LA .40. Many people have used a ball bearing .46. I intend to use an Irvine .39, which is a bit heavier than the LA 40, but lighter than a 46 AX or the like.

Compared to an Escapade, it is a little larger; we'll see about the weight. First impression is that quality is high, and aerodynamics are very promising.

Jim

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

I have one of those mine had a warped wing, flew it with a supertigre 40 the plane suffered from to small main wheels and VERY weak landing gear even with the warped wing it flew good one other problem I encountered was binding in the pushrods near the exit I was able to get a 320cc world models fuel tank in it for longer flight times. Greg

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

Greg, did you try complaining to the company? A warped wing is totally unacceptable. I have an old plane I built years ago that a warp crept into, and I'm surprised that it flies quite well, but I wouldn't accept an ARF that way.

Yes, the wheels look small for grass; I plan to substitute 2 3/4 inchers. I'm used to wire LG, but I may bend my own slightly shorter gear. It looks longer than necessary, and even more so with bigger wheels.

I'll check for pushrod binding; thanks.

Jim

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

you really can't put bigger wheel's on their landing gear wires there is not enough room BUT maybe if you soldered washer's on the inside instead of a wheel collar that might give alittle more space I had mine out last year and was going to put dural aluminum landing gear on it but I just never got around to it. I emailed WM they sent me inst. on how to use a heat gun to straighten the wing[:o] I have not bought one of their planes in a while I enjoyed mine for a while but the landing gear did not just bend it would collapse on landing but I never broke out the mounting plate or split the vertical block's for the landing gear.
I had their 25 size combat spitfire I put Hayes racing wheel's on that plane they were really just 1/8 x 2 3/4 in. plastic disks I NEVER had a problem with long grass at the field. Greg

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

I suspect the quality of the wire used for the gear is not good if it is bending that much. I often bend my own gear from K&S wire. I like wire gear because it doesn't rip out the bottom of the plane like dural gear often does. But you have to have good quality wire.

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

One of the thing's I remember about this plane is they give you a goooooey double sided tape to put the canopy on with and 4 screw's too this help's keep fuel residue from getting under the canopy if I were to do this again this is how I would do it.
put the canopy on the fuse where you want it and put a post it note on the turtle deck and in front of the canopy on the fuse.
cut a post it note down to about 1/2 and put the sticky part on the canopy front and back position the canopy side to side and GENTLY mark the post it's so as not to dent the balsa.
put the double sided tape on the canopy and install.
The reason I remember this part is because this is how I put the canopy on my escapade 61 and it worked out great and this was the plane I got the idea from I used 3M double sided tape that you would use to put plastic around window's.
I also use post it notes on the fuse to mount cowl's they give me an idea where the cowl is so I can measure where the firewall is without damaging the covering.
Greg

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

Slipped in the stab and set the plane up to check the horizontal with the result below. Wish I could build em to come out like that.

The clevises are really nice, except that the pushrods are supposed to be self-threading and they don't all fit well. I couldn't screw one of them on at all, and tried drilling it out, but did it too much. I tried calling company for replacement but the line didn't work. Sent email...within 20 minutes I had a response apologizing for the phone not working (long holiday weekend) and stating that a new clevis was sent to me. Pretty impressive response.

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

I put 3" Great Planes wheels on my Raider and a friends La Flyer , and they worked well .
I can't see why they won't fit an La Racer , I think the gear is similar .

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

Here it is, ready to fly. Weight was 4 lbs 5 ozs, but CG was at 3.9 inches. It ought to be fine by my calculations, but I added a 2 oz brass acorn prop nut to bring it to 3.5 inches for the first flight. That brought the weight to 4 lbs 7 ozs. Pretty good! I might take it off depending on how it flies.

The spinner is a substitution because the prop shaft on the Irvine 39 was too short for the stock spinner, which has a thick plate. The landing gear wires are from a BUSA Stingray, and they are shorter than stock by more than an inch. Still plenty of clearance for an 11 inch prop. Wheels are 2 3/4 inch GP substituted for the stock wheels (and yes, I agree with the above...plenty of room on stock gear for bigger wheels0.

The florescent pink is my addition to improve visibility; I also peeled off a bit of the stock decoration. Other than these few things, everything is stock. Hope to fly tomorrow if the weather is good.

Jim

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

Also, I sprayed the inside of the canopy with silver paint, Rustoleum or similar. I put silicone goop for fish tanks around the inside rim of the canopy after the paint was completely dry. Then I put plastic wrap over the canopy area of the fuse, and gently pressed down the canopy. After 24 hours I took the whole thing apart and then installed the canopy with the screws. That left a silicone seal around the inside bottom of the canopy. I think that will prevent exhaust from getting in under it.

Jim

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

I guess not much interest in this thread, but I'll do one more post, because I flew the plane today and I just love it!

It seems both extremely easy to fly and extremely capable. Easy, straight takeoffs; I greased the first landing and most of the others. It can go fast, but it slows down nicely and you can poke around at 1/3 throttle and it is perfectly steady. Scarcely had to trim it at all, very straight climb, straight up, with a very nice stall turn at the top, and a tail slide another time. Rudder is very effective with scarcely any roll coupling. It's a go-where-you-point-it airplane that always feels comfortable and under control.

With the CG at 3.5 inches (manual advises 3.35) it is close to neutral in pitch. If you put it in a dive, it pretty much stays there till you pull it out. Flew inverted with very little up. But the elevator control was also very smooth and totally in control. I used the recommended throws, or actually a bit more, but with about -50% expo on all. That gave me really nice control and I felt no need for dual rates. Also, you can cruise along at half throttle and give it full throttle, and the plane just speeds up...no or almost no climb. Rolls are very fast and axial, snaps and spins are easy to start and easy to recover. The manual clearly has a good recommendation for CG...not way conservative like some.

The Irvine 39 (actually a 36) with MA 11x5 prop was very good power. Not a rocket with this engine/prop, but a fine grain throttle control, straight up as far as I would want, and it slows down pretty quick. It gave me the same feeling as the control surfaces...plenty of authority, but always under comfortable control.

I would definitely buy another.

Jim

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

I agree it is a fun plane that flies very well I think I will try to take the warp out of my wing over the winter. Greg

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

I am just starting my assembly . I plan to flying mine in the winter on skis . The installed hinges
are a big bonus and are not as brittle in below zero weather as ca hinges . I flew a Raider II last
winter but stalled it landing and haven't repaired it yet . I bought the La Racer to get a wing
with 2 servos and will put an OS FS 52 in it , just like the Raider . The Raider was a great flyer
and uses the same wing except for the single aileron servo and linkage .

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

Yes, those hinges are very nice.

Greg, I really think the company should have replaced that wing, not told you how to un-warp it. This is where Tower shines...they would have sent you a new wing, no questions asked. But I will say that after I screwed up a clevis, Airborne Models got a new one in the mail to me pronto, so I felt treated very well.

At this point I'm very pleased with World Models, based on my own experience. I think they really got the aerodynamics of this plane right, and there are many quality features in the construction. They responded quickly to my problem. They are the first place I'd look for another ARF.

Jim

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

I still look at their planes and there was a time when I really felt they were the best ARF's available GP and H9 have come a long way in term's of quality when I wrote my email to them it was to long after the warranty and they would not do anything I enjoyed the plane but have since put it away to fly other planes in my hanger. Greg

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

Oh, I understand, a warp after the warranty is a different matter. Well, I think this plane is worth some effort to fix up, so I hope you are able to get it straightened out. Good luck with it.

Jim

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

A little more flying time and I'm now learning knife edge with it, which I had never done before. The more I fly this plane the better I like it.

The Irvine 39 has a few tanks through it and it has picked up a few hundred rpm, plus I think I was running it a little rich at first. Now it really goes straight up like an arrow on this power. I think any strong 36 is a good match. A 52 to 62 four stroke would really be sweet too.

Jim

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

Just a fyi for you guys, but if you should ever need to replace just a wing,a fuse, or the tailfeathers, these guys have all the parts you will need to build it. No, its not arf, but laser cut parts and they do very nice work.
We use them on our skyraiders that we Club 40 pylon race with.
http://www.sanalomalaser.com

Also if you like, check out the Club 40 section under Pylon racing here on RCU to see just what these little planes are capable of with a Thunder Tiger Pro 40 under their hood :) We are having a pure blast pylon racing them!!!
John

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

Thanks for that reference, John.

I'm really thrilled with this little plane. I read about racing these planes, but unlike my old Quickee 500, the LA Racer has a pretty thick airfoil and it makes a superb aerobatic sport model.

Jim

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

No problem Jim.Glad to help.
I agree, the wings are thick for a racing plane, but we are getting about 95 mph out of them on a good day. Not too shabby for a budget racer ;).
And you know, they also make a great 2nd plane for someone wanting their first low wing bird after a trainer.
Take care and go have some more fun :)
John

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

Well I can get a new wing from WM for $50 plus shipping and I do have a new ASP 61 four stroke that needs a home hmmmm something worth thinking about. Greg

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

A year later and I'm still really enjoying this plane! I switched to a 10.5 x 4.5 APC (used 11x5 MA and 11x4 APC before) on the Irvine 39 and the extra speed is enough to really hold a steady knife edge comfortably without losing any altitude. I think it will climb some in knife edge now. Still slows down nicely for landing and pulls well at the top of towering loops.

I must say that the covering trim is not holding on very well. I would buy another of these just as a backup, but the price has gone up to $140 plus shipping. At that price it ought to come with a better covering material.

I've got two seasons on it now. I still think it's a great airplane.

Jim

RE: LA Racer, World Models
 

The covering on every WM plane I have seen has been terrible. When the Sky Raiders were 65 to 75 bucks it was easy to live with peeling covering. When they hit 100 plus it is not so easy to ignore.