RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

That G23 sure looks small in there! Looks like I may have found a home for the G26 I have. Many thanks Dick for taking the time to post those pics!

FB

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Thanks to you, Dick. I'ii go with a G-26
Alex

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

It seems most missed what I was talking about:

IN aerobatic aircrafts...a 26cc GLOW ( call it that because most understand that term and can Identify with it. One could call it a Methanol or nitro methane engine)
in this case a O.S. 1.60 fx (yes it is a 26cc engine) would be comparable to a 45cc or 50cc gas engine...

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXKJB5&P=0
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXTAW7&P=0
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXLGM4&P=0

These are considered 1.60 sized GLOW aircrafts...
If you used a 1.60 glow (26cc) but changed to gasoline, you would use a 43cc Gasoline engine...

Engine: 1.6 - 1.8 cu in (26 - 29cc) 2-stroke glow engine OR
1.8 - 2.1 cu in (26 - 34cc) 4-stroke glow engine OR
1.9 - 2.6 cu in (32 - 43cc) gasoline engine (vertical mount)

In one review, a 1.60fx engine was used in the Topflite giant staggerwing, and flew well...
another used a 1.60 twin 4-stroke... .

The 1.60fx was also used in Gian aeromaster biplane and flew very well..
In the latter example, the Aeromaster was designed as a 50-60cc gasoline plane...

I hope I explained what I meant by "The stagerwing is a 1.60 sized glow plane, and a 50cc sized gasoline plane"

With a weight of 17-20 pounds and 1500 squars of W.A. ...It most def. is a 50cc gasoline biplane
or err um a 1.60 size glow plane...

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Side note...
I flew my 1.20 sized giant super chipmunk with a 1.60 gemini twin-4-stroke last year...
I would say the power was ONLY.. adiquate for flight, but loops were lacking power...

I have to run it more this year, try some dif. props ect... but it worried me, that this may be the case with this plane...

Never flew a bi-plane.... (own 3 dif ones) but I always believed they needed more power.
THe large round cowl on this plane can't help with the drag situation either..

I am sure the zenoah 26cc gas, will go well...

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Hi all. Just found this thread. (Wasn't really looking hard. :D ) I wanted to comment on kochj's statement about the motor sizes. I bought my Staggerwing when I saw it was flyable with the OS 1.60 Gemini Twin. My motor has serial number 582 on it. I WANTED this plane. When all done, mine weighed almost 25lb!! [X(] It was marginal on take-off. Once up and flying with an APC 17x8 prop, which turned out to be best for my area, it flew great. But that marginal take-off power was it's undoing. The Robart struts bounced so bad that a rough spot on our runway sent the plane airborne before it was ready, and it stalled and cartwheeled, requireing a new set of wings. The tail and nose never touched, ironically. Also required a new leg for one gear assy. After the repairs, I electrified mine with en E-Flite power 160, on 10S 20C 4800mph Impulse batteries and a Phoenix 110HV ESC, swinging a 20x8 Master Airscrew wood prop. It now weighs 21.25 lbs, and climbs vertically on take-off. 95mph flat pass, no dive or wind, on radar. Most of the flight is at half throttle. I get 5-7 minutes, depending on throttle control and routine flown. It will do the full routine, except I never spin/snap it, since parts are no longer available.

A couple pics of crash damage, and as it is now. Yes, those are my planes in the background, also. All electric, also.

Here is link to my conversion thread. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1041212

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Wow.... Crazy...
Those wings would have been a chore to try to fix!...

The flying you described, is what I would have expected...
You could power most anything with marginal to hardly anything at all, and once it was up a flying, things can go pretty well...

It is when you get into trouble, the extra power in neccesarry to get you out...

Seeing those wings, make me nervious to fly mine now!...[:o], because parts are nill...


Thank you for your insight Stagger.

Justin.

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Stagger...
Did you say the landing gear wasn't up to par or the springs too heavy duty, so it wouldn't soak up the bumps, or was it due to the RTF weight you were at??

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Also...
Looked at the rc page you linked ....
A G38magnito, and it still needed 13.5 ounces to balance....

I am happy I am going with the 5-cyl saito radial engine...
power to spare, and no dead weight needed to balance....

Now to cut the cowl down and re-join, or just do a simple "cut 5-squares out from the cowl" so the valves can clear the cowl...

Also....

Does siearra make gear for this one???

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Here's the video we took Sunday. Watch the take-off! :D

http://youtu.be/s9ltXaR3SrI

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Kochj, the problem with the Robarts is that they are NOT damped!! The springs are over active. Hit a bump and they compress and release very fast. Watch the first landing attempt on the video. You hear the springs bottom and the plane just launches back into the air.

I'm thinking of disassembling the struts, and using K-Y Jelly and some o-rings to try to damp them a bit.

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

I looked at the Ziroli version of the staggerwing that robart makes. A whoping 900$ for those......
I don't know of any retracts with dapeners in them....
Perhaps a shock added to the retracts...;) One with oil in it to help slow down the action...

Like my 1/8th rc buggy...

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Friends, I'm confused. We no longer know what to do with the engine. Any new idea, install the g-26 mag version? in my TF Stagerwing?
Alex

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

The ones in my ASM F7F Tigercat are, using the grease and o-ring system. No bounce, none. The Robart "Robo Struts" that I have on my BH P-40 are, no bounce.

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

I have no recent experience with gas motors, my last one was a Quadra 50 back in the '80s. However, over on RC Groups, there is a thread stating the Staggerwing does fly with the G-26, so... Maybe someone with more experience on them will jump in here.

The Staggerwing is a great flyer, but it needs speed, especially on take-off, so the motor needs to have excess power. I do not recommend marginal, or bottom of recommended size. You will NOT be saving money. Parts are no longer available for this model, and it always comes out heavy.

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

I sure wish I had a video of the G-23 powered one I mentioned to show the doubters it was plenty of power and was not a trecherous beast. The fellow flying it loved it's performance and flew other warbirds as well. Perhaps that is a key...knowing how to fly and land a heavier than usual airframes.

I fly all size planes, light and heavy. Preference is to heavier as you must treat the model like a full scale and pilot it accordingly. Overpowering does not solve problems and often creates a difficult to control model.

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Dicks got the right idea here:

I have been flying mine for some time now with the recommended 160 four stroke twin. Never had any issues. Full throttle for take off (gently on that throttle and be ready for that right rudder) after take off about 2/3 throttle for scale flight. Mines 20.5 lbs, no lead but all batteries are right against the firewall. I do not land this power off but just a click of throttle with full flaps.




Denis

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Hi again, someone would consider the roto motor 35Fs is a four-stroke 35cc gasoline??
guess what?? nice to be heard
Alex

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Alex,

Spend some time and read the thread. There is a lot of info that will help you make a decision. Good luck!

FB

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Hi guys. I haven't been back here for awhile, but see the thread is quite long. Not having the time to go through all of the posts, I thought I'd ask my question here. How do you make adjustments to the needle valve without removing the cowl and prop? Has anybody made an access panel in the cowl and how would I do that without messing up the cowl?:eek:

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Bob

Most needle valves now have a "set screw" in them to add an extension. Sometimes on the end of that extension I will add a very small wheel collar or just an "L" bend

I can provide photos if you need them



Denis

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Hope these pics are large enough to show what Knucklebutt's talking about.
Al

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Thanks, Knucklebuck. I already have an extension from the needle valve, but it isn't long enough to reach the hole I drilled into the top of the cowling. Yes could you provide the photos? What I would like to do is make an access panel in the cowl to be able to get to the needle valve as well as the carb and fuel line if I need to cut the fuel flow.

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

[/quote]
Thanks, Knucklebuck. I already have an extension from the needle valve, but it isn't long enough to reach the hole I drilled into the top of the cowling. Yes could you provide the photos? What I would like to do is make an access panel in the cowl to be able to get to the needle valve as well as the carb and fuel line if I need to cut the fuel flow.
[/quote]

Simply make a new extension from a piece of linkage wire to reach your screw. Grind a small flat in the end that goes into the screw, and bend an "L" on the outer end.

As for fuel cut-off, never depend on that to kill a gas engine. ALWAYS use an elecrtical kill switch in the ignition circuit. This is required by AMA.


Just reread your post, you don't mention what kind of motor you are using, so the above statement about ignition kill may not apply to you.

If you can figure out how to make an access panel, it would seem the rest would be simple in comparison. Cowl removal for those items, (fuel delivery system/hoses,) would be 100 times simpler, unles the motor you are using is huge. I had the OS 160 Flat Twin on mine, and cowl removel took less than 5 minutes, requireing removal of prop, carb adjustment needle, and nut on fuel filler.

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Per your request: Photos of my needle extension. A 4-40 socket head bolt. This does not exit the cowl (I hate stuff sticking out) with a rubber grommet attached on the cowl where you can insert a hex head wrench to adjust. NOTE: major adjust done with the cowl off !!! usually i never have to re-adjust as the wrench through the gromit can be more difficult than an extension sticking out.

also not fuel dot for fueling. I also ALWAYS program a throttle shut off on the transmitter. Just about all Tx have this feature.


Denis

RE: Top Flite Staggerwing
 

Denis, good to hear yours flies well on the Gemini. Mine did too, once it got up on the step, so to say. Take-off was it's downfall. No reserve power, and if it bounced into air because of springy gear and bumpy strip, it couldn't power out. Happened on a warm August day, and tip stalled on take-off, resulting in a new set of wings, and conversion to electric. Mine came out at just short of 25 lbs, with everything against the firewall, and two full pounds of lead bolted to the firewall. After the change to electric, I still have 8oz on the motor mount, right behind the motor, but it weighs only 21 lbs now. Vertical power from about 25 ft after wheels up on take-off. Take off at 3/4 throttle. Radared at 95 mph flat and level, no wind. At full throttle, the motor "growls" sounding like a very powerfull radial. Turning a 20x8 prop. The Gemini would only fly on an APC 17x8.

I do love this plane.