RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

Ok here is my first Bip, My first smoker :D Unless the smoke from my Raptor 50 V2 Counts :):) LOL !!

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...okeTesttwo.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...estPicture.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...nsulationm.jpg

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

[8D] Here is a small video clip of the ground test of my skyBolt's smoke system.








http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...t=6eee048d.flv

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

Hello all,

I am new to R/C Universe but have been in the hobby awhile. Am building the Super Skybolt ARF and will be going electric. My question is this, on all the box photos and manual and in virtually all of the outstanding examples of this plane on this site, the cowl color matches the fuse trim perfectly. On my kit, the red of the fuse is a "royal" darkish red and the cowl is more of an "orange" red. I called and they said they would send a replacement cowl and would color match it before being sent. Well, it arrived today and not only was the color LIGHTER than the one in the kit, but it was at least an inch wider!! It will not fit! Do you think this was from the original kit as opposed to the ARF?

Have you guys had to paint your cowl to match the trim? If so, what did you use?

Mike

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

The Kit cowl came in two pieces and unpainted.

My Skybolt's cowl is not an "exact" match, but it's close enough that no one notices.

Remember that you are looking at photos on a computer screen. Computer screens cannot reproduce full color ranges with fidelity.

The somewhat subtle variations in color are usually lost.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

My Super Skybolt cowl is the same. Not an exact color match. But it's funny, when you have it sitting on the flight line, it looks great and the color mismatch is not noticeable. Also in photos I've taken, you can't tell either. Just build it and fly it. You're gonna love it.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

When I got my ARF last year the cowl had been packed with the package of heavy hardware loose inside the cowl. Needless to say, that package had trashed the cowl. I noticed the colors didn't match perfectly as well. So I called and Tower said they'd send a new cowl as soon as they became available (the ARF had just been released and no parts were available yet). So I put a couple of layers of glass inside the cowl and filled the outside cracks and waited.

The new one did fit. But it didn't match either.

Close enough for uh.... close enough for ARF work, I guess.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

To All,
How are these holding up so far? I have a Saito 100 that needs a home. I havent seen a whole lot of reports on this combo. What do you that have owned and flew the arf for while think this perfomance would be like? I plan to be tossing it around in the air a good bit. I know the ultimate would be better suited for tumbling and just flat out crazy stuff but, I am not realy into the scheme on the seagul ultimate. Thanks in advance.
Stangevil29

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

You will like the performance with the Saito 100.

You will want to get the battery pack as far forward as possible to avoid adding additional weight.

Here's a good way to do it:

Use long bolts to mount the engine. Bolt a plywood plate to the back of the bolts and strap the battery to the plywood plate

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

Mine has had only a couple of problems since I put it together.

The gear is a bit weak and has to be bent back every so often. I doubt new ones will have stronger ones, since every review I read found no problems with anything. And I doubt users will report a minor detail like that.

The firewall is two layers of veneer plywood. It's like LitePly only with thinner outer layers. And is only 3 layers. So the firewall is 6 layers, 4 of which are very close to being cosmetic. I hit a bit hard one day. Was trying to do an inverted flat spin and screwed up the exit. The hit was soft enough that the cowl didn't even crack. But the motor mount did a surgically clean punch through the firewall. Looked like it had been punched with a press. If I were going to assemble another, I'd laminate a 3/32" fiveply plywood doubler to the firewall. Matter of fact, I'm doing a H9 60size Corsair that has a liteply firewall and have just done that. And placed plywood doubler disks on the inside as well, where the blind nuts cinch down. The darned Corsair firewall was a solid front while the 2nd piece of firewall had large areas removed for lightness I suppose. I could see the lightening holes if the two pieces had been aeroply. If you're planning to use a large engine, or a 4stroke (their backfiring can do some damage), I'd strongly suggest doubling any firewall nowadays. It seems the ARF mfg's like liteply for firewalls. Motormount bolts and motormounts themselves localize stress on a firewall, and liteply isn't the best at dealing with point or line stress.

BTW, if you laminate an additional layer to a firewall, subtract that thickness when you measure for the motor position on the motor mount, etc

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

BTW, the firewall on the ARF actually has little support across the top from the fuselage on that airplane. The firewall is more like a firestrip. The top of the firewall along the top is "supported" by the top forward part of the fuselage, just like almost every other fuselage design. In this case, the top front of the fuselage is foam. And it's sheeted with about 1/16" balsa. So the top 1/4 of the firewall rests on balsa sheeted foam. And the foam is hollowed out.

If you notice in the picture.............
The lower part of the firewall is backed by a flat sheet of wood that is the top of the heat exhaust tunnel and the bottom of the fuselage. So the firewall glues to this supporting wood at the bottom.
If you look at the top of the picture you see two flat "tabs" sticking out into the opening behind where the top of the firewall used to be. They're about an inch below the blue foam fuselage top.

Those tabs were made like that at the factory. There wasn't wood broken away from between them by the crash. Had there been the front of that bulkhead across the back of the firewall, the top of the firewall would have had something more substantial bracing it along it's upper half than the foam and balsa.

No matter what you do to the liteply firewall that exists, it isn't going to be supported in the middle from the bottom up. I placed a crosspiece of ply to fill that void. It added nothing significant as to weight.

Every hear of the tearaway jerseys that were popular in football years ago? This airplane basically has a tearaway front end. If that suits you, you got it. I've got models built in the 70s I'm still flying. I considered breakaway structures in most of them, but didn't design that into the firewalls. So for me, unsupported liteply isn't my choice. Just a headsup if you feel that way too. If not, it's kewl. There are almost always two "correct" ways to do things.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

BTW, here is a picture of my Bolt after the firewall replacement.

That is the original cowling that went through the crash that did that damage to the firewall. Amazing? You betcha. It really wasn't a crash except for what it did to the firewall. But I gotta' call it something even if the cowl wasn't hurt.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

daRock:

Short of adding support behind the firewall, would you think that epoxying in a few hardwood braces right on the firewall, would do some good?

E.G. a brace from each cowl tab, accross to the other, clearances permitting.

I'm wondering about a simple solution to strengthening this problem with the Skybolt that could be done easily by anyone.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

First off, let me say that if I destroy this one, I'll have another ARF ordered before the balsa dust settles. That said..............

There really is no way a person with normal hands and arms can add support behind the firewall. If you look closely at the picture of the opening, you can see an upright framework being test fitted before being replaced. That's where the front of the fuel tank comes to. And the framework stops you from reaching farther forward to the firewall back.

What I'd do with my next one is exactly what I did with my recently started Corsair. I basically traced the existing firewall onto 5ply and laminated it to the face of the firewall. With the Corsair I used relatively thin 5ply. The Corsair firewall has solid fuselage behind it all the way around. With the Bolt, and it's lack of backing, I'd use 1/8" and that should carry stresses to the sides adequately. That should bridge the gap very well. And it's simple to do.

The real weakness of LitePly is that if there is any drop in quality of the inner layer, there is a major drop in strength of the piece. And you can't see inside it. It also won't stand up to compression worth spit. And we have to tighten the motor mount with it's sharply defined back tightly to that liteply firewall. And the blind nuts also tighten into it. A decent thickness of 5ply will solve those weaknesses. And in the case of the Bolt's unsupported upper area, a slightly thicker 5ply should tie in the fuselage sides to provide support that is needed.

And remember, every one of the SkyBolt ARFs that're flying right now have this "weakness". And nobody's complaining. I seriously doubt those ARFs are going to be around as long as the kitbuilt ones that're still flying, but they're good enough for today's market.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

You know, it's not often I get to just go out to the field and enjoy a day of flying - I'm usually testing or video taping a new plane for a review - But today I got to go to another club's field for a BBQ and Fun Fly...

And I brought my Skybolt

Like da Rock said: If I totalled it, I'd get another before the balsa dust settled.

What an enjoyable airplane to fly!

Oh yea, the BBQ and corn roast was great too :D

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

Yup, the Skybolt is my plane of choice when I had a frustrating trip out to the field the day before, due to whatever problems developed with new engines, etc.

Even with the relatively miserly O.S. 91 I have on mine, it has tons of power.

No problem hovering.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

This is a great plane it goes where you point it and continues till you tell it other wise. i used the programable SkyWriter smoke pump in mine it worked somewhat the first three flights then the next couple of flights it would come on and off i tired the end points adjustments didnt make any differance when i landed and tried to empty the smoke oil tank it was almost still full .Pump stopped working for some reason havent got to take it apart yet.
Im useing a master airscrew 15x6 prop with a OS 90Pumped doesnt seem to wind out im not sure ??Tached it at 9400rpm,s
Backed it down to 9200 rpm,s for flying any sugestion on a better suited prop for this motor ??

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

Usually this is a priming or throttle issue.

The pump needs to see the extremes of throttle travel before it arms itself.

If I find that I'm not getting smoke I take the throttle to idle and back to full. It may take a try or two.


If it's not priming properly, you'll fly for a while and then suddenly notice the smoke re-appear.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

Thanks to all for the comments on the cowl color. I think I will wind up painting mine. Any advice on choice of brand and technique of application would be appreciated.

With regard to my electric installation, I am using an EFlite 60 with two 3S1P 4200ma packs. I have these for my electric Cub and they work great individually. So, by putting them in series, I get double use of the packs. I did a bit of research and I am not the first to do this with the Skybolt. Others have put the batteries right behind the firewall using the exhaust area at the bottom of the fuse for a ventilated access panel. I have done the same.

I have mounted the motor and with the best installation configuration for strength, it is 9mm short of the 149mm to the base of the prop plate on a standard engine they recommend. I do not see this as a big deal if the balance is correct but if someone thinks otherwise, I would like to hear from you.

Mike

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

Mine is not setup on the throtle i have it setup on a switch ,It's not that it's not primeing it just wont run at all now i will probabbly have to send it back (I bought the Hi Max 6 volt 5 cell High Discharge pack to run the pump so it should work )?????

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

AFAIK it needs to be on or channel linked to the throttle to control the flow rate.

That's how I have mine on several planes.

The directions talk about how this is needed to "arm" the pump.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

I think mine is on channel 5 which is a extra channel switch on my futaba 7 CHAP radio i hooked it to that so i can run smoke only when i want and turn it off with the switch when i dont. I can adjust the rate of smoke with the ATV's or end points on that channel
it was working OK then started hit and miss on about the third tank full of smoke oil now the motor will not run at all even testing it on the ground . I dont want to take it apart because it's still under WARRANTY i will be sending it back.
But thanks for the Information .

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

I am starting my skybolt tonight.. I have both an os91 and a saito 125 available, and it seems to me they are very close in weight. Why not go with the 125, eh? Did you get your smoke system fixed yet? I am interested to hear what was wrong with it.

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

I would say that either will be great, it all depends on how you want it to fly. For a great all-around flying bipe that is a good aerobat, go with the 91.

But if you want a really radical flier to burn holes in the sky with, use the 125 :D

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

I definately don't want any lack of power. And although I know it is not a 3d airplane, I have to imagine it will do some basic stuff like hovering and what not with a 125 on it. Just have to remember to use the left stick, right? :)

You in MN minn? I am in elk river!

RE: Super Skybolt ARF
 

Yep, I'm in Willmar. C'mon down sometime and fly! You missed our RCU Fun-Fly last June