Senior telemaster engine?
 

I have a Senior Telemaster arf on order and was looking for some advise on what engine to use. I have a .61 super tigre and a .90 super tigre on the self. Which would be the better choice. This plane may be used to tow up 2 meter gliders once in a while. Was also thinking about a weed wacker moter maybe 21cc-25cc im getting tired of the cost and mess of glow fuel
Electric is too expensive on this big of a plane .
Thanks for any advise Craig

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

disqgolfer......I have a MAGNUM 120 four stroke in mine. It's a perfect combination for my type flying. I am sure that any of the engines you mentioned will be fine. However, if you intend to use it for occasional towing, I'd go with the 90, or even better.......a smaller gas engine. The Telemaster, has a very broad engine range. Good luck. Bob Laine

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

I'm using a converted STE.90, converted to gasoline by BME. This is at about 5,000 feet elevation.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

We will be building ours soon and will be using either a OS .61 or RCV.91CD. We will have about 1 gallon of fuel with camera and GPS system on board as well as cargo to be dropped from the belly via bomb bay doors. Given the lift produced by the wing and tail this will be sufficent for this plane. It can and does get flown safely in stock form with 40-50 sized 2 strokes. We are estimating it to be around 15lbs. flight ready depending on gear aboard.

Shane

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

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How are you and the BME G90 getting along? I have one NIB, but haven't had a chance to get to it yet.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Hi All
I have a partially built Senior Telemaster that was given to me. I was wondering if the new Zenoah G20EI would work in the ST? I plan on using it for candy, califlower, tomatoe, etc. dropping and maybe piggy backing gliders and wondering if the new Zenoah would work?
Thanks in advance

John
Independence, OR

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

My money would say yes it should work great considering this plane flies good with about 2-3lbs cargo with a .40-.50 2 stroke motor.


Shane

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

The more I think about it I might go with a Saito 82 4 cycle. That should give me more than enough power.
I have a Saito 50 on a 15 year old Midwest Aerostar [X(] and only adjusted the valves once and ran who knows how many gallons of fuel through it and it is still performing well. A little tired but still works.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Should be an excellent combo.. keep us posted. Email me a pic when you are done as we are getting ready to do our ST Mod. Amazing how much room these things have inside. Will do the same as we get going..

Later Shane

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

flying mine with a saito 72-it only needs that size engine if you are going to be flying downwind and need to get your kite back-I mean your airplane back

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

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I bought the electric set up for my Sr. Tele, but I just can't get enthusiastic about getting it going that way. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool IC engine man.

I do have a NIB BME .90 gas engine and have been thinking of flying it with that.

Please tell me your impressions of this engine and how it handles the Sr. Tele. TIA

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

I recently got my Senior Telemaster ARF. I am also still unsure about power. I initially decided to use an OS FS .91 and tow the occasional glider and drop candy, some night flying also with some kind of nav lighting system. Upon getting and inspecting, the fuselage is way way flimsy.....the preinstalled beam engine mount does not reach back into the framing far enough, to hold much of a larger engine. Looks like this thing may shake apart unless I do my usual ARF-beefing procedure with balsa and epoxy. Seemingly, Hobby Lobby is going for electric conversion in all their products. May be why the Telemaster is so frail....to save the weight for the $500.00 + worth of motor, batteries and speed control. Too expensive for me.
Going for the balsa and epoxy... gotta engineize this thing. That BME ST 91 gasser sounds like something worth looking into.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

I am flying a Sr. Telemaster ARF with a Zenoah G20 EI engine / APC 16x4W prop. Fantastic Combination. "Easy like Sunday Morning" about sums it up in all aspects. Caution, once you go gasoline, youll never go back to nitro or electric unless you want a small airplane.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

steelie, maybe you should build one from a kit and then you would think the ARF is a tank.

Ed M.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Ed,

Have flown my friend's kit-built Senior Telemaster several times. Structurally, it shames the ARF, especially in the aft fuse section. The ARF suffers from wobbling it's tailfeathers when the engine comes to life. The wing is no where near as strong as the kit-built. The ARF is still a pleasure and worth the cost, but I would rather have built it. Next one. Thanks for the advice on building one though.....

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

I been flying mine with an OS FL 70, the model was desighned for a .60 2 stroke like your ST, but for the gliders I would Install the ST .90, it will pull their pants off!

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

I had a 91FS TT on my SR Telemaster it flew great with plenty of power for tow planes or gliders.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

I put a Saito 125 in mine.........added some hardwood blocks in the cabin area so I could bolt the wings on........and installed a glider tow release.
If your gonna pull or haul I think the 125 is perfect. I'm still running it rich and the rpm isn't topped out yet..................it will hang on the prop so I guess it has a little better than 1:1 power to weight ratio................and it balanced perfectly with the 125 up front.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

I got my ARF ST together this past week with the intention of going electric....however the price to do so and the power I want is a little nutty.

Can someone point me in the right direction on how to install a Zenoah G20EI? I know I'd need to bolt it straight to the firewall and cut off the nose. Anyone make a cowl to keep a scale look? Would the stock fuel tank work?

Or would I be better off going with the BME .90 conversion?

I love how simple gas is... and with a few rx packs I could stay in the air all day if needed. However I plan on doing aerial video and photography.... would a gas engine be too much vibration?

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Not sure how you would mount it but you can try these guys for a cowl, may find something to fit your needs.

[link]http://www.fiberglassspecialtiesinc.com/default.htm[/link]

You could try a Hyde soft mount as well if vibration is too much although I don't think the G20ei is that bad.


Shane

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

I have a Zenoah 20ccEI on mine. I was toying with the idea of putting a generator on it, a brushless with 2 voltage regulators to run the ignition and the flight pack. I thought if I could carry 200 ounces of fuel we could stay up around 6 hours. :D I'm not sure if I could get a 25 lb gross weight bird in the air though. I'm sure we could carry 5 lbs of fuel for a gross weight of around 14 or 15 lbs. The ignition on the Zenoah uses 2,700 mAh per 70 minutes per the manual.

We just started flying my plane, that is my son and test pilot Tom (aka 38) in the picture. He no sooner got the plane airborne and was hovering it.:eek: 16x4w. I'm overall please with the Zenoah engines, we have 2 of the 20ccEI's and I also have 5 of the BCMA 26's as well. The Zenoah’s were easier to get running, the BCMA's are stronger and lighter. The EI's take less energy too.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Thanks guys... I do love the price of the Zenoah.... and Ive had Zenoah engines before... only on surfaces rc's though.

n0kjf... did you just center it on the firewall?

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

I used a sawsall and cut the front side panels off and mounted the backplate directly to the firewall. We put covering over the firewall and called it a plane. No fuel buttons, inaccessable needles, etc. I hate, wheel pants, canopies and cowls in that order. This plane is nearly perfect, load it with fuel and fly for an hour. :) Is it Saturday yet?

We did not quite get it centered per the thrust lines on the firewall so it was down a little. We did add washers for a little right thrust.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

One more question for you....are you using the stock fuel tank?

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Yes, I think so, we got mine from the LHS assembled, it was hanging from the ceiling, we did move it to the cg. It is a 16 oz Dubro I believe.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

I am also running a 16oz Dubro with my Sr T and G20ei, and generally I dont refuel during the day, the G20ei sips the gas and seems to last forever.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

i'm flying mine with a magnum .52 fourstroke. has two hobby lobby bomb drops. 13/4 master airscrew prop. an absolute blast! 55 minutes on the tank that comes in the kit! originally bought to put my old g-22 on, yes 22cc, not 23! while the motor was at rc ignitions having the ignition put on i couldn't stand it, one saturday afternoon just to prove to everyone that models are way over powered i bolted the old fourstroke on! the look is priceless when people see that little engine pulling that big bird with authority! should i put the gasser on? i sure do hate glow. jeff

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Ok noob question here...The senior telemaster arf as advertised on hobby-lobby website is an electric is that coming with the conversion package or is it a totally different airframe. The reason I ask is I have a .61 Evolution sitting around that was waiting on a Protege I was building for a friend but he went and bought a TT .46 so it frees up one engine. and for the price I really dont wanna go into a kit build if the arf will work fine with that motor any ideas?

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

The Evo .61 should pull the Telemaster just fine. I have heard of smaller engines on this plane. Go for it. As far as a 'conversion package' for electrics, there isn't any...or not with my kit anyway. Power for this big floater is determined by what you plan to do with the plane. If you are planning to tow up gliders, carry a payload of candy to drop for the kids, carry an on-board camera, use floats, etc., like me, use a bigger engine, otherwise, have fun with the .61.

steelie

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Ok so the ARF can be used either way electric or glow without any major work? Cause my creative building skills are still......developing while I can easily figure out what to do with stuff like struts and such getting myself into something say reinforcing the fuse and wing lol that my take me a bit. Just dont wanna get in over my head but then hey thats how i learn lol

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

The only way to learn is to be willing to get in over your head. Most times, folks that do this will make out just fine - even if they must make a few mods afterward.

The problem with Telemaster ARFs is that there are so many variations of them, and no two seem to be alike. Fortunately, from what I have experienced and heard, all of them can be converted back and forth between electric/glow/gas.

If you have to make a new firewall, or strengthen an existing firewall, don't hesitate to shop at Lowe's or Home Depot for door skin material. It can be laminated in sheets to make any thickness of plywood that you will need. Just don't forget to coat it with a fuel proof coating of oil based polyurethane or epoxy glue before using it around a glow or gas engine.


Ed Cregger

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

As far as reinforcing things, the fuselage is the best candidate. With an engine idling/low rpms, the tail feathers just shake like crazy. Two guys at my field have Telemasters, I've seen it happen. The aft fuselage is a bit feeble. I have yet to build mine, but my plan is to remove the covering (on the fuselage) from the rear wing saddle former, and all the way back. Then add lengths of 1/16"sheet balsa, cut to fit, to the inside of the formers, that entire length. Then recover. Should be easy to do. Might be an easier method, just need to figure it out. I'm not saying you need to do this, but you will see your Telemaster shake. OR go electric.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

You know just after my last post I read that and got to thinking that if tail shaking was an issue I think it would be too easy to just remove the covering and sheet the sides after all the covering isnt transparent and with the lifting tail dont think weight would be an issue. Although I do have to ask how long is the tail from just aft the trailing edge to the tail feathers maybe its not too feeble maybe its just long so the motions get exagerated kinda like flying in a cessna 150 you dont see the wings flex much at all but step it up to a 747 and you can see the wings flex in feet.. is structural integrity an issue with the 747? I think not, just longer so more exagerated. You know sounds like i need to order this model this weekend......just gotta slip it past the boss. Lol i keep editing thanks Ed for the encouragement, and steelie where at in MI are you I grew up near Grand Rapids but Army moved me to KS.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Crash,

I understand your point with the 'bigger makes it easier to see' comparison with the 747. But I gotta tell you, the Telemaster ARF is weak back there. I like your idea about sheeting the exterior for strength. But don't let that scare you, go ahead and order it. It is a blast to fly. Inverted flybys are comical.
One other mod is to make the tail fin bigger as well. Another easy step. Just lay it flat, pinned down with the covering off and add balsa stock to it. You are right to not worry about adding weight to this plane in the form of reinforcements. It flies so well and so slow. As a matter of fact, it won't land unless you slow it down to almost a crawl. If you put a brick inside it, it might land better :D.

I'm out here between Pontiac and Flint, near Ortonville.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Sometimes all that is needed for a shaking tail assembly is to put struts (made of pushrod wire) between the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. This assumes that the horizontal and vertical stabilizers are securely mounted to the fuselage. I tend to use extra triangle stock to hold things together in the rear. It is light, easy to apply and it adds considerable strength to the area.


Ed Cregger

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Ed,

Tail struts are a good idea, but the problem is that the aft fuselage is weak, allowing all to shake. Adding struts won't fix this one.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

My Goldberg Cub used to shake its tail quite a bit. It was powered by an Enya 80-4C engine and would climb in knife edge flight. <G>

The tail used to move around quite a bit on that model too. That one needed struts between the vertical and horizontal stabilizer, although I did put several hundred flights on it before trading it for a Yaesu FT-101E ham transceiver. Wish I still had the Cub.

I've got several Telemasters in the que (different sizes), so I'll check over the fuselage for weak points.


Ed Cregger

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Ed,
Just so you know, we are talking about the ARF, not the kit version of the Telemaster. The kit is far superior to the ARF, and needs no stiffening anywhere.

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Point taken.

I have both ARFs and kits. I hope I get to assemble/build/fly them all. That will take a few years.


Ed Cregger

RE: Senior telemaster engine?
 

Ok ty for the heads up sounds like I'm gonna have fun with this bird first will be the tail feather mod as well as beefing up the fuse. I also think that adding speed brakes on the top of the wing to kill lift would work out well what do you think? If I go with flaps I may try to do rig up fowler flaps but we'll see I also have a couple very large cowlings laying around and may try to rig one up.