I just about have my spacewalker done. Just have to attach the pieces to the sides of the landing gear and screw down the pilots. I have a question about the wheel pants on this plane. As you guys that have this know, the instruction manual is very poor. [:@] The section for the wheel pants gives the following instructions: Attach the wheel pants and landing gear, following the following pictures. I have done everything short of getting out a magnifying glass to see if I have done it like the book shows. According to the pictures, the wheel pants are held in place on one side by washers and nuts (so it is sandwiched between the gear and the nut and washer), and on the other side by wheel collars. This leaves the wheel to "float" between the wheel collar on one side and the nut on the other, which gives it quite a bit of side to side area. Is this correct? Anyone else concerned about this, and if so, how did you "fix" it? I have thought about putting some extra wheel collars on it to keep the play on the wheel to a more normal.

I know that this is an "inexpensive, Vietnamese" ARF, but how much does it cost extra to have someone that speaks the language proof read it?

I have one of those at home NIB. I'll try to remember to take a look at it tonight.

I haven't figured out wheel pants either. There's enough room to make small hardwood block inside, and use one wood screw thru landing gear legs to hold them. Might be more secure that way. Gonna have to make some sort of spacer inside, because if you just clamp the wheel pants between the strut and the hardware, it will flatten and probablly crack it. I was just gonna fly without them for now... might even put larger wheels on it, just for S&G.

Almost ready.....


Andy

nebbie I set my wheel pants up the same as the great planes do for the ucando46 they work great if you can find a manual,they use two light pieces of plywood and drill a 1/2 hole in the pant and wood to except the nut from the wheel axle. and then two screws for eather pant Andy has the right idea....... I have to run right now! wifes yelling...... the way they set them up will only just cause you grief or move in the air and make for a tuff landing it happened to me with my extra 300s seagull ..........I cant fly with my pants off .............. HEY i found it ....... try this link its the manual for the ucando page 13 wheel pants http://www.greatplanes.com/manuals/gpma1269-manual.pdf

Thanks for the advice.

Just a quick note. My wife actually looked in the side of the garage that is my workshop this morning. I have the Spacewalker sitting on the table in the middle of the garage. She says that she like the people in it, and then asked if my other planes have people in them. As my other planes are a Superstar trainer and a Ultra Sport 40, there wasn't any pilots in them. I guess in the future I will have to look at putting pilots in them, at least for her enjoyment. The pilots come with the Spacewalker, but without any instructions on how to secure them. Right now I just have them tacked in with thick CA. I am going to put a couple screws through the bottom this weekend, before I maiden it. Pilots are not any good if they decide to abandon ship during flight

EDIT: After reading the manual linked above, it is easy to see the difference between that manual and the one for the Spacewalker.

I installed pilots in spacewalker with screws.... they're not going anywhere. Should get maiden flight tomorrow. I put wheels off avistar on it and am going to leave wheel pants off for now.

Nebbie, how did your SW balance? I wound up putting battery behind servo compartment, and it's still a touch nose heavy. MIght have changed since I installed crew.....

Andy

Oh yeah..... too pretty not to....

I took the wheel paints off and put bigger (rubber) wheels after about 10 flights. Takes off 100 times better now. The wheel pants are pretty, but a pain in the butt! Can't taxy through grass, the wheels are too small and the pants hang up.

I think I'm going to get a set of scale wheels, say 3" or so, and use the smooth cover side. Just paint it red or yellow and leave it like that.

Andy

I used 3 ". They work niceley. I used socket head allen bolts for the axles. I tried regualr bolts at first but they kept bending. All though if I had to do over I would get 3 1/2". The 3's sometimes get stuck in the grass at the field when it's not freshly mowed. Then I have to carry the plane to the run way.

I like this plane, its awsome for the price!


Wings

How does that plane fly? I have that model on g2 and even slight rudder application causes the plane to get squirly.

I can get the one on G2 to knife edge. The Seagull one I have won't come close. It is a litte squirily untill the tail comes off the ground. But once the tail comes up it will go down the runnway almost completely straight with very litte rudder input.

It is less squirley than my four star on take off.


I also find that in general, the one on G2 doesn't fly the same as the Seagull at all. The one on G2 seems to be alot more aerobatic.

The one on G2 dosen't stall like the real one, either, much more mushy. Mine stalls cleanly.

And I second the squirely with the tailwheel on the ground.....

I'm still up in the air if I like how it flies, now that I have leaned the engine out a little bit and made the throttle a little more responsive I think I'll like it a lot more....


Andy

I haven't even finished mine yet, but I did get it done enough to win Model of the Month at my last club meeting

I still have to:
1. Firmly attach pilots. Right now, they are just tack glued. I am going to put screws in the bottom of them.
2. Fix wheel pants. Either that, or just take them off. The club has an asphalt runway, but I usually take off and land on the grass beside it.
3. Break-in the new 46AX on the nose [8D]
4. Balance end to end and laterally.
5. Get someone to maiden it

I am looking forward to getting it up in the air. I just have not had time to spend on it lately. I have a software project deadline coming up that I will be spending a lot of time on.

Hey Nebbie a couple suggestions.

1. Don't rely on a screw to hold the pilots in position. I did, and they both loosened up on the first flying day. At the end of my first flight, I could actually see the backseater spinning around while flying. Plus they're fairly fragile, and I found cracks in them from tightnening the screw down. I used double sided tape, and screws, to hold them, and it will get tested today.

2. When you run the engine, put the wing on or tape some saran wrap across the wing opening. I have an exhaust extension and I was breaking in on a picnic table, and as soon as I started the engine I realized that I was gonna get oil on my unprotected wood there.

3.. If you haven't put the windshields on yet, be carefull with the H/W.... it just goes thru balsa sheeting. I CA's the screw threads to make them stronger, and wound up gettin a CA fog on the corner of one of the shields.

I had to move the battery back aft of the servo compartment to make mine balance with an AX on it.

Congratulation on winning Model of the Month!

Let the guy know who maidens it to get the tail wheel up off the ground ASAP on takeoff. Much easier that way.

I bought some 3" scale wheels, I'm gonna put the on with the smooth hubcap out.... they look just about the right size.

Andy

Re fitting the wheel pants to these type of models.
I have the Blackhorse CAP232, (comes from the same factory from what I hear), same dodgy instructions anyway.
After thinking about how to fix them on and forseeing them break if I nosed it over or ran over some large bump if they were fixed on tight, I asked my LHS guy who suggested what I ended up doing.
I driled a hole right through the pant so the axel comes out the other side about 3mm, used the locking spacers to secure the wheel in the centre with minimal free play. On the threaded end of the axel I put a nut and washer on the inside and outside of the strut. Useing the nut as a spacer between the wheel strut and the pant, I sanded the strut and pant lightly to roughen it up a bit and used some window sealing clear silicon. I put a bead right around the nut, touching both the strut and pant and set them at the correct angle. Now its set, the pant is held securely but has some movement for rough ground without rotating around to the bottom. They'd need to move more than a nose over on landing to break the silicon beads hold on them and most strips arent that rough as to have bumps large enough to knock them. I'd say they have about 25-30 degrees of movement before breaking the silicon bead.
I can post some pics later if someone wants to see, if my description above doesnt make sense.

BTW, the model hasnt actually flown YET, but I cant imagine them moving, its a tight rubbery grip, like shock absorbers on the pants rotating.

OK, it's done, what do you think?

I like your hub caps!

OK, after flying it today, that caps it. The wheel pants are staying off, I llike the way it looks with the hubcaps. After a couple false starts first thing this am, including one of teh wheels coming off on takeoff, I finally sort of kind of got the hang of this taildragger takeoff downpat. Then up comes the crosswind.

Oh well. Good thing I got a lot of cub yellow trim tape..... the wingtips are taking a beating.


Andy