You said that you were going to purchase an OS .46 engine......if you buy any APC prop such as the 12X6 or the 11X6 or the best : 12.25X3.75 , I doubt you are going to have to ream the prop.

For your first plane, I'd get the 12.25 X 3.75. This prop will give you the climbing power you are going to need to get out of problem situations, takeoffs will be a breeze, and also a nice slowing action when you land. Just be sure to buy more than one prop A very useful tool to purchase is the prop wrench, it can take out glow plugs, and fits a couple of different prop nut sizes.

dbow,

Being relatively new to the hobby (for a second time), I recently went through the same set of questions, for myself. This is what I knew: I would have more than one plane (I already have four), I did not want to carry a box of transmitters to the field, and on everything but my trainer, I wanted exponential available.

Here is part of something I posted in the Radios forum a little while back:

Although they can be purchased together, radio systems are basically two parts: the transmitter and the flight pack. If I take the price of a complete radio system, and subtract the cost of the flight pack, that gives me the cost of the transmitter. Basic Futaba flight packs can be found, with crystal and BB servos, for about $123 ($138 minus $15 Tower discount).

Here are some TRANSMITTER costs, in order of cost. These are Tower Hobbies website prices, less July's $15 rebates, $10-$20 gift certificates, and $123 flight packs.

Futaba 4VF - $2 ($150 minus $15 rebate, $10 g.c., $123 f.p.)
Futaba 6XAS - $82 ($230 minus $15 rebate, $10 g.c., $123 f.p.)
Futaba 9CAF - $222 ($380 minus $15 rebate, $20 g.c., $123 f.p.)

So:
The 4VF is basically a free transmitter.
Entry-level computer transmitters cost about $50-$100.
Higher-end computer transmitters cost about $150-$220.

That is the basis for my recommendation. To defer costs, the 4VF can be purchased for the trainer. After the trainer, it can then be shelved AT NO COST. Think about it as buying your second flight pack first.

JMHO. Then again, opinions are like you-know-what.

BTW, nice looking plane. Happy flying!

BackAfter20,

After your post I feel strangely enlightened! Great work!

Elwood

Yes Elwood I second that.

What a great layout and cost effective way of buying a radio.
You certainly proved your point Backafter20.

Backafter,
I noticed you are in the Atlanta area.
I am in Atlanta as well, or actually 30 min east outside the perimeter.

Where do you fly?

I am in the process of visiting some of the several flying clubs we have here in ga. but have not made a commitment with club dues anywhere yet. I still have to join the AMA and of course finish the plane...lol
I should be ready to fly in another week or so.

Would like to hear about your experiences with some of the clubs.

Dbow

the 46fx is 1/4 28 i believe

I am building my second Superstar 40 because I crashed the first. I did not glue the wings together properly and after about 2 hours of flying they fell off at about 100 feet. I returned the plane to Habbico and they sent me a note telling me what I did wrong and a new plane, at no cost, even though the plane wasn't defective and I caused the problem. They even paid for the shipping charges both ways. What great service. The only issue I have with them is their directions need to be clearer for beginning builders. They have gain a life long customer.

jselvag,

Could you elaborate on your experience...what did you do wrong?

My wings are glued in very well with the V in the middle then I applied glue to the inside surfaces where they go together.

I was unable to get them perfectly flush but there are no real gaps, I think the top most portion of the inside wing is not touching. Looking from underneath the bottom is sealed together with no gaps.

I tell ya , I tried and tried to get them perfectly flush but nothing seemed to work, its really close though.

Anyhow please share the details.

Thanks

Dbow

Join the AMA now, so you will be ready to fly. Most clubs will not teach you to fly unless you gat an AMA card.

Due to the dihedral in the wings (how much of a "V" is in the wings) sometimes, you can't get both the top and the bottom flush....it's usually not a problem. A common step people add is to use a 1-2 inch wide piece of fiberglass matted with 30 min epoxy to add some strength to their wings.

If you put the 2 half's of the wing together and they fit flush then you will need to sand the V brace a small amount till the wing fits flush. Then use masking tape around the edges of the wing and epoxy. after the wing is together then wipe off the extra then pull the masking tape and it can save you a lot of clean up. we have found that epoxy has a habit of setting before you are ready no matter what the time limit on the bottle says.

My mistake was I only glued in the V shape wing jointer. I did not put glue all the way across. They refered to it as the wing root rib. I didn't understand the directions. I can tell you I now know what a wing root rib is and that it needs to be glued.

I also use a 1/16 drill and put holes in the ribs to make small epoxy rivets across the ribs on both wings it makes the joint a lot stronger than just epoxy on the ribs especially on the thin part.

Plane is basically complete now.

I still have to set up the radio and do a couple of things here and there.
I installed the motor and prop today. This O.S .46 motor did not come with an air filter or a gasket for the muffler.

I have read that a lot of flyers dont use an air filter, but that does not make much sense to me.
The throat on the carb has no recess to keep an air filter on there looks like it gonna be a problem.
Any Ideas or particular air filters that would be good for this engine?

Also, anyone that has had this plane before:
How did you secure the fuel tank?

I dont really want to epoxy it in or glue it in any way since I may have to take it out later for some reason or another.
I was thinking about sticking a square of soft foam in there which would hold it in place.

Well, will be breaking in this engine sometime this week.

I will put of some pics of the finished plane later in the week.

Thanks

Dbow

Use foam rubber to secure the tank. Make sure that the tank is supported by the foam rubber on all sides, and won't move around.

Most fliers don't use an air filter. Unless you're flying off of dusty dirt, it's not an issue. A gasket between the muffler and engine isn't necessary either. Some locktite on the bolts that secure the muffler isn't a bad idea, though.

Have you found an instructor yet? If you've never used glow engines, I'd strongly recommend that you find someone who's run them to help before you go about breaking it in. If you intent to break it in in the plane, you really need the radio gear installed and set up before you proceed.

dbow, myself nor anyone i fly with uses an air filter. The only people I've seen use them are the guys who fly off of the dry lake bed. A muffler gasket can be made from a book of matches or a business card. Good luck Loren

Like Vegas moss said unless you are flying off dirt a air filter is not needed and you have to make your own gasket or use RTV for a sealer. Use locktite on all you mounting screws including the firewall. I install the motor mount and then epoxy the firewall in and all so hit the screws while i doing that. We run 4 tanks of fuel thru the motor for break in so when we go to the field the plane is ready to fly have fun..................

MikeL,

I dont have an instructor yet and have only been out to one flying field so far. I spoke with somone from that club last week who told me that they might start charging an hourly fee for training in addition to the club membership.
I dont really have a problem paying someone to learn to fly but with so many other flying clubs offering it included with the membership, I think I will have to look elsewhere.

I really cant do anything unitl my AMA membership arrives. I signed up today so I am expecting to wait at least a couple of weeks before I get anything.


I plan to break in the engine this week, I have run in gas car engines quite a few times so I am familiar with break in procedures and so forth.
I have somewhat of my own idea of how it should go just like everybody else does....lol



Dbow

AMA should send you some E-mail that you can print out and use as a temporary Card until the real one arrives in the mail. As far as a club charging an hourly rate to learn to fly, Ive never heard of it. If i were you i would look around at other clubs.

You've got some real good advice on starting out.......But Chris100 hit it on the head.....Find another club!!!!!....Thats horse crap!....I cant believe the guy had enough gull to tell you that. Look around you'll find one. Good Luck and keep us posted, JT

I went out and visited the flying field a couple of weeks ago, at that time they basically told me to bring my plane out when I was ready.
I called the guy I had met at the field last week to see if I could set something up for future training and about radio compatibility.

He told me that they roughly had 25 new members in training and that instructors were hard to come by. He then went on to say that they were going to have a meeting to determine if they were going to charge a fee for training. In the past he stated that higher members had shot down the idea.
I got the impression that they were not looking for any new members right now, but he told me to bring my plane out and that they would get someone with me. Seemed like a nice guy, I think they might be a little busy with all the new people coming in though.
Anyhow, I would rather get someone on the phone and set something up with a particular instructor rather than showing up at the field with my plane and not knowing who my instructor will be.

There are quite a few clubs here in Ga. so Im sure I wont have a problem.

Oh and I did just get an email from the AMA with a confirmation number which serves for 30 days. I had no idea they would get back to me so fast.

Dbow

AT my club you can just show up and if there is an instructor around and he has the time you get a lesson free of charge. Another option is to set a specific date and time with an intructor and you get a hour of his undivided attenting which you pay for. You know he is going to be there and your going to have his attention.
I think it's a nice option and will probably get you flying quicker on you own..
Thanks

We're all in this hobby together, and 99.9% of us are doing it for fun. I've got nothing but respect for guys that volunteer their time teaching. They keep this hobby alive.

That said, it's a crock to have to pay for instruction. Somebody taught them, and I bet they didn't pay for it. We all pay our dues. For beginners, it's being patient and listening. For most of us, it's giving a helping hand to other RCers.

Sorry editing because I posted on wrong topic.

Dbow,

I sent you an email a couple days ago with links to Atlanta RC clubs. Let me know if you received it.

Most club websites have links to other area club websites, so you should be able to get to all of them with minimal searching.

I would highly recommend my club to you, but I'm northwest of Atlanta, which would be too far to travel.

As far as training goes, especially if trainer availability is an issue, I would highly recommend the best piece of advice I received when I started out: use a simulator first. I wanted to solo as soon as possible. I purchased RealFlight G2 and used it for about 8 hours prior to going to the field with my plane. If you figure that you will have about 8 - 10 minutes hands-on per (real) flight, that is the equivalent of about 50 flights. On my first day, I told my trainer I wanted to solo as soon as possible. Before I flew, he said we would probably try landings on the 3rd or 4th day. To make a long story short, I landed my third flight. The next day I flew successfully, including takeoffs and landings, in 20 mph winds. My trainer has since said many times that if he hadn't been there, he wouldn't have believed it. This experience is consistent with others' experiences, also. Just something to think about.

Mike

Sims are great. The guys in my club were just talking the other day about the club getting a real flight and letting the new guys borrow it for a few days . Then take them up for the 'real' thing after they spent sometime on the sim. JT