beachbrada

My Feedback: (17)

I got out to the field today and it was a little windier than I had expected. Weather.com said 9 mph, but it was more like 15-20 mph. I got my plane put together and fueled up, and went through my normal preflight checks. I had a little trouble with the engine, its a new Saito 125 with about 5 tanks run through it on a stand. The motor kept quitting once I removed the glow heater, so I ended up having to richen the LSN a little and open my carb a little more. I decided to run without the cowl just in case I needed to make anymore adjustments later. I got her lined up and opened the throttle and she was bouncing a lot and the tail wheel kept coming off the ground so it was a little hard to steer. The stock wheels are to small for grass so Im going to have to put bigger ones on. After about 25 feet or so she was off, I did a couple laps around the field to feel her out. All that was needed for trim was 4 clicks down elevator. I have read people describe this plane as "flying on rails" and now I know what they meant. Even with the wind the plane cut right through it and like others have said, it felt like it was on rails. She tracked so straight unlike any of my other planes, my Twist 40 is very "twitchy" in the wind. I didnt really do too much as far as tricks, mostly feeling her out. Well now to the bad part of the story, the engine quits and Im about 75 feet off the ground, so my instincts tell me to turn into the wind which I do, but she was getting a bit away from me so like an idiot I try to turn a little and instantly she loses airspeed and stalls from about 8 ft up. And I try to give full elevator at the last second because I know shes stalling and I think this saved the plane from smashing the engine through the firewall. I think I was able to bring the nose back up enough so it just landed on the landing gear. Im able to walk away with only the landing gear plate busting out. It was a pretty clean break, and its already glued back in place and drying at the moment. If I had just kept her straight I would have had a fine landing, but I guess you live and learn. I had to remove a bunch of covering for the repair and its in a spot where the exhaust hits directly. Is there anyway to fuel proof for now so that I can fly tomorrow until I get covering in? If I put a coat of clear spray paint with the covering still adhere later? Or do you recommend something else? Besides the dead stick mishap, this is by far the best flying plane Ive owned. I can't wait to fly her next.

beachbrada

My Feedback: (17)

I just got done fixing the busted landing gear plate, I tried to keep the repair as light as possible, I was planning on adding a fiberglass cloth on the inside for added strength but the way its designed I don't really see a good spot to put some cloth down. I think the 30 minute epoxy will prove to be stronger than wood glue. Anyone have some temporary fuel proofing tips?

Jester241

Hold on there a second........I'll bet 2 six packs your saito isnt tuned right. My first guess is you didnt lean out your high end enough. This caught me off guard while breaking in my saito 1.25. Most likely you shouldnt have to touch your LSN. I remember breaking in my saito the way the manual said,then slowly leaning the HSN from its @ 5 turns out....once it hit about 3 or 3.5 turns out,it ran,but not great and although I thought it was the LSN,but turns out I just didnt lean the high end enough and it was kinda in the middle where it was causing issues when the engine was transfering from the LSN to the HSN while throttling up. The glow starter had alot to do with it like you mentioned. Once I put the HSN to about 2.5 turns out it ran amazing. The motor has never quit yet. Its the smoothest engine I've got. I just remember how it got wierd when the HSN was in the middle like that. So,just check your HSN to see where its at to make sure. That saito should run like a champ for you. Dont fly it if your not sure.

And that motor in that plane will be an amazing combination! I have my 125 in a 67" edge540 and it flies it great,but not "knock your socks off" great. My buddy has your aeroworks edge and its the sweetest flying plane I've seen yet with a .91 OS 2-stoke....better then my 67" seagull edge with a 125 saito. So your match should be PERRRFECT! And sorry to hear about your damage,but the good news is your planes now "broken-in" and they always fly better that way. Good luck and let us know how you make out next time around. I'm curious to see how you make out. Just make sure that motor is tuned! And I recommend on-board glow if you dont already have it.

ChuckW

Sounds like you have 30 minute epoxy ion hand. Thin it with denatured alcohol and brush it on for fuel proofing. You can also warm it with a heat gun and get it to flow pretty well.

That 1.25 is going to be a great engine once it is tuned. There are exceptions to every rule but almost every one of these engines I have seen was very rich on the bottom end from the factory. Regardless, take your time and get it dialed in right and you'll have a very reliable, powerful engine.

beachbrada

My Feedback: (17)

I forgot to mention that the motor died because I ran out of gas[:@] I checked it and the tank was bone dry, we actually got the motor running pretty good before I took it up, it didnt show one sign of wanting to die and transitions were pretty good also. This is my first four stroke and when I started the motor up for the first time on the plane it sort of scared me. Everything was vibrating so much, more than what I had been used to. The funny thing was that I turned to the other guys and I said "Is there something wrong, is it supposed to vibrate like that?" and the guys looked at me and said, "Yup, its a four stroke." So I guess it takes a little bit to get used to, but as far as the Saito 125 being a perfect combo for this plane, only time will tell. It was a pain to get this plane balanced how I wanted it, I had to add a little shelf in the tail to mount my battery. I knew with the Saito 125, I was going to need to avoid extra weight so I wanted to balance it without adding weight. I wanted it between 3.25 and 3.5 which is exactly where Im at, but like I said I had to mount the battery in the tail section. Here how it looks.

Jester241

Good job. I didnt realize that plane had a pull-pull rudder setup in it...thats cool. Those wired arent supposed to be crossed are they? I know they are in my yak,and some guys where talking about that in another thread. Sure is a nice plane. Take your time doing those repairs so it stays nice

beachbrada

My Feedback: (17)

It doesnt say anything in the manual about crossing them.

Chuck, I ended up using some yellow monokote trim I had laying around. I'll just peel it off once the right color comes in. But thanks for the tip. Do you know if the covering will stick to the epoxy? You still gonna get you one of these, it flies really well, almost no coupling in the knife edge. Im going to get some more flights in tomorrow.

beachbrada

My Feedback: (17)

I just got back from the field and I got four more flights in. The plane is nose heavy even though I balanced it and it was between 3.25 and 3.5 inches back. In inverted flight the plane dives at about a 60 degree down angle hands off elevator, and requires between 1/4 to 1/2 elevator input to keep it level. With the large Saito 125 I can't really afford to add weight so it look like Im going to have to more the batter farther back.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

Beach, do some research on that engine. Since the Saito 125 is one of the options for the Yak I've been reading about it; most people say the low end needs to be turned in a few turns. They say the engine runs OK rich, but it's wasting tons of fuel if you don't lean out the low end. This is just what I've read in many, many forums but have no first hand experience with such.

beachbrada

My Feedback: (17)

Ya Ive heard that too, how much does that Yak weigh? And what type of flying are you going to do with it? Pattern?

ChuckW

That's the tough part. Covering can be difficult to stick to the epoxy. I've managed to make it happen but it is not the easiest thing in the world. I wasn't really thinking about the area you wanted to fuel proof. What you did is probably the best option.

If I have enough in the hobby budget before these go off sale, I will likely buy one. The price is too good.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

About 8.5lbs. I want to get into IMAC, which I guess is pretty similar to pattern style flying. I'm beating myself up over the engine choice though Each one has it's advantages and disadvantages and I could sit here for weeks contemplating. I'm not all that into 3D but I'd hate to have a Yak that wasn't capable of 3D flying. Tower makes it hard to pass on an OS with the discounts, free shipping, and rebates.

How much does your plane weigh? Do you think you'll have power to spare, or just enough to fly the plane the way it was meant to be flown?
I'm glad you're able to fix up your new baby!

beachbrada

My Feedback: (17)

If you're not planning on 3D, then I would stick to a 2 stroke, OS 91 or OS 120.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

I think I have to have a four stroke, even if it means getting a YS for my Venus and putting the AX on the Yak. Don't want to hijack this thread so enough about me

How did the Saito feel to you? What's your overall weight and wingspan?

beachbrada

My Feedback: (17)

Im not sure on the overall weight of the plane. About my first 5 flights I flew the plane with a APC 16x4 and the plane flew reeeaaally slow, slower than what Im used to. So on the last flight I slapped on a 16x6 and it was night and day, and the vertical was still unlimited. But it was alot faster, not crazy fast but fast enough for me. So Im going to stick with this combo. But another thing that go me about the Saito 125, the RPM's are a lot lower than advertised. Hopefully they get better as the engine is broken in. But I like the Saito, if you really want a four stroke for the Yak but don't want to mess with a YS, go with a Saito 150, that would probably be a very nice match for your added weight, I bet you'll be pushing 10lbs once its fueled up.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

Edit: actually I just saw a review of the Hangar 9 Showtime, about the same size but heavier than my plane, with an OS 120 four stroke. Not bad! Going to try to find more videos; hard to make $400 blind decisions.