If anyone knows the C.G. location of Tony Bonnetis Troublemaker please pass it on.Thanks,Jim

Troublemaker balance point is 135mm from leading edge at wing root.

Ray

Thanks Ray,I remember when I flew them in the 70's they were very sensitive and I dont want the first flight to start off tail heavy.Especially since i'm using a os 60 FS for power.My first one was fast with a Webra blackhead. Jim,

Jim,

Good to hear from a fellow Troublemaker fan. Mine is about half completed and is built from a J&J Industries kit plan plus additional information very kindly supplied by Freebird.

Just to make things clear the plan shows a small "balance range". In the scan below the forward limit is 130mm from the leading edge and the rear limit 140mm.

I had planned to use an Enya 61CX in mine but didn't appreciate how small the model was until I built it. I think my Enya 50CX will be more than adequate. It's entirely up to you of course but personally I don't think a four stroke would suit this model.

Ray

Ray, thanks for the additional info it takes all the guesswork away. As for my O.S. 60 F.S. it's a 2 stroke. I thought about an O.S. 55 for power (it would be plenty) but I had the 60 nib just sitting there. In the late 70's my last Troubelmaker was powered with a Supertigre 61 bluehead. I think it would have been competive in open pylon. The O.S. 60 will have more power but I will slow it with a 13x6 zinger prop. I plan to fly it as soon as our field dries out.

Oops - sorry Jim, thought the F S meant four stroke! I'm an Enya user so don't know much about OS engine designations.


Good luck with the Troublemaker and post some pics.

Ray

Ray, My camera isn't working but as soon as it's fixed I will post some pictures. It is also from J&J kit .While you are building, try to keep weight aft, I installed elevator servo in area above stab battery at rear of wing and it's still nose heavy. Not as bad as I feared before finding the proper cg

Ray, Nice to hear you're making a Troublemaker. I'm looking forward to some pics of the finished product. Tony Bonetti once gave me some pilot training back in my Tri-Squire days. Actually he just did the take-off and landing for me. He handed me the transmitter in between.

Tom

ITom, Since you knew Tony maybe you remember his blown up version I think he named it something else, but it looked like the original. He competed with it at


the N


aval Air Station in Virginia around 80,81. That thing had fantastic low speed handeling that he demonstrated at about 10 ft. elevation.

Tom, Since you knew Tony maybe you remember his blown up version I think he named it something else, but it looked like the original. He competed with it at the naval air station in Virginia. He demonstrated outstanding low speed aerobatics about 10 feet above the ground. I would love to find plans to it if anyone knows where to find them


Jim

That would be the Intrepid shown below at the 1977 TOC where it placed 10th. Mr Bonetti later won the US Nats with this design and was the model I really wanted to build. Unfortunatly no plans were ever published and, as far as I know, it was never kitted.

Ray

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Nothing wrong with using the .50CX, but don't over estimate the .61CX (actually a .58).

My favorite of the group of CX engines is the .45CX, because of its AAC piston/liner. I haven't compared the two against each other (.45CX & .60CX), but I'd be seriously surprised if the .50CX turned out to be as strong as the .45CX where it counts - in the air with the model going straight up.

I'm sure that many folks will see the .61CX as a dog, once experienced. But you have to keep in mind that it is a glorified .50CX and not a real .61 sized engine. It has its place and that place is not being compared to other full size .61 CID engines. That's what the .61 XF4-C engines are for. 8&gt

I wish Enya would return to using the AAC technology. That alone was what made the .40 & .45 CX engines outstanding in the first place.


Ed Cregger

Jim, The plane I saw Tony fly looked like the one in Ray's picture. It was sleeker than a Troublemaker. I believe Tony was the reigning national champion at the time that he was training me.

Tom

Tom,

You lucky ***** to be trained by Mr B. You should now be a real top flier!

Pity we couldn't contact him to ask about Intrepid drawings. I would pay much gold for those.

Ray

Well, not exactly trained Ray. More like monitored. Actually, I think he felt he owed me because I had recently paid him to replace the nicads on my Kraft system. Tony was also the local Kraft service/repair guy - or maybe someone under him did the actual repairs.

I never tried any aerobatics in those days; I just cruised my Tri-Squire around. After that, I took a break from RC until 2002.

Tom

I have tried to post pictures of my Troublemaker but havent been able to. I Emailed one to a friend and he said he would post it. I am having almost as much trouble flying it. After installing the elev. servo above the stab I also had to add 2oz. of lead with it.The O.S. is heavy. For a small airplane it weighs 8lbs. OUTCH. The plane was built in the late 70s with epoxy and the rhom air retracts are originals,I have had gear failure on every attempted flight.but after replacing almost everything I think I have them fixed. I should have done that first but each time I tested them at home they worked great. After all this the plane is a great flier fast and grooves and even with its weight it will still land nose high without trying to stall.I hope the picture shows up soon because it looks great and even with the weight it flies as good as it looks. When I try to post picture it pops up they are not supported and I havent a clue whats wrong. I will try flying with all gear up soon. Jim

If i recall correctly, Tony eventually moved on to a Phoenix 7/8, and by the early 1980s I recall him flying an EU-1A.

The timing sounds right. In '77 (Triple Trouble time) I still lived in Upper Saddle River, NJ. A relatively short drive to Tony's home field in Orangeburg, NY. By '80 (EU-1A time), we had moved to West Orange, NJ. I don't think I visited Tony's field anymore at that point.

Tom

The year he won the NATS was 1981 in Sequin, TX. I think he flew that model (on the mag cover above) there. I do remember him flying in the my first Team Trials in 1983 and I think he did fly an EU-1A.

That's correct Mike - here is Tony with Intrepid at Seguin.

Ray

Very cool photo. Hey, I bet that was also the first NATS win with a JR radio! I flew a World Engines Expert MKII that year.

Here is some more info about the model from MAN November 1981.

I'd sell my granny to get a copy of the plan - Mr Bonetti where are you?

Ray

Ah.... yes.

I can see why I mistook the Intrepid for a Phx... I remember seeing the plane when I lived back on Long Island, but at that time I was in Novice/Sportsman pattern.

Somewhere around here I have his Eu-1A photos in the Circus-Circus colors.

The Intrepid looks like the plane I saw Tony fly at his home field - only without the tuned pipe. I've got the November '75 RCM in front of me. On page 50 there is a picture of Tony holding his 'Triple Trouble' at the '75 RC Masters Tournament in Rough River, Kentucky. It sure looks like the Intrepid, but I assume that there are subtle differences. The article has pictures of all 36 planes/pilots. No one is using tuned pipes yet. The top three are: Dave Brown, Rhett Miller and Mark Radcliff. Tony came in twelfth.

Tom

heres pic of Jims plane