Bluejay Kits
 

I haven't had any luck contacting Bluejay models in Nebraska. Are they on vacation etc.? They don't answer e-mails either. Skip[:o]

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

I noticed that more and more of the kits are becoming temporaily unavailable also. I hope this is not the end.

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Me too. When RCM Magazine went under the same scenario took place. I hope there hasn't been a major problem with the owners. They usually answer calls in the evening.

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Almost all ther kits are out of stock. I hope they dont disppear.

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Just got an email from them. They said they hoped to have the dirty birdy kits back in stock in the next 90 days. So it looks like they are still alive.

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

It makes me glad that I went ahead and ordered (and received) all of the outstanding kits they offered that were on my wanted list.

I too hope they are not fading into the past.


Ed Cregger

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

I just checked and noticed the Dirty Birdy kits are in stock again.

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

What is Bluejay's web address?
Thanks

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Here you are
www.bridiairplanes.com/hangar/dirtybirdy60.html

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Thanks,
What is the difference between the Dirty Birdy and the Kaos?
I have a 60 size Kaos with a .75 engine, great flying plane, would like to find another kit of one.

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

The Kaos is better at looping, while the Dirty Birdy is better at rolling. Figure out your weakness and buy the appropriate model.


Ed Cregger

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

The Dirty Birdy has better knife edge performance than the Kaos.

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Oddly enough, IIRC, when the Dirty Birdy was first made available to the public, there were no knife-edge maneuvers in any of the patterns that I can recall. Knife-edge was still an exhibition maneuver displayed by the likes of Jersey Jim Martin with his infamous Banshee. The fact that the SPA has seen fit to incorporate point rolls and knife edge is kind of disappointing to me because many of the popular models of that era were not designed for that type of performance.

Of course, one can enhance knife-edge performance in even a doggy model by spinning a large diameter prop at fairly high rpm (10K rpm). Could this be why the .91 Pumpers on 30% nitro are favored by a knowledgable few? <G>

Ed Cregger

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

I just received notice from Blue Jay that my Dirty Birdy has been shipped vis UPS. I ordered approximately one week ago.

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Gentlemen,

I just ordered one as well. I plan on getting a set of the new 60 size electric retracts from Lado-Tech.com to use in the plane (if they will fit), but I am still up in the air as far as the engine goes. I'd like to stick with a four stroke but I would consider a two stroke if I could put a header and a muffled tuned pipe on it. I just don't like the high pitch noise of a two stroke on a stock muffler. Any suggestions?

Fly safe and have fun!!:D:D
David

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

You will probably have to do a little modification to squeeze a four stroke in the DB. I've got a .65 two stroke in mine and that's about all that will fit with the plane built stock. It's not difficult to make it fit, just something to be aware of.

With the .65, standard muffler and fixed gear my DB is a fantastic flier. With a tuned pipe and retracts it would be a real bullet!

Dave

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

I was reviewing my DB kit from Blue Jay aircraft. Looks really good, good quality overall. Some of the wood is a little on the hard side, but that is what we used way back then. The plans I believe are the original plans ]'m not sure. Anyone know?
Has anyopne built the DB from Blue Jay before.
I noticed when setting the dihedral, the wing is placed upside down and a 3/8" space is between the table and the root rib. To me it seems more dihedral than I can remember when I built my first DB on or about 1979-1980 era. My Killer Kaos, I built the wing upside down with the wing flat on the table, all one piece. The dihedral was set by the taper of the ribs from root to tip.
Can anyone comment on this.

Thanks.

Orlando

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

3/8 in between the root rib and the table when the wing is upside down is what is called for in the original RCM plans. I was reading the original 2-part construction article the other day and thought that this was an interesting, if somewhat unusual, way to measure the dihedral.

Jeff
Skylane N9214G
SPA 243

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

cl, what you describe is exactly what's on the RCM plans.

David

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

I built one from the Bluejay kit and I've been flying it for a year now. I built it exactly to the plans and couldn't be happier. It's the only plane I take to the field.

You can see mine here http://tinyurl.com/2x8ceq , with a few notes on the construction.

The dihedral on the plans seems to be about perfect. The only snag encountered when building was a small issue with incidence that was easily correctable. Check my notes in the other thread, you may want to delay drilling of the wing dowel holes until you adjust the incidence. I had to plug mine and redrill them.

After a year of flying the plane I have done a little adjustment of CG and mixing. I've moved the CG back slightly from where it's shown on the plans (do start with the plan location though!) I've got it perfect for my tastes but the plane doesn't like to sit on the nose wheel with the tank empty. If I was to build another I'd probably move the main gear blocks back a quarter inch or so.

Knife edge is very flyable without mixing but to tweak things to perfect I've got 3% rudder mixed to ailerons and 2% rudder mixed to elevator. It now holds knife edge across the field with only rudder and point rolls are beautiful.

I do love this plane. You will too!

Dave

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Dave,

I assume you mean 3% aileron mixed with rudder and 2% elevator also mixed with rudder.
Is the aileron mix with or against the rudder direction and is that an up or down elevator mix.

Ray

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

No, I've got rudder to aileron and rudder to elevator mixes set up. When I move the rudder a given amount, the ailerons move 3% as much and the rudder moves 2% as much. But the exact terminology of the mix might depend on the radio brand.

I'm not positive on the directions of the mix. I pretty sure that the rudder to aileron mix is left rudder to left aileron to correct a slight roll towards inverted. I'm not certain but I think the elevator mix is up elevator to correct a very slight push to the belly.

Both of the mixes are very minimal, I flew the plane for better than 6 months before bothering to set up any mixing. Flying knife edge without the mixes was not a problem. But it sure is sweet to have rudder only knife edge now!

Dave

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Dave,

Yes we mean the same thing. The rudder is "master" and the elevator and ailerons are "slaves" with the elevator moving 2% of its maximum set deflection and the ailerons moving 3% of their maximum set deflection when full rudder is commanded and proportionally less for smaller rudder deflections.

Ray

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

4 pt rolls, 8 pt rolls, reverse knife edge, and slow rolls were all candidate pattern manuvers when I first started playing with pattern in 1978. Im pretty sure they predate that quite a bit too. Masters had a fairly large list of manuvers to choose from.

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

-----------------------


Believe it or not, those maneuvers (point rolls/knife-edge) did not become really popular until the FAI left behind maneuvers involving autorotation (snap/spins) and went to the very smooth, fast and jet-like flying style. Yes, by 1978 they were headed well in that direction. That was about the time that the rear exhaust/enclosed tuned pipe designs emerged, or slightly earlier.

The Dirty Birdy was around in the early seventies because folks did not take to the Super Kaos. The Super Kaos was kind of the pattern equivalent of the real world's first straight wing equipped jet fighters. It was an emergency measure that acted as a stepping stone to the swept leading edge wings with a straight trailing edge, or slightly swept rearward trailing edge.

Of course, this is just my opinion.


Ed Cregger

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Definitely by 1977 when the UFO was published, knife-edge flight was in practice. The article specifically discusses features of the plane intended to improve knife-edge flight, like the increased side and fin area (over the Dirty Birdy).

I also see the SK as a kind of "stopgap" design. The enclosed engine and addition of retracts was clearly intended to cut down on drag for faster flying speeds. But, Bridi must have seen it as having reached the limits of the Sun Fli/Kaos lineage; the DB is a total departure/clean slate.

David

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

One unusual feature of both the Dirty Birddy and the UFO is the canopy cross section. It is "waisted" toward the bottom as shown below. This was claimed to increase fuselage lift when the model was flying knife edge. I don't think I have seen this used on any other designs and certainly don't understand how (if) it works.

Ray

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Dick Hanson used that feature in designing his Tiporare, but, did not use it associated with the canopy, rather down the side of the fuselage. I really wish I had my Airborne Associates glass Tipo kit today. That was a beautifully executed kit and a fantastic flying design.


Ed Cregger

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

HI all, this may be the wrong place for this, but raindave was talking about the UFO, I have to post this, sound like this would be good a place as any.

I have a Bridi Escape Kit have had it for 13 years I think. It is built for a rear exhaust engine and tuned pipe, the pipe exits the rear of the canopy. I remember seeing tower selling both the UFO and Escape way back when. I see people talking about the UFO but not the Escape, can anybody give some input on this kit???? It seems that this was the last design that Bridi did back in those days.

I have never seen one fly, or built.


Thanks, Pete

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

The Escape will be nice...I have one also...I need to get going on it...I was just test running the engine slated to go on it today...he he

Get started on her!!

Good luck

Chuck

P.S. Here is a link to a thread I had going on the Escape when I first logged back into RC Universe from a long break...May be some decent reading??
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_53...tm.htm#5325621

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

:D:D Chuck, thanks for the info and the thread went through all of it!! just what I was looking for. Ya I need to get to work on it, but I have a Vans rv7 full scale I'm trying to finish up and get inspected, about the only R/C I've built this year are a couple of Raindave's Shuresharks, I'm really enjoying them A no brainer to build and a great flyer!!!!!! will try and get it ready for next season maybe for BPA!!

Pete

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

I have a question regarding a Sun Fli 5 that I am building--I have been building for a
L-O-N-G time, but with the way things change nowadays, I need some input on what is probably a simple question. When I get done with the framework on this A/C, I will cover it with silk and dope. Back in the old days, I used Aero Gloss cement on all of the seams that would come in contact with dope, because it never left a glue line in the finish. Well, as we all know, that went away, as did a lot of other things us "old guys" used to use. Can someone give me some advice on a "modern" way to do this that achieves similar results? I know that most of the new guys out there have probably never used silk before, but I am hoping there is someone who still does and can give me some info. This kit is especially bad for this concern due to the way the fuselage sides join the top and bottoms. The reason I have not had to deal with this recently, is that I have been out of action for a while, and am getting going again, so to speak.

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

I'm a hacker when it comes to building, but I do have a thing about appearance and final finish.

If you are determined to use silk and dope - God bless you - I don't think you will have a problem substituting carpenter's glue (yellow - aliphatic) or even today's CA glues.

I prefer to use 1/2 or 3/4 oz. fiberglass cloth on the fuselage, though I have done my share of silking and doping fuselages too. I lived in very humid southern New Jersey where it was difficult to find a time with the humidity low enough to apply dope without it blushing. I also despise the weeks long curing time for dope, which I suppose is really a month if you do it right.

On the other hand, fiberglass and finishing resin, whether polyester or epoxy, permits you to progress much faster than dope when applied properly. Another advantage of these finishing methods is that they are impervious to nitromethane. I haven't found a dope that was truly impervious, especially at the higher concentrations that are normally used today in our four-stroke engines.

Anyway, I'm interested in your project, as I am sure are many others. How about posting some digital pics to the forum from time to time? You might even convince some of us to give dope another go round. <G>


Ed Cregger

RE: Bluejay Kits
 

Got my Dirty Birdy 60 last week!!:D. The balsa appears to be high quality and the parts are cut VERY well[sm=thumbup.gif]. My only problem is that after I read through the instructions, I realized that I need to build a few more kits BEFORE I try to tackle building it, especially since I want to put retracts in it..[&o] Oh well.