mr_lucky

I recenty found an old Flite Streak Kit (mid 1970's vintage) up in the rafters of my garage, and decided to build it up as an introduction to control line modeling for my son (I have not built or flown a CL plane in over 26 years!) Now I am faced with a decision as to what engine to mount on it. I have two to choose from. I have an old (1970's) Fox 35 Stunt and a brand new OS 46 LA-S. The Fox is in good condition, and I believe it only has a few flights on it. My quandary is I never really liked that motor even as a kid, and would rather not use it. At the same time, I am also concerned that the 46 LA, as weak as it may be for a 46, is too much engine for the Flite Streak. Can I slow it down enough to stunt? At full power will the wing loading be too much? Should I forget about the 46 and make due with the Fox? Any advice would be appreciated!

Ryan Nau

My Feedback: (54)

The LA 46 is a great running engine for Control Line but it tooo much for the Flite Streak. The Fox 35 will be better for power wise. It will be overpowered for a good stunt plane wiht the 46. I don't really like fox engines that much either. I don't have any more planes with a fox in them. If you want a good engine for stunt with the Flite Streak get an OS 25. That would be excellent. I use a 25 in my ARF FS and it works ok when the engine runs good, but I want to get an LA 25, It will be better. My dad has a Brodak 40 in a Brodak Flite Streak. It flies good, but is a little fast and to overpowered,and a little heavy.
Ryan

gcb

When the FS was designed it was for a baffle .19 to .35 engine. With more modern engines this should equate to about .15 to .25. The Fox .35 stunt vibrates much more than a modern .25 like the OS LA.
I would second the LA or some other modern .25. The LA is available in CL version as the OS LA-S .25. Another available as CL is the Thunder Tigre .25 and the Fox .25.
If you opt to use the Fox .35, you might install a plywood gusset between the fuselage doubler and the wing LE on the inboard side to dampen vibrations.

George

Fix-it

My Feedback: (3)

Oops - just re-read this after I posted my reply. I have the ARF FS, engine choice doesn't change- but repair pics are not applicable.

I'm flying mine with an O.S. .25 FP, with the stock muffler. Changed the leadouts and bushed the LG hole with a piece of brass tubing CA'd in place. Balance is midway between leading edge and spar - makes for a stable basic stunt trainer.

The .25 has plenty of power and runs great. Put the stock tank on a .15 powered plane and am using a Hayes 3 oz plastic clunk tank on muffler pressure mounted on the inboard side to feed the .2 and get decent flight times -original is pretty small. Great plane, smooth and solid in flight.

Not quite so solid when you prang it into the ground, fuselage is pretty hollow. Broke mine off at the wing cutout, but the repair is easy and stronger than stock- or even a solid plank fuse. I posted a complete description and pics on Stuka Stunt if anyone is interested. Basically you drill 5/16" hole in the nose blocks, epoxy in some 1/4" od carbon rods, then glue them into the fuselage cavity with epoxy / micro ballon slurry.

mr_lucky

Thanks for advice guys! I had not realized how much engines have evolved over the past 20 to 25 years. The LA 46 will be sent back to Tower for a refund. I am not impressed with the construction of that motor, and I am a bit surprised O.S. put their name on it... I will put the old Fox 35 on my FS, and live with it's vibration and poor performance for a while. I now have a Thunder Tiger 36 Pro which shares the same mounting dims as the Fox, so if I ever decide to go fast with the FS, the TT 36 is a drop in.

-Pete

tperry2054

My Feedback: (15)

Pete,

A wise choice since you had it on hand. If you experience the dreaded "Fox Burp" because the engine is mounted side ways drop back in. There are plenty here that can tell you the cure.

Tom

leblanc

Ryan Nau

What is the wingspan of the flite streak from brodak that your dad has?
Cause I've got a brodak 40 and coming is a top-flite flite streak.
I am just wondering if it will be ok with the brodak 40. I mean not too fast or overpowered.

Thanks

LeBlanc

JIM72

I have returned to control line after about 50 years and am relearning the stunt pattern with an ARF Flite Streak on 60 ' lines. First I used an OS FP 25 but it was overpowered. Now I am using a FP 20 and it has plenty of power for everything I can do including verticals and overheads. It is stock with a muffler and gives very consistant runs. I am going to try some 66' lines. My buddy had a Fox 45 in his and it was a spped demon, he switched to an OS LA 25 and it is plenty.
Jim

Ryan Nau

My Feedback: (54)

The wingspan is 41" for the brodak kit, same as the Top Flite ARF. The Brodak 40 works pretty good in the Streak. Its a little heavier then the ARF Streak. Witht the Brodak 40 it flies a little fast, but its a nice speed. We use an 11x4 on it. It does the pattern nicely. The LA or FP 25 is better i think.
Ryan

gcb

A little tourist info you didn't know to ask:

Some of this info comes from posts I've read and some are just my opinions. No guarantees on accuracy...

The original Flite Streak was designed as a combat model and was powered by a Fox .35 combat special. The fuselage vibrated so much, George Aldrich shortened it to cut down on vibration. A modern .20 or .25 has MUCH less vibration and is recommended. A good modern .15 would probably fly it (using 52'x.012 lines)...but I haven't tried it.

The Top Flite versions (original kit, and now ARF) used a modified construction method (as most manufacturers do).

Brodak kit uses GMA's original construction method and was approved by George.

The C/G on the ARF is way back from the original position. I would suggest moving it forward to about 1.5 inches from the wing LE...unless you like real squirrely.

George

Jim Thomerson

As I recall, the plywood doublers on the nose of the Flitestreak don't go back far enough to suit me. I think they ought to go back to the wing spar, and be good quality plywood. If you mount a Fox 35 solid, it will run a lot better.

Jim

sigrun

Don't be misled by your impression. The LA is as good an engine in its class as its O.S. predecessors even if the artistic brigade went ballistic in trying to make it as aesthetically unappealing as they could. [:@]

The TT Pro 36 is a ball tearer of an engine, but way to much go for a Flitestreak unless you want to fly old time combat with it.

Kiwi

If either one of those is closer to 41" than it actually is to 40" span, then George and his friend Sid were wrong for 25 years while it was in production.The first two versions of the Fox Combat Specials weighed only 7 ounces, so most Streaks balance best if the engine, with any muffler, weighs no more than that. The Brodak 40 isn't a heavy engine, but the stock muffler isn't light enough. For flying Combat, it was intended to be fast. To use it for an intermediate stunt trainer, engines in the 15-25 range are more suitable.

The ARF had a VERY seriously exaggerated CG position described in the construction text. The rearward position named is farther back than the most adventurous hot combat pilots were likely to attempt on their better days. For flying a version of combat, the front edge of the spars of the original Top Flite kit was popular. For stunt, the CG probably belonged another 1/2" to even a full inch in front of that spar position. I haven't compared spar locations among all of the versions.

[8D]

sigrun

Right on Kiwi!

IMO&E any ½ respectable contemporary Schnuerled TBR sports timed .15 will put the Flite Streak through its pattern paces adequately if propped appropriately and built light as any model expected to fly well should be. A plain bearing .25LA is the obvious easily sourcable alternative choice. If flying on 60' lines on windier days, upping the nitro content with the .15 will offer that little more pump in the vertical.

mrfx2001

My Feedback: (2)

You know, I just can't imagine a Fox 35C not running well. I currently have one that I bought when I was 15 years old that still runs like a scalded dog. (I'm 53 now) I have it on one of these Streak ARFs and have a problem flying it. It's so loud. Everything at the Field stops when it starts.
Fred

Kiwi

Between the first Fox Combat 35 in 1957, and the last in 1964, I owned several of them (but a GREAT many more 36's following that year's change in sizes). I was never a great fan of the Series 3, the one with twin needle bearings in the removable front end, and the back end it shared with the Rocket.

Unless you have a serious urge to go fast and be loud at the same time, a modern 28 will go as fast, if not faster, and is less noisy -- with or without a muffler. I have had some poor-performing Fox Combat engines (and there are ST & Nelson fans who will claim that all were that); and although I don't recall how seriously the first two model Fox Combats vibrated, fairly recently, I put a Red-headed Fox Rocket 35 on an old (part Sterling, mostly replacement wood from my balsa racks) P-51. It's a shaker like no other engine I can recall, other than the Sport 36 plain-bearing engine that Fox made between 1973 and about 1983.

[:-]

leblanc

Ryan nau,
Does the flite streak vibrate a lot with the brodak 40?
Cause today i've made my fox 35 run on it and boy with all the epoxy on it and glue it vibrated so much that the wing started to unglue itself. Bad so if the brodak 40 makes less vibration than the fox looks like i'll have to change it.
Another thing is I want to know how long lasts the brodak 40 with the small tank that comes with it. It's a really smalll tank I've mesured it and it's only around 1.6-7 onces.

Thanks
LeBlanc

Ryan Nau

My Feedback: (54)

The Brodak 40 does not vibrate much in the Flite Streak. Fox engines do like to vibrate alot. The Brodak does a lot less. The Brodak 40 is just a drop in from the fox 35 motor mount holes. We use a 3oz tank on the Brodak 40. It isn't enough for the complete full pattern, but long enough for a good flight. it isnt a competitionplane.
Ryan

leblanc

Which tank is it that old 3 once and still fit the flite streak. Did you built it yourself or did you build it yourself? If you bought it can you tell me which one is it ?

Thanks in advance

LeBlanc


____________________________

The one who dies with the most toys win!!!!

Ryan Nau

My Feedback: (54)

We built it, from a Brodak Kit. Its a 3oz brodak tank i think. I dont remember, we built it a few years ago. Its a wide tank, but not that long. It fits easily with the flite streak. I also have one on my ARF streak. My dad flew the black flite streak today. It flew good.

leblanc

Does anyone know if an OS 15 LA will fly the flite streak? Or should I stick with at least a 25 size?

LeBlanc

freelen

Hi yall, just reading over this thread and the Flite Streak/engine combinations. Back in the old days, I flew many a flite streak with Fox 36X and combat specials and never had reason to complain. I am interested in getting back into C/L after many years of being away from it.
I think that the Flite Streak with a Fox .25 would be a good combination for a (refresher) airplane, so if any of you guys have any Fox engines that you want to give away, my email addy is: [email protected].......:-) all donations would be appreciated.....
If memorey servs me correctly, A Flite Sreak with a .19 was a good stunt trainer, I dont know who makes a C/L .19 to .25 engine now days though?? Any help would be appreciated....

Jim Thomerson

I have finally snuck in a few flights between days of high winds and solved my engine and tank problems on my Flite Streak (Brodak kit) I am wanting to fly it in Flite Streak Stunt and P-40 stunt at local contests. I have a Super Tigre 23 on it. It now has a .125 venturi and APC 9 x 4 prop and goes about right speed on 60' 015 lines. I had a bigger venturi, @ 3/16, and it was so fast there was no way I could fly a pattern with it. Given some time to fiddle with it I may go down to a G20-15 glow or diesel and fly on 012 lines. I do have a 2 oz heavy hub on the G20-23. Balance is about halfway between the spar and the leading edge. It has a 4 inch bellcrank and only about 20 degrees each way of elevator travel. Was planning to fly at Dallas contest this weekend but sounds too cold and windy to be worth the trip.

RTDillon

My Feedback: (3)

I have a complete Top FLite Flite STreak ARF with Fox 25bb and tank and lines, props, etc and nobody/no place to fly it. I am in Lompoc CA. []

loughbd

Actually some of the older C/L engines are a heck of a lot more powerful than you guys think. My old Johnson 36BB will turn a 10x6 prop faster than an OS40FSR. Of course it only runs about 3 1/2 minutes on 4 ounces of fuel.