Greg Covey

I measured the distance needed from the nacelle to the ESC (mounted in the fuselage) and extended the motor wires by 6" of #10 Castle Creations wire. This would also allow me to mount the assembled nacelle first and then connect the motor wires to the ICE 100 ESC via the bottom hatch opening in the fuselage.

The power unit was mounted to my EDF Test Stand and my initial results seemed promising on an 8s LiPo supply with the RC Lander rotor. I measured about 1900 watts at 70 amps. I will now compare this measurement to the Midi Pro rotor which should be around 2500 watts at 95amps unless setup becomes an issue. One issue is my battery capacity of 4AH versus a higher capacity pack. Another issue is the conversion I do from the 6mm bullet connectors to the Dean Ultra connectors on the What's Up wattmeter. The wattmeter also has a thinner #14 wire.

At any rate, it will make an interesting comparison with the Midi Pro rotor...which I consider to be the standard of quality for 90mm DFs.

So what's next? My super-low cost thrust stand. I've been wanting to build one and this project seems a perfect time to compare the unknown performance of the RC Lander 90mm aluminum DF to the WeMoTec Midi Pro. If anyone knows specifications for thrust at a given power level on this RC Lander DF, please post it.

Greg Covey

After measuring the same setup using the Midi Pro rotor, it was equally disappointing at only a 58amp draw for about 1600 watts. I knew something was wrong and determined that the smaller #14 wires on my wattmeter and conversion to Dean's Ultra connectors were giving me erroneous readings. Fortunately, my new ICE 100 ESC has built-in data logging so I could easily take my power, current, and RPM measurements while measuring the thrust on my new low-cost thrust stand. The 6mm gold bullet connectors on my LiPo packs could now plug directly into the ICE 100 ESC without the need for an external wattmeter.

For only $14 at Harbor Freight and another $19 at Gander Mountain Sporting Goods, I created a $33 thrust stand with some additional scrap plywood. The Rapala Digital Fish Scale can read up to 50lbs or 25kg without any movement of the chain. I simply removed the casters and reversed the long planks so that the flat side faced the inside. The drawer slides were mounted with the supplied screws and then held with a custom base meant to hold a 90mm EDF. I initially secured the Rapala scale with large wood screws to make my measurements but I will likely make it removable in the future so that I can also use it to measure the installed system in the plane.

The Castle Creations Data Log showed that I was right on target with a full throttle reading of 90amps and 2400 watts. The 37.1K rpms proved that the Neu motor is really spinning that 90mm rotor! I changed the PWM setting from the default of "Outrunner" to 12KHz as a middle of the road setting that should not make the controller too hot. The little blips on the charts before the full throttle tests were from me giving a small throttle movement to check the system after the Spektrum receiver sync lights came on. At full throttle, my scale read about 6.5lbs static thrust. Although this may not be too accurate without a thrust tube in place, it was a good sanity check that allows me to move forward with the RC Lander DF and rotor.

Greg Covey

I received some specs from RC Lander for their various 90mm DFs. It looks like I am not exceeding any of the specs with my power level. Until I received these specifications, I wasn't certain that the DF could handle my power level.

Greg Covey

Before mounting the Lander DF unit in the nacelle, I added an MPI ([link=http://www.maxxprod.com/mpi/mpi-29b.html]ACC3939[/link]) Heatsink for 36mm motors. These low-cost heatsinks simply press into place and keep your motor cooler which helps add longevity. Also before mounting the DF, I added extra epoxy to the mounts in the nacelle.

I discovered that there was a thrust offset in the nacelle motor mount that made the DF point away from the fuselage. I centered the thrust line by using some washers in the aft end of my Lander clam-shell mount and slightly recessing the front end with a Dremel tool.

The nacelle cover was temporarily taped into place. The fit was not great so it will require some cutting with the Dremel tool before being finished. I'll also be adding some exhaust tubing for an 85% FSA. With a setup of 2400 watts per nacelle, I can sacrifice some thrust for added speed.

Greg Covey

After finishing the second wing, I was able to install them on the fuselage using the two aluminum tubes. The larger diameter and longer tube needed to be cut shorter about an inch before the wings would butt up against the fuselage. The fit seemed pretty good so I secured the wings to the fuselage using the supplied bolts and wooden washers.

I used a piece of foam to position the nose at the proper angle. This length can be used to check the nose wheel distance from the fuselage when installing the retract.

Note that I used a reverse DS-821 digital servo on the second flap in order to utilize a single channel by using a Y-harness. The second aileron still used a standard DS-821 servo since it needs to move in the opposite direction. Both flaps use a single channel and both ailerons use a single channel.

Greg Covey

For the nose retract, I wasn't quite sure what the manufacturer had in mind. Not only was it intended for a 90 degree rotating retract but it was also cut off center. The pre-installed 4mm t-nuts did not match the footprint of my SpringAir 301 retract so it was time for some changes.

I decided to use one of my articulated-knee Spring-Shock struts from [link=http://www.goldenskiesrc.com/]Golden Skies R/C[/link]. For only $27 each, this well-made strut can handle models up to 16lbs.

After first cutting the bridge away on the second former, I re-located the 4mm t-nuts for the SpringAir retract and corrected the center line. I used my foam piece from the previous step to help determine how long my 5/32" music wire pin needed to be. Both the Spring Air 301 retract and the Golden Skies R/C strut are made to accept the 5/32" wire.

In order for the wheel to retract into the fuselage, I needed to open the bottom up a bit using a Dremel tool. I didn't care much about the look of the opening at this point because after the initial flight testing, I plan to add retract doors on the nose wheel similar to Carl Rich's build on Version 1.

Now that the nose gear is installed, I plan to bridge the two formers to the fuselage for added strength.

Greg Covey

I finished up the nose retract installation by adding three pieces of plywood for additional strength. Two square pieces bridge the two formers and a third triangle piece runs from the first former forward. The whole assembly was now very solid.

My steering retract was a Futaba S3115 mini servo. The metal linkage was short, easy to adjust, and wobble-free. It is important to keep the white swivel horn on the SpringAir retract in line with the retract joint so that the wheel does not turn as it retracts.

I used a mix on a spare channel to the rudder in my Spektrum 9503 transmitter. The same mix also disables itself when the gear switch is in the retracted position so that rudder movement does not turn the nose wheel during normal flight.

Notes: The nose retract, servo, and linkage are not part of the Cessna kit. The epoxy I have been using is 3M Scotch-Weld DP-110. It has a 9-minute worklife and is similar to V-poxy and Hysol but has a yellowish color instead of white or clear.

Greg Covey

The next step in the assembly was to mount the stabilizers so it was time "to get the red out". I covered the cherry red sections of the stabilizers with maroon Monokote and used 3M Scotchcal Striping Tape to blend in the joints. The burgundy colored striping tape comes in 3/32" and 3/16" widths and is available at most automotive detailing stores.

The re-painted yellow stripe on the fuselage was also detailed with the burgundy Scotchcal tape.

While the horizontal stabilizer fit well on the fuselage, the vertical stab wasn't even close. Further, you can see that the rudder covering does not match the vertical stabilizer...suggesting that kit parts from Version 1 and 2 may have been mixed. It didn't take much effort to make it work. As long as you expect some issues on these low-cost fiberglass ARFs, you are prepared to make adjustments. I also enjoy making small enhancements along the way.

Greg Covey

The elevator servos were installed in their normal positions but since the nose wheel retracted into the rudder servo position, I re-positioned it further back and down by the fuselage. I made some servo holder blocks from one of the unused stock gear mains mounting blocks. Note that one of the elevator servos is a reverse servo so that only a single channel is need for elevator control.

The three long control rods had the same fit issue as before when using the supplied clevis. I took one to my local hobby shop and they measured the threads as 2mm with a .4mm pitch. This meant that I could use some Dubro 2mm hardware so I bought some #819 Dubro 2mm Safety-Lock Kwik-Links for my tail connections. These Kwik-Links worked perfectly with the rest of the stock hardware.

My installation technique was to keep the control horns on the bottom side which made for a clean look from the top side of the Cessna. I used some medium CA into pre-drilled pilot holes and mounted the stock control horns using the supplied wood screws that are just the right length to not push through to the other side of the control surface.

The plastic control rod sleeves were epoxied in place and then painted.

Greg Covey

I mounted the right nacelle using the supplied M4 screws and t-nuts. My kit had no Mylar for the thrust tubes so I picked up some .020" thick Duralar at a local art supply store. I knew the nacelle exit would be large for my 90mm power system so I wanted a thick tube that could stand on its own without any support. The Cessna application is not all that weight critical.

I borrowed the thrust tube photo from my Nitro Predator UCAV project and changed just the length dimension to 9.25". Since both applications used 90mm EDFs, the ends of the tube are the same for the desired 86% FSA. I usually cut the tube a little longer and then trim it to where I want it later.

The nacelle cover wasn't a perfect fit but it wasn't bad for this low-cost ARF.

Greg Covey

The Castle Creations ICE 100 ESCs fit nicely on the bottom of the fuselage. By cutting the right size rectangle in the fiberglass, you can pop the ESC into place using the built-in heat sink as a holder. The ESCs protrude just slightly so they can get some cooling air during flight.

I mounted the second nacelle like the first. The covers didn't fit all that well and made me wonder if they were original version 1 parts on version 2 nacelles. Since the new plastic canopy fits great on the fuselage, I would have preferred some better fitting plastic nacelle covers instead of the ill-fitting fiberglass ones. The nacelles fit great against the fuselage and I saw no thrust offset.

It was time to start hooking up the electronics.

Greg Covey

To support all my digital servos and navigation lights, I decided to use the new [link=http://www.castlecreations.com/products/ccbec.html]CC BEC Pro[/link] from Castle Creations. It provides 10-amps continuous current and 20-amps peak on a wide range of supplies from 3s to 12s Lipo. Further, it can be programmed from 4.8v to 12.5v using the CastleLink software and only weighs an ounce. It allowed me to use any of my smaller 3s LiPo packs around 1AH.

The CC BEC Pro fit nicely under the battery tray and connects to my 3s Lipo pack without using a switch. It has two output lines going to servo connectors that can handle up to 5-amps each. This was a perfect mate to my JR R921 9-channel 2.4GHz. receiver that has two battery inputs for redundancy.

I also mounted my EDR-117 LiteSys controller next to my receiver as it was time to mount the strobe light and the gear light. Note that the wires have increased in quantity. I plan to clean them up after my initial checkout of the control surfaces and lighting.

Greg Covey

The two 4s Blue Lipo 4AH packs seemed to fit well in the area provided. In addition to Velcro on the bottom, I used a wide Velcro One-Wrap strap as a safety belt. This strap also helped secure the wires underneath the tray.

The white strobe light was too difficult to mount on top of the vertical stab so I positioned it on top of the fuselage. The very bright flashing strobe can be seen from any direction around the plane. I'll likely save mounting the last white nose gear light until after my taxi testing.

Greg Covey

The plastic canopy was cut out from the mold to fit well on the fuselage. I then epoxied a dowel and block to the canopy front and drilled a mating hole into the fuselage. By using dual hatch latches, one on each side, it held the canopy in place fairly well. The latches were secured with Plasti-Zap after first sanding the contact surfaces.

I found the white hatch latches for sale on the RCU Marketplace for $6 each. Hobby Lobby also sells the [link=http://www.hobby-lobby.com/hatchlatch.htm?pSearchQueryId=634462]HLRE001[/link] for $5 each.

To increase the hold so that the front ends would not flap in the air stream, I created a balsa frame for the front of the canopy. This technique allowed the canopy to be easily removed while keeping it securely in place during flight.

SJN

Looks great.
I have to have one of these some day.

Greg Covey

Thanks, Sonnich.

The bottom hatch opening wasn't quite square so I needed to trim some of the corners on the cover before it would properly screw into place. Since this photo was taken, I marked the CG location on the fuselage bottom at 106mm back from the leading edge. This was 31mm forward of the suggested CG in the manual but proven to be a better choice by Carl Rich.

It was time to focus on changing the color scheme and adding some decals. The stock yellow and red colors were replaced with burgundy and flat black vinyl covering that was purchased from a sign shop. The sticky-back covering was easier to apply without wrinkles than the initial Monokote shrink film I used on the tail.

Since there are several versions of full scale PH-LAB Cessna, I choose to mimic one that allowed me to use most of the supplied decals. By first cutting away the clear sections with a razor knife, the decals apply much easier without wrinkles or bubbles. I had the "Delft University of Technology" decals made special by RCU's Matt Kirsch.

Greg Covey

I took a photo of my near finished Cessna II as I was doing some testing during the weekend's taxi video. It finally looked like a scale model and not a toy!

Greg Covey

I took a photo of my near finished Cessna II as I was doing some testing on the lawn for this weekend's taxi video. It finally looked like a scale model and not a toy!

Greg Covey

The taxi test went very well today. The Cessna Citation seems ready to go. All that remains is to create the air retract control board and cut the thrust tubes shorter.

I'll post a video soon...

photos by "Papa Jeff" Ring

Greg Covey

The initial taxi test on pavement went very well. Although I never went above 1/3 throttle, the Cessna Citation seemed ready to go. All the control surfaces worked smoothly and I powered up each 8s system using my anti-spark 100ohm resistor that had proven successful in several previous projects.

The now majestic looking Cessna Citation II taxied without effort on pavement. My plan is to fly it off a grass field so we will see how much runway is needed when the 4800 watt power system is a full throttle.

All that remains is to create the air retract control board and cut the thrust tubes shorter. I will likely add a few more scale details as this is a very fun part of our hobby!

[link=http://www.gregcovey.com/reviews/Hero100TaxiTest.wmv]Hero 100 Taxi Test Video[/link] (22meg)

photos by "Papa Jeff" Ring

flyboytha1

My Feedback: (30)

I Notice The Hum In The Motors Whe You Throttle Up At The End, Did You Us The Rubber Spacer On The Mounting Blocks, It May Help Kill That Hum Sound But Then Again It Should Go Away Once Airborne And At A Higher Thorttle.

Looks Good Over All .

You Won't Need That Much Of A Distance With The 4800 Watts, I've Only Got 3700 Watts You Should Be Albe To Sit At 3/4 Thorttle Your Intire Flight And Fly Awsome.

Just Flew Mine's Saturday After About 4 Mounths, Almost Lost It On The Landing. Been Playing Around With #2 Still Need To Do The Final Painting On The Fuse And Add Landing Gear And She's Done.

Here's My Video Of Saturday Hope It Give You And Idea Of How Fast The Big Bird Will Take Off Knowing You Have 1200 More Watts Than Me To Work With

[youtube]I Notice The Hum In The Motors Whe You Throttle Up At The End, Did You Us The Rubber Spacer On The Mounting Blocks, It May Help Kill That Hum Sound But Then Again It Should Go Away Once Airborne And At A Higher Thorttle.

Looks Good Over All .

You Won't Need That Much Of A Distance With The 4800 Watts, I've Only Got 3700 Watts You Should Be Albe To Sit At 3/4 Thorttle Your Intire Flight And Fly Awsome.

Just Flew Mine's Saturday After About 4 Mounths, Almost Lost It On The Landing. Been Playing Around With #2 Still Need To Do The Final Painting On The Fuse And Add Landing Gear And She's Done.

Here's My Video Of Saturday Hope It Give You And Idea Of How Fast The Big Bird Will Take Off Knowing You Have 1200 More Watts Than Me To Work With

[youtube]I Notice The Hum In The Motors Whe You Throttle Up At The End, Did You Us The Rubber Spacer On The Mounting Blocks, It May Help Kill That Hum Sound But Then Again It Should Go Away Once Airborne And At A Higher Thorttle.

Looks Good Over All .

You Won't Need That Much Of A Distance With The 4800 Watts, I've Only Got 3700 Watts You Should Be Albe To Sit At 3/4 Thorttle Your Intire Flight And Fly Awsome.

Just Flew Mine's Saturday After About 4 Mounths, Almost Lost It On The Landing. Been Playing Around With #2 Still Need To Do The Final Painting On The Fuse And Add Landing Gear And She's Done.

Here's My Video Of Saturday Hope It Give You And Idea Of How Fast The Big Bird Will Take Off Knowing You Have 1200 More Watts Than Me To Work With

Hero Eagle Number 2

[youtube]I Notice The Hum In The Motors Whe You Throttle Up At The End, Did You Us The Rubber Spacer On The Mounting Blocks, It May Help Kill That Hum Sound But Then Again It Should Go Away Once Airborne And At A Higher Thorttle.

Looks Good Over All .

You Won't Need That Much Of A Distance With The 4800 Watts, I've Only Got 3700 Watts You Should Be Albe To Sit At 3/4 Thorttle Your Intire Flight And Fly Awsome.

Just Flew Mine's Saturday After About 4 Mounths, Almost Lost It On The Landing. Been Playing Around With #2 Still Need To Do The Final Painting On The Fuse And Add Landing Gear And She's Done.

Here's My Video Of Saturday Hope It Give You And Idea Of How Fast The Big Bird Will Take Off Knowing You Have 1200 More Watts Than Me To Work With

[youtubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH1nYcsPNGE][/youtube]

I Notice The Hum In The Motors Whe You Throttle Up At The End, Did You Us The Rubber Spacer On The Mounting Blocks, It May Help Kill That Hum Sound But Then Again It Should Go Away Once Airborne And At A Higher Thorttle.

Looks Good Over All .

You Won't Need That Much Of A Distance With The 4800 Watts, I've Only Got 3700 Watts You Should Be Albe To Sit At 3/4 Thorttle Your Intire Flight And Fly Awsome.

Just Flew Mine's Saturday After About 4 Mounths, Almost Lost It On The Landing. Been Playing Around With #2 Still Need To Do The Final Painting On The Fuse And Add Landing Gear And She's Done.

Here's My Video Of Saturday Hope It Give You And Idea Of How Fast The Big Bird Will Take Off Knowing You Have 1200 More Watts Than Me To Work With.

Hero Eagle #2 Below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH1nYcsPNGE[/youtube]

Greg Covey

Hi Marvin,

I wasn't able to use the rubber pads because there was already too much offset from center using the Lander clamshells. I am expecting the fiberglass resonances to go away at a higher throttle level. I had a similar issue on my Byron A-4 Skyhawk with the e-Turbax power system. Those vibrations seemed to disappear in flight.

I wasn't able to see your video yet. Perhaps YouTube was overloaded last night so I'll try it again soon.

I hope Nitro gets more of these models in stock because they sell out fast!

Thanks.

Greg Covey

The maiden flight of the Cessna Citation was very successful. My CG was about 100mm back from the leading edge and the plane stayed on step from take-off to landing. Pilot, Lynn Bowerman, used full flaps on landing as they tested very well in the air. Flight times look like they will be 7-10 minutes based upon the remaining pack charge. We landed early for safety and will adjust our transmitter timer as we get more flights on it.

There was plenty of power for a grass take-off and the flying laboratory easily cruised around at half throttle. The passengers flew in comfort with the exception of a loop and some 90 degree banked turns. The Cessna is a very stable flying plane. We maintained our private jet altitude and spotted a jumbo jet flying overhead. (see photo)

The navigation lights showed up even in the bright sun. You can see them in a few of the photos.

It's time to make the retracts work. I'll post a video of the first flight soon.

flying photos by "Papa Jeff" Ring

Airframe Inventer

Hi Greg,
Nice work! And Congratulations! I thought I would mention how I was there for the birth of this aircraft. (Literally)
I remember seeing it as a huge CNC shaped hunk of solid wood (Plug) on a table in the factory about 5 months before they closed up.
This was in Yi Chang China, not far from Wuhan where my factory is located.
This model was designed by Mr. Zhang, a very good friend of mine and a good man.
We met for meals often and discussed designs. I never got him to make the F-35 I thought would be a good seller.
Maybe it's a good thing as it too, may have ended up as a $200 ARF, Hehe.
After designing many of the fiberglass/Wood models that Nitroplanes sold, I believe that the HERO DF100 was one of his last.
He went on to form his own model selling company named "HERO Models", about 15 months ago.
I have not heard too much since then and since I returned back to America in July of 2009.
I saw your article here and thought I would chime in to share my experiences with is airplane.
I actually tossed about 10 leftoverfuselagesand many parts, canopies and nacelles that were laying around my factory.
I guess you can say I was there everyday to see the "Sausage being made".
Thank you all for your time. Richard

Greg Covey

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the history re-cap. This line of low-cost fiberglass/wood jets has introduced many R/Cers to larger EDF power systems...without breaking the bank! Our assumptions are that some of these models were made in different factories in China and that they were hit hard by the global recession. The only resurgence has been a stock of Starfires sold on eBay and the RCU Marketplace.

Too bad you didn't keep those loose parts in your factory cleanup. I'll bet there is a market for Hero spares these days.

Regards.