TomcatDriver

G'day,
I just went to the tower site to order a Patriot and noticed it says it has been discontinued,..is this the case??? ?????

Thnaks
JJ[]

buzzingb

My Feedback: (2)

If that is the way it is going to be then I say forget Great Planes. The plane is too slow anyway and way too heavy and big. Lets start building our own because we all know what it takes to get the speed we want and need. Are you with me?

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Yup. I'm glad I got one just before they got gone.

busarider29

My Feedback: (4)

I just purchased a used Patriot 40 off of Ebay a few weeks ago and put it in the air for the first time today. I was very disappointed at the lack of speed. I was anticipating this thing screaming across the field but didn't really fly any faster than some other sport planes that I have. It takes the entire runway to get it off the ground. As a matter of fact, my Hobbico Sukhoi w/ O.S. 91 flies faster than my Patriot w/ Magnum .46 XL. Does anyone have any advice on getting this thing to scoot? I'm running a 10x6 nylon Master Airscrew prop at about 12000-13000 Rpm.

js3

My Feedback: (3)

Adding a tuned exhaust will give you as much as 20% more power. Also, you need more pitch and less dia on the prop. The 10 inch prop is holding you back. Try a 9X7 or 9X8. Maybe even a 9X9 if your motor (and pipe) will turn it.

I don't know much about Magnum engines but my impression is that they are a good, AVERAGE motor. Put a YS .45, pipe, and the props I've mentioned above and you should get at least 120 mph out of it. One time I was able to get mine up to 137 mph (speed trap setup and downwind) with this rig. Now that I think about it, I was using a 10X9 APC prop turning about 15.5 to 16k. I never got around to trying the 9" props. This was before I knew about the relationship between pitch and speed.

Another thought, you don't mention if your Pat has retracts or not. Retracts are a must for speed. To paraphrase something a contributor to the aero forum once told me, "fast airplanes don't leave their toes hanging out in the breeze."

Good luck!

AlexF

Is 13000 on a 10x6 not a bit sluggish for a .46? I thought the master airscrew 10x6 was supposed to be on the light side too. Maybe something is wrong with your engine. If you're happy with the engine, props to try could be 9x7, 9x6, 8x8, or 8x9. You get to decide if you're comfortable running your engine at whatever rpms those turn; I think they're all lighter than 10x6. Of course there's the old tradeoff where large diameter and low pitch gives vertical and acceleration, but the other way around gives more speed, to a point. (If you go to far with the small/high pitch thing, it'll just be a dog. been there )

I've had the feeling that APCs performed a lot better than master airscrew in general. Watching the MAs bend as you rev your engine up doesn't give me the warm fuzzies about them [:-]

The ol' "mathematical" speed for 6 pitch at 13000 is 74mph, which doesn't mean you aren't going faster than that, but does mean you'd be unlikely to see more that 100 or so level on any airframe with that engine+prop.

Razor-RCU

My Feedback: (50)

I replied on the other thread but concur with above...

Jett-50, 9x9APC, Spring-Air retracts [X(]

busarider29

My Feedback: (4)

Thanks guys. No, unfortuneately my Patriot was built without the retracts. As for the engine being sluggish at 13000, I got more rpm's out of it yesterday but I ended up burning up a glow plug in flight and had to land it dead stick. Luckily I was on the downwind leg when it flamed out. I richened it up and 13000 is about as far as I can go with it before it gets too lean. I will try a smaller diameter prop and try an APC.
I've also got a Great Planes F-14 that is framed up and that DOES have retracts in it. Anybody have any experience with that airplane or seen it fly. What would be a good engine/pipe/prop combination to give me the most speed?
Thanks,
Don

js3

My Feedback: (3)

No retracts. That's what is holding your Pat back, not the motor although an upgrade in the power-plant to something like the YS or Jett .50 would certainly help you achieve more speed.

Are the gear legs 5/32" wire? If so, you could add balsa or spruce fairings to the legs so that it has an airfoil cross section. I think K&S sells airfoil-shaped hollow aluminum that would also work for this. Maybe try smaller wheels or the racing wheels that we use on quickies (Q500s) and Q40s though if you're flying off of grass maybe you don't have this option. Want to lessen the drag of the wheels? Add wheel pants. I know that is sacrilege for a prop jet airplane.

You also need to realize that the Patriot really is more of a sport plane than a speed plane. It is more closely related to the pattern type airplanes of the 1980s (like the Phoenix series, Tipo, EU1) than to a true speed plane. Spending a lot of cash trying to make the Patriot really fast is about like tricking out a Ford Pinto. If you really want performance, you'll ride a different horse.

Don't get me wrong; I like the Patriot and had a lot of fun flying it. But you should have realistic expectations.

oneflyrn

I read all of the posts and all had good advice. One huge thing missing though.... what percentage of nitro are you running? With a 10 X 7 prop, my YS turns 13,700 with 5%, 14,700 with 15%, and 15,200 with 20%.

oneflyrn

smitty9969

My Feedback: (7)

Just ran my Patriot and the forum is right. It's not a speed plane.. Tracks excellent and looks good in the air, but no speed.. I'm thinkin of cutting some foam wings to take out the washout and thickness of the wing. I'm thinkin thats the problem. Fuselage looks pretty clean. I didnt install the inlets..

Smitty

Hoghead385

My Feedback: (1)

TomcatDriver, I have an extra kit if you need on. Shoot me an email if you are interested. I bought an extra one when I purchased my kit. Thanks, Hoghead385