Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Hello every one!

This will be the build thread for my new 50cc Yak 54 kit that I will be offering through Greg at Charlotte Aircraft Modeling. This will be the place to see the build sequence, ask questions and post your thought on the plane. We are currently working on getting another plane in the air that has the latest updates from my original design. That plane should be flying in a week or so. I will be cutting a new plane and will do a full build on this thread with pictures of all the steps. Once the build is complete we will probably put all that info into a PDF file that you can down load. We are hopeing to have the plane ready to take orders in November with deliveries starting in December. We are starting to get some early interest and some pre orders. Since we will be doing all the cutting localy in the Charlotte, NC area you won't have to wait for the next "container to leave China or get through customs". We will be offering the plane with either unsheeted foam cores or with the core sheeted. All the sheeted parts will be vaccume bagged and sheeted with contest grade balsa. I am flying the prototype now and all I can say is wow!!!! Everyone that has flown it has said that it was the best flying 50cc plane they have ever had their hands on.

Here are some specs.

87" wing span
1420 sq" of wing area.
DA 50 with Bisson Pits muffler
2 2000mha NimH for radio on board
1 1100 mha Nicad for ignition.
24 oz fuel tank
Carbon wing tube, stab tube and gear.
ht5985 ele and ail
ht5955 rudder
ht5245 throttle

Flying wieght is 16 lbs 6oz dry.

Here are some pictures of the prototype.

Fly Hard!!

Brent

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Looks very nice. How much will it cost?

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

We are still working on the pricing. It should be competative with other 50cc size planes. We will know more once we figure out how many we can cut from a 4x8 sheet of light ply. We are also talking to suppliers to see if we can get a discount on materials.

Brent

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

We flew the yak at our giant scale flyin over the weekend. Brian Hanna was there and was kind enough to do a little flying with the yak. Here is a link to the 10min video of his second flight with the plane. It was kind of a last minute idea to shoot some video with a hand held digital camera. Some of it is kind of hard to see but other parts show what the plane can do. Brian said that the plane flew great. I just had the DA 50 in the plane rebuilt with a new ring so it is running a little rich with about 50oz. of fuel through it so far. The prop is a 22B Vess.

I had 3 guys order planes at the event after seeing it fly. The flights Brian made were with the cg moved forward from my original postion. The plane does not need to be set up tail heavy at all. I moved the cg forward about 1/2" from the original balance point. I have made a couple of small change to the plane and the next one that has the changes incorporated into it is almost ready to fly. It should be up in the air next weekend. Once I am satisfied with the changes we will be cutting the first kit and will post the build sequence. That plane will also help determine the price. Keep checking in for updates and post any questions or coments.

http://www.charlotteaircraftmodeling...sandplans.html


Brent

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Brent,

I put an updated movie on the website to help with the viewing.

Greg

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Greg

Thanks, that looks a lot better. We can see what the plane is doing. It still is nothing like seeing it in person. The plane was flown with no mixing. I have been working on designing out the roll and pitch coupling so no or very little mixing would be needed. Brian looked a little suprised when I first told him that there was no mixing in the plane. After flying the plane he agreed with me that it would probably only need 1%-2% to remove what little coupling it has. Also the video was shot with no spoilerons. The way it locks into a harrier is just the way it flies.

Brent

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Sweet man. Watching for info on kit

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

We flew the next plane with the stab incidence change made. The plane flies better than my first version. This plane was also sheeted with standard weight 1/16" balsa instead of contest grade. It also had the new cowl that is a little heavier than the cowl I layed up. It still needs to have a second battery pack added for onboard equipment. Running a stock DA50 muffler the weight came in at 16 lbs 3 oz. As near as I can figure the contest grade balsa only saves about 4 oz and costs more than double. It looks like we will be using standard weight balsa for the kits unless some one wants to pay the additional cost for contest grade.

The first flight was great. It took 2 clicks up, 1 click of right ail and 1 click of right rudder to trim. We also have found the cg position that the plane likes. 1 1/4" ahead of the wing tube. With the horizontal stab change the plane KE even better than the first version. The plane pulls very, VERY slightly to the canopy. It was only necessary to breath on the elevator to correct the pitch coupling. Roll coupling was also almost nonexistant. With the plane rolled up completely verticle it took almost no ail. correction. Probably 1-2% of mixing would be all that is needed for hands off KE.

The plane lands like a trainer. Set the throttle to establish a gentle sink rate and the plane all but lands itself. The plane has no, I repeat NO bad habits. I have around 20 flights on the prototype and the plane has yet to do anything unexpected. One thing that is very nice is how little coupling there is in a KE loop.

This plane will probably end up costing a little more than some arf's after you cover it and get it all set up. You just can't compete with the Chinese on cost, can't do it, not going to try. If you are looking for a very high quality American Made kit that you can take pride in building and covering your self, this is a plane for you. One more thing I like about the plane is the durability. Most of the arf out there are built very light and have had to sacrafice striength and durability. This plane has the durability of a Carden with out the weight. I had a problem during one of the eary flights and ended up doing a tree landing. When I got to the plane the last broken branch was about 10-12 feet up. The plane dropped at least that far and landed upright on the landing gear. The motor box was completely intacked with only a couple of small cracks in the wood where the main gear bolts to the fuse sides and the bottom gear plate. There was no damage to the rest of the fuse. The plane is tough and light.

I will have some pictures of the updated plane tomorrow.

Stay tuned for the kit pricing and the build photo's and write up.

Brent

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Here are the pictures of the updated yak that we flew on Saturday.

Brent

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

I am almost done with the final cut sheets. Just have to draw up the built up turtle deck and then it's off to Greg to start cutting.

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Are we getting close to a release date and price? This one definitely has me curious.

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

We are getting closer! Greg is working on getting the laser speed up. We cut the built up turtle deck and hatch. I just finished putting the parts together on a yak that I am building for my dad. Every thing fits great. We are putting version 2 through it's paces and are very happy with the results. Be patient we want to make sure that every thing is just right. We are trying to build a very high quality plane that you are sure to love!

Brent

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

If 3 guys ordered planes........how much did they pay for them?[8D]

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Price, Price, Price..........Get us a price so we can throw down on one.

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

One of the planes is for my dad, no charge happy birthday marry Christmas, you know the story. Another guy is in OK that is doing a write up on the plane. That has been put on hold because he took a job with a RC compaby in Japan. That plane was for a significantly reduced amount. I sold one to a hobby shop in OH ready to cover. That is the last one I will ever do that way. I lost my but on the time. Long story short the planes that have gone out so far have been either promotion, gifts or prototypes.

I may have misunderstood the question.


The 3 guys that have ordered planes are also still waiting on a price. They are local guys that have seen the plane fly and have flown the prototype.

Brent

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Hey all,

Here is the price. $525 + freight, with sheeted foam stab, rudder and wings. The kit will include all the laser cut pars and foam surfaces. Hand layed fiberglass cowl, Canopy and control horns for the surfaces. The plane will be sheeted with 3/32" balsa unless other wise requested. We can sheet it with 1/16" if it is requested. Our only concern with the 1/16" is that people will sand through. You have to be very carefull with the thin stuff. The price will be lower if you want to do your own sheeting. We wanted to include all the carbon fiber parts but that just adds a lot of cost to the kit. Greg will have a parts list on the Charlotte Aircraft Modeling site. I know this is a lot of money for a 50cc size plane. A big part of the cost is the labor involved in cutting, sheeting and vacume bagging all the foam parts. I do know once you build and fly the plane you will not be disappointed. We have cut the first kit and will be doing the build sequence starting this weekend. It will take you through building the fuse, we will show our foam cutting and sheeting process if you want to sheet your own. We will be showing the build to the ready to cover stage. I have tried a couple of different C.G.'s with the plane and have found where I think it flies best. We will be recomended set-up and c.g. locations.

Greg is has ordered the first 6 cowls and will be taking orders starting in october. We are planning on cutting planes and wings very soon. We are shooting for a December delivery in time for Christmas. Check his site to order your plane.

Brent

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

We got started on the build sequence this weekend. I am not the best writer but I guess I will give it a go. Here is how I build the plane.

We are still working on how we are going to package every thing. It looks like we will ship all the ply parts already removed from the cut sheets. This will save time and weight for shipping.

1. locate the 4 sections of the fuselage sides. They are the left and right front and rear sections. Each side is interlocked diferently so it can only be assembled one way. Also locate the 4 fuse top and bottom sections. These also can only be assembled one way.

Note on glue.
I use primarly tight bond or urithane for my fuse assembly. Epoxy for the fire wall and gear or other high load areas. The fuse can be assembled with CA. I use the other glue because if you need to do a repair it is easier to do if the repair area is not saturated with CA.


When you glue the fuse sided I use a straight edge to make sure they are perfectly straight.

Glue together the top and bottom sections of the fuse. If you are using wood glue it is very important to wipe away any excess glue. You can add a lot of extra weight by using too much glue and not wiping the excess. With the seams glued I weigh down the fuse parts to keep every thing flat while the glue dries.

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Next attach the doublers to the fuse sides. Use a peice of the wingtube socket to align the wing tube doublers on the fuse side. Align the wingtube doubler so that it is flush with the top and bottom of the fuse side. Be sure that you are attaching the doublers to the inside of the fuselage. On all the fuse parts the engraved part name goes on the out side.

Each fuse side gets 3 round doublers with a 1/4" hole for the rotation pins and the wing bolt. I use a dowl or a drill bit to index the doubler over the 1/4" hole in the fuse side.

Next is the horizontal stab mount. You will notice that the stab is countersunk into the fuse. This makes the whole perimeter of the stap help keep it from rotating. Locate the stab doubler. The part is about 1/4" bigger than the root of the stab and has an engraved line the shape of the stab root. Apply a bead of glue out side the engraved line all the way around the stab doubler. Slide the doubler inplace and use the engraved line to help aligne the part under the stab cut out. Drop the stab root cap into the hole and use a peice of 1/2" stab socket to align the doubler. Once you are happy with the doubler location remove the root cap and wipe away any excess glue. Weigh down the fuse over the doubler and let the glue dry.

It is necessary to trim off the tab that extends into the pull pull slot. This is something that I will be changing in future kits.

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Once you have all the doublers glued inplace I like to add a bead of thick CA followed by a shot of kicker around the doublers. This gives a nice fillet of glue to help insure that the parts will not loosen up under extreme G loading.

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

With the fuse top and sides glued together it is time to assemble the fuselage.

Place the fuse bottom on the work bench engraved side down. Dry install the fuse sides in to the fuse bottom. Insert the interlocking tabs on the side into the slots on the bottom back to where the fuse bottom starts to taper. Lean the 2 fuse sides towards each other. This allows you to slip the round front cowl former over the fuse sides. Be sure that the top of the cowl ring is up. The cowl ring will only lock into one position one way on the fuse sides. Check the fit and mark the fuse sides with a pencil on each side of the ring. This will show you where to glue. Add the glue to the sides and slide the ring back into position.

Dry install the throttle and choke servo tray and the glue in the switch mount. Clamp the cowl ring and fuse sides together while the glue dries. This will help keep the sides and cowl inplace while you work on the rest of the fuse. There are 2 different throttle servo mounts included in the kit. The one shown in the pictures is what I used in my plane. That one is set up for a HS5245MG on the throttle and a HS81MG on the choke. The other tray has 3 bays for standard servos. You can choose which servo mount to use depending on your choice of servos and the motor you will be using.

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Install the fuse formers back to where the fuse starts to taper. All the fuse formers have a whole at the top for the servo leads to run through and a small whole at the bottom for a small tube to hold the receiver antanna. Apply glue to the sides of the first 3 formers and install them in the fuselage. The front square former has only 1 tab on the top and bottom. The next 2 have 2 tabs on the top and one on the bottom. Make sure that you look at the slots in the top and bottom of the fuse to determine that you have the former in the correct position.

Run a bead of glue on the top of the fuselage sides from the front to the point that the fuselage starts to taper(F4). Install the fuse top and use clamps and tape to hold it in place. Wiegh down the fuse and allow the glue to dry. This sounds like a lot of steps but most of is is common sense if you have built a few planes. I can build the whole fuselage in about 2 hours. Let me rephrase that, I can frame up the fuse in 2 hours. There is a fair bit of small detail work to do also. The plane really assembles easy.

Next I will be finishing up the rear of the fuse and then we will be flipping it over and glueing on the bottom.

Here are a couple of picture of the foam cutting process and the first set of wings for the kit. Future foam parts will probably be cnc cut. We don't have every thing set up to do that yet.

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

I have some questions.

This would be my first airplane build from a kit, I have quite a bit of experience repairing my ARF's but not building, so I just don't know much.

Which parts do I need? Looks to me like I need BGYAW54-1,CAM BGYAK54 and the various tubes,gear etc...

Do I have to cut the ailerons and elevators myself?

I look forward to the rest of your build thread as I will need a lot of help. I've been looking for a yak for my next 50cc plane (to replace my H9 extra 260 27%)

Scott

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

Scott

You are correct. Those parts get you the sheeted wings, stab and rudder as well as all the laser cut parts for the fuse, a canpy and cowl. With the kit you will also be getting the rest of the sheeting and balsa for the hinge lines.

You will need to cut out the ail, elevators and rudder form the sheeted foam parts. I will be showing how to do that later in the build thread. We usually cut out the surfaces with a band saw. It can also be done very easly with a razor knife. I will also be showing my method for drilling the hinge line before you bevel the surfaces. This insures that the hinges line up perfectly and are exactly on center. This is a very easy kit to build and I am always availabel to answer questions.

I hope that you get one for this winter building season. It is fun to build and a total kick in the a@@ to fly!

Brent

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

OOPS!

Had a small accident this weekend with the plane. I was making some harrier passes down the runway right on the deck. At the end of the pass I would climb out to about 12-15 feet spin it around and drop it back down for the next pass. Well I was doing the down wind turn and did not time my throttle right. I was a little slow with it and got the tail down right at the ground. The tail hit hard and then it slamed the nose to the ground. It smacked the ground pretty hard the guys watching all let out a groan when they saw it hit.

This is a testament to how strong the plane is. Here are the pictures of the damage. I forgot to take one of the cowl. It got a couple of cracks when it got pushed up. With the cowl pused up it looked like there was damage to the fire wall but there was no damage. Main gear got almost snaped off on one side and the other got delaminated when it got twisted back. No damage to the fuse or the gear mounting. The wood prop exploded on impact. I think I like the wood props they take up a lot of the energy on impact.

RE: Brent Good Custom Airframes 50cc Yak 54
 

I just got the work from Greg at CAM. His site is up and ready to start taking orders.

Here is the link.

http://www.charlotteaircraftmodeling...sandplans.html