JT Hammer

The pilot is me, and the good looking co-pilot is my sweetheart (wife). That beautiful Saito .30 looks a tad large, but I'll live with it!

JT

JT Hammer

I sprayed the L.G. with gold paint and protected it with diamond varathane. This stuff is crystal clear and fuel proof. The maple leaf? Well, this Champ was born north of the border, so...!

JT

JT Hammer

Another 'frontal' shot. 'Golden Oldie' - because it is!

JT

JT Hammer

The rc installation was easy. I managed to put the 3 Hitec 225's side by side which left plenty of room for everything else. The battery didn't have to go up front which also simplified thing. I tucked everything up with a piece of foam which holds all in place.

I want to thank you fellows for all your encouragement, help and suggestions - Bob, Bill, Skylark, Augie (and anyone I've forgotten at this moment). This project progressed better because of this, and was more enjoyable!

I will post the results of the maiden flight with photos when that happens. It's minus 12 degrees c. here at the moment. I will likely do that in a new post. Look for something like -Maiden flight of Early RC Models Debolt Champ, but still in the same forum.

JT (Terry)

ps: for some reason the photo of the piece of foam holding everything in place disappeared. I cut a piece of grey foam, approx. 7" X 3" and placed it on top of the battery/rec., and held it in place with rubber bands (very neat looking).

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Now your Champ is quite "Purty!!" That golden Saito is something else. The color scheme will make her easy to see when you go full throttle and she takes off like a F15!!!!
Great job JT. We will try to send you some of our 80 degree weather up your way so you can go fly!!!!

Bob Harris

JT Hammer

Thanks Bob! That lil' Saito .30 may not be quite the power house as one might think. From what I've read about it, it puts out about the equivalent of a .20 2-stroke. Bur I guess a good .20 2-stroke would make her boogie, too. Time will tell. I'm looking at 6 weeks before our field is usable.

JT

JT Hammer

By the way, the rinky dinky pilot/copilot is coming out! Just stuck em in there for a chuckle. The windshield comes off in a snap so it's easy.

JT

JT Hammer

Hey Bob - finally got to hear the putt putt of that gold Saito. Started right up, first flip and ran great, even rich! However, not being used to a four stroke, the throttle arm is reversed compared to 2 stroke engines. So when it started it was on full throttle (which kind of startled me!). So I reversed the movement of the servo and everything became normal. I'm still waiting for some of that 80 degree temperature you were going to send up here. Probably have to wait till July. Oh well!

JT

fizzwater2

My Feedback: (61)

I kinda like the pilot / copilot. It's all about fun, isn't it?

skylark-flier

JT - Fabulous job!! That's a plane to be proud of - truly. I like the looks of that Saito up front. Very rich and elegant. I'm sure the sound is just exactly that too - precisely what a lady like this should have.

Geez man, the whole ship is rich and elegant - really nice job. Y'know what? I'd leave the pics in her. They kinda add to her classiness and they're very very original and unique.

Now, ignore the cold, install the skis that she needs right now, and go fly your lady!!

(yeah, right - I spent enough time in Alaska and upstate New York <Syracuse>, I understand cold)

Seriously, there isn't a thing I don't like about your Champ - she's absolutely beautiful, including the signature on the LG. Can't wait for the maiden lift-off.

Well done man, well done indeed.

Dave

billmod12

My Feedback: (1)

J T, Plum Beautiful!!!!! Excellent Job!!! I agree with Skylark, time for skies on the Champ!!

JT Hammer

Appreciate your comments guys! And ya, I can't (hardly) wait for the 'maiden' either. It was sure nice to hear the little Saito run though. I mentioned above somewhere that the throttle movement was backwards. Dummy me! I had switched the lever on the carb from on the bottom to on the top (straight up) so my linkage coming through the firewall would match up tp it. So this would reverse the throttle action. Oh well!

JT

sebo

Were the rudder throws the same for inverted flight as for normal upright flight?
For me they were and I got good enough to circle the field inverted....
I really would appreciat a reply for this one.....I am getting ready to build another one and I bet a friend that the controls were the same....left is left and right is right both in regular and inverted flight.........Thanks, Ron

skylark-flier

Hey Ron! When you're inverted your elevators and rudder deflection directions have the opposite effect (up is down, left is right), aileron and throttle are the same.

Dave

sebo

Thanks for the reply, Dave......did you fly your champ upside down? Or are you speaking from logic as my fellow fliers are doing? Logic won't do it with this plane.
I'm looking for someone who has done it as I have....Let me know if you are that person....cordially, Ron

skylark-flier

Yeah, my Champ was originally built (not by me) with ailerons - which were nearly totally ineffective due to wing dihedral. Once I removed them (a very smart move) I continued working with getting the inverted flight right - - took awhile before I could actually put her "where" and "how" I wanted in inverted flight. Now-days, I just flip her over and fly her on her head without even thinking about it. This summer I flew her enough inverted that I've become comfy with inverted low passes - 3-4 feet off the ground - and she does just fine.

Dave

sebo

Which direction for the rudder when inverted?

skylark-flier

Rudder reverses when inverted - left is right, right is left.
Same for elevator - up is down, down is up.

For me, inverted flight in RC was easy to learn - I've been flying CL since I was 7 (just a few years, LOL) and in CL aerobatic fliers learn really early to think of the plane in somewhat different terms. RC fliers think "up" and "down", CL (aerobatic) fliers think more like "top" and "bottom". That thinking takes care of keeping the plane from nosing into the ground, getting the (rudder) direction reversal straight took a bit more time though.

sebo

Mine didn't work that way.....left was left and right was right either inverted or right side up................
I wondered why at the time and got a written answer but discarded it..........It has something to do with the flat bottomed airfoil and the wing dihedral when inverted...the air flow somehow crosses the rudder backwards.......
I'm going to find someone who experienced the same thing as me.....thanks for your input..........Ron

buzzard bait

Ron, I flew my Champ inverted several times, many years ago, and I do remember that inverted, right was right and left was left, just as you said, and I'm pretty sure I know why. It's because of the dihedral.

Picture it from the rear, in flight, inverted. Give right rudder. If you could see the rudder, you would see it go left. But because dihedral is anhedral when inverted, the pressure under the right wing is reduced and the pressure under the left wing is increased, just the opposite of what would happen with dihedral.

That means that when inverted, giving right rudder will cause the plane to bank to the right, so right rudder still gives a right turn.

sebo

Thank you, buzzard bait..........That is what I was wanting to hear.....And a special thanks for the explaination......Thank you, Friend.............Ron

By the way, that is a nice looking plane......I sold mine after flying it for 4 years.......wish I would have kept it.

Again, Thanks............................

buzzard bait

You're very welcome, and thanks for the compliment. I liked that plane a lot, and it was very light....a little under 3 pounds with radio and engine (OS .15 FP). It's up in the attic. It was the plane that taught me not to make fuel tanks inaccessible. Someday maybe I'll refurbish it.

Jim

HighPlains

My Feedback: (1)

Typically when inverted dihedral makes the model turn to the left with left control, BUT some designs change the direction they turn based on the angle of attack when inverted. I think that when flying slow, the tail is hanging farther down, so the rudder is able to overcome the dihedral effect. It was the in-between speed that was interesting since you didn't know which way it would turn.

sebo

Never had that issue but maybe it was because I was flying it wide open with a Fox 36................

rrengineer

My Feedback: (3)

I have one of these kits still in the box. How does an O.S. .20 four stroke sound? I have two of these motors that have been begging to fly for the past several years.
Mike