mightyhorn

Greetings:
1) I inherited my Dad's Sultan, a Jerry Nelson design. As most of the planes of the day, it had quite a bit of dihedral. Is there a way to reduce this without completely re-building the wing? I don't plan on flying this plane soon but would need to know later.
2) When looking at the plans for the Ascender (Dale Root) the dehedral is also quite extreme. What should it be converted to, so I would be on the safe side?
3) Last: Since the models of today use servos and other equipment that is WAY lighter, should I reduce the engine size from spec? The Sultan already has a Super Tigre 56. The Ascender spec is a K&B 45.

Please send responses to this forum or [email protected]

Thanks!

ukengineman

I would leave the dihedral exactly as it is. These are classic models with lots of character which will be lost if you change the dihedral. I assume you will be using these as sport flying models and you will not find the dihedral has much adverse effect when inverted or performing outside loops. I would also use the original engines, these are low powered compared with modern engines of the same capacity and you will not find the models are over powered with the lower weight.
Alan

Michaelj2k

1) Dihedral in early pattern airplanes was incorporated due to the (un)reliability of early radios. Dihedral equaled stability and made them easier to fly. The Sultan is a good performer as designed. Frankly, if you want lower dihedral, it is easier to build a new wing.
2) Same goes for the Ascender.
3) At the time, these airplanes needed all the power they could get. If you want to change engines, I would recommend the OS .55 which is more than enough. Even a good .45 will be adequate. Anything larger will overpower the airplane. Regarding the K&B .45, I assume that it is a green head? There are no parts to rebuild the engine so I would go for the engine change. The same holds true for the ST .56.

Am I correct in assuming that they are built with Ambroid or a similar glue? If so, I would be gentle with them.

FMI: The Vintage RC Society web page at http://www.vintagercsociety.org. We also have a Yahoo discussion group where you can talk about what you have.

mightyhorn

I understand about the dihedral and engines. You mention Ambroid glue. All I know was that glue was glue. Are referring to how the elevators/rudder/ailerons were held on using nylon hinges & glue? The Sultan still feels well put together. If I can build the Ascender, I will use all modern glue, hinges & radio. I just mentioned the K&B 45 because I have one from my dad's Ascender. I know they're now gone. Thanks everyone for the advice.
mightyhorn

bogbeagle

I've altered dihedral on a couple of wings.

I took a saw and cut through the centre -section, leaving the lower skin intact. Then, I "opened up" the wings to the desired angle and filled in the gaps with balsa. Lastly, I applied a glass bandage to each centre-section ... taking care to preserve the angular relationship between the panels, such that the tips have the same amount of wash-out.

Takes a couple of hours to do the job ... maybe less.

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Never thought about just cutting the top of the wing. That's a great idea!! I have cut a few in half over the years and rebuilt the center section, but it's not a few hours work.

Good tip Bogbeagle!

David