Corsair3660

I recently purchased a half built SE5a. It is the version that was sold by Hobby Hangar. Ive been searching but there isnt much out there on this plane. I got a Saito 56 along with the plane and hope to start on it soon. If anyone has pics or tips Id appreciate any input.

mgnostic

Throw up a photo of what you have so far. It will help people to know what advice to give. The plans are available on Outerzone as is a build article from Model Airplane news.

Corsair3660

Here is what I have so far. Ive already downloaded the plans and the article from outerzone. I need to figure out what size to print them, so I can use the guide for the upper wing mount.

mgnostic

I would take the plans to your local blueprint shop and have them printed at 100% size. The local office supply place such as FedexKinkos can also do it but blue print places are often much cheaper and the people who work there actually know what they are doing.
Other than some hanger rash on the lower wing it looks to be in pretty good condition. Do you have all of your hardware?

Corsair3660

As far as I know most of the hardware is there. I have the wire struts for the gear and the top wing mount. Not sure if the kit came with hardware for the elevator or rudder but that is easy enough to get.

I’ve read quite a few posts about incidence for the wings and elevator. Does anyone know what works best for this plane? I think I saw something in the instructions but real world experience is always better.

mgnostic

The article mentions sticking close to the thrustline indicated on the plans. The plans indicate right thrust but no down thrust on the engine. Uravitch is a pretty well regarded designer. I've built one of his delta wings and it was a great flier. As such I would stick with things as indicated on the plans. Most of the stuff that I see about incidence angles pertains to the BUSA airplanes, in particular the Fokkers. As a rule WWI planes make a lot of lift and want to zoom climb at full throttle. I've had several WWI planes and they were all happiest at 1/2 to 2/3 throttle. I would expect the Se5a to be much the same.

foodstick

On BUSA kits, typically you set the bottom wing at zero, then the top wing is +1 to 2 degrees (slightly higher in front than back), then the tail is typically best around 3-4 degrees on a busa. But if you want to make it the best way.. make the stab/elevator bolt on so you can shim and trim it..

By the way I think I saw one of these enlarged to 1/4 scale fly once, It was awesome...Uravitch really made some nice flying designs..

Corsair3660

Getting ready to start on this plane and I’ve got a servo question. The instructions show a single aileron servo. Do you think I’d be ok if I used a Hitec Hs81 in each side of the wing?

mgnostic

I would suggest the HS 82mg or HS85MG. The recommendation is not so much for more torque (A few more ounces of torque won't hurt though) but for the more robust gear train in the same size package. The HS81 has enough torque to move the ailerons but it is pretty easy to strip the gears just by handling the wing. I would measure the thickness of the wing and if there was enough room I would even go with an HS225 if it will fit. Alternatively, everybody poops on bell cranks these days but they aren't that bad if they are well built. The trick is to assemble the linkage with ball links throughout to prevent (well minimize) any slop. The SE5a is never going to be a pattern plane and a lot of your roll input is going to involve the rudder.

Corsair3660

We’ll this plane has been sitting for a while but it’s finally at the top of the finish it list. Last weekend I got the firewall mounted, lower wing mount drilled and tapped, lower wing repaired, ailerons cut from the wing, upper wing struts installed and the braces soldered on and the engine mounted and the cowl cut. Hopefully this weekend I can get the upper wing mounted and get the servos and linkage set up and maybe even get the landing gear struts installed to see how it’s going to look

Corsair3660

It’s been a while but I finally finished this plane a few weeks ago. The first try at a maiden didn’t go so well because the Saito would only run at about 3/4 throttle, any higher or lower and it would quit. I messed with it for a while and gave up. The second try went much better. I swapped the Saito for a Magnum .52 that was on my trainer. The maiden flight was great and required very little trimming. One of the upper wing bolts fell out so I only got one flight in. The second time I took it out was flawless, almost. The flight went well no issues with how the plane flew and the landing even looked like I knew what I was doing. I taxied back to the stand and shut the plane down. I set the plane up on one of our run up stands and decided it was a little too windy for this plane so I was going to fly something bigger. As I was refueling the other plane a gust of wind grabbed the SE5 and flipped it over onto the ground. Now it’s back the the shop to fix a hole in the top of the wing and figure out how bad the bottom is because it pushed one of the struts up into the wing 1/8 inch. Hopefully I won’t have to cut the whole bottom of the wing out to repair the mounting block. ​​​​​​​

Corsair3660

Ignore the 3 blade prop. It was on the trainer and I didn’t bother to swap it out for the maiden. I have a wood prop to replace it with