Guys
I plan to fully sheet my GP CAP, is it worth glassing it ?

andy

Sounds like you want it real heavy. Are you trying to build a plane for speed trials, or display? This plane needs to be less than 5 lbs RTF. If you sheet it with 1/32 and glass it with 1/4 oz it may be light enough. If you don't glass it, I don't see any reason to sheet it. Is it for asthetics only?

more for durability than anything else.

andy

No....
Too heavy...
Mine is powered by a .61 MVVS incowl muffler
with one servo for ailerons and on board glow
and still have marginal vertical performance....
It is covered totally with monocote, make sure
that you beef up the landing gear..!
Cheers
Hisham.

Mine has come out a little over 6lb stock with a Saito 91. Wish I had paid attention to making it lighter, not heavier.

I covered mine with monokote and it weighs 4.5 lbs. Monokote is also really easy for repairing.

In the second landing the undecarriage snaped. I put a 5mm plywood instead and now it's unbreakable.

B.S. it would never come out at 4.5 lbs what the hell did u do to it to get it down there!!!!

Josh

haven't wieght mine yet, but it's lighter than the gp .40 extra.

like firebolt said...i don't think them big cut out holes at the front
of the fuselage is such a hot idea. i did re inforce , but i think i'll
keep those pieces in the next time i build 1 of these again.

without Eq/ engine it would around 4.5lb ..?

If you sheet it you might want to glass it. Get a custom paint job on it. Dang that would be sweet. Put something with some ponies up front. Cafeen man has a site that has directions on how to glass. I wouldn't sheet just for strength. If you crash it doesn't matter if it's reinforced the nth degree.

U guys are nutz do u want it too weigh 3,000 lbs geeze

Josh

This plane needs to be light not a lead weight!!!!!! Oh my god if u glass it and paint it it would weigh like 7-8 lb holy crap!!!!!! Mine only wieghs 6 even with lightened stuff, bigger holes in fuse, no balsa blocks, no sheeted canopy area, no sheeted wing tips mini receiver, and mini throttle servo!!! Geeze guy if u wanted to glass a plane buy a foam combat plane!!!!

Josh

Unfortunately as long as Great Planes continues to over engineer and use 12 lb balsa stock weight will always continue to be a problem with their kits. Love their designs but you really do have to re-engineer all of them to get rid of the fat

My stupid [link=http://aeroplano.home.comcast.net/cap232/cap232.htm]Great Planes CAP 232 [/link] came in at a whopping 6lbs 6oz. It was ridiculous. Look great, trimmed in well, but always flew heavy. I sold it.

Mine feels light but prolly weighs in at about 3 kgs or 6 pounds. Its a strong stif airframe without any additional sheeting. I would imagine a 70 -80 FS motor would give good vertical peformance. On the landing gear issue - all you need is to change to 5mm plastic bolts. They break before the plane or ali gear does if you flare a tad late. I've already tested mine[8D]

I was thinking of getting one. Are they just junk???????????

Hmmm!

nope, build them light (under 6 pounds for sure) and the plane is awesome, mine will do anything i want. No bad snapping or tipstalling from what ive seen of mine.

Tom

RVman,
What do you have in your's for an engine? I was thinking of going to a 70 4-stroke OS.

I have a Webra 50 on it, the plane has unlimited vertical at half. it needed an ounce of weight up front with the rudder servo in the back but i will eliminate the weight when i put a replacement fiberglass cowl on it.

Tom

RV, that Webra sounds awesome. My OS 50 seems to be running better and with a 13X4 APC .It seems to have the right kind of power for the plane. Its a great plane - very smooth flying and yet highly aerobatic. Snap rolls are extreme and she spins nice and flat. Landings can be as slow as you like - my last was a full stall 3 pointer at walking pace with no tip stall tendencies. I have removed all lead from the nose and she really floats in now.

i have a question i still havent gotten around to fixin mine but how high do u guys have the aileron throws

Josh

Mine are pretty much per the manual - she rolls fast despite the small ailerons. One of our clubs pattern pilots had a go and got a tad nervous because of the sensitivity of the controls - and there I was thinking the Cap was a smooth easy flying plane!

i moded mine for 2 inch built up airlerons they move about 1/4'' on high rates and the roll rate is really fast. Low rate is about an 1/8 inch or so.

Tom

When i did fly it it seemed like it took forever to roll what gives!! I like to set my planes up for 3D but this plane just seems like it not good for that.

Josh

I love my GP's Cap 232, been flying solid for almost 3 years, would love to build a new one (this one has a lot of hours on the airframe). I put an O.S. .70 in it, have unlimited vertical (pulls like a tractor) with a 13-5 (high altitude) or 14-5 Zinger prop (close to sea level), with this pitch prop it will still haul hiney (gets weird though at higher speeds, it loves to fly slow). If I build another one, I would install the rudder servo up front with the others (had to add weight to the nose, even with a 4-stroke up front) and hook it up as a pull-pull system. The landing gear has been my only problem with this kit, ripped it out 3 times, the last time it came out I glued the block back in with probond and it hasn't budged since. Oh yeah, go with a fiberglass cowl, the ABS cowl requires too much work to make it look good. I have one servo for the ailerons and it rolls quite fast, have expo dialed in to damper it a little. Finally, this plane is too short coupled to do 3-D (it's a handfull to do a harrier) without a lot of fight (except for some of the tumbling type aerobatics). My plane weighs 5.25 lbs, stock built out of the box, with no attempts to make it lighter. There seems to be a huge inconsistancy with the balsa densities used to make these kits.