xplayer930

Apparently this plane is very popular. I shoul dno im building my second one as we speak, (crashed the first one). Post pics of ur pride an joy!!!

rc-sport

My Feedback: (12)

Here's mine, to your left.

micagreenmachin

Here's mine.... It's got wheel pants on now, but I don't have a recent pic.

It's a blast to fly. You're going to love it!

~t

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

Here'e the one I built about 7 years ago. Covered in Monokote and powered with an OS .91 fourstroke. It was my first bipe.

xplayer930

micAGREENMACINE i already no how much of a blast it is to fly. I had one already!lol the first one took about a year to build but i figure this one shoul dtake around six months cuz i already no how to assemble it.

jucava

My joy and pride

552transco

My Feedback: (3)

Here is mine. It will be my first biplane. I can't wait to get started on it.

Wayne

sseward

My Feedback: (1)

You guys are driving me crazy! I'm contemplating by first bipe, trying to decide ARF for build, and If I decide to build I had the Super Skybolt on the top of my list! I want something scale (or sport scale) and a good looker flyer. This thread has all but sealed it now!

Steve

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Ok, It's time to show my shame

My Skybolt is 11 years old this Xmas and it has been through hell and back. It has been retired at least 5 times, but each time, I wind up needing it again and dragging it out and throwing an engine and radio in it (it is about to be retired again)

Looking at the pics, it's plain to see why it's being retired:

Pic 1
The Cowl. I have had several engines in it, so the cowl has had to be modified a few times. Once it came loose and rubbed against the back of the spinner causing the rather large prop hole.

Pic 2
Various taped and untaped holes in the covering

Pic 3
A Field repair to the stab after a spectator stepped on it [:@] (No covering)
And a Major repair to the wings after they were both sheared off by a sapling on a dead-stick landing [:@] [:@] [:@] (Covered with Clear monokote)

And 4
The chin area behind the cowl was lost in the same dead-stick landing that sheared off the wings (But it makes a dandy place to install the smoke pump! )

Behind the wing, two access panels were cut to install battery packs (One to offset the weight of the heavier YS Engine, and the other to offset the weight of the smoke pump). Both panels were held down with packing tape, but the smoke oil loosened the tape and the hatched went bye-bye.

But for those of you who have seen the videos, you know she still can bore holes in the sky!

dioncuda

In progress

rc-sport

My Feedback: (12)

Jeez Mike, is that thing still flying?

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

You've seen the video Robert. That's the condition it was in at the time (But then it still had the cowl attached)

What can I say, it's my old war horse. I keep pulling the equipment out of it and saying, "That's it, this plane is retired." but a season or two later, I either miss it, or need a plane, so I drag her back out and dust her off (and sometimes I don't even dust her off! LOL )

Every time I fly it I think, "This is it, she's going to fall apart on this flight".

But she just keep going and going (I wonder if the batteries are Duracell )

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

Mike,
And all this time I thought you were exagerating the condition of your Skybolt. [X(]

That the way my Sportster Bipe looked when I retired it last fall, and about the way my 4* looks now. Well, maybe not quite that bad.

I actually take a certain pride at having one plane that looks like that flying. It seems to help put things in perspective for some of the newer guys. You can tell them that a plane doesn't have to be "perfect" to fly well, but actually seeing something like that put through some nice aerobatics seems to prove the point.
Dennis-

ropermike2002

My Feedback: (1)

RC-Sport.....................

I am about to begin building my GP super Skybolt and to say the least, I'm very exited after reading all the posts about skybolts. I'm considering the Saito 100 for power. (I dont want to open a can of worms about engines cause Ive read all of them posts too!) The Saito 100 could be used in some of my other planes and the 19.6 ounces is hard to resist. Of course I've read all the posts about the plane being heavy and tail heavy and somewhere I read that yours came in light. Can you give me some tips? I havnt got my kit yet so I dont know how heavy the rear sheeting is but I will replace with light stuff if needed. How about lightning holes? I would really like to lighten this plane up without risking structural failure. If I cant lighten the tail up I guess I'll go with a OS 120 or a YS 110 $[:@]. Any suggestions would be welcome.................Thanks, Mike

micagreenmachin

I can add something here....

My Skybolt has a Saito 100 in the nose. I have 2 oz of lead to get the balanc right and a 6 volt NiMH battery pack underneath the fuel tank. It flys great like this, I'm going to leave the CG and weight as is. The Saito 100 is great for just about all the aerobatics I can throw at it and it's got nice strong up lines. The vertical is NOT unlimited, but it is very good.

I used all the stock hardware including the tailwheel assembly and sanded the heck out of the bottom of the rear fuselage to get the shape right and I think that helped with the CG a bit. Not sure what the actual weight of the plane is but it feels like a solid 8 to 9 pounds.

rc-sport:
Did you do anything special to yours? I'm curious too....

Todd

Deadeye

Wow Mike! That poor plane! Looks like a great project to rebuild and recover.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Yea, I've thought about overhauling it many times, but I just know that if I make it look pretty, it'll crash (Murphy - you know?)

Ropermike, If I were going to build another, I would do away with the tail sheeting. I would sheet only the (red) die-cut tail parts (Or copy them with 5/16" stock) and replace all of the sticks with 5/16 instead of the 3/16 provided. Then scrap the sheeting altogether.

A few lightening holes in the sides of the fuse might be a good idea too.

The Saito 100 will fly it well, and if you do a little work to make it lighter (There are lots of places you can get rid of extra weight - cutting out the centers of the 3000 or so wing ribs just to mention another) the saito will be great!

rc-sport

My Feedback: (12)

I thought about cutting holes is the tail sheeting but after considering the motor I was using (Saito 120) I decided not to. I would definitely change the landing gear, the supplied gear is soft. I'm to install crossed piano wire on my gear to stiffen it up. I wouls also install an access hatch under the fuel tank like micagreenmachine did, some day I'm going to have to get to the fuel tank and its gonna be a pain. I saw mica's fly with the Saito 100 and it flew great, if you have the motor then go with it.

ropermike2002

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks MinnFlyer........I'm gonna go for it. Ive got a ten pound cub and a goldberg 330 extreme, niether of them has sheeted tail. Coarse the cub doesnt get put through the wringer like the SB will. I would like to add carbon fiber landing gear and fg cowl.

aerobatixkid

Sig Skybolt OS .91 Surpass

rivercityflyer

Here's mine, sig with super tigre 61.

aerobatixkid

Ah, another SIG Wish SIG still kitted this plane..

jucava

I wish someone ARF this plane.

micagreenmachin

No way!

That's one of the reasons I bought this kit (but not the only reason). So the ARFers at the field would drool over it and not be able to rush out and buy one that looks just like mine....

About a week ago I was out at the field with my two planes, both kit built, and realized out of the 20 planes at the field that day that mine were the only 2 that were not ARFs.

No offence jucava.

~Todd

xplayer930

micagreenmachine I love when ppl ask em if my plane is an ARF then i tell'em nope its a kit and that covering job u c is one of a kind. lol