Devo

Originally I built the kit per the Great Planes plan. When I reworked it I used the leading edge of the trailing edge sheeting as a guide to cut the ribs, the torque rod blocks and the wing hold down plate off. I also shortened each cap strip and the center section sheeting 7/8". From this point I just rebuilt the trailing edge again from new material in the same manner as the original plan omitting the torque rods. Instead of using solid balsa for the ailerons, I built them up. This leaves the wing chord the same as the original plan, but instead of an 1 1/8" aileron I have 1 5/8". The servos are mounted on removable panels in the wing, centered the best I could on the aileron. I copied this servo mount design from my GP Super Skybolt. The roll rate is much improved, but not to the point of a 3D plane.

alpinestar

Finally finished with mine! Saito 91. Thanks for all the tips & advice everyone.

alpinestar

a few more...

flhyr

So how does it fly with the saito .91 in it... someone told me its snappy with the .91 due to the weight, which doesn't seem right to me since its actually lighter than the os .70.

gumhead

Nice job alpinestar! I love the cover job. Hey... You got the same pilot as mine! [8D]

Devo

There's nothing worse than an unfaithful Barbie.

Using my digital fish scale, my Saito 91 is the same weight as my OS70, so the weight is a wash. Torque on the other hand is a different story.

alpinestar

Thanks gumhead! Great idea on the Barbie, hope you don't mind that I borrowed it. I came home with a bagful of 'em for future projects or in case she runs off with Malibu Ken. I cannot claim originality on the color scheme either... Check out the galleries on the Carden site & you'll see something familiar!! Thanks to the "unknown builder". There are a lot of great color schemes in these galleries for ideas.

Haven't flown it yet... maybe this weekend?? I also weighed the 91 vs an OS 70 surpass (an older one) & found the weight to be within a prop washer. It balanced with a 5-cell 1100 Nimh pack in the middle of the cockpit. The Fiberglass Specialties cowl seemed a bit heavy, but much better than the ABS one. Glad I didn't mount the pack behind the bolt plate per the plans! Yeah, the torque will be a little different.... But a little care with the throttle at low airspeed should prevent the dreaded snap.

Can't wait to shake off the winter rust!

Kostas1

Very nice job too.
Could you please post some pics to see the Saito.?
Thank you.
Kostas

Devo

Dead on alpinestar, just don't hammer the throttle at very low speed or very low altitude. The torque is very manageable.

gumhead

Well believe it or not I still haven't flown my CAP yet [] To darn cold and windy.

Heres another pic tho...

Sgt.A

Finally finished my cousins plane it's my first build. Thanks for all the tips & advice everyone.

Sgt.A

a few more pic...

RCBOZO

My Feedback: (1)

Hey Sgt.A that is one fine looking plane! Are you sure you want to give that to your cousin? I'm sure am looking forward to seeing Jamie fly that thing!

insalacosm

My Feedback: (1)

I'll be puting an older OS 70 Surpass in mine and have realized that I cannot use the stock muffler without really opening (thus destroying) my beautiful Fiberglass Specialties cowl. What are you guys using for your pitts style exhaust system?
thanks,
Steve

alpinestar

I used the goofy new-style saito muffler (the inlet is on the side) with an old style header pipe; the one bent like macaroni. Then I attached a rubber extension to the end which fell off on the second flight (currently devising a better means of attaching.) See some of the pictures in this thread... Can you position the muffler on your 70 to be inside the cowl like I did with the Saito?? If this doesn't work out, you may need to shell out the cabbage for an aftermarket muffler. I've made my own exhausts with brass tubing, a bushing made on a lathe, and some brazing... If you're lucky enough to have access to this type of stuff this could be an option for you as well.

Devo

insalacosm,
I originally used an OS 70 with the stock muffler on my cap. If your engine is mounted horizontally the muffler points downward inside the cowl without cutting. Then using a Hobbico muffler extension you can route the exhaust through the aft cooling hole. This makes for a pretty clean installation.

insalacosm

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the tips guys. I played around with the stock 60 degree header and found that I can keep the muffler inside the cowl with about 1/8" clearance to the fuse and the cowl. It gets tight with the muffler extension so I'll probably open up the bottom of the cowl a little so the extension fits better. If I could bend the 60 degree header to 80 degrees or so it would be a much better fit. Do you think this is possible if I were to heat the header using a blow torch?

Also, I remember that some are mounting the tank higher than the recommended position so it is in line with the carb. Is anyone successfully running their engine (without a pump) from the location recommended by GP?

thanks again,
Steve

alpinestar

I have a 12oz GP tank mounted per plans, works fine with the saitp 91.

Sgt.A

My cousins got the cap up saturday and he said it handled great. Here's a picture of the Cap in the air from the Thistledown website.
[img][/img]
http://www.thistledownflyers.com/cgi...s%20Planes;i=0

gumhead

gumhead

That’s right… I finally brought the CAP to the field! The plane was pretty much completed back in January. But I never got around to putting in all the radio gear because of another build, flying and just plain being busy. Well I finish off the plane this week. It was raining out most of the week but last night the clouds broke and there wasn’t a breath of air. The plane flew great… Better then I expected. All she needed was a few clicks of trim. The roll rate is fast, loops tracked great and the little YS had plenty of vert power.

What surprised me was the way it floated in for landings. No sign of stalling at all. I read a few posts that said this plane tip stalls and falls out of the sky on landings. I tried to stall her at high altitude. You have to be going so slow… almost stopped before the wing will stall.

I had to fly her with out the cowl do to my remote glow plug kept messing up. I also took the wheel pants off, they look good but they don’t help on grass… especially wet grass. The plane came out heavier then I thought. The specs say it should be 4.75-5.25 lbs it came out to 6.75 lbs. The plane is tail heavy, I had to put 6 oz of lead in front to balance the plane. I plan on taking off 3 oz of it because the plane seemed good with out the cowl, which weighs 4.5 oz. I also may move the rudder toward the front.

All in all I am very happy. The plane flew great! I can’t wait to get back out there and really start putting her threw her paces. Whooohooo!


*Edited for spelling

gumhead

gumhead

Update

Well I ended up putting in another servo in the wing tonight. The plane flys great but I really want to be able to mix in flaparons and try some spoiler...

You're right moneymaker. It was no prob to put another on in, it took about 1/2 hour...




I was flying this past weekend, there was 20-25 MPH winds. I had a couple of rough landings, the reinforced landing gear held up great. I decided not to use nylon screws to hold the gear on, instead I just used steel. The landing gear tends to snap off to easily with nylon bolts.

gumhead

Oh! almost forgot... I also painted the trim of my canopy and took the pilot out. I think it looks much cleaner now. Heres a couple more pics...

rustypep

My Feedback: (6)

I was wondering if someone could tell me what the chord of the ailerons are in this kit? One inch or something else? The parts sheet or manual doesn't say and I was just curious. Thanks!