when mounting the engine, how do you determine the "proper right thrust"?
the plan calls for 2 degrees down and 2 degrees right orientation. Not sure I understand
why, but do I need to? I will be using an OS FS 91. Is there a thread that discusses this topic?
If so someone point it to me...

Thanks!!

Hi Dlan

The down thurst is included in the build , the right thrust , they tell you to twist youre engine to the right in the engine mount . I added shims behind the left engine mount to give my right thrust . Maybe someone else has a better way .

Mike [8D]

dlan, I like to use the flight trimming method for determining right thrust needed. Get the plane assembled
and when you install the engine set it a little to the right like Michel said (not too much as reducing thrust
is harder than adding it). Just make sure you can see the crankshaft pointing a bit to the right. Finish the plane
and maiden. After you have trimmed all the surfaces for level flight go to full throttle and pull a 45 degree
upward climb. You will have to do this test a few times and make sure the wings are level when you pull.
If the plane pulls to the left you need to increase right thrust if it pulls right you can decrease right thrust.
You are alooking to get a nice straight line. Easiest way to do this is flying the plane away from you.

Because of the higher torque engine you may need a bit more thrust than 2 degrees. If you just can't seem
to get the thrust right and you are using a CPU radio you can dial in a throttle to rudder mix that will add some right
or left rudder for you while throttling up. but getting a good straight plane before adding mixes is always better.

Status update....

I finished covering the wing today. Here are the photos. The roundels are the bottom.

--
Tom

Very nice. That will show very well in the sky...!

Hi

Very creative , well done visability will be high .

Mike [8D]

Thanks guys!! Here's another couple of shots...

I'm about to epoxy my horizontal stab on, but figured I'd post a photo of today's progress.

Hi

If that was my plane , I d be proud , looks really , really good , you bought it , right ? ( just kidding )


Michel [8D]

You bet I'm proud!!! Otherwise, ya wouldn't be seeing any of the photos!! I'm actually really pleased with how well it's looking. I knew I was going to use these colors, but have been making the scheme up as I go along. Of course, now I have to figure out what I'm going to do for nose art.

Can't wait to see her in the air!

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Tom

Wing bolts

how many of you are using the stock wing bolts provided in the kit? Is it better to use the nylon bolts (1/4-20) instead of the
small metal bolts provided? I have already installed the T nuts for the stock bolts but have not drilled the wing.
Kinda second guessing on this one...

I liked the arguments for using nylon, so that's what I'm using.

--
Tom

Hi

1/4-20 nylon , don t second guess , put the nylon .


Michel [8D]

My Tiger 60 is ready for maiden. I didn't document the build since I'm so slow - took me 5 months to finish the kit. Just thought I'd show off a few pics. Also thanks for the info in this thread which helped me out on my build.

That's a great looking plane there!! Did you do a straight build? Or did you mod it? If mods, what'd you do? What engine are you running? Let us know how the maiden goes!

I got the control rods connected up to the rudder and elevator tonight. Not much, but it's another step along the way.

--
Tom

Thanks tessex, I really like your covering job as well. I was looking for a nice sedate Sunday flier for my 1st glow build, so I built the plane stock except I used 4-40 hardware for the push rods and bent the main landing gear back a bit so it won't fall back on its tail. Oh yeah, I also made the fuel tank tray removable so I could put the battery under it.

Oops, I forgot the particulars didn't I? It has a Magnum 91 four stroke with 13x8 prop running on Cool Power 15%, and Hitec HS-475 servos all around except for a standard servo on throttle. All-up weight looks to be around 8 lbs. (on the bathroom scale). I'll let you know how the maiden goes - hopefully will be tomorrow.

Maiden was a success! I flew 3 tanks today, and the plane flew great. Only needed a couple clicks of up elevator and a couple clicks of right aileron. It tracks real nice, even in gusty wind and lands like a dream - greased the 1st landing perfectly. Loops were nice and big and rolls were smooth. Inverted requires just a little down elevator. They weren't lying when they said these things are easier to fly than my small electrics.

I balanced it at 4 1/4" and it's a bit nose-heavy, so I'm going to take some weight out of the front for the next flights.

I am getting an easy 10 minutes from a 12 oz. tank on the 91 even though I'm running it pretty rich right now since it's not broken in yet. The Magnum runs awesome - idles real nice and great transition. I'm quite pleased with it at this point. My only other experience with glow motors is helis and this motor runs just as well as any I've used.

Cool!!! Congratulations on a successful maiden!

--

Tom

AvNut,

The plane looks GREAT! Glad to hear you like the Magnum too!

Uh guys as far as the bolts go... Too late, I used the kit hardware.
I was on a role and didn't see the thread until, well you know.
So I know the metal bolts won't shear but are there other advantages
I may be missing?

Thanks Tom and dlan! I'm curious to hear how you like your Tigers when you fly 'em.

I used the supplied bolts as well - they work ok and didn't loosen up on me. I personally haven't had any luck with nylon bolts shearing like they're supposed to on several electrics and sailplanes. Usually the fuselage breaks instead. Maybe these big glow planes are different. [sm=confused.gif]

Personally, I don't think it makes any difference which bolts you use as long as the blocks are secure. I've used the stock bolts on my T2 and it was just fine. I'm using the metal ones on this build and I don't anticipate any problems there either. IMO, if you're going to hit hard enough to shear a 1/4" nylon bolt, you're going to be rebuilding the wing anyway...

Also, the recent pics added are some nice looking planes. Glad to have your feedback and participation in the thread.

I'm resigning myself to the fact that covering mine is just going to have to be this winter's project. I've been dabbling in heli's for a while and am trying to take advantage of what little calm weather is left in this part of the country. But (re)building season is just around the corner.

Ok Avnut, I gotta know,
1.how many hours did you spend covering?

2.Did you used pin striping or is it one of the markers you can use for the dark highlight between the orange and the white?

3.What was you inspiration for the scheme you used?

I think both planes in this thread that have been covered, I believe yours and Toms', look great and have given me some ideas for my
scheme. For me coming up with a pattern to used and color has been more of a challenge than building. So far I have decided to use
black and Cub yellow with the yellow being the dominant color.

I like your pilot too. My buddy has the same guy in his Hellcat!!

Hey dlan,

1. I don't know exactly how many hours it took but it was a LOT! To get the scallops I first had to draw them out on poster board, and then cut them out and trace them onto the Monokote and then cut that out - very time consuming. I used the Windex method to put those on so had to wait overnight for it to dry before ironing it down.

2. Yes, I used the Great Planes pinstriping tape - very easy to apply and seems to be sticking well so far. The orange and white looked pretty plain, but the black really made it "pop."

3. I have that Monokote poster that shows some covering schemes and that gave me the idea for the top. I chose the bottom scheme to be simple but much different than the top so I know whether I'm inverted or upright. The poster is only $3 and shows a bunch of different schemes. Here's a link:

[link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJA14&P=7]Trim Scheme
Poster[/link]

I spent a while figuring out what scheme to go with also. Once I had an idea of what I wanted, I just started drawing out different schemes on paper with colored pencils until I was happy with one. Black and yellow is a good contrast, so should be easy to see. Oh yeah, I chose orange, white and black because the plane is a Tiger, so those reminded me of a tiger.

dlan,

Before you get hard set on your colors, here's an article you should read: [link=http://www.ultimatecharger.com/color.html]Don't Color Me Gone[/link].

It points out a few things about how to design your color scheme to help you keep orientation on the plane, both up close (like while landing), and at a distance (where your color vision disappears and you only see gray shades). I tried to follow his ideas. My roundels were intended to give me dark circles in the white wing to easily identify the wing bottom. The angles of the colors on top are designed to point to the nose.

Oh, and thanks to you and all others for the compliments on my plane. Now if I could just find an Uncle Sam figure to be the pilot!

--
Tom

--
Tom

AVNut,

Interesting! I sat down with MS Visio and drew a simple top and bottom view to play with the wing colors. I also used poster board for patterns. For my roundels, I cut out a circle the size I needed from poster board. Then I sprayed it with spray adhesive and stuck it to the plastic on the back of the monokote, cut it out, and then peeled the circle off of the poster board.

--
Tom