Hi Guys

Im building this plane, and i wanted to change the location of the elevator and rudder servo for easier acces. Do some of U have any ideas and did u do that?
Please post pictures and ideas.. Thanx!!

Oemfod,
Mine were in the stock location. Very hard to adjust if not impossible. If I were you I would put them in the back of the cabin. Especially if you are not putting the interior in it. Mine was extremely tail heavy. Even with a EVO 100 2 stroke on the front. So watch the weight on the tail.
Alan

I have the interior kit for it too. i was planing on putting the servos just behind the backseat, hidden in a "lugage box" I have already built the tail up. and had notice the weight of it. And yes its sure is tail heavy. but when reciver, batt + batt for light are in the front i think it would even it out.

I just wanted to mount the 2 servoes in a way that they would be easy to get at for service and inspection.

I think that will work, but since my does not exsist any more I dont have a way to measure, but I would have to sacrifice the weight and put them back there if I were doing it over. The only other thing I could suggest is if you go with the stock location use screws to attach your windshield. Then you can remove it to get to the servos. You will have to cut a hole in the dash, but it is the only way I know of to get to those screws in the front. It is your bird build it how works best for you Those directions don't come in stone.
Good luck and lets see some pictures. I love to see other peoples projects. It gives me new ideas.
Alan

Ill put them in the back i think. Ill post pictures of the progress when started.
Heres some og the status of the plane right now.

Made ready for lights in the wingtip. There are 4 thin wires in the white tube going through the wing.

The servoes just about fit under the floor plate of the interiorkit.
Ill change the pushrod suplied by Top Flite with some bowden cables or sulivan cables. Cause the pianowire in the kit is heavy and very stiff.
And i plan on running the new pushrods from the tail along the button to the new servo location. What do u guys think about that idea. ???

The new pushrods would be glued to every former along the button to keep them from flexing.

PS: i just hate injectionmolded ABS plastic.... it never fits the way its made...

Be prepared to add a bunch of weight to the cowl if you're moving the servos aft. I had to add nearly 1.5 lbs. and didn't move the servos. I have assumed that the styrene sheeting I used contributed significantly to that.

But do u think that putting the servoes there would change that much in CG??

Probably not, but every little bit helps.
Alan

Well.. Servoes has changed position now. Made a new place for them, under the floor in the cockpit, and skipped the pushrods from the kit. Used Dubro instead.
They are fixed to the button on every former in the tail and then dont move now, very firm.

Here are the result of the danish jury of tonights work...

Looks good!
Alan

Very nice work. Make sure those new servo rails are well secured. Can't tell if they conform to the the bottom of the fuse, or are just glued to the sheeting on each end. Might want to build a lighter ply structure with two full-depth formers and a top plate with servo cutouts...you could lighten further by drilling lightening holes in the structure.
I'm anxious to see the interior possibilities without the boxy intrusion. Pedals, etc. Should be cool.
Enjoying your show.
Paul

The rail er formed to match the curve of the fuse sides, and glued with epoxy. Ure right, ill make a small former and glue around the stick where the rail meets the fusesides... just to be sure.
Also thought about putting fiberglass cloth on the fusesides. To put more strenght to the sides.


"I'm anxious to see the interior possibilities without the boxy intrusion." U mean i should remove some of the old servo plate under the dashboard?????

Yes, as I figured that a "fully floored" front cockpit was part of the reason you were doing the mod. But, that is removing still more weight from the front of the plane, which as you know, concerns me.

Hi SDCrash,,,,,,,

No the reason was that the servoes was hidden, and impossible to get at when dashboard is made, but the idea of a fully floor cockpit sounds liek a challenge

Well, besides gluing two fingers together with cyano today, i made some progress on the tail.

Made wires for light in the tailcone and fin... and glued the red outhertubes to the formers.


But i need Your help now Guys,,,,, Top Flite wants me to sheet the top of the tail with two full pieces of balsa sheeting. I was wondering if i could cut the sheeting along the aft edge of the blue tape and then sheet first the front upper tail and then make the sheeting around the tailfin. Would that influence on the strenght that the sheeting gives the tail. ????

Heres some visual proof of the progress for tonight..... now i want a cold one and watch MONK.... he´s cool.... [8D]

Well.. i did it.. i cut the sheeting and made some reinforcement on the last former.

Sheeted the tail and made the dorsalfin.. Here is the results...

And now i can see its starting to look like a Cessna,,, otherwise i´m building on the wrong kit...

Oemfod,
That looks like what I remember of mine. White wood glue (Gorilla wood glue that is) will not harden up on your fingers before you can get it off. That is what I have been using on my latest build Sig 1/5 Cub. All of the joints look a lot better also. Only thing is if it will not hold itself together you have to sit there and hold it or find a way to clamp it together.
Alan

Hi Alan

I also use Great planes woodglue... not only cyano. I really like the woodglue from GP, its easy to sand off, and the bond is very strong.

I made one of the side by the tailfin. It came out pretty good i think. Gonna make the other side tomorrow. And try to make it look like the first one.

oemfod,
That looks better than what mine did. I did it like the book says. So there you go the book is not always right. I bet moving the servos is going to be just as good of an idea.
Alan

Looking good, this is bringing back memories, the TF 182 was the first kit I ever built. Great airplane. Yes, it is tail heavy as everyone mentioned. Flew mine with a ST .90. Was a great airplane!

Thanx for the compliments guys....

I hate bending balsa and shaping now... Just happy someone invented filler...

I made the other side og the fin today and sheeted the dorsalfin, just need to shape it now and use some filler to blend it to the fin.

Also made some kind of a mounting device for the tailcone, so it can be easely taken on and off.

Im planning on using this engine for the plane... a new OS FS-81 What do u think about that??

Be careful. So far, every single thing I've seen involves removing weight from the front, and adding more to the back.
Your reinforcements to the rear former, and all the pushrod tabs...the extra weight in the tailcone. Seems minor, but it will take twice the amount of the tail heavy weight added to the nose to attain proper CG.
So, no...don't remove any of the stock servo tray

Looking good!
Paul

oemfod,
I think you would be better off with a little bigger engine. Mine had a EVO 100 and it still took for ever to take off. It was turning a 15x6 prop. Once it got in the air it would fly at 1/3 throttle. I just think you will not be satisfied with that small engine.
Alan

Okay.. ill search for a bigger engine... But i want to keep it inside the cowl...

made some work on the fueltank yesterday.... getting ready for sheeting the nose and making the former/blocks for guiding and holding the cowl

Oemfod,
Is that balast I see in picture number 3? Mine had that big Evolution 100 2 stroke in it. There was plenty of room to keep it in the cowl, and it was turned on its side. My boss has one with a YS 120 inverted and we had to cut a little off the bottom to get it to fit. That is probably the best engine sizes I think do to the size and weight of this airplane.
Good luck making your decesion.
Alan