Gene Chernosky

My Feedback: (182)

OK, SIG tells you to balance one place...hey, they're covering their butt. Now, how many of you have ventured further back than they tell you...and how much further back?

I'm going on what Bruce Tharpe told me about the 4*40...he balances it 1 1/2" behind the main spar and says it will do anything and do it quick. I'm thinking a similar measure could improve the aerobatic response of the S/E.

Well? ...reply here or email me

THANKS!

------------------
Eugene S. Chernosky aka MEAN Gene - AMA 639635
...the person your parents warned you about

maverick

My Feedback: (12)

I've always been told to start at the recommended balance point and then slowly move the CG back by 1/2" increments, flying it each time you make the change.

Then stop moving it back when it flys the way you like.

My SE is on the workbench now being built.

I have heard though that some people have moved the CG back about an inch.

tbzep

I have the CG on my Sextra somewhere between 1.25" and 1.5" behind what Sig recommends. It still flies well.

Tim

wgeffon

My Feedback: (4)

Mines 1-1/4 back from where Sig says to put it. Flies fine. Still docile.

astrohog

My Feedback: (1)

I had to add weight (3 oz.) to the nose of mine to get it to balance where the plans showed. I was just getting used to the plane and starting to wring it out a little, when I noticed something was different, but I could not put my finger on it. When I was cleaning the plane I noticed a bunch of little black specks stuck to the exhaust residue. I still couldn't figure it out. When I turned the plane over to clean the bottom, I noticed that two ounces of my weights had come off (hence the little black specks, aha!). I checked the balance point and it was somewhere around an inch aft of the recommended point. I have been flying it that way ever since and I love it!

Regards,

Jeff

funflyer99

My SE balances right at 1" behind the recommended CG and feels like it can go more and still fly great.
Todd.

Grafix

My Feedback: (1)

Newgene..

Jus' move it back till you get scared.. Then move it back 1/4"

Cheers,

Bill

Gene Chernosky

My Feedback: (182)

Watch it there Cooney!

Yea, I might still be a little damp behind the ears, but this "Newgene" crap...well it ain't so. I started with this hobby in the late 60's doing the C/L thing...quit in 1975 for about 20 years...then came back to C/L only to get VERY interested in R/C...R/C is ALL I do now...C/L is too boring to me.

Best be careful or I might come put some E. coli in your favorite mud-bug pond

GUNSHIPGUNNER

After flying the SE for nearly THREE years and having built over 10 of them for personal consumption and for some fellow club members we find that the SE is quite capable of doing knife edge flight with a few modifications. (Even knife edge loops and figure eight's)

One of mine is powered by a Paul M. Raptor .46 that has been retimed for use with a full length expansion chamber. It turns a 11X5 APC prop on 25% omega and will hover at a bit more than 1/2 throttle.

It has the rudder extended by 5/8 inch and a large counterbalance. The elevator is extended 1 3/4 inches with large counterbalances on the ends that add a total of 6 inches to the elevator's length.

The elevator servo is mounted on the right side just in front of the stab and uses short and direct pull - pull linkages. (nearly 90 degree deflection)

This one likes to knife edge loop better with right rudder (a possible by-product of engine thrust) but it will also knife edge loop with left rudder so knife edge figure eight's are possible.

My other flyable SE is powered by a Clarence Lee (PDP) .61 ringed K&B. Again with a full length pipe. This old dog spins an APC 13X5 prop (had to fabricate longer landing gear)

This one has Ailevators, each half driven by Hitec HS-605 servos. Nearly 90 degrees deflection. Stab and elevator are as above setup. This one has 1 inch longer rudder with a 2 inch counterbalance (I think the counterbalance is the key to knife edge flight with the SE)

I use 4 (FOUR) of the little Hitec HS-55 servos in the wing in a setup similar to the Ultra Stick (crow) I cut the ailerons exactly in half. Initially thought these servos would be too weak but they will deflect the surfaces nearly 90 degrees at full speed ahead.

The SE WILL KNIFE EDGE and do KNIFE EDGE LOOPS when modified and with crow and Ailevators it will do things that need to be seen to be believed!!

My favorite maneuver is an inverted flat spin. Hold full throttle, full down elevator and full right aileron and the SE will stay in one place and neither lose or gain altitude. It just hangs there in one place in the sky flat spinning while inverted.

As far as CG goes I have mine back to the point where it is starting to get squirrley, probably 2 inchs aft of the suggested location.

http://www.ultranet.com/~llfc/se_tips.html

This link leads to an excellent collection of building tips for the SE.

GUNSHIPGUNNER

Here is a picture of one of my SE's with the elevator mod.

The added tip counter-balance lessens the chance of flutter, lessens the strain on the servo and makes the elevator 3 times as effective.

On the next SE I did the above AND added a 1/2 inch strip to the front of the elevator to make it wider!