splais

My Feedback: (25)

1. How many flights (tank full) can you get out of a 250 Mah battery?

2. What did you do with the power wire for the wing servo? Notch out a groove for it in the end of the hole?

3. What are you doing with the antenna wire?

4. what are you using for throws. the factory recommended or something else.

5. What about take-off technique if you have to do a runup takeoff instead of a full power release. We are on grass and we are all flying at the same time. I'm thinking full up elevator and firewall the throttle?

thanks.

splatt

1)I race 6 rounds, the radio is on about 5 minutes each time

2) must be full size servo's huh? yes notch it out a tiny bit. try hi-tec 225's

3) run it through the fuse and out the tail. use a piece of music wire to pull it through

4)factory throws for launch and flight, 1/16 or more for landing

5) best to "push" them off at full throttle. some up elevator, some right rudder. then get off the rudder once airborne.

6) after getting over the rush then settle down and let the model groove and be smooth on the sticks. use you thumb and finger on the stick and go kick some...

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Splais

I typically am comfortable with up to seven flights with a 260mah, enough for five or six rounds and a practice session. Each race is typically from switch on to switch off maybe four to four and a half minutes. A five minute flight is a long time even sport flying.

Attend a larger race and you will seldom see more than an inch or so of antenna on any airplane. The extra 12 to 14 inchs out the rear is a lot of drag. I resisted this for a long time simply because I was afraid but finally tryed and have never looked back with all my Quickees done this way and no range problems. It works well with most receivers ending up just ahead of number two bulkhead run the antenna forward on the left side next to the tank to just ahead of number one bulkhead through a simple balsa tab with a hole then back to the rear through a small hole in the upper left corner of the number two bulkhead then along the top above the fuse servos then down to lay in the bottom and out a small hole in the tail cone use no tube. It can be pulled through with a long length of stiff wire and a single dab of Ca to attach the end of the ant. This setup has worked reliably for me with nine Quickee's now and results in about two inchs sticking out the tail.


All takeoffs should be a full power release and especially in grass.
I suspect what your question was that all three of you were taking off at the same time and there is no one to do a release for you. You can just do a one handed release with your left hand and a thumb on the elevator but this usually results in a nice left swerve into whoever is on the left in the time it takes to get your rudder thumb into position. A better idea in this situation or for flying alone is to stand with the v tail behind your ankles, throttle up and just swivel one ankle out a few inches.
Because I am kinda gympy for our practice sessions my caller and I take turns going to number one pylon position to call distances beyond the pole or cuts on a walkie talkie. This means we have to start and launch alone. I fabricated a launch stooge that does a release by just stepping on a pedal and this simulates a race much better with both thumbs on the sticks and keeping straight on t/o.


John

PylonWorld

John,

Can you post a sketch of your launch stooge? Just a simple Paint generated picture would be fine. I have wanted to build one for myself, because I often practice alone at odd hours. I don't want to re-invent something that someone else has already done.

Or if you want to write up how to build one, I would love to post it and plans on PylonWorld.com ...

I've gotten to where I release with the right hand, if I don't do the ankle thing. That way I'm able to keep it tracking straight until I get the right hand to the stick. The disadvantage is that the right hand is oil slickened. I also have to launch my electrics with my right hand, so I've gotten used to it. I highly recommend a neck strap for one handed launches of any kind of plane. I practice moving my hand from the release position to the stick a couple of times before I actually fire up and go. The strap keeps the transmitter in a predictable location.

daven

My Feedback: (1)

I've not tried this, but heard it somewhere. Attach a 12" piece of heavy string to the tail (I'm not sure of the best way to do this, because I haven't tried it). Once you get the plane fired up and the needle set. Stand on the trailing string (not the antenna) with your foot, throttle up and release your foot when ready.

I suppose you and your buddies could all do this at the same time and have a race without helpers.

miderror

There are a few of us that practice together and we all selflanch. For the Q500 a underhand lanch works ez. The plane will
follow the motor with no problem.

PylonWorld

Do you mean an underhand toss?

I've seen the combat guys do that ... but they're nuts anyway.

miderror

I really just hold the fuse, run it up and let go. A blip of up elev.
(down for the inverted lanch) and its away. Of couse this is
with a trimmed out plane.
I did this the first time, not by choice, it was a F1 plane.
My holder had bad legs and was standing with the plane needled
and I though he would neal and lanch on the ready.
Nope, I gave him the OK and he toss the plane in the air.
Turned out to be no big deal and I just flew out. We've lanch
Q500s that way since, well, only if we are short handed.

daven

My Feedback: (1)

I've heard of people doing this, but have never seen it. I guess I'd rather hold the tail with my left hand, and the elevator/aileron stick with my left and give it a push while on my knees. Pick up the transmitter and fly.

I wouldn't suggest starting, and launching a Nelson powered q500 without help though. Get some help!

PylonWorld

But Dave ... do you know how hard it is to find good help these days? Especially if you're flying when other people aren't.

I think a "launch stooge" like John mentioned would probably be fine for 424 class planes, but the strength of the stab would probably cause me concern on a 428 plane. A Neme-Q stab is held on by two screws, and the engine is pulling in the shear plane of those screws.

Hal Debolt designed a system back in the 80's for automated launching. His goal was to make sure no one got a time advantage by a jumpy caller, and no advantage because of a great launcher.

To use the system you had to add something to the plane like a little rope or a loop made of something to the bottom and/or back of the plane. on most Q-500's, you could probably put a hole behind the stab and reinforce it. Or you could build it into the skid, which may be what they did, come to think of it. Now the ideas are pumping.

I want something holding firmly to the fuselage before I head around back.

I use a Midwest yoke when starting planes by myself, or with someone I don't know well holding while I start.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Don wish I had the ability to post pictures. The stooge is just a couple of hinged pieces of wood half inch square an maybe four inchs long. they are hinged to fold forward about an inch up from the quarter ply base and the hinge pin is supported by Alum L brackets. They are around three inchs apart to just allow the V tail fit between. When the arms fold forward to the horizontal position bottom of the arm moves to the rear and up this allows the tail to clear the horizontal arms by a half inch. At the bottom of the arms in the rear is a trangular catch paw that is hinged for and aft to allow the paw to catch the bottom of the arms, cords pull the paws to the sides and allow the arms to fold flat and release. These cords run on both sides to eye hooks and to the rear about a foot to two more eye hooks then forward to a simple pedal. The Release arms both have a rubber band attached to pull it horizontal as well as a light spring on the pedal pulling to the release position. These were neccessary to assure a clean release when the more powerful airplanes were launched. What would happen with these ships is the paw friction would increase aginst the arm and release was difficult without the spring.

am now using it on an almost daily basis with four different design TT engined Quickees and works very reliably . Have done just a few launchs with Nelson/bird of pray and a Nemi Q with no problems as well. The thing is nailed to the ground with two double head 16's each day. Boyd calls it 'Buckys Hole Shot'.

I also use a stooge for my Ukies that is the string and keyring setup to a simple pelican hook nailed to the ground with a long release cord. The trouble with this set up is to get reliable releases its necessary to use a metal keyring on the string (the part that stays on the airplane) just a loop tied in the string usually causes release problems and the ring trailing behind will flail about to much for my taste. So with pylon ships I didn,t want to go this way.

Stepping on the string thing Dave mentioned on asphalt I suspect would work quite well but on grass the guys were talking about would probably be very risky. Unless you had a very large diameter cord it would be easy to forget to push hard enough with yoiur foot while trying to get into position and have the thing depart before you had your thumbs in position. I can picture four guys lined up trying to simulate a race and have that happen.

Some guys are just never satisfied, can you beleve it ? Boyd is now trying to convince me figure out how to set it up so it would trigger a timer also at the release and ring a bell at some predetermined target time!! You know I,ll bet Rube Goldberg never flew pylon.

John

Oh Don your concern about shear loads on the Nemi Q tail is not a concern since the tail is set in a molded recess and all shear loads to the rear are taken by that lip.

PylonWorld

John,

Triggering the timer was also part of Hal Debolt's launcher ... Sometimes it seems like he takes credit for a little too much, then something like this comes along, and you realize how many things he really did and conceptualized (or lat least communicated) first.

Can you draw it with a pencil and do you have a fax handy? If so please fax it to 704-225-0646.

Or you can crank up Paint and free hand it. Then just attach the drawing to a message. Note the max sizes listed for attachments.

I'll re-read the description, then draw it up, and you can correct my interpretation.

I forgot about how the tail sits in the saddle on a Neme-Q ... amazing since the built-up fuselage jig I've been working on uses the same method of tail attachment.

NOTE: I'm going to split this launching topic out into its own thread later today.