spad gnat
 

I dont know it this is considered a combat plane or not,,havent tried combat yet anyway....it has the aluminum channel for the fuse....my futaba 148's dont quite fit in the rail..anybody have a good answer for me??...Rog

RE: spad gnat
 

Spread the rail slightly.

RE: spad gnat
 

ok assuming thats not a joke, I have another problem the .15 that goes on it , a norvel, the muffler rides about 1/16" above the wing and the tank will be almost beside the engine the way the front mounts up,,,I know this will goop up the wing,,but will the heat damage it, ya think?,,I think this may have been a booger boy kit,got it a few years ago...Rog

RE: spad gnat
 

Joke? What joke? You asked, I answered everybody else said, "yup" and moved on.

I believe, and I can be corrected here, that the HiTec servos may be just a slight bit narrower and the planes made with them don't need to be spread.

There are so many variants of the Gnat that giving advice as to locations may be difficult without posting a picture of what you have.

RE: spad gnat
 

Many of my SPADs have a muffler melt on the wing. The good thing about it is that it only happens the first time and then it's done :D

RE: spad gnat
 

Sorry man didnt mean any offense,,built many a plane but no spads,,just seemed that bending aluminum rails to squeeze in a servo might shorten the life span of said servo..cracks and the like...so I thought since no one else did say "yup" it might have been a joke....I cant do pics but if it helps it is an FX Gnat,3 channel .15 size combat ssc legal...it shows the engine mounted from the bottom of the mount but my norvel wont fit that way....Rog

rrh, thanks for that too

RE: spad gnat
 

So if mounting the engine on the top of the mount clears the wing better do that. The spad guys started mounting on the bottom because it was easier to get the screws in and out not for aerodynamic reasons.

See if you can get your battery and reciever inside the wing as in my yellow spad there. I used a HiTec Super Slim reciever. You can just see the twist ties holding them in. Then mount the tank behind the engine using goop and twist ties. I put a wood block in front of the wing to help support it.

RE: spad gnat
 

the channel is 24" and the wingspan is 34" ,,sorry I didnt clarify yes the engine does fit on top thats why I asked about the muffler melting the wing,,the battery in the wing shouldnt be a problem (I fly 1/2a ) as its pretty small as is the rx a great planes mini,,pretty much for a parkflyer...I did fine one servo that fit fine a GWS mini standard about 1/4" smaller in all dimensions than a futaba s148 standard...at Tower they dont list the servo by itself,,but they do show them in a flight pak, which I dont need?? go figure...maybe I can get someone on the phone and get a couple of them. always had pretty good luck with GWS and tower too for that matter...the tank? hmmm its a 2 oz tank(its the biggest I had most of mine are 8cc) so it should fit beside the engine like the plan shows as long as I hog tie it with zip strips.......thanks again Stripes....Rog

RE: spad gnat
 

GO to your local hobby shop, and get some standard "expert" brand servos, they are universal ( plugs into any brand receiver) and cheap about 10 to 12 bucks they fit the 3/4 " rail just fine ( no spreading of rail ) . You will find that the .15 norvel is just barely enough to get airborne,getting the high speed needle set for max r.p.m."s is a must

RE: spad gnat
 

Try these guys for GWS servos, I get mine here.

http://www.aeromicro.com/

r

RE: spad gnat
 

My lhs has NO servo's and hence went out of business, their philosiphy was ,,"if you want it we'll order it" not daring to tell them I could do that from my living room ,,I decided not to bother telling them and within about 1.5 years the were defunct,,,,ROg

RE: spad gnat
 

Tried them too but did not find the mini-standard that I spoke of...Rog
bummer to learn that the norvel .15 may not fly the thing though....?

RE: spad gnat
 

I used Hitec 225 mighty mini servos on mine. They are too narrow for the channel, but if you wrap them with double sided servo tape and shove in the channel, they fit pretty good. I also zip tied them in. I originally ran mine with the O.S. LA .15, but after a midair and broken carb, I dug an older cox conquest .15 out and put that on. Runs great, but really not a good flier. Climbs when inverted, and lands like a brick. Kinda fun for winter combat though.

The muffler burn won't hurt anything, it will discolor slightly, but not really burn.

RE: spad gnat
 

I picked up a Magnun XL.15 yesterday at a swap meet would that be better than the Norvel? the norvel is a non bearing engine...Rog

RE: spad gnat
 

N0t saying that the .15 wont fly it just that you need to build light as possible and have max rpm's and proper propeller combo, some use pressure/bladder tanks on the .15's to insure max fuel feed and steady needle valve settings are consistent,pressure tanks easy to make at home using surgical tubeing,fill with large syringe, clamp off with hemostat

RE: spad gnat
 

I tried to fly my first gnat with a Norvel .15 Big Mig on 30% fuel, 8x5 prop and std radio gear, wouldn't do it, just go about 15' at full throttle before it hit the ground. Switched to a Magnum 25, now it flies really nice. We have experimented with a ballistic 25 fx, Magnum .32s and even a 40 LA, now that 's a fast gnat.

RE: spad gnat
 

Check out my power plant.

http://image.rcuniverse.com/gallery/...humb-41170.jpghttp://image.rcuniverse.com/gallery/...humb-41173.jpg


Yes those are Saito .40s hehe.
Just what I had laying around. I bought them to be used in a Hobby Hanger OV-10 but wanted to break them in first.


Hrmm... wonders how to make bigger images available?

RE: spad gnat
 

fwiw, an 8x5 prop on the .15's is a bit of a large prop. An 8x3 or 7x4 is a better choice for something like the gnat.

The gnat isn't the best flyer on a .15 though, that is true. It's not a bad plane, but it's not competitive against the current SSC planes.

Oh, and bladders aren't necessary. Some guys like them, but I think they are more trouble than they are worth.

RE: spad gnat
 

Kirk, that Norvel would crank that 8x5 at 13,700 RPM on 30% Wildcat, the gnat was just toooo heavy.

RE: spad gnat
 

Right, that's the problem. Only 13.5k with a 5" pitch prop. SSC planes fly best when you're turning less pitch and a higher RPM. That same engine turning an 8x3 at nearly 18k will fly a lot better. 13.5k is rather low for flying combat.

RE: spad gnat
 

Sorry, I missed the SLOW part, LOL. A 25 with a 9x6 isn't very slow.:D

RE: spad gnat
 

Slow is relative. The SSC planes hit about 55mph in a straight line, which isn't much, but when you're turning as tight as these things can turn with multiple planes in the air, it feels a lot faster.

A good .25 with a 9x6 is pretty fast, but a 9x4 will allow you to turn tighter, and turning beats speed in RC Combat any day :D

RE: spad gnat
 

The rules for SSC combat specify a 8x3 master airscrew prop and a maximum rpm of 17,500. A Gnat at those specs flies ok but is at a disadvantage in wing loading with more popular models. I number of regular combat circuit pilots in WI & MN get together to fly strictly Gnat combat at the club level for fun and practice. You can't get a simplier/quicker build.

RE: spad gnat
 

Just had to comment here. Flew my GNAT for the first time today with an OS LA .15. The thing just jumped out of my hand. 8.3 Master air screw - not turning maximum RPM yet - still breaking in the new engine (I hope). Not a great flyer (just my 3rd plane - first spad) but ----- here is the good part. On the 2nd flight - at the end, the engine sputtered and I looked down at my watch to see if time was up - the thing got away from me and nosed into the ground at 60 degrees or so.

I walked over to the plane expecting broken parts all over. The only thing broken was the prop. Put a new one on, cleaned the dirt out of the carb port, gassed up and away I went again. How cool is that!

That is the main reason that I built a SPAD - more flying - less fixing!

RE: spad gnat
 

Well I got an OS .25fp from here on RCU only the guy (Walt Parsons) is red flagged and not allowed to sell on the market place anymore,, so surprize..I never got it...out $42..I should have checked but you know,,ya just assume people are good...oh well no more RCU items for me...havent gotten bit by the bay yet, almost but not quite.....I bought a trainer for $61 shipped, ran out and sent the MO,,(I work at night) woke up that afternoon and had email that the seller had been yanked "dang, out $61" well 2 weeks later,,theres a .40 trainer ARF on my front porch!!.....Rog
Think I'm gonna try and fly it with the Norvel .15 first...