hippos1962

I just crashed my predator after 15 fantastic flights due to a flame out .I am not an expert but my friends that are, think it happened because i used the stock uat.I allready ordered a new one but will go with an aftermarket Uat.
Merry Christmas and Good Luck

Helge Larsen

Sorry to hear that you crash your Predator🙁. Yes I don`t trust on this Pilot RC UAT so maybe better to Use a Quality UAT to avoid Flame Out and not so expensive.

hippos1962

I would like to hear from other pilots opinion on the stock UAT.

bobzilla

My Feedback: (63)

Have had problems with 2 out of 3 predators uat. I no longer use. Built in

skunkwurk

My Feedback: (18)

I would think you would have noticed air in the UAT on one of the previous flights. Are you suspecting it is passing air to the turbine?

bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

mine had an air leak between it and the main tank, so instead of pulling in fuel from the tank it pulled air.

skunkwurk

My Feedback: (18)

Wouldn’t that show up as air in the UAT?

bobzilla

My Feedback: (63)

Mine sucked air on takeoff, i was able to come around and land, it was maiden. Had a similar air being sucked on my 3rd predator. Put in a MAP UAT.

hippos1962

I did not see any air on the previous flights and the tank was destroyed on crash.

skunkwurk

My Feedback: (18)

No air bubbles in the UAT after any of the previous 15 flights would make me suspicious. I am not suggesting the UAT is not at fault, but the purpose of a UAT is to catch air in the system as a last-ditch effort before the fuel heads to the turbine. Typically after running the system the amount of air (the bubble) in the UAT will grow or get larger if there is a problem. This is a tell-tale sign to look for, unless the UAT is mostly full of air (per design) I don't see how the UAT would be the root cause. If you keep the system primed and there is little to no air in the UAT, how would it pass air through? Otherwise, it would have to be air getting into the system on the line between the UAT and the turbine. When you installed the UAT, did you ensure the fittings were tight?

Sometimes replacing parts fixes hidden/unknown problems, like tubing related issues or lose fittings. Their UAT looks like a commonly used design, similar to a JMP or Intairco unit. I use both and can't complain about either. I'm a huge advocate of ground testing, it should reveal if air is getting into or passing through the fuel system.

btw - what was the off-condition of the turbine?

airborn900

My Feedback: (25)

I have many flights on mine using stock uat with no issue.

dccatl

My Feedback: (1)

Mine as well, using BVM UAT now.

skunkwurk

My Feedback: (18)

If the unit is compromised you would have a fuel leak in the jet, I think it would be kind of obvious it is defective. If it is not compromised but it is filling with air, then it is actually doing its job, no? In either case, it would have to be about ~1/2 full of air to allow air to pass to the turbine.

But - I guess stick to what ever works for you.

jarizaga

Hello Bobzilla
The MAP UATs you installed

The cap forward and inclined?

do you have any photo?

dccatl

My Feedback: (1)

The compromised part was the fiberglass floor of the integrated UAT between the UAT and the main tank, there was no leak into the plane. In my case, with the turbine running on the ground, as I throttled up, a steady stream of bubbles in the front left corner of the bottom of the UAT appeared - air being drawn from the top of the main tank. The UAT did "do its job" in that it captured all the air, until such point as the air displaced the fuel to below the level of the sintered pick-up in the UAT which caused a flameout. I was fortunate to have landed safely after the flameout and was able to figure this all out after the fact. When I bypassed the integrated UAT, I removed the pickup fitting and could then see that the floor of the UAT is a separate piece of fiberglass, glued between the main tank and the UAT portion, the glue joint had failed in the corner causing the air leak from the main tank. I drilled some large holes in the bottom of the UAT floor and now just use that as part of my main tank.

skunkwurk

My Feedback: (18)

Ah yes - that would be different. I assumed the unit the OP was describing is a standalone unit similar to the JMP or Intairco units, I see Pilot sells one on their site. I would consider any air bubbles or any increase of air in the trap a trigger to immediately ground the plane. In fact, that is as important as a range check for me. This is also why I tend to use only clear or semi-transparent UATs. Also, I don't know if I would use a combo or integrated UAT, but that is definitely personal preference. A good pressure test of the UAT and the tank section, individually, should reveal any leaks between the systems. For a integrated or combo system, I would go further and perform a bench test to ensure there is no internal leak or cross of fluids. I recently posted a video showing this process on a CMJets combo fuel/smoke tank. See below - in case it may help someone still considering using the combo tank. Glad you did not lose your jet!

hippos1962

It has been determined that my turbine shut down due to a signal loss.It was not the UAT

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Always better to know whats up than take off wondering

jarizaga

Hi,
I have my new Predator 2.2, never fly yet I´m new ti JETs and thank to this thread
I was to verify that my UAT TANK has a leak from the MAIN TANK

On the left side 10mm next to fuel filler pipe

Now I am trying to repair
castin epoxy resin on the bottom of the UAT to seal it

Anyway i buy an external UAT to have incase of failure

Best Regards!!

skunkwurk

My Feedback: (18)

Good call on buying a separate uat.

jarizaga

Okay
yesterday I did a test and it seems that the leak is no longer present approx 3mm of epoxy was left on the bottom of the UAT

Now I did some tests before this with external UAT, and notice the following Remember I'm new to JETs

main tank 1/3 approx. UAT filled without air

with another fuel pump working simulating the turbine running
now for a few seconds I put the main tank looking down, (simulating a nose down on the plane)
It is clear that the cluch takes air and that air travels the main line to the UAT
this air is hosted by the UAT, right?

I think that's normal for me

Now if all of the above said is fine
If I accumulate a lot of air in the UAT there comes a time when air will pass to the turbine

I have the impression in my simulation that it absorbs a lot a lot of air from the main tank it is very few seconds that I tilt or shake it

skunkwurk

My Feedback: (18)

yep - UAT is meant to catch that air, it provides a buffer.

airborn900

My Feedback: (25)

So I have read and posted here off and on. I talked to a friend with one of these and his left wing departed the airplane in flight. I have many flights on mine and my wing clamps seem to work well. Just wondering if this is a common failure, and if so, what mods can be made to prevent it from happening.

NC Jetguy

There is really not much force in the direction perpendicular to the leading edge. That being said, it’s not the first time wings have come off in flight. Usually, it can be traced to not inserting wing bolts, or in the case of the Predator, not tightening the clamps. I admit that while I love this plane, I wish they had a more secure wing mounting system. I check mine before each flight and reset if necessary.

jarizaga

Hello
Regarding the previous comments of wing detachment,

I have the latest version of predator where it comes with two clamps per wing
(I saw that the previous version with a single clamp came out the wings)

This is due to not having a mechanical lock to prevent the wing from dismounting in flight.
If the screws are loosened, the wing will loosen.

I decided to drill a hole in the aluminium front wing tube
so you can install a home made 2mm clip pins introducing the hand from the air intake
This clip pins is placed after the hitch on the inside of the fuselage, preventing the wing from coming off


haa!!
And in elevators i did the same with a traxxas clip pin

Regards
I can't upload photos,
I wish very much to get more than 10 posts