Byron F-18
03-08-2004, 04:17 AM
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Byron F-18
I have a Byron F-18 it is complete with the Byron fan, OS .91 and Byron pipe, Byron retracts, non-digital servos, painted in a Blue Angles scheme. After completion I have spoken to quite a few people and it seems the general consensus is that it will not fly on this set-up at my altitude (Colorado). I was looking to sell it to someone that could get some use from it and throw the proceeds to a dedicated turbine model. It has some slight hanger rash from sitting in the Garage but otherwise looks good. I was wondering if anyone could give me a ballpark figure on what I should ask for it. I know it is hard to be exact but I would just like a general area to start.
03-08-2004, 09:33 AM
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RE: Byron F-18
BS!!!
Who,s telling you that.
I have a george miller F-4 os 91 byron fan and 13.5 lbs.
it jumps from the ground.
I also fly tg f15 pro rossi 105- ramtec 11#
building regal eagle w/ byron fan os 77
scratch built a 45 size plane 8# (in my gallery)
scratch built a "trainer" for the fun of it, edge 540 wings 11# os77 byron fan ( in my gallery)
so if you don't want to still keep it how much?
if you'd like help 303-283-8998
brian gafford
vp denver r/c eagles 2002-2003
currently flyin at jefco
Who,s telling you that.
I have a george miller F-4 os 91 byron fan and 13.5 lbs.
it jumps from the ground.
I also fly tg f15 pro rossi 105- ramtec 11#
building regal eagle w/ byron fan os 77
scratch built a 45 size plane 8# (in my gallery)
scratch built a "trainer" for the fun of it, edge 540 wings 11# os77 byron fan ( in my gallery)
so if you don't want to still keep it how much?
if you'd like help 303-283-8998
brian gafford
vp denver r/c eagles 2002-2003
currently flyin at jefco
03-08-2004, 10:37 AM
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RE: Byron F-18
Well I can tell you back about 7 years ago a friend of mine built a beautiful Byron F-18 with an OS 91 for power. I think the weight was somewhere around 17lbs.
We tried to fly it off a 400ft paved runway.
We had 10 aborted take off attempts because it just did not have the flying speed in 400ft.
One day when the wind came up to about 15mph we tried it again. It struggled into the air at the last foot. It was all we could do to just keep it flying around the circuit long enough to land it. It flew the whole way on the edge of a stall.
After that flight the owner decided to re-engineer it for 2 dynamax fans. He eventually sold it.
Now Im sure if you had 700ft of paved runway or more you could make it fly. But we don't have that luxury.
We tried to fly it off a 400ft paved runway.
We had 10 aborted take off attempts because it just did not have the flying speed in 400ft.
One day when the wind came up to about 15mph we tried it again. It struggled into the air at the last foot. It was all we could do to just keep it flying around the circuit long enough to land it. It flew the whole way on the edge of a stall.
After that flight the owner decided to re-engineer it for 2 dynamax fans. He eventually sold it.
Now Im sure if you had 700ft of paved runway or more you could make it fly. But we don't have that luxury.
03-08-2004, 01:21 PM
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RE: Byron F-18
A fellow friend and flyer flew a byron f-16 till it got upto 16 lbs then was struggling to fly,then retired it.
17 lbs!!!
do you guys add lead pellets to the glue when puttin it together!
I don't expect my BF t38 talon to be that heavy and it's going to be fully loaded.(p80 jetcat)
I was worried about 13.5 lb phantom!
Now if that f18 is over 15-16 lbs yes you will need chatfeid's runways to fly off.
I had 2 other tgs f15 pro here that i've seen fly with me and their weights were 12-13-14 lbs aircraft and i always ask were the extra weight is. AND yes mine is glassed and painted. with the rossi thats heaver than the os ( was 10 1/2 lbs before it threw the rod. thats what i get for switching fuel)
17 lbs!!!
do you guys add lead pellets to the glue when puttin it together!
I don't expect my BF t38 talon to be that heavy and it's going to be fully loaded.(p80 jetcat)
I was worried about 13.5 lb phantom!
Now if that f18 is over 15-16 lbs yes you will need chatfeid's runways to fly off.
I had 2 other tgs f15 pro here that i've seen fly with me and their weights were 12-13-14 lbs aircraft and i always ask were the extra weight is. AND yes mine is glassed and painted. with the rossi thats heaver than the os ( was 10 1/2 lbs before it threw the rod. thats what i get for switching fuel)
03-08-2004, 01:39 PM
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RE: Byron F-18
To settle any argument the plane come in at 18 lbs dry. I have heard a lot of this similar type of discussion. Frankly I would rather let someone at sea level have it, at least it would fly for them, then end up with a very expensive pile of fiberglass and foam. I have a 17lb thrust turbine that I was contemplating putting in it but I think I want to start from scratch and build a dedicated turbine bird.
03-09-2004, 01:07 AM
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RE: Byron F-18
RPM1,
Nice looking F-18...
Sorry to hear about your predicament but I believe you are on the right track. 18lbs dry is about right for the Byron F-18 so performance here in the Denver area will be marginal with a good engine/fan/pipe combo. On a hot day, all bets are off! You should seriously consider converting your Byron F-18 to turbine. It's a great flyer with a good, reliable power package. A Jetcat P-80 should give you decent performance.
Nice looking F-18...
Sorry to hear about your predicament but I believe you are on the right track. 18lbs dry is about right for the Byron F-18 so performance here in the Denver area will be marginal with a good engine/fan/pipe combo. On a hot day, all bets are off! You should seriously consider converting your Byron F-18 to turbine. It's a great flyer with a good, reliable power package. A Jetcat P-80 should give you decent performance.
03-09-2004, 03:44 AM
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RE: Byron F-18
Tom, I have a Simjet 1700 I was considering putting in it, but I am afraid that I will be pretty much back to square one. I believe that I need to beef everything up, I would pretty much have to tear the thing down totally. That is why I was considering just starting with a new kit. If you have any thoughts on this I would be happy to hear them.
03-09-2004, 04:30 PM
#11
RE: Byron F-18
RPM1,
WRT, beefing up the Byron airframe. Not seeing what you have and how well it was constructed I may be going out on a limb, but it may not be necessary or require major modification. Your best bet is to have someone experienced with airframes and the expected flight loads to review your setup. With a Simjet 1700 and flying your jet responsibly, you should be able to keep your flight loads and speed in the 120-150 mph max range which a well constructed Byron F-18 is certainly capable of handling. I have a few folks I can recommend in the area if you contact me offline. Once the decision is made then go for it. If the recommendation is not to turbinize the airframe, then look for the HotSpot and Kangaroo price blowouts here on RCU. I believe Planes Plus has a great deal on either one and there are plenty of folks in the area that have experience with both airframes to get you going on the right track.
WRT, beefing up the Byron airframe. Not seeing what you have and how well it was constructed I may be going out on a limb, but it may not be necessary or require major modification. Your best bet is to have someone experienced with airframes and the expected flight loads to review your setup. With a Simjet 1700 and flying your jet responsibly, you should be able to keep your flight loads and speed in the 120-150 mph max range which a well constructed Byron F-18 is certainly capable of handling. I have a few folks I can recommend in the area if you contact me offline. Once the decision is made then go for it. If the recommendation is not to turbinize the airframe, then look for the HotSpot and Kangaroo price blowouts here on RCU. I believe Planes Plus has a great deal on either one and there are plenty of folks in the area that have experience with both airframes to get you going on the right track.
