Sorry to say but Torrey's Hotspot is no more. It crashed down by Chula Vista, loss of control. Last I heard both he and Jason are getting BobCat's for next year.

I predict there will be more Hotspots in the future.

Awesome pictures!! I really want a jet now!!

I've heard a kangaroo...it was the most beautiful sound!!

yes, that WAS torry ward's hot spot, it was the most incredible looking hs that i ever saw, it very sadly met the grim reeper : (

but i hear he is building another one, and i'm sure brian will be dusting on another master piece paint job !

scott

Hmmmmmm I wonder!

I wonder where your rudders are!

rudders who needs rudders -Steve

And you are right Steve, who needs em. I have a very high performance slope glider that is a full flying wing also.


But this one is not mine, if it were...... this, along with a few other minor laterial stability additions would be the finished product. Yeah Black too.
Ray

Chris,
The HotSpot you are referring to belonged to Torrey Ward. I've got a few more pics on the US RC Jet Command Site. Go here for more:
http://www.usrcjc.org/calendar/tripreport/UT_jets.htm

How are you Hotspot guys mounting the airbrake servo box to the fuse?
Bob Wilcox describes how to build it but not how to mount it. I was going to use small screws and blind nuts, so I could remove it if I had to.
Any pictures would be great.
Thanks,
Chris

Chris,
I'm mounting mine later today. I plan to fasten it with screws from the interior sidewall into two rails glued to the top inside of the fuse. I didn't want to run screws on the exterior so this will keep the installation clean but removeable.

Hey Tom,
if you can try and post some pictures when your done.
So how many people have Hotspots on their workbench? This should be a fun plane!
Chris

So what servos are you guys commonly running in the hotspot? I will be ordering some next week and so far I want to use:

2 x Futaba S9151 (Digital) for the elevons
2 x Volz Wing-Maxx for rudders.
1 x Futaba S9202 for the airbrake (or possibly the S9303)
1 x Futaba S136G for retract valve

and whatever extra else I have for the brakes, nose gear, and smoke system. I have heard anything over 110in-oz is suitable for the elevons, but am I going too weak on the airbrake?

Very sorry to hear about Torrey's spot crashing, nice guy, great paint job, awesome pilot...

KW

Here is my customer hotspot.
http://tamjets.com

czonio,

It is WAY beyond fun, it is awesome! Looks killer, flies like a dream, sounds incredible, you are going to LOVE THAT HOTSPOT!


kelly,

I would try not to use nylon gears on the speedbrake. I have actually heard of guys stripping metal gear 8411's on the speedbrake but I am guessing that was a case of throwing it out in a high-speed dive or something.

I use a Hitec 945 and it is holding up OK. I am not a big fan of Hitec but for the speedbrake I was just looking for power and metal gear durability and not precision. As it turns out I have to keep adjusting the throw from my transmitter because the servo seems to drift a bit. Sometimes the speedbrake closes all the way and sometimes it doesn't. Some guys love Hitecs and I say more power to them but in my experience they are not the equal of Futaba or JR.

Regarding the other servos I use the JR 8411's on elevons and Volz for rudders. I use a Futaba 9202 for steering and Jetronic electronic valves for retracts and brakes.

If I was doing it over I'd put a good metal gear Futaba or JR on the speedbrake. A Futaba 9303 has decent power and is reasonable in price. If money is tight and you need to go elsewhere I'd try to at least stick with metal gears.

Ya you got it Dust'...

I was going to go all out with this kit. Money is now a bit tight since my wife decided to remodel the bathroom... Doe'

Thanks for the input.

KW

Kelly,
I plan to run redundant JR 8231's (4) for the elevons. JR 4131 for steering, Volz servos for the rudders, Jetronic electronic valve for the brakes and retracts.

Now, how do I program the dual Jetronic valve with one servo lead???? Am I missing something?

I will be running dual servos for the primary flight controls. Should I split the elevons like the instructions show or have the servos sharing the same flying surface? I'm opting for the latter for simplicity's sake. If so, should the servos have a slight control pre-load against each other (1/2 turn on the clevis)? I've only experienced a couple of servo failures in the 26 yrs of flying RC, two just died, the other skewed to the limit (broken pos+ wire). I don't foresee a wire breaking with the 8231's but the newer servos are more apt to just die if they fail which would favor two servos sharing a common control. Whaddya think?

For a RAM 750, there is the Minihobby ATL Auto Speed option or the RAM Cruise Control (the same unit?). I see that Minihobby is now carrying a new "Auto Cop" speed limiter unit for about half the price of the Auto Speed option. Anyone running one of these Vne limiters?

I read alot about a servo powered airbrake for the Hot Spot but I was planning on air...has anyone done this or is there a problem with it...thanks!

Scott

Scott
Ive done it both ways, but I think from now on I will use air. You
need a air cylinder,servo and switch instead of just a servo but I just think its simpler to set up. I used the adjustable Robart air valve and a large BVM cylinder and it worked great.

Jack

Thanks Jack!