I just wanted to update anyone that is thinking about building a Lightning with a P-180 concerning the balance. The final balance required with the smoke system and all of the batteries mounted on the plates in the nose (as can be seen in my previous post) required exactly 18 oz of lead in the nose to balance. In addition a full length Blue Box pilot was installed before checking the final C.G. using the method described in the manual.

You should also be aware that if you are planning on installing the cockpit it is not possible to use the extra kevlar tank mounted to the top of the plate because it hits the bottom of the cockpit deck. The kevlar tank must be mounted under the plate as described in the instruction manual to allow the 1.7 liters of fuel (if I remember correctly) instead of the 2.1 capacity. Gary

Gary,

I received my Lightning kit Wednesday. Ghost_rider came over Saturday and we unboxed it.
My first impressions of this kit, to say the least.....awsome. I had no idea that the quality was so high. This one will take very little time to finish. I am putting a 160 in mine,,,, as soon as it is upgraded to kero-start.
Keep us posted on the flight report.....

best regards,
Ron Ballard

Gary, my numbers were very close to yours. I had 20 oz in the nose with no pilot or cockpit, so I would suspect with the BB pilot, I would be at 18 oz as well.

The center of the engine sits approximately 16 inches behind the CG while the front of the nose cone is approximately 48 inches in front of the CG. Back of the envelope math would say for each pound of engine, you would need about 5.3 ounces of noze weight. It might even be a bit less, given that the extra fuel you would need to carry sits in front of the CG by just a bit. All in all, this might not be too great a penalty for the thrust gain if the 180 performs to spec. With the added weight of fuel, I don't think the thrust to weight ratio with a P180 will be all that much different at takeoff than the Rhino. That would obviously change as the extra 4 pounds of fuel burns off.

Will a P-200 fit in the bypass??? The P-180 is listed as 4.72" in diameter/P-200 is 5.12" in diameter...

Kevin

Kevin, a friend of mine was undecided as to which engine to install in his Lightning (Titan or P-200). He did check and the P-200 will fit in the bypass, but he was unsure about the pipe being large enough. He ended up installing the Titan, but is unhappy with the performance (maidened this weekend) and is thinking of trying the 200.

George

Thanks for the reply George!!! I'm actually going to install an AMT Olympus at 45lbs/thrust if I do get this plane. The P-200 is listed at 5.12 inches in diameter and the Olympus is 5.1 inches. Your friend might just as well install the P-180 as it is slightly less in diameter (4.72 Inches) but still is rated at 45lbs of blow...Actually, the P-180 is rated at 45lbs at 110,000 rpm and the P-200 is rated at 45lbs at 112,000 rpm---You would think that it would be the reverse....Perhaps one spools up and down faster/slower than the other??????

Kevin

Yeah, I told him to go for the P-180, but he already had the Titan and P-200 and didn't want to dish out more $$$ for an extra engine when he had one laying around. You shoulb be good with the Oly.

George