I have on eof these (T-100) on order from BVM/SM. Is the K-140 adequate power for this model? This is what I am planning to install but want to hear from others who have flown it or have experience with it.
Thanks
Tommy

Hi

You''ll be fine with it.

I have a 160 and only go full throtle in take off. Most of the time flight is at half throtle

regards


Nuno

Hi, Has anyone weighed their Hawk? I am used to the 40% IMAC planes and this is all new to me would like to have an Idea what the weight should be close to.

Thanks

J.C.

I could not tell you what mine weighs, but what I do notice is that it seems to land with ease. I am a nut for smooth scale like landings and this plane is making this way too easy. I am not concerned about weight, but the balance at 220mm is what I like it at.

Thanks Joe, with that Cg (220mm) when flying inverted do you need much down elevator?

J.C.

At this CG, I am getting an easy nose high landing with mains on the pavement and easily holding the nose high while slowing down. I prefer to have to add a touch of down Elevator when inverted. But with the way I set up my down ele. throw being less than my up and then adding some expo, it would look like I am putting in more than what the plane is actually getting . I set my inverted flight throws that allow me to roll inverted with no pitch changes. You see, I have flown competition so much in the past, i found that my thumb always liked moving to a comfortable position to fly inverted, so I adjust my inverted throws and stick position to be where it, my thumb, likes moving to naturally. This works great fo me.

So the simple answer is that it takes some minor down elevator input to hold inverted. I personally find it unnatural to be at neutral stick flying inverted.

I agree that flying inverted with no down elevator compensation does not feel normal, I have noticed some jet pilots seem to like a neutral cg , specially on sport jets, I guess thats due to speed and not having to use much rudder on slow rolls!!!

J.C.

Today I weighed my airplane in different configurations:

Skymaster Hawk 100 Saudi Scheme

The equipment I used is as follows:
Power Box Royal SRS
8x Jr 8911 servos
5x Jetronic valves
DreamWorks sequencer
Detail for scale lights
2x Duralite 5200 mah batts
1x Duralite 2500 mah bat for lights and smoke
2x 16oz fortitude tanks for smoke system
Jet Central smoke pump and solenoid
Jet Central Rhino
BVM pipe for SkyMaster Hawk
And the normal airlines and fittings
Servo Extensions are all made to length
SkyMaster 1/5 scale pilots no legs
Duralite 3800mah bat for ECU

The weights were as follows:

1. RTF full of fuel and fully armored with:
Wing drop tanks
Center tank
2x Missiles

=51.9 Lbs.

2. RTF no wing tanks no belly tank and no smoke tanks
= 50.5 Lbs.

3. RTF no wing tanks no belly tank only fuel in UAT and Hopper tank
= 43.8 Lbs.

4 Same as #3 but full of fuel
= 49.3 Lbs.

This being my first Jet build, I have no Idea if these weights are with in range for this model and power configuration, I would appreciate some input ref. power to weight ratio on this model and If I am close to other builds similar to mine.

Thanks in Advance

J.C. Alvarez

Never weighed mine and my set-up is similar. Low to mid 40s is what I expected it to weigh.

Some pics from last Sat.

Just read instructions and saw video on filling the struts and adding air to the Skymaster struts, I don't think they are very clear, does anyone have any advise on how to service the struts?

Thanks

J.C.

I just did it. I will leave step by step instuctions here, just cant do it right now. It is pretty easy, you can do it in about tweny minutes per side.

Dave

I have 5 flights on mine now, seems to be pretty straightforward to fly. I keep it on full elevator throw with no expo, it seems soft on the elev.

180 RX works well especially witht he grass runway for now. I tried to balance at 220mm, I am pretty close, it just is a little nose heavy with TO since the tank is a little fwd. So far no issues. Looks great in the air although it seems a little small!

For the struts...assuming you have the strut assembled but empty of oil and air:
Hold the strut upright, valve to the top, with the strut extended. Next, remove the brass valve and install the oil fill valve with tubing/syringe with oil. Fill the strut with oil. Compress the strut until you get the air out through the tube and let it accumulate in the top of the syringe. Then compress the strut and remove the oil fill valve and replace the air fill valve, gently.
With the strut upright and without load on it, use the supplied air canister with the check valve to fill the strut to 130 psi for the main gear and 90-110 for the nose.
Should be ready to go...

Thanks I will be doing the struts and brakes tonight .

J.C.

I am trying to balance my hawk using the Easy Balancer in the pic below, My question is if anyone has used this balancer did you balance the plane right side up or up side down?
when I set my plane on the balancer at neutral and at 210 mm the nose is tilted up about 10 degrees, I think this is because the bottom surface of the wing has the wheel well offset ,the upper surface is more uniform,and would probably sit more evenly. would like to know what method others are using to balance,

Thanks
J.C.

[ATTACH]1906018[/IMG]

Can you guys post a picture of your bypass and bell mouth installations?

I did mine like my raptor which had the bypass ending at the tailcone with a 0.75" gap to the bell mouth.

Unfortunately the BV upgrade book covers the usual bypass install and my hawk came with the bell mouth.

I have 11 flights on it now, no issues so far.


thanks
dave

Just received photos of my Hawk in the 2010 scheme from Skymaster.
Think the paint looks stunning and cant wait for it to turn up.

Also wondering the same thing as J.C. regarding balancing if people could share with us how they balanced their hawk.

Regards
George

I don't know if this is what you are looking for Dave, this is how I did my bypass to tail cone

J.C.

thanks for taking the time to post. How warm does the fuse get with this setup at the end of the flight?

Mine is different. I have a fully bypassed inlet until the turbine tailcone, then a space for 0.75" to the open bell mouth. This was the way my F22 worked and it ran well. Nobody has spelled out the bypass and bell mouth instructions for this jet since they switched to the bell mouth so I went as I described. Runs fine but I could probably use a little more air through the fuse for cooling aside from the gear doors and the airbrake. I opened the vents in the aft hatch (fore and aft) too - seems to help a bit.

Dave

I balanced mine on a similar stand but it has a jeweler bearing so it adjust for non-flat surface. With the struts fully extended, the plane just rests on the nose. If you lift it up just a tad it sits on the tail. That seems to be at 220 from my balancer. Flies well there with nice main gear aerobraking landings.

Dave

A quick video of a flight last week. Thanks to Brian Hacker!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWWlog3eYJg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhsAs2AxcfU picture in picture

Flight looked good and it looks like you are really enjoying the plane. I know the more I fly mine, it keeps getting better. I would buy another in a minute.

Thanks. The plane does fly well. The approach with the gear down and doors closed almost looks like my picture for the carrier landings...almost...lol. We have a few days of flying coming up at the Midwest Jet Rally, hoping to get many flights in!

Has anyone had any air leaks in the gear cylinders? I had landed last weekend with 85psi left. pumped it up to 100 preflight. Getting ready to startup 20 minutes later it was 30PSI! The only thing I had done was stick the bvm compressor air line into the airline fill valve (not threading onto the valve but sticking the end of a cut piece of tube into the valve as suggested through bvm too I think) . I wondered if that could cause a problem. I refilled it, tested it gear up/down for an hour, everything held like normal, then flew again, no problem. I have BVM hiflow for gear, it is NOT leaking. I checked most fittings with soap, no leaks. Gremlin? or did I do it to myself with the air valve fill method?

One thing for piece of mind on the gear that I installed is the Dream Works sequencer with the 50 Psi limit which opens your gear just incase of an in flight air leak

J.C.

I have a Jet Tronics Door Valve that when I power is off ,leaks all the air thru the exhaust Port any one come across this?