New to jets and needing some help
 

Hello all,

I will be starting on my first jet in a few weeks which is a boomerang nano. Being so new to the jet side of the hobby I am not familiar to anything as far as set up on turbines. My big question is that I will be able to attend best in the west this year and I was hoping to get set up help at the meet. I can set up the radio for the aircraft but for the turbine set up I'm SOL. I know best in the west is a way a away but being im military and stuck in alaska it's the only one I'll be able to attend. Turbines aren't that big up here so the help is hard to come by. If I can get a few flights in as well during the meet so I can at least start my turbine waiver would be great. Any help or info from anyone would be great.

Hello and welcome.
I think you have picked a perfect jet to start with and you should have many enjoyable flights. Installing the turbine I would suggest you read the instructions as they are pretty easy to understand. However you should also follow any specific regulation installation as well. For instance we in Australia must also fit a kill switch incase the ECU fails just to name one. I'm sure it will also be easier on someone to help you if you mention the turbine you are installing and the specific questions you are after. Going to the jet meets you will find lots of people who can lend a hand and answer your questions.

The turbine I'll be using is a Kingtech K-60G. I've read the manual for the nano and there is no mention of the mounting area in the back of the jet. Setting up the ECU with the radio + balancing. What all is required for turbine flying beside your waiver, fire extinguisher and spotter? Like I said I'm a complete noob to this and would like more info

Get ahold of rjbob. He's Anchorage based and has lots of turbine experience.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/members/rjbob.html

PaulD

Thanks for the info

There's a Boomerang Nano build thread on RCU:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-j...ld-thread.html

Or here:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-j...rang-nano.html

Lots of info there. - John.

Does anyone have any luck with the G series of kingtech turbines? I am assuming they are easy to set up since they only need the fuel itself to start. I have been really thinking about not using a UAT on the Nano. I know people will say it is a good thing to have. But It seems like an extra hassle.

The UAT is there to make sure that you don't end up with air bubbles in your
fuel supply to the pump & engine. Too many bubbles & it's dead stick time.

There are alternatives like a simple header tank which does the same job.

Or, you can use a felt or pleated paper clunk which hold a little fuel if the clunk
should lift out of the fuel.


If it was me, & you have room, fit one.

In theory the UAT should remain full of fuel while the model is flying.
If you do fit one remember to fill it with fuel before you check the
model's CG. You can use them for ballast to adjust the CG. - John.

I'm assuming the jet was designed with a uat in mind. Have to wait and see

I would strongly suggest you use a UAT. It's not a hassle at all to fit one in and you can get them in all sorts of sizes to suit your needs. I would also suggest to stay away from the ones with the Bag inside as I find these high maintenance. In saying this this is just my 2 cents worth and I'm in no way bagging these products. I do use the Intairco UAT ( bubble trap ) and find they are easy to use, come with instructions on plumbing and are very simple in design. Before flying your jet for the first time I would strongly recommend to get an experienced jet flyer that knows what he is looking at to check your plumbing and installation. I would then run the plane on the ground to check for Air bubbles in line, leaks etc.

Welcome to jets. Unfortunately you must change your mindset. If you consider that fitting anything to your jet is "hassle" it is not for you. Jets are expensive dangerous gadgets and time must be spent to make sure everything is A1 perfect before you fly.

I know the jets are expensive and everything needs to be 100% perfect I'm just saying that to me it seems like one extra thing in the fuel system that could leak. But I could be wrong

Another source of help in Alaska is Patrick Martin (N411X) in Wasilla. He has lots of experience, and can offer plenty of assistance in setting up your jet. He flies off of ice in the winter, too.
Call me at 321-972-6094 for his phone number.

Use the UAT they are not a hassle and they only pose a leak threat if you make your own and not buy a commercially made UAT which are pretty bullet proof. Also build yourself a test stand to become fimaliar with the operation of your emgine. It's a lot easier to trouble shoot on a test stand rather all cramed into your jet

Regarding the kingtech g turbines, I have a k140g for a first turbine. I have run it on a test stand and I have no prior experience. Just read the manual and asked a few questions. You should have no qualms about a kingtech from what I have seen and read.

I guess my thing with the UAT is to also save weight but if it is a good thing to have for the safety aspect then I guess ill use it. What other things are needed for the jets as far as safety? Is a fire extinguisher the only thing?

do not be tempted to use a screw as a fuel bung either as it will suck air in around the thread, buy proper fuel bungs for the size of fuel pipe you are using

If you think using a UAT may be a hassle, well it's a bigger hassle picking up a crashed jet when a air bubble causes a flame out at the wrong time when not using a UAT

UAT stands for Ultimate Air Trap. Its not a tank, it traps air that your turbine would potentially ingest. Your UAT should never run dry or even low. It should never even be considered part of the fuel capacity. Turbines are not like gas or glow motors. If you suck in a bubble, the flame could go out with no way to reignite. A gas motor can recover due to the continued prop rotation allowing the ignition to reignite the next compression stroke.I am a very confident pilot, but when it comes to my jets, I don't ever want to be put in the position of an unpowered turbine landing.

My first jet was one of the very first Boomerang Intro kits in the UK (so a while back) . At the time, I knew nothing about turbines and had no one to help me or do my maiden flight to check it out.

If you just follow all the instructions carefully and use the guys on this forum you should do ok. I assume you are already a competent flyer (and builder / assembler) and all the Boomerangs fly like a trainer and (generally) have low wing loadings which means they will glide quite well without power (so a flame out is not as big a deal as it would be with a heavily wingloaded scale jet) but a UAT gives peace of mind and is no problem if properly fitted.

Guys I appreciate the info from everyone I guess i am just not asking the right questions about the jet side of the hobby.

Well, all questions are right and you probably have a lot at the beginning, just need the right answer :)

I guess I am I really want to know what to expect in the beginning. How was if for all of you when first started?

I started into jets a couple of years ago with a Boomerang XL. I basically dug through all the forums for any build info I could find and also for info on the turbine install, etc. I also found a local jet modeller that had me over to his house and he double checked my setup and helped me start the turbine for the first time. Everything went very smoothly but in spite of how much preparation I had done, we discovered the turbine wasn't centered in the airframe perfectly. I had carefull measured everything but it turned out the former that I used as a reference wasn't installed square and as a result my turbine sat at a bit of an angle. We quickly took care of that and it started right up without a hitch. I also set up my spare transmitter as a buddy box as per AMA rules you are required to be on a buddy box until your instructor feels you're ready to take the qualification flight for your turbine waiver. I was fortunate enough to have a friend that agreed to help me through the turbine waiver process. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to attend our local jet rally on Friday, which was the day that the event director wanted all maidens to be performed. Since my friend wasn't available, I asked a couple of experienced pilots that I knew were qualified (by reputation) and they were either busy or simply didn't feel comfortable test flying another persons jet. I did eventually find someone that was willing to help me and I got in a couple of flights on Friday and on Saturday and Sunday my friend took over and I completed my turbine waiver that weekend. Still, in spite of the fact that I was a very experienced flier, and the Boomerang XL is very straightforward to fly, it took a good number of flights before I felt completely comfortable flying with a bunch of other jets in the pattern.

My advise would be, don't show up at an event unless you are very sure that everything is sorted and you can focus on learning what you need to know to complete your turbine waiver. Also, have a buddy box setup all configured so you don't need to mess with that. The place to sort out any possible issues is at home when you have access to tools and time to do the job right. Also, it's best to remember that the other guys there want to fly their own jets and probably have very limited spare time. Most are more than happy to share that time to help someone out but it's always best to be prepared so you aren't wasting time on unnecessary things.

Thanks for the info Wayne. Is it worth it to get a bigger jet such as the Boomerang XL vs the NANO as a beginner jet? I ask because i have seen a few jets for sale on the RCU of guy selling because they didnt enjoy flying jets. I wouldnt mind getting the XL but its just that if I dont enjoy flying jets like i think i will then i am afraid i will have spent a lot of money for no reason.