RE: Tango Assembly
 

Few more....

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Todd,

Where did you get the air pressure indicator's that you have mounted in the model?

Your Tango is looking great!!

Thanks, Wayne

RE: Tango Assembly
 

You are one heck of a builder Todd...this is such neat work...and in such short time...way to go pal!!!

RE: Tango Assembly
 

That's an SMC pneumatic pressure gauge. BVM sells them. Look in the 'air cylinders and accessories' page at www.bvmjets.com

Kelly

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Few shots of completed Tango....

RE: Tango Assembly
 

few more

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Put six more flights on the Tango yesterday, finally got it dialed in just the way I like it.

Did some high speed full power passes with the P-80 and clocked the plane with a stalker radar, top speed recorded was 172..... No speed limiter needed ;)

For those looking for Bobcat performance at 1/3 the price and in ARF form, you wont be dissapointed with the Tango!

Todd

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Hi Todd,

Glad to hear that you're enjoying the Tango ! I'm working on mine but can't do much more until I get the gear ( almost 2 months already !). A few questions if you don't mind.
How is your accessory tray held in ? It looks to be removable. What control throws are you using ? In an earlier post you mention a mod to the nose gear mount. Could you elaborate ? Did you seal the aileron gap ?

Thanks,
Marc

RE: Tango Assembly
 

As far as gap questions go, is it me, or does the elevator have the worst gap than all the other control surfaces? Mine didn't line up well at all cause the elevator itself was bowed out in the middle a little.

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Todd, I just got my Tango in the air last week, P 80 power but with fixed gear.
I have added about 1/8th inch of Ail. differential to get the roll straight. I might try
to add a little more as I get more flight time on it. Is this what you are finding on
yours? Also mine has a slight pitch to the canopy on the vertical up line, could be
a result of the fixed gear. Did you notice this on yours?

For all those interested, this is a very solid flying airplane, should work well on short
grass fields, very aerobatic, and a good first jet.

Also, I did seal the elevator with a strip of monokote.

KIM FOSTER

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Marc,
I did make the accessory tray is removable, I just installed a 1/4 x 1/4 spruce stick to the foward former and the top tray screws into it to lock it in place. Contol throws.... Have to check them for you tonight since I increased some this weekend. As for the nose gear mod, it's very easy..... The original setup top mounted the gear, the retract comes with both top mount and firewall mount. What I have done is placed a spacer block between the forward bulkhead and the retract, my gear is now mounted using the four top mount bolts and the two lower firewall mounting holes. This secures the gear in the directions of load, both upward and rearward. The spacer will be pre-installed and mounting holes pre-drilled on future kits. I did not seal any of the contol surface gaps, I wanted to see if it would have any issues unsealed. No problems experienced with not sealing the gaps but would expect better surface response with them sealed.

Sean,
Should have let me know about the elevator!!! All the surfaces should be straight and true, let me know if you want to replace it.....
Todd

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Kim,

Because of the top hinge line on the ailerons some differential is built in that needs to be programmed out for axial rolls, some opposite differential in the setup is required. I do not experience any pitch in the vertical lines and suspect that is your fixed gear creating this affect. Strange though, I would think it would want to pitch towards its belly? Have you noticed any pitch change with throttle?
Todd

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Todd, I'm not sure I want to cut the hinges off and do it over again. I'll take a pic tonight and you can see that at each end of the elevator it butts to the horizontal stab and then at the center, there is about an 1/8th inch gap. I'm not sure that's enough to warrant doing it over. I've never sealed gaps on any airplane I've ever had. So I'm not sure even how to do it properly. If you tell me it's necessary, I'll call you tonight to ask how to do it.

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Thanks Todd, My differential is more up then down throw, I did not notice any pitch
change with thrust changes but honestly only have 4 flights. I will need a few more
before I can really tell whats going on, I also noticed a pitch to the canopy on long
inverted climb outs. I imagine I will need to shim the engine somewhere down the
line. These are only slight pitch changes, nothing that is terribly wrong.

Sealing the hinge line is something that should really be done on every airplane.
On the Tango it is easy, just cut a 3/4 inch strip of monokote, fold it in half, and
seal it in place with the elevator held in the full up position.

Did I mention how great Don and Carla are to work with?

Thanks
KIM FOSTER

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Kim,

I did notice on mine the first flight that I had some slight pitch change toward the canopy at high power. One washer under the rear mounting lug bolt corrected the thust line. You may need to add a washer (perhaps two with the extra drag of the fixed gear). Trim the plane at a low thrust setting then add full power and see if the plane tends to climb or sink slightly.

Sean, I'll call you later ;)
Todd

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Ok Todd, got the speed brake how I want it and started cutting out the gear door with the saw last night.

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Looking good Sean!

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Your pictures skipped a lot of production. I jammed the Dowel in the spar last night as well. In my wings, the servo wire hole was not cut out. I took a small piece of piano wire and heated it with a torch and just jammed it all the way towards the servo holes. It made a perfectly round quarter inch hole. However, there is a piece of balsa ply between each servo bay in the wing. I hit that and everything screeched to a halt. Had to pull out the drill to get through it. I'll take some pics of that tonight.

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Todd, where did you get the O rings for your control panel?

RE: Tango Assembly
 

O-rings?? You mean the plastic wire grommets that the wires and hoses pass through?

I know about the channels not being cut for the leads, already on the list I submitted to Don for corrections / improvements. As for the ply seperator between the two servo bays, do you have a right angle attachment for your dremel? I opened them up with a right angle attachment and a carbide cutter bit. This will be pre-drilled on all future kits as well.
Todd

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Grommets, O rings.................... Can you tell I was up late? I mean t Grommets, sorry about the confusion. I don't have a right angle attachment, Didn't ever have the need for one. Thinking back, I'm surprised that even fits in the servo bay. Was it tight?

RE: Tango Assembly
 

I'll send you some grommets with the antenna.
Just take a carbide cuttr in your dremmel and make a slot for the lead to pass through. You can do it on an angle..... I have a really small right angle attachment from snap-on that allows me to get in tight areas like that ;)

Next question?

RE: Tango Assembly
 

I was looking at my buddy's Tango and wonder how you figure out where to cut the main gear doors? Nothing on the outside, and I couldn't feel any structure on the inside of the wing root.....

RE: Tango Assembly
 

You can see it if you look in through the fuel cell openings. Then just guestimate from there. It's going to be really hard, but I'm gonna try to lay them out before I cut and make gear doors. If I get frustrated, I'm gonna go crazy on it with a dremel.

RE: Tango Assembly
 

Nony,
Just press on the bottom skin about an inch forward of the servo lead holes and you will feel the gear plates. You will feel the cutout between the plate, this is where you will begin to cut. I have made the suggestion for this area to be indicated on the skin.

Todd