HotBodies A7
 

Minis are the right call, micros are a little iffy for a 66 ounce, 18 powered airplane. And you would not save much weight anyway. Not much you can do to save weight, I did nothing. The wheels are light, and there is nothing you can really remove from the airframe. You need a 600mah pack to balance it, too.

32 flights so far, not a scratch on the thing.

When I get some time, I am going to give it a new paint job:


http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/a7-2.jpg


I've had a lot of fun with this model!

HotBodies A7
 

Hey Easy, how much did you pay for yours? My LHS has it for $315.

HotBodies A7
 

I bought it off of ebay for $375. I thought I was getting a good deal, as tower got it in at $594. Then Tower lowered it to $349. Now you are getting it for $315? Rats!
I've had my share of good deals, I should not complain!

HotBodies A7
 

so you're still happy with it??

HotBodies A7
 

Very much so! I only wish it was a little faster at the top end. I have been considering retracts, too.
I would recommend it highly. Great first jet. Get the idea of what they are all about, without spending much money at all, and without a lot of hassle...fun airplane.

HotBodies A7
 

PS you should check out the TOKI 18 thread for a lot more info. I am too lazy to re-type it here.

HotBodies A7
 

I picked up a Byron F-16 and it is a handful so far. Lands hot and the landing gears don't hold up so good. I hope the A-7 is a little more "sporty".

HotBodies A7
 

Apples and oranges. The F16 is going to go a lot faster. Should land like a *****cat, though, as long as it is not grossly overweight. I have had two of them. The gear stinks, yep.
Both the retracts and the fixed gear.
The A-7 is only four pounds, just a very different animal. I have bounced quite a few landings, with no damage at all to the gear. Big difference between four and twelve pounds hitting the ground.
"Sporty", though, is in the eye of the beholder. It is FUN to fly, but no speed demon. Not underpowered, though.

HotBodies A7
 

"It is FUN to fly"


Thats all that matters. I think I'll like it.

thanks,

HotBodies A7
 

If it lands hot, then you need to raise the nose on approach, and bring it in with a bit of power, if it sinks too fast.

I've had 5 of 'em and the first one was the only one that landed "hot". That was in 1977 and I wasn't flaring it correctly to slow it down.

That was the lightest one I had, too, at 9.5 lbs with fixed gear and a (Get this) FOX Eagle 60 for power!! :D

HotBodies A7
 

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: Fox?

HotBodies A7
 

I'll bet my Hotbodies A-7 will outrun a Fox Eagle powered F16! Terry, you've been AROUND!

HotBodies A7
 

tiger dude i found a pipe for 25 bones!

A7
 

My LHS set one aside and brought it out for me the other day. After looking it over, I was impressed and bought it. I came home and told my wife it's going to be my Christmas present. She made me put it away, I can't peek at it until Christmas. I feel so lucky, I beat everybody, doesn't the highest number always win? I ended up paying $399.99 for mine. This is going to be a great no frills jet to have at the field.

P.S. does any body know if there is a web site for this manufacturer?


Regards,
Dan M.

Just airborn!
 

Had a break in the weather up here (Sask. Canada), and took my HB A7 up for the first time. Got in 3 flights. Seems rock solid, with no hint of stalling.

Have you played with the pipe ata all?? The instructions I had gave an overall lenght, but this was how long the pipe was by itself.

I run nitro touring car. Considerring a .12. The new rear ports have close to 2HP, at close to 40,000 rpm. This is my first DF, so I am assuming it's rpm that make them thrust. I can't see a need for big HP with the fan.

Hoping the snow will clear, gotta get a few more flights in before calling it qiuts.

HotBodies A7
 

I have not played with the pipe length. You are right, though, the pipe dimension shown on the plan was wrong.
Check out the Toki 18 thread. I put a Fantom 15 in a the fan unit. Have not broken 20,000 rpm yet. My gut tells me that the fan is a pretty fair load on the engine, and TORQUE over flat-out RPMs is more critical. If you hit anything over 30k, you'll be stylin'. And I think a torquier engine might be the ticket. I have to play with it further, I am going to unpitch the fan a bit and see if I can't get the engine to spin up more...

HotBodies A7
 

How to FUEL the thing...
After some hundreds of starts with this unit in this and other airplanes, I have worked out a few things...
You have a line running from the TANK to a fuel filter going to another line running to the CARB.
Pinch off the TANK line with hemostats.
remove the CARB line from the filter.
Plug your fuel probe into the CARB line and SUCK any fuel out.
Pull the engine starter to make sure the engine is not flooded.
Remove the filter from the TANK line and plug it into the CARB line.
Plug your fuel probe into the TANK line.
Remove the hemostats.
FILL the tank, you can see the level through the canopy.
Put the hemostats back on the TANK line.
Plug the TANK line back onto the filter.
Put a long glow driver onto the plug.
Open the throttle all the way.
Pull the starter until she fires and burns off any residual fuel.
Remove the hemostats and pull the starter again, and off she goes.

This works every time.
Never leave the plane sitting with fuel in the tank and no hemostats. The tank is several inches above the carb, and it will always flood after a few minutes. As a matter of fact, the whole tank can syphon out and end up all over your car or bench.
These engines like to start pretty wet, but once they are flooded, you have to pull the plug and pull the starter to clear it out. You can easily damage the pull start trying to turn over a flooded engine.

RPM?
 

Dumb question.... I read you marked your spinner to check RPM. How did you mark it?

Conciderring a non pull start engine. Do you think access is possible from the front to spin it up?

With only 3 flights on my A7, I am using 25%. With 45%, did you shim the head at all? Most .12 car motors, add a shim if going to 30% from 20%.

HotBodies A7
 

Yep, FOX!!!!

Had a dead stick landing every time I flew it, too!!!! ;)

THe engine didn't have a heat sink head, and would over heat and seize up every time it flew. :(

Duke Fox told me at Toledo, "That's no D*** Ducted fan engine!!!"

I switched to Rossi .81 Worked great, for over 300 flights. :D

Then it was OS.91 for over 300 more. : :cool:

Re: RPM?
 

A stripe of silver paint on the spinner...

You could definitely make up a starter probe to go in from the front.


I did NOT shim the head. In retrospect, I SHOULD have. It did run fine on 45%, but not any BETTER than 30%. And 20% seems about the same, too...

HotBodies A7
 

Hey, Byron stuff was first designed for "any schnuerle 60." Early catalogs show Webras and freakin' Atwood Super Cyclones and such...
It's funny, nothing old is new. With these little baby jets, we are re-inventing the wheel. A stock Kyosho Sabre is like an early Byron F16 with a side exhaust 60...it is remarkable and cool that the thing flies at all, but fly indeed it does. The A-7 is more like a rossi 81...

A-7 performance
 

Hey Easytiger,

Although not a speed demon, does the A-7 have enough thrust to complete a loop, rolls, basic military aerobatic manuevers?

Thanks

HotBodies A7
 

Three loops from level flight, GAINING height at the end! Split-s, Immelman, rolls, SNAP rolls(not very snappy ones, though!), reasonable stall turns, five turn spins in either direction. Stuff you might not normally attempt with a $1200 12 pound jet.

HotBodies A7
 

Yes!!! Thats what I want to hear. Can't wait to get mine.

There is a guy in the "Glow Engines for Sale" forum selling a Rossi .21 buggy engine. He claims it gets 2.9 hp. Wonder if it would fit in the A-7?

HotBodies A7
 

Nope. Check out the TOKI 18 thread.