RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

My last RE had 2 - 10oz Sullivan oval fuel tanks mounted in the wing roots and a 2oz header tank near the engine. The main tanks were accessed through the top fuse hatch. They just slid into large rectangular openings that I had cut in the fuse sides so that I could get them in the wing roots.

Parkinson's early RE plans showed the tanks in the wing roots with access hatches underneath the wing.

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

donniercjet

Thanks for the heads up on the toe in on the previous post. And now the tank issue is another good heads up. It sounds like the best approach is to essentially frame up the fuselage box and nose fuse and leave it as open as possible and then do a trial fit of ALL systems prior to going any further. That way you can also do all the system work when access is the easiest. I've learned this on another model I am just finishing having had to cut back into the fuselage twice now because of servo wire routing and defect issues. Since I am gong to do mine this way I will post some pics of the entire fuse with all the systems in before I close so it will be available in the future. Could someone who has a finished Regal Eagle post a few pics of the inside of their fuse so we can see your fuel tank and gear systems?

bob branch

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

So...

We started on the nose fuse yesterday.

And worked on the nose fuse.

And did some work on the nose fuse.

And then we worked on the nose fuse a little bit.

Once that was done, we started in ont he nose fuse.

By the end of the day, we'd made a little progress on the nose fuse. (Well, ok...I'd also managed to sand and shape the balsa leading edges on the wings)

I then decided I wanted to keep working, so i took the nose fuse home to start working on it.

[>:]

Apparently, there's some fundamental law of plastic parts that I do not grasp...it's probably called the "Law of Making Plastic Parts Fit Together." Gah. I HATE plastic parts. I think the ONLY reason I haven't chucked this thing and started to build a wooden nose fuse is because I'm too **** stubborn to let a piece of plastic win.

The nose FUSE itself went together ok...I wasn't REAL happy with the joint, as this stuff is difficult (at best) to sand well, so the chances of a flush fit are pretty slim. That's ok though...build the little lip the way Bob describes in the video, and the parts will fit together reasonably well...there will likely be some filling to do in the joints, but that's to be expected.

Then the trouble started....the nose one assembly.

First, the nose cone assembly, once together, wouldn't fit inside the fuse...it wqas MUCH too big, despite cutting it out a good 1/8" above the mold line. After some trimming, the dry fit worked fine, so I started to prepare to glue it together. Of course, building the lip around those curves was LOTS of fun, and before long, I'd managed to glue pretty much everything on the table together (including me) EXCEPT for the nose cone.

Finally, it was glued together...nly to discover it would not fit again. Not really sure where I screwed up THAT one...but apart it came, more trimming occured.

Of course, I was getting pretty frustrated by now, and wasn't as careful as I should have been while trimming, so the centerline of the assembly got screwed up in my reassembly, and one side was trimmed more than the other. The end result: Sizeable gaps in the joint (not a structural problem, with the lip in place, but unsightly to say the least) and a nosecone that LOOKS like it bends to one side....It DOESN'T (The point is right on center), but one side tapers more than the other, giving the illusion that the cone is bent.

ARGH!!

Please understand...none of the above is condemnation of Bob's nose fuse assembly...clearly, the parts are molded well and exact. And there's little question that his instructions for assembly, provided on the DVD, will work fine....they simply presume that the moddler has the patience (and, apparently, some mystical skill that escapes this particular clumsy redneck) to do the assembly correctly.

In any event, all is not lost...the entire assembly did, eventually, come together in something vaguely resembling an F-15 nose. it has come home with me, and work has begun sanding, shaping, and filling with Bondo. Thankfully, while my past experience does NOT include a tremendous amount of "Put these two plastic pieces together" it DOES include a reasonable amount of "Fill/Sand/Shape" work. I've already made significant progress returning it to a clean shape, and expect to have that done this week.

So...let today's "journal entry" serve as a caution to those who attempt this in the future...proceed very very slowly with the plastic nose fuse, and be careful to do things right....or else. :)


(Pictures of the Nose Fuse before, during, and after will be available once it's done. :))

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

i agree 100% with working with the plastic parts i bought bobs drop tanks and made an attempt to assemble i thought no big deal just cut them like he shows in the video HAHA yea right!! im having the same problems you are i get the points set correctly and the middle wants to over lap each other so i sand the areas that want to over lap a 1/16 of an inch now i have a 1/4 inch gap!! ARGH!!!!!!!!! i had to set it down and move on to something else before i chucked it in the trash
i feel your pain
donniercjet

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Guys: It is an art form, not a model building proceedure. Unfortunately, it is one I have not mastered and I don't believe I have the patience to do it. I don't even do wheel pants... fortuantely I fly off grass so its not even tempting. My neighbor on the other hand is a master with the stuff. He has a Stinson cowl with all the blisters that you just would not believe. He can take a totally crash destroyed plastic cowl and return it to perfection. His secret is that the plastic is not the finished product. He spends hours filling the seams and then sanding them. It is not a glue together and your done deal. Fillers are everywhere and then he finally sprays body filler on it and its magical. I look at where he starts and where he finishes and ... well, as I said, its an art form.

If you start with the proposition that you are not going to get a perfect joint and are going to use fillers to fair it all and get it perfect you may suffer less frustration. Me? I just love balsa! I am cheating though. I ordered all the nose balsa over size in thickness so I can round things out nicely. I just hate planning through a joint with that last pass. So all the internal triangles are larger. The sides start thicker, and the nose block is bigger. Did I mention I also like shavings!

bob branch

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Well heres another journey scratch built F-15,

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

angelrddesign:

Very nice, thanks for the pics! Is there a scale source for your color scheme or is it original? Verynice. Also what is your power system?

bob branch

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Well I had some pic of the scale color scheme. Its powered by K/B 82 with Dyna. B&D retracts, 7 servos, 9 1/2 pounds. Heres the real thing. (pic.) I wish i could get a closer look of the words or graphics

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

awesome... not sure which is more awesome, the 100% scale or yours. Great job

bob branch

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Heh...well, I certainly haven't learned the art form, but I ave definitely learned that it's a "process" that involves much sanding and shaping and filling and sanding and shaping and filling and sanding and....etc etc :)

The nose is starting to look pretty good though...as I said, I have some experience doing body work and such, and the process is about the same. I am, however, getting concerned about weight, as the build up of the side is taking more filler than I expected. I THINK what I'll wind up doing is removing the filler I've put there, shaping some foam to roughly approximate what I need, and then using filler over that.

Ahh well...at least I enjoy this sort of thing. *heh*.

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

BTW, one tip Mike passed along to me (a day too late, of course *heh*) is that when he joins molded plasti parts, he joins them BEFORE cutting the edges off...it gives a flat surface to marry up to. he says the process is basically to mate the pairs so points/edges line up, use the flat "flanges" to tack the assembly together. Then, work inside (using a heat gun if necessary to soften/shape the strip) to lay down the plastic strip over the joint (the "lip" as Bob calls it). once that's set, you can then trim the flange off the outside, sand flat, and do minimum filling work. Certainly, I'll try that NEXT time. *heh*

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Well, the nose has at least finally been re-shaped, and I've got the front of it glassed just to see where we are.

I'm not sure how bad the weight is...it's clearly heavier than just the plastic "assembly" was, but then, a built up wood fuse/cone would have been as well. I THINK it's "too heavy", in the sense that it'll leave the aircraft noseheavy when assembled, but I don't think it's going to be terribly out of whack...nothing a small amount of aft weight won't solve.

What I'll probably do is go ahead an work with it, but I'll probably give some consideration for ease of removal of the nose assembly, should I decide after seeing things to yank it, and build another.

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

gboulton

This plane I think sees a large span of cg's. The pusher fan results in the engine being in a considerably different position. Wood nose vs plastic nose, retracts vs non retracts, a variety of different setups for location of elevator servos and the presence or absence of rudder servos and size of rudder servos. I think we get a bit paranoid about the plans providing the only precise location. I have yet to find the location of the CG on the plans of an aerobatic plane to be the best cg for the plane. You have to work it out for each plane and after flying 3d profiles and even indoor electrics I'm finding just about everything lists its cg in a position that will make the plane nose heavy so they are ultra stable in level upright flight. That way the designer doesn't get in any problems with someone finding a plane sensative. Dual rates, expo, all those things can let us fly stuff way away from starting point CG.

bob

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Agreed, Bob...and certainly, even if the plane IS "noseheavy", it's not going to make things attrocious in the air. (Well, I suppose it could be EXTREMELY noseheavy...like...have a brick up there) Like I said, I'm not overly worried about it...just a gut feeling, but I don't think it's going to be TOO bad.

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Really glad to see some activity on the Ducted Fan front there must be hundreds of models/engines/fans about un used with all these turbines about now.

I have both BP regal eagle and the smaller Vector Eagle, both in bits from about 10 yrs ago or more. I have brought them out of the attic and have started the rebuild of the Vector eagle, but unfortunatly cant place the plan for the regal eagle. Anyone got a plan no longer needed or even willing to hire !!

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Sooo.. how about a pic on that nose? LOL

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

nice bird angelrcdesign. Looks fast too. What size motor?

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Hi gang,

Looking for some confirmation, advice, help, what have you this time. :)

I've begun work on the thrust system...fan mount, housing, etc. Got the fant mount in with no problems.

I would, however, before going any further, like some input from you folks who've built this aircraft before.

I've installed the inlet scoops, and dry-fit the shroud and thrust tube. Could some of you with experience take a look at the pictures below, and tell me if things look right in general?

http://www.tnreefer.com/stuff/rc_pla...cting/sm_1.jpg


http://www.tnreefer.com/stuff/rc_pla...cting/sm_2.jpg


http://www.tnreefer.com/stuff/rc_pla...cting/sm_3.jpg


http://www.tnreefer.com/stuff/rc_pla...cting/sm_4.jpg


Also, pay particular attention to this edit version of picture 2...I'm presuming there must be SOMETHING that seals off the top of the inlet in the location circled, but do not know what or how...can someone help, please?

http://www.tnreefer.com/stuff/rc_pla.../sm_2_edit.jpg


Thanks, Gang!

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Patience. :) It's nearly done...just some final finishing sanding and priming left to go. I'll have before/during/after pics up soon. :)

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

it all looks good execpt for you have the fan in backwards it suppost to push the air not pull HAHAHAHA just kidding (i fly on byron fans) on your thrust tube, will it colapse down to your cones?? it looks to large to seal around your tail cone mount. as long as the thrust tube conforms it should work, although your thrust tube should be smaller at the aft end than the inlet of the thrust tube just something to remember. keep it up its looking good!! donniercjet

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

LOL! Don't do that to me, Donnie....heck, I'm proud of the fact that I didn't mount it SIDEWAYS. :)

Seriously, I appreciate the insight and observations. :)

As for the thrust tube...I think it'll conform fine, it'll just take a bit of patience and maybe some heat to bend it. Remember, in that photo I merely had stuff set in there dry, just to look at arrangement and order and such.

Any help for me on the last picture? There's a small piece of clear plastic...nearly square...that I THINK gets wedged in there to seal off the top of that fan, but I'm not certain. Am I on the right track?

===================

Something I ought to mention....Bob e-mailed me yesterday, said he was STILL out of the pipes...however, he said he had a much nicer JMP pipe that he'd used for some testing, that he'll be sending along to me at no additional charge. Once again, the guy's level of service is outstanding.

Moved the bird into my own shop this weekend, and have been getting quite a few "minor" steps done this week...probably will post an update to the blog soon. :)

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Well....

Another blog update has been posted, along with a few photos. http://bluesconvert.blogspot.com/

Essentially, here's where we are:

The fuse is pretty much as far as it'll go right now. All framed out, nice and square, with fan housing and inlet ducts in place. Waiting on the pipe from Bob now so I can get the exhaust ducting in, then it'll be time to start on servo mounting, sheeting, farings, etc etc.

Wings are mostly done. Both have their LE and TE in place, and sanded to match...Left wing has everything in place, sanded, and has been shot with its first coat of primer, right wing still needs the wing tip sanded and shaped. Fins/Stabs are waiting for final sanding, and then they'll probably get their cloth and pre-assembly primer shot.

Attached are a few pics of the nose...it's nearly done, and already, as you can see, has its base coat of primer. MUCH sanding/filling/shaping has occured since this weekend, as Tom can affirm. :) You can see the progress in the photos, from a bashed together hunk of plastic to something that almost looks like a nose. :) It still needs some final sanding, just a BIT of filling here and there, and I've got to find a good way to bring the front end to more of a point, but it's at least "acceptable" now.

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Just a quick "update"...just got off the phone with Bob (who was kind enough to check those photos as well, and offer his approval) who says that the thrust tube does, indeed, wrap around the backplate...."it's a bit of a cut and fit trial and error thing" he says. *heh* According to bob (I haven't measured yet, but at first glance, this appears accurate) the backplate DOES have less area than the fan shroud, so we're getting the compression we're after.

He also mentioned (and I pass this along simply for informational purposes) that the thrust tube CAN be left circular, and narrowed down even more, which results in more top end speed...however, as one might expect, this diminishes the aircraft's static thrust and vertical ability, as it increases the amount of time needed to build up thrust. Since I'm not after any outrageous top speed (I'm pretty sure I'll have my hands full at 100mph ANYway) but am quite concerned with vertical performance, I'll be consturcting the thrust tube as designed.

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Now that's starting to look like something! Good work Gordo!

RE: Regal Eagle - A Journey
 

Thanks, Tom. :) It's still a little rough...nothing a final sanding job or two won't fix though. Once that's done, I'm going to cut the nose off flat, and shape a more pointed end out of balsa, then fill and sand, and that should be it.