I'm building a Zen 50. Noticed what I think is a lot of right thrust build into the fus. Looking for comparison info. The last pattern ship I built, a MK Blue Angle 40, it had 0*. Any help would appreciated.[&o]

I have a Zen 30 that I just built it had alot to, but it flies like a dream. World Models builds a super ARF.

CT

Thanks for the reply. Just wanted to make sure I didn't get a bad fuse.

I have a ZEN-50 that I currently fly with a Webra Speed .61. I posted a picture of it in my gallery of photos if you care to see it.

The two degrees of right thrust built into the fuselage is correct for my setup. I did not have to adjust it any further. I like the way the airplane flies although it does get small in a hurry! The airplane tends to come out a bit tail heavy but with the heavier engine, I did not have to add any weight to the nose. The retractable landing gear are a bit flimsy, but since I our flying field has a 400 foot paved runway, I have not had any problems with them. Having said that, I will probably rip them out this weekend!

When you fly the ZEN for the first time, stick to the recommended control throws. I found the elevator to be quite sensitive and was glad I resisted the temptation to increase the amount of throw as it did not seem like enough initially.

Thanks vprpilot, that's the kind of info I'm looking for. Good photo, too. Is that Webra a rear exhaust? I'm putting a Jett Fire .50 & tuned pipe (in the belly pan) on mine. I think this combo will a good match. I haven't flown Pattern in several years, been doing the Heli thing. My last Pattern ship was a MK Blue Angle 40 which I just retired.

I see you're from Yorktown. I was stationed at Langley for 3yrs back in the early '80s. We used to fly at the Yorktown battle field & at the old dumb site in Hampton. Dave Roublen, one the NASA engineers used to fly with us. I occasionally see articles in the AMA mag that he has written. A 400ft paved runway?! Sound like you have a nice flying site. We don't have enough people here to afford that. Sometimes we can use one of the Ag strips. Some of those are paved. Hope the gear will stand up to a grass field.

Again, thanks for the info.

I have flown my Zen 50 exclusively off a grass runway last season and the gear has performed flawlessly. Mine is powered by an OS. 46fx and that is not quite enough. I am considering the 50 sx for this season.
Wonderful plane, just bought the Zen 120 due to my good experience with the '50.

Good luck!

Jon

Sounds better all the time. Thanks.

Jon V
I'm about to do something that I see other people do & get irritated at. AND that is to recomend something unsolicited and off topic. Having said that , I can't help but recomend an Irvine 53 over the OS 50SX, especially if you can order from Just Engines easily.
I have had 3 Irvine 53's & love them. ON a pattern plane run it with a tuned pipe at 20 inches( going by memory -I could verify the length if need be) and turning a 12X11 APC prop at 10,000

Eddie

Calibredave,

I am using a side exhaust Webra which means I have to stick the muffler out the side of the airplane. I attached an image to see how it looks on the left side.

We established our new field in the early 90's and got the paved runway in 2000. You can see our field on our website www.newportnewsrc.org Having the paved runway really helps the guys with retract gear. If you remember there is always a lot of rain in the spring and the ground gets quite soft. I have seen many a pilot rip the retracts out of their wing from soggy ground, mole holes, etc. If your grass strip is well maintained then you should be ok. It should be a simple matter to bolt some aluminum gear to the plywood plate under the fuse if you ever decide to go that route.

Have fun!!

12X11 prop seems a bit big for a .50 size engine. I have always run a 10X6, 10X7 or 10X8 on my Como .50 or Jett Fire .50. Always felt 10K RPM wouldn't be enough. The Como ran 15k RPM & the Jett runs 16k both on 15% & tuned pipe. But if that works for you on your Zen 50, I might give it a try. I'll be experimenting to find the right match anyway. Thanks for the info.

And vprpilot, I'm green with envy over your flying site. Very, very nice.

hi, i just assembled a zen-50 and just did 4 flights on it today. i've fitted it with a 50 SX n the standard muffler coming out of the side. I dont even use nitro. Firstly, the retracts are a nuisance. Secondly, in knife edge my zen falls towards the canopy, n big time! secondly , with my engine running a bolly 11.5x6 prop, there just doesnt seem to be enough power for the plane. U dont feel safe flyin the machine with minimal power. WHat do i do? need help!

That sounds like too much prop for 0% nitro. If nitro fuel is not available, I would try a 10X6 prop. I doubt you're turning even 10K RPM. I will be using a 10X6 or 10X7 with 15% nitro on a Jett FIRE .50 engine & tuned pipe. This combo will turn 15K to 16K RPM which should be plenty of pulling power.

caliberdave, I do hv nitro on hand right now, so i guess i'll use a 10% mix since its very expensive here.Secondly, there's a problem with the knife edge. It falls towards the canopy, n quite a bit. could it be the incidence? if yes, should i lower the angle of attack of the wing by putting a couple of washers at the back of it?. what else could be the problem? secondly, for power do i need a tuned pipe? thirdly, referring to ur prop suggestion, will the vertical be good enough with a 10x6 or 10x7? i will give it a shot though. please advise on what to do?

One more thing, I bought a WM midget mustang y'day. any comments? whats its aerobatic capability like?

I have not flown my Zen 50 yet, so I don't know the flight charactoristics yet. All my comments are based on previous pattern ships I've had. The last one was a MK Blue Angle 40. The Zen 50 is basicly the same. I used a Como .50 with 15% & 10X6 or 10X7 prop with it & this combo flew great. I'm not sure I understand what you are explaining about falling towards the canopy. If I I'm guessing correctly, you are having to feed in a lot of down elevator to keep it streight in knife edge flight. I would only change the incidence if your streight & level trims are way off - i.e a lot of up elevator trim. If you have a lot of up elevator trim, make sure your CG is correct. What ever change you make to knife edge flight will also, effect all the other flight attitudes as well. You may have to just get acustomed to feeding in the down elevator or set up a switch on the radio to get you into knife edge mode. Goo dluck.

RCFREEK:

Definately use 10 - 15% nitro in your 50SX.

Ultrathrust muffler from Performance Specialties (pspec.com) should give you a least 750 more RPM.
$64.95 for one to fit OS 50SX.

APC props will also help - 10X6, 10X7, 11X6... you may have to experiment with prop sizes

Go to NSRCA.org, where I believe they have a flight trimming guide - use it to help trim out your airplane before
adding any elevator to rudder mix in your transmitter - which may be neccessary anyway.

The smaller planes are never gonna be perfect, but you can still have fun with them and learn alot.

I have seen Zen 50's fly before and they do quite well - but you have to keep the speed up a little.

RCFREEK, see my post in ARF. Also search the forums for ZEN50, you will find a lot of good advice here.

PineBaron

Well, I am thinking about getting a Zen 50 to use my Novarossi c.50F engine and pipe. I think it could really move this baby. Anyone had this compo before? I will look for your post in ARF PineBaron.

RCFREEK
your knife edging problem sounds like a CG issue. It's probably too far forward. If you get it setup right, it will knife edge with little to no correction. It's a very smooth flying plane.

-- Kyle

thanks . It was a cg issue and it required about 2 degrees down thrust. Problem solved, but still pitches, this time towards the belly, but just a little. what could be the problem?