Very cool. Those wings and stabs show up nicely.

Can't wait to see it ready to fly.

Arch

Hey Arch,

Been working real hard to get this thing ready. Besides putting the prop on and mounting the switch and regulator it's done. I'll have to check the CG and set the wings and stabs and then she be ready to fly.

Larry

Larry,

get some in flight pics. that baby looks good man.

Realy nice Larry I will see that one in Ocala

Guys,

My dads Black Magic VF3 is finally done !!!

He might not know it, but I am really really proud of him and so glad he finally got his finished.

For all the time and effort he puts in to make sure my airplanes are up and running, he definitely deserves this airplane.

so here are some pics of the finished plane.

thanks guys!!

Hey Guys,

I appreciate all the positive thoughts. We ran the engine this afternoon and with a few minor adjustments it was running great. We are having some strong winds today and I'm not sure about tomorrow but it's probably going to be test flown in Ocala. I want to give special thanks to Mike Hester for giving me the old prototype wings and stabs which gave me a big jump on finishing my own plane. Too bad it still took me forever. I'll post how it flies as soon as I can.

Larry

Looks great. Can't wait to hear flight reports.

Arch

Larry....LOOKING GOOD

Chris and I did the setup last night. It weighs 10lbs9oz and it going to need about 20grams in the nose to get the CG correct. I'm could go with a solid backplate FAI spinner or for that matter I could remove my HS81 micro servo from the throttle and put in standard servo, then remove the lead. We should be able to fly today and I'll give report back when we do.

Larry

Hey thanks Pete

I can't get the image to load so I can register and that means I can't send an email to report it, any ideas?

Nice, guys !!!!

Yeah so this is the first time I've logged in in 6 months.....been reading around a bit. Heh.....I think I may just log right on back out. My head is about to explode.

Anyway so I have gotten a lot of well wishes over the last few months (along with a few death threats?) and I want to say thanks and it does mean a lot. Yes, we lost 2 close family members in a month. Yes I lost my entire extended family on one side over part of it. And yes, I have spent the better part of 6 months in the bed sick. Lupus sucks, and this time around it's as bad as it ever has been. And no, I don't have a plane yet. And don't really expect to until the end of the year with a little luck.

We pretty much shut down CAA for the time being. Replacement parts can still be had, but no full kits right now. I am freakin tired and sick, and I have made enough Black Magics for the time being. I need a break and I'm taking one. I can assure you all we're not done, we're changing things around. Having a guy with Lupus cutting foam and sheeting cores all day every day isn't working anymore. I just can't do it right now. I can't move my hands correctly, my face looks like someone splashed me with acid, and everything hurts.

Might be a couple months, maybe a bit more. Sort of depends on the quality of the break. But I need to heal up after 4+ years of doing exactly what I wasn't supposed to be doing. I'm not even supposed to be in direct sunlight....LOLOL For the last 5 years straight I have left Muncie with a fever of 103-104 like clockwork. That's not good in the long term.

Anyway, planes look great! I'll have a pair one day, and get back on the design/kit thing fairly soon. But fairly could be a year. I'm just sayin.....nothing happening until everything in the shop is done, gone, and I have a matched pair of weapons for myself again. I can't believe it's been almost 4 years.

But, I DO hope you guys enjoy the planes. I know I do. In the fast moving world of pattern, there are new designs coming out monthly, sometimes it seems like weekly. It's a comfortable feeling knowing the VF3 was already WAY ahead of the curve a couple years ago. Now it's simply a solid plane. ROCK solid.

Have fun,'
-Mike

Good to see ya up and about Mike get well see ya when!!!!

Gary

If this has to do with Custom Airframes site....e-mail me and I'll get you squared away.

Pete

Well we all had a good day of practice here in central Florida. There are two VF3's and one V2.

Larry

Nice Larry!

Thanks Dean

I bought a Vf3 a while back and built some of it and now I'm finshing it up and need info.

What should the throughs be for the rudder, elevator, alierons? I been reading this this for ever and don't see it.

Fantastic!! Please post some pics!!!

Sorry I can't help on the throws but I'm sure Dean, Pete, Arch or someone will step in..

Are you asking for servos? I have over 2000 flights on various VF3's and can tell you what I run. I fly Futaba, but any brand servo with comparable specs will work great

Elevator: I run the DEPS with one single servo and use the BLS-254 rudder tail rotor heli servo. The S9254 works well also. It is only 54oz or torque, but lightning fast and will do anything you need it to do.
Ailerons: I run the BLS-154, but the s9154's or 9150's work great as well. Once again speed is important, 60-70oz is more than enough
Rudder: Anything over 200oz or torque.

This setup has one a LOT of Masters contests and multiple top 5's at the NATS.

Throws:
Elevator: 10-12 degrees
Aileron: 15 degrees
Rudder: All you can get

Adjust for class and feel.

Archie

Arch

Thanks for the response. I use Futaba also. What I wanted was how much movement in each surface....1"?

I have no idea on movements. I use a throw meter. Let me try to get you some measurements tomorrow evening.


What class are you flying?


Arch

I flew pattern in the 60's , 70's, 80's quit for awhile and just got this vf3 about a year ago to try it out.

The most important thing on this plane is initial setup. Set your CG at least in front of the wing tube. Mine is actually closer to 1/4" in front of the tube. Wing at .5 degrees positive and stab at 0. You will end adjusting the wing incidence depending on total weight and CG location, but .5 is a good place to start. For throws they are not that critical for initial flights. I'm guessing 1/2" max on the elevator, probably less, and same for the ailerons. It isn't an overly sensitive airplane unless you get some crazy throws on it. PM me and I'll send you my phone number and such if you have questions. I've now flown 21 total Black Magic airframes v2 and v3 so I have a pretty good idea of how to get them dialed in quickly.

Arch

Thank again, that iinfo gives me a starting point . All rigged I'm at 9.26lbs . I still need to glass and paint it. What weight are you ending up with? I have a ys170 in it, carbon gear, radio stuff , tank , etc.