gglass

Hi guys - hope you can help! I have 95% completed a TF spit and have mounted an OS 91 FS inverted. I live in France and have been told by a member of my club to buy an on board glow system - which I duly have but all the instructions are in French!! (and seem complicated!) I have taken a photo of the parts and the area in which I can mount them - does anyone have any ideas? also should I be running the engine in before fitting the system? The other question I have is the positioning of the RX batteries - as is normal the TF spit is VERY tail heavy - do you think I could mount the batteries above the engine or would they become too hot?This is my first warbird and has taken me 12mths to build so am REALLY keen to avoid a crash!

Many thanks and happy new year to all Graham

jaka

Hi!
You certainly don't need an on-board glow system!
A correct adjusted engine is very reliable and doesn't need an onboard glow system.
As the OS is so easy to set correctly I would strongly advise not to use such system.
Main reason is added weight!
As you live Europe ... I recommend that you run your engine on 15% Motul "Micro" all synthetic oil and 5%-10% nitro.
This mix is what I usefor all my engines large as well as small (COX 0.049). Ball bearinged as well as plain bearinged.
Only one year Here is a picture of my DC-3 which I started building in 1979 (lay resting in the garage for some years)

Regards!
Jan K
Sweden

gglass

thx Jaka - Will try and run engine inverted and see how it goes - what do you think about mounting the battery pack so close to the engine? Nice DC by the way!!

Richard L.

My Feedback: (24)

Ditto, you don't need an on-board glow system with the OS .91FS mounted inverted. When properly tuned, it will idle and run just fine.

Shihtzutan

Don't put the battery pack on your engine mount, you are asking for trouble! Solder joints don't like vibration and the packs themselves don't like heat. I solved the weight problem on my Spit by using a bigger engine (Satio 100) and running a pull-pull rudder system (eliminating one of the heavy wires). All Spitfires are tail heavy if they are close to scale so adding weight is almost unaviodable. Mount lead to your engine mount instead of your battery. It looks like you did a good job on your Spit. Good luck with it!

An on board glow is nice if you don't want to hack up the cowel, but consider the fact yu are going to have to cut the cowel anyway to provide for adiquate cooling. You can make a better on board glow system than you can buy by using a small wheel collar. Find the wheel collar that fits your glow plug. Drill a hole into the sise of your wheel collar and solder a wire to it. Cut a small piece of silicon fuel tubing and place it onto you glowplugs center pin to act as an insulator before mounting the collar to the glow plug. Run the wire through your firewall. The other wire is attached to one you your engine screws using a terminal connector. I usually make my on board system switchable and carry a AA size battery so I don't have to ruin the exterior of my airplane. You can also run a micro-switch to your throttle servo so it will light when the throttle servo is near idle. There are lots of possibilities.

gglass

Hi Shihtzutan

thanks for your ideas, will use some fishing weights attached to the engine mount for balance + a simple remote plug lead at first. If I notice that the power pick up is sluggish then I might try and install the micro switch linked to the throttle servo. Spits difficult to fly?? I have flown for about 12 mths and am now reasonably comfortable flying an extra 300 (with plenty of expo dialled in!)

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Here is a link to a post I made a while back. It is a very reliable system and cheap too. The plane I have it in is over 2 years old and I have not had an engine out or burned out a glowplug....

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_14...tm.htm#1941488


Ty

Shihtzutan

Gglass,

Spits are a pure pleasure to fly! They fly like a pattern plane, they are pretty and graceful and you can work on your aerobatic technique while you 'wow' the crowd. Landing the Spit is where the challenge lies. Don't fly tail heavy and not too nose heavy. It will not land like your Extra. I recommend comming in with a little bit of power to maintain some forward momentum just after the flair. Try to 'sink' your plane onto the runway. Good luck, let me know how you make out!

carlbecker

My Feedback: (3)

C-tronics makes a very nice on board glow driver. I use lots of them. Well tuned motors do not require the driver but I like cowls without holes and am happy that I keep my fingers away from the prop more often. Use the two ounces to advantage for balanced CG. I find it a pain to deal with clip on heaters on inverted engines. I'm not familiar with your driver setup.

I have a few planes that are tail heavy and have made plywood/aluminum mounting plates for mounting the battery near the motor. Don't put the batteries near heat exposed. If isolated by a plate and foam they will not get hot and use latex foam properly and you will be fine. Dick Petit uses this method and Dave Platt uses built in battery boxes on some of his designs. It would be possible to mount the battery where it is in the picture IF you have room in the cowl for a mounting plate and foam. Remember the exhaust pipe and cylinder head are the hottest parts.

Take care and use common sense and you can safely put a battery up front. Just protect it from heat and vibrations.