hey guys, has anybody tried to use the little gear doors as shown on post#591 page 24.I can,t see where he puts the small spring or where he secures the small door.I think I would like to try this I have the big doors.Just need to how.
thanks Fred

well got the saito running. Oh man does it sound good! Cant wait to get it broke in and get her in the air Woot

I made my small doors with a bit of plastic from the hobby shop. A little heat allowed me to mold them to the right shape. I just used some standard hinges to mount them. If you want a cleaner appearance you can hide the hinge inside. They have no springs. The gear pushes them open, the wind pushes them shut. Never had a problem with them.

Here are a couple photos of the small gear doors.

Try that again. Here are the photos.

Got a chance Sunday for a great flight - new gear works flawlessly. I might even turn the pressure down a bit on the "extend" stroke, as you could hear them snap into lock from several huindred feet away, over the YS120

Thinking of a bigger fuel tank - 6 minutes at mixed throttle is all I get, not enough fun time.

Am using an older YS 120 with Master Airscrew 3-blade 14x7 and 14x9. Flies well with either, better pull with the 7, faster with the 9. The APC 15x8 is perfect, but looks unscale (except in the air). Performance is very acceptable with the MA 3-blade props. I don't feel it necessary to wring every last bit of power out of an engine/prop combo anyway, especially when I fly at part throttle most of the time to keep it as least a little realistic. I also used a very inexpensive pair of Hanger 9 retracts for their P-40 which cost about $25. Not the best, for sure, but I am a little rough on my "arrivals" now and then. These have longer gearlegs that look more scale-like. They do require a little surgery to install. The flaps on this airplane are very effective in slowing it down and the enlarged ailerons give it very sporty flight characteristics. I enjoy flying it and its very stable and forgiving for a warbird in my opinion.

Andy

hey hot rod tod,,, thanks for the pics,they helped me alot.just finished painting the fuse now on to the wings.
thanks Fred

Crazy question for you all:

Will a saito 100 work well enough with cmp hellcat? I have a 100 and friend just made me a great deal on a hellcat (circa 2005, new in box).

From what I've read the 100 doesn't look like it'll do the job.

rcu jonb

From what I have heard the Satio 100 is a solid engine. I'm going to use a Saito 125. The guy I bought the CMP Hellcat from has been building planes for over 35 year. He bought it to build for someone but the customer back out at the last minute. Some of the planes he has done are starch built from pictures. I have seen his work at his house and this guy is the real deal. My point is he told me you wouldn't need anything larger than a 91 (4) stroke in this plane.

The guy that trained me and who builds also; and has been flying since he was 14 (he’s 56 now) said to me...These war planes that we are flying are really just sport planes but do have certain tendencies of war planes. Both these guys told me if you over power a war plane they become less controllable. I'm not an expert but I do a lot of research before a build a plane too. I also know a guy that has a Hanger 9 Hellcat it’s a little smaller but he uses a Saito 91 and it flies like a bat out of hell.

So with all that being said I like the Saito 125 because it’s light and powerful but I think a 100 4 stroke would also be okay. Depends on what kind of flying you can handle and of course what kind of flying you want to do. I know a lot of people say the bigger the better but that’s always true when it come to engines, weight is an issue.

Another thought is to look at the dimensions of the 100 and compare them to the 125. I haven’t looked but I think they are close in size. Try the 100 and if you feel it isn’t enough for you then could go to the 125. What ever you decide just remember to keep this plane as light as possible.
Good luck and Happy Flying.
Shubova
[8D]

[:-]
PS: If you are interested here is a web address for a thread that deals solely with Saito engines. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7878173

I have been flying CMP cat with a magnum 91 fs for 3 years and it flies it fine. We fly at 6000 ft elev too.

I'm at 4200 feet. It sounds like the saito 100 has a shot at it.

Now, I hear the saito 100 doesn't run well inverted with such a high tank. What changes did you guys make to get the four stroke to not suck fuel and flood?

All my planes are 40 sized sport planes that I scratch built so I'm new to this large arf, four stroke stuff.

Thanks,

Jon B.

Jon I mounted the 90mag sideways. The cyl does stick out. I have no on board glo and the motor idels fine. No heating problem either. Rich

rcu jonb
The Saito should run great inverted, when the engine is inverted the carb can be moved to the up position. If the tank is higher then the carb you can use a Cline fuel system (fuel regulator) Here is their web site http://www.billsroom.com/pcfs/ They can explain how is works better then I.
I thinks its Byron who also sells a fuel regulator. I'm using the Cline on a GP Super Stearman with a Saito 180 and it works fine.
Did you get a chance to go to that thread I mentioned in my previouse post? They call it the Saito Club. There is a lot of good info on Saito's
Shubova
[8D]

Shubova - I've been to the Saito thread. It looks great. There are about 800 pages there so I'm going to need a while to figure it all out.

I didn't notice that the carb can be moved, I'll have a closer look.

Thanks for the help!

So I've been flying my Hellcat on electric conversion this fall. It's been flying great and even won an award at a Military flyin. However at another flyin yesterday it nosed over on the rough field and my Zollner canopy is now cracked up and missing a chunk.

So does anyone have one they will part with or know of a good alternative other then the stock one I still have? Any help here would be great.

Here are a couple pics of my plane.

Electric conversion! Give up the details man. What motor, batteries, and speed controller did you use?

I'm using a Scorpion 4015-12 motor with a APC 16x8 prop. Power comes from a 8s2p A123 pack. You could use 6s lipos though. I run a Castle Creations 110HV controller as the amps could reach 90 if I moved to a 16x10 prop. I just wanted the overhead in case I get that high. Run times are around 6-8 min when running closer to full throttle. But if I used lipos I would probably double the run time per flight as I'd need two 6s 5000 mah packs to get the balance down. However with the A123 packs I can recharge and be ready to go in 15-20 min.

That sounds about like the set-up a friend is recommending to me. It's always good to see one that is really flying. The friend uses A123's and zip charges them in 10-15 minutes.

I was thinking about bailing on the Saito and going electric but I already have the Saito - hard to beat the cost since I won it at the last club fun fly.

Thanks for the info.

Well I have a Wing MFG canopy coming. I'll see how it looks size wise and scale wise. I'm sure it's not as nice as Luke's but it's readily available right now. Hopefully it fits.

Steve

Hello Friends,

I have been reading your posts and I am thinking of building a hellcat too. I would appreciate if someone would email me the manual so i would know what I am dealing with.
My email address is [email protected]
Thanks,

Tony

looleh45
I'm not sure if there is a manual online.
Go to this link http://www.nitroplanes.com/hellcat120.html

FYI: Not a good idea to post your e-mail address in these threads
If you want someone to e-mail you they can do it thru RCU. That allows only RCU members to e-mail you.

Good Luck!
Shubova
[8D]

IF ANY HELLCAT OLD-TIMERS ARE STILL READING THIS THREAD, I NEED SOME ADVICE.
MY 2 YEAR OLD HELLCAT FINALLY WENT IN AND DID A CARTWHEEL ON IMPACT.THE WINGS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED BUT THE FUSE HAS BEEN KINKED WHERE THE HORIZ. STABILIZER GOES
THRU. AFTER THE FIBERGLASS FUSE GETS OVERBENT IT RETAINS A MEMORY THAT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE VERY HARD TO STRAIGHTEN OUT. ANYBODY OUT THERE EVER HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND MAYBE A GOOD REMEDY OTHER THAT CUTTING THE FUSE APART AND RE-GLASSING?

LOVE THIS PLANE
JOE

How about using a heat gun?

Like David said use a heat gun to soften the Glass and push it back into place. If any glass is exposed use thin CA to harden it and it will also make it stronger and the glass will retain its shape.