Juice

... But it could have been much worse!

The engine is an RCV 90SP. The engine and muffler fits entirely in the cowl. Before the first flight, as I was tuning the high end needle the engine very suddenly quit. I did a quick check and I couldn't see anything wrong, so I start it back up. I notice that I have to turn the high speed needle a half turn richer than normal. I also had to up my idle trim a few clicks. I also thought that the engine sounded a little lounder this time. That little extra "growl" and the big prop arc made the Corsair look that much cooler. I thought it was a little weird but the engine was running fine on the new settings.

So I made the maiden flight, which was uneventful. I can't remember exactly, but it only need a few clicks of elevator and aileron trim. Circuits, rolls, a few loops... the firewall and wings remains firmly attached to the fuse. Coming in for a landing, the Robart Oleo struts absorbs the shock and prevents a bounce (looks cool). The stock retracts remained locked as I landed and taxied back to the pits. You should have seen the smile on my face.

As I walk back to the pits, I notice something metal on the grass in my area. It was the end of the muffler. I look under the cowl, and yes, the muffler is in fact missing its end. And it being completely enclosed in the cowl, it's no surprise that the hot fresh exhaust has charred the firewall, the cowl, and burnt off the covering behind the bottom of the firewall. This explains all the weird stuff I noticed before the flight.

Anyways... All is well. The burns are superficial and the repair work is minor. I've attached some pictures before and after the maiden.

Juice

Juice

This video link of of me doing a test run of the RCV 90 SP and the custom made engine mount. The mount is made from aluminum and is hollow. Not only is it an engine mount, but it also collects oil from the crankcase vent (which is excessive on this engine).

[link=http://rcuvideos.com/item/P6N1CHYP2QXGXND8]RCV 90SP test run on H9 Corsair [/link]

Juice

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Actually, the burned area looks sort of authentic!

Glad your model didn't go down in flames though! [X(]

saramos

Congratulations on your flight! Looks like the stock muffler is a bit of a weak link. I picked up a replacement OS muffler for my 90. What was your final weight?

Scott.

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

I use plumers tape on all the sleeves of my muffler connections in addition I also use some brand of bolt adhesive on my engine mount bolts . I had both my muffler and engine come loose prior to this process . IN my case the muffler is the pressure I need on my OS 91 4 stroke so losing pressure in the air is not a good thing but like you I was lucky .
I just got another H9 corsiar , I was wondering if I needed to reinforce the firewall and wing as I did on my first verion.Also I wanted to use stock retract with robart struts , wonder if its even worth it or should I simply go to the CJs

Juice

saramos... The final weight is 9 lbs even. The extra weight comes from the engine (1/2 lb), sheeted H and V stabs, strengthened rudder, Robart Oleo struts (on stock retracts), and two retract servos in the center section. The RCV 90 SP flew it easily.

LDM... I recently e-mailed Horizon Hobby (the H9 distributor) about what they did to address the known problems with the H9 Corsair. This their response:

Date: August 23, 2007
There have been no actual frame changes to the plane at all. The firewall has been reinforced with more glue and the ball links for the retracts were changed but other thanthat there has been no changes to the plane.

So yes, I would think the reinforcement on the firewall and wing are still necessary. I also used Robart Oleo struts on the stock retracts (by the way, it worked out very good). My Oleo's were salvaged from my crashed TF Corsair, so with no added expenses it was a very easy decision to use them.

Juice

Juice

Here's a link to the video of flight #2...

[link=http://rcuvideos.com/item/TBX7NK690NXB4T84]H9CorsairFlight2.wmv[/link]

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

My sons H9 Corsair with the RCV 90 with the break in prop 16x14 2B. I have a MA prop 3B 16x10 but was unsure if it would fly the Corsair or not. I'm thinking it will be marginal. I would like to try a 18" solo adjustable 3B prop. 2 flights so far. Both my son and I had big grins on our faces after 2 successful flights. We also installed a oil tank and CJ landing gear. The gear gave us some problems but we solved that changing out the soft pop rivets for threaded rods and fiberglass nuts.

Grinder.

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

oil tank. Have to empty after each 15 min flight.

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Juice, our club is having a fun fly Sept 29. lmac.on.ca Maybe you want to come down to London and we can do some formation flying with the corsairs?.

Juice

Grinder... Thanks for the invitation. But Sept 29 is on the same weekend as the "Gathering of Mustangs" air show in Columbus, Ohio. If it is anything like the 2002 "Gathering of Corsairs" was in Indiana, it's a show I can't miss.

You guys have big swap meets that people from all over come to. I've been there a couple times in the past. When I go again, I'll make sure to send you an e-mail or PM first.

Juice

Juice

Grinder...

Here are pictures of my engine-mount / oil-tank. The nipples are (1) oil in, (2) vent, (3) oil drain. It's hard to see in pic #1, but the inside radius is raised in one half, and the inside radius is recessed in the other half. The two halves fit together perfectly without shifting. It weighs 4.5 ounces, which is the same weight as the adjustable motor mounts that came with the kit (for typical engines). I also have to drain the oil after each flight, which is much better than wiping the oil off the airplane.

The RCV engines are very economical. What size fuel tank are you using? I'm using an 11 oz tank. It uses just over half a tank in a typical 10 minute flight.

Juice

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Cool oil tank set up. We use the fuel tank that came with H9 corsair. I'm not sure of the fuel consumption yet never really measured it. It's not much to speak of. The swap meet is Oct 14 this yr. I agree witht he oil tank it really does keep the airframe clean.

Grinder.

Rocketman612

My Feedback: (85)

Josh,

Great to see you flying another RCV powered Corsair. The photo of the burn is impressive. I'd be tempted to cover it with clear Ultracoat

Where did you get the Oil Tank?? Very nice.

Take care,
Pete

Juice

Pete,

I've been wanting to buy the H9 Corsair for a long time, especially since I put the RCV 90 back on the self after salvaging it from the crashed TF Corsair. How's yours flying?

The oil tank is my own design. I've had the idea since the TF Corsair days, cleaning up all the castor off the air frame. Finding someone to machine it was the hard part. In the end, my brother's co-worker who does machining as a hobby did it for me for FREE! I still owe him a case of beer.

Josh

Rocketman612

My Feedback: (85)

Josh,

Great deal for some Beer LOL. Look in to producing these or selling the idea to RCV.

My Corsair took this season off[&o] The new club I'm in fly off Helicoper stagefields that are either concrete or asphalt runways. I'm developing more comfort on them and have just started flying my Patty Wagstaff Extra 300 again. The Corsair will be next. When flying on grass about half the time she wants to nose over on landing rollout ( mostly when the runway was damp or the grass longer) . The thought of nosing over on concrete is abrasive

Flying season is almost over for you so get going on your P-40.

Take care,
Pete

Paul S.

Nice videos Juice, the oil tank is a great idea. Good to see you flying. Love that large prop too.

Paul S.

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

well we flew the corsair during our fun fly this past wknd. One flight. The horizontal stab broke right where i cut for the covering to be removed for epoxing to the fuselage. I wasn't flying as i don't have enough tail dragger experiance yet so i had a an experianced warbird flyer flying it for me. He was able to save the plane, but did over shoot the rwy as he came in a little hot. I told him don't go around put her in the weeds at the end of the rwy. I ordered another tail section, but i think i will make the horizontal stab from solid wood this time around. There was no damage to the plane other the broken horizontal stab. i'll post some pics tomorrow.

Grinder.

Whistling Death

Guys I have a RCV 90SP that I was thinkging about putting in a Hobbico Sukhoi but now that I have seen it on the H9 Corsair, I Love It! What is the suggested length from fire wall to the drive washer.
My RCV 90 failed on the test stand (starter bolt started to wobble). Next time I am going to break it in on the plane. I may get a H9 corsair while it is at the shop.
BTW until I saw this thread, I have been knocking my head against the wall about what to do with the excess oil. Wow, an oil tank, how simple! Lets keep this thread going. I am the only one at my field that has any RCV engines.

Juice

Grinder...

I'm glad your Corsair is will still be flyable after repairs. Did you cut too deep when removing the covering? I try to make sure my knife has a fresh blade when doing this.

Here's what what I did with my tail surfaces.

Horizontal stab: Remove ALL covering (no chance of cutting too deep if you do this). Epoxy it into the slot first. Then sheet top and bottom with 1/16 Balsa.
Elevators: Remove all covering. Glue a strip of 1/16 balsa strip to leading edge, top and bottom. Add simulated ribs and sand them down at the trailing edge.
Vertical stab: Remove all covering. Sheet both sides with 1/16 balsa. Exoxy in.
Rudder: Remove all covering. Add 1/16 PLY to the leading edge. This should prevent the rudder from breaking if you flip it over. Add some simulated ribs and sand them down at the trailing edge.

I went through all this trouble mainly because I read some posts saying the rudder may break if the Corsair flips over. Mine has flipped over a few times already and it's still in tact. The horizontal stab is also much stronger than the original, and a little lighter than a solid piece of balsa.

Juice

Juice

BBOwen...

This is a great combo. You'll love it.

The recommended length from firewall to drive washer is 5-5/8". The RCV 90SP is 120 mm long (4-23/32"). You'll need an engine block that is about 29/32". My aluminium stand is 23 mm.

Make sure you re-inforce the firewall from the inside. I epoxied 1/2" triangle stock all the way around the firewall, and I also fiberglassed it. The RCV vibrates a lot during break in (at least mine did). I would not recommend breaking it in on the airplane.

Juice

Whistling Death

Yea, my engine breakin stand is ok after all. The guy here in the states that repairs RCV said my problem (starting bolt wiggling) seems to be the most common problem he gets there. He says that it is from the adverse effect from the electric starter wabbling in the starter bolt. So when I get it back I use the starter on the spinner to avoid this problem in the future.

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Juice thanks for info. Thats is exactly what i need to do with the stabs. I was scratching my head a bit on how to beef this area up and this was answer. This plane sure does like to nose over while on the ground. I added another 1 oz to the tail just to try to help to keep the tail on the ground while taxing. It really wanted to try and flip over on the grass rwy. The extra weight seemed to calm it down a bit. Thanks for the tip on the tail section. Yes it was where i cut for the covering that the stab broke. BTW the covering part number in the manual is not the right color of covering that the plane was covered in.

Grinder.

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

broken stab

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

For my tank i used an control line fuel tank. You can use anything. I've seen guys use a film canister as well.