Nice video and flying field you have. I see you have chosen the fixed gear but the toe in is not right to make her land straight. Flight looks stable with little or no tendency to stall on slow approach. Thunder Tiger Pro .46, 10X7 2 bladed prop. Your cowl looks like mine after butchering the same. How long does the tank last with your engine?

I just finished mine. I powered mine with an OS 50 SX with an 11x9 prop upfront. I'll post a video upon maiden.

The gear is actually pretty straight...now. I had just screwed it in thinking I would swap it for retracts. That hard bounce on the landing actually popped the inside screws on both sides loose. They have since gotten the major epoxy treatment, and aren't going anywhere anymore!

I'm not really sure how long a tank of fuel will last. I get tired before the plane does. I am usually up 10-15 minutes and only burn about 1/2 - 3/4 of the fuel in the stock tank. I tend to fly full throttle (as you might have noticed) too.

I'm pretty sure you will really like this plane. I certainly do. My poor Mustang gets set up every morning, then just sits on the tarmac as the VQ Bf 109 goes up over and over. Good part about that is I only have one plane to clean up!

I look forward to seeing your maiden video.

One more thing ... balancing!

Book says CG between 88 and 90 mm from LE. Doweled hook at 90 mm from leading edge. Glued in with epoxy. Hooked it up in the garage. CG slightly in front of 90 mm. No additional nose weight required. Horizontally a slight tendency to the muffler side. Nothing dramatic. In other words: She is ready to fly.

Maiden flight report: The OS 50 SX has an easy game to pull the Emil in the sky. Tail lifts after 10 ft. After giving her 2 seconds more to build up speed, the whole plane lifts right up in the air. The 109 reacts promptly to the sticks. First flight with 35% differential on the ailerons which will unable the plane to quickly roll. On second flight I removed the differential on the ailerons and dialed 25% rudder in to support the turns. Now she manoveurs!

As I predicted the greatest disadvantage are the retracts. Although mine would retract on standing, the airflow prevent mine from retracting. I am running on a 6V receiver battery. Also, the mechanical retracts became wobbly but will withstand the landing forces. I am working on a air retracts solution.

Landing is easy. She flows right in on idle. Just like a low wing trainer.

No video this time. Can't control the sticks and the fumbly video at once. Will post a vid later.

Happy to read about your successful maiden. I fly mine all the time, and since my first flight mishap, have had no problems at all.

CONGRATS to you both!!!!!

I look forward to your video!!

KC.,, ANY new videos of yours???

BTW guys the KI-61i TONY's arrive and ship on MARCH 5th!!!
http://www.vqwarbirds.com/products/a...i-61iTONY.html


CHEERS!

-TOMAS
VQ WARBIRDS
www.vqwarbirds.com

What retract servo were you using? If you put in a Jr 791, the wind will not be a problem at all. Its got 260oz of torque on 4.8v. However, since your running a 6v rx battery, you'd either need to run a voltage regulator inbetween the servo and the rx, or run a separate 4.8v battery for the jr791 as they will not function on 6v.
Also, if using a futaba tx/rx, you would need the voltage regulator as there is a cross-link problem between the futaba rx and the jr 791 even when using a 4.8v battery. If the voltage reads above 5.4v the 791 servo will not operate. This issue is not present when using a JR or Spektrum compatible radio/rx

Kahlog,
I`m using Futaba gear and the Jr 791 with my H9 Spit and have never had a problem with cross-link? The servo and retracts have worked great so far.
Frank

what battery were you using? Friend of mine has futaba 9c and was using jr791's on a dedicated 4.8v rx battery. On full charge, the battery would read slightly over 5.6v and the servos refused to function. Once he let the voltage drop below 5.4v, the servos worked fine. He ended up putting in a voltage regulator to keep the voltage reaching the 791's to 5.4 or below.
He emailed Futaba and they confirmed this issue. However, its always possible some rx's react slightly different...or if you arent running a separate retract only battery, then the rx itself is possibly regulating the current......but, in this case...you run the risk of draining the rx battery that controls the plane itself if one of both retract servos gets hung up.

Kahlog,
I`m using a single 4.8v 1500ma pack for all the servos.
Frank

I am using the Hobbico 53 retract. I knew about the 6V-issue of the JR retract servo. It's not a lack of power but the precision of how the retracts are being made and the installation with the servo pushing as such. I am looking into the Robart 511 series with struts. Will need to dig into the wing. Another surgery.

Fixed gear has worked just fine......

Separate rx battery or one battery connected to the rx? Also, its probable your battery doesnt read higher then 5.4v, at least from the servo's prespective, or your particular 791 has a slightly higher tolerance. All I know is that there is an issue with futaba rx's and the 791's with voltage regulation. May not happen in every single case.

Conversion to air retracts using Robart 606 HD at 85 degree. The 606 is almost a drop-in solution. 3/16 wire. Little Dremel work on the hardwood rails. Fill the former wholes with tooth picks and epoxy. Also use some Dremel work on the wheel wells to accommodate the air cylinder. Heat up the retract wire with a propane flame in order to bend them at the same angle. In an first attempt I tried to install the air tank on top of the wing. More useful is the solution to put the air tank inside the fuselage along with the valve as shown in the photo. 2 additional air-restrictors prevent the gear from popping up or down too fast and with too much kinetic force.

This solution is extremely well and I can highly recommend the use of the 606.

What kind of Retract servo would you reccomend? And what size line? I have the "new" style mech. retracts and they seem sturdy enough Im just worried about the line bending instead of locking the retracts up and down.

Use either 2/56 or 4/40 for the pushrod lines connecteed to the retracts and servo....the 4/40 definiotely wont bend. I recommend using the JR 791 as a lower torque retract servo can strip on even a normal landing(I had an HS88 that did that after only the 2nd flight on a slightly smaller Kyosho ME-109).

Thanks,

I bought a couple 4/40 rods and the JR retract servo. Im going to use clevices at the retract point. Will Z bends at the servo be ok?

these work really good for the retract servo, http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXD930&P=0 and allow for fine adjustment when you have the gear installed,alot of ARF's use them for there set up's such as H-9 the ones posted are for 4-40 rods but there are smaller ones of course for the 256 rods as well.
both my Hangar-9 warbirds use them and there trouble free,a drop of lock tite blue and there good to go.
having a Z bend restricts your ability to do any necessary fine adjustments as the gear tends to age

I replaced the spinner with the Dave Brown FAI 2-Blade 3-1/4" Spinner and Dave Brown Adapter Nut Long 1/4-28. Looks much better now and spins like a dream. I propped the OS 50 SX with an APC 10x10 and it doesn't turn at all. I had better experience with a wooden 11x7 prop. What is the experience out there? Should I go with a .60 engine or prop differently?

I can't stretch enough how satisfied I am with the Robart air retracts. They swallow even the rougher landings with no bending. The plane has become very reliable and I am using it as my every day plane.

The 109 rocks. Fast and relatively easy to fly. I say 'relatively' because if you have ever crashed a plane you may think you are an complete idiot; but we all crash and every plane has an expiration date. 8-).

Had a dead stick on my OS 50 SX at wide open throttle. Thanks to the superb gliding ability I managed to bring her in with only 1 leg broken. Turned out the ball bearings of said engine said good bye. Sent it in. Ordered spare parts from Robart to fix the broken retract. She will fly again. But this is the 2nd OS 50 SX with broken ball bearings. Last time I sent it in to TH, I received an OS 55 AX for atonement. Will see.

The OS service has been very generous with me. They sent me an OS 55 AX in exchange for the OS 50 SX. That was the 2nd OS 50 SX that died on the same problem: Worn out ball bearings within 6 months of use.

The OS 55 AX fits perfectly in the mounting pattern of the 50 SX. No alterations were necessary except those on the cowling allowing the increased size of the muffler.

Sounds good. I am about to recover mine (see my new thread), as flying her 5 - 6 times a da, four or five days a week has tended to make her look a little worn. I have patched more than one hole in the underside of the wings and horizontal stab caused by rocks kicking up. Still, she's been a great plane. the old TT pro .46 has finally taken a dump on me, so I decided as long as I'm going to throw in a new engine I might as well just give her a complete face lift! Tomas at VQ warbirds will be sending me a new cowl and some other parts I ordered for the retrofit. Looking forward to getting her back in the air with some new clothes!

Ran the OS 55 AX in as to the book: Brand new engine starts at first flip. Turns a 10x10 APC with >11000 running very rich. This powerplant tops evrything I have seen so far. Almost unlimited vertical, literally unlimited loops, high speed passes - and very quiet. This engine is a winner!

O fly with a couple of guys who have discovered the OS .55 and love it. It pulls their planes through the air with authority.

I was finally able to record the proposed video on the 109 flight.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pteA0vDcv18

or here:

http://rcuvideos.com/item/8RW43JXR4004P6MZ