IndyFlyer-RCU

I just started building a set of GP floats for my superstar trainer. I'm going to outfit it with a Thunder Tiger .46. Has anyone built these? Everything has gone together well accept the A former.

I am interested to hear opinions about this kit and any experiences that you may have. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

I thought I would attach a picture of my future runway!

IndyFlyer
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CheezWhiz

I'm just about ready to give my Great Planes .60 size floats the final sand.

I had some issues with lining up the metal undercarriage properly. I ended up with uneven mounting surfaces when I soldered the pieces together and had to start over.

What were your issues with the "A" formers?

fergy
http://www.fairwayreview.com

hoppy

I'm currently building the GP 40 floats and am also going to put them on a Superstar 40. I made the floats just like the manual suggested but now am wondering how I'm going to attach them. The Trike gear on the superstar doesn't match up well with the mounting holes in the floats.

Can you post any pics of how you set yours up?

Tony

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

I built a pair maybe eight years ago that I think are the sixty size, anyway they are 32 inchs long. Don,t remember any problems on the build. To date they have been on a nite flying Kaydet Senior (about ten lbs. with the light system), A .46 powered Scale Stinson Jr. at around eight lbs, A forty size unknown trainer 'bashed' into a twin at about nine lbs and most recently on a Morris Balsa Nova.

All the airplanes using those same floats have all been successful and the water handling very good. They seem to have a bit more displacement compared to similarly sized competitors and perhaps this is the reason. I have eight other pairs of assorted floats, flat bottom, 'V' bottom, built up, foam core and even a pair of Gee Bees. The GP's have been my favorites. Just finishing up a pair of 44 inch home made foam core flatbottoms for the airplane in my avitar which is 14 lbs fully fueled.

If I may make a suggestion, Don,t try to fit them to a nose gear or main gear attach points. Just build up a conventional wire warren truss struts, install doublers maybe some internal reinforcement and simply clamp the struts to the bottom of the fuselage with normal half inch gear clamps. Doing this will allow you position the struts in the most desirable positions and make for easy transfer to other airplanes. This also makes it very easy to insert spacers between the struts and fuse to make adjustments of the float incidence, even at the flying site.

John

seaplane

Hoppy I agree with John. I've added a couple pics of my wife's LT-40 to illustrate what John suggests. Also I am making foam core floats that look like GP floats but are much lighter and cannot leak.

seaplane

Oops I could only get one pic at a time here's the other.

hoppy

Seaplane, did you reinforce the "slot" for the gear in the fuselage?

JohnB. From what you mentioned you just rested the gear on the bottom of the fuse. If that's true, did you have any problems with the floats moving? I would think that the gears would want to shift back and forth within the gear clamps either on the fuse or on the floats.

Thanks for the help.

seaplane

Hoppy, yes I epoxied in a hardwood block at each slot to accept the wood screws. I'm sure a piece of 1/4" ply would work as well.......Seaplane

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Hoppy, Yes what Seaplane shows in the pictures is fine. Have used numerous ways but normally just glue a ply plate internally in that area of the bottom where the strut is and sometimes glue a little tri stock on the plate and to the sides. Have at times just let the wire rest directly on top of the balsa sheeting and it cups in pretty nice. Your fear of the strut sliding sideways is not a big problem and at times has prevented heavier damage in less than pretty arrivals. If I want to be fancy I will cut away a slot in the balsa sheeting so the wire rests aginst the ply with the bottom sheeting providing a slot.

I to have used wood screws which is fine but now always use machine screws to 'T' nuts in the ply and the reason is I can use long screws and even at the site add little ply gear clamp shims under the strut wire if needed to adjust float incidence if needed. I always make a stack of these shims that fit the standard 1/2 inch gear clamps that most people use and seldom come home with them either using them myself or giving them away to others to make adjustments. Thats why the long machine screws because sometimes the strut wire will be standing away from the fuse bottom.

None of this is locked in stone and do feel free to experiment. I have one pair of 36" Goldbergs that I fabricated single cantilever airfoil shaped struts on each float that have a chord of around
seven inchs. They are simply bolted directly through a flange plate to hard points in the bottom of a Killer Kaos wing. Looks slicker than snot and enables that airplane to do knife edge loops, something it can,t do on wheels. Another weird one I have is a Sig Skyray profile controlline stunt plane with Gee Bees and plywood struts cut out to form a big inverted 'U' shaped strut on each float. The top of the strut is matched to the airfoil bottom with a hook on top and bottom. The struts are just held on with rubber bands over the top of the wing and for lateral bracing a front and rear 'V' shaped wire runs from the floats up to the fuselage and rubber banded on at the fuse.

Getting even a little more imaginative now I have a 1941 Kerswap vintage old timer 'pylon' radio assist that has simple lite wire frame that is rubber banded on to the fuse and has a formed cradle that bands hold two one litre pop bottles and another lite frame under the fuse rear that has a single 10oz pop bottle banded on. It is just hand launched and putters around then land in the water at your feet. Rather popular at the London Bridge float fly the years I don,t take it due to to many airplanes everybody is disappointed and want to see the 'Pop bottle plane'

two years ago I set up a pair of floats with just a craddle an a pair of push bars on top no airplane. It had its own rudder and electric motor along with a ground radio. Used a two meter glider in it with a nose hook and an eighty foot tow line which I aero towed it aloft with a Aerostar trainer and a .45 engine. Took three radio operators and actually worked. Did this for the lunch break demo. The float dolly of course never left the water and was just driven back to shore when the glider was gone which was just landed on the beach and sometimes never made the beach, Oh well.

John

IndyFlyer-RCU

As of tonight, my GP floats are hanging and ready for the maiden voyage! I can't wait until I have the right weather conditions. OK, and now for your thoughts... Any helpful hints or 'did you remember to...' kind of things? What can I expect as of flight characteristics? CG? Anything will help me a lot. I'll try to post pictures soon.

IndyFlyer
[email protected]

seaplane

Did you remember to re-check the balance after mounting the floats?..........Seaplane

IndyFlyer-RCU

Is the CG supposed to be at the same point (ie on the bottom of the spar in the wing)? I put the step about 1/2" behind what I think is the CG point. It kind of leaned forward, although I don't know if it was "nose heavy." Please help!

seaplane

Yes, the CG should be at the same place and I think you would be better with a little nose down than a little tail down. A tail heavy plane is very unstable.........Seaplane

hoppy

The CG on a Hobbic Superstar 40 is 3 5/8" from the leading edge.

bretthan

hey can any of you guys that have great planes floats send me the plans. i want to set up my kadet mark II using a single center float, and two little wing tip floats so theres no point in me buying a set of floats.

seaplane

A few years ago I built a 40 size and a 60 size set of GP floats and I think there wasn't any plans, just the balsa, ply, and an instruction booklet........Seaplane

CraigA

IndyFlyer,
The SS and TT .46 should be a great combination for floats.
1) Already stated...CG must balance per plans.
2) Location of Step vs CG must be correct...suspect the float plans show this.
3) Slight positive incidence...wing vs floats...and proper clearance between prop and water. DO NOT USE A WOOD PROP.
4) Water rudder a must
5) On take off...resist the urge to yank it off the water too early. Let it take off all by itself...well almost. Once it gets up on the step (yes it must) it will accelerate and lift off almost by itself if set up properly. If it does not want to lift up on the step initially start the take off run holding a little up elevator to help keep the nose high...then feed in a LITTLE down elevator...this will raise the tail and help it plane on the step. Once on the step neutralize the elevator and gain speed and LET IT LIFT OFF BY ITSELF (a flat bottom wing usually does this). If you sense you lifted off too early (level off and gain speed) before climbing.
6) Get to know how it flies slow with the floats before attempting to land.
7) Land with a little higher throttle (couple clicks) than you do on land. You will need the added power due to the added weight of the floats and it helps to keep the engine running if the prop gets hit with water.
8) Landing is more like flying it into the water in a very slight descent...it is not as important to stall it like you do on land...it is more like slow it down...slight descent...level it off 6" above the water and let it settle into the water.
9) go back to No 5 one more time!
Good luck
Craig

hoppy

Why can't you use a wood prop?

CraigA

Wood props tend to crack or splinter when hit by water....so foremost it is not a safe situation and second can damage your engine if the prop self destructs in the air.
Craig

hoppy

Didn't think the water would have that much effect. I probably get more damage from the grass field I fly from. However, I will take that advice and not use the wood.

Thanks.

IndyFlyer-RCU

Here it is folks... The completed SuperStar.

IndyFlyer-RCU

I made two mounts on the bottom of the plane to accept the music wire. I covered them with some covering I thought was an iron-on, but it was just a crappy sticker. I also covered the factory landing gear mount with the covering. I can't wait to try it out...

CraigA

IndyFlyer,
Looks good..just one dumb question. Can't tell from the pictures if there is a diagonal member from the fuse to the float. In other words what prevents the wire landing gears from rotating about the landing gear connection at the floats and the fuse ending up sitting on top of the floats...sorry but had to ask.
Craig

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

After your first visit to a float fly you will find it interesting, Just the spray from the chines on some airplanes sounds just like a weedwhacker at full tilt digging into a stand of thick brush.

John

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Craig he has the drag wires and they run from the upper part of the front struts to the lower part of the rear struts in the conventional manner that works fine although they could be a little further up the front struts but will be fine. Have seen some folks reverse the diagonal drag wires but this is not good because in a hard landing the diagonals will collapse in compression.

Indy looks like a nice job, enjoy

John