Hi, thanks for looking. Newb (me) has a few misc build Q's:

1) Are boom strikes common during ldg?
2) Are the boom skids supposed to swivel in the boom as mine do? Or should I glue them rigidly in trail?
3) Is everyone using the supplied screw to hold down the rear end of the top hatch as per plans? Or has anyone converted over to
hatch latches? If using latches, what brand and how many? Would a couple of BVMs work?
4) The plans seem to call for SERVO SCREWS (!) to mount the main gear retracts. Can this be true? If so, is it designed to "tear
away" at the mount so as to not damage the wing? The nose gear mounting screws are quite a bit more substantial.

Thanks for your help and advice !!!

Hi,

I have been flying the Boomer for over a year now. I have built 3, the last one I started on Saturday morning and test flew on Sunday.

I have never seen or had a boom strike.

The boom skids swivel, but I do not think it would hurt if you aligned them with the boom

The first batch of XL2s had the hatch latch, but they could open on flight if the latch pin was not fully extended. This caused an addendum, now the kit comes with a screw. The screw works fine.

I used #6 screws to mount the gear; you may need a 1/2" spacer under the nose gear if you use the Spring Air steering arm.

Feel free to ask me any questions that come up through out your build.

Good Luck, I hope you love the plane as much as everyone that has flown mine.

John

1. Your booms should not strike during landing. You don't need to flare that much to land.

2. My boom skids swivel. I have not glued them down yet but plan to.

3. I don't use the screw. Never had a need to. The latch holds mine down fine. Over 30 flights no problem.

4. DO NOT use servo screws for the mains, they don't are not the correct diameter for a snug fit. Moreover they will not hold the gear tight over time. Once they start to loosen they will get worse until they fail. I use the same size screw that will fill the holes in the flanges. Wood screws are fine and better than bolts IMO because they are easier to take out.

5. Your not supposed to rip out the landing gear lol. I would rather have them mounted stongly than have them break loose on a hard landing you will have major wing damage if that happens too! Also, over time those little screws will get weak and they could fail on a regular landing. I wouldnt use them.

Well of course I don't WANT to rip the gear out !! :-) I'm just trying to think of a reason for Alan specifying such small screws. Perhaps his reasoning is that if the landing is SO bad that SOMETHING has to give then it's better to separate the gear from the block than to separate the block from the spar!

The tail skids must swivel unless you can guarantee you will never land in a cross wind or swerve on take off or landing. The booms are long and relatively close to the ground. If you fix the skids rigidly the stress you put on the tail end of the booms if it should touch the ground while running along during take off or landing is much higher than you would believe. That's why I went to the trouble of designing them that way!
As for the gear screws, all my landing gear is fixed exactly as I say. Small screws. It's like a fuse in an electric circuit, if something has to give, let it be the thing least damaging. Put one of those small screws supplied in the kit into a piece of hard wood and just try to pull it out.

BUT, you are a jet flyer, so you should be experienced enough to make your own decisions and stand by them. Do your own thing. I just do exactly that. Not always right, but hundreds of flights along, my old jets are still plugging along.

Go for it!

Alan

.

Thanks for taking time out to answer those Qs, Alan.

That kind of support is , I'm sure, a big part of the Boomer's success!!!

Hi guys,

I am building my XL version I and I have a couple of questions for which would appreciate receiving feedback:
1) Understood that XL version II has wider air intakes due to their swept back shape. View I have the older version with narrower (straight) air intakes and plan to use a Behotec 165 (37 lbs) turbine. Do I need to modify air intakes? Will I experience any problem with this setup?
2) I also plan to install a smoke system and was thinking of installing 2 x 12 Oz Sullivan flat oval tanks attached to fuselage sides behind air intakes. Do you think they will obstruct air flow? Ultimately where should I fit same?
3) With my intended power plant to use on the XL, do you think that gluing the wing without bolts would be safe enough??

Appreciate very much your feedback by return.
Regards.

With 24 oz you'll probably only get a minute or so of good dense smoke. If that's good for what you want, I'd go with one tank in front of the intakes, glued to the bottom of the fuse. I tried one 23 oz tank and wanted more time so now I have 2 24oz tanks stacked in from of the main tanks on mine. My main tanks are 2 64 oz Nalgene water bottles that I got from a camping supply. You can see the main tanks in this picture. They're glued to gether and also glued to the structure that runs along the bottom of the tank area. The black zip ties are there for added reinforcement.