Rickles56

Howdy Steve,

I am coming out to fly on Sunday but not with the B-17. I had to replocate the header tanks and ran out of servo mounting tape... a good excuse for a trip to the barn on Saturday!

I hope to see you out there with the C-47!

Rickles

Rickles56

OK... the big day happened on Thursday Jan 13th! We fired up the engines and I had to keep the idle quite high because the fuel tanks were too low so we had to hold it on the runway (no taxiing), throttled up to full and give it a shove down the center line...

After about 40 feet it gently rotated on it's own and looked just like a fullsize one taking off. After a few trips around the pattern to set trim and check her out, very little adj needed by the way, I was about as nervous as a person could get and I told my spotter that I had to land it, and right now... With everyone at the field watching (10-20 guys) I came around into the wind and throttled back to about 50%... the plane sank very fast but a small elevator adjustment fixed that and in a couple seconds I made the best landing I have ever made in 20 yrs! Lots of cheering and clapping from the crew, it was great and I can tell you that 99% of the great landing was pure luck! The sound of the 4-stokes makes all the difference.

Some of it was taped, I will try to get it posted on here.

The next flight will be in a couple of weeks, I have family coming in from Florida for a week or so... wah!

Rickles

balsanova

Thanks you Rickles56 for the information i will order 6 oz. fuel tank from greatplanes today.


Yvan Grondin

SSRCCPREZ

HEllo,
Am building a Royal B-17. I love this kit...I love all the Royal kits!!!! I think I can get a 4oz tank in each nacelle and use hobbico mechanical retracts in the nacelle. It looks like if I move the retracts back 1/2 inch and use a 3'' wheel it will work just fine. I am testing now. Twinman suggests using a single tank and I may look into that option as well. I cannot wait to fly this thing.
Hopefully it will be ready in the spring....errr...late spring...err of what year i am not sure, but late spring sounds good.
If anyone has succeeded in the mechanical retracts please let me know how you did it.

Thanks

SSRCCPREZ

Fili

Congrats Rickles56! I have several twins, and nothings better than bringing her home in one peice after the maiden. Can't wait to see the video!
I was given a crashed Royal B17. The origional owner said she spun in on landing. Everything from the leading edge forward is gone. All the nacelles, cockpit, etc.. I have stripped the wing and the fuse, the wing is sound, the spar wasnt broke, but I got a lot of work to do should I choose to continue. I've built two other Royal kits, so I realize the work ahead, So thanks for a bit of motivation to get my B17 rebuild started.

(I just read the dates on the maiden flight...oops!)

SSRCCPREZ

Was able to slightly modify the nacelle to get mechanical retracts to fit. I have oucs if anyone wants to see them!!

I cut flaps this weekend and will be installing the bellcranks for them tonight. All and all it is coming ou really nice,...slow,but nice. I want to really tak my time on this one and make it perfect. I have a long winter ahead so no need to rush. Also, this is a great learning experience. I also discovered rotating the engines 45 egrees will look nicer also.
Let me know if yo want to see pice.

SSRCCPREZ

Fili

Yeah! Show us your pics, please!

SSRCCPREZ

Here are some pics of the nacelles with the engine mounted and the mechanical retracts inside

SSRCCPREZ

Here are some crappy pictures of the Flaps. I decided to install them, though the plans do not really show the propper size or placement. I am kinda winging it.

nonetheless here are some pics......

LearnedInUk

My Feedback: (29)

Any updates on this project. I have one i started YEARS ago and only have the wings and tail area framed up. Would like to start it back up soon. First i need to refinish my P-47, then on to the B-17.

What retracts did you use agin?

SSRCCPREZ

O.. I have started back on the B-17 with a fury. I am trying to take as much time as I can on each step to minimize mistakes. I have all the nacelles installed, retracts installed flaps installed, fuel tanks installed....... I sheeted the top of the wing, and now have to start shaping the blocks of wood to finish each nacelle and wing tips. I will hold offon sheeting the bottom of the wing for a while just to be sure everything is as perfect as I can get it. Right now I have switched my atention to the Stab and tail fin.
But here are some pics thus far.

SSRCCPREZ

some more pics

LearnedInUk

My Feedback: (29)

Great to hear your back on it.

I look forward to many pictures!

SSRCCPREZ

few more pics

Michael211

My Feedback: (1)

Hi Prez! That plane is looking great... you're a very straight builder!!! I purchased one of these off of Ebay about a year ago that had been started... I'm having to "fix" alot of the original builder's mistakes however so it's slow going.

What size engines are you using on yours? Have you checked to see how the spun cowls will fit over them? Also are you using the standard muffler's or will you be putting pitts style mufflers on them?

I was going to put OS .25 SF engines in mine but, but there's just no way I can see to get them inside the spun cowls without butchering them. They're too long (from backplate to spinner nut) and the carb would partially stick out the front of the cowl.

I recently purchased an OS .15 FP and it looks like a much better fit inside of the cowling, but of course I now wonder if 4 .15's will be enough power to fly it. I'd prefer to use OS SF engines but it looks like OS only made them down to the .25 size... smaller engines became FP only. I have 2 of the .25 SF's here and now 1 of the .15 FP's.

I'm open to ideas about powering this thingy!

My wing is framed up and straight (after some rework of the braces in the center section... grrrr) but my fuse is twisted from the back of the wing saddle to the tail. I'm guessing I'll have to strip off all the sheeting from the wing saddle back, straighten the frame and then resheet it. How the orginal owner ever thought it'd fly with the tail some 25 degrees off from the wing is beyond me! LOL! I can't even figure how he got it so twisted to begin with honestly. But oh well....

- Michael

LearnedInUk

My Feedback: (29)

I have one of these as well and think i will make it electric. Has anyone given thought to this? I know it will fit in to cowl better.

SSRCCPREZ

HI,
Thank you for the compliment, it actually was a confidence booster, so thank you. I am using OS .19's... I actually am not using the spun aluminum cowl, but have purchased exact fiberglass replica's from a guy who makes them. I used one of his cowls onmy Royalkcorsair and it fitr perfectly. I have found that the fiberglass cowls give me a little wiggle room, and I am more comfortable cutting them.
As for making it an electric, this thought crossed my mind...ALOT, qand I think properly built would make a great electric, but I want to enter this into scale competition as a glow.
I have my kids down this weekend, so I probably won't get a lot done, but PROMISE to post pics of my progress. Thank you all for your support and honesty.

SSRCCPREZ

Michael211

My Feedback: (1)

Well pray-tell, are you keeping this guy that makes the fiberglass cowlings to yourself???? Share! LOL!

Does he have a webpage or anything? I thought these spun aluminum cowls were pretty nice looking actually. But I'd still like to see what else is available.

Do you know if the .19's are any smaller than the .25's? Main issue I have with my .25's is that they're way too long... with the backplate pushed agains the firewall of a pod, the thrust washer is still completely outside of the cowling and the carb is halfway outside of the cowling! I know that the OS .20 is the same exact size as my .25's, which is why I purchased a .15. However, the .15 is going to need a smaller prop (which won't look at all scale) and I have concerns about coming up short of power. :-\

- Michael

SSRCCPREZ

HI Michael,

I am not keeping it a secret, here is the web address http://www.precision-fiberglass-prod...dex.php?cat=23 Like I said before I used one of his on my Royal Corsair and it worked looked and fit great!!! I will measure my engines for you, frankly I have not even tried to fit them into the cowls yet other than to determine that I need to rotate the engines 45 degrees, which I did. This will also allow for a better looking scale exhaust with the pitts style muffs. I need to get those....damn htis list of parts never seems to end.... What I am actually looking for though is a scale cockpit kit for the bombadier and gunners, as well as, ball turrets. I keep adding stuff, this thing will never fly LOL!!!
As for power, as long as I have enough to get off the ground, than I should be o.k., I want it to look scale, and I was trying to balance scale with not ripping the wings off ith too much power!! Like I said, lightening of this plane will be important and I am constantly evaluating where I can do this, keeping in mind, I don't have huge engines and bricks are not fun to fly. I cannot imagine weight is too big an issue only because I am using newer technology on an older model, so if it flew 30 plus years ago, it should fly better now, and I gotta think batteries and servos were heavier back in the day. Also, I am using micro servos for the throttle...so weight shouldn't be an issue, but gotta keep it in mind.

Thanks

Chris

Michael211

My Feedback: (1)

LOL! Thanks for the link dude. I'll check it out ASAP.

Regarding weight however, 4 micro-servos should weight about what 1 standard servo weighs... so not sure you're really saving anything there. I've decided to forgo the micro's and go ahead and put 3 standard servos in the center of the wing (aileron, throttle, flaps).

How'd you hook up your flaps? I'm thinking of doing them the same way Hanger 9 did my PTS Mustang, using trailing edge embedded aileron rods with a surface mounted servo in the back of the wing. I was looking at some scale drawings of the B17 and it appears to me that the optional flap-lines drawn on the plans are pretty much correct and to scale. Only thing I can see wrong is that there should be a very acute triangle of trailing edge material between ailerson and flap that doesn't move, dividing them.

On engine power, my plans list .15 to .20 as recomended engine sizes. But as you say, engine technology has increased horsepower per ci since this plane's plans were 1st laid out so today's .15 may be more powerful than the .20 of that period.

Did you get a scale cockpit interior for yours?

More pics as you have the time, please! I'll start doing the same.

Thanks!

- Michael

Fili

Keep us post right on through to the maiden flight!

Michael211

My Feedback: (1)

Fyi: I took my fuse and wing with me to my club's flying field in Huffman, TX Sunday morning to solicit advice on how best to deal with the fuse twist problem.

To my suprise though, everybody told me to put the micro servos out in the wing and NOT to run cables to the center of the wing for control as per the plans. I wasn't aware that running cables and swivels would cause slop and flutter in the controls... of course, I've never done it that way before so I had no idea. In the past I've always used micro's embeded in the wing to control ailerons. Glad somebody stopped me from following the plans this time! 8-)


After alot of eyeballing it, the concensus was that I'd do best to peel the skin off the back half of the fuse and rebuild it straight. One or 2 guys thought it might could be soaked with water and alcohol and then twisted straight and put on a jig to dry for a few days, but that was going to introduce other problems apparently. So, I'll be ripping it apart shortly! I get to do my 1st rebuild on the plane before even having the chance to crash it. LMAO!

- Michael

LearnedInUk

My Feedback: (29)

After 12 years of owning this kit and strating and stopping it several times you think I would know the answer to this but.

Was there ever a manual? I know on the plans it states instructions but the only manual, if you can call it that, is for decal placement.

Michael211

My Feedback: (1)

Apparently there was actually a manual for the Royal kits, as I've seen them for sale on Ebay before. It's like 20 pages long or so. My kit however didn't come with it. I have the Maratuka version of the Royal kit.

LearnedInUk

My Feedback: (29)

Sounds like me. Would love one if someone has one out there.