Scratch Built Twin
 

Finally finished my first twin. Way too cold to test it this weekend. Scratch built with no plans, used a Stik 40 rib for a template and SWAGed the rest. 64" WS, 51" Lenght, 7.92 lbs empty, Magnum 28s, flaperons, mixed throttle servos for fine tuning, all Futaba electros, Solarflim covering.

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Look'n good...;)

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

shootnstarz,

Kudos!

It really isn't a bad design, in fact it's quite a good looking model.

Got construction photos? Plans? Wanna build a second?

At the moment, a bit plain. You need free CFC Graphics on that model. TEXACO possibly?

PM me if you would like, and we'll get something going.

Charles

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Hi!
Looks very good to me!
One thing though...You should have mounted the engines side ways! That way you would have obtained a more correct tank to engine placement. -You know the tank rule...!?
Also ...Do use a Uni-flow set-up with two clunks! Engines work slightly better that way!

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Hi!
Looks very good to me!
One thing though...You should have mounted the engines side ways! That way you would have obtained a more correct tank to engine placement. -You know the tank rule...!? As it looks now the carbs sit a little high!
Also ...Do use a Uni-flow set-up with two clunks! Engines work slightly better that way!

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

That looks REALLY nice!! Good work!

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Yep your carbs are high. looks good anyway . try get us some video please. Right now I`m looking to make me up a plane for my 91 2s engine. Think I`ll go with a Pilatus turbo.

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Thanks for the comps guys. I know about the tank placement, got it up as high as I could. If it gives me problems I'll rework the setup. Side mounted engines would look and run better. Yes, it does need decals. I went through my decal stash and couldn't find anything suitable. Nothing elaborate, just N numbers and some kind of air freight logo.

I used no plans. This model is basicly a 40 size Stik, wing expanded to 64", same dihedral. The fuselage I just drew out on 2 - 48" x 3 3/4" pieces of 1/8 light ply, added 4" to the tail moment, lowered the wing saddle a bit and just shaped the nose like a regular business twin. Same with the tail feathers. Thrust and incidence are all 0-0.

I also left the nacelles long at first so once I got the basic plane built I moved the firewalls/engines in and out untill I achieved close balance. It balances perfectly with the 2500ma battery in the nose. I detest adding lead to an airplane.

Any future versions of this will have some mods, mainly lowering the nacelles to underwing bathtub types and moving the nose gear rearward. I certainly wouldn't mind building more once I get the design tweaked and the building process streamlined. It should fly great though, after all, it's a Stik.

Rick

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Looks very very good effort and achievement indeed!, let us know how your maiden flight results.
Looks promising and give a bit of off scale look..:)


Sam

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

So, How did it fly -

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Haven't been to the field with it yet, this pesky cabinet job keeps interfering with my flying time. Weather hasn't been ideal here either, those are fake de-icing boots !!!

Rick

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Shootnstarz...That is a really neat looking twin that you have made. I'm being really picky here but I wonder about the strength of the noseleg fitting as it looks to be on a very small former. It is a great looking model and I wish that I could build one as well as you have. Good luck with the maiden and keep us posted.
All the best...Chris UK.

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

I was concerned with that too so it's got a lot of reinforcing and epoxy in there to help out. Still it's not the strongest nose gear set up in the world. In a previous post I said that moving it aft a little would be better.

Thanks for the comps. Most anyone can build a simple plane as this, just cutting, gluing, sanding and covering. Test flight this Saturday if the wind's not blowing a gale.

Rick

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Nice twin! I have built and laser cut a few twins and I prefer tail draggers. At least for me they are easier to handle on the ground. Check out www.lasershortkits.com If you need custom lettering for you plane let me know, I did these in my sign shop.

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

SS, I agree with the others.... very nice looking twin!

How did you build the nacelles? The reason I ask is that on my last twin with .28 OS engines, I used 3/8 inch balsa with 1/16 ply inside and a good thick coat of epoxy everywhere inside. (1/2 inch maple engine mounts on the ply.) After a few years and hundreds of flights the nacelles developed these nasty fatigue cracks, especially where they where epoxied to the wing. I must have had some kind of mechanical resonance and hope to do better next time.

Looking for your flying report!

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Hi shootnstarz
Those small engines should handle an engine-out situation well. Just have a plan for an engine-out and follow it. Every twin I have seen was totaled on the maiden flight, except mine. Good luck so you can give us a positive flight report. Pick the best emergency landing sites before the takeoff.

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Just a couple notes here, I built my twin in 1997 and it has close to 100 flights. (The one with the Stars and stripes) Never (knock on wood) had a mishap. Epoxy dries out and gets brittle, I try to use the foaming gorila glue as much as I can, it doesn't seem to give out, it's fuel proof and it actually forms nice fillets around the surrounding wood that locks everything in place.

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

These nacelles are made from 1/8 light ply with lots of triangle strips for rounding, everything epoxied together. They are attached via 1/4" hard balsa shaped with the wing saddle templete so they would fit over the sheeted wing and act as cleats. There is reinforcement between the two ribs and the nacelles were epoxied to the wings. Dave Brown engine mounts attached to 1/4" birch firewalls were placed so that no balance weight was needed. You can do this on a non-scale plane but scale ones have to go where they go. I of course coated everything in the nacelles with West epoxy.

On any future planes like this I will design the nacelles different, so they sit lower. Of course it's too windy today to fly it so the flight report will have to wait.

Rick

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Nice job, any flight videos on it yet? Here's one I scratch built from my own plans. Power is 2 O.S. .32 F
http://origin-images.rcuniverse.com/.../lg-180720.jpg

Here's a recent flight
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbdrSq4IKT4[/youtube]

RE: Scratch Built Twin
 

Hi shootnstarz
What ever happened on your maiden flight? I looked at your photos again and now I wonder if you had any out thrust on each engine. On my scratch built twin I used about 4 degrees out on each engine. The out thrust helps when one engine stops. Waiting to hear from you.