yorkiepap

My Feedback: (18)

While perusing thru the dealer/dist. networks, I spotted this superb SCALE Dornier Do-27 sold by BH. I read the review & watched the easy build & video by Michael Heer. WOW! Simple....can't get much better than that. I ordered it & had it delivered 5 days later by FedEx, although the box was a bit tattered. Thanks to great boxing by Air Epic & BH, no damage was done to the plane. I removed it, checked all the contents, & discovered no assembly/instructions were included. Michael Heer's build solved that issue.

I decided to do the usual total exam & eval. to determine any mods I would incorporate to improve a bit. I sub-assembled to check fit & removed the cowl to check the firewall & motor mounting to insure nothing was loose....nada...looked great. I then decided to widen the LG for a bit wider stance & reinforce the plastic fuselage LG mount with epoxy for starters. There are only (7) screws for the entire assembly. Ok...here's the mod pictures & explanation of each photo:

1) The lower fuse battery compartment hatch was stuck from some glue that apparently got on the latch plate. A thin machinist 6" ruler severed the bond easily. I then added a small alum tab w/epoxy I made, about a 1/2"w to remove easily.
2) The prop was almost dead-on..only a 1/4" piece of Scotch Tape needed.
3) Since I found the Chinese screws to be somewhat soft with easily-rounded screw slots, I opened the screw holes with a .092 drill in my pin chuck. Screws tightened perfectly with no rounding of the Phillips slot or breaking the head off.
4) Pic of the epoxy-laden fuse LG mount.
5) To remove the screws in the LG covers, use an Allen wrench as they are not Phillips head.
6) I bent the LG in my vise to widen the LG stance approx. 3/4"....be sure to also bend the wheel leg the same to maintain alignment. When reinstalling the LG covers, a slight angled increase in the LG slot has to be done...I used my micro die-grinder. You can see how much material I removed.
7) I decided to use Dubro steel tabs to secure the LG to the fuse mount.
8/9) I had to do some light sanding of the fuse radius where the LG covers met the fuse to fit properly. I painted the exhaust pipes flat black while the LG cover was off.
10) The rudder clevis hit the elevator when positioned for full left & full down.....small notch cut to provide clearance.
11) CG at 80mm indicator.
12) Battery location for proper CG using a 4S 4000mah battery....quite a bit forward of the battery tray.
13) Cut & fit a piece of plywood for forward batt. support.
14) Plywood epoxied in place & Velcro added.
15/16/17) All finished ready for maiden. I changed the stock tires to 4" dia. for better grass handling. To remove the stock tires, I had to drill out the wheel LG collet set screw as the soft hex head screw rounded out. I replaced the collets with Dubro 7/32" drilled out on my lathe with a "C" letter drill(.240)....perfect fit.
18/19) C/L tire measurement w/LG stance mod=14.5".

Additional note: The (2) carbon wing rods had to be sanded with 120 grit lightly to get them to slide in all the way as they were extremely tight as supplied. The wings would not seat all the way to the fuse to lock the pin tabs.

I feel these mods made a substantial improvement with this beautiful scale rendition of the Do-27. This plane is made with a nice dense heavy foam that you can feel & all the markings are excellent with no bubbles or loose ends. With the 4S 4000mah battery in place, my plane weighs 6.5lbs. The motor is a 32 size 700kv w/50A ESC, & 13 X 6 wood prop. With a 1600mm(63") W/S, this model is the perfect size & great looking. Also, I am looking forward to trying the flaps for STOL T-O/Landing. Gonna maiden in the next week or so....will post results & pics. Thanks for looking....

Denny

http://www.bananahobby.com/5-ch-air-...plane-arf.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63kJywEonMg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN0DwV6Gfzw