great job Don! I don't remember if you posted pics of your interior or not, but where did youend up for your battery placement?

Thanks!

Very good job Don great looking bird soon as I get a chance want to get out and work the bugs out of mine !!

I noticed in your postings the reference to a 4-40 thread eye bolt. I have been trying to locate a source for this bolt, for a Physics experiment where I work, Penn State University. Any vendor info would be great.
Thanks

The plane looks GREAT !
I like the checkerboard.
If you get the chance to capture a little video.... we'd all love to see it !

Jim

Good one Axiss, hope the wind drops for ya, now just fly it mate
Hey put the pants on!!!. Did you buy the checkers and if so what brand is the covering. I do like the checkers
Lee

Oh yes, my DA 50 engine mounting lug broke off, looking from the front the bottom right hand one broke right at the crankcase. Has this happened to anybody else or is it just bad luck. I havnt bashed it into the ground or anything, maybe a casting fault. Iam really sad cos I can't fly for at least a week
Lee[]

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFV32&P=7

thanks for all the kind words this was Pretty epic for me to get going but I was not going to give up ...

Darkwarder : ended up with my 2300 A123 on the front of the radio tray opposite the rudder servo with my Receiver between the 2 and for now a 2 cell 1320 mah lipo through a regulated switch and that is up on the tail side of the Firewall just under the fierglass overhang of the cowl . remove your canopy and you will see the space there.

bugnutZ : try http://www.mcmaster.com/ or http://www.mcfadden-dale.com/ for your eye bolts .

Fishdeath: the video is gonna be a maybe as I am usually the one that everyone turns to when they want a decent video of their flight hehe, Im sure I can talk someone into doing it

Lee : the checkers are just cut out of white monokote , if you look closely you can tell that I just eyeballed the placement, they are kinda wavy and not meant to be LOL. This being my first big plane I assume I am gonna plant it into the ground at some point, the Graphics on the plane were to personalize it as well as give my self a crash course in applying covering and trim ect. Also on the DA I would give them a call, they have great CS and if it broke from just vibes they should warranty it for ya.

will keep ya all up to date after next go . Gonna try and talk my buddy into thursday , he's building a plane now ( electric ) I may go over there and rush him along , he'll be more apt to want to go if he has a new plane to maiden hehe.

cheers all

I may have missed it somewhere earlier in the thread, but does anyone have a photo of a DA50/J-tec Pitts muffler installed, and, more importantly, the cowl cutouts. I have this engine/muffler combo and am hoping it will fit with very minimal hacking.

Anyone have suggestions on how to reinforce the landing gear mounts on the Suk? I damaged the right mount on mine yesterday. The gear plate split across the center and the holes in the wing socket are oblong now. Not too much damage but enough that I want to fix it right. For those that have done this is it easier to strip the sheeting from the bottom or do it all from the top? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Also, what are the opinions on removing the pipe tunnel? I don't use a cannister and probably never will so I had considered removing it completely, which now would be a good time if I'm stripping the bottom.

Thanks!!!!!

Sperrier,

When i talked with Tom at the Toledo show about the landing gear, he said he is now putting in a piece of aluminum angle to help brace the landing gear in all the Sukhoi's. he offered to send me one for mine if I would call him when he was back in his office.

Mine is still holding up well, but I'm sure in time it will be needing the angle brace and I will be calling Tom.

I'm sure Tom would make the same offer to you if you call him.

Jim

My angle brace broke so I am trying to figure out what to do now broke right in the bend but then again I have had a few bouncing landing LOL probably just need to get a new one from Tom!!

Sperrier,

Here's the link to Soarrich's forum for the repair of his landing gear. This is where I belive the whole angle bracing was conceived.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6513646/tm.htm

He did a great job and has lots of pictures that will help you.

Jim

There is some confusion here.

All the planes have an aluminum angle bracket on each side, this is the primary landing gear support member. It's bolted to the motorbox side. There is wood structure beneath it but that wood doesn't really hold the gear in, it's there for other things.

What I had offered as a retrofit on very early planes is the strap that goes beneath the fuse and holds the two legs together to keep them for splaying on a hard landing. This takes most of the outward stress off the motorbox sides.

But forces from the front will still try to bend the gear back in case you hit a rut or just land real hard. In that case the angle bracket will probably break and need to be replaced.

TF

Yeah broke the one across my landing gear that keeps it from splaying they will take a fair bit of abuse but are not bullet proof heheheh but she is very light.. I will give you a call soon Tom and see about getting one ..

Thanks all for the suggestions, thanks n57tc!, That is the post I was looking for. I remembered seeing that post but I couldn't find it when I looked.

Anyone have any opinions on removing the pipe tunnel? or is it just a waste of time?

I put a piece of 4-40 rod with some glow fuel line over it, throught the landing struts, drilled it, and put nyloc nuts on rather than the aluminium strut. Plus you can tighten the nuts and pull the struts together just a bit
Lee

Sorry Tom,

Guess I misunderstood what you were talking about.

I have not had a problem with the gear splaying out. My weakness has been the because of the 2 piece gear and the exhaust tunnel detail. Still all in all, this by far the greatest airplane I have ever owned.

Jim

Here are my experiences in case they are useful (start at post 64).
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_60..._3/key_/tm.htm

On mine, removing the tunnel fiberglass made life a lot easier.

tom

Thank you Tom, fantastic thread!, extremely helpful! Thanks to all for the help, I got a little work done on it yesterday evening and with any luck she will be back in the air in no time!

Roboto65, use the eye bolts http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFV32&P=7 and some of that Kevlar pull-pull cable you have left over, attached to a spring in the middle for a bit of suspension and keep flying!

Ok I think I am close veryyyy close. I took the nylon washers I had under the standoffs I took the ones out under the bottom standoffs and that put about 1/16" of down thrust and now she flies great ALOT better still a little tail heavy from what I can tell will move the battery forward alittle. Other than that she flys great put about 5 or 6 tanks thru her today. Still tweaking the needles the TOC is running better all the time !!! Oh and had some of those eye bolts great idea wrapped about 4 round of kevlar thread and tied it off and no more spreading well the better flying traits made for better landing too LOL

Gotta question re my Sukhoi. I'm gonna run 2, 2000maH NIMH's on my AR7000 receiver, plus I'm using a choke servo. I'm gonna have to Y something. Should I Y the elevators, ailerons, or use 1 switch and Y the batteries ? Your help is appreciated.

I have never done it, but it is my understanding that you can "Y" the second battery to the receiver, along with one of the servos. Am I correct guy's?

I have a Futaba and Y the 1 aileron servo, then plug the other power lead into my ch8 so the RX gets power from both ends of the RX board. If that's what you asked.