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Sunday, November 7, 2010
Summer Flying Season Recap from ColumbusThat doesn't mean people won't be flying at Dinneen Field, but I doubt I'll be among them.
I got
very little flying accomplished this season.
Work related travel has been brutally extensive this year. Flying
has suffered. Somehow I managed to get a Q500 plane ready to race and got some practice time in before a couple races this
summer. I bought a second, backup plane which quickly became my primary ship because it flew so much better than my Doddger.
The new ship is a Scat Cat purchased from fellow club member Gerald. It's powered with an old DC .40 which runs nice. For
a club racer it's great.
The F16 never made it out of the hangar (basement) this year. A malfunctioning nose gear
servo popped up when I first decided to take it out. It never got fixed. Winter project #1 of several.
I got the
GP Extra 300S in the air this summer also. This is the one that lost its hatch after a couple flights, then remained grounded
until I could get one from GP. This plane flies great and the OS .46FX with the Slimline Pitts muffler is a great engine for
this plane. I think I flew it the most this summer because it was easy to get the single radio battery charged, put the plane
together and head to the field with the limited time I had available.
The Yak got out to the field a few times
but once again, the smoke system was plagued with malfunctions. it works - it doesn't - it works - it doesn't. I'll need to
tear into the pump for the third time and probably have to rework the mounting system because vibration seems to be the problem
here with will likely be found to be more broken wires inside.
I keep looking at EDF jets. I want one. What's holding
me back? The "all up" cost. by the time you get it in the air, the Habu and similar planes just get too pricy for
me; at least for the time being. My hope is that the price of the planes will come down a bit and I can swallow the price
tag easier.
If anyone has any suggestions on any other EDF jets out there like the Habu and the Evader, I'd like
to hear about them.
That's the update for now. It's back to the grind Monday.
5:03 pm est
Monday, June 14, 2010
He's BackActually, I never really was gone, but the last post to the Blog was November
2009 I think. It was a long winter and lots has been happening with me, but not much with R/C planes. I actually got out to
the field for the first time this season just last weekend. Unusual for me, but that's the way ot goes when you travel as
much as I do.
I took the Yak 54 and the Doddger Q-500 racer out for some practice flights. It was a great afternoon
with a 5-10 mph breeze blowing straight across the runway. It didn't seem to make much difference to me, though. It was almost
like I hadn't been away from flying even though my last flight was early November of 2009.
The F1-6 Cermark has
yet to undergo a detailed pre-flight checkout for this season, which is a requirement for all my planes before making their
initial summer season flights.
I finished the Great Planes Extra 300SPbetween the past winter and this spring. I made the mistake of installing the rudder servo in its optional location in
the aft section of the airframe. This makes the plane quite tail heavy and requires lead in the nose to counter the rudder's
position. Apperntly I missed this note in the installation manual. Had I known, I would have installed it in the forward section
of the fuseleage with the elevator servo. The plane's done except for setting the CG. It's powered with an OS 46FX;
the one that was on the Easy Sport which is now in storage.
The plan last fall was to build the Aeroworks Pitts
Python and power it with yet another fine DA 50. After much consideration, I decided to scrap the idea and put some of the
cash I would have spent on my ham radio station. The Pitts was going to run me $3000 in the air, that was just more than I
wanted to spend another time around, having done so with the Yak a couple years ago.
Hopefully, I'll get some stick
time here as the summer progresses. Weekends are pretty much it for me for the foreseeable future.
Comments and
feedback always appreciated.
Happy landings...
6:47 pm edt
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Why No Posts???So, what's up in the shop these days? My last post to the Blog was September
11. Hard to believe it been that long but that's the way it goes when you're on the road and have a lot going on.
Vacation, international business trips make for little time in the shop. The 2009 flying season is quickly drawing to a
close, with gray skies, winds and for the first time, a real possibility of snow showers this Thanksgiving weekend.
The "repaired" smoke system on the Yak is once again inop. I can't believe it. I thought I had that problem fixed.
I think I need to reconsider the smoke system for the Pitts. A Skywriter may not be the best smoke pump for the next project.
There is a plane on the assembly bench. The Great Planes Extra 300SP; a fairly new ARF from this long time plane manufacturer. No pictures as yet and at the rate things are going here, there
may well be no build log for this ship. I bought this one after reading a build and fly report in one of the RC rags. The
Extra replaces the tired, beat up GP Easy Sport which is what I bought to get back into the hobby. The O.S. .46 FX is a great
engine for the Extra and I was able to re-use the radio gear except for the rudder servo which needs to be bigger than a standard
torque unit. So, I had to buy very little to put this one in the hangar.
At this point, the wings are done and
the tail feathers are also installed and hinged as well as the tailwheel. Landing gear has been assembled and installed. Pushrods
are up next.
Blade mCX RTF Heli is a Blast
A few weeks ago, a fellow club member brought
his E-Flite Blade mCX heli out to the field with an $80 price tag hanging on it. This is a 1 ounce, heli for the beginner enthusiast.
Being that I have never flown a helicopter that makes me a beginner I guess. The unit features coaxial main rotor and no tail
rotor, but is equpped with a gyro for yaw control. It is not quite as easy to fly as one might think, but after a few hours
of practice and flying it into the walls a few times (and breaking it) I've taught myself to fly it around pretty well. Luckily
it is a tough little bird and replacement parts are easy to get and easy to repair in most cases I encountered. Weighing only
1 oz., this is strictly an indoor heli. I am now looking at intermediate Blade mSR. What fun!
8:27 pm est
Friday, September 11, 2009
Update from the shopSummer 2009 Flying Weather
The summer 2009 flying season
is in full swing and we have had fantastic weather here in Central Ohio in recent weeks. The fun should continue for the third week in a row. Amazing.
I've
taken advantage of some of the fine weather here as I have been on vacation since the 1st of September. The fun continues
through this Sunday, then it's back to work. I am enjoying a few days up here on the shores of Lake Erie this week and the weather up here has also been great for relaxation and recreation.
Sullivan 753 Smoke
Pump Woes Finally Fixed
I've been using the Sullivan 753 Skywriter now for 2 flying seasons; 2008 and 2009. It was the first smoke system I ever bought. I was about to give up on figuring
out just what was causing the problem when it quit completely last week and refused to make a sound. I was going to put smoke
systems in the same troublesome category as planes with retracts.
The pump started operating intermittently last
summer and I thought I may have had a bad connection between the 753 and the battery. That was not the case. I then replaced
the isolation switch with an EDI Ultra Switch II which appeared to be getting very sloppy in its operation. That was not the case either. Still, though, replacing the
switch was a good idea anyway. The EDI is a much better unit.
I was troubleshooting the system on the bench at
a time where the smoke pump would not function at all. This was good because both other times I worked on it, it was fine
on the bench; difficult to troubleshoot when it's still working.
This time around, I had checked everything in
the system from end to end it came back to the 753 unit. I removed it from the airplane and disassembled. Inside, I found
two broken wires; the negative lead from the circuit board to the pump motor and the other was the
positive side receiver control wire from the radio. Both of these wires terminate on the small PC board inside.
Pictures to illustrate the findings are below. As a suggestion that would improve reliability, consider drilling holes in
the PC board and inserting the various wiring through them and solder in place as opposed to the current method which appears
to produce undue stress and scuffing on the wiring. That may not totally fix the problem, as vibration from the DA50
is likely a contributing factor the wire scuffing and broken wires.
After repairing the wiring, the 753 worked
just fine as expected.
Gee, why won't the pump run???
Yet another broken wire...
Motor lead re-attached.
F16 Still Screaming
After replacing the servo reverser a few weeks back, the F16 still wants
to roll left immediately after takeoff. Apparently the servo reverser swap out didn't fix that. It simply appears to be p-factor
as a result of low airspeed, high thrust and engine power. Adding right thrust isn't much of an option because there isn't
much space between the spinner backplate and the fuse. I'll just adapt and overcome.
I have been working on approaches
and landings. The "16" is quite pitch sensitive despite the CG being right where it should be. I have 40% expo dialed
into the elevator and that's about as far as I want to go with that. With the gear up and at full throttle, the plane flies
like an arrow. Drop the gear and the added drag and location of that drag result in a nose-down attitude with hands off. So,
I need up elevator when the plane is in the landing configuration. Slowing down and the flare are the sticking points for
me right now. Get this plane too slow and elect to go around and I have my hands full. Still getting used to this one. Total
flights to date - somewhere around 25?
Thinking of Winter
As a rather unexpected purchase,
a new GP Extra 300SP now sits in my garage in the UPS shipping box it came in from the local hobby shop, Hurricane Hobbies. With the GP Easy Sport
fairly well beaten up and now missing a canopy and turtle deck from a mid-air 2 seasons ago, I'll be stripping it and using
everything including the O.S. .46AX in the Extra. Should be fun with the power 46 up front with a Pitts muffler. Anyone want
a well-used Easy Sport? Contact me.
The other project is the Aeroworks Pitts Python; aka Pitts 12 (I believe). I've done a lot of reading and research on this plane and it looks like it will be a great addition
to the 50cc line up which really only includes the Yak I've now had for just shy of 2 flying seasons. It looks as though the
project cost os going to be around $2900. That includes wing bags, graphics package and everything else needed to put it skyward
next spring.
That's it for now... I need a nap. Time to kick back in the hammock to rest my eyes. 
4:32 pm edt
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Geez! Fellow modelers, forgive me for
it has been nearly 2 months since my last Blog entry. Yikes!
Flying Season is On!
Well, the summer 2009 flying season is in full swing here and elsewhere across the country. So, I've been getting out to
the field once a week or so. Sometimes it's a two week break.
The "16" Update
The
F16 now has 10 flights on it and it's flying well. I am becoming more comfortable with flying it and the engine is running
well. It always turns heads and I get compliments on the appearance. I can't take credit for the looks as this thing comes
out of the box looking pretty much like you see it in the website photos. There's basically no finishing required here.
I'm Having a Yak Attak!
The Yak is flying well, although I tend to get lazy on final and flare
too high and too slow. The result is an "arrival" as opposed to a true landing. The landing gear has been bent as
a result and once bent, it does not want to maintain the original shape when I bend it back to its original position. I have
a spare gear on the wall and I guess it's time to swap out the old with the new or I'll just keep bending it back and forth.
Other Stuff
I still have the Doddger Q500 pylon racer on the rack sans engine which is still
in the box. Never got time to install the engine and break it in this spring what with the jet taking so much time. There's
a pylon race this weekend, but it won't be ready. Maybe next year.
Another Giant with Two Wings
The other thing in planning is the parting out and costing of a new giant for the hangar. I like to have different
planes and the Yak fills the need for a giant aerobatic IMAC type monoplane. I've never owned a biplane, much less flown one.
I've been looking hard at the Aeroworks Pitts Python. Aeroworks is known for very high quality ARF planes with a high degree
of completion right out of the box. A DA50-R is among the recommended power plants and with my previous experience with the
one in the Yak, the decision is pretty much made to go with this plane and engine. Watch the site for a build log as I am
sure some people will want to read about this from start to finish. As of this writing, the cost is estimated at $2850 in
the air. That number will likely fluctuate as I finish listing the accessories. I'll have that detailed as well for potential
owners.
Product Review in the Works
Two years ago at Toledo, I bought a Westmountain Radio
CBA battery load tester. It sat on the shelf until this spring. I finally unpacked it, loaded the Windows software and
proceeded to test some battery packs. It works very well and I can recommend it. That's the short story. A detailed report
is on the way.
That's it for now. Siging off from Oswego, NY. -Rick 
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Flying Season in the Midwest is On!
Yak Gets Dusted Off and
Flown for Season Two
The
88” Extreme Flight Yak 54 is my one and only giant scale, fully IMAC capable airplane. Now going into season two, I put the plane on the bench for a full mechanical and electrical checkout,
as I do for all my planes as part of a proactive pre-season maintenance program. I also make periodic checks of the planes
throughout the flying season.Nothing bad mechanically showed up, but I did manage to trash my ignition unit battery
by failing to disconnect it from the regulator/ignition switch last fall. The ever-so-slight draw from the so-called de-energized
switch/regulator pulled everything out of the pack. That took a $50 lithium Ion battery pack to zero volts; a non-recoverable
condition. It was Thursday morning and I was planning on flying Friday, so off to the hobby shop I went. I had to settle for
a Lithium Polymer (LiPo) pack instead as the shop did not have what I wanted. This also necessitated the purchase of a cell balancer so the cell voltages in the pack can be, well, balanced. This is a periodic requirement of LiPo batteries to maintain maximum
performance. Out the door, I was $75 lighter in the old wallet. So be it. Installation required locating the pack in a new
area of the motor box, as it was larger than the original. Done.
New Prop Quiets Things Down
I bought a Mezjlik 23 x 8 carbon prop to try in place of the Zinger wood 24 x 8 I'd been using after initial break-in last summer. The first thing I noticed on the ground was a speed drop from
7500 to 6980 rpm. Once in the air, I immediately noticed a much quieter noise signature. I did not know what rpm to expect,
so I sent off an email to Desert Aircraft for review and comment.
Flight Report
I headed out to the field the next day and managed
to get 6 flights in on the Yak before letting my guard down. On the last flight of the day, and about 10 feet off the runway,
I got a bit too slow and in an effort to salvage the landing, ran out of elevator and landed hard. How hard? Hard enough to
bend the gear pretty good and crack the engine cowling. Otherwise there was no damage. It’ll have to wait to be repaired.
I’m full up with work this coming week.
Get the dust off your plane and get out and fly it!
-Rick J
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Better Late Than NeverGreetings from the shop where it's cool and dry. Thunderstorms have been
popping up for the last couple days and flying after work has been a bit dodgy.
WMAA Has a New Website
My club, the Westerville Model Aeronautics Association has a new website. Built by fellow member Scott McCrory,
the site sports forums, news and information about the club in a new and clean format. Click here to check out the site and to learn more about our club.
F16 Follow Up
With 6 flights logged
on the F16, it's due for a mechanical checkout to see what, if anything worked loose before the next trip out. I spent a lot
of time getting that plane together and set up right before I took it out for the maiden flight. I spent a lot more time de-bugging
it with no fewer than 4 trips to the field with one problem after another. Taking my time and working methodically through
each problem paid off.
Easy Sport Nearly Loses an Aileron
The hinges for the left aileron
on the trusty Easy Sport managed to worked loose and were detected just after my last flight a few weeks ago. Repairs are
needed before that can go back up.
Yak Goings-On
The Yak has remained in the same spot all
winter. Can you believe it hasn't flow yet this Spring? Me either. That's next up on the bench. The airplane needs a complete
going-over in preparation for this summer. I hope to get it out late this week.
Got Oil?
Flying
the Yak into the air made me think about the empty gas can in the garage. The oil came to mind as well. Seems I shy of what
I need to mix 40:1 for the DA 50. So, I start looking for a 16 ounce bottle of Red Line synthetic two stroke racing oil on the web. Auto Zone - no. Advance Auto Parts - no. Although they are listed as "dealers" on Red Line's site,
that just means that if they sell ONE product, they're considered a dealer. Finally, I find the stuff on the Jeg's High Performance Centerwebsite. A 16 ounce bottle goes for $8.50 and it's a special order item. Great. "We have a gallon here", says the
guy on the phone. A 10 minute drive and $56.99 later (+tax), I now have a several year supply of premix oil on the garage
shelf. Redline tech support states the shelf life is at least 5 years, so no worries.
Pylon Racer
The
Dodgger remains right where I left it a few months ago. Simply no time to get the engine and other stuff installed. Maybe
later this summer.
Miscellaneous
Work travel has really been eating into my home time recently,
but that's the nature of the job. Hence weekends have been seeing double duty getting things done around the house and getting
away when I can to get some flying in. A couple fellow club members have been egging me on to get into IMACand fly that Yak of mine competitively. With as little time as I have now, that's a pipe dream at least this summer.
That's it from the Blog. Stay tuned and check back again.
-Rick 
9:13 pm edt
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Finally!
After numerous attempts to get the F16 airborne
again other than the first (and
short) flight, this past Monday finally saw success in the form of 5 flights at
the
field.
Weather and Field Conditions
Conditions were upper 70's to low 80's with a 10 mph
breeze blowing down runway 7. The grass was very short because it was cut Friday just before the Club's IMAC hosted event
Saturday and Sunday.
Fueling Valve was the Culprit
After removing the Dubro fueling valve
and replacing it with a fuel loop, the
first order of business was to confirm proper engine operation. The engine runs
just it did in the test stand - perfectly. Based on my experience, it's been
determined the use of the Dubro #996 EZ
Fill fueling valve will not work with
the Jett SJ90LX and tuned muffler setup. Dubro is developing a larger version of
the 996, but it's not out yet. This is not a slam on Dubro. They make fine products. This valve simply can't pass enough
fuel due to the very high performance of the Jett engine.
Other Valves Out There
Do not confuse
this valve with the Kwik Fill #334 which is an all-metal
construction valve that existed before the introduction of the
996. The 334 is
still made and there is also a larger version it available. I don't plan on using
anything
other than the fuel line loop for the time being.
Flights Detailed
After getting the
engine setup and running a tad richer, flight #2 followed.
With a solid running -, I felt a lot more comfortable flying
this
plane. I did the final trimming (gear down) and flew 2 more flights with the
gear still down. With a 10mph
wind, slowing down was not much of a chore. Just
getting used to how it flies on final and the flare to touchdown was
a bit of a
learning curve. I don't have anything else that flies like the Cermark F16, so I
had to learn to fly
it to the runway. It certainly can be be slowed down and
like many have commented, it doesn't need to land at 80 mph.
Flights #4 and #5 were conducted gear UP. Now with a few test flights under my
belt I could more comfortably
fly at full throttle to see how this thing does
opened up in straight and level flight. It's a rocket.
The
Joke's on Me!
Now for the joke of the day. Upon landing on the first flight of the day, I was
in a high
alpha mode and the touchdown was textbook except the tail-cone brushed against the firm turf. The plane rolled to a stop shortly
after touchdown.
Stopped and idling with the elevators held in full up position, I attempted to
taxi back to the
pit area. No response. Releasing the stick, the elevator
remained full up and motionless. Radio failure immediately after
landing? Nope.
When landing, the receiver switch was forced to the OFF position and the radio
assumed the
last stick positions. Needless to say, THAT was quite a surprise.
Turning the switch around in the tailcone fixed that
in short order.
Summary
So, after 5 flights, I can say I am happy with the performance and
it looks like
it was worth the time and effort spent in getting it all together. I had one
bounced landing that
ultimately became a touch and go. Had I not reinforced the
gear mounts the result would have been bad. Carbon fiber,
epoxy and ply
prevailed.
Video was shot, but it's not usable. My cameraman had trouble following it in
the air and all we got was noise and blurred images of fast flying dot in the
air. The lighting kit looks way cool
on the ground and can easily be seen in the
air.
That's it for now. Comments and/or questions? Drop me a note.
6:17 pm edt
Sunday, May 17, 2009
F16 FliesAfter going home last Monday afternoon due to higher than desired winds at
Dinneen Field, I head back out Tuesday afternoon under better conditions. Winds were light and variable. Sky conditions
were clear. Time to get this thing in the air.
After assembling the wings and turning on the radio, the ailerons
refused to move. Nothing, Nada, absolutely no movement. Shut off the radio. Turned radio gear back on. Still no ailerons.
Yes, I did plug them in. Thanks for asking.
Needless to say I was miffed at the situation. Only 1 day prior,
everything worked. I don't troubleshoot problems like this at the field, especially radio types. I headed back home and worked
the problem in the garage. Turning the radio on, everything worked. Great. What's going on? Radio off. Radio on. Nothing -
now no link to the receiver. What changed?
I changed the battery out the night before to a new 2500 mah tx pack
for longer time between charges. The battery in the tx had been out for maybe 5 minutes. My thought was the rx was not getting
something it used to from the tx, so I re-bound the tx and rx. That apparently fixed it because there's been no problem with
binding since. I had a similar problem with a Spektrum DX7 last summer and the only thing that changed - you guessed it -
I removed the tx battery.
Back out to the field, I got the ship assembled and made a range check with and without
the engine running. No problems. I fueled up and friend Keith came out to play pit crew and run the handy cam. The engine
was turning 14,500 with a 11 x 8 and sounded good. I taxied out and went for a long take off roll. I lifted off and climbed
out with a left turn to start a race track pattern to perform the initial trim. It needed up elevator and some right aileron
and soon it was flying level hands-off.
Then the engine started sagging. I didn't know it at the time but the fuel
mixture had gone lean and the sagging was due to overheating. I immediately throttle back, called final and in 30 seconds,
I was on the runway.
Head bolts were found slightly loose and I tightened them up and turned the needled a half
turn rich. Restarting the engine, I noticed no change in rpm. I brought out the tach and sure enough, no amount of richening
the needle resulted in a drop in rpm. What's this all about? The engine ran perfectly on the test stand. What changed?
The only difference was the fact that I installed a Dubro EZ Fill fueling
vlave which had not been on the test stand. I almost immediately focused on this as part if not all of the problem. After
all, I hadn't even changed the needle setting since I put the engine in the plane.
With the beast home and on the
repair bench, I took the fuel system apart for a complete inspection. No problems anywhere. I again eyed the fueling valve.
I removed it and checked it for proper operation. Blowing air through the valve assembly I noticed it took a lot of
effort to pass air through it. It seemed restricted compared to the effort required to push air through a piece of fuel tubing.
I now have a fueling loop coming right off the remote needle valve, going right to the engine. I have eliminated that
valve from the equation and my thought is it cannot pass sufficient fuel to the engine at full throttle due to this observed
restriction no matter how wide open the needle is. I am dealing with the most powerful .90 made using a tuned muffler
that puts a ton of pressure into the tank. If the fuel system can't get the juice to the engine, it either goes lean or quits.
Another flight test is scheduled for next week. I will update the Blog with the results.
8:50 pm edt
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
F16 Still GroundedWell, the F16 didn't make it into the air this yesterday. This morning's
wind forecast was good, but the reality was not. 10-15 mph winds and gusting in a
direct x-wind were the order of the
afternoon at Dinneen Field.
I performed preflight checks, range checks and engine runups with a range check
as well. I figured while I was there, I might as well do what I could.
Taxi tests in a healthy breeze were interesting.
Things are fine as long as you
don't turn crosswind. The wind easily gets under the wing, putting the plane up
on
one main gear and the nosewheel, then zzzzzip! The prop srikes the dirt. OK,
we're done for the day. Too much wind.
While taching the engine, the exhaust diverter decided to depart the muffler.
There is not enough of a tip on
the muffler to get the silicone exhaust diverter
to stay on.
I stopped by the hobby shop on my way home and
picked up a piece of K&S brass tubing so I could make an extension to which the diverter could be secured.
A piece with a 17/32" o.d. and wall thickness of .014" was just the ticket.
I cut a short piece, maybe
1" long and flared one end <slightly> so it would
slip over the end of the very short exhaust port on the
muffler. It was a pretty
tight friction fit. I drilled and tapped 2, 2-56 holes and secured the brass
sleeve just
to make sure it would stay put.
With the added length, the diverter now has ample contact area so I can secure
it to the muffler with a clamp. This is the only shortcoming of the Jett muffler
that I got with the engine.
Stay tuned. We'll try again today.
6:45 am edt
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