Test Stand and RCGF-USA 10cc Survived

I had removed the RCGF-USA 10cc from the Stik that took a massively destructive header right on to the engine. Before I committed it to the new Spitfire, I wanted to make sure that it survived intact. All tree blades were snapped at the hub and she came down right on the hub, which is ground up quite a bit.

The RCGF-USA 10cc on the newly built test stand.

Runs perfect!

A simple rig. Manual throttle, the ignition  is fro  the engine and will be installed on the Spitfire. On old NiMH battery pack and the tachometer are also fixed to the rig. I put the 10 cc mount on one side so I can put a larger engine ,out on the other side if ever needed. 

The RCGF-USA 10cc on the test stand. Brief cut.

HK 500e FBL Main Bearing Plates and a Bad One-Way Bearing

The new bering plates came in and I went to install them today. I found the plate to be 5mm too narrow! It's always something...

I had some 3 mm plates of very dense wood and use them to make the gap. 

Worked fine, very solid as the wood is so dense.

Tuned up the 4 blade head.

Now this was curious. The lightest blade was the "heaviest" on the balancer. It weighed in at 56.7, and on the right that's the heavier one at 58.2! I rechecked all the weights and they are real. The blades CG are all about the same. I have no idea why this is. So I balanced them all to the "heavy" blade.

I had planned to use 450 size blades before I realized that the grips only fit the 500 size. 

I may have to fly her 6S, fortunately have plenty of them.

She is all set! But, wait! There's more! I took her out to check her tracking and she swings the big blades fine, the tracking was perfect, and she was acting balanced. But, the one-way bearing is shot and slipped with the extra weight. It's the original so I am not surprised.

I ordered a whole new main gear one-way bearing set so its all fresh, from Amainhobbies. good price, great shipping option.

Blown bearing!

I've never blown a bearing before, but I shredded the lower motor bearing today on the Trex 600e FBL. It's been making noise since the hard landing, and it was bad today when I spun it up to test the new tail blades, so I checked it out. I suspect it's because one of the two motor plate screws came off the right side at some point and were lost, so the motor was not secure.  I didn't notice this until I was removing the bearing plate. I had to chisel the outer frame of the bearing from the plate and it took some work to get the inner run off the the motor shaft; had to pop the pinion off to get the remnant off. Ordered some 6x12x4 metal shielded bearings to replace it, didn't have one in stock. Took the opportunity to oil up the Scorpion motor bearing. Replaced and re-Locktited the motor based screws. A few screws were missing on the right side of the frame... checked all of them. I ordered the new bearings from Amazon, will be here in two days.

The bottom of the main gear should not have been rubbing on the torque tube power takeoff gear, so I rechecked the location of the washers on the manual. I was surprised to learn that the 0.3mm and 0.5mm washers are put together, and that they go  under the main shaft stop over the top main shaft bearing. This lifts the entire mechanism and will make the main gear and the power takeoff gear clear. I had them together but on the top of the main gear hub, immediately under the lower main shaft bearing plate. To remind me I put them on the shaft over the clothespin.

I found that the top of the main gear metal hub was rubbing the underside of the lower main shaft bearing plate. There was some metal stripping off the top of the main gear hub. Not sure what's up with that. Was it not seated properly because the washers were in the wrong place? I hope so.

 

UPDATE: Replaced the bearing, hover tested, perfect. Quiet, smooth, balanced, ready to fly again!

History will not repeat itself...

My luck with the Phoenix Spitfire has been dismal. First one nipped a tree on its maiden after luring me with its ease and beauty of flight. Took me a couple of years to get over that. The second one I killed shortly after takeoff most likely a stall, possibly related to a radio issue (yeah, I stalled it, blinking receiver light be damned). After the second one I considered myself cursed as far as Spitfires are concerned and swore to never buy/build another. Loosing one after another on maiden flights was too much for a man to bear.

Well, today I have done a thing, and I cannot undo it. I ordered another one, the same one, from Tower Hobbies, the Phoenix Models Spitfire. How can I not? I kindled two airplanes lately, so need a replacement, and this is such a beautiful machine and model! Credit is a terrible thing for an addiction... I also picked up a new pair of the servoless retracts from Hobby King I have used twice before. I like these. I have to modify the wheel wells a bit, but this time I am going to let them stick out rather than chisel down the hardpoint. I looked at using the mechanical retracts and a retract servo, but have heard nothing but trouble from these: the servo from Hitec, my favorite servo company, is a full 180 degree non-limitable servo, so not sure that would even work and it has a poor reputation. The other is a Spektrum retract servo that is adjustable, but has barely a better reputation and is NIS until next month. Screw it, went with the electric servoless ones. The other electronics and servos will come from the dead brethren.

I have two engines for it. The one that has been a pain in my ass is the Evolution 10cc, that first "flew" in the second doomed Spitty. Not comfortable putting it in the new Spitty given the recent trials I have had with it, even though it was once again running great the day of the crash; it still has the stink of the second Spitfire crash on it. The other engine is the RCGF-USA 10cc that was on the Stik. It took quite the header last week in the destruction of the Stik, so I don't know if it will even work, if the shaft isn't somehow damaged. But I think that is the one I am going with, its a better and more reliable engine, has the power, and doesn't have that torpedo muffler coming out of it.

I think too I will build it with a 14x8 Master Airscrew Scimitar blade, rather than a 3 blade, just to get things right. On the ground statically the Spitfire looks wrong with a 2 blade, but its in the air performance I want, may go to a Master Airscrew 13x8x3 later.

So I am excited and look forward to the third attempt!

Repairing the Align Trex 600e FBL

Yesterday I had to made an emergency landing to avoid killing a hawk that was ggressively hunting my Trex 600. I did not land well, flying in fast nose is from my left, and addi g collective to stop the momentum, lifted the nose to stop the forward progression, and the tail blades hit. Shattered the blades and stripped the torque tube power takeoff set.

Delaminted the blades. These damn things are $23 ! Pair!

Teeth stripped off the power takeoff assembly.  Kinda glad they are soft as it prevented worse damage.

New assembly installed. I like torque tubes better than belts.

Tail blades are in the mail! Spun her up on the bench and the power takeoff gear was rubbing the main gear. I used a sharp blade while it was spinning to whittle it down and it clears nicely. Can't wait to get her back in the air.

Bad Decision, and a Dogfight with a Hawk!

I had written about the Stik and its aileron twitch problem. I have changed out a lot of the electronics, kinda lost track of what I have and have not changed. Most recently I thought padding the receiver solved the problem as it seemed to have stopped. Certainly it really, really improved.  Today I noticed a fine twitch intermittently. What I also saw was the ignition armed light flickering, but the engine didn't care, even when the light went out for several seconds. Loose bulb? Hmm, was this a battery voltage issue? The NiMH batteries were due to be swapped out for LiPO, but I hadn't committed to it. These two serious, obvious, and definite "Do Not Fly!" signs that were ignored. Like all ignored warning signs, this was a bad decision.

So she was flying wonderfully, and I was having a blast! I was thinking just how much fun she is to fly, how she handles well and allows me to just swing her around. Then she twitched, bad. Stabilized. I backed off the throttle, and she did it again, got her back, and then just started a high rate death spiral and just drilled into the ground. It was loud, it was powerful, and there was nothing I could do about it.

The front end was vaporized.

The wing is badly damaged. The underside is just fractured on the left side. The servos were ripped from the frame by the impact.

The powdered front end.

I found the tank. The stopper was ripped from the tank by the impact, and it tore it.

That's the engine in the middle.

The path of the carnage.

The parts pieces.

When you don't have a bag, you carry out the dead parts wrapped in a sweatshirt.

Damn, she was a favorite. 

I am already planning to get a Hangar 9 10cc Ultra Stick when I can.

Hunted by a Hawk!

I also brought out the Align Trex 600e FBL. She flew amazingly well. 

She flew so well she caught the attention of a hawk that started circling her, and began to hunt her, zigging to her zag. I was flying a heli in a dog fight with a hawk! Closer and closer, more aggressively. I knew if he went for her the heli would tear him apart, so I brought her down in a turn, fast, and she was still sliding a little sideways and fast, a little forward, then her tail dipped as I pulled the collective to stop her momentum and the tail blades hit. They delaminated and it looks like the only other damage is the tail power take off gear stripped. Easy fix and I have one. There is a tiny chip out of one corner of a tooth on the autorotation gear I am not worried about. Whew. Hawk lost interest and glided off, laughing a hawk laugh.

Damaged the tail blades, ordered new ones, $23 a set... I have the tail power take off gear set. 

No other damage so far!

HK 500 FBL Refit Underway

Began the refit of the HK 500 FBL today, deconstructing it and assessing the damage. The boom was pretzled of course, but the rest of the tail assembly is fine. I will check the servos here soon. The main shaft, not unexpectedly was bent badly and has been replaced. The main block upper bearing is bad, so today 

I ordered a new block set from Medusa Heli on eBay. I think the old one was going bad for some time. That will be here next week. I may have to open the frame to get the lower one swapped out. The upper one had one of the canopy struts on it that snapped off and I can't get the bitter end out, so it was a waste anyway. Two reasons to replace it. I don't like have the struts embedded like that, so I will move them back a little on the frame. The canopy will allow it.

The gears are all fine, so all in all, not too bad. I decided to sand and repaint the landing gear, as I had painted them black during the US Marines Drone phase of its life, and I hadn't prepped it so it was flaky. I like the bright orange tail, and am thinking of adding a splash of color on the skids, maybe yellow, maybe white. We'll see. 

Looks worse than it really was.

Took the MX-Bach RCGF-USA 35cc on it, and she flew marvelously!

She is a pleasure to fly!

Her idle got a bit higher with each flight so that on the last one she was flying too fast to get her down on the ground. After several passes I tried a procedure I have failed at because for some reason I am unable to hit the kill switch and fly the plane at the same time... well, she landed but tipped forward as I hit the kill and broke her prop. That was all that happened fortunately. But, that ended the day. She was very touchy, and I flew her on low rates. I lowered the rate even further and she is still touchy, despite 40% expo. I may have to bump that up too. Her engine ran fantastically other than the idle shift. Even with my 3 idles, the landing one was still too fast in the end. That will need some tuning,

 

I flew the HK500 FBL a few times, and ended up losing control and pretzeled her after I had a "WHOA..." moment.

Enjoyed a couple of flights on the Align Trex 600e Pro. There is such a huge difference between flying a 450, 500 and the 600, each getting more and more stable. I really enjoy flying the 600 sized helis, and will someday get a 700 just because I can.

So it looked like it went worse than it really did. Ir was a great day of flying!

Death and Reincarnation HK 500 FBL

I took the HK 500 FBL out, with a Trex 600 and my MX-Bach (more in that later), and she flew very well!

At the end of the second pack I had a close "Whoa..." moment tail out, and recovered , but she was flying off to my left, and I kept compensating in the wrong direction, still a bit shocked by the close encounter, and I rolled her into the ground. Pretzeled. Broke one blade, cracked the canopy thrown by the battery, and bent the tube. A swash control arm bent. Haven't gotten to the main or feathering shafts. The battery took a hit, so I have since recycled it.

I immediately started planning the rebirth, and I could replace the swash control arm, or, I can turn her back to her previous 4-blade head with the Align 4-blade head I have had for years. I use 450 sized blades with it, I have four similar blades and a new 500 size tube. I am considering using 500 blades, especially if I am going to 6S.

So that is the plan, I will make her a 4-blade heli, and probably fly her 6S! 

Now THAT's a bulkhead!

Constant problems with the bending of the front landing gear on my Greatplanes Twinstar lead to replacing the gear with a much hardier gauge. This worked great, transferring the energy to the bulkhead, so that broke. Finally got around to rebuilding it. I think I was building mad, because like the chimney at a house fir, this is all that will be left standing next time!

You can see the thinner plywood of the original bulkhead that is also the front landing gear hard point.it was all pushed in, so just pulled it out, cleaned up the spot.

3mm plywood.

I put in a couple of layers of 5mm plywood, dammit.

I  the end 3 layers! I have issues.

I  the back I added a small piece to add some support to the deck.

Used the same hardware.that is one solid hardpoint.

Sits perfectly!