RCGF Updates

RCGF updated their website! Sweet look. By the way, saw they are selling the 15cc Beam Mount side muffler engine for $209, the rear muffler for $199. That's the same price as the 10cc. And a 30cc TWIN is coming. Check it out!

I have had great luck with these engines, except for the 10cc on the Stik. I think it's a bad carb... The need to re-tune it every time I start it suggests this, and the curious way it runs at times, like there is a fuel flow issue. Joe Nelson thinks its the carb too. I finally decided to change it. I went to the RCGF website yesterday and it must have been while they were updating it as the website URL could not be found. Gave me a fright that it folded! Nope, as noted, new site. But since they were closed at the time, I went looking for what to buy. As I looked at Google pickings there was a discussion on RC Universe about carbs on these RCGF and similar engines being too big, like 2-4 times too big, and that this made them run  inefficiently, rich.

** RCGF-USA uses only Walbro carbs now.**

"I would offer that the carb that comes on the 10cc rear exhaust engine is a Walbro clone with a 10mm or so venturi, that is 3-4 times the size it needs to be. To get good throttle response requires a super rich low speed mixture. After many hours messing around trying to civilize this engine, it was discovered that if you slowed the throttle opening using the same process you would on wing flaps or gear doors, allowed for a dramatically leaner low speed mixture.

Those with automotive hot rod experience might relate to a comparison of having a 1050 Holley carb on a 302 small block, using mechanical secondaries. When the carb is opened quickly there is a complete loss of vacuum causing the engine to fall flat on it's face. In the caes of the 10cc RCGF, slowing the carb opening allows the engine to maintain vacuum, resulting in a much more desirable acceleration.

Worth noting is the slow carb opening is not noticeable in use, and the engine handles nicely, much like bigger rear carb engines, and flip starts easily."  ~ AHICKS

Going smaller might lead to loss of WOT RPM, but better and more linear power. The stock carb is 10mm, and the discussion was bringing that down to 7.1mm using a Walbro WA-80 carb. Well, I could not find one... I even wrote Walbro (they are not making them anymore but are thinking about it... and would need a run of 40 before they reopened the line; email with Walbro). The WA-80 supposedly is a perfect retrofit for the stock Chinese one (which, by the way works just fine on the Sukhoi RCGF 10cc). So I bought one of the only two available new, on eBay for $35.

While I do like the Evolution 10cc, I still have lost my heart to these RCGF engines. Hopefully this solves this problem with the Stik's RCGF 10cc. I haven't tried running it since the other day when I finally got her re-tuned again. Her high idle shouldn't still be an issue... We'll see.

The other suggestion I have seen for these really small engines is brought up again by AHICKS:

"Worthy of note, when installing the Walbro carb, many advise the use of some sort of thermal break between the engine and carb. I laminated about 1/4" if fiberglass scraps together with some CA and carved one out from that. A stack of gaskets may work as well, or, see what happens without!"  ~AHICKS

I don't have any materials that I know of to make this thermal break, so will try it without it... Not sure this is a thing?

SCUTTLEBUTT:  Well this is interesting...  VVRC used to be a drop shipper for RCGF-USA (You order from VVRC, but the product is sent from RCGF-USA). RCGF-USA makes these engines in China, but the company is US owned. There were issues with the molds they used in the early years. RCGF-USA developed their own molds for these engines and have solved the QA issues, and now produce great engines at great prices. More importantly, they have always offered personal, outstanding customer service. You talk to the owner, not an employee. I have used VVRC in the past and am disappointed in their aggressive and inflammatory posting. I don't know where Tom is getting his RCGF engines, but if they are from those old molds, buyer beware... I would not buy any RCGF product from anyone but RCGF-USA.

A good windy day

All excited this morning with a plan to get out to SNHRCC  in Hudson, NH,  before the winds picked up. It would be the first flight out there this year. Of course Clarence was there! It's like he lives there...

Charged up a few batteries.

And... the winds got there before me. Steady 4-5 mph with 13 mph gusts.

Its always windy up here on the top of the hill.

The winds must have flipped one of the stands.

Flew the Twinstar, handled the winds fairly well. 

I would later fly the Hacker MX-2, but it hated the winds.

Spent the next 2 hrs trying to get the Stik's RCGF 10cc running, again.

Once I think I got it working, the ignition and receiver packs were low voltage.

Got home and stared up all the gassers!

MXS-R 30cc DLE

Sukhoi SU-26 RCGF 10cc (the good one).

Phoenix Models Waco F5C with RCGF 26cc. Also runs sweet!

The MXS-R 30cc pilot just won't keep his seat. I am tired of his shit...

So I fired him.

Got everything ready to fly! It's time to take the big boys out to Hudson, and, god forbid, the Stik. Somehow I expect that its gonna give me crap again. Its also getting time to get the heli's going!

Yet again...

After spending so much time at home getting the Stik's  RCGF 10cc gas engine tuned, I get to Hudson and she won't start. So I spent the next 2 hrs trying to get her to run and then to idle without stopping.

High idle, then just quits. Hopefully I have solved this. Considering getting a new carb. By the time I got a decent throttle the receiver and ignition packs were low voltage, so no flight test.

Jumper T16 Transmitter: That's a lot of radio...

I ran across a Heli Direct ad for the new Jumper T16 Transmitter. Its gotten some buzz among the non-Spektrum/Futaba committed crowd. They can't seem to keep them in stock, and looking at the specs and the price, its easy to understand why. At $149 this 16 channel radio sports multiple compatibilities out of the box due to a 4-in-1 module, most intersting for me Spektrum DSMX is one of those. The JR module can be exchanged for several other protocols. A large 4.3 inch color non-touch screen, and voice call-outs, among many other choice specs. It does telemetry, but I am not sure what is needed.

A 16 channel quality radio for $149. What gives?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present: The Phoenix Spitfire 10cc!

Today I checked the tune up with the 3 blade prop (lost 2k RPM, now peaking around 8300) and installed the cowl. She looks amazing and I am very excited about her! This was a very straight forward build, my little landing gear diversion aside. No major screw ups. The CG was spot on! As soon as a day off and weather combine favorably the maiden flight will surely be flawless!

Powerplant: Evolution 10cc gas

Prop: Master Airscrew 12x8x3 

Landing gear: Hobby King servoless electric

Receiver Pack: Pulse 2S 2550 mAh

Ignition Power:  off the TechAero Ultra BEC

Receiver: Spektrum AR8010T with satellite

Servos: Tactic TSX-47 metal gear digital

Couple of other things today...

This morning I worked on starting up and tuning the RCGF 10cc engine on the Stik. This is the one I rebuilt and broke the piston ring, had issues with a mistake I made on the metering diaphragm of the carb, and it has a newer cylinder because I stripped the plug threads. So essentially I am breaking in a new engine. I have her running well, but her idle has been a bit high and iffy. Working the low needle for the smooth transition and a decent idle, and finding the balance between low end point on the servo and the low needle setting, giving me a decent no-thrust idle that didn't die, took an hour, but I have come pretty close. I think as she breaks in this will settle down. I wanted to fly her today, but conditions and situations weren't right. Patience.

On my way home from RC Aces in North Hampton, I decided to see what conditions were like at Wason Pond Field, off NH 102 in Chester. There was a clear field, nicely cut, and some wind gusts but manageable. I flew three batteries and enjoyed myself, getting my flying thumbs tuned up. All in all a nice flight.

RC Aces: Yeah, it's a marsh, but it's a dry marsh, and the natives are friendly

The weather was wonderful, clear blue skies, and the winds light. I wanted to take advantage of this and headed out to RC Aces in North Hampton. I have been thinking about joining since Gary Hoffman mentioned he now flies out of there. It's a nice field, flat, two runways, and a group that takes very good care of it. Being a bit of a long drive from my house, it's also nice that they have a small solar and power generator charging station. I looked over their website and was pretty impressed, seemed like a nice club to join. Another $75 a year for a membership... need to think about it.

30 miles, about 40 min.

This is on the way back out, but this is the dirt road that accesses the field behind Joe's Meat Shoppe. If you don't know the road is back there you will drive right by it. Gary had said something about it being behind this shop and it stuck in my head. Glad it did as the GPS took me to the wrong side of the field. I drove back remembering what Gary said and found the road. 

I was lucky that Cappy Polito and Mike Larson were there! There is a locked gate and I wouldn't have been able to get to the field. They were just leaving but kindly stayed and showed me around, and let me put the Alpha 450 up. The ground is marshy, and recent rains have made it very mushy wet. Everywhere was marshy wet and muddy, I almost got stuck leaving! They noted that in the summer its much drier and not marshy. I really appreciated their kindness and would be comfortable there. It's clear that this is a very well cared for field, and its flat all around. There are some tall and taller in the season, vegetation nearby, so having to bring down or losing a plane would be an adventure to find it, but I would be able to see it all the way down. It was too windy and the Alpha bobbed all around, so I flew only for a few minutes. Since they had stayed to let me fly, I decided not to fly the Stik, which could likely have handled the winds fine.

Parking viewed from the field.

The solar charging station.

Some of the prep tables.

A view across the field.

View from the parking lot into the field.

I think this is a very nice field, and if Cappy and Mike are any indication the club has a nice friendly membership that takes very good care of their field. If I don't join it will be paying out another fee and having to drive a rather long way. We'll see.