New Props for the Great Planes Twinstar

Planes always look better with multi blade props. There is also more thrust, with irrelevant loss of efficiency. Case in point. With twin 8x8 two blade APC props her static thrust was 2.6 lbs (3S). With twin Master Airscrew 8x6x3 three blade props she produced 3.6 lbs of static thrust. Already a speed demon she is going to rip the air! Hope to see tomorrow!

I should have gone flying...

That feeling when you napped instead of going flying on the one good weather day for several days before and after today like you had planned, and now you have to discharge all those batteries.

SNHRCC Wagner Field

John Bieran took this great photo of our flying field, Wagner Field, on the top of what I call Mt. Hudson, the closed landfill, in Hudson, New Hampshire. Southern NH RC Club.

Du Bro RC Products

Du Bro RC makes a wide variety of amazing RC parts and solutions. I asked for stickers with my spinners, and they don't disappoint!

MX-Bach RCGF-USA 35cc is Up for 2020

Brought the MX-Bach down from it's bat perch on the ceiling to inspect and set her up on the Spektrum iX12. This is one of my favorite planes. I really like the larger engines, they seem to run better and tolerate weather and pressure changes better, start 'em and fly 'em! I had the wings on when I set up and programmed her into the radio, but forgot to take a pic.

Well, the clunk has a woodie... I really like the clear tanks.

The Tygon tubing is hard as a rod. I have been replacing these with Viton tubing.

Much better! Viton tubing.

The tank reinstalled. I think you can see it in the video the foaming from engine vibrations. Very little of that passes to the engine. At the bottom of the pic you see a pair of wires running over the side bulkhead. That is the ignition light wire I seem to have passed incorrectly, I cut the wires, passed it under the bulkhead, and used those melting heat-shrink connectors to rewire it as I can't get the plain on the soldering bench. I love those things! Push the wires with a small exposed end, into the tubing, one on each end so they mesh in the middle, use a heat gun to heat shrink and melt the solder. Voila!

The engine in run up. If you listen carefully you will hear the changes from Flight Idle to Approach Idle, and Landing Idle. I do this to prevent the engine from stopping in idle in fight, but slowing the plane down nicely. I hit Approach on final to slow it and as I cross the threshold I move it to Landing Idle, the slowest idle with a pretty reliable RPM. No needle adjustments, just had to find the new throttle end points on the iX12.

Great Planes Twin Star, and Sukhoi SU-26 with RCGF 10cc Up

I have been slowly working on getting my aircraft ready for the flying season, and programming them into the iX12 one by one. Taking care of any gripes, inspecting, and tuning things up a bit.

The Twinstar is up and ready to go. Painted the 8x8 prop tips because I could, but I bought a pair of 8 x6x3 blade props and a couple of spinners. The smallest cheap ones I could fine were DuBro 2". The current ones are 1.5", so not much difference. I think they will actually look better being more flush with the cowls.

This is such a sweet plane. A balanced and capable flyer, a delight to fly.

Took the Sukhoi SU-26 with its RCGF 10cc engine out and set it up on the iX12. The engine runs fine, but in setting the end points it wanted some tuning, which got weird. After going back to defaults and working my way up, the needles seem a bit rich turn wise, but are now working great. The engine won't run at the standard 1-1/2 L and 1-3/4 H, and are out about 3-4 turns... but she is giving me 7800 RPM with the 13x8x3 Master Airscrew, idling down without going low and coming back up (ie H too rich), and accelerating without hesitation. She is where she needs to be.

All cleaned up, programmed in, set up the Orange Stabilization, and cleaned up loose cote.

After I was all done I decided to put a DuBro muffler extension on her, hoping to keep oil off the plane, and that it doesn't change the exhaust compression too much.

I need a day off with good weather, too many planes to get up in the air.

PT-19 Cornell Got a New Pair of Pants!

I love the Eflite PT-19 Cornell. The Cox 0.49 control line version depicted here with the Eflite model, was one of my first airplanes as a kid.

Eflite PT-19 Cornell and the Coc 0.49 U-control version.

Here is my current PT-19 Cornell! It's a pretty model, but I find the plain wire landing gear a distraction. I have always wanted to do something about them. The real plane has a wrap around fairing. I decided today would be a good day to make some.

I planned two halve wrapped around the wire gear. I shaped themmsomthat the back was angle slightly.

I sanded them down to make them a bit aerodynamic. I wasn't looking for perfection.

I CA'd them to the wires. I left a little space between the top and the wing to allow for movement of the wire on rolling on grass. Sanded them a bit smoot and filled gaps with CA.

I wrapped them in cote.

Sweet!

Baby got a new pair of pants! 

All I need to do now is bind her and program her into the iX12 and she's ready to fly again!

UPDATE: I put a new Spektrum AR620 in, replacing an old AR6100, and bound her to the iX12, programmed her in, set up her Orange Stabilization, and she is ready to go!