Pilot-RC Extra 260 100cc [Archive]

xed

2009-05-30, 09:57 AM

Six Power HD servos ($33 bucks each - can't beat that price) from TBM, 220 oz/in torq at 6.0V for ailerons (4) and elevator (2). Lots of people have had good experiences with them too, they just arn't programmable. Note: I decided against using this "brand" of servos and went with Hitec 7955TGs all around and JR 8711 on the rudder.

One JR 8711 servo, 403 oz/in torq on the rudder.

Left over Hitec 5955 servo on the throttle and a manual choke.

I'm looking for a power expander, with built-in servo matcher and support for A123 packs but it doesn't look like it exists so Also thought about using a JR Matchbox but I won't have enough channels on the radio to plug that into without using a Y cable, which defeats the purpose of the power expander. Smart-Fly has an EQ6 but it has a built-in regulator, which is stupid to have with A123s.

beto9

2009-05-30, 11:48 AM

Specs, specs, specs and more specs... Is starting to look like flying electrics...

Castle creations makes a power regulator (UBEC) that you can program from 4.8V to anything more. SO you can use Lipos.... And it delivers steady Voltage continously...

Michael V

2009-05-30, 01:32 PM

This is why JR has you beat.
Meet the Power safe.
http://www.greathobbies.com/productinfo/?prod_id=JRPR922
4ch for ail
2ch for elev
1ch for rudder
1ch for thr
1ch for ign cut off.
= 9ch You do not need any switchs(it comes with a soft switch)
It can handle 3.5v-10v

xed

2009-06-09, 05:50 PM

Some updates... Nothing from the manufacturer yet, which is not totally unexpected.

Was initially planning to try out these Taiwan branded Power HD servos, at $33.00 a pop, which they claim are 220oz/in torq. But I've recently read some complaints about them randomly positioning themselves when powering up so I have some concerns about using them in a ganged setup (e.g. ailerons). Also, it seems that they may be over-rating their torq numbers so that is another red-flag against buying them. I know Hitec has over inflated their specs before so this is not new.

I'm looking for a preferably local source of carbon fiber cloth, anyone know who sells this stuff?

zorba

2009-06-09, 05:54 PM

I get mine from Freeman on Pitfield just before Gouin going north.
They used to be MF composites. They sell alot of stuff like Mia Poxy for making molds and all.

I hope this helps.
Bill

QUEBEC
3475 Boul. Pitfield
St.Laurent, Quebec H4S 1H3 TEL 800-263-7699
TEL 514-335-3530
FAX 514-335-3225

xed

2009-06-09, 06:39 PM

Perfect, thanks Bill.

Michael V

2009-06-09, 07:00 PM

What is the CF cloth for?

zorba

2009-06-09, 07:13 PM

Glad to help Greg.
My next project would be with Kevlar.
That way noone can take any shots at it.

Check out this list Greg. Scroll to the bottom of the page for Canadian warehouse.

http://www.freemansupply.com/tables/Closeoutslisting.pdf

xed

2009-06-09, 07:46 PM

What is the CF cloth for?

Reinforcement around/in the engine box and around the landing gear block.

zorba

2009-06-10, 05:58 AM

They sell it by the yard.
Is 50" long. I got one yard for 45.00 plus tax.
You propably have enough for the whole club..:D:)

Cheers

beto9

2009-06-12, 03:45 PM

HobbyCity also has it in four different thickness....

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_listCategoriesAndProducts.asp?idCategory=168&curPage=3&v=&sortlist=

Look at the following page also....

Kevin Rochon

2009-06-12, 05:02 PM

I bought Carbon fibre fabric locally a few years back at MS composite on the 13 service road between Henri-Bourassa and Gouin I think it was 55$ a sq yard, they have also kevlar etc...

Kevin

zorba

2009-06-12, 05:46 PM

Kevin, They don't cary anymore Kevlar, I asked they just have Carbon fiber.
Same price that you paid.

Albert I think thats a little pricy for 200x100mm sheet of carbon plus shipping and you have to wait a week.

Freeman (MF Composites) is closer and cheaper.
I use regular epoxy resin for the CF as for FG.

Cheers

beto9

2009-06-20, 01:52 PM

Did the Extra arrive? It should be here by now...

The suspense is killing me....

xed

2009-06-20, 08:19 PM

Nope, gonna be 2 or so weeks before it ships I suspect since the company is moving its main warehouse.

xed

2009-06-22, 09:29 AM

Here are pictures from the factory...

PaulG-rc

2009-06-22, 09:39 AM

:) Its looking good, I like the colors very much.

beto9

2009-06-22, 11:01 AM

It's alive! It's alive! Nice looking livery!

You must have an anxiety attack waiting for it! Wait for the one in the first flight....

xed

2009-07-08, 08:59 AM

So I was told by Pilot-RC on Sunday that my package had shipped by DHL and they even gave me a tracking number. Going on the DHL.ca website, tracking number does not work even today, Wednesday, the package does not exist.

This morning, I tried usng DHL's website in China and guess what, it works! Tried using DHL in USA, it works too.. I don't know why it is but I have a gripe with how shipping companies always seem to be able to support their American customers better than those in Canada. Different shipper, same crappy services. The package shouldn't even be going to USA at all since it is on a direct flight to Canada.

Well, just venting... It is on its way finally.

beto9

2009-07-08, 11:08 AM

Calm down.... take a deep breath.... release.....

Just imagine... ring... ring... big sucker of a package.... you even tip the courier so happy you are.... rip it open... and there it is! THA PLANE!

Now, fast forward... you are at the field... the engine is running OK... aileron left OK, aileron right OK, elevator up OK, rudder left and right OK... oops! range check..... you walk to the end of the field... and get bitten red by the bibbites... and I am there with my D200 and your Canon to immortalize the first flight....

xed

2009-07-10, 04:07 PM

So it arrived today.. DHL or Canada Customs was nice enough to open and inspect one of the two boxes.

Only one wing former near the leading edge appears to be broken, and only obvious because the covering was a little wrinkled. Not sure if it is worth cutting the covering to fix it, will decide later. Otherwise, it came all in one piece. You will see from the shipping boxes, that I had cause for some concern on the fuselage box but all appears good so far. I haven't opened the canopy yet to see the inside.

The covering is quite remarkable, aside from above, there is not a single wrinkle anywhere but I suppose that will change over time while it sits outside or in my vehicle.

The wing tubes are carbon fiber and beefy, oh my, they look very strong!! And the fit with the wings and stabs to the fuselage are perfect... I bought the CF package deal but asked for aluminum landing gear due to my bad experiences with the old Hanger 9 Extra 260 delaminating on some not so smooth landings.

So here are the preliminary pictures testing for fit and look...

xed

2009-07-10, 04:10 PM

Continued....

Oh, shipping was included in the price paid to Pilot-RC. I did not get charged anything by DHL at the door but maybe they will bill me later for GST or something, not sure...

beto9

2009-07-10, 08:35 PM

What do they use to move those boxes? Forklifts?
Plenty of holes in them... I imagine your heart sinking when you saw them...
How many boxes?
Do not forget... build in bad weather (plenty of that!) but go to fly still....
Congrats!
Keep posting your finds... I think Pilot R/C is very good with prices and you received it in no time....

You are making Mike jealous.... What's next? A trailer?

xed

2009-07-12, 01:39 AM

Albert, I took the pre-assembled gas tank apart and did not like the rubber gas stopper so I will order a Dubro one and re-assemble it. It was already (without gas) showing signs of fragments falling apart so I figure it is better safe than sorry for a $2 part.

Well this ARF does not come fully pre-assembled with regards to the engine box. The idea is that you can adjust the spacing of the firewall (front-to-back) depending upon the engine selection. For me, it is the DLE-111 so the laser cut marks for the DA-100 are applicable. I test fit the engine with the cowl, which is two halves (top and bottom). The bottom half has a pre-formed fiberglass baffle for engine cooling but it was rubbing with one of the cylinder heads because the person who did the fiberglassing did it at the wrong angle so I've already had to do a little bit of dremeling to give the engine some space. It will be invisible so not really a concern.

So far I'm happy with the spacing between the spinner backplate and cowl. The CF spinner that was included with this plane was really tight around the prop cylinder so I had to dremel sand the center a little bit in order to get it on the engine. I don't have proper length bolts or locknuts, which need to be M6 (metric) x 25mm (guessing) so it looks like I will be placing an order to Micro-Fasteners for those plus a number of other items.

Also slapped on the landing gear, main wheels and the rudder horns and hooked up the pre-assembled pull-pull cables, which requires epoxy. The rudder is removable on this plane, it is attached using piano wire that is pushed down through the top of the rudder's counter balance and secured on the bottom with a collar. It takes about 15 seconds to remove it, excluding the pull-pull wires. Installing this was less than obvious at first as there are no instructions included with the plane.

Michael or Dwight, do you have one of those DA-100 bolt guides? If so, I would like to borrow it to drill out my props and CF back-plate.

Also got a load of wood for the winter today, gonna be back breaking stacking that over the coming weeks. :eek:

PaulG-rc

2009-07-12, 06:10 AM

Thats gona be a real nice looking bird :D

Too bad that pile of wood is not balsa :D
did that at my parents 2 weeks ago it is a back braker :o

bob forest

2009-07-12, 07:54 AM

Greg, their is a RONA store on St. Jacque just east of Atwater, or Notre Dame not sure which. They have every nut and botl you need, metric or imperial, and you can buy them one at the time. That is where I get mine, it is a huge store and from the outside looks modern but inside you think you are in the 50's. The nuts and bolts are in the basement. you ask the counter guy and he gets it all for you. Very good and friendly service. As good as was the old Duckies on Cote de Liesse.
Bob

xed

2009-07-12, 09:42 AM

Thanks Bob,

I will check them out:

2371 rue Notre-Dame O
Montréal, QC, H3J 1N3
Tél. : (514) 932-5616 Sans frais: 1-800-932-5616
Fax : (514) 932-0862

beto9

2009-07-12, 10:11 AM

Xed, with a day like this is.... TIME TO FLY!

xed

2009-07-12, 12:12 PM

Xed, with a day like this is.... TIME TO FLY!
Would like to but heading out to Lachute today, birthday supper for my better half.

Michael V

2009-07-12, 10:29 PM

Good looking plane buddy!!
Yes, I have a drill guild you can use, the DA-85 and 100 have the same bolt pattern, but I am sure you knew that.
Dwight and I had alot of fun at the Montmangy IMAC this week-end, to bad you couldn't come, you would have taken first place in Basic:)
and second and third as a matter of fact. (there weren't any people in that class. Dwight and I both placed second in our classes.
It was good flying weather there, a little wind today though. Sat was beautiful, warm with a light wind down the flight line. The rain stayed away untill late in the evening and stopped early in the morning(made for great tent sleeping weather) by 8am the ground was dry and the sun was out :)
we did our unknowns and pack-up and drove home :)

xed

2009-07-13, 09:32 PM

I hate epoxy, 30min starts to thicken up in 10, has it gone bad?

Found the hardware I need to mount the engine in my garage plus Home Depot, they still carry some metric hardware but not much.

Michael V

2009-07-13, 10:00 PM

Now post some pic's of the freaking engine will ya!!

Dwight Macdonald

2009-07-13, 10:08 PM

Very nice aircraft Greg! I also have a drill guide for a DA100.

beto9

2009-07-14, 08:58 AM

Go easy in the building... do not finish before the rains are over... something like next April?

xed

2009-07-14, 11:01 AM

NO worries, I haven't even ordered any electronics yet. Just doing whatever I can do without purchasing anything more.

But I wouldn't mind getting it completed before the snow arrives in August. :mad:

Dwight Macdonald

2009-07-14, 11:09 AM

Perhaps you should order the skis first.

Burning Head

2009-07-14, 11:31 AM

:D:D:D It will be a great airplane Greg, but you should try floter

beto9

2009-07-14, 01:10 PM

I went to the Rona that Bob Forest recommended (and Ronald also knew about it...).
Everything is crammed in a tight space and they have so many attendants that you are asked every two minutes if they can help you. Amazing, like the old Pascal in Ste-Antoine....
The guy in the basement was able to help with a muffler nut I needed...

So, into another subject... are you going 2.4 with that bird?

Kevin Rochon

2009-07-14, 01:54 PM

bob forest

2009-07-14, 03:09 PM

also, you have to think before you do the mix, at what altitude you are at, then you look at the atmosheric pressure and humidity. When all is at the right numbers that is when you do the mix. In my case it is usually around 3 in the morning. But I am retired and that is the benifit of being retired, you don't look at the clock. If you are not high enough re altiture do the mix standing on your roof. I hope this info will be a great help to you Greg. Also you can see what happens when their is too much rain. I am sure Albert might have another reason how to mix, as he is also retired. I can tell you right now, if he tells you it has to do with the color of the clothes you are wearing, don't listen to him on that, I tried wearing different colors, and they all work the same.

xed

2009-07-14, 04:37 PM

Greg concerning that expoxy the same thing happened to me with 45min after not even ten min it got very warm and I couldn't use it. The thing is if you mix it in those mixing cup once mixed pour it on a plastic lid otherwise I guess the fax that it is cramp makes it react too fast.

Kevin
Kevin, that is what I am using, I will try try that next time. The glue effort seems to have worked well though, it all hardened up this morning when I checked on it. I've since put a hole through the middle of the firewall, that is the toughest wood I have ever had to work with... I went through three sanding bits with my Dremel as well as two different types of rotor-type blades that I have used in the past on my planes.

Bob, I actually saw a blue hole in the sky today, it seems Albert isn't doing the rain dance 24/7...

beto9

2009-07-14, 05:19 PM

Bob, your rant confirms to me that you only mix glue to sniff it..... and then you complain when your firewall falls off!

bob forest

2009-07-14, 05:31 PM

Dwight Macdonald

2009-07-14, 06:11 PM

I think kevin is on the correct track with the epoxy premature hardening issue. The hardening process is a chemical reaction that produces heat, a small compact container will not disapate the heat as quick as a flat surface ... the warmer it gets the quicker it hardens. One way to disapate the heat better is to mix it in a metal container like a soup can ... even better, put the can in a bowl of cool water or ice and water.

xed

2009-07-14, 07:18 PM

Thanks Albert, I think you have found my problem, is there a place I can go for the treatment?
Looking at Greg's Extra and the engine box how it is put together is exactly what I am going to do with the CAP when I rebuild the box. I like the way it is done with the aluminum angles in the corner. with that he is able to move the firewall forward or backward depending on the engine. plus it is very strong. He took a great pictures of how he did it.
Well with this one, it is now permanently glued in place so it won't be moving. You are better off using spacers to move it forward if needed. Mine is back far enough that I could conceivably change to something other than a DL or DA-100 if needed. I saw these works-of-art engines from Italy that are coming out soon.

Today, I pinned the firewall with wooden dowels through the side of the firewall and opened up the middle of the firewall. Had to grind down two of the fender washers I am planning to use in order to get them flat against the wood. The nuts shown are temporary, I have nylon locknuts which I will use once the engine is more permanently installed.

Only thing I am questioning now is that the wall on one side of the fuse is slipping between the fins on the engine cylinder (left one in the pictures) and I am wondering if while the engine is running and shaking the plane if it will cause problems...

xed

2009-07-14, 09:39 PM

Ok, this is my first plane that uses canisters... It came with wooden mounts that I will need to fit and glue into place but it did not come with any soft mount material, which I think is simply thick silicone tubing, any clue where I can find this stuff locally?

Michael V

2009-07-14, 10:32 PM

I got 2 tubes with my Yak and I only used 1 so I can help you out :)

Dwight Macdonald

2009-07-15, 01:22 AM

xed

2009-07-17, 09:35 AM

I think you should remove the wood that is going between the fins with your Dremel ... otherwise the cooling will not be quite as good. You also my want to use lock nuts on the engine mount bolts to prevent loosening with the vibration ... better than locktite.
I will b e using lock-nuts, just not until the engine will be on there more permanently.

Not much done since Wednesday, I put on the tailwheel last night. There is a nice little access panel in the tail that pops off that allows you to potentially make repairs if needed or get to hard-to-reach spots as well as install the blind nuts for the tailgear.

Last evening I ordered the electronics and wiring. Spent a lot of time thinking about a 2.4GHz radio system, going back and forth over the pros and cons of Futaba vs. JR. Finally settled upon Futaba's system hopping system, and in particular the recently released 2.4GHz integrated 10CAG model with 14-channel receiver. It was about $300 cheaper than the 12FG but I think the software is slightly fresher.

Initially I had planned to buy these Taiwan made HD servos but I have read too many complaints about them during startup and there seems to be no conclusion on what combination of transmitter/receiver is causing it for some people so I didn't want to risk dealing with it either on two servo wings possibly fighting each other.

beto9

2009-07-17, 10:34 AM

Oh boy... everything fresh... plane, radio and electronics... what about the pilot?

xed

2009-07-17, 12:59 PM

3 weeks with no flying, starting to get stale.

beto9

2009-07-22, 04:57 PM

Xed, you must have glued your fingers together.... no new postings in this project....

What is your overall impression of the planes form Pilot R/C? Quality, finishing, price, ease in building, manuals (heee heeee), engine received, fit of parts, additions you had to make, etc.
What about delivery, integrity of the boxes....

Dwight Macdonald

2009-07-22, 10:18 PM

Don't forget about the NATS next weekend ... you may want to practice some ...

xed

2009-07-22, 11:08 PM

I just received all of the internals (servos, arms, wiring, gas stopper, power expander, pin & flag failsafe switch, ignition kill switch, etc). Just missing the A123 batteries (on the way), new radio/receiver (on the way), and the time...

The plane is very well built, but not overly reinforced so it is "light". The covering is amazing, no issues really. The hardware included is OK, some things suck such as the gas stopper, the fuel tank, the ball link hardware is metric instead of 4-40 so I am replacing that. I won't be using the servo arms that they included since they involve more effort to use than SWB arms that I am used to. The engine looks ok, although it hasn't been run yet so who knows.

It's been all kinda on hold but now that I have more componets, I can start putting stuff in. Put the rudder servo in tonight.

xed

2009-07-23, 11:49 PM

Got home late this evening so not much done except a little epoxying on both aileron (2 per wing) and elevator stab phenolic linkage arms, which have been tucked away safely to set over night away from all my nosy pets... This involves cutting away the covering material for the glue to bond to the control surface.

Also, the cutouts for the servo arms need to be done as well. For these, I used a soldering iron to melt the covering material.

xed

2009-07-25, 12:54 AM

I've setup the linkages for the ailerons (4 servos - 2 per wing) and the elevator stabs (1 per wing) and checked all my new servos to make sure they were working out of the box.

The linkages were premade by Pilot-RC but one of the turn-buckle pushrods was stripped or the plastic ball-link itself was stripped. This was an aggrevation since the ball comes with special width spacers and the only ball links I had were not wide enough. I ended up stripping two more of the plastic ball links included with the kit due to the bad threads on the turn-buckle pushrod. There were extra turn-buckle pushrods included that I have no use for but they are slightly shorter but I think they will do for now.

Setting up the ganged aileron servos on the wings was a breeze with the Smart-Fly power expander I am using. It can handle three and even 4 servos per channels (not all) and each one can be individually adjusted using it's built in matchbox, that works across all channels. It also has the ability to set end points, reverse servos individually by servo. You say your radio can do that too, yes, you are right but if you change radios, you have to reprogram everything. This programming stays with the Smart-Fly PE, regardless of the radio. There is a multitude of other features, including built-in failsafe to ON, battery load balancing, shutting out a pack in the event of a cell going bad, sending 5V to the receiver while the servos receive the full voltage available.

Tailwheel was installed eariler but I'm not sure how I will hook the spring up to the rudder. There were initial complaints about the flimsy tailwheel provided so they beefed it up considerably but included a post, which is supposed to be glued into the bottom of the rudder and then a spring attaches to it from the tailwheel. However, there is no where to hook the spring to the post so I'm still debating what to do with that.

Probably work on gas and ignition plumbing next...

Michael V

2009-07-25, 10:07 AM

Hey Greg, your set-up will produce some high alpha throws.
I know your flying style and suggest you move the ball link to the top hole. You well get smaller control surface movement and therefore smoother flying.
Just my 2 cents.

xed

2009-07-25, 11:27 AM

That will get toned down in the radio settings plus these horns are large, probably because they are also used on their 150cc models that Pilot-RC offers. I've seen pictures of their first generation model horns on the 100cc Extra 260, which were a lot smaller, and about the same position as the hole I am using now. They must have standardized on a single sized horn for all of their models similar to how AeroWorks aluminum ones are the same between 50cc and 100cc.

This is my setup for the fuel tank lines, pretty standard. Replaced the included fuel tank stopper since it is complete garbage, falling apart and it hasn't even touched any fuel. Fuel clunk I am using is something I've not used before, which is a clunk and a ceramic fuel filter built-in.

xed

2009-08-19, 09:47 PM

Well, I'm back from my vacation in the Maritimes, Nova Scotia for one week and New Brunswick for the last week... Had good weather for the most part.

Rudder on Extra has been hooked up. I screwed up a bit when I glued the rudder control horn in-place. I didn't realize the importance of having the horns inline with the hinge line pivot on the rudder. The control horns are glued a little too far back on the rudder and the result is that the pull-pull cables (offset rudder arm) go slack at full deflection and I have the wires as tight as a guitar string at center. Regardless, I doubt it will be very noticeable during flight as the air flowing over the surface will still work against the mechanics.

With the layout inside the fuse, there wasn't a "nice" place to mount my Smart-Fly power expander, so I installed a dedicated tray for it, which is removable (6 screws). I finished this before I went on vacation but didn't have time to finalize it.

Also installed the A123 batteries, which may have to move once I figure out where the CG is at. Various other components installed such as optical ignition kill switch, ignition switch/charge jack, Smart-Fly pin & flag fail-safe switch, fuel tank and plumbing is mostly done. I haven't decided where to run to put the fuel vent yet so as there is almost no balsa/plywood where I normally put one..

Star trails picture, I was hoping to expose a couple of Perseid's meteors passing by. We saw half a dozen the night before this was taken but none crossed up camera's path for the 15 minutes that the shutter was open in this frame. You can see the faint glow of the Milky Way in the top half center of this photo going top to bottom. Behind the cottage is woods forever and ever but the moon was starting to rise, and starting to light up the bottom half of this photo frame. The Honda Foreman ATV belongs to my parents but I always ride it in the backwoods when I'm down, so peaceful out there. The body of water is Oromocto Lake near the small town of Harvey Station in New Brunswick. My parents built a cottage there in the very early 1970s and bought the waterfront property for under $1,000. Today, forget it...

briankizner

2009-08-20, 06:15 AM

Beautiful photos, Greg. Here in Southeast Labrador right now, you can see whales breaching almost every time you look at the water.

beto9

2009-08-20, 09:15 AM

..and in the left upper corner you can see the North Pole, there is no motion of the stars there... great place Greg... I can hear the crickets!

I am interested (very interested) to have your thoughts when you run the DLE motor... how it compares with your experience of the DA, noise, etc.

jeffrey g

2009-08-21, 09:51 AM

I am interested (very interested) to have your thoughts when you run the DLE motor... how it compares with your experience of the DA, noise, etc.

Sounds like there is a gasser in your toughts !!!

Jeffrey
www.heliophoto.ca

xed

2009-08-21, 09:22 PM

In this hobby, I'm always amazed at how something that seems so simple and straight forward can take up so much time. Maybe I am just slow... But I lost about an hour and a half installing this throttle servo on the bottom side of the engine box. Of course, half-way through the cutting process (engine box), I remembered that I did not check to ensure that I had proper clearance for the servo arm with the header bolted on. I checked after all was said and done and it should be OK, phew!

1) Cut-out servo rectangle for servo.

2) Cut-out square hole for servo in the engine box.

3) Glue (1) to (2) and wait and wait and oh shit there is a bit of a warp in the wood, won't glue properly, need to clamp it down, clamps can't reach due to angles so I had to use some scrap 2x4 for support, blah blah...

4) Install servo.

5) Dremel and trial fit a 4-40 pushrod and linkage with the throttle arm on the DL-111. Pushrod was cut too short and the first servo arm I tried (not the one shown here) is too short to reach maximum throttle.. Re-dremel a longer 4-40, install ball-links again...

6) Play with end-points in radio until all is good...........

This DL-111 engine came with non-metallic linkage on the throttle arm so it is very safe to use a metal push-rod here. Plus the links at the end of each side of the push-rods are plastic, thus no metal to metal contact to be concerned with. The push-rod itself is fully threaded, would not be my first choice as they are not as sturdy as I would like them to be. If I can find a source for some hollow tube CF rods, I will utilize that...

Andrew Fernie

2009-08-21, 09:57 PM

I have a 30" piece of 1/8" OD hollow carbon fibre tube. Salvaged from a model, so some glue and covering to be removed but you are welcome to it. If you want it give me a call if you know when you will be at the club and I will try to meet up with you.

Andrew

zorba

2009-08-21, 11:29 PM

try BF Carbon
http://www.bfcarbon.com/carbon_fiber_tube

xed

2009-08-22, 09:35 AM

Thanks Bill, I should have known you would know...

I'm really only needing a small piece so maybe I'll see what Andrew has first... Are you going today?

Mick

2009-08-22, 09:59 AM

Greg,

If you are using 2.4GHz, you can be less concerned about metal to metal contact.

xed

2009-08-22, 01:00 PM

Yes I know but it is always better to error on the side of "safe", regardless.

Andrew Fernie

2009-08-22, 03:19 PM

Greg,

Yes, I went out today for a couple of hours. Hope to go back tomorrow afternoon if the weather co-operates. The tube is in my car.

If you want to pick it up I can always leave it outside my house if I am not around. Give me a call at home if you want to arrange something.

Andrew

Andrew

xed

2009-08-26, 06:32 PM

Since last time I posted, I have attached the tail wheel spring to the rudder surface using one of the springs that came with my Aero-Works Extra 260 tail wheel assembly that I never used on that model. Wasn't happy with the one that came with the Pilot-RC simply because it was all spring and no straight un-springy part. I've had nothing but bad experience so far with mechanical spring tailwheels but maybe this one will be different. The tailwheel itself looks quite sturdy made of aluminum and CF. (Forgot to take a picture of it -will do it later)

The most significant remaining task that I have been putting off due to my inexperience with has been with how to mount the canisters. Pilot-RC ships multiple formers to hold canisters, two are single ply and two are double or tripple ply thickness. Starting off, Pilot-RC didn't include any of the thick silicone tubing that is normally used with soft mounting of the canisters so I found an alternative (thanks Michael!). Next decision was whether to use one or two formers and how to glue them in place. Initially I was thinking I would only use one because I didn't have enough of the thick silicone tubing for the 2nd former. In the end, after trial fitting both formers and using regular glow/nitro based silicone fuel tubing for the 2nd former, I decided that two would be sufficient. So far, I have trial fit the canisters, mounted to the headers and bolted onto the engine. Rather than try and mark the glue locations and undo it all, I've simply started to glue one former into place from the get-go with everything installed. Once it has dried, I will repeat for the second former in the canister tunnel and then it will be done.

Prior to the trial fitting, I had to open up the bottom of the fuselage for ventilation in the canister tunnel and proper airflow over the cans. For this, I used a soldering iron (my favorite tool for cutting Ultracote). At the same time, I realized that I would need to cut a hole in the fuse to even begin to glue the canister mount formers so it is all opened now. After opening it up, I realized why I had a white piece light plywood precovered with white Ultracote (remember there is no manual included with these planes). Pilot-RC already included a hatch that is to be screwed in after the canister mounts have been installed (or for later repairs I suppose). Initially I had planned to just recover the hole but I've decided I will use this hatch setup instead.

I also disabled the spring from the DLE-111 throttle arm, which will take the load off of the throttle servo setup. Normally I wouldn't consider doing this except that it (and me) is protected by the fact that I have an ignition kill switch so if ever the throttle arm somehow manages to pop-off, I can at least kill the engine if it happens to end up at full throttle. The ignition kill switch electronics is bound to a switch on my radio and it will also kill the ignition in the event of radio interference.

Remaining TODO:

* Opening up the cowl for the canister outlets, as well as holes on the bottom for ventilation and access to the manual choke mechanism.

* Spray paint the engine box (not decided if this is worthwhile yet).

* Find a permanent location for the ignition box, ignition battery and Fromeco regulator which I am going to stick in-between my A123 pack and the DLE ignition box). So far, from what I have read, and according to the specifications, the Chinese DLE ignition box has been giving people trouble with > 6.0V voltages. This is contrast to the Desert Aircraft ignition box, which DA has confirmed can handle the voltages provided by an A123 pack.

* Hope the CG is on the wing-tube otherwise some shuffling around will be required.

* Tie down all of the wiring.

* Get the engine running...

Michael V

2009-08-26, 09:04 PM

Those can's look short Greg.
I have started my 35% also.
question, you aren't worried that the throtle servo is not to close to the header?
I have more room then you do and was thinking of putting my servo in the fuse.

xed

2009-08-26, 10:14 PM

Well they are short compared to the pipes you are going to use, they aren't fancy but I expect they will do the job. Time will tell.

There is about 5mm clearance with the throttle arm screw. I could probably shave a few threads off if I need to but I think it will be fine.

Dwight Macdonald

2009-08-26, 11:18 PM

Looking good Greg! I presume you will put clamps on the teflon couplers?

xed

2009-08-26, 11:27 PM

Yes I have them, will put them on last (if I don't forget).

xed

2009-08-30, 01:57 PM

Well I had it in my backyard for about 10 minutes, just enough time to reset the needles to the 1 3/4 turn out on the High and Low adjustment and get the engine started. Ran it two or three times at about 60 second intervals before it started to down pour rain.

Flipped it about 8 times to prime it with no ignition on, then 4-6 times with the ignition on then it started to burp and I had to give it a little throttle up to get it started.

I've already identified some problems with where I have strapped my receiver battery packs (wing tube) with the engine vibrating the fuse. It is moving around a lot but that is OK since I still don't know where the CG is yet and those will be the first to move. The wings were not on either, which wasn't helping with the vibration and the carb needs to be tuned so the fuse was really shaking at low idle and it was purring pretty good at full throttle. I didn't want to keep it at full throttle for more than a few seconds since my neighbors are quite close.

xed

2009-09-01, 11:00 PM

Never my favorite part, which is cutting holes in the cowl. The cowl is a two piece setup, top and bottom and I believe an older design on the Extra 260 model. The Extra 300 from Pilot-RC has a hooks on one half to keep the two halves joined together. But on the Extra 260, there are only 4 bolts on the bottom half at the back of the fuselage and three on the top half, again at the back of the fuselage. So it is possible to pry it apart at the front opening. I ordered a bunch of hardware from Microfasteners in July with the intention of installing blind nuts and button head screws. These were used tonight with the finished result shown, 10 blind nuts + 10 rubber washers + 10 button head 4-40 bolts later.

Also cut holes in the bottom of the cowl for the exhaust exit points as well as for the manual choke lever (not shown). Finally, I drilled a hole in the side of the cowl for access to the engine needle values but my longest screwdriver is too short to reach so it looks like I will need to go shopping, otherwise the cowl has to come off each time an adjustment is needed.

Wires are starting to get cleaned up and organized as well.

Question: Rubber grommets of various sizes, any local "big" stores (like Rona, Home Depot, etc.) carry them? I looked where I thought would be the obvious places (e.g. Electrical and plumbing) in Home Depot but no luck.

Ronald Longtin

2009-09-02, 09:52 AM

Ils ont des magasins un peu partout dans les centres industriels,

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products.ex?N=999601441&in_dim_search=1

Ronald Longtin

2009-09-02, 10:20 AM

Un autre choix

http://www.thunderboltrc.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=113_117&products_id=534

xed

2009-09-06, 10:26 PM

Maiden today, it flies much better than my 30%. Some adjustments will be needed, moving the CG aft some more...

Thanks to Michael and Kevin for their assistance and Bill for the video today and Tracey for the pictures.

Also included a picture I took of Michael flying his Aero-Works Yak 85cc...

Michael V

2009-09-07, 08:34 AM

I don't think I have ever seen you so nervous before a flight.
Your maiden flight was perfect, slow and boring:p good job!
Thanks for trusting me with the stick on the second flight, it flies so nice.

beto9

2009-09-07, 09:29 AM

Hey! Congrats! Way to go.....

Ronald Longtin

2009-09-07, 09:56 AM

Nice plane Greg. :)

Michael V

2009-09-07, 10:43 AM

So here are a couple.
I took them with my phone that's why the prop looks funny.

Kevin Rochon

2009-09-07, 12:17 PM

Felicitation Greg,

You might have been very nervous (understandably) but you handle it like a true pro. with a picture perfect take off, flight, and the fun part;) landing.

Kevin
P.S. now I hate you; you got my gear going in my head for a biggy like that:rolleyes:

xed

2009-09-08, 03:41 PM

P.S. now I hate you; you got my gear going in my head for a biggy like that:rolleyes:Wait till I give you the controls, you'll really want one then....

Kevin Rochon

2009-09-09, 03:12 PM

:angry: Now that just would be torture!

Kevin
P.S. I did fly one of Ray`s 35% a few years ago is was sweat, now let me think he`s now flying 40% so he has a couple of 100cc at sleep.............so.......;)

Michael V

2009-09-09, 11:18 PM

xed

2009-09-10, 06:48 AM

Where did you get that nice profile picture from ? :)

Michael V

2009-09-10, 06:55 AM

Where did you get that nice profile picture from ? :)

It's my computer's wallpaper now also.
Thanks Greg:)

xed

2009-09-10, 09:17 PM

Ok, so I showed up after my work day late this afternoon and flew with Kevin for a while. I think it was the third flight and I was doing a half-roll w/ stall turn I think and my engine puttered so I pushed out and started to notice engine power was reduced significantly, perhaps even already "dead-sticked" cause I think there was a jet overhead and I couldn't hear the engine well at all. Regardless, I was front/center and making aim for the runway, and the wind was blowing from left to right so I had to go all the way around for an approach on the runway...

The engine quit, not sure when, but it was very obvious on the approach which was quite far out. This plane floats, but not forever, and at least once it lost a lot of altitude on its own, no wing tip stalls really, and I *just* *just* made it to to the tip of the runway and bounced once before sliding towards the edge of the runway into the grass...

NO damage! Phew!

So the question at that point was did the engine quit or did I run out of gas?

After back in the pits, tried to remove fuel nothing, phew! Open the canopy, the tank is empty!!!!!!!! Good to know it wasn't the engine itself... So I'm happy I put a 32oz tank it in this plane cause it goes *fast* and it felt like I wasn't flying more than 15 minutes.. Kevin mentioned that the DA-100 uses 2.5oz/minute so it makes sense. Afterwards, I fixed the timer's on my radio to at least countdown 15 mins and up 15 mins (throttle >10%). I'll be keeping my flights under 12 minutes from now on.

The original tank that came with this plane was only 800cc, which according to Google, is 27oz. Seems way too small to me...