Author Topic: New Baby Clown ready for first flight. (Read 1272 times)

Andrew Borgogna · « **on:** June 13, 2013, 02:15:19 PM »

My friend Larry Renger ordered up some ARC Baby Clowns from Brodak and offered to sell me one. So here it is.

E-Flite 370, 1360kv
Castle Creation Thunderbird 18 amp ESC
KR V2 governor/timer
3S 800mha battery, may switch to 2S 850 after test flights.
Prop is a 7x5E by APC turning around 9500 RPM
Transparent Red Monokote on the wing.
Paint Rustoleum Painters Touch yellow.

I will let you know how things turn out after some test flights. Static test of the motor show great thrust and I have tons of reserve battery should I need more there will be no problem.
Andy

Dennis Adamisin · « **Reply #1 on:** June 13, 2013, 09:12:32 PM »

Looks good, Andy, but pleases do not try 5 sec laps on 15' lines!

Andrew Borgogna · « **Reply #2 on:** June 14, 2013, 12:03:21 AM »

No chance on that Dennis. I cut a set of 35' lines for the first try, probably moving out to 40' lines later. I just now have to get some time off from my new job at Home Depot to play with my new toy.
Andy

Larry Renger · « **Reply #3 on:** June 14, 2013, 07:06:06 PM »

Can't wait to se how it goes, I have another kit of the same thing! Want me to do the first flight?

Larry Renger · « **Reply #4 on:** June 19, 2013, 02:08:15 PM »

Andy flew the model for the first time today. On 35' lines. 3.8 second laps! Urrrp!

The model has great potential. He needs at least 40' lines and to move the pushrod to the outer hole on the horn. Plenty of power and the wing lift is adequate for clean maneuvers. He did get a bit mushy in some spots due to the limited space and overcontrol

Guess I'll have to build mine.

Andrew Borgogna · « **Reply #5 on:** June 19, 2013, 03:43:04 PM »

Got a bit mushy? With the control setup the plane was starting to stall in the latter inside and outside loops. It didn't help that the control handle was allowing the lines to slip and change position. Having said all that I am quite pleased with the Baby Clown, and hats off to Brodak and (I'm guessing) Denny Adamisin for doing a fine job of converting this Old Time legal 1/2a plane into a fine electric park flyer. The power system uses a E-Flite 730, 3S 850mha battery, KR timer/governor and a Castle Creation 18 amp ESC worked quite well. The gain on the KR timer/governor is set at 4, with excellent line tension everywhere. Using the same prop I use on the Baby Pathfiner, 7x5E APC prop turning around 9K, I still had 29% left in the battery after a 4.5 minute run. So I have plenty of power to work with. Larry is quite right 35' lines are way too short, I plan to move out to 40' maybe even 45' lines. I will cut a new set tomorrow and repair the handle so the lines don't slip.

All in all the Baby Clown electric is a very sweet little plane.

Andy

Larry Renger · « **Reply #6 on:** July 12, 2013, 06:50:58 PM »

Andy and I flew the model some more today. The controls are now nicely tamed down, the speed is OK. It does a respectable OT pattern. Weight wise it is right on the brink of too heavy. With any breeze, the vertical eight is a real challenge.

As a sport flyer and stunt trainer it is a delight. Of course, I always want something MORE!

After flying Andy's, I plan to add flaps and larger tail surfaces to mine. It will morph into the "Doodle Clown". No longer OT and Leprechuan legal, but should have competitive performance.

Andrew Borgogna · « **Reply #7 on:** July 13, 2013, 09:51:09 AM »

The "Zen Master" is never happy, with the exception of pancakes at Flappy Jacks. We couldn't even do Flappy's because it was too crowded, this left the "Master" in a frightful mood!!

I had a great time flying the Baby Clown, so there.
Andy

Dennis Adamisin · « **Reply #8 on:** July 13, 2013, 10:52:35 AM »

Quote from: Andrew Borgogna on July 13, 2013, 09:51:09 AM

The "Zen Master" is never happy, with the exception of pancakes at Flappy Jacks. We couldn't even do Flappy's because it was too crowded, this left the "Master" in a frightful mood!!

Andy

Andy you are indeed a perserverent & BRAVE man!

Original intent with the Brodak BC package was to mimic a reedy, pass the Renkar Rule for 1/2A and keep the weight down. That resulted in a 6" prop and a 2S lipo, - and great performance on 35'-40' lines. Andy, your 7" prop has 36% MORE blade disk than a 6" prop does - that is a phenomenal upgrade in thrustiness! You ought to try it on 70' spiderwire...!

Larry Renger · « **Reply #9 on:** July 13, 2013, 04:49:02 PM »

What is the "Renkar rule"? Here we set a maximum of 16 Watt-hours available energy to be equivalent to a 1cc powerplant. (I think it is too much, but it is what Andy has on his Baby Pathfinder, so that was accepted as the standard)

Dennis Adamisin · « **Reply #10 on:** July 13, 2013, 11:04:52 PM »

Quote from: Larry Renger on July 13, 2013, 04:49:02 PM

What is the "Renkar rule"? Here we set a maximum of 16 Watt-hours available energy to be equivalent to a 1cc powerplant. (I think it is too much, but it is what Andy has on his Baby Pathfinder, so that was accepted as the standard)

Jim Renkar up around Chicagoland ran a 1/2A contest. Long before there were electrics involved, he stated that the max prop diameter allowed was 6" - I think that is how he got the 049's 051;s, 061's and what not else all playing nice with each other. With electrics the same rule fits very nicely to get them on the same even plain.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #11 on:** July 14, 2013, 07:42:53 AM »

That sounds logical, the Renkar Rule. Too bad we can't get that in some other events.

Larry Renger · « **Reply #12 on:** July 25, 2013, 09:35:06 AM »

Looks like the Baby Clown design may be flying under a curse! If you have been following my thread on the 1/2A forum, you know I have had my problems. Poor Andy's plane, however has also been struck down by ill fortune. One of his cats climbed up in the rafters of his garage and dropped a heavy board directly on his model! Oddly enough, the cat still lives (maybe down to 8 lives, however)

Andrew Borgogna · « **Reply #13 on:** July 27, 2013, 11:34:55 AM »

Well what Larry said is true, my cat Benson of "Cat Scan" fame was up in the rafters of the garage and managed to cause one of the leafs from my dining room table to fall. Now that's the bad news, the good news is the front of the plane was cut off clean with no damage to any of the power system parts. The tail assembly was also broken free of the fuselage but with no real damage to anything. A little epoxy to both ends and the plane looks as good as new. By all that's right the plane should have been totally destroyed but unless you know where to look you wouldn't even know it was damaged.

As far as it being overpowered, well it fly's the old time pattern very well! I am quite happy with the power setup and can highly recommend the plane to anybody looking for a 1/2a electric to have fun with.

Add in the LR-1 (Larry Renger designed) portable runway and you can go to any park and have a fun time flying by yourself or in my case with my wonderful wife.
Andy

Author Topic: New Baby Clown ready for first flight. (Read 1272 times)

Andrew Borgogna

New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Dennis Adamisin

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Andrew Borgogna

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Larry Renger

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Larry Renger

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Andrew Borgogna

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Larry Renger

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Andrew Borgogna

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Dennis Adamisin

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Larry Renger

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Dennis Adamisin

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

john e. holliday

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Larry Renger

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.

Andrew Borgogna

Re: New Baby Clown ready for first flight.