Hi Keith:
The wing - ready to install - with flaps, tips, leadout guide, tip weight box, controls and carbon weighed 9.9 ounces. The fuselage with all the molded shells ready to install weighed 2.7 ounces. Yes, I'm using up a good portion of my best wood on this project. I just realized that I am now 62 and really should start using that stuff!
I'm planning on using the new Hyperion batteries in this one. They are reputed to be able to be charged at a C5 rate. Not sure that I will go that far, but maybe i'll give C3 a try. Should be able to cut back just a bit on how many batteries I need to take to the field. The 4S2P 4000 mAh pack they have is priced around $100.00. That's far less than the Thunder Power 3850 V2 extremes that I'm using now. They are getting a great reputation with the RC Ducted Fan guys...
I'm not sure if I'm going to use the tail assembly pictured. It is light for its size at 2.5 ounces with horn and hinges, but it may be just a bit twisty. I'll have to carbon it and see how stiff it gets before I make a final decision.
Again, the projected all-up weight is 59 to 60 ounces with battery on board. That equates to a 53 to 54 ounce glow ship without 6 ounces of fuel on board...
This is a project that I've had in mind even before electric power became viable. I have been sketching twins for 50-plus years, but just never took the leap. I've spoken with Gordan Delaney - the recognized twin expert in the glow world - on several occasions and picked his brain on the technical aspects of designing one. It was, however, our moderator, Dean Pappas who finally convinced me that this is the time to try one. There are so many advantages to an electric twin. You can counter rotate the props and try them in both opposing directions. There were several full-size twins in which the props rotated outward on either side of the fuselage. The P-38 is a good example of this. I'll try them both ways and the beauty of this setup is that I can try that experiment right at the field. It is no big deal to reverse the rotation of the motors and just switch the props. Also, the spiral airflow problems ahould cancel out. I'll get 22 inches of "wetted" area of air blast due to the 11 inch props I intend to use. This disk area comes without the attendant problems of spiral airflow and prop ground clearance issues.
All in all this is a project that is keeping my interest peaked!
Later - Bob Hunt
P.S. Attached are a few more photos. I needed to get the wire harness for the motors and the retracts out to the nacelles. I rolled a balasa tube araound a dowel and than used that dowel wrapped with sandpaper to make a perfect radius in the nose of each of the cuffed area's ribs to accept the tube. It is now actually an additional spar! The "cuffed" area was employed to put the wire harness tunnel well ahead of the bellcrank and leadout so there would be no interference issues. Besides, it looks cool! - Bob