I have an ARF Flite Streak that I converted to electric a while ago. As I tend to build and not fly, it got pushed aside while I built other planes. I recently resurrected it, as I'm thinking of flying closer to home, and need an electric to not @#$% off the locals. I have put five flights on it, and it just doesn't
feel quite right. Not like my previous ARF Flight streak with an OS .25 LA-S on it. Of course, that .25 powered plane didn't last past 10 or 12 flights before I broke it in a too-lazy-8. But this one just doesn't feel,
comfortable, I guess. It has plenty of power. In fact, I need to slow it down just a tad. It's doing 4.8 second laps on 58' .015 lines with plenty of line tension, and could do with a little more mosey. It balances out right at 1 5/8" with no nose or tail weight. I don't remember what it weighed, and it's a little too late now, I've already cut off the stab and fin.
Power package: Turnigy 35/36 1400KV motor spinning an APC 9x4.5E prop. Generic 40 amp Hobbywing speed controller ('cause that's what I had sitting around). An FM-0c timer and 2200 mAh 3S battery from Brodak.
So, after thinking about what to try next, I figured I'd Doodle it. I read all the Doodle Streak threads that came up on a search, and started cutting this afternoon. I cut the new tail surfaces by following these measurements by Stan Tyler:
For everyone that's interested here's the details of the Doodle Streak tail:
Stab:
Chord - 2 1/2" Same as stock
Span @ TE - 22"
Elevator:
Chord - 1 1/2"
Span @ LE - 22"
Span @ TE - 23 1/4"
The fin/rudder is about 80% of the original size, just take the stock fin/rudder and reduce it to 80% with a xerox machine. Simple but effective. Use essentially no rudder offset other than just a little to be sure that it's not offset to the inside of the circle.
The moments are not changed, it goes in the same place that the stock tail does.
23 1/4" span elevator?!?
Seriously? This tail is HUGE! It just seems too big to be correct. Are these really the numbers I want to use? I'll use a 1 1/4" control horn on the elevator with the pushrod in the innermost hole on the bellcrank, but geeze! I'll wait to cover and install the stab/elevator until I hear positively from Y'all. I have a set of SIG Fazer landing gear to install in the meantime.
Mark