Magician trimming and flying

[Jim Kraft]

I have about 10 flights on the Magician now, and it is comming along nicely. Started out with 2 oz. of nose weight which balanced plane at about a 1/2" behind balance shown on plan. I ended up taking off all nose weight, which moved balance back 1" from shown balance on plan, and 1/2" ahead of spar. This equates to about 22 to 23% of wing. I believe the flapped Magician needs to balance at this point to fly well, because of the short distance between the flaps and elevator. Weight at this point is 27 oz. I had to add a tab to the outboard flap, because of a slight inboard wing high condition upright, and the reverse inverted. Started out with about 3/4 oz. of tip weight, and have not changed it. It now fly's very very well. It grooves very well, no hunting, insides and outsides the same, and very good corners with no bounce. I am a happy camper.  I am running a 10-5 APC on the McCoy 40, and have not tried other props yet. I had one of those lucky accidents at the Sig contest this year. I was flying my McCoy 40 on a Sig Banshee with uniflow. On friday evening, Jim Lee and I were getting in a little practice, and I made a lucky goof. When I got the plane in the air, I realized I had forgotten to put the vent plug on, so was running with both the uniflow, and vent open. To make a long story short, it ran much better this way. When I was running on uniflow, it would run a little rich toward the end of the pattern. With both vents open, I get just a little boost towards the end of the pattern, still running a 4-stroke in level flight, but breaking a little in manuevers.  Helped a bunch in the clover in that verticle climb from the bottom outside loop. Plan on flying it in Topeka this weekend. This is my second Magician, and I recommend it highly.

[Bob Kruger]

Ioutsides the same, and very good corners with no bounce. I am a happy camper.  I am running a 10-5 APC on the McCoy 40, and have not tried other props yet. I had one of those lucky accidents at the Sig contest this year. I was flying my McCoy 40 on a Sig

Jim;

Just curious, but which McCoy 40 are you running?

The reason I ask is that I never had much luck with the McCoy prop driver holding onto a plastic or non wooden propeller.  While the modern engines all have grooved surfaces on the prop driver, the old Redheads had "bumps."  These "bumps" make nice little inents on a wooden propeller that keeps the prop from slipping easilly, but on a plastic prop like the APC, it doesn't work so well - or at least that was my experience.

V/r

Bob

[Jerry Bohn]

I haven't had to do it, but have heard of plastic spinners slipping. The cure suggested on one of the forums was to put a disc of sandpaper behind the prop or spinner.

[Bob Kruger]

I haven't had to do it, but have heard of plastic spinners slipping. The cure suggested on one of the forums was to put a disc of sandpaper behind the prop or spinner.

Sandpaper.  What a simple and elegant solution.

Thanks.

V/r

Bob

[Jim Kraft]

I am running a Red Head McCoy 40. I am running a plastic spinner and APC prop with no problem, except for not having enough crank thread. I am using the prop nut and washer from an Atwood Champion, which goes into the prop hub far enough to give me about a 1/4" of threads. On the other McCoy's that I don't run a spinner, I have had no problem running APC props, as they are recessed on the back to just catch the edge of the bumps.

[dennis lipsett]

Off hand I forget the brand name, but one company makes its plastic spinners with aluminum backing plates and supplies three round piecs of sand paper. Work great. 

Great Planes makes those spinners.c Good value for the money too.
Dennis

[Bill Little]

80 grit emery cloth.  It holds up a little better than sand'paper'. 

Bill <><

[Bob Hudak]

I too have had to use sandpaper on a spinner to keep the nose cone in place. I used the sandpaper drywallers use,it looks like cheesecloth. It grabs two surfaces.