This was one of my winter projects. It is a Time Machine 50 that had become a hangar queen. I built it maybe ten years ago or longer, I can't remember for sure. It did not look like this at that time. I have no "before" photos. Just as well since it did not look very good. I have built several of the Time Machines and the 50 flies better than the other two sizes, at least for me. I never liked the jet style look of the original Time Machine so every one I built had a modified fuselage: either a bubble canopy or turtle deck. I understand that Tom Dixon has a Time Machine II version which eliminates the jet style look. Maybe I can take credit for convincing Tom to change the look.
It became a hangar queen because I never could get the Double Star 50 to run well no matter what I tried. And, it had a rather quickie paint job that I never really liked. So, it just sat around, or got kicked around, acquiring hangar rash and dust because I had other projects to finish.
There were a few times the DS 50 ran well enough to show that the plane had performance potential. So, last fall, I decided to get this thing in the air again. I wanted it to look better and to have a reliable engine. I sanded off all the existing color except for the orange, which was part of the original paint job. I re-worked the engine mounts, installed an LA 46, and cut away a portion of the front bulkhead to replaced the 4.5 ounce tank with a 5 ounce tank. I expected a weight increase due to the better finish so I wanted more fuel capacity in case I needed more nitro. The original weighed 52 ounces, now it is 55 ounces. The original also had a "half cowling" and a fully exposed engine. I trashed that cowling and made a new one.
I have had time for only two flights since the re-work. The LA pulled it around just fine but it was a cool day with low humidity. It will not do that well in the summer. But, for those two flights, I was using only 2.5% nitro so more nitro will help. Also, I was flying on 0.018 x 64' lines, eye to eye. Maybe going to 0.015 lines will help a bit or maybe shorten the 0.018 lines.
I started another Time Machine 50. It will not be fully sheeted foam as this one. It will have the foam/cap strip method. Maybe I can take a few ounces off of the new one. I am looking for a different engine for the new plane but if I have to, I will once again use an LA 46.
From a distance, the re-worked plane looks OK. There are surface flaws and dings that I did not address as I wanted to get another plane in the fleet without taking too much time. It was worth the effort. It looks good enough, has a reliable engine, and should have enough performance to compete with it this year.
Topic: Ok, here we are... (Read 7677 times)