Waiex, Nearly There

[Tim Wescott]

Needs:

• retainers on the controls
• retainers on the wheels
• an elevator rod guide
• a humongous brass spinner nut  
• tip weight
• a tank
• a tail wheel
• leadouts dressed
• a set of lines
• to be flown

That's an OS Max 25S (I think -- OS just called it the "OS MAX 25", but others here want to tack an 'S' on the end of the name).  Brett Buck says it's too wimpy for the plane -- if so, I have a recently-acquired OS 20FP that may be more powerful, and appears to fit in the same mounting holes.  Hopefully it won't need another engine, because what with actively spinning up on this control line stuff, my modeling budget is stretched tight already.

As seen in the picture it weighs 29 ounces.  It's going to need a good one or two ounces on the front for balance (and I went to all that work on the weight box in the tail!), plus tip weight, and the tank's going to add its bit.  So I expect that it'll be a few ounces over two pounds.

Unfortunately, I think the only flying day that's going to happen this week is tomorrow, and I need to stop fiddling with planes and do some work for customers!!!

[Tim Wescott]

Woo hoo!  I managed to get paying work done, and the airplane is ready to fly!  The only thing missing is a set of lines, and I'll just use the 50' set that I've been using with my Skyray.  They may not be best, but they're there and they're adequate.

And the weather report for tomorrow is unchanged!  So unless the wind is really blowing, I'll be really flying!

[Leester]

Good Luck Tim 

[Tim Wescott]

The wind's not blowing.  There were a few glue joints that I remembered this morning -- just got those done with 5-minute epoxy, and I brought the plane into my office & turned up the heat.  So, unless the sky falls...

[Larry Renger]

That is a very pretty design.  Good luck with the flying! 

[Dalton Hammett]

***  Yes,  Very neat loking design.........

Dalton H.

[john e. holliday]

The plane looks great.  Don't rush the flying.  Remember a little nose heavy is mucho better than tail heavy.   Just don't bruise the grass/pavement, what ever you fly over.   

[Tim Wescott]

Well, it flew, and it flew well.

It's still an open question about whether Brett is right about the engine power -- it seems to be enough to me, but that's just on the good laps.  It'll run through about half a tank, then it undergoes a drastic change in needle valve setting, then it'll fly the tank out.  So I think there's something wrong with my tank set up, although it may be that my venturi is a bit oversized for the engine (it's a 15/64" diameter hole with a 1/8" spraybar in it, which works out to an area of 0.0138 square inches, compared to a theoretical ideal of 0.0113 squares).

Squares are sharp, insides are as smooth as I can make them, the outside maneuvers seem to be as good as the insides, at least until he engine quits.  I can see that take offs have a lot of potential to be good -- I've been flying a Sig Skyray, though, that likes to nose over on takeoff, which severely colors my ability to hold a plane on the deck.  But when I'm thinking it takes off nice.  Landings are good when I remember to keep up the airspeed.

It's a tad bit tail heavy for really good landings -- it will slow down in the air when the engine quits unless you're prompt on the down elevator.  But I think I like it the way it is.  If I can get the engine run sorted out without crippling it I'll be one happy camper.

Thanks to the propensity to cut out inverted, I also know that it lands well on the spinner nut (stall at five feet from inverted, first flight, no visible damage) as well as on the canopy and V-tail tips.  Hopefully I won't be testing that too much.  In spite of choosing alternative portions of the airframe upon which to land for half of today's flights it has no visible damage, so I guess it's light enough.

(I'm going to start a thread on the engine run, in "engine set up tips" -- if you have suggestions, please respond there).

[john e. holliday]

Well now you have something to work with.  Glad she is working.

[Tim Wescott]

Well now you have something to work with.  Glad she is working.

Yup.  If I can get the engine run sorted she'll be a better flier than I am, at least for a while.  I should start on another one immediately, because I'm going to crash this one anyway.  As I was building it I was thinking "Why am I making this look good?  Why did I take the time to design one?  Why did I spend the time to put on flaps?"  Because I'm just going to crash it anyway...

[Randy Powell]

Tim,

Don't be a self-fulfilling prophesy. Tell yourself you are NOT going to crash it.   

[Tim Wescott]

Don't be a self-fulfilling prophesy. Tell yourself you are NOT going to crash it.

Actually, I've learned a lot of stuff from crashing the Nobler and my 1/2-A practice ships:

• Plan every maneuver before you do it.  If you don't have it planned when it comes around on the guitar*, then anything you do other than level laps will just come out badly
• Decide if it's going to be a reverse or a forward wingover before you're ten feet off the ground heading straight down
• If you get confused on the second loop out of three, bail
• If you get confused on the first loop out of three, bail
• Inverted landings are better than stalling inverted at five feet and post-holing
• It is best to execute one's outside loops such that the bottom of the loop is above the ground
• Cool 'slant wrist' control handles are really neat in upright flight, but tend to lower the bottoms of ones outside loops
• it's probably repairable

I'm looking forward to having a plane that can at least stagger through the beginners pattern with me -- hopefully this one will.

* Arlo Guthrie, "Alice's Restaurant"

[john e. holliday]

As I used to tell my Brother Bob,  "If you are going to do a maneuver, don't think about it.  Just do it".  He quit crashing so much after that.   

[Ward Van Duzer]

I have this "thing" about control systems...(and that includes the lines, of course!)

They are either GOOD, or NO good. I was once told that one of those SIG horns with the plastic uprights was "Adaquate" for a NOBLER.

Guess what?   

W.

[Tim Wescott]

I have this "thing" about control systems...(and that includes the lines, of course!)

These lines are plenty good for flying around in circles and finding out that the tank is inadequate.  They're probably going to be plenty good for going to my first beginner's stunt contest and getting my points for takeoff, landing, and level laps.  There's nothing wrong with them, they should just be a bit longer, maybe.

[Tim Wescott]

As I used to tell my Brother Bob,  "If you are going to do a maneuver, don't think about it.  Just do it".  He quit crashing so much after that. 

That's what verbalizing what I'm going to do before I do it does -- when I get to the maneuver, I'm flying the plane, not trying to remember if I'm supposed to be doing an inside loop or an outside loop.

[Howard Rush]

Bring it to Salem next weekend.

[Tim Wescott]

Bring it to Salem next weekend.

I certainly intend to, unless I crash it between now and then -- in which case I'm bringing my Skyray.

I can promise that the plane and I will be up to takeoff, level flight, wingover and landing.  If the engine behaves and I get a chance to practice on Wednesday, I may even attempt loops.

[Bryan Higgins]

Tim

Looks like a lot of fun.  Nice building there.

[Tim Wescott]

Looks like a lot of fun.  Nice building there.

I taught myself to fly RC years ago, which pretty much took care of building & designing airplanes while I was at it.

It's the control-line stunt specific stuff that I need to pick up now.

[john e. holliday]

I will never forget the first time I tried a twiddly stick plane.  The instructor grabbed the transmitter and asked what I was doing.  Told him I was trying to make a left turn.  Then he showed me you just nudge the stick and let off.  After that first lesson it kind of teach myself with another fella that was just learning too.  In away we tauch each other how to fly.