Which engine for a Brodak Super Clown?

[frank mccune]

      Hello:
     
      I just purchased a Brodak Super Clown that had a Brodak .25 engine installed.  This plane is too nose heavy with the Brodak .25 installed.  I have several engines that may be better suited to the Super Clown as they may be a bit lighter.

      The engines that I have to use in the SC are:
 
      Super Tigre G20/.23

      Super Tigre G20/.15 Diesel

      Magnum AX .15

      Fox .15 baffle

       These engines are a bit less in weight.  The SC has a very short body that demands a lighter engine.  Perhaps I may be able to move the Brodak .25 back a bit to help solve the nose heavy problem.

        Any thoughts about a light but powerful engine for the SC?

                                                                                                                         Stay well,

                                                                                                                         Frank

[Andrew Saunders]

Go with the Super Tigre G20/23. Or if you can, go with an O.S. MAx LA .25 of an FP .25. But defintely the ST G20/23

[Richard Grogan]

I have a brodak .25 on a Super Clown( with flaps), and it flies great. Do you have the factory muffler on it? They(factory muffler) are a bit heavy for this plane combo, but I use a light tounge muffler on mine instead, and the balance is fine. just sayin'... the LA.25 is also a good little motor for this plane. I like the B 25 better.I also have brodak .25s on both of my Ringmaster S1s, also equipped with the light tounge mufflers.

[frank mccune]

     Hello:

     This plane is a flapped SC.  The last owner claimed the it was so nose heavy that it would hardly do a loop. 

     I weighed the three engins that I thought would be a good power choice and I was shocked at the results!

     The largest engine was the lightest! The smallest was the heaviest! Here are the weights:

     The smallest was the AX Magnun .15 1,410 grains

     The middle sized one the ST G20/.23 999 grains

     The largest one, the Brodak .25 was the lightest at 902 grains.

     Those ball bearings must be very heavy!

     In any case, I am going to add some serious tail weight to get this plane to balance well.  I am not planning to use a muffler but I do have a small chip type of muffler if I wish to add a bit  more weight.  I guess that the Brodak will go back on the SC.

                                                                                                             Thanks for the replies,

                                                                                                             Frank

[Phil Spillman]

Hi Frank, To solve simply add tail weigt to the fuse until it balances where you want it! Of all the engines mentioned the B-25 is just great! After the thing has 30 or so flights on it from new add one head gasket!

Phil Spillman

[Guy B Jr]

Phil,
Are you saying to add and extra head gasket as a general rule or just for the Super Clown. I am in the midst of breaking a B25 in on the bench right now. Thanks.

[frank mccune]

      Hi Phil et.al.:

      Thanks for the replies!

      The weights for the engines that I posted may not be accurate due to the scale tht I was using.  It is electronic and as you may know, they have a few quirks compared to a balance. 

       I elected to reuse the Brodak as the plane is already drilled for this motor as the balnce checked out as per the plans! It should balance 2" behind the leading edge and that is where it appears to balance.  Perhaps the flap/elevator throws were incorrect.

      The flap had about 45 degrees of deflection in both the up and down position.  This may be excesive as I think that the flaps should be about 20-30 degrees.  The elevator should be a bit more than the flaps. Perhaps up to 45 degrees on the elevator may be close to corrrect.   The elevator had less throw than the flaps.  I think that this is just backwards. I will play with the controls until I get what I think is good.  Any suggestions?

                                                                                                                     Stay well my friends,

                                                                                                                     Frank

     

[Phil Spillman]

Hi Guy, I live in Virginia and fly at or close to sea level! Down here these engines without regard to their planes seem to run happier with an extra gasket after about 30 flights or so! I have several and each one has been better with the extra space after having been run the 30 flights! I use 9 X 4's 10 X $'s and 9 X 5's for experimentation in each instance and depending on the time of the year. Summers in these parts get really gummy!

Phil Spillman

[Richard Grogan]

Frank, You are correct on the flap horn being hooked up incorrectly.You definitely want less flaps than elevator. The belcrank side should be hooked to the middle hole (less flap throw than bottom hole) and the elevator rod to the top hole(more elevator throw) on the flap horn. You may have to move the elevator's control horn connector position down (or it's middle hole) if it gets too squirrely for your liking. Mine is on the inside hole of the elev horn for more throw, I like it like that! It's a really fun little airplane to wring out.This plane also flies just fine with fixed flaps..Have fun!

[Ron Cribbs]

I'll bite, Fox .35

It's light, period correct and It's what I use on mine and it flies fine. The plane is no modern day stunt ship, but it will put a smile on your face.

[Guy B Jr]

Hey guys, what do you think of using an OS FP20 (BBTU) on the Super Clown?

[James_Mynes]

Hey guys, what do you think of using an OS FP20 (BBTU) on the Super Clown?

Been there, done that. It flies great ( even with fixed flaps ).