Vector V1: Reincarnation of the Rapier

[Sev Fontaine]

Well... after facing the fact that my Ripmax Rapier was gone I decided to rebuild. The basic kit was no longer available since it was discontinued both in kit and arf forms. Now... being an engineer I couldn't just build it as it was so I redesigned from scratch to come out with my own design. The result is the Vector V1.
It has the same overall dimensions as the Rapier but with a 10% thinner wing profile it should really scream. Here is a glimpse of the main frame designed in Solid Works. Note that all the parts seen here will be laser cut. In fact... my laser cut prototype should be here before the end of the week.
At the moment this short kit is not available to the general public but if the prototype works out... it might be made available.
Stay tuned for build pictures coming up in the next couple of weeks.
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[cgroves]

Solid Works, must be nice to have all the professional toys :mad:, I'm stuck with lousy Turbo Cad.
What airfoil is it based on? Did you use the airfoil off of the Rapier?

[Sev Fontaine]

The airfoils are based on the Rapier but the thicknesses were reduced by 10%. The reason I say airfoils is that each wing rib has it's own airfoil shape... the tip airfoil is not a scaled version of the root airfoil. In fact... the root airfoil thickness is 7% of its chord and the tip airfoil thickness is 13% of its chord.
Theoretically.... this has a similar effect to washout. But instead of preventing tip stall at high angles of attack... it will help prevent tip stall at low airspeeds.

[Tom Hastie]

Looks good...

I take it that the jagged wing leading edge is another design feature?? ;)

It would appear to promote vortex developement during high angle of attack thus re-energizing the boundary layer, and preventing flow separation?

:p

Hey Corey... if you're lucky maybe a truck will drive past the ORCC sometime, and some copies of AutoCAD 2004 and SolidWorks 2003 might fall off the tailgate. Stranger things have happened.

[Ken Park]

Tom said!

"It would appear to promote vortex developement during high angle of attack thus re-energizing the boundary layer, and preventing flow separation?"

I'll figure how these quote things works later! Old man on computer syndrome!

Ya what he said? I also said I would like a copy of any of that stuff that falls off trucks near the field.

You need a set a retracks Mister Engineer! for that there! flying triangle!

[cgroves]

Hmmm, SouthEast Models makes a set of micro sized air/spring retracts which can hold models up to 4 pounds. They are really light and small and that would make take the Vector from cool to wowza:eek:.

[Sev Fontaine]

Tom.... nice description! So you're saying I should leave the Leading Edge stock off the plane and cover it all jagged like! Kind of like scalloped ailerons but with a purpose! :rolleyes:
Actually this picture is of the laser cut parts only. The leading edge is formed from balsa stock and the wing/fuselage sheeting is from 1/32 balsa sheet so they were omitted from this drawing. :p
As for landing gear... I think my prototype will still be hand launch. In an attempt to improve aerodynamics I might add spring loaded doors on the hand launch pockets. I doubt they will make a difference but they will sure look cool.
Once I work out the quirks if any... I might go to retracts.

[Sev Fontaine]

Corey... Do you have a web link to these retracts?

[cgroves]

I am using them as part of an F-20 tigershark as per the instructions at this page (http://www.warbirds-rc.com/Models/0006/index.htm). I have not yet installed them so if you want to have a look I could bring them to the April 4th meeting.

[Tom Hastie]

I am using them as part of an F-20 tigershark as per the instructions at this page (http://www.warbirds-rc.com/Models/0006/index.htm). I have not yet installed them so if you want to have a look I could bring them to the April 4th meeting.

OOO! Yet another reason to come to the April 4th meeting...

To inspect Corey's undercarriage!

Dunno about you guys, but that clinches it for me anyways.

[Sev Fontaine]

Well... I got my laser cut kit Friday afternoon in the mail. I went flying in the afternoon and when I got back.... I started building. Here are some pictures of the kit.
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The second picture shows the wing ribs and spars removed from the sheets.
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The next picture shows the wing assembled but not glued. Once the assembly was completed I started by gluing the leading edge of every rib and each spar on wing rib 1. Then the whole wing is weighed down on a flat surface with some books and every other joint is glued. The wing will come out straight every time.
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The fuselage doublers are first installed while the fuselage side is sitting on a flat surface and then the formers are installed on one of the sides.
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The next step is to install the wing servo mounting plates and install the servos.
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[Sev Fontaine]

And here is what the Vector looks like after about 2 hours of work.260

[Ken Park]

Looks great - builds fast and only half the calories! - keep going were all watching!

[Sev Fontaine]

Well... I spent another hour and a half of work tonight and the Vector V1 is now ready for sheeting. I started by installing the 1/4" sq fuselage carlings as shown in the next picture.
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Once that was done I installed the 3/4" leading edges on the wings.
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Followed by the 1/4" x 1/2" trailing edges.
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The next step was to do a bit of sanding to get the fuselage carlings, leading edges and trailing edges to blend in properly.
Once the sanding is complete... the root rib on each wing along with the fuselage sides are covered with 12 min epoxy and the wings are slid into place. A series of clamps are used to apply force between the wings and fuselage and the complete assembly is weighed down on a flat surface before the epoxy sets.
Here is where i'm at after only 3 1/2 hours.
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The motor shown in the picture was picked up at the ORCC auction for only 40$. It's a 0.61 cu in that is said to put out 2.2 HP. We'll see how that goes!:eek:

[Sev Fontaine]

Well here is the progress for the last week.
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The stabilizers are all made and as you can see... I decided to go from a V-Tail to a single vertical stabilizer and wing tip stabilizers. This is just part of the modifications to make the Vector V1 unique.
Some of the other tasks that have been completed are the fuel proofing of the engine bay and fuel compartment, the removal of the alignment tabs, the test fitting of the engine, installation of the throttle linkage, wing and fuselage sheeting and construction of the hatches.
Due to good weather this weekend.. I was also able to test the engine on my stand. All I can say is WOW... this engine will surely make the Vector V1 a virtual rocket!

[Ken Park]

Sev its really taking shape! can't wait too see the covering colors! Missile Red?

Your V1 is Very Nice and looks Very Fast V1 = (ie VN/VF) :)

[Sev Fontaine]

Well... with the long weekend and some wind preventing me to fly on Sunday I got some major progress done on the Vector V1.
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The colours are not my favorite choice but I didn't want to spend too much money on this project so I used what I had. The covering for this job cost me 4$. It came out quite retro.
The only things left to do before the maiden are to install the elevon push rods and the wheels on the landing gear.
One feature that i'm very happy with is the main vertical stabilizer. I installed aluminum tubes in the fuselage and slightly smaller tubes on the stabilizer. This way... the vertical stabilizer just slides into the fuselage. To hold it in place... I installed a neodium magnet on the stabilizer and another inside the top of the fuselage. Set up at the field will be a breeze.

[Sev Fontaine]

Well... last night I maidened the Vector V1. On my first flight I had a flame out, got a bit of road rash on the underside and tore off the front landing gear. So I removed the landing gear altogether, patched up the covering material with some tape and added weight to the tail for more response. The second attempt was very successful. The Vector V1 flies just like the Rapier except it has way more power. The first flight was done on an 11x5 prop and the engine was really screaming. I then tried an 11x8 which is the only other prop I had at the field and that worked but really loaded the engine. I think the next time I fly... I'll try a 12x6.
Dynamic Man was there to witness my flights and actually got some really good video with my digicam.
Thanks Fred!
All in all.... I think I have a very good speed demon here!

[Sev Fontaine]

Well... I thought i'd give everyone an update on my Vector.
After the maiden flight mishap, the covering was left torn on both the top and bottom so I cut the tears out and performed an inspection of the wing ribs. I noticed that a few ribs had broken upon impact so I proceeded to fixing them with CA. I then recovered the damaged areas and the airframe is ready to fly again.
On something like my 6th flight... the tail end of the muffler fell off and landed in the tall grass. I went to look... but never found it so when I got home I emptied out a mousse can and cut the front part of it off. I then sandblasted all the paint off the can and tack welded it to the tail end of my muffler. I told myself... It may be ugly but if it works hey! I can fly!
When I tried this setup for the first time it would run properly on the ground but when I put the aircraft in a steep climb the engine would cut out. Even after richening the mixture to the point where it wouldn't idle properly... it still leaned out in a climb. I checked all my fuel lines but they were all good. I then realized that the muffler was probably not supplying enough fuel pressure so I used some epoxy and completely sealed the openings around the tack welds. I have yet to try this setup but i'm pretty confident it will work.
After a bit of searching... I found that this engine (Hirtenberger Gold Cup 0.61 AKA HP 0.61) used to be manufactured in Austria but has now been taken over by MECOA in California. This is great news since parts are now available again. Oh... and in the search for more power I ordered a header from the manufacturer. I have yet to decide to make a mousse can tuned pipe or buy a proper MACS tuned pipe. Any recommendations???

[Dave_Sawatzky]

I can't comment on the homemade mufflers but I can tell you that the MACS tuned pipes really work! I use one on my .25 FX and a couple of times I have swapped back and forth between the tuned pipe and the stock muffler just to get an apples to apples comparison. The difference is huge! With my old Chilli Pepper designs (may they rest in peace) it was the difference between hovering at one click under full throttle and one click over half throttle. I highly recommend a tuned pipe as a practical way of squeezing more power out of an existing engine.

The downside is that these pipes aren't cheap (probably around $100). And the tuning procedure is rather cumbersome. It involves incrementally trimming the length of the header and then running the engine to check the rpm after each trimming. Also, I found that with the tuned pipe, my motor behaves in a very different manner than when it has the stock muffler. And needless to say, the needle valve setting is quite differnt.

Re the mousse can mufflers, I think that John Weekes has made them before and might have some input on how well they work.

Good luck,

Dave

[Sev Fontaine]

Hello everyone... It's been a good month since I've flown the Vector. What happened is that I lost the tail end of the muffler and ordered a new one. Meanwhile I had made a mousse can muffler but had welded it on. During the first flight with this configuration it simply fatigued off.
Mecoa (Model Engine Company Of America) said they had the muffler in stock and sent me a confirmation email saying that I'd receive the muffler in 2 weeks. 3 weeks after ordering I sent them 3 emails before I got a reply. When I finally got a reply this is... and I quote.... exactly what it said: "Your muffler is in process. Maybe we'll ship in a few weeks."
What kind of customer service is this? Needless to say this is the last time I order anything from them.
In order to get my HP 0.61 engine running again I decided to make another mousse can muffler. But this time... I bolted the assembly right through. Here are the pictures.
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I hope to fly it at the Ed Rae Memorial this weekend. See you all there!

[Sev Fontaine]

After an ungodly long wait... I got my header for the HP 61. Last week I ordered a MACS tuned pipe and it came in today. I was hoping to receive the tuned pipe on time for the ORCC 50th anniversary but I still got many flights in this weekend.
I recently decided I loved this plane enough to spend some money and make it look great so I tore off all the old covering. I'll make a tuned pipe mount, some landing skids, and reinforce some areas. Since much weight was needed in the tail to make it balance right, I figured I might as well add reinforcements and make that weight functionnal.
My new color scheme will be chrome on top, black on the bottom and some other yet to be decided highlight colors.
I plan on finishing this work during the week. As soon as I get pictures i'll post them.

[John Weekes]

The new colour scheme sounds awesome! I can hardly wait for the pics. The model was really impressive at the 50th Anniversary Fun Fly. You looked like you were having fun...and certainly did get a lot of flights in. :D

John

[Sev Fontaine]

Does anyone have recommendations for ailevon hinges on this rebuild?
On my original Rapier Delta I was using CA hinges but found them to be very unreliable... especially at these high speeds. When I built the Vector I used Robart hinges but the problem with these is that they leave a large ailevon gap.
How are the DuBro Nylon hinges?... The ones with a steel pin.

[Tom Hastie]

How are the DuBro Nylon hinges?... The ones with a steel pin.

They work fine... however, pinning them with a toothpick through the wing trailing edge and aileron leading edge is pretty much compulsary.

IMHO, however, they also leave enough of a gap that you'd want to seal the hinge line with covering.

Tom

[Psikelly]

I like those hinges but like Tom said you need extra hold on them. Every time I try and put a couple drops of CA in there to secure them it always gets into the hinges and stiffens right up. Gets quite frustrating. What I like to use instead of toothpicks are the tiny screws you get when you buy servos. I use 2 per hinge. Just the way Tom described.

[Tom Hastie]

Every time I try and put a couple drops of CA in there to secure them it always gets into the hinges and stiffens right up. Gets quite frustrating.

Are you putting vaseline on the hinge line? Besides being a good personal lubricant (:eek: ), it helps to keep the glue out of the moving bits of the hinge...

And I don't use CA with these, use 30min (or longer) epoxy. This gives you time to insert the hinges, and fiddle them around until the control surface moves smoothly before it sets.

Tom

[Psikelly]

The vaseline sounds like a great idea. I never would have considered that. Or even thought that vaseline would repel CA.

As for the epoxy I suppose I should be using a slotting tool to make the opening a little larger to accept a small amount of epoxy and the hinge.

[Sev Fontaine]

I just thought i'd post a picture of the header and tuned pipe i'll be using on the overhaul of my Vector. This system will have to be tuned so i'll need an optical rpm gauge. Hmmmm.... hopefully I can borrow one from a club member (Sharam???). I plan on tuning at the field with the system installed on my plane.
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Pictures of the new covering will follow in a few days!

[Sev Fontaine]

:eek:
Just a peak at the new covering being laid onto the Vector.
I'll be adding some highlight colors... probably yellow to the top. (chrome side)
For reference the bottom will be completely black.
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[Tom Hastie]

all together now....

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooo

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhh

[Dave Rees]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooo

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhh

[cgroves]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooo

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhh

Looks pretty cool, I'm concerned it might be a little hard to see in flight with all that reflective camoflage on it.

[Sev Fontaine]

That's why i'm planning on adding some highlight color on the top.
I came up with this idea... what do guys you think?
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or this
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[Tom Hastie]

Include the black stripe for sure.

Also... perhaps a red highlight to the yellow lightning bolt (in place of the black) would look cook.

Tom

[cgroves]

Looks fast just standing still :cool:

[Sev Fontaine]

I'm not quite done yet... but most of the stripes are on.
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Now I must go take care of the control surfaces and stabilizers!

[John Weekes]

Be sure to wear sunglass when you fly this one! :cool:

...Actually, I'm not kidding...I've put chrome stripes on the wings of a couple of airplanes...sometimes the glint of the sun off them can be a little blinding...and I know you have an issue with the sun! :(

Awesome covering job...really looks metallic!

John

[Sev Fontaine]

Good tip John... I usually always fly with my sunglasses but a reminder with this plane is a good thing.:cool:
Well... here are the stripes done. You were right Tom! A red stripe really helps with the overall look.
The only thing left is to cover and hinge the elevons and tune that beautiful pipe.
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[MikeZufelt]

Looks awesome Sev!!!

Thanks for telling me to check it out!