Aeroworks Yak 54

[Tom Hastie]

Well the plane hasn't arrived yet, but the rest of my equipment has. I have the 85" Aeroworks Yak 54 coming for this summer :D

Let's see...

Got the DA-50.
Got a Zinger 22-8 prop for break-in
Got my PCM Receiver, switches, Servos and battery packs.

The servos I went with are Hitec HS5955TGs. My first impression is that these puppies seem every bit as slick as the reports online. 333oz-in of torque at 6.0V with a 0.15s transit time for 60 degrees. Apparently the motor and electronics would melt under a sustained 333oz-in load, so the servo software actually initially applies full torque, but then backs off the power if the servo can't make it to the required position to preserve the motor. Now, mind you, the Yak calls for ~180oz-in servos, so I really shouldn't be requiring full torque in flight. It's nice to know for when there's a control surface jammed on the ground for some reason.

They're also fully programmable with the hitec servo programmer. So matching my ailerons and elevator halves should be a snap if I can convince Dave R. to come over with a hitec servo programmer and help. Perhaps bribe him with Beer.

They're also the exact same size as a standard servo.

The dingling sound of 5 hefty digital servos moving back and forth is cool. I'll admit... I sat there for a while last night just listening to it with a stupid grin on my face. :o :rolleyes:

Tom

[6cuda6]

Tom, good servo choice!!! One of the guy's i know who fly's on a National Level recommended those servo's [he only used them in his planes] as well. I'm sure if you have any question just let me know and i can probably hook you up with his email......

Now i just need to learn how to fly so i can get a big plane too....lol.....

Dean

[reefhawg]

That aluminum servo arm looks a little short,... :o
geoff

[Sev Fontaine]

Hey Tom, where did you pick up the DA-50 from? I might be in need of one shortly. I found an Extra 27% for sale locally for a pretty good price.

[Tom Hastie]

Hey Tom, where did you pick up the DA-50 from? I might be in need of one shortly. I found an Extra 27% for sale locally for a pretty good price.

I got the DA-50 from GreatHobbies. If you're looking for one, be sure to keep a close eye on the www.rccanada.ca classifieds engine section. They come up for sale there pretty often. I've been watching them for the past several months and they get snapped up pretty quickly when they do come up for sale, so don't dawdle. I've also never seen them for less than $500.

Is that the Hangar 9 27% Extra 260? (the red/white/blue one the Zierings were flying at NEAT?) Be careful putting a DA in there... from what I've read many people think it becomes way to heavy with a 50cc gas in there... Just a heads up.

Tom

[Tom Hastie]

Tom, good servo choice!!! One of the guy's i know who fly's on a National Level recommended those servo's [he only used them in his planes] as well. I'm sure if you have any question just let me know and i can probably hook you up with his email......

Now i just need to learn how to fly so i can get a big plane too....lol.....

Dean

I did quite a big of research in setting up this plane. I've kinda been saving for and planning it since last fall.

People seem to either be using JR8611s or Hitec 5955s. Most of the discussion threads on the two end up being Ford vs. Chevy debates. The general consensus seemed to be that JR8611s were more precise than the 5955, but the JR gear train would wear out after a season of competitive flying and develop Slop while the Titanium gears in the 5955 have negligible wear. Seems like the Pro's replace the gears in their 8611s once a season.

Anyways... I'm a Chevy guy, so I went Hitec. Playing with them last night, when the servo is powered, I was physically unable to move the servo arm any noticable amount. The servo immeidately started buzzing at me and fighting me when I pushed on the servo arm. So... we know they at least start out with zero slop.

:)

Tom

[Tom Hastie]

That aluminum servo arm looks a little short,... :o
geoff

That's the 3" aluminum servo arm for the rudder pull-pull setup. Here's hoping it gives me bevel to bevel control if I want it :)

I just recieved box 1 of 2 here at work. I snuck a peak and it contains a nice looking set of wings. Unfortunately, box 2 of 2 is still in transit. Seems they got separated somewhere along the way. Hopefully it'll show up either today or Monday.

Something tells me I might be going home for lunch... more to follow.

Tom

[Sev Fontaine]

Tom... the one i'm looking at is the "Planes Plus 27% Extra 300".
Ever heard of it?677

[Tom Hastie]

Nope... sorry, don't know the plane. I know the listing in RCCanada that you're referring to though. :D

Try flyinggiants or RCUniverse for a review maybe?

[Tom Hastie]

As I mentioned, I ran home at lunch to unpack my wings :D

Very nice... no damage was found and they came nicely bagged and bubblewrapped.

The covering has a vew wrinkles here and there, but no more than any other ARF. The first step in the build process is to go over all the seams with an iron to make sure they're sealed together. The wing box also includes a strip of transparent covering to be used to seal the wing and horizontal stab leading edges.

They also threw in some additional braces for the landing gear (early versions of the kit had landing gear folding problems) and instructions on how to reinforce that area of the fuse.

They even went through the trouble of pre-drilling the aileron for the included control horns. I guess that's what they mean by "quick-build".

Man... if my fuselage doesn't arrive today, it's gonna be a long weekend. :) At least it's one hour shorter than most weekends ;)

Attached are a couple pics. Included is a Funtana 90 wing panel for comparison.

Tom

[Sev Fontaine]

Very nice Tom! :cool:
Maybe i'll see it fly when I go up in May. Best of luck in receiving the fuse today! I know how it feels. I am currently building my yak and am waiting on GH to ship my motor, speed control, servos and some other odds and ends. They said the speed controller is BO for 2 to 3 weeks. :mad:

[Tom Hastie]

The rest of it came today.

Gladly, no major damage. There are two slightly cracked stringers on the bottom just aft of the cockpit area. It'll be a 5 minute job to straighten and soak some thin CA and a doubler onto these.

Other than that the model looks great! Man this thing is huge. It's sitting on a full size futon on in the picture, and it takes up almost the whole basement :D It's so much bigger than I expected that I actually ran out to make sure the fuse would fit in my car... That was a bit of a worry for a sec. It does. I won't be carrying a passenger when I carry it, but that was to be expected.

I'll have more details tonight when I start the assembly. Can't wait to get started.

Tom

[Dave Rees]

When's the maiden. ** checks the weather network ** ........... Saturday doesn't look too bad!!

Dave

[6cuda6]

Nice plane Tom!!!! The more i look at these planes the more i want one!!!

Have a kinda newbie to large scale question for you, just trying to get idea on sizes.....

What percentage does your Yak work out to be?? I know a 35% 300 is about 96" long in the fuse.....

When you flying that bad boy.....i wanna watch!!!

Later, Dean

[Tom Hastie]

What percentage does your Yak work out to be?? I know a 35% 300 is about 96" long in the fuse.....

Obviously the % vs wingspan depends on what the aircraft model is.

There's a guy out in Kamloops that did a scale model of a Antonov ANT-20 Maxim Gorky. It was 1/20th (5%) scale and still at a 120" wing. (Check out his really cool build thread here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=370403&highlight=gorky - powered by 8 CDROM motors )

However, if you're talking scale aerobatic aircraft like this, there are some rough numbers:

27-30%, 50cc engine, 85" wing
35%, 100cc engine, 102" wing
40%, 150-200cc engine, >120" wing

If anyone disagrees, they can pipe in here. I think my Aeroworks Yak is roughly 30%... But Aeroworks matches their planes to engine displacement, not %, so I'd have to do some research to figure out for sure.

Tom

[6cuda6]

Thanks Tom...i'm sure it's an exact science but your figures get me close enough for a visual picture....

Dean

[Tom Hastie]

Man this is fun!

Progress for today:

-Repaired the cracked stringers in the aft fuse.
-Expoxied in the landing gear plate reinforcement as per the kit amendment.
-Glued in the Rudder hinges (Rudder is the only surface that doesn't come pre-hinged due to shipping box size limitations)
-Installed all control surface servos and linkages.
-Installed the rudder pull-pull.
-Installed the landing gear.

Still have to mount the motor and motor servos, and install the plumbing.

Then, programming the end points and direction of all the Servos...

Then cleaning up the wiring, and a few odds and ends... and she's ready.

Now where is spring?

Attached are the glamour shots, and the "I always wanted to do this" cowling on the head shot.

Tom

[6cuda6]

Keep those pics coming!!!!! And i think we'll see more of those planes flying this year...lol.....:p

Dean

[heli2006]

...
They're also fully programmable with the hitec servo programmer. So matching my ailerons and elevator halves should be a snap
...

Tom

Tom,

What parameters can be programmed for the digital servos? Are you referring to more than can be done from the transmitter with end point adjustments?

Looking forward to seeing this plane at the field. Be sure to let everyone know about particulars of the maiden flight.

Victor

[reefhawg]

Tom, very nice,....
did I see two tanks in the hardware packaging? Aeroworks wants you to go smoke too?

geoff

[heli2006]

Tom,

At break, I did a quick search about the digital programmer and there is plenty of information on the Internet about its features.

Victor

[Tom Hastie]

Tom,

What parameters can be programmed for the digital servos? Are you referring to more than can be done from the transmitter with end point adjustments?

Looking forward to seeing this plane at the field. Be sure to let everyone know about particulars of the maiden flight.

Victor

Yup... but this is only for Hitec Digitals. JR and Futaba don't have this feature. You need the Digital Servo Programmer box (http://www.hitecrcd.com/Support/Manuals/Servo/HFP-10.pdf)... but once you have it you can set:
Deadband
Servo Center
Servo End Points
Servo Speed
Servo Direction
And failsafe point.

Basically this means that I can run both elevator halves off channel 2 on the receiver... reverse one servo so that the halves move in the same direction, and adjust the exact endpoints so that the halves move together. All this without even touching the programming on my transmitter.

So I plan on leaving all my TX subtrims at 0 and ATVs at 100, and adjusting the servos to give me the manual suggested deflection. Then at the field, it'll be easier to see what adjustments I've made via the TX programming.

Where it REALLY shines is when you gang multiple servos on the same control surface.

For a good demonstration on how it's done check out the instructional videos here:
http://www.downonthedeck.com/videos_instruction.htm

Note that you don't NEED to do any programming to use the servos. The factory default settings work just fine. But since I know Dave R. has a programmer I'll bribe him with beer to come over and let me borrow it.

Tom

[Tom Hastie]

Tom, very nice,....
did I see two tanks in the hardware packaging? Aeroworks wants you to go smoke too?

geoff

Yup... smoke tank and additional plumbing comes included. And I plan on using it once I have my engine broken in and running smoothly.

The hardware that comes with the kit is really nice. Rubber-backed washers for attaching the canopy, cowling and stabs. All metal horns and ball link clevises. The only hardware I've bought so far to complete it is four 1/4-20 bolts and some fender washers to attach the engine to the firewall.

Tom

[6cuda6]

Tom

With all the other companies out there providing some form of ARF, why this one for your plane???

Just curious as there seems to be lots for sale lately....

Dean

[Tom Hastie]

I chose the Aeroworks for a couple reasons.

1. I have never read a poor flight report on any of the web forums. RCUnivers, FlyingGiants, etc. (And on the internet people don't hold back... like they seem to do in magazine reviews). The only negative I ever saw was early versions of the ARF had weakness around the landing gear (several ripouts)... The latest version of the kid includes additional hardwood reinformcement here.

2. The Aeroworks Quick-Builds are known for including everything you need and top-notch hardware. Being my first giant scale aircraft, I don't have very much in my parts bins that would fit this aircraft. So I know I'd probably end up spending alot of additional money in little dubro baggies of hardware bits. This was a good way to jump in with everything I need. Now that I've actually done it once, I have a good idea of what hardware is needed for next time when I build a kit, or get an ARF with less hardware.

3. Aeroworks was available through Greathobbies. The price you see on the greathobbies site includes shipping in Canada. No customs... And shipping within Canada means fewer people throw the package from one truck to another turning the inside of the box into mush.

4. I thought it had a really nice covering scheme.

5. The model had other things I was looking for... like removable stabs with the servos IN the stab... A pre-painted cowl that fits on my head...

I was torn between the Aeroworks Extra 260, and the Yak. GH only had the Yak in stock when I was ready to order... so that finalized my decision for me.

Tom

[6cuda6]

Thanks, i'll archive that info!!! This is the type of info i wish the mags would provide, but i guess they wouldn't sell to may issues if they singled out the bad stuff.....might make the companies compete a little more though...lol...

Thanks again for the great info.....

Dean

[Tom Hastie]

Cool:cool: Now that I got the engine mounted, and I can see how long this thing really is, I decided to do a test.... a test to see if I can fly both my Funtana and my Yak this summer.

It took some creativity, and I'll probably have to make some foam supports to keep everything steady, but both the fuses fit. :) The wings I can stack like chords of wood.

Woohoo... not bad for a 2 door hatchback.

Tom

[6cuda6]

Make some supports to put them one on top of each other [mirror image but backwards] and you could get another one in there!!! :D ;)

There's a fun fly contest...see howmany planes you can fit into a 2 door hatch...lol....

I think i would be hard pressed to get 2 in my truck......:(


Tom, the color of the fuse in the outside light looks great!!!!

[Tom Hastie]

There's a fun fly contest...see howmany planes you can fit into a 2 door hatch...lol....

Been there... done that... I even have a T-shirt to show for it!

[Dave Rees]

Hey Tom,

The plane looks great. Can't wait to fly it......errrrr....... I mean "see" it ;)

Everytime I see those pics from NEAT Fair I laugh. Could almost do a "Where's Waldo" type of contest with those pics. Guess how many planes are in the GTI?

Cheers,
Dave

[Sev Fontaine]

And I thought it was packed before the Funtana 90.... way to go Tom! It's impossible to go to Neat and not buy stuff.
By my count there were 9 planes on the way there and 12.5 on the way back.
Then there was all the chargers, transmitter cases, tools, batteries and misc gear.

There:
2 night flyers
2 SA Edge 540
1 SA Re-groove
1 SA Stella G400X
1 SA Adrenaline Rush
1 SA Dystraction
1 Edge Foamy

Back:
+1 Funtana 90
+1 Bipe Yak
+1 SA Little Squirt (combat champion)
+1 Parkjet Foamy Ducted Fan
-0.5 Edge Foamy (not so sober night flying incident)

[heli2006]

Tom,

How does the power-to-weight ratio of the model compare to the full-size airplane? [Someone else may ask you this trivial question in the future but you will be prepared with the answer.]

The DA50 must produce lots of thrust to overcome the thrust blocked by the cowl. What portion of the propeller disk is blocked by the cowl?

Victor

[Tom Hastie]

It's actually hard to find information on the full size Yak 54 on the net. There are so many models of it around that the full scale Yaks don't come up to the top in Google unless you word your search carefully.

Anyways, The full size Yak 54 has a max gross weight of 2183lbs and a 400HP motor. 5.45lb/hp

My model will probably come in at 17lbs with a 5HP motor. 3.4 lbs per horsepower.

So a little less than 2 times the power loading. Not as much as you'd think when you compare the strange 3D maneuvers we do with our models vs. the full scale aircraft flight envelope. I think what really makes a difference between how the model and the full scale flies is wing loading.

Full scale wing area = 139 sq ft. (rough estimate using known span and estimate of aspect ratio.

My wing area 1409sq.in = 9.78sq ft.

My model has a wing loading of 1.73lb/sq. ft
The full scale has a wing loading of 15lb/sq.ft.

so the difference in wing loading is huge. This combined with the fact that the Reynolds number is quite different (Reynolds number just accounts for the scale of the aerodynamic system - big/highspeed vs. small/low speed). Is what makes a large model like this do things like harriers and elevators that are still impossible in full scale.

Regarding the cowling, on most of these Yaks they warn that you need to have more distance than usual between the prop and the cowl. This is to help allow airflow out and around the cowl. Also, typically the inner sections of the prop don't add that much to net thrust. We usually hide that part in the spinner anyways, and I don't think we lose too much thrust.

Tom

[heli2006]

Tom,

Now I know... Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Cheers,
Victor

[6cuda6]

Tom...keep the info and the pics coming....this is better than a magazine article!!!!:)

Dean

[Tom Hastie]

Dave and I got the servos programmed last night

On my 9C, I have all my trims and sub-trims set to 0, and my Dual Rates set at 140% at high rates.

With this setting, the servos are now programmed to give me the manual suggested "3d rates" - that is, +/- 45 degrees on the rudder and elevator and +/-35 degrees on the ailerons.

Now in the tranmitter I'll program a medium and low rates to the book suggestion for high rates and low rates respectively and we should be good to go.

In addition to the servo programming, I managed to cut the cowling to let the pitts style muffler see out, and install the Throttle and Choke Servos. Finally I have a use for the little digital servos that came with my 9C (Futaba S3151s if I recall).

Before I left it for the night I installed the muffler with some red permatex (high temp sealant) forming a gasket between the muffler and engine. This was recommended by the Slimline muffler instructions.

Sorry... no new pictures today... I'll post some as soon as I take them.

Tom

[Tom Hastie]

Since the fuse was in the garage overnight (to keep the permatex from smelling up the house), and since I can now put the cowl on over the engine, it seemed like as good an excuse as any to take some pictures in the sunlight.

Still have the engine plumbing to do, moving things around for C of G, and then she's ready to go.

Let's hope the snow we're supposed to be getting doesn't stay long!

Tom

[6cuda6]

So Tom.....is it "CONTACT" for the weekend if the weather holds clear??? or were you feeling "sick today" ;) and had to spend some mental health time at the air field....lol.....:p

Man that is one sweet plane......better fly as nice as it looks.....lol....

Dean

[cgroves]

Environment Canada doesn't look so good but The Weather Network shows mixed cloud/sun high 0C and wind of 20kph. Sunday is looking like it might make a nice maiden flight day, any giant scale skis?

[Tom Hastie]

So Tom.....is it "CONTACT" for the weekend if the weather holds clear??? or were you feeling "sick today" ;) and had to spend some mental health time at the air field....lol.....:p

Man that is one sweet plane......better fly as nice as it looks.....lol....

Dean


Thanks!... I'm kinda partial to it too.... I hope it flies as good as it looks.

I don't think it'll be ready for this weekend. Won't have too much time to work on it this weekend. It'll probably be ready to spark up the following weekend though.

:) Can't wait.

Tom

[John Weekes]

Yup...this is gonna be fun... :D :D

To me, this model has "Tom Hastie" written all over it...know what I mean? ;)

Don't be too anxious to get this puppy airborne...you definitely need to wait until conditions are right... I haven't even taken a second glance at my Giant Stinger hanging in the corner of my shop...yet...soon though (I hope).

I think you have a few more weeks to stare it in the basement... :)

John

[Tom Hastie]

Yup... playing with digital servos in the basement is even more fun when they're connected to a plane! :)

Had some more time to do some work on the Yak. Mostly straightening out the internal stuff and velcro-ing things down where required for C of G.

It appears that the plane will weigh 17lbs ready to fly before fuel.

Pics of the progress:
1. Servo and ignition switches on the right hand side.
2. Internals sans hatch
3. Fuel Tank installation.
4. T-fitting and fuel dot.

Tom

[Tom Hastie]

1. Receiver and 6.0V Battery installation
2. Shot down the tail showing the rudder pull-pull and elevator cables disappearing to the empennage.
3. Rudder and 3" aluminum servo arm.

[Soclarke]

Hey Tom,

Nice progress. One question.

What's with the big loop of fuel tubing on top of the tank?

[Tom Hastie]

The loop is suggested in the manual, and all of the "pro's" appear to do it on their IMAC aircraft.

That line is the vent line. Since the Walbro carp is its own pump, the vent just dumps out the bottom of the cowl.

The idea of the loop is that it keeps fuel from siphoning overboard when the aircraft is in a nose down position for any period of time. (during transport, or on down-lines during aerobatics.)

Tom

[6cuda6]

Tom,

How come the cables for the rudder, why not rods??? I figured you would want the least deflection possible and the most direct link??

Dean

[cgroves]

Pull-pull cables are fussy to setup but once they are done right they provide much more precision and strength in a really light installation than any pushrod of reasonable weight could. The tensile strength of the cable versus the compressive strength and resistance to bowing of the pushrod. Of course they are such a pain to setup in most planes people don't bother for the small benefit. You used to see a lot of pull-pull on high performance gliders due to the lighter weight and increased precision but as the pushrods got better the benefits became small enough compared to the painful install that they have become much rarer.

[Tom Hastie]

Yup... what Corey said... although I personally don't find them THAT much trouble to set up. Maybe I'm doing them wrong... maybe I have more room in my style of plane than in the average glider. Most of my smaller aerobatic electrics use pull pull for the rudder, elevator or both.

On this size aircraft the standard is so go with pull-pull on the rudder and push-pull everywhere else. You'll see at concourse, the rudder is big, fast, and has very little slop as it deflects. Actually if I wiggle the rudder quick, you can feel a good breeze from 6ft away :)

tom

[6cuda6]

See, better than a mag...learn something everytime i check this site....

Thanks for the info guys!!!

Dean

[ablais007]

Tom... Someone mentioned "This plane has your name written all over it", I fully agree. I can't wait to see you fly this... I mean, see it dance in the sky.

Awsome plane!

[6cuda6]

Come on Tom....more info/more pics...i need my daily dose of this stuff.....jeeze i'm starting to sound like an addict:eek:

[Tom Hastie]

Well there hasn't been anything more cause she's essentially ready to go. Everything has been loctite-ed... the CG is right, the Low/Mid/3D rates are all programmed as well as the recommended amounts of expo for each. I even bought a gallon of gas and mixed it up 32:1 with some ashless oil for breakin. I'm now really just waiting for the snow to leave.

The last bit I have coming for the plane is the smartfly optical ignition cutoff. It's basically a receiver controlled switch that will allow me to kill the ignition from the radio. The "optical" part of the name comes from the fact that you want to have your ignition circuits and your receiver circuits electrically isolated to prevent EMI from the spark ignition interfering with your radio. The smart fly system uses some optical fibre to send the ignition command which prevents and EMI from getting conducted back into the receiver.

The idea being three fold:
1. The ignition can't be activated with the transmitter turned off.
2. If I lose a battery in the air, or loss of tranmitter link (knocks on wood), the ignition will shut down to prvent a runaway plane.
3. If something happens to my throttle linkage in the air, I can shut down the engine and dead stick rather than waiting to run out of gas.

Here's the optical ignition that's coming:
http://www.smart-fly.com/Products/Ignition/ignition.htm

and here's a description of the installation:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=375

Double digit temperatures are called for for the rest of the week :) Maybe if the snow leaves I can try sparking her up this weekend?

Tom

[cgroves]

I was at the field last night and the snow was pretty thin on the runway with grass poking through the full length. A few deeper drifts in the parking lot/pits but no more than 5cm on the runway.

[Tom Hastie]

I was at the field last night and the snow was pretty thin on the runway with grass poking through the full length. A few deeper drifts in the parking lot/pits but no more than 5cm on the runway.

Sweet!!:cool:

[Soclarke]

Hey Tom,

I've been following this thread and the other one you're participating in on RCCanada about this plane. I noticed that you posted that your plane should come out at 18 lbs dry. This seems to be above the high end of the manufacturers stated weight.

This lead me to do a little math and by my calculations that would put the wing loading at 29.44 ounces/sq. in. From what I've read about this size of plane it seems a little high and that most people look to achieve a wing loading of 27 ounces/sq. in. or lower if you're interested in performing 3D maneuvers.

I'm curious about your thoughts on this. Have you considered any ways to bring the weight down a bit i.e. lipos and regulator to replace sub C RX pack.

I'm no expert and I'm not trying to criticize rather I'm trying to learn. I'm thinking about taking the plunge in to the 50CC gasser space and I'm gathering knowledge wherever I can.

Oh and I saw your discussion on props. For what it's worth I have run Menz, Pro Zinger (out of necessity) and Bolly props on my quarter scale Edge. I have to say that I was really impressed with the Bolly prop. Their design is quiet, provided better thrust than the competition in an equivalent size and they come balanced from the factory. They can be a little hard to find but it's a great prop.

[Tom Hastie]

My thoughts on this were that I really needed some practical experience. It seems that every ARF out there, somewhere in the thread people argue that they're not getting the manufacturer specified weights. I'm convinced that when the manufacturer assemble their prototypes, they open up a dozen or so ARFs, and then assemble the plane from the lightest wing, lightest fuse, etc. etc.

Since I have no experience flying this size plane, I figured I'd just jump in... select a airframe with good reviews, be reasonable about weight and fly. If I'm unhappy with how it flies (which I can't really see being the case :p) I can work on reducing weight. At least this will give me a starting point.

When I do get around to some weight-watching on this plane, here's my list:

-Regulators and lipo batteries. A 2-cell 2100 pack would probably weigh 1/3rd of what this NiMH pack weighs.

Carbon fibre wing tube and stab tubes. I've heard that you can drop quite a bit by going to CF on these. (Currently they're aluminum)

Lighter throttle servo (currently a Hitec 635 Karbonite gear). Also, since 5955s are overkill torquewise, I might be able to find a lighter replacement. (In reality though, I paid enough for these, that I'll be damned if I'm gonna remove them from the plane :P)

Once that's done I can start to get silly... routering out the canopy floor... removing the tuned pipe tunnel that I'm not using...and so on and so on.

I've never been one to spend huge amounts of time tinkering with a plane. I much prefer to get it airworthy, and then fly the crap out of it. So in reality, I don't know how much of the above I'll really end up doing. I'll definitely be going the lipo-regulator route at some point. That will probably bring me back down to the 17.5lb range.

When I do put smoke in it, I'll probably try and design the system on a single plate (possibly bolting into the unused tuned pipe tunnel at the CG so that I can easily install and remove the smoke only on days that I plan to use it.

Anyways... point is, I know it's a little heavier than spec now... I'll probably be lightening it... but I bought it to fly it. So that's what I plan to do :)

Tom

[Soclarke]

I hear you Tom. I normally don't worry about such things.

I'm just suffering the ill affects of a heavy wing loading on my Edge right now and was curious. My Edge will do great aerobatics but the high alpha stuff is out. It's just too heavy.

I'm keen to see you flying this bird. It's a nice looking plane. I might even have to make the looooong drive out to the ORCC field to see you fly it.

[Tom Hastie]

I might even have to make the looooong drive out to the ORCC field to see you fly it.

It wouldn't take too much convincing to get me out to Stetsons sometime too ;) :) Have plane... will travel.

I had the same issue with my Funtana 40, but it was a little piggy with an O.S. 0.91 Surpass in the front. Never could get that thing to harrier properly... then again, maybe it was me.

Tom

[Dave_Sawatzky]

For what it is worth, I have never been able do a decent harrier with my Funtana even when I had the .50 in the nose. Harriers just aren't stable... and beware of trying to turn... it seemed almost impossible to keep that inside wing from dropping (even with those big ailerons). My Tantrum is only a slightly better. I have experimented with "inverse crow" (coupling the flaperons to the elevator). helped some but not much. However I find the "crow" does wonderful things for inverted flat spins and knife edge spins.

Curiously, both Tantrum and Funtana are rock stable in inverted harriers. I wonder if it is due to the slipstream over the rudder? That would seem to be the main difference between upright and inverted harrier.

[6cuda6]

So Tom....."GO DAY" this weekend????

Dean

[Tom Hastie]

I think so... assuming the field isn't a giant mud pit, I'll probably give her a go SOMETIME this weekend.

I might leave it fairly open ended to avoid getting too huge a peanut gallery for the maiden flight - Which will be boring to watch anyways. It'll be way up in the stratosphere doing lazy circles until I get more experience/confidence with the engine. Results will be posted here though.

After flying nothing but electric for two and a half years, it's already a bit strange getting used to the idea that my engine could deadstick at some point :p

Tom

[Tom Hastie]

Snuck out yesterday afterwork to give the the Yak a go.

Mixed results. :) I have a little bit of repairing to do today.

The engine fired up beautifully. About the 10th flip with choke on it barked at me. 2 flips later it was idling away. Transition from idle to full throttle was smooth and quick on the DA factory needle settings. So after an engine running range test I refueled, and went for it.

Flew great.... I think I needed on click of elevator trim and one click of aileron trim. The engine turned out to be quite rich in the air, so after a few circuits I landed to collect my nerves and refuel.

The second flight didn't end as well. Seems the landing gear reinforcement wasn't quite enough. It wasn't that hard a landing, but the soft spring terrain probably was what did it. It seems it was gonna happen at some point, so I'm glad it was a clean break.

As I type this I'm waiting for epoxy to cure... I've redone the landing gear area with some 1/4" plywood. So it shouldn't be coming out again. Remounting the blind nuts once that's dry and assuming one of the LHSes has a new propeller, we should be good for a second try tomorrow.

Here are some pics that Dave R snapped. It's a brand new camera for him, so he wasn't quite in focus during the crunch landing... but you can get a general idea from the picture.

Tom

[6cuda6]

WOO HOO!!! It's alive!!! Glad to hear that it's what you expected....now get her all fixed up so we can all see it fly tomorrow!!!!

I guess it's just like a new car....once it's scratched you can giver the ghost!!!:D

Awesome Tom.....

[John Weekes]

Yep, now you can really fly the sh-- out of it! :cool:

I'll see you tonight at Carleton, but I hope you can bring the Yak out to the ORCC field tomorrow...

John

Ps: Thanks for the pics...confirms that I made the right choice in putting my wheels back on the Somethin' Extra just now...:D

[Tom Hastie]

Couple shots of the repair, for those who care.

1. Original landing gear area as built from factory.
2. Landing gear area following crash after cleaning out the crunched wood.
3. Tom's redone landing gear area including 1/4" ply going right to the firewall.

Here's hoping it stays put this time!!!

Tom

[6cuda6]

Well if that don't do it Tom you'll just have to convince the club exec. to pave the runway or pull the "hover and catch...a la electric"....or just remind them that it will happen to their planes as well...:D

Hopefully we'll get to see this and everyone elses awesome planes out tomorrow!!!!

Later, Dean

[Tom Hastie]

With the dumping of snow, I'm thinking that the field will only be wetter and softer tomorrow :mad: Not sure if I'll be trying her out tomorrow... We'll see.... I"ll most likely be out with SOMETHING to fly by lunch/early afternoon timeframe.

Tom

[Kelwilk1]

Very nice job on your Yak Tom. I cant wait to see it fly :)

Kelly

[John Weekes]

I think it will hold...and I am one of those "who care". ;)

You were probably wise to skip flying today...the 1" or so of snow melted quickly but the ground is pretty soft. I nosed over my 40-size Stinger a couple of times (flipped right over the first time).

No sun...oh well it was still a fun day. I helped Tyler Blackwell with his second outing flying (no buddy box)...impressive to see how quickly these young guys take to the sticks...won't be long before he'll be tearing around on his own...:D

John

[6cuda6]

Tom, i think the guy's were a bit dissapointed that you no showed.....i think John is right, the Yak would have been a bench warmer but it was still a good time.

Dean

[Tom Hastie]

I'm awful sorry that the Yak was a no show.

Main thing is that it's still in one piece... :)

Don't worry... anyone who knows me also knows that I don't own any hangar queens. She'll be out at the ORCC alot!

Tom

[6cuda6]

Tom,

Any more hours on that airframe yet???? :D

Dean

[Tom Hastie]

Yup... managed to get 3 more flights since Friday... Total of 5 flights on the airframe.

Flies great but it's reminding me about all the annoyances of flying internal combustion..... programming idle up so that your engine doesn't die when you do a spin... trying to land without reducing your throttle trim all the way... wondering if the engine will throttle up after this low pass ;) etc etc.

I'm sure this will all pass once I get used to and confident in the DA.

All my landings post gear repair were greasers... Either I'm getting better with the airframe, or I'm just being really cautious. Probably a little of both.

Handling wise, I think we have a winner. The 5955s feel sliky smooth and precise in the air. Rolls start and stop instantly. It only takes a hair of rudder for knife edge, and there's minimal coupling towards the gear.

I tried some harriers, and there seemed to be some wingrock, but it seemed to damp out once I got to about 60 degrees nose up... I'm not sure... it's hard to tell when you're doing it at 500ft:p

I'd be out there now if it wasn't so windy... hmph!... maybe Friday after work.

Tom

[Tom Hastie]

What a day of flying yesterday. When I got home, I think it looks like I ran 3/4 of a gallon of fuel through the DA-50 yesterday. It's running great, but I think I might have to program a throttle curve into my TX. It feels like she gets to full throttle at roughly 60% stick.

Other than that the plane is handling beautifully. Very predictable... I ran through the Basic IMAC routine a couple times with Dave calling for me, and it sure made things slower and easier to have a big plane to pace yourself through the maneuvers.

One surprise I had was when I tried to do a tumble from knife edge. On my smaller electrics I find it's fun, when holding left wing high knife edge to blip full left rudder, down elevator and left aileron. The plane does a pseudo lomcevak and tumbles over before returning to knife edge. Anyways... I tried it with the Yak, and it did an additional full tumble after I released the control inputs before recovering in a vertical nose down attitude :eek: Seems that 18lbs of body in motion tends to stay in motion alot more than a 3lb electric :) Ah well... gotta remember to try stuff like this high before I get too cocky.

Here's a couple of pics that Dave R snapped... Hmmm... that knife edge might make a good Avatar :rolleyes:

[6cuda6]

Tom

After seeing that plane in person she's a beauty!!! Love the colors!!! It was great to watch you play with it like a big electric...i actually had to leave, i was wanting one more and more...you were making it look sooooo easy!!!! I found myself dreaming of owning one and i don't even fly...lol.....

Hummm maybe you can teach me if i get one....buddy box on a 30% anyone????...lol.....

Can't wait to see it again and watch you do "what you do"!!!

Later, Dean

[John Weekes]

The other feature that is VERY predictable is the start sequence for the DA-50. Helping Tom with the model, we noticed that it always starts the same way:

1) Choke until it pops
2) Open choke and flip 4 or so times on idle
3) You notice a slight change in the sound of the flip (not really a pop)
4) Next flip it starts...every time.

...That pretty much describes it, eh Tom? You might want to fine-tune my description since it is you who is doing this every time...

John

[Tom Hastie]

Yup... if there's one thing I can say about the DA so far is that it's consistent. If it keeps running the way it is now, Tom will be one happy camper.

I think that perhaps the cooler temperature on Saturday combined with the fact that I was letting it sit around alot between flights meant that it preferred to be choked before each start.

Those things will change when it gets warmer, and when Shahram finally breaks down and gets off of MY CHANNEL 50! Don't believe him when he tells you that he was on channel 50 first. My first channel 50 transmitter was 1989.

Tom

[John Weekes]

Ahem...2.4GHZ ;)

[Richard Hinz]

2.4: :D Just waiting to see what comes out after the Toledo show. 9 Chanel's would be nice.

Tom, back to wing loading, my modified Midwest 260 will harrier no problem at all. Its at 29 oz sq/in to boot and a little smaller than your Yak. You should be fine for 3D I think.

Sure 27 oz sq/in would be better for all out 3D, but I don't think it makes that big a difference. Also at 29 oz sq/in it is not so affected by gusts and probably better for IMAC type flying if one should do both:)

[Richard Hinz]

Oh ya futaba, a new 12 channel radio on 2.4 GHZ:D

Some time this summer they say. Now I have to wait!!!!

http://www.flyinggiants.com/forums/fg107/14699-flyinggiants-exclusive-introducing-futaba-12fg-modules-more.html

OK now, back to the Yak. Sorry Tom.

[Tom Hastie]

I've also been reading that thread on 'giants.

If a module and receiver is reasonably priced it just might be worth it. I'd be OK with swapping modules to flip between my 72Mhz and 2.4gig planes. I'm not sure if I have the $$$ to go with the 12Z and change over all my planes to SS.

Tom

[Richard Hinz]

This is not a module and receiver that you plug into the 12Z, it is a dedicated 2.4 GHZ system from the ground up. I quote:

"Today Futaba releases a killer new radio system designed from the bottom up, chalk full of 2.4 Gigahertz technology! Introducing the all new 12FG 2.4 FASST system! Boasting 2048 G3 resolution coupled with the uber fast transmission speeds of 2.4Ghz"

I need a new radio, I have been flying with a Futaba 6XA for the last 5 years:confused:

I have paid my dues, I want a nice radio and if they can keep the price reasonable :eek: I may get one ( me thinks its going to be pricey:( )

Actually what I really wanted is a 9C price ranged radio in 2.4. Who knows JR can't be far behind, no!

[Tom Hastie]

Yup... I understand it's a full system. And if I was still on my T6Xas, I'd be considering the full system... but since my 9C does what I need it to do (most of the time), I'm not sure I want to jump in all at once.

I think I'd rather take my time... maybe get a Tx module and Rx... it's alot less painful when the Visa statement comes if I spread it out like that ... heh heh...

Tom

[Tom Hastie]

My scouts have returned from Toledo... bearing gifts.

[6cuda6]

Tom, did you manage to get this Yak out of GLIDER mode on sunday???:p

Dean

[Tom Hastie]

Yup... thankfully, Dave P and Brian W, managed to help me figure out what my problem was.

To those who weren't there, I had 3 deadsticks in three flights with the DA-50. Each deadstick was a progressively better landing as I learned the gliding characteristics of the Yak. :)

I suspected the engine was going lean in the air, so I was richening the mixture to try to solve the problem.

The real story was stupidly obvious... or at least it SHOULD have been stupidly obvious. I had lost the plug for my fuel dot on the Yak. No problem, I thought... I just replaced the plug temporarily with a short 10-32 machine screw. I've done this lots of time to plug silicone fuel line on glow aircraft before. However, it turns out that with the stiffer tygon tube and the fact that the gas engine sucks (as opposed to a glow engine... which BLOWS) fuel, the engine was sucking air through the screw threads and leaning the mixture.

A little bit of digging through my tool box, and I found an old golf tee that plugged the tygon line. The golf tee doesn't have threads, and makes a nice seal in the tygon line.

Now my mixture was stupid blubbery rich, but the engine wasn't quitting. It took several more flights to re-lean out the mixture back to where it started...

The moral of the story: When something is different... ask yourself, "What was the last thing I changed".

On the brightside, at least the yak isn't a dead-stick virgin anymore. :)

Tom

[Tom Hastie]

For those who might not have been out at the field recently, the Yak is still going strong. I've probably gone through 12-13 gallons of gas this summer in it so far. (It has a 450cc tank in it, so if each flight is a full tank that's roughly 110 flights so far!)

Dave Penchuck was kind enough to cut me out some Vinyl for the aircraft. I've added a large Holographic "DA" logo for the cowling, some name tags beneath the canopy, and some IMAC logos to the aft fuselage.

Hopefully the added "Bling" will impress the judges this weekend in Belleville :)

Tom

[Tom Hastie]

More fun with the Yak here

For once the weather actually co-operated. Installed my smoke system on Thursday, and Sunday morning was dead calm, without a single cloud in the sky.

The smoke did make a bit of a mess, but was too much fun especially hovering, and losing sight of the plane in a cloud of smoke. My second favourite maneuver is the flat spin with smoke on. The smoke billows past the wing and canopy.

Here's a couple of pictures. There are some more here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tom.hastie/SmokeOn

I installed the smoke tank in my (unused) cannister tunnel. This let me put the fluid right on the CG, so there's no change in trim during the flight. the 750mL tank that comes with the plane for smoke appears to last for a 10 minute flight nicely. (that's switching the smoke on and off.... I'd probably get 6 minutes if I left it on continuously). I can notice less float on the flare for landing with the additional weight in the plane.

Rest of the system is:
Sullivan Skywriter Smoke Pump
2-cell 7.4V 1320mAh lipo
Slimline Smoke Muffler.
Super-Dri Smoke Oil

Enjoy the pictures.

Tom