E-flite Nieuport 17
Detail of battery mount tray (above left) fabricated from aluminum sheet to keep the battery out of the faux Le Rhone rotary engine. Detail of the battery
at our local Central Plains E-Fly Spectacu- lar who had built this very same kit al- though his was done very differently. He had also modified the ailerons as a control- lable function to the upper wing and of course the additional servo. The model had the flat dihedral upper wing of the full size aircraft and a lot of other details including the second machine gun, pilot with scarf, in- struments, fairings for the landing gear struts, and a host of other small details and paint that mine did not have. All of these changes had added another
11⁄2 to 2 ounces to the finished weight of the flying aircraft, for about another 30% in- crease in weight. The result was a much more demanding aircraft to fly and one which was less suitable for indoor flying. Many of the easy “Slow Flyer” elements were now gone including the pleasure of an easy flying aircraft. So keep it simple and keep it light for best results. A few well done details give a better flying model than one smothered in elaborate details but not a good flyer because it has become too heavy. So without further delay here are the
changes/improvements that I made to this kit.
One of the biggest problems with my kit was the thread material that was supplied
compartment (above right) as viewed from the front of the aircraft. This simple device will keep battery changes simple and secure.
for the rigging. Take the kit material and throw it into the trash. Then go to a good fabric and sewing store and buy a spool of silver/grey pre tensioned heavy duty thread for sewing machines and use that in place of the kit material. The first time I rigged mine using the supplied thread (note that there are four pages detailing the process in the manual) and had glued it all into place I had removed the “spray paint” cans noted and as I was assessing the results of my work there was a “boink” and the whole job went limp. Pulling on the thread rigging revealed
that the thread would give way suddenly when pulled and was not pre-stretched. I had to painstakingly remove all the defec- tive rigging thread and do it all over again with the better quality material. Since using the better quality thread I’ve had no prob- lems and hours of trouble free flying. Battery installation calls for attaching the battery to the model using hook and loop fastener. While this is okay for some, I want- ed a more robust and easy to work with so- lution for this model. The battery area is also tight and removal of a battery held in with hook and loop would be difficult at best. I also like to fly outside at larger sites and so the use of a “Park” receiver was passed over for an AR500 full range sport Rx in-
stead. The difference in size was not that great and the extra length antenna went into the fuselage running front to back. So far this installation has worked very well with no interference problems whatsoever. The issue of the battery retainer was an-
other matter. For a while I used a 1⁄8-inch hardwood dowel with some foam rubber glued to it and mounted crossways between the sides of the opening in the bottom of the fuselage. In the early testing days this worked okay, but with continued installa- tion and removal the fit began to loosen. I then hit upon the installation shown in the photos. The coiled spring is right out of a Bic retractable point disposable pen and the eye fittings are available at any hardware store. The 5⁄32-inch OD aluminum tubing and 1⁄8- inch hardwood dowel came from the hobby store and I used JB Weld to hold it all together. You may have to sand down the doweling
a bit to get a free sliding fit in the aluminum tube and tweak the loops in the eyes with a pair of round nosed pliers, but it won’t take much to get you to the configuration shown. When cured you have a very sturdy assem- bly that you simply squeeze to remove or in- stall. It’s secure and works like a charm. Another issue with the battery installa-
Completed motor, servo, ESC and hookups (above left). Note that everything dense is here for c.g. reasons. Detail of the Lewis machine gun installation
48
(above right). A “dry brush” application of some silvery grey plastic model paint adds to the realism.
MAY 2012
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