ElectricFlight
by stew meyers You can reach Stew Meyers at 8304 Whitman Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20817, or via e-mail at
stew.meyers@
verizon.net
PHOTOGRAPHY: STEW MEYERS
Skylake Models N-11 showing removable cowl (above left) and rubber opening. The rigging has not been installed yet. Skylake Models Pup (above
F
irst, I am sorry to report the Aries Tiger Moth that I reported on last time has been recalled for radio problems. Too bad, mine worked fine and flew great. Hopefully it will be back. Second, I have gotten my hands on a Fly- zone Micro S.E. 5a Tx-R. I use the AnyLink Tx module with my old Hitec Flash 5 trans- mitter and a TACM0003 adapter. It’s a good combination.
I like the fact that I can leave it plugged in and it is only powered when the transmitter is turned on. I mixed the rudder and aileron so the right stick now controls the rudder, which is consistent with my other three- channel models. My only complaint was that I needed to enlarge the battery bay to keep the connector from popping off when the battery is inserted. It flies about like the Al- batros, Fokker Dr-I or Nieuport, which is to say very nice indeed.
Last time, I left you with the teaser that Depron® is not the only way to go for a micro R/C model. Both the Parkzone and Flyzone
right). The cowl is built integral to the fuselage and the rubber opening is a 3⁄4- inch square behind the black disk where a dummy motor should be.
ultra micro foamies seem to fall into the range of 12- to 18-inch span. Assuming that we are going to use this equipment, Dime - scale (16-inch span) and Walnut scale (18- inch span) models are prime candidates. There is quite a range of Comet, Guillows, and Dumas kits that fall into this category. Even the larger R/N and Sterling models work well.
As you may have figured out, I am a bi-
plane and WWI fan. Over the years, I have built all the Guillows 18-inch WWI biplane 100 series as rubber, CO2, and now electric power freeflights. Plans for these are avail- able at Hip Pocket Builder’s Plans Gallery
www.hippocketaeronautics.com. An electric model of a rotary engined plane will weigh less than a rubber version as the c.g. of the electric system will be well forward of that of a rubber motor, eliminating the need for bal- last. DCP
http://dpcmodels.homestead.com also has a nice range of suitable WWI models. The ubiquitous PKZ P-51 is more than enough for scale-like flight with these. On
the lower end of the scale, the PKZ J-3 motor will handle the Dime scalers. I found it to be too much power for a Comet Fokker D-7 freeflight. Naturally if a radio is used the motor can be easily throttled down. The Deltang receivers compatible with Spektrum DSM2 weigh the same as the Pico timer I would otherwise use. I think of it as variable timer. Of course a Plantraco will work as well. For three grams more you can go ahead and add rudder and elevator with a Vapor brick.
Of course those grams add up and in- creased wing loading makes for uncomfort- able flying in a small gym. Those scratch- built WWI foamies I showed you last month and the Flyzone WWI series fall into this category. They are great outside, but faster than I like inside. The solution is to build something bigger with more wing area that doesn’t weigh much more. You might think the little servos would not have enough torque for these larger models, but the flight loads vary as the
AR6400 receiver mounted to a removable tray (above left) with magnets on the ends of the control links. Note the beam mounts for a P-51 motor, the battery mounts on the other side. Comet Dime Scale Fleet (above center) showing
38
battery and original receiver forward position. Finshed Fleet(above right) with receiver moved back one bay. The U/C is held on by magnets for access to radio electronics.
MARCH 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68