TX-Deck's R/C PT-40 project

[TX-EcoDragon]

S!TX-UltimateDragonB~

[TX-EcoDragon]

Here's some hover shots of a replica of my ultimate in the Great Planes RealFlight G2 Simulator. This sim is pretty pricey at 199.99, but if you are going to learn from the ground up, it may very well save money, stress and embarrasment in the end. . .especially if you wanted to get into heli flying too. It comes with many popular aircraft, which are adjustable to suit your individual aircraft and flying style. It includes a transmitter that plugs into your machine, and can also interface with whatever transmitter you own, so you can use your actual transmitter to fly it.Hovering lowHovering low, letting the smoke cloud accumulate around meI recorded a video of me flying the Ultimate (in Sean D. Tucker's Oracle scheme) and then played it back while I flew the Great Planes CAP 232 in Brietling colors.S!TX-HuvaDragonB~

[TX-Deck]

Awesome shots of your Bipe Eco, thanks for posting!Well, for those who are interested, I finished up the final details on my PT-40 this weekend, and even had a chance to throw it into the backyard to break the engine in.   Not nearly enough room to fly back there, so I just cranked her over and pretended I was weed-eating whenever the neighbors peeped out their windows.Here's some pics, from the point where I left off last:Essentially all woodwork is complete by this point in time, so I just had to put it together and see what the overall picture will be like:O.S. .46 Max "lite".... actually a Thunder Tiger Pro .46 (about $50 cheaper, little less horsepower than the O.S.):If you look real close you can see the result of the washout jigs, the angle of attack at the wingtips is less severe than at the base of the wings, resulting in that wonderful stall recovery (but less aerobatic performance) trainers are known for:The wings were a touch off balance, so three 1-1/4" drywall screws on the left wingtip and we're in business:Had a hobby shop go out of business a few weeks back, TX-Skoal informed me of a great deal on a field box....  $12!!!:I kept tripping over the latest gadgets brought to the house by Santa over the holidays....  gotta love triplets!:Well, on to the application of the skin, or Ultracote Pearl Blue in this case:Here's part of the stabilizer as seen from underneath the plane:Rear stab and fins done, and then on to the lower fuselage:And a view from the top:This is the only time I hope to see my PT-40 in such disarray and alarming position....   beginning the installation of the wiring, servos, battery pack and receiver:Fuel tank goes in here, just behind the engine:The plans call for the location of the receiver battery to sit just below the fuel tank, but after assembly the center of gravity was too far forward, and I had to get creative.  Any further back would have been too much, so right above the receiver seemed like a great fit.  Turns out that after whipping up this rig, the COG was right on the money.... WHEW!:I failed to get an overall shot and somewhere in here I lost track of total hours to get to this point, but here is the completed PT-40 in the backyard late this afternoon, engine running rich and breaking in for the first time:20 minutes later, still going!  I didn't have the heart to piss my neighbors off with the noise of an engine at full throttle, so I just let her idle out the gas in the tank, which took about 25 minutes.  Later this week I'm going to fire it up and run full throttle and finish the final engine adjustments.  With a little luck and good weather, she'll be ready to take to the airstrip and promptly allow me to start work on my second plane as I total my first this weekend:Gang, sorry for the length of this post, but I just felt like it would be an interesting post.  I'd say I've got about 60 hours total invested in building this plane, and safely I can say my next will be an ARF which will take much less time to get off the ground.  Regardless, I haven't had so much enjoyment from a hobby in quite a while.  I could have been done much sooner but the last two weeks haven't been the best, but I'm back in action and looking forward to some flight both online and offline.  Cya in the skies!TX-Deck out.B~

[TX-EcoDragon]

Excellent Work!! It is nice to be able to move the bat pack around so that as you get more comfy with it you can move the CG back a tad farther to make her a tad more peppy.Looks like she's ready to fly!!And nice crafstmanship. . .just one question though .. is that throttle linkage at 100% in the pic? Otherwise it looks like it will bind . .    :-/I see you are running an APC prop. . they are some of the best. . . only thing that could be better is their weight, but they have the best design out there. They are made buy a guy in my flying club. . .so I got connections now! I cant use them on my Ultimate now though, as I am way too nose heavy, I am running a $40 cnc milled spinner and a zinger prop to keep weight down. TX-EcoDragonB~

[TX-Deck]

Eco,The throttle is pegged in that pic, but I ended up going back and working on that rod a little more to straighten it out somewhat.  The final result was a smooth throttle motion except the servo had a tendancy to attempt to keep pushing when it was already wide open.   A little bit of research and I found that my transmitter has the ability to reduce or increase the throw distance, so after backing down the max point, it was smooth all the way across the throttle range.   Too slick!   Later this week I intend to program the transmitter to have regular throttle controlled by the stick, then flick a switch into the middle position and the plane will automatically throttle down into a low throttle setting, then move the switch again and the engine cuts all the way off.   Basic stuff I'm sure, but I'm still floored by all this stuff and I thought that feature was extremely cool!TX-Deck out.B~

[TX-Deck]

LMAO.....Just noticed a couple of things in the first picture worth noting....Circled in red is an area on my water heater that is rusted out, the result of a misfire from a paintball marker I was once working on.  T-boned the water tank perfectly, and I just left it at the time thinking I could wipe it off later.  WRONG!Circled in blue is my trusty antenna ball, courtesy of Jack-n-the-Box.  It wears a Houston Astros baseball cap and has found a nice home perched upon the antenna of my favorite cordless phone.Just a couple of humorous notes about my cave...TX-Deck out.B~

[TX-EcoDragon]

I am just curious about what radio gear your using.And have you joined the AMA?? Most airstrips, if they are public, require AMA membership. I would love to be there for the maiden flight. . but I guess the drive to texas would cost more than a second airplane. . .Well, looks like Rahman and Cage might be heading into the R/C realm as well.  . .you guys will be a veritable TX-R/C division. . . how cool!I will represent TX in da house at the woodland-Davis Aeromodelers club! (http://www.wdarc.org)WE need TX stickers. . then I can put one on my planes!!check out the vids at www.3dbatix.com to see what is known as "3D" flyingS!TX-UpTooLateDragonB~

[TX-Deck]

I joined the AMA about 3 weeks ago, waiting for all my paperwork to arrive.  At some point this week I'm going on a search for a good local airstrip.  I'd like to find something close by the house, but if I have to drive an extra 20 miles to be more central to Cage and Rahman then it is most definitely worth the trip.  What are some of the things to look for in a quality club and airstrip?I've pretty much made up my mind my next aircraft will be some sort of slow-flying park flyer.  Much easier to walk around the corner to a local baseball field and throw the thing into the air, plus the kids could come along with me on the stroll.  I figure getting an extra battery or two would give me 30 minutes of flight time without having to recharge... just right for an hour neighborhood excursion.Eco, I'm using the Futaba 9CAF, very much overkill for a trainer.  Out of the box it comes with an 8 channel FM receiver, and one can purchase a new receiver to support the 9 channel/PCM capability.  Even as a newb I can recognize that I don't need that much transmitter to get off the ground.  This is the one I purchased in anticipation of needing more down the line with future planes.   Here's a link:  http://www.futaba-rc.com/radios/futj85.htmlTX-Deck out.B~

[TX-EcoDragon]

With respect to picking the club. . . first thing to verify is that it is an AMA sanctioned club. If you have a couple within the same distance from home, then visit them on the days you will allocate to flying. . . many clubs are dead during the week and busy on the weekends. . others are always busy. I tend to like to fly with a select few people. . .so I like the ones where you can get a day in without having to stay in the traffic pattern with 5 other planes. Also, look into their instruction programs, if they have any. I think you had said you had an instructor in mind, some clubs may prefer that their own instructors work with you, unless your friend joins their club. IMHO you should have an instructor who is a friend, and who is available when you need them, and your friend probably fits that bill better than those the club might appoint. It  is nice to have a club that is away from power lines trees and turkey vultures too!! A big field is helpful if you deadstick it in. . . and land short.  Other than that. . . just pick the one that looks good, and is close!Who ever your instructor is, they should do a thorough pre-flight of your plane. . .checking that all control surfaces deflect in the proper direction, that clevises, control horns, servo trays, pushrods and linkages are both slop free and secured in some way so as to not open or loosen in flight. On clevises I like to cut a very short piece of fuel tubing and slip it over the middle of the clevis (just be sure its far enough away from the horn to interfere) to keep it from opening up. Also, they should check that no servos are binding. . .like that one you worked on for your throttle. The endpoints should all be set up so that some additional control deflection is possible. If the servo is pushing against something it will RAPIDLY drain your onboard power supply. . .and when that happens it is like your pilot just had a heart attack . .  . .its bad!Also, the low end idle should be such that you can keep the plane stopped with the engine running smoothly, and the high end needle adjustment should be done with the model at full power and pointed nose up about 60 degrees. Start the needle valve at about 2 1/2 turns open, and slowly close it until the RPM peak, then open it about a quarter turn. This adjustment should be done every time you fly the plane (not each flight on the same day necessarily) as ambient temp and pressure will affect the fuel/air mixture. Remember that setting the needle to give best power on the ground, will result in a lean mixture in flight, your engine will run hot, and may quit altogether. .. so always turn it back 1/8 to 1/4 from peak. Boy. . .you proabably have all this in your manuals. . .but anyway. . . I am a talker!!! lolBTW. . . . nice radio. . . .heheheS!TX-EcoDragonB~

[TX-Deck]

Topic moved to new R/C forum, Thanks Rahman!I've got some updates for this thread, more to come soon.TX-Deck out.

[TX-Deck]

Quick update on my PT-40 project.  To date I still have not had a chance to get some stick time in on it, but it has been flown by an instructor and deemed airworthy.  He made some good recommendations on some of the construction features, and I will be making some changes soon.  Nothing really concerning the structure of the airframe, mostly cosmetic.At the time of completion, I didn't really think I wanted to scratch build again, but have recently changed my mind on this matter.   I've got another project in the works, but still in the procurement stages.  Pics and details to come soon, that is if I can find a good time to start it!TX-Deck out.

[LW_Tornado]

Sweet looking bird Manford, about the totaling the first one, heres a lil story of an old neighbor of mine.He built the most beautiful Cap 21, Red white and Blue like the skin Eco kinda came up with, i watched him spend all the hours and meticulous attention to detail and what and wasome bird he made. It was the type ya skinned , and tightened it wiht the heat gun. Had like a .61 or somethin like that. I was pleased to go with him and his son to witness the innagural flight. He started it, it ran fine, he took off all was fine, got it up to around 200 feet was flying level, then all of a sudden , he couldnt control it !! He handed the controls to a veteran R/C pilot , 3 seconds later it rolled over and nosed down into the ground, the motor was in the fusealage and the wing wre broken back at a 90 degree angle, all things said , he crashed his 400 glider as well, cartwheeled it, soon after  he changed his R/C intentions to the water type, . Good luck my freind, and the bikes are to damn kewl bro, and last but not least " GO Bagwell !!! "S~Tornado

[TX-EcoDragon]

hmmm. . .thats not a very nice story there tornado. . . but I'm sure Deck is unfazed by its morbidity! My Ultimate has been a hangar queen for a while now. . no sooner do I get the plane all set up, pay my AMA and (expensive) club dues, that I realize I really havent the time for this!!! hehehe   Well, I think I need to cut a bigger hole to allow the cylinder head better cooling airflow, perhaps thats the issue with the engine never quite seeming all there, I just hate big holes in an otherwise smooth cowling. . .I had hoped that the intakes in the front would be sufficient. Next flight I will run it without the cowl, and if it runs better, its time to yank out the dremel.S!TX-EcoDragon

[Greb]

Very Cool PT-40! Bet that little sucker turns and burns! That R/C software looks real fun. In my day you let someone get it off the ground for ya and then they stood next to you ready to snatch the controls out of your hands at any given second! hehehe!!! My father did that quite a few times! LOL!!! Now they have that interconnected buddy cable thingy! of course my father would of just unplugged me a other second! LOL!!! He was real touchy about me crashing his R/C's! Or kites, or crashing his cars! YA KNOW!!! He was wound way to tight!

[TX-FlightRisk]

I just finished a little zero here recently. Its not a RC plane but it is Balsa Wood and Tissue Skin doped. My next Step is a F4U Corsair that is much bigger than this...then a Focke Wulf FW-190 and a BF109 all of which I already own. I could have put a motor in them but I am building them as static displays. After I finish these and my skill has improved I also am going to build one of the T-40 Trainers. They have them here at Hobbytown USA.S~TX-FlightRisk Black 3