The Bonus Build!

[SMaxxin]

This bird is going to be bigger than I expected, will it get a FPV set up?

 

[HPIguy]

Ralph, yes, at Ingles. One of my whopping two options I have here for groceries. I'll do that next time, thanks!

Pete, yeah, it's pretty big. My first giant scale and first gasser, so that's cool in and of itself to me. No FPV for this one, that's the other plane I'm working on. The whole idea behind this one is weight, so when the wind gets up at the club around lunchtime, I simply ground the foam sport cub and fuel up the 12lbs gasser.

 

[HPIguy]

Got a little more done tonight, won't be long now, I can smell the pre-mix!

I opted to go buy a saw and some small stock, and epoxy in mounting platforms for most of my gear. Maybe overkill, but I prefer this method.

Got my Tech Aero Ultra IBEC mounted up right next to the ignition, as far from my RX as possible

Connected everything up and tested with my new radio, RX, and all my gear...

So that I could start installing and mechanically zeroing my linkages

Got my fuel dot, power switch, and ignition warning light installed...

Power on...

Ignition on, green means go. Ignition can be killed from the TX, a must for any large fuel model IMO.

All that's left is to mount my ignition, landing gear, engine, drill and mount my prop, clean up my wiring, and install my AMA sticker. I'm excited and nervous as hell for Saturday morning all at the same time. I called and talked with our safety officer at the club (he's the one that helped me decide to go gas, and let me fly his), and he's going to inspect it and fly it first. This is a large, powerful aircraft that could seriously injure someone or worse. And excited as I may be, I'm not taking that lightly.

 

[SMaxxin]

Now I'm getting excited for Saturday, don't forget the video!

 

[HPIguy]

Thanks buddy! I'll ask Lou if he'll take some video for me.

 

[hamz9561]

Just remember that takeoffs are optional and landings are mandatory for all aircraft and you'll be okay. lol

 

[HPIguy]

LOL, thanks hamz!

Starting to look like an airplane now. Cut the location and mounted my landing gear, mounted my IBEC and ignition, engine is mounted, made my choke and throttle linkages and fuel line ran. Had they not shorted me on tygon fuel tubing, I'd have been done tonight. Didn't have enough to run my vent line. Gotta grab some big zip ties, fuel tubing, mixing oil, and one of those ratcheting cargo bars for the bed of the truck tomorrow to haul this beast around.

 

[SMaxxin]

I see you're watching The hurt locker...good movie!

 

[HPIguy]

I've seen it probably ten times Pete, I agree, great movie.

 

[HPIguy]

Well, she's as ready as she'll ever be. Ready for a kick ass day with my first giant scale bird tomorrow. Beer for scale of course.

 

[HPIguy]

No maiden today. This build was two firsts for me, first giant scale, and first gasser. So I had some of the long time guys at the club inspect it, and there were some things that could be done better, and one that needed fixed ASAP on a gasser. That being a metal throttle linkage connected to a metal carb linkage, that will generate RF noise, not good.

Some of the guys at the club gave me the stuff to fix it, and couple other small items to improve some things. I can't say enough about having a great club to belong to, great guys, all of 'em. Should all be good now, so hopefully tomorrow. Got a guy gonna buddy box with me to make sure it's trimmed and the CG is right, radio programming is right, kill switch works, etc. It's a big plane, swinging a big prop (19x8) that could really hurt someone or worse, so I'm taking it seriously.

 

[Rolex]

You're absolutely spot on by having a real pro inspect and test it. Several years ago a guy at the field had his elevator rip off in mid flight. The club president took his radio to try to help and flew it around for a couple of minutes. Elevators are trimmed for level flight at about mid throttle. He found that it was so perfectly balanced that throttle up made it rise and throttle down made it descend. after a couple of passes at the runway he landed it flawlessly.
I've never done a maiden voyage with a heli other than the little indoor ones. I always had the club heli pro check them and fly them before I ever did. It's amazing what they'll find. Good call on the metal linkages.

 

[HPIguy]

Well, I tried to be as safe as I could Ralph, but not safe enough it appears. Sometimes. life just gives you lemons. We did a post crash analysis, and it appears the spark plug backed out just a bit, which would have created a lot of EMI, and the RX lost signal, and in she went. I tightened that plug as tight as I was willing to into the tiny aluminum head, not tight enough I guess. I'll strip the next one before I let this happen again. I'm just glad it wasn't around people at the time. Still sucks, but oh well, I'll wait for them to come back in stock and try again.

On a side note, she flew fantastic for almost 2 tanks. TONS of power with the 35, unlimited vertical, level flight at around 1/4 throttle, yet nice and docile when you slowed her down. I'll build another one for sure.

Airframe is a write off, as is the throttle servo, and battery, wings can be fixed. It appears everything else survived, considering it went in nose first, that's pretty impressive. I actually thought the motor had been thrown clear, but it was just buried under everything in the cow pasture.

 

[hamz9561]

Maybe try to mount a satellite (remote mount) RX in the next one?

 

[Rolex]

Ah, no. Damn, man. I'm really sorry to see that but it's one of the dangers of flying. You can't just pull over or slow it down in the tall grass. Several years ago I watched a $2000 Viper pattern plane go in on it's maiden voyage. Full throttle, full vertical. I took some pictures but you couldn't identify a single part. They blamed it on a cold soldered joint in the receiver.

 

[HPIguy]

Or, just tighten the plug till the crush washer bottoms out. Besides, Futaba doesn't use satellites.

Yeah, it sucked Ralph, but I'm proud of myself, I handled it very well. Don't think I even consulted the sailors dictionary once.

 

[Rolex]

I was at the field early one morning a few years back and no one else had arrived yet. Not wise to fly alone, but I had a new plane and I could play all by myself. Well, kind of windy that morning but I was having a blast trying to fly it as slowly as I could against the incoming winds. I even had it sitting still a few times when the wind really picked up. On one go around I was hovering it about 200' out while approaching the runway and noticed that it was coming down but it wasn't getting closer. I gave it full throttle just as it got hit by a vicious downdraft and disappeared from view below the end of the runway. There was a steep hill rising from the river to the crest where the flying field was and when I finally got to the plane it was nose deep in the hill in several pieces. I picked the engine out of the dirt and it was still connected to the firewall and the fuel tank and front landing gear and that was the only surviving part.
Oddly enough, it was just kind of an "Oh well. Bummer" kind of moment. I threw the parts in the trunk, went to the hobby shop and bought another one. After building it I never flew on windy days again.

 

[HPIguy]

Ha ha, funny you mention playing in the wind. That's one of my favorite things to do actually. I was watching my friend Mike harrier / hover a 26% Yak54 around like a madman the other day, I have video I'll get up at some point of him doing it.

 

[SMaxxin]

Man that really sucks but I'm pretty sure everyone that flies has gone through it, at least you had a chance to fly it a little before it crashed.

 

[HPIguy]

Yep, very true Pete. I'll be back with another gasser for sure. The sound, cheap operating cost, and super long flight times I just can't say no to.