Murray Hackney 1

Can I refer you way back to my post of 12.06.15. We have an extremely bumpy grass strip, and my Vulcan still flies well to this day off my lightweight trolley. Maybe I was lucky, but I have not changed anything since my original modified specification. Hope this helps!

Hi Neil, your 3000s will be heavier than my 2300s, so I must be more spritely with less duration, and I have not moved cog. Can't figure out why you have large trim change with power changes. I don't, no mix, and I leave the trim alone. Very interesting ! I find a slow "high alpha" approach with some power gives a very gentle and short flop on grass. No danger of tip stall! Wishing you good flying......Murray

Hi Neil, have you flown your Vulcan yet? I can now stretch flights to 6 mins, leaving 25% in the batteries, with the occasional roll. Not having rudder, I find the nose tends to drop in turns, so I keep them gentle and throttle up a bit, then ease off when straight. Interested to know how other people are getting on...Murray

Neil, it looks right so it should fly right! My Vulcan is 3 lbs 12 oz plus 1 lb. batteries, and you've seen how it takes off even on rough grass. Did you remove all rudder gear and hardwood gear blocks? Can't see if you have splitter inside the intake - I think that's important too. I also carved the rear of the dolly to fit the jet pipes, stops it sliding around on the bumps, and I just give full up elevator after about 20 yards or so. Jumps off at surprisingly slow speed then accelerates away. Found it looks more scale speed at half throttle, and I can now get 5.5 mins easy. With occasional belter you can do the famous Vulcan wing over! No howl though.....Murray

Don't have your email address?

Hi Neil, I have tried to add pics, but failed! Being 80 I'm not up to it! Any way I could email you? I even have a very poor video (phone) of a take off on our extremely rough grass, and a pic of the dolly which would make all clear.

way to go, Neil. I did this back in June 15, but not to such high standard as yours! My Vulcan flies fine with the original 5 blade 3 cell off a three wheel foamy dolly. And 5 mins is easy if I don't belt it at a non scale speed. Only problem with dolly, a mate has to retrieve it, as I haven't mastered the art of landing back on it! My other preferred way with edf is to mount a single unobtrusive wheel just in front of cg., and this saves all the landing gear weight.

way to go, Neil. I did this back in June 15, but not to such high standard as yours! My Vulcan flies fine with the original 5 blade 3 cell off a three wheel foamy dolly. And 5 mins is easy if I don't belt it at a non scale speed. Only problem with dolly, a mate has to retrieve it, as I haven't mastered the art of landing back on it! My other preferred way with edf is to mount a single unobtrusive wheel just in front of cg., and this saves all the landing gear weight.

I have a couple of edf models and I copied an idea from a mag. It involves setting in a single wheel just in front of the c of g . Not much of the wheel shows underneath, and it is not really visible in flight. No ground looping either, as ailerons effective almost from the start. This means that (depending on the design) the wheel can be as large as you can get in, and quite thin and lightweight. Mine is rog on fairly rough grass. Can't use flaps though!

No, Glenn, bog standard Mr mad thrust units. My Vulcan balances ok with the batteries in the wheel area.....did cheat a bit by punching through the shear web! Also I have air scoops in and out to each ESC for cooling, and I just left the battery bays open, with a simple alloy retainer. No way to get the Vulcan howl though!.....Murray

Trying to post a pic of my Vulcan intakes, but no joy with iPad. I have started an album, but no "insert" facility. Any ideas? I really believe the alteration makes all the difference. Had a couple of flights today and the cruise is less than half throttle. Must be some stalling of intake air at the flat bulkhead, and fairing this out presumably smooths it out and produces more power. 5 minutes no problem with 2600 batteries. I don't have a rudder servo, doesn't seem necessary. Nice flier!

Yes, I do get it and I'm full of admiration.....envious, too, I couldn't do it !

I am awestruck by your wonderful detail! Occurred to me that my 9 year old Airsail kit had nice plastic mouldings for the fin to fus. fillet, tail cone, rudder horn bulge, wing fillets, underwing fillets, cowl, canopy ( complete with instructors bulges) . So I had a whole lot less work to do, and I was flying within 4 weeks of getting the kit......but then I was very retired. If anyone else is not so keen on concours prizes, I just copied the panel from the net, stuck in a standard ww2 pilot with made up harness. ( Uni squadrons in the 50s used full RAF gear, right down to the oxy mask, boots, Mae West, parachute, etc. no oxy of course, just used for comms, and probably to get us used to wearing all that gear. A good source of pics is the Caledonian Chipmunks site.

My goodness, - the rivets! I would be frightened to commit aviation with something so painstaking...I just used a tube in a soldering iron on profilm. And I didn't count them, near enough is good enough for me- not after any scale prizes. Still flies ok. Also not scale, but I have a steerable tail wheel, I'm pushing 80, so don't like a long retrieve! The full size has differential brakes, but that would be a scale detail too far! Battery feeds in port cowl hinged panel, but I left a solid part at the rear for strength as our roughish grass often produces nose overs...Murray H