Peter Roberts
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Posts posted by Peter Roberts
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I've had my JR 9 channel TX for years and upgraded it with a Spektrum module when they came out.
I have recently been thinking of buying a new one. As I can't get JR kit anymore have been wondering about Spektrum.
Does anyone have any thoughts on the new Spektrum NX series? Are they backwards compatible with my current Spektrum DSM2 and DSMX receivers?
Does the software perform well and what are the downloadable configurations like?
Does the wifi training facility work with other Spektrum Tx's?
Would love to know your thoughts and experiences.
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Have you got any of these buried in your shed spare? Have you smashed this plane and kept the tail and stabilisers? I want left and right stabilisers HAN461005 and 6
I bought the kit some years ago but it went into storage. I opened it to build this week and found its missing the stabilisers. No shops, online dealers, Hangar 9 or Horizon Hobby have any or any plans to make from.
I can’t find any on eBay either! Can you help?
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Keith's advice is good - the bandage I think is a glass fibre bandage - easiest from a wing joining kit - don't stint on it as you need the strength. The obeche covered wings are excellent.
Do you have the assembly instructions with the kit?
I would also suggest using protex, or solartex or similar for covering - the fibres built into the covering add 30% to the strength of the finished model - a lot stronger than ordinary solarfilm and counts in a major way to the integrity of the plane.
On Epoxy I absolutely use 1hr epoxy the slower set makes it significantly stronger. I use it for major construction projects. Otherwise worth having 20/30 min for quicker sets.
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Posted by Wilco Wingco on 16/10/2020 17:08:22:
I recently had a conversation with Paul Heckle regarding the engine for a Flair Kite. He recons that most people over power them and recommended that an OS 48 FS is more than enough power for a learner. He should know ???
Absolutely great advice - and I bow to Paul Heckles as he is a brilliant instructor, examiner and flyer and has helped me in setting up and has a wonderful emphasis on the importance of correct mechanical setup. He can make the Kite sing as well as fly. I originally flew my Kite on an OS 40 which I found underpowered and somewhat un responsive to the weight of the build. I later replaced the engine. In building electric I err on the side of excess power to handle the weight of the build. I had no guidance so was guessing at a lot of it. My club now has the electric version as one of its trainers.
Edited By Peter Roberts on 18/10/2020 11:55:55
Edited By Peter Roberts on 18/10/2020 11:56:28
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Dear Bas,
You asked about 'electrification' specs. I wanted to modify the basic kit to allow flight under electric power without compromising the inherent strength of the Kite which is one of the things great as a trainer to give confidence and to deal with sudden 'arrivals'. So worked on providing plenty of power to handle the relatively heavy build.
I also wanted it to have a reasonable duration (8-10 mins) leaving at least 20-25% battery left to secure battery life. In my experience also it has additional power to allow the instructor to 'save' it if needed and also has the most outrageous vertical performance (if that's your thing).
Generally it flies fast enough on no more than half power but has a reserve on 6s to give better duration and confidence.
The specs therefore are
Motor Battery - 5s or 6s LIPO - I use Turnigy 6s 4000 to be housed in modified fuel tank bay
RX power separate NIMH / Eneloop 6v 2500 mah (for all day flying)
ESC - I prefer 80A to keep cool and provide plenty of headroom with XT90 anti spark connectors
Motor - Turnigy G60 500Kva powerful and good value
Prop - 12 x 8 I like APC but the photos show a Master which I fitted first. (My glow version uses 11 x 6 prop). Note on props I do not use 'electric' props as I find them too flimsy and they break regularly in training whereas as standard prop is a lot more durable and its weight is not an issue with the power available.
To keep things cool I opened up the rear cowl slightly and mounted the motor on a ring and rod mount, located the ESC under the fuselage, added air input from the motor bay and via side air scoops and allowed large air extract vents to the rear of the battery location and in the bottom of the rear fuselage for good airflow.
The lipo is located in what was deigned as the fuel tank bay. This is extended rearward by cutting through the bulkhead to allow enough clearance to insert the 6s from the front but with the connectors at the rear of the compartment above the large vent hole which also allows the ESC cable connections.
I hope that helps
Peter
Edited By Peter Roberts on 18/10/2020 11:59:14
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My understanding is that the inventor of the Kite was 'jbaviation' and supplied ATS flying school (in which Paul Heckles was one of the instructors) with the Kite which became known as the ATS Kite. I think that version contained modifications suggested by the school to improve it as a trainer.
I think the man who built the Kites for ATS eventually became ill and wasn't able to continue his business and only supplied ATS. I think eventually this wasn't possible and Flair became interested in taking over the manufacture of the Kite and outsourced it to China but to their spec. I was told they had to have a minimum order of a large number of kits and when finally delivered to the UK didn't sell in as big numbers as they hoped so they never commissioned another batch.
At the time Flair beat me to it as I entertained ideas of taking over or licensing the design because I thought it an exceptional plane but that wasn't to be. I still think it an exceptional plane
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I totally understand your learning frustration - when I was learning I got 2 flights buddied ona Sunday morning because I was working and eventually decided to go to Paul Heckles - had 2 days there and was successfully taking off, flying round an landing (1 good in 3) and made a massive difference.
If you've emailed Paul Heckles try phoning that's how I last got held of him.
Good luck
Peter
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Brilliant Robin,
There you go Bas and a reasonable price too - go for the kit!
If you don't do let me know our club might want one as another trainer!
Peter
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Hi Bas,
I'm sure you'll really enjoy learning on it. However, once you are flying solo you might want to up throws a little by moving the servo connecting rods to the middle of the control surface horn which will give you much more travel on the control surfaces. The best exponent I have ever seen of flying a Kite in an amazing but safe fashion is Paul Heckles at his school outside Swindon just off the M4. He has 6 or 7 of the Kites as trainers. Once flying if the pandemic rule allow its great to have a day there - maybe with a friend - you'll learn a lot and get a great amount of 'stick' time. http://www.paulhecklesrc.co.uk/en/top/home/
He also flies the Weston Obsession for advanced aerobatics which is a lovely machine to fly too.
Will keep my eyes open
Enjoy your flying
Peter
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There still maybe a kit available somewhere online - it isn't an ARTF only as a kit which takes about 40hrs to build (the way I do it). I found the kit to convert to electric this way. If you get chance to get one - do you wont regret it.
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PS I altered the build to allow for a collapsible undercarriage - supported by rubber bands on posts just like the wings. They have saved my models a number of times in long grass and I heartily recommend the mod.
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Hi Basil and Paul,
I have built Mk3 and Mk4 versions of the kite from the ATS and Flair kits. They are great models although I fly Mk4 on an OS 56 (started with an OS 46) and the Mk3 I electrified. I have posted some photos of the conversion in the gallery.
The plans I have were provided in the original kit but are not scale plans merely to support build instructions. I do have a copy of the build instructions. If of any interest and you would like to message me I'll photo both and put into pdf's for you - no charge. I would love to get hold of the scale building plans but have never seen any. I don't know what Flair's position would be on supplying a copy but suspect that the detail is somewhere in China!!
I hope this helps
Peter
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I still have the plans to support building instructions for the Kite if you still need them. I learnt with ATS on a Kite (using glo fuel), still keep it as my go to plane when I've not flown for a while and developed an electric version based on a MK3 kit.
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Interesting discussion. What's clear is the passion everyone feels about their club which is really important. There is also a huge variety in number of fields, premises, facilities and availability.
We have a lovely club with 40+ members and sometimes a waiting list for a single mown field just out of town but a good flying arc facing North with an east west strip of 80 x 20 m with flared corners (haven't the space for two strips).We have reasonable relationships with a farmer who demands 000's in rent, grows stuff around us and drives his heavy tractors along a soft access road to the strip. Of course it would be nice to have a Tarmac runway, better access road and clubhouse but we don't have the money and the farmer wouldn't allow it - hate to think what he would want for rent.
We also have planning permission which cost a lot of time effort and fees over the years. We have a new sit on mower after years of a hand petrol mower. With a relatively small club we do charge a one off small joining fee which has been important to help us save for the lumps of expense that come our way (new mower, fees, she'd etc). Cost of membership is in the middle range of the survey which we think is a bargain for a hobby where we have availability for 3 afternoons during the week until dusk and Saturdays and Sunday's during the day. Electric only on a Sunday and after 7pm. Most members prefer to pay their BMFA subs through the club and we reduce fees for juniors and families.
We are lucky to have an obstruction free grass strip with no animals as there is little space in our locality for strip with good flying space away from neighbours or residences. We welcome all types of flyers but are mostly fixed wing with a few quads and helicopters. We rely on one or two members as teachers but have ages from 8 to 80 and welcome all experiences.
Edited By Peter Roberts on 07/11/2016 10:35:57
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I've finally managed to get near my glider to continue!! - Lots of things happening in our house over the last month including my breaking my left foot - which makes standing in a field for flying a little more challenging. However...
I've managed to get the RX installed next to the elevator servo under the canopy but have found that the flaps only seem to travel down and not up at all and the horn is in top of the flap hinge and seems to need a rod through the wing at 45º from the servo. I've read somewhere that the servo arm needs to be set 30º toward the leading edge to get the necessary throw for max flap movement! Does anyone else use this? Do you have to adjust the sub trim for flaps to get enough travel?
The saga continues
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Thank you Gary, I look forward to trying this all out with my JR 9XII!
Really appreciate the help, thank you
Peter
Edited By Peter Roberts on 04/07/2016 22:24:29
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Wow - thank you guys I really appreciate your help and look forward to trying this out. If the motor goes into channel 7 what is channel 5 (gear) used for?
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Gary, I would be interested to understand your programming set up?
Steve J, thanks - interesting idea of putting the remote receiver into the stabiliser.
How do you programme the left slider to be used as spoilerons instead of the Throttle stick?
As you can tell I have very little experience of programming on my JR9XII. It was a triumph to work out how to get dual flaps and dual ailerons working on my Cirrus 22T. The ideal of the left slider for spoilers seems a neat solution and leave the throttle on its stick all the time.
At the mo - programming makes my head hurt!
Thanks for your help
Peter
PS Any photos for Spekky rx installs in glider?
Edited By Peter Roberts on 01/07/2016 22:30:14
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I'm a novice to gliders although a club fixed wing pilot for 8 years in both glow and electric. I'm struggling with 2 things related to my first glider
a) rx mounting? - I want to fit a Spekky 7 series receiver in a glider - does anyone have a photo how they've laid out the cockpit area please?
b) programming my JR9XII for 6 servos and motor
I've now got a V2 Vitesse 3 meter lovely looking glider and I want to fit my spekky 7 DSM2 rx and satellitte into a narrow glider fuse which is already very full of motor, esc, lipo and elevator servo.
Any innovative ways so as deal with all the cables and ensure that the 2.4 aerials don't get crushed and the satellite is suitably fixed too. The only photo I've seen of a layout is that in the Hangar 9 Mystique by downloading the manual.
Next challenge is then programming my JR9XII radio. I've downloaded a couple of articles from the web and clearly the throttle stick is to be used for the flaps and one 3 position switch gives launch, cruise and landing modes with the motor I think on a switch and only accessible for takeoff. What if I need to go around ? is there any way of using the motor on the stick if the crow braking is not activated?
Any articles, setup of photos or advice gratefully received please.
Can anyone help me please?
Many thanks
Peter
Edited By Peter Roberts on 01/07/2016 18:12:35
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I've now got a V2 Vitesse and some of the issues have been addressed although I still had to trim 2 mm off the base of the rudder and getting linkages to fit rudder would have been easire with a very small connector (not supplied) I still had to carve out some of the access at the rear to allow the rudder linkage to operate. Too much cable for wing servos is still an issue. Wings are very tight to fit the Multilok - the red plastic wedge they supply is obviously to help separate the wings after a flight.
I'm struggling with 2 things a) rx mounting? - I want to fit a Spekky 7 series receiver - does anyone have a photo how they've laid out the cockpit area please? b) programming my JR9XII I've picked up one article from the web but ideally would like to be able to program so that I have motor on normal throttle stick at least during launch phase understanding that I'm not sure wether I'll need it available during landing and how I go on if I need it during another phase. The programming article I've found sets up launch, 'normal' landing. - Any articles, setups or advice gratefully received please.
Many thanks
Peter
Edited By Peter Roberts on 27/06/2016 14:31:28
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I love my Hangar 9 22T Cirrus which I have kitted out with an Electric setup power by 2 x 5s 5000 lipos. I like it so much I have started to fit lighting to it.
However I have one really irritating problem. The nylon nosewheel mount keeps breaking frequently and you have to buy a whole new front wheel kit to replace. I am fairly careful with my landings but the slightest error results in the nylon mount ripping apart. I'm looking for a good design to replace this and wonder if anyone else has solved this problem. I admit I fly off a lovely grass field which is well mown.
Can anyone help please?
Many thanks
Peter
Edited By Peter Roberts on 06/03/2016 23:39:26
Edited By Peter Roberts on 06/03/2016 23:40:03
Edited By Peter Roberts on 06/03/2016 23:40:39
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I originally bought a Vitesse from the Dortmund show a couple of years ago and had to return it when I discovered that there were tailplane issues. Staufenbiel suggested I ripped out the tail servo and put a different one in but as I had bought it PNP I decided that if I damaged the plane they wouldn't want to recompense me!
They tell me that the latest batch of V" has solved all thse problems and as this is 2016 I hope so and have ordered one. I wonder if anyone has any 'improved experiences' other than those listed here?
I wonder as a subscriber whether I can download Mike Freeman's October 2013 article as I think the instructions (in German) don't translate well and realize how good Hangar 9 instructions are by comparison.
Peter
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Robert
I'm sure others will tell you more accurately than I but I think it is already in force and it says that if you already have DSM/ DSM2 you can carry on flying using it and buy only as long as existing stocks last as none can be manufactured for sale in the EU countries! I was going to buy from the USA where they are still on sale until I realised that they would be to US spec and power.
Pete
Thanks for your advice - I didn't think the new X Rx would work with my Spektrum module and I was told at W&W that Horizon weren't prepared to license Spektrum software to JR so I guess it would be up to them if they produced a module to fit my 9.
Peter
Edited By Peter Roberts on 28/06/2015 14:44:32
Edited By Peter Roberts on 28/06/2015 14:49:03
Edited By Peter Roberts on 28/06/2015 14:49:25
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Thanks for the advice guys. Obviously you've found some interesting solutions to the problem. More things for me to look at and consider.
Naively I had hoped to be able to fit my existing 35 and spectrum DSM modules to the JR XG11 module version which having spoken to JR and looked closely at one being sold off realise that wouldn't work. Didn't like the feel of anything else I handled although some features sounded interesting. So thanks for giving me others to look at.
I am still interested to know about anyone else who has gone through this process from or with a JR9.
Thanks so much
Peter
Spektrum NX radios - are they worth it?
in General Radio Discussion
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Thanks for sharing your NX experience. Having had my JR and Spektrum Module combo for some years without problems with either Tx or any Spektrum Rx I concluded the JR kit and module were good and reliable especially as Spektrum kit was built on adapted JR kit. I was sad that HH USA wouldn't sell me an updated module with DSM2 & DSMX compatibility. The JR screen is a nice big screen and I'm used to the roller selector and menus. I did buy a JR 2.4 module unfortunately just before they ceased business so it was a waste of money for me.
I normally hesitate when new tech is first issued but thought as NX had been out for a while it was worth asking. Doesn't sound like too many responders have taken it up so I do appreciate your feedback. I wonder how good the latest gen of rx's perform and whether together with smart ESC's and batteries they are becoming ambitious or overly complex?
I hope to get some more experiences - thanks to you and all other responders for sharing your experiences.