DocPrinter

Hello again! I'm a beginner flyer, had set up to learn on a foamy, but the wind conditions at the site are limiting my potential flying days. I am therefore advancing a long term sky 40 repair project. It is being converted from IC to electric. I'm ready to glue on a new firewall. I've two schools of thought on getting the thrust angles set. 1) Glue on setting it up by eye. Request a club member to test fly it. Trim the motor mount from the wood with shims/washers until test pilot happy with it. 2) Glue on setting it up by eye. Set up plane on table (without landing gear or wing) and level so that rear tail plane is parrallel to the ground. Measure firewalls angle from vertical and note offset required to make down thrust angle. Roll fuselage 90 degrees level based on tail fin. Repeat checks on firewall for side thrust angle. I'm inclined to think that there is too much scope for measurement errors to creap in with approach 2 and the best approach is likely be 1. I assume the plane won't be unflighable with the thrust line out a bit, just a bit if a handfull under throttle? Step 2 assumes the tail plane and fin would give suitable 0 degree datums. I realise some models have a bit of incident on the rear fin to account for downwash from the main wing. I'd assum this more likely on short tail plane moment (relative to the chord of the wing rather than raw mm or distance) models like fun flys.

Thanks all. Going to stick with trike setup. Few bits on order to replace missing items.

Thanks for the comments all, some food for thought, and found a good diagram on positioning of landing gear if I do comit to a tail dragger. Guess a bonus of the trike is the gap where the throttle servo was could be repurposed as a nose wheel servo and rates etc could be independent of rudder. Which ever way I go I need to get bits as the nose gear that was on it was not right for the plane. That said, one nose wheel assembly and a wheel is cheaper than a full tail dragger undercarriage set.

More variables than I had anticipated: https://www.balsaworkbench.com/?page_id=926 In the interest of getting this back in the air sometime soon I think sticking with trike maybe the appropriate answer.

Cheers, asked to make sure I wasn't over or under speccing my mod. I'm guessing the ~6mm firewall ply is overkill, what would be advised?

Hi All, Restoring a Sky 40 and am mostly in favour of converting it to a tail dragger. What are your thoughts, especially those who use Sky 40s on grass strips? I did notice the XL version is steerable tail wheel right from the plan. What should I do to mount the main gear? I was thinking strip off some of the balsa sheeting where it bolts in and glue on a double skinned piece of lite ply. That with load spreading on the nut/fastener side sufficient? Thanks!

Not much use now as it seems you have another kit but DB sport and scale has a built up wing kit (as in the wing on its own) for the mascott. Seems the mascott is the kit to have on the shelf! I got one myself too earlier last year. Just got a fuselage jig and want to get the wing kit before I start on it as the veneer wings seem to be the only bits in the kit that have degraded. All that said I've a part restored Sky 40 to complete before I start.

I should have said version 10.x/evolution via Steam. Thats what I am on. Hoping there is an update soon to sort out a few irritations with the new user interface. Par for the course I guess with a significant interface refresh, but couldn't have had much of a testing phase.

It was folk pushing their luck, and not being held up for it. Doubt the organisers would have designated the largest undercover area as a shared space for smokers and non-smokers. Not sure they could have done if they wanted to as I think it needs to be more open than that.

I might have stayed longer but when you've a seven year old shivering because he's soaked through, a 3 year old in a similar state, a wife doing her best to appease them and and folk smoking/vaping in the main shelter tent we had to call time on it. If weather is looking better next year we will be camping. If on the edge we'll get a family order of wellingtons in!

Ok, that's odd. I have no way to send messages, or anywhere obvious to adjust message settings. Do you need subscriber ID before you get messages? I buy the magazine occasionally, rather than subscribe. I'm DocTrucker on RCGroups if you are on that forum too?

Regards the offer, that's great! Regards my message box that is very odd, I shall check settings, but haven't purposely turned anything off!

I recently identified a second hand model aeroplane that I aquired last year as a SLEC (Tony Nijhuis) Sky 40. I got the July 2006 RCM&E for the original article on Tony Nijhuis's Sky 40. Didn't realise it was split over 2 magazines! I assume part 2 is in August 2006. I'm interested in the plan and article to add to my records, but will be buying a copy of the current plans from SLEC soon. If anyone has the magazine or digital scans of the article and original plan (which I assume covers the wing) I would appreciate a copy. Thanks!

Just wondering how realistic the simulator is again. Specifically regarding stalls in turns, control reversal stalls on approach on slow landings, and elevator induced stalls. I've had a few hours on it now and not really noticed any pronounced sharp stalls. Mostly been on the Wot 4, Aprentice, the foamy high motor pusher, Avistar, and a little go on a funfly. Mostly focusing on the Avistar just having a crack at the basics on the others when enthusiasm lulls on circuits and bumps with the Avistar! I do struggle with location on approach / depth perception, but I think thats alot to do with trying to play on a piddly laptop screen. Did try VR over wifi6 with the Pico 4 but the plane was very juddery. need to get a decent USB C cable and try again.

Pretty sure the evolution release is 10. As far as I can tell it's mostly a user interface update.