Tom Foreman Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Learned how to DS my M60 a fortnight ago and have been bitten by the DS bug so channelled my glider funds into a D60, havn't got very far tonight as I don't have an end mill tool for my dremel to grind out the slots for the control horns. But apart from that very impressed by the build quality of this model, it is very tough as I have struggled to cut through all that carbon! Shiny! More shiny goodness All bits supplied by slope racer for that full combo package Hyperion DS095FMD for the wing Aileron / Flap horns and linkages supplied, these components are a little more heavy duty than I'm used, but then again this model can go over 300 mph in the right conditions, 333mph is the current Joe Manor record, I'll be happy with over a 100 mph for now Waiting on that end mill tool as I've spent a couple of hours trying to file a slot in the ailerons and they are rock hard with carbon, so will bide my time for now. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Sweeeeet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Well my end mill turned up yesterday, so managed to get a few more jobs done on the D60 tonight. Flap horn slot milled out using the invaluable 3/32" end mill tool, order one if you haven't already got one, no Dremel should be without! Marking out the aileron horn slot. Aileron slot milled out, you have to get all the way down the skin, but don't cut too far through it. Dremel and end mill doing its thing, so easy with the right tool Milling out the centre hole for the wiring harness, this wing is really thick and strong with carbon. Hole done..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Wiring harness comes with the kit, just need to pot the connections with epoxy and micro-balloons to strengthen then up. Aileron servo well needs a bit of extra cutting for the push-rod to clear. Servo with all the mounting tabs removed so it fits into the servo well. Left the flap horns to the end of the night so I can set them up with 30 min epoxy and micro-balloons and leave them alone. Cheers Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 Aileron horn in quickly before dinner, give it some time to set up, 30 min epoxy is so slow, maybe I should try that Gorilla CA. Wiring loom threaded through wing, I ended up taping the short leads to the long leads to help pull them through, taped up to stop them disappearing back into the wing. Servo connections shrink wrapped together to stop them coming apart. Push-rods are quite short, dab of thread lock to keep them at the correct length. Trial fit to check it all fits before more 30 min epoxy. Aileron servos powered up and set in place, flaps next time. Tom Edited By Tom Foreman on 28/03/2011 21:56:58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Jones Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Looking good. Make sure you use a face mask when grinding out that composite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 Hi Matt, will do, makes your skin itch like hell as well! Well impressed with the linkages on this glider, close them up with a pair of pliers and they are slop free this morning. Zim at sloperacer recommends a dab of solder on the pin and bridging the gap between the bottom skin and the servo to make the linkages even better, so will try that next. Tom Edited By Tom Foreman on 29/03/2011 08:23:45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 Flap linkage hole in top skin needed opening out to fit linkage through. Flap servo roughed up and cleaned with white spirit ready for epoxy. Several hours later and no epoxy mixed, finally got linkages sorted complete with relief ground to clear servo arm hub to get a little up flap for coupling to aileron for a little front-side aerobatics. I probably should have mentioned that this model will probably be flown front side 90% of the time due to the fact that my nearest DS sites are over an hour's drive away. The more knowledgeable of you also would have noticed that there is no tip weight in this wing as I want to keep it light for light winds and not compromise the crashproofness of the wing, still if your feeling brave you can add up to 10 oz of tip weight for those big DS days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 Finally got the flap servo glued in, this model is proving to be a bit fiddly but I'm sure it will be worth it Well that's the wing pretty much done, just a few more jobs left, solder up linkages, bridge the bottom skin to servo gaps and install servo covers, but I'll let the epoxy dry first. I went for a tiny Hyperion DS09 servo for the elevator servo as it is easier to install than the bigger DS095 which you have to sand the casing away to make it thinner, but this servo isn't powerful enough to go over 300mph so I better keep under the speed limit when I'm flying The linkage is made from a St.St. bicycle spoke which is tapped into the servo arm, this will give a lower profile than a ball joint linkage with zero slop, well that's the theory anyway. Here it is again mounted on the servo. You have to route out a hole for the linkage to exit to mount up to the elevator. Well that's all for now, might go flying tomorrow night looks like the wind is returning Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 You make up a mock elevator push-rod so that you can mark the elevator for the horn. The rear stab is temporarily held in place using metal pins, the holes are a little undersized and you'll need a 3mm drill to open then up. The hole in the horn is also undersized, unfortunately its very close to the edge, so you have to carefully tease out the hole be slowly elongating it until you can fit the correct size drill without cutting any closer. Don't want the horn to let go at 300mph! Finally, she fits! Carefully route out a slot for the horn, the instructions say to place the horn in the middle of the elevator, with hindsight I would move it closer to the hinge line by 2mm otherwise you have to open up the slot in the fuse to get it to work Epoxy in, and leave to go off. I went out for a couple of hours this afternoon while it was drying to fly the Vector 3, flew well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 Well after lots of fiddling about finally got the elevator push rod bent in the right place. Heat shrinking on servo extensions, I had to use two to get to the other end of the fuse about 500mm altogether. Took a couple of goes and a lot of fettling but finally got it all working and wicked some CA to hold the servo in place, also had to make the servo opening bigger as well to get it all to line up. It is slop free, so hopefully it will work great, but a lot of effort and this was supposed to be the easier servo to fit, god knows how you fitter the larger one shown in the instructions Here is the floating push-rod, it does move about because I had to file away more of the fuse away, hence the previous comment of moving the horn nearer the hinge line. There would be less float if I hadn't filed so much fuse away, but its slop free so maybe I'm being over fussy? Another shot, this arrangement only works because it is threaded at the other end, quite clever really, but difficult to build, still it wouldn't be fun if it was easy The tail feathers are slotted onto their pins and then thin CA wicked into the joins. Another shot from underneath, just the fuse to finish now but I need some lead shot to do that, better get ordering more stuff. Cheers Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Very impressive Tom, so keyhole surgery can be added to the CV now Looks fast, even when its sat still Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Yes, a great build blog Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 I hope so, the glider fleet is down to one at the moment and this sucker is using up all my repair time. Still following your Spitfire build, looking forward to the maiden, just a bit embarrassed mine's still sitting on the top shelf gathering dust Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 Ballast and radio tray time Counter bore the holes ready for the blind nuts. Looks like the D80 (bigger brother of the D60) hardware will need a little trimming to get it to fit, oh the joys Blind nuts in. Other side, the two in the middle are for holding the ballast plates (3x300g lead plates) the two at the end are for bolting on the radio tray. Radio tray as a little plate glued onto it with the holes to bolt up to the ballast tray. The ballast tray is glued into the fuse, whereas the radio tray is removable to access the radio gear. The blind nuts stand proud so have to be ground down flush with the trusty Dremel. There you go, the threaded rods with knurled fasteners will hold the lead plates down (not included you have to make them your self) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 Added some scrap balsa to the bottom of the ballast tray to support it better on the curved inside of the bottom of the fuse. Ballast tray glassed in with cloth and epoxy, be careful not to glue the radio tray in. Back onto the wing a few small jobs still to do, first one solder all the clevises together to eliminate slop. Tape servo covers in place, this is the aileron servo cover. Flap servo cover. Top flap horn fairing, these took a fair bit of fettling to get to fit without fouling the clevis, these were glued in place with Gorilla CA. This is the radio tray, just got the battery and RX temporarily taped on so I can work out how much ballast she needs to balance. I'm still waiting on the ballast, this model calls for lead shot mixed with epoxy. The end of the radio tray is moulded into the epoxy / lead mix using a release agent so that it can still be removed. Couldn't resist a couple of glamour shots, she's a beauty Soon be finished, hopefully maiden at the weekend Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Forgot to add, with some ballast temporarily strapped to the nose to get her to balance at the recommended CoG of 63mm, she weighs in at 1600g (56.5 oz) so a nice light build for this model. The guys in the states are ballasting these up to around the 2830g (100 oz) mark, but then they do have giant DS slopes! Another interesting thing is the recommended throws for this model, on RCG Joe Manor admits that he sets up the throws on the slope to get the feel right, but has not had one last long enough to get it back in the workshop and measure up! LOL I'll just set her up for max throws for front side aerobatics, high rates, 50% mid rates for speed and 20% for DS rates and go from there. Still waiting for the lead shot to arrive, but no rest for the wicked, the trusty M60 needs putting back together after nearly surviving being slammed into the rocks in some wicked turbulence last week, she still flew after taping her back together but the two breaks in the fuse had robbed her of some of her accuracy in the turns Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Well she's finished, had a few problems with the epoxy / lead shot ballast mixture, my radio tray is now non-removable! Lesson learned, don't use 30min epoxy and a heat gun it goes off a lot faster than you would normally expect. Anyway I've got the afternoon booked off work today, so with a prayer to the wind gods I will get her maidened today, fingers and toes crossed! Wish me luck Tom PS M60 didn't get finished last night as I ran out of time, so I don't have a model to test the DS conditions before committing with the D60, so it might or might not get DS'ed depending on how brave I am Edited By Tom Foreman on 07/04/2011 09:04:32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Just to conclude the build blog, its a very well made model, but don't expect to put it together in a couple of evenings. It is a bit more challenging than the normal mouldie builds and a few new skills need to be learned, mainly grinding and routing with a dremel and doing the ballasting. The instructions are very good, I would recommend using Gorilla CA to speed up the build (I used 30min epoxy to begin with) and use 24h finishing resin for the ballast. You definitely need a end mill tool for your dremel as well. If you follow the instructions included with the model you will end with a quality machine for either front side antics or speed demon DSing on the darkside.If you want something bigger or smaller there are 80" and 40" versions as well. Cheers, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 Wow, what a fantastic day for a maiden, blue skies, strong westerly wind, perfect conditions for a maiden at Catbells in the Lake District. The D60 was assembled and switched on (small hole in the side of the fuse to poke the internal switch) a quick waggle of the sticks to check everything was moving in the right direction and my friend Paul gave it a big throw into wind. Lead balloon city, the D60 was wallowing around scratching for lift on account of its heavy wing loading. A little bit tip stalley as well, but the challenge of the experienced slope soarer is, to coin a phrase, "Don't Panic" after a few minutes a strong thermal came to my aid and she started lifting skyward. A couple of clicks of down trim and then she suddenly came alive, it was like the hand brake had been released, as she came on step and started screaming past. Rolls were nice and axial, square loops precise and spectacular the retained energy is amazing. Switched on snap flap and coupled ailerons and on high rates she twinkle rolls nicely and can perform crazy aerobatics only limited by my thumbs. I took her up high to test the stall, not nice she drops a left wing and starts to spin, easily recovered by releasing up elevator. Tried Crow braking, very nice no ballooning, in fact this is the first model I've ever had that is completely neutral in the crow, she just slows down, I have 90deg on flap, about 5 deg up aileron and 3 deg down elevator compensation. I have 5 deg of camber flap on a slider, and this is useful for cruising and gaining height, this model loves it. I don't have a full camber trailing edge though as I am mindful of inducing tip stall, but I may try it sometime as the theory is that it induces less drag (less movement for same effect). Well, I was starting to feel happy with the D60 she was everything I had hoped for and more, cracking front-side maniac big winds model. Still this is not what she was designed for, the darkside is strong with this one and I couldn't put off the inevitable any longer. With Paul egging me on and those butterflys fluttering in my stomach, I checked all my switches, flap off - check, snap flap off -check, DS rates on - check. I flew parallel to the ridge, and then banked hard left into the abyss of the Dark Side of the slope, she screamed through the shear layer punching through like a hot knife through butter, not a wobble, I pulled back tentatively on the elevator to turn around at the bottom of the slope as she whined with pleasure her sights set on blasting back up the hill, in a blur she whipped past and accelerated even faster into the second circuit, the whine was getting louder and louder, three circuits later I couldn't take the pressure any longer and she punched out as I pointed her upwards and she disappeared into the stratosphere, holy cow the most fantastic glider in all of Christendom - priceless! Well I needed to compose myself for a few minutes as I was still shaking, feeling drunk from the rush of adrenaline, still I had to land this baby, crow slowed her down, but the LZ is tight and she won't hover in nicely at walking pace. After a few goes, we found that putting crow on early could get her off step and coming around on the Dark Side where there is no lift also bled the speed off as it was converted into lift, she suddenly went mushy and dropped out of sky like a lead balloon onto the soft grass. This thing is built heavy and strong and can shrug off these landings with ease, not pretty but as long as the wings are level no drama. So there you have it, best model I've ever owned or flown. She needs a good breeze to fly in and she doesn't turn like an F3F racer, she is a DS specialist but also a craking front side high energy aerobatic model. She's no Vector 3 or Wasabi, but she's hard as nails and you wouldn't want to bump into her in a dark alley, not with that pointy nose full of lead. Need to make up my ballast plates next Tom Edited By Tom Foreman on 08/04/2011 09:13:02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Great write up there Tom - sounds like a super model tooNo pics or video of the day ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 Lots, but editing video and choosing photos will take me a couple of hours to sort out tonight, keep watching Tom Edited By Tom Foreman on 08/04/2011 09:49:30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Happy days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Foreman Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 How come Ryan Giggs is holding yer model Tom ?Nice stuff, and good video too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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