Panther Trainer Autogyro

[BILL PETTIT]

Andy good job mate I like nitro I can seam to get a better feel for motor speed over electric.

Bill

[Richard Harris]

 

 

Andy,

A very nice flying Panther, you seemed pretty pleased with yourself with that landing ?and rightly so!

Considering you thought it was a heavy weight it was floating a round pretty well, blip of the throttle and it was in Plylon racing mode, we won't stand a chance! thoough Tim is keeping pretty quiet about his power plant?

 

Well done mate

 

So what are your initial impressions of it? do you think it will be fine for a first timer? and what would your recommendation be on a minimum 2 stroke power plant?

 

Rich

 

 

Edited By Richard Harris on 07/01/2013 16:44:10

[Tom Wright 2]

Clearly Andy is already an accomplished Autogyro pilot , nice flying Andy . One thing that was very noticeable was the sound of the rotors reaching flying speed over the sound of the motor , this I think is a very good feature of the blade design enabling the less experienced to be sure about when to allow the model to levitate off the deck .

Tom.

Edited By Tom Wright 2 on 07/01/2013 17:00:12

[Richard Elliot]

Andy

Once again -very well flown...you and Ian are going to keep an eye on whos who with your flying bananas when we all fly together

Tom, thats a valid point ....I can hear my rotors above the sound of my four stroke as well as they come up to ROG RPM's. Every little helps!!

Rich

[Richard Elliot]

Come to think of it Cali's is yellow as well......should make the Winterton Air Races even more interesting

[Andy Nash]

Posted by Richard Harris on 07/01/2013 16:40:32:

So what are your initial impressions of it? do you think it will be fine for a first timer? and what would your recommendation be on a minimum 2 stroke power plant?

 

Rich

 

Hi Chaps

Thank you for your kind words. The design is very stable. Well done Rich. Yes Tom I have flown before but not this IC version. That was the first flight after a short 1min flight to do trims. I wanted to get that first flight feeling into the video.  Also if I crashed, but she was so good I did not need to worry.

I had flown Rich's electric version Panther over a year ago and both fly very well. The IC engine was never on full power (ASP 36) and this engine is quite old. I would think a 25 should be enough, but I don't have one. Any offers!!

I would recommend to any one who can build with balsa and can fly fixed wing, they should try this. As they say 'Build right and she will fly right'!

Landing is almost hands-off. Just a bit of power required before the last point, as you can see from my video I did not allow for the 2-stroke pickup delay.

Andy

Edited By Andy Nash on 09/01/2013 19:22:30

[Richard Harris]

Thanks for the feedback Andy, good to know about a 25

My friend Martyn who makes the little diesel engines flew his today for the first time, he has opted for electric power using a lower KV motor/larger prop with a 3S 3000mah Lipo. A bit of lead has been added to the nose to get the stated CG position, he flew it very well. I wil get some video but I will leave it for a while as it may make him nervous with a camera out as he is flying something new to him.

His is covered in solartex and it does look quite effective, he will now add the finishing touches.

Rich

[Tom Wright 2]

Nice job Andy , and congratulations on the successful maiden.

Tom.

[Andy Nash]

Hi Rich

Did you make the Panther for him? Sure does look good, well done Martin.

I think he will like the slow glide the Panther has when landing. Lots of time to think, I like that.

Wheel spats are a must, helps to see the model. I just thought, could plastic ones be made?

Regards

Andy

[David Ashby - Moderator]

I've just added Richard's pdf downloads to a homepage article in anticipation of the Panther plan next issue.

[Bob Bertram]

Thats great. Looking forward to the magazine

Bob

[Erfolg]

Would it be a little to much to ask Richard to suggest how the HK C30 rotor head could be used, for those of us who are lacking in the skills and resources to produce the plan rotor head.

Either as a thread on the site when the plan is published, or as a separate supplementary article which probably would reach a greater audience(as i would imagine it is much to late for the next couple of mags).

[David Ashby - Moderator]

I'll defer to Richard of course but I doubt the HK head has quite the strength Erfolg. That said, I don';t think the drawings make it look difficult to produce. I'm hoping to get a head 'kit' made, or at the very least the ply discs added to the parts pack.

[Erfolg]

I have just had a look at the head drawings and do think a kit would be help full.

For most of us "Silver Steel", which sometimes was called "drill rod" is not easily available to many. Although a real "Cap head type bolt/Allen screws", such as Holo-Khrome or Sandvik, would probably be at least as good, cut down to a bare shaft.

Then the bearing could cause many of us issues, may be "Bearing Services".

It all is a bit of hassle, when the lack of knowledge, necessitates, total adherence to the drawings, not knowing what matters and that, that can be changed without any penalty.

Yep, a rotor head kit would be beneficial. Then perhaps reducing the plan to make use of the C30 head is viable, quite a conundrum

Edited By Erfolg on 23/01/2013 11:52:27

[Richard Harris]

Erfolg,

David is quite correct, Panther is not designed for the C30 head. Not everyone will be able to access the internet, ply wood, plastic pin hinges etc I would think Mr Average modeller will have to hand?

Of course there is no reason why it couldn't be scaled down a bit to suit the head? I would be more than happy to help in any way I can.

Rich

[Erfolg]

Thanks for the offer help, Richard, if that is the way I go.

Particularly as these days I tend to prefer smaller models, for a variety of reasons.

[Big T]

Erfolg, Rich is quite correct in saying that most of the hardwear can be obtained from any good model shop. By that I mean a shop that sells wood and glue not a car and boat shop. I use this gearbox on ebay as a spndle http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300479529560?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649. I used a standard allan bolt as a pivot. It is s an easy build but, in my opinion, not a beginners build or a learners model to fly. Any A test pilot should be able to manage it.

[Erfolg]

I have been reviewing the thread and the information. It seems that to use the C30 head will require a model of approx 3/4 scaled down. With a all up weight of approx 1.6 kg (26oz). A rotor dia of 900 mm as the HK C30 model.

I now await the publication of the plan.

The big decision is to weave the build with the general RCM&E plan build, or to treat the build as a separate issue, as a "mini-Panther" build.

 

Edited By Erfolg on 24/01/2013 15:32:49

Edited By Erfolg on 24/01/2013 15:33:10

[Richard Harris]

Erfolg,

The mast could easily be replaced with some hardwood section to match the female mounting hole on the bottom of the HK head. As long as you can keep it as light as possible I see no reason why it shouldnt fly well.

Of course half of the fun is figuring it all out

Rich

(getting nervous dept...)

[Erfolg]

It is that balance of weight to strength that can be a difficult balance to achieve, to produce a long term viable model.

From our perspective, your plan and experience provides a valuable source of experience to draw upon.

[Jose L. G.]

Hi, nice desing. Waiting for the plan.

Some time ago a friend of mine built an autogiro (scale fron an US kit) with a 3 blade rotor.

When we began balancing the blades was an imposible task, due to lack of knowledge. The model is collecting dust at my home. I few times I look for info or try to buy a training model but lost interest due to the rotor head.

Probably a new try.

Nice to see so elaborate/informative thread.

thanks.

José luis G.

[Richard Harris]

José,

Hmm, I bet it is a Kellett which was kitted up until a few years ago by a company called Autogyro Company Of Arizona?

You can easily tell as the baldes were sheeted in 1/32" birch ply tp and bottom. If you need any help balancing the blades all you need to do is ask! I have made a very simple tool for assisting this, I will write a bit on it and how it is utilised in the near future.

 

Rich

Edited By Richard Harris on 25/01/2013 15:47:57

[Richard Harris]

Could it be the model on this promosional video that was included in the kellett kit?

And the second part which gives some good examples on how to trim a model along with how they should be flown.

Rich

[Jose L. G.]

Hi Richard. Yes That the `gyro.

 

I began balancing the blades as sugested in the instructions, but in the end we finished with a lot of holes in the blades!.

 

looking forward.

José Luis

 

P.S.: I`ve printed the thread and downloaded the plans for your system.

 

Edited By JLG on 28/01/2013 10:54:24

[Richard Harris]

José Luis,

I it is of some use to aid in balancing your blades, just balance them together like a see-saw with a long bolt or all thread. This rests on the top of the balancing jig and the heavier blade will drop. B3 will need to have a little cut away from its top face so as to clear the blade being balanced.

Mine is made from 3mm Lite Ply, I print out the PDF's then 'prit sik' the template to the wood. Just a quick and simple task then of cutting the components out before slotting them together and running CA in all f the mating joints.

A few photo's, I will add some more of the blade in position when I get a bit of spare time.

Rich

Parts cut out of 3mm lite ply

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

And if by magic