Blackhorse Chipmunk

[Geoffrey Graham]

I have been following this thread and seen remarks which indicate that the tailwheel ass'y is the Achilles heal.  Read the review too noting tailwheel advice in that but wonder if anyone who has built their own improved tailwheel ass'y can furnish good jaypegs showing detail?

[Steve Vine]

Hey Geoff I have fitted mine as supplied and altho its not the best solution that I would have chosen for my own design, as its in the kit that's what I did! So far I have had no problems but just in case I do I have made a hole on the fairing at a strategic place to re-tighten or adjust as necessary, all you have to do is to hold the rudder stick on full left, move the rudder to full left and tighten the bolt. Have replaced the bolt with a decent cap head bolt. Easy what !!

Steve

[Walts]

I'm just throwing mine together at the moment, From what i can understand the problem is with the grub screw not holding. I don't think a grub screw will hold a round wire from twisting for long no matter how tight you tighten it. All i done was to file a flat in to the wire, add a drop of thread lock and tighten it up on the flat. Having done this i was quite happy to glue on the fairing.......................Until i cocked it up and cut it wrong

The only other mod i have made is to discard the leg fairings in the box and make my own more scale like efforts complete with false trailing links & brake cables

The kit really is very nice straight from the box so there is no need to really change much else. I'm working on electrifying mine now.

Walts.

[Steve Vine]

Oh yes I forgot to say that - I did file a flat on mine too!

Steve

[Geoffrey Graham]

Thanks guys.  That looks pretty straightforward.  The use of grubs on round sections is very common and this kit is not the only offender by far.  It is always best to put a flat where the grub will bear and so long as the threads are clean, the Loctite will do the rest.

[Clive Matthews]

Steve, you've caught me on holiday. I will answer as soon as.

Clive

[SIMON CRAGG]

I have read this thread several times as I am in the process of building the Chipmunk at present. I have seen a photograph of one recently with an "AIR CADETS" logo on the side of the fuz. Despite searching the internet I cannot find it to download and reproduce for my model. Can anybody help please?. Safe flying. Simon.

[namustang1a]

Simon  the air cadet logo was made by my good lady(its her chippie) in photo shop,its a six layer mesh.

main crest was from a cadet homepage the rest was made to suit from a pic of a real aircraft,

I tryed to post the file but i cant do it(pc numpty),

[namustang1a]

Bugger me im clever.

all donations to the artist greatly receved(cash only)

so how that goes simon.

Ian.

[SIMON CRAGG]

Brilliant!. Thx for taking the time to do this for me. I have yet to find a picture of a full size Chipmunk with these markings....any idea where I can find it? Thx again. Simon.

[SIMON CRAGG]

I have now finished the model, but am still not 100% sure of a couple of things!

I am going to have 10 degrees flap for take off and 30 degrees for landing. Which is the best way to operate the flaps.... by switch, slider or mixed with a on / off switch and the throttle with some offset?

 Any help / comments much appreciated.

 Simon.

[Geoffrey Graham]

Most of my models have flaps.  How you deploy them is a matter of taste and you'll get folk arguing for their method.  For what it is worth, my preferred method is switch E on my FF9.  That switch has three positions.  I program using OFST so that when the switch is up the flaps are fully retracted.  In the centre position they are deployed at the least offset, in your case that would be ten degrees.  In the down position the flap is deployed to the maximum I have chosen - in your case 30 degrees.  Why use a switch?  Well, for a start my models all have different degrees of flap and some are gliders using crow braking (flaps fully down, ailerons part way up).  You can use a dial on the Tx panel but without looking at the dial-switch you have no idea how much flap you have just dialed in.  It is very important that you select one switch for this purpose and then use it for all your models otherwise you will sooner or later be standing there wondering which switch you have set up for the model you already have airborne!

Hope that helps.

[SIMON CRAGG]

Thanks Geoff.

I have had a good look through all my old magazines and found an excellent article on flaps in the Nov '02 edition of RCMW. I think on balance I will use the same method as you to start with and take it from there. The "Phoenix" flight sim. has got a smashing P51 with flaps...I was very suprised at how slowly the model would come in at...hope my Chipmunk is similar!.

[stunter]

Very well said Geoff - exactly right! I have mixed in a small ammount of down elevater on mine so the Chippie remaines neutral with the flaps down. I have found that it seems to want only the same nominal ammount of down no matter how much flap is deployed!

Steve Vine

[Captain Slow]

Hi All - I would like to get one of these as my first scale plane. Waht servos are you using on the flaps?

will standard servos do the job?

Thanks / CS

[Walts]

Hi CS,

     Yes, the servo hatches are actually designed for standard size servos to slip straight in to.........two for flaps and two for ailerons. so you would infact need to modify them if you wished to fit smaller servos.

Walts.  

   EDIT: Sorry I think I misread your post! Standard (Strength) servos will be fine. My model was converted to electric and only weighs around 7 1/2lb on a 64" wing..........so a real floater

[Captain Slow]

Thanks Walts

I have my first FS to go into this one - a 91 surpass so it won't be light

[Walts]

Captain Slow wrote (see)

I have my first FS to go into this one - a 91 surpass so it won't be light

 Step easy on the gas! It likes to fly slowly

[Colin B 15]

Hi can anyone help me ?

I am fairly new to model aircraft building and just after a bit of advise.

When installing the control horn for both the aileron and flap on both wings, all the instruction manual shows is a picture of a ruler over the servo hole in the wing and says straight line and mark on the flap and aileron a line.

My question is as the picture is very dark and unclear, do you line the ruler up with the servo horn fitted on the servo. And then mark a line which runs directly in line with the servo horn down onto your flap or aileron which will then give you the position to drill you control horn hole ?.

Sorry if this seems really simple but as I said I am new to this but I do have good mechanical knowledge as I work as a Formula one racing car mechanic.

[Walts]

Hi colin,

  You have probably done it by now, But yes thats exactly what it means, keeping the line square to the edge of the control surface (flap aileron) too. keeps a nice straight push/pull action with no sideways tension that could cause your clevises to come undone, and no binding of the surfaces either

[Lee Burke]

I made my first ever flight in a RAFChipmunk and so just have to build this supeb looking aircraft.  You guys who run her electric, could you tell me what set-ups you have had success with?

[Walts]

Hi Lee,

     mine is flying with a Turnigy 50-55B-600Kv motor, a 70amp HXT ESC (probably a bit OTT) and a HXT 5s 4100mah lipo with an APC thin electric 13 x 6.5 prop.

It flies around for 10mins. on this set up, It only requires around third throttle to stooge around scale like, but the extra is good for pulling nice big loops and up for stall turns etc. I reckon BH's recommendation of a 4s power supply would be very adequate. If your interested have a look here for how I done the conversion, as there is no info supplied with the model regarding electric conversion.

       http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=824722

Walts               

[Lee Burke]

Thanks very much for that info, Walts and for the link to your rcgroups thread.  Nice build!  I like the the oleo leg details and the neat catches on the cowling hatch, (where did you find those) .    

Okay, so now I just have to order the beast from the UK and then gather the bits and pieces together.     No doubt I'll be back then to ask a lot of irritating questions.  Meantime, thanks for your help, Walts.  Hope the thing will fit in my tiny car; may have to cut a hole in the roof or knock out the rear window.

[Mr Sam]

loving this thread as ive allways wanted a chipmunk and been hankering for one for a while (i do have one by an un known maker in a very tatty state but not to keen on it) also about ready to move to my first low winger

been torn between the black horse chippie and the travel air,,,,in the endi decided id go for the travel air being half the price incase i pranged it......

 well before i got round to getting down to the model shop ive gone and bought a yak 54 on ebay by blackhorse, so looks like the chipmunk might be on hold till next year, still desperate to have one as its one of my favourite full sized aircraft i was in the air cadets but the chipmunk had been long taken out of service

[Ken Lighten]

I have been flying one of these for the last couple of months and can honestly say its one of the best models I have flown, it has an ASP 70 four stroke which is plenty of power and sounds just right on slow passes. The receiver battery pack fitted in front and just above the bung of the fuel tank in the firewall box section everything else is fitted as per the instructions and the C of G has proved to be perfect. My only gripe (apart from the wing belly pan) would be that the U/C leg on one wing is just starting to get a little loose in the mounting block - which shouldn't be to much bother to rectify this winter. If you are thinking of getting one then do so - you won't be disappointed!