WolstonFlyer's Tucano

[fly boy3]

Hi WF, following your build blog with interest. Re GS covering, used this for the first time lately and found it a great product. Don,t get hung up with precise temps, as nothing is calibrated. As the rolls come in 5m lenghts you will have lots to practice on. Use some spare balsa, then after peeling backing off, just use a hot iron to adhere film to balsa. If not hot enought turn it up a bit. idea is to use heat to stick it down but it can be peeled off if a mistake is made. When satisfied use a hotter setting to shrink the material and rub it into the balsa. "Practice makes perfect". Cheers

[fly boy3]

Hi WF, following your build blog with interest. Re GS covering, used this for the first time lately and found it a great product. Don,t get hung up with precise temps, as nothing is calibrated. As the rolls come in 5m lenghts you will have lots to practice on. Use some spare balsa, then after peeling backing off, just use a hot iron to adhere film to balsa. If not hot enought turn it up a bit. idea is to use heat to stick it down but it can be peeled off if a mistake is made. When satisfied use a hotter setting to shrink the material and rub it into the balsa. "Practice makes perfect". Cheers  Sorry for double post

Edited By fly boy3 on 09/05/2013 15:46:54

[WolstonFlyer]

Hi FB3, many thanks for the tips about the iron temperature I am glad the GS covering is OK, it is such a good price for 5m.

I managed to get a bit more building done before the school run, here is the thin ply battery tray installed along with the plate to accept the front wing fixing.

(I had to take the motor out yet again as it adds a lot of weight to the plane while trying to work on it)

The wing finally in place, and all square with the fuse!

I can put the motor in again and install the rear servo's and work on boxing in the nose and tail now. Hopefully start on that later tonight.

[Concorde Speedbird]

Very nice! You are doing a lovely job on her, keep up the good work.

CS

[WolstonFlyer]

Thanks CSB, it is taking a long time to do but I am having a great time filling the kitchen with balsa dust.

I have got my eye on building the Jemima vintage model next, I will probably use that as a trainer along with my Wot4 foam-E before trying to fly this one!

[Phil Winks]

Yes indeed James a nice tidy proffesional job your doing there

Phil

[Concorde Speedbird]

It doesn't matter how long you take as long as you are having fun, Dad spent 14 years building one plane... We still have it and fly her! Keep up the good work.

CS

[WolstonFlyer]

Thanks Phil and CS,

It is good fun

I have just installed the motor and this time used blue loctite on the screws so hopefully that will stay in place.

Just having a bit of a panic because the 60A Plush ESC is "massive" and I also have an external BEC for this model (just in case) and looking at the inside of the fuselage I can see that installing all of the electronics is going to be one heck of a tight squeeze. With a heavy motor and ESC up front I am sort of glad I have put the rear two servo's in the original location behind F3 and even then I think I might need more weight at the back because there is the nose wheel to go on as well yet.

Anyway, back to boxing in the nose and making the hard point for the front wheel.

[Phil Winks]

To be fair James I really don't think you need the BEC the one on the ESC will be more than up to the job

Phil

[WolstonFlyer]

Yes I think you are right, there are only 3 small servo's and I am using the 4 channel Spektrum AR400, I will get rid of the BEC.

On another note, has anybody found that F4 and F5 are not quite the right size. My F4 is about 10mm too wide, the place where it is supposed to go is only 65mm wide. I just hope I have not built my fuselage wrong . My F5 (cut from the plan) is just a couple of mm too small, although that is nearer at least and I guess it has to take into account the thickness of the canopy plastic.

Edited By WolstonFlyer on 09/05/2013 21:48:29

[Phil Winks]

I thought they came out a tad narrow and put it down to the thickness of the canopy which looks about right

Phil

[WolstonFlyer]

The front top deck is installed, I had to laminate a couple of pieces to get the correct thickness
That is one big looking motor!

I think the next job will be to install the ESC, check the motor directon and then install the lower nose decking with hard points for the nose gear. I hope to get more building done tomorrow but SWMBO is at home all day so might end up with a few other jobs to do first.

[Colin Leighfield]

Hi Wolston. It's a few weeks ago now, but I don't recall any issues wirh F4&5. I agree wirh Phil that you don't need the BEC. I think my power set-up is much the same as yours. With the servos in the same place as shown on the plan behind the wing and a 3S 3000 LiPo as far forward as possible, mine needed two ozs weight in the nose to get the cg spot on, although without an u/c. I'd be surprised if you need any weight in the back, alrhough if you must, you must. With the ballast, finished weight of mine without LIpo is 37ozs. Because I used a tissue/dope/paint finish, I might have added a bit of weight behind the cg, but it clearly isn't much. Flies on rails with a light touch of up trim and right aileron. Power to weight ratio gives it vertical characteristics akin to a V2.

[WolstonFlyer]

Thanks for the advice Phil and Colin, I have done a quick soldering job and removed the BEC from the wiring. Just the big ESC to fit into the nose area now

Looking at BEB's build blog for ideas, it looks like his ESC fills the area behind the motor and up to F2 so I think that may be the option to try first.

Colin - your info about weight is very reassuring to hear, with the U/C and two 2200 3S Lipo's I might be OK with no extra lead. I hope so as I was not planning to make the front hatch, it would be a shame to cut the front open just to install more weight.

A few people from my club have seen the specs on the power setup and think it will be a very lively model, I think there is a queue of people wanting to do the maiden for me!

Edited By WolstonFlyer on 09/05/2013 23:26:11

[Colin Leighfield]

Wolston, I scratched my head for a while about where to put the ESC. In the end I simply used double sided tape to stick it flat on the fuselage side, positioned with a long side parallel to and flush with the top of the fuselage side, starting just in front of the wing l/e, so that it is wholly accessible in the hatch space. This leaves enough clearance to slide the LiPo in. I haven't put a floor in for it, I simply used Velcro strips on the floor and back of the battery, with a Velcro loop tie as added security.

I haven't bothered with the front hatch because I want maximum strength there. I simply got everything working before I put the top on and glued it down. It's easy to cut open if I need to get in and invisible repairs aren't difficult. I used car wheel balance weights (2x25 and 1x10 gm) and cut open a small piece of the bottom sheeting behind the air intake to stick them in. Glued it back on, filled and touched up and you'd hardly notice.

It's extremely llively in terms of speed, acceleration and climb rate, but not in handling. It's precise, controllable and viceless and performs appropriately to the throttle setting. Once you have got your breath back from the first rocket type launch, you will realise that deep down, it's a pussy cat and Nigel's claims for it are no exaggeration. I'm just hoping that we get some flyable weather soon. This weekend is looking dismal again.

[Phil Winks]

James I'm not sure you've opened F2 up as much as I have but my plan is to fit the ESC low down behind F1a with the Bty's (2 x 3s 2300 Mah) piggy backed on top with a velcro strap to secure.

Hopefully pics out by the end of the weekend currently the wing is ready to cover and the fuse is needing hardware and top and bottom sheeting

Phil

[WolstonFlyer]

My F2 does not have as big a hole, the ESC does fit through so I can perhaps fit it on the side of the fuselage just behind F2 with the first LiPo next to it.

My next problem is that the threaded M2 rods I have for the ailerons (from SLEC) have turned out to only be 1.6mm even though their supplied M2 nuts do fit on the threads.

The problem is that the torque rods are supposed to be 2mm, is the 1.6mm going to be too bendy?

I do have some 2mm piano wire but it is not threaded on the end to put the plastic "P" fitting on, could I epoxy the P fitting onto the 2mm rod? I don't have taps and dies down to M2.

[Martin McIntosh]

Whoa there WF, the rods are the ones which I use most frequently and the thread is rolled on, not die cut which makes it stand out to M2 dia. on a 1.6mm rod (much like a cycle spoke). This means that even if you have a die to cut the other end it will be rather less in diameter than a true M2 so you cannot use a metal link here. Plastic ball joints will be a good fit however.

Don`t try to put a thread on piano wire or even think about glueing a link to it as it will end in tears.

When next at a show, buy a cheapo M2 tap set, a die, and a die stock. You will wonder how you ever managed without them and will save soldering together two M2 rods.

MM

[Phil Winks]

Hi James I have exactly the same push rods installed and I'm sure they will be fine also you'll find that their lightweight snake inners fit over the unthreaded sect allowing them to be used as journal bearings you may find you need to put a fair amount above the wings to reduce the throws to 12mm max I'm hving to extend mine as at the min I have approx 22mm of throw and thats way to much lol

 

Phil

Edited By Phil Winks on 10/05/2013 20:49:24

[WolstonFlyer]

Hi both

Thanks for the info, I am glad you think the slightly thinner rods are OK. I didn't think about the threads being rolled rather than cut, there is quite a bit of wobble on an M2 nut on the threads but they seem to tighten up.

I was mainly worried about the thinner rod twisting too much but it seems you are using the same ones OK.

I guess I can put some of the M2 nuts above and below my "P" fittings as they have a 2mm hole in them and just slide over the threads.

Noted about the length of the torque rod above the wing Phil, how tall do you think they need to be? I do have a computer TX (DX8) so can dial down the servo travel if needed anyway.

Thanks again for the help

Edited By WolstonFlyer on 10/05/2013 21:09:25

[Phil Winks]

My Tx is a computor one too James however its best to get the throws mechanically as close as possible with the EPA at 100% or you end up with very rapid movement to full throw which is not that desirable and if it is then set +'ve expo ie on shock and 3D flyers. I'll be sorting the throws out on the ailerons about lunch time tomorrow and will post the horn lengths asap after mate

Phil

[WolstonFlyer]

Good point Phil, thanks.

I have lots to learn!

[Phil Winks]

We all do James every day a school day lol

Phil

[Colin Leighfield]

Wolston, on mine the torque rod length above the wing to the pivot is 21mm. I'm using a Newpower XL-16hm servo with the clevises in the third hole out on a 14mm centre. This gives me the exact movement shown on the plan with the throw set at 100%. As Phil says, you can fine adjust on the Tx, but these numbers should give you an indicative starting point. I can confirm that the recommended aileron movement is spot on for me, needed no alteration after the first flight.

[Phil Winks]

That looks about the same ratio of servo arm to torque rod length to what I reckon I'll need Colin good to hear the throws work well in flight, though I never doubted Nigels figures (learnt to trust them a while ago lol) its good to have confirmation from a 3rd source

Phil