Top Model Ideal - the build

[Peter Garsden]

Mr Moderator, can you please delete the f """"""" (flipping) repeated post above - don't know how I did it?

Well I started this post yesterday on my EEpad, got so far, pressed a wrong link, and it wiped out the whole post. I was hoping it would still be there if I pressed the back button but such is not the case (enhancement?) This has happened several times!

Bill - I am wearing my Homer trousers as we speak - even bigger "D'oh", I lost half of my propellor in mid air. It will cost me an extra £8.95 for a new prop - I tried the power train, but not from a launch which is the critical time I know as I was on the slope and didn't really need it - I powered up in the air - which is how the prop fell off, presumably. I am going to put the next one on with locktite, and it seemed to motor quite nicely. Not a proper test though.

[Peter Garsden]

Am now thinking I should remove the weight from the tail and balance up properly. Yet another job on the list!

Setting up - I decided to go with the recommended movements as recommended in the instructions - excellent diagrams from Top Model - with the military precision normally provided by the Germans - when one considers that with a mouldie you get no instructions at all and pay a lot more it is an outrage really - have just ordered a Merlin which does not even come with threaded rods for the ailerons or flaps which at that sort of price it should! The clevises provided are also very poor quality. Anyway back to this model.

These are the throws recommended

Ailerons - 20-23mm up and down (I found that there was not enough wood precut to produce the full throws down but I didn't alter it - I would have had to strip the Oracover off and sand it down) with 19-22mm up for crow, 5mm down for thermal setting, and 3mm up for reflex speed.

Elevators - 8-10mm each way (I chose 9mm which produces a nice response) - the hole I had set the AMT bellcrank to meant that I had to increase the EPA on the servo setting.

Rudder - 45mm each way - very responsive built up rudder and tailplane which produced really accurate movement

Flaps - designed only to go down for crow braking and not up more than 3mm, so I mixed in a little snap flap - about 3mm, and used the full throw for crow, which is nearly vertical, which was very efficient and nearly stopped the plane dead. I managed to land it at my fee each time. Again 5mm down for thermal setting which again proved very efficient, and 3mm up for speed - again improved forward motion considerably.

Motor - had a real issue with how to set this up as the crow braking and motor wanted to use the same stick. At first I put the motor on a rear ratchet slider at the rear of the transmitter. I could not, however, get the ESC to stop telling me that the parameters had not been set up properly.

So Plan B - I had read about "Conditions", for thermal soarers whereby for launch you use the throttle and no flap, but for landing crow and no motor, thus enabling you to share one stick. Try as I may, I couldn't get this to work. I was fiddling around at the Mermaid slope above Leek, with different people helpfully giving me different advice until my head spun like at top. In the end I went back to the original idea of motor on the rear right slider and the crow on the throttle stick. This worked well as I will not use the motor very much.

The problem was that the plane is constantly going "De..De..Da" all the time. People kept asking me "What is that plane trying to tell you Peter". Obviously I laughed hysterically each time.

So - jobs to be done

1. Solve the motor issue
2. Take the weight off the tail and move the battery back.

There is always something isn't there?

This photo shows the receiver velcro'd onto the plywood plate which I had treated with 3 coats of water based resin to aid adhesion. I was hoping to mount it sideways so as to enable the battery to be shifted back, but there was not enough room.

Rudder

[Andy Meade]

Sounds like maybe a sub-trim issue on the throttle slider Pete?

[Peter Garsden]

I didn't say above but obviously no need for weight in the nose because of the motor.

Maiden Flight yesterday - the wind was blowing about 10mph from the South West so an ideal day for it. Everyone was up the Mermaid slope - so called because there is a pool at about 1500 feet just behind the slope and next to the road. It is one of those "Must Swim" locations that people visit from all round the world - even in a howling gale when we are wrapped up in woolly hats. This link tells you more - http://www.imaginingstaffordshire.org.uk/mystery/mys2.htm

I have bought this plane for just such conditions - when there is little or no wind, and one needs something which will go up in the slightest sniff, but if not there is a motor to avoid the walk of shame down the hill.

So, after a lot of fiddling and with the motor still talking to me, a kind soul bunged it off the slope - it just rose and rose straight and level straight out of the box. What a relief as it is not a light plane - including the radiator insulation bag 3391 grams or 7.26lbs which makes it about 16 oz per square foot according to my calculations.

It flew quite slowly - something remedied with some reflex, so I landed and moved the battery forwards - made quite a difference. I fancy moving it a bit further still next time to see if it will make any more difference. I set the c of g at 100mm - the range goes as far as 105mm according to the kit, so it is obviously a WIP.

I had coupled rudder and aileron - just a bit of rudder say about 30%. The effect, however on a roll was disastrous - it may be that it just doesn't roll, but I am going to try it without any coupling - I had heard of thermal soarer pilots trying it for flatter turns. That aspect did, however work.

It looped nicely, and flew very well. The landing was child's play with the flaps dropping to near vertical, but did require quite a lot of down elevator compensation when first applied. I will need to mix in some more to crow.

Very successful maiden flight and no damage, which is more to the point. How it would fair as a hotliner remains to be seen. I will have to fit another propellor and try it from the field behind the farm.

[Peter Garsden]

So finally - bags - they are saying up at LMMGA that it is no wonder there is no stock of radiator insulation at WIckes because we buy it all. They make up so easily and quickly with Duck Tape and some scissors. It also protects the gliders from hangar rash really well.

I made a separate bag for the middle wing and tail planes - which incidentally were a very good and tight fit on the carbon rods - in fact I had to sand them back a bit, but unlike my Voltij, they won't come off.

I then made a wrap around bag for the fuselage, and outer wings which fit in pockets on the outside. Bit of velcro to fasten and job's a good'un.

Have now put some handles in tape and two pieces of string to tie it together. You can carry them up any slope in relative comfort - they do catch the wind though a bit, and sometimes the carrying handles pull through.

I have seen people use fishing rod bags, and snow board bags to good effect. They don't blow away on the hill side and can be strapped to your back, but hey?

[Peter Garsden]

Thanks Andy - sub-trim - yes of course - will experiment. Brilliant. I remember now, someone did mention that up the hill, but my head was so swimming with ideas, that I forgot that one. Cheers.

[Bill_B]

Beware of any advice offered by 'that lot' up the Mermaid, they're a dodgy bunch, especially the ring leader, Ivan the terrible.

[Peter Garsden]

You would not have thought that I would be flying a sports model at the PSSA weekend last Saturday and Sunday but the wind was light so the Ideal got quite a bit of air time, and many very successful time I had with it, until that "one last flight" near the cafe which is a tricky landing area on the Orme with the need to lose height and then drop the model in a grass area of about 60 metres in depth. Easy with crow brakes.

I was trying to go as far back as I could without hitting the rocks but misjudged the depth then heard a crack as it flew quite gently into some very hard granite. So annoying but we have all done it. Why did it have to hit rock rather than grass?

It wrote off the spinner, cracked the fuselage and the join above the canopy, dented the wing and dislodged the motor battery and servo trays.

[Peter Garsden]

So how to repair that tear in the fuselage? The inside diameter of the fuselage at the nose is crucial as the motor has to slip inside it. So I made a plug of blue foam then covered it in parcel tape to push the fibreglass out and give it a smooth surface then applied 160gram cloth and resin.

[Peter Garsden]

[Peter Garsden]

The wing bolt ripped across and the granite tore the wing, but they are more easily repaired. I have filled the gaps with balsa and will sand them to shape - so much easier than repairing fibreglass skins.

[Tim Mackey]

Granite ? Pah - that's only some softy old limestone mate

Bad luuck Pete - but looks like you're well on the way to repairing her.

It flew and looked great, and nice blog too ........so well done, and see ya soon.

[Andy Meade]

You didn't waste any time getting on with the repairs Pete, good on ya!

[Peter Garsden]

Well, dents now filled with balsa and epoxy/microballoons and sanded smooth - all looking good.

[Peter Garsden]

[Peter Garsden]

I reckon the nose is now stronger than it was because I have strenthened it further with 6 pieces of carbon toe placed along the inside of the nose.

I have also used my new spray gun which was a bit fraught but worked. You just wouldn't know it had been damaged. I then gave a coat of clear lacquer to bring up the gloss