Martin McIntosh Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 JR9, try r/c modeller`s glue for the canopy, it holds well and sets crystal clear. Secure with tape while it dries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 hello Lucas, I've used the same connectors as you have over the years on various models and had no cause for concern. The small EDF's use small deflections of their control surfaces and as such I cant see any problems... ... ken anderson...ne..1...connectors dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Roberts 9 Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 Hi Martin, Thanks for the recommendation. I have a bottle of canopy glue in my stock and whilst I have found that it works well in some situations it can also be a bit messy, especially where the canopy isn't very rigid and/or where the fuselage has compound curves (like the gnat). Could be that I am just ham-fisted of course! Just a few minutes ago I was looking at a piece of depron and wondering if I could use it to make a base for the canopy which would stiffen the whole thing up. Then again I am probably over-thinking and over-complicating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brokenenglish Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 Posted by Martin McIntosh on 10/05/2020 12:14:09: other than back in the days of single channel when we used electrical terminals to connect the escapement to the rudder operating rod. That's another thing I'm still doing! ... Oh dear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin McIntosh Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 I tried some so called canopy glue once on a Spit. Despite leaving for a long time to set, when I tried to wipe off the excess with a damp cloth the canopy fell off. Cannot remember the make. Another way is to use foam safe ca which will not cause it to bloom but is even more messy to use. I would not bother with the Depron, the thing goes on quite well if trimmed correctly (I find cutting them daunting despite using curved nail scissors). Mine now has the hand launch piece underneath which I was trying to get away with from fitting but just putting the model on the bench broke an aileron at a hinge so the horns have also been shortened and the throws reset. Hoping that Bojo will set us free to fly again tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 Oh dear, looks like I have started something which has ignited some members.... I must admit I only fly models with motors, not engines. Neither I.C. nor steam. And, with the risk of inflaming some, neather would any full size aircraft designer/builder have done if they would have had the option of vibration free, low maintenace and very reliable electric propulsion that we model aircraft operators have. But back to the connectors. Low vibration makes a difference for the solution choosen. And a 600 gr. electric model is likely to have a different optimal solution compared to a 15 kg scale model with a 100 cc 2 cycle petrol engine. Glued the canopy tonight. Now it is only covering left. 550 gr. including battery at this stage. I think she will be on or below the target weight of 620gr. Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Does anyone know if there is a file somewhere with all the decals for the yellow version as described in the article? That would save quite a bit of work. Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Belshaw Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 A little late to the party but I've been building my Gnat on and off over the last couple of months in conjunction with following this thread and picking up some hints and tips. I'll be finishing this in the yellow colour scheme, the only difficulty will be in sourcing the graphics. I've fitted magnets to the battery hatch and will shortly be cutting out the fan access hatch to allow me to connect the esc before tack gluing back in place. Looks like I'll be on target with the weight and hope she flies ok on my Zippy 25C 2200 pack. I'm mostly only flying gliders so I'm expecting this to be an interesting experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I did some testing with different batteries and found big differences between them. My 6 year old 25C Turnigy batteries delivered about 450 gr thrust. A new 45C Gensace 2300 mAh battery delivered 630 gr without battery hatch and 580 with the battery hatch closed. Check yours on the scale. I put the plane nose down on the scale, hold it lightly and open the throttle. If you spin up the first time and have your face over the exhaust you get a lot of balsa dust in your face (do not ask how I know....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 hello Stephen...have a look here for decals....I got some from them for my sabre.... ken anderson...ne..1.decal dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Petrie Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Finally finished painting! Happy with how it has turned out. Got the canopy to glue on and final balancing then should be ready to fly for the weekend Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Petrie Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Had the maiden flight today! All was successful and happy to see the jet in the air for the first time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Congratualations! May I ask how you put the blue on the canopy. Is it self-adhesive vinyl or shrink film. If the latter, did you do anything special to avoid distorting the canopy? Regards, Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Petrie Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Thanks Lucas. It's actually just the same blue 2 pack paint that i used on the fuselage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Roberts 9 Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 Finally finished my Folland Gnat. Took me rather longer to build than I expected but, on the other hand, I haven't had much else to do over the last few weeks! Applying the covering was a bit of a fiddle but it doesn't look too bad as long as you don't look closely! Scottish lockdown rules have just been relaxed so I hope to start flying again tomorrow but I shall give my rusty thumbs some exercise on my trusty Wot4 before trying to maiden the Gnat. Edited By John Roberts 9 on 28/05/2020 17:18:27 Edited By John Roberts 9 on 28/05/2020 17:45:49 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Bernard Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 Well my Provost is done now it's a case of waiting and thumb twiddling - SWMBO is in the high risk group so no going to the field yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 I completed my Gnat just before the lockdown so have been waiting since then for the maiden flight. I am happy to report that the wait is now over and a successful maiden took place today. No problems encountered and great fun to fly. I spent a bit of time playing with rates during the flight and have now arrived at a setup which suits me. Loops and rolls were fine and the stall was just a gentle dip of the nose at a very slow speed. No flying pics I am afraid, but a few interesting statistics based on the telemetry data log (SM UniSens on board). Power at launch was 630 watts (a 4s setup in use), but most of the flight was ar 250 watts or lower (see log extract below). The 5 minute flight used only 1200 mAh from the 2200 Lipo, so 7 or 8 minute flights should be no problem. It has a real vertical performance, and one 138m climb in less than 10 secs showed a climb rate of 14.5 m/sec - not bad for such a little model. I am very happy. Dick ps. I forgot to say how amazingly quiet it was in flight - something all the onlookers commented on! Edited By Dickw on 28/05/2020 23:25:13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Congratulations Dick! May I ask you what settings you ended up with (mm up/down and expo)? Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Jones 2 Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Hi Dick, Lovely looking model and great news on the flight.. flew mine again last night and the Hunter. The Gnat is still the one I like the best Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Posted by Lucas Hofman on 29/05/2020 07:08:03: Congratulations Dick! May I ask you what settings you ended up with (mm up/down and expo)? Lucas Hi Lucas I didn't use any expo at this stage as I wanted to just sort out some basic control throws. I have just measured the final results and now have +/- 8mm on elevator. The ailerons have 2 rates with +/- 3mm giving a decent roll rate for normal flying and +/- 4mm giving very rapid rolls fort a bit of added fun. I think my next step would be to have the ailerons permanently at +/- 4mm with some added expo. On my Tx 30% expo looks about right according to the displayed function curves, but that would probably depend on the Tx brand. Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Hofman Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Thanks Dick. Your experience fits with mine in that I found aileron deflection as per plan ok but the elevator response sluggish on +/- 6mm (with 30% expo). Have now changed to +/- 8, so let us see how that goes. Lucas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin McIntosh Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Did you hand launch these yourself or get assistance and did they need much of a shove? The reason I ask is that as a mode 1 flyer I would probably only have elevator available at launch and at the moment others are not allowed to touch fellow flyer`s models. I have the Gnat, Provost and Hunter waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Lewis Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 I am working on the Provost (which I am converting to a CF-114 Tutor, longer nose and T tail) but have been flying my F86 Sabre a bit and quite enjoying it. I hand launch it myself but I am setup as Mode 2 on my transmitter so once I bump the left stick to full throttle on my chest my right hand can control pitch and roll while I give it a healthy throw with my left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Jones 2 Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Martin I am mode 1 too.. right hand launch not an issue if kept flat and level. The normal initial dip can be controlled with elevator on left stick Of the 3 the provost is the worst to get away and definitely needs a good shove. The gnat is the easiest and the hunter close to the gnat steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin McIntosh Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Thanks for that, I am not surprised that the chunky Provost is the most difficult. I would like to try the Gnat and my enlarged Hunter first. Running out of excuses to maiden the Concorde and have booked a flying slot for Sun. when the wind forecast so far is 10-17 mph and straight down the patch. I think that this model is actually on another thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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