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Electric conversion of an old 84in Svenson Britten Norman Islander


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It has been busy.. The nose wheel is now repaired and the steering arm was remade from brass. 

 

 

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The U/C fairings were rebuilt with 4mm Depron and covered with HK covering film. The wheels will either be cleaned or replaced. I don't know if they can be repainted?

 

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The fin/rudder and stabiliser/elevator were covered with HK film, which gave quite a bit of additional sturdiness to them.

 

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The rudder and elevator hinges were replaced by robart hinges which were glued in with medium CA after oiling the joints with some vaseline.

The control lines/snakes and connections were all refurbished/repaired and changed with new ones where necessary.

The nacelles were painted white with white enamel spray paint.

The electrics, cabling and servos were rechecked operationally. Motors/ESCs were installed

 

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As per ethe 4Max guidance, I decided to go with 2 x 3700MAH 4S batteries connected in paralel delivering power to both ESCs. ESCs were mounted in the nacelles. One of the ESC signal wires has been cut off.

 

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I then covered the  with with HK covering - All white.  The size of the wings has proved logistically problematic as it covers all the work area in my work room.

 

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Next the fuse will be covered and the tail appendages will be re-glued in place.

To be continued.

Question: Is there a way to paint the rubber on the wheels?

 

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I started the covering of the fuselage.. Started with covering around the windows, nooks& crannies. Then covered the bottom, top and sides. Alongside the covering iron I have this Hobby Iron from the Hobbycraft Shop. It has proved to be invaluable  in dealing with nooks and crannies.

 

I ran out of HK covering and switched to 4Max covering which is the same I think.. Works really well..

 

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Printed a cockpit photo and glued it to the cockpit.

 

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Then cut off the windscreen using a leftover PVC table cover and glued it in place with the cockpit glue. Left it to dry for 24 hrs.

 

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Then I glued the stabiliser and the fin with 15min epoxy and micro balloon mix. The stabiliser/elevator was aligned to the wing with level gauges.

 

 

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I could not wait to put it together outside and then checked the CG!!

 

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I will use 2 x 3300 ZeePower 4S batteries. I checked the CG on my balancer. Excellent outcome.. I will not need any ballast. The battery banalced the plan perfectly at 106mm from the leading edge (ca 30% of the cord). The box contains the two batteries. 

 

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The AUW is measured to be 11 lbs (5kg).. Which is better than my estimate of 12.5 lbs... That is great I can discard all the recovered ballast.... 

 

I will not proceed with the battery tray / radio gear installation and engine testing... Hopefully I will be able to maiden it again in a week time....

 

By the way Ron Greys longbase foam stand works perfectly.. Thanks Ron..

 

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To be continued...

 

 

 

Edited by Murat Kece 1
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  • 3 months later...

@Murat Kece 1   I am super pleased to find this thread. I am about to embark on the same restoration project so this helps a tonne. I also contacted George from 4-max and he recommended the same motor set up. 

 

One thing I was concerned about is that the frise (?) ailerons seem to have very limited throw. Knowing yours had flown in the past it would be great to have validation of how much throw you have. I was contemplating mounting servos next to the flight surfaces. Waiting your maiden (and CG experience) with anticipation! 

  

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21 hours ago, Murat Kece 1 said:

Hi James
Mine has 14mm throw up and down.

I am hoping to maiden mine as soon as I have a good flying day. I will post then.

Wishing you success with your conversion. 

Fantastic! many thanks for the info. All the best, cant wait to see if fly. 

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  • 10 months later...
On 25/07/2023 at 22:39, Murat Kece 1 said:

Hi James
Mine has 14mm throw up and down.

I am hoping to maiden mine as soon as I have a good flying day. I will post then.

Wishing you success with your conversion. 

Hi Maurat, did you manage to fly your BN yet? I am nearing completion on mine and running out of excuses not to fly it. 🙂

 

Wondering what CG you used/had success with. 

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14 hours ago, Murat Kece 1 said:

Hi James,

No I have been away for over a month. The weather is just right now. I am planning to maiden it soon.

Excellent! good luck. I look forward to comparing notes. It looks like mine is almost the identical weight as yours.  

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  • 1 month later...

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