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My Next Build ..... The FMS Beaver


toto
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OK. 

 

following on my my recently started ( not quite finished ) Hobbyzone Carbon Cub build is the next in the queue. It does not arrive until Monday 24th April from Kings Lynn Models.

 

Its the FMS Beaver .... a rather large beast with a 2.0m windspan. this is version no two which has been set up in a red, white and black livery and has transparent cockpit windows added since the release of version 1. 

 

and for those that are interested ....... here is the link below.

 

https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/beaver-2000mm-pnp-v2-with-reflex/FMM090P1X.html

 

I'm going electric on this with the latest Spektrum motor that has just been released ..... the details of which I will post up when they arrive towards the back end of next week or beginning of the following week.

 

I'll be using these

 

P1100721.thumb.JPG.b1314f505b99a9ec7a485cf914d27a8f.JPG

 

which are 6S Voltz 22.2 volt 4800 50C batteries ..... and .......

 

P1100722.thumb.JPG.2fb22e5e59bbcefb636c35dc18051c8d.JPG

 

one of these, cant remember which one was ordered for the beaver. i'll need to double check.

 

All the servos and motor come installed and the ESC. so .... once it arrives ..... it'll be good to go .... well to construction anyway.

 

I'll confirm when everything has arrived and get ready for the assembly. This is the kit that, along with the Carbon Cub, my trainer will be training me on. 

 

looking forward to it.

 

cheers for now

 

toto

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I will be disabling reflex in favour of the Spektrum system. All the gear involved is spektrum and should happily talk to each other. Steve of Kings Lynn Models talked me through this as well as other options.

 

I'm still open to other opinions though.

 

Toto

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My trainer wants all " aids to flying " turned off. So initially it wont matter what each model offers. Then of course, once I can fly to a reasonable standard, would you actually want to have the model taking the glory for a smooth, impressive flight. Possibly not. :classic_biggrin:

 

Toto

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Ok, things are looking good for tonight. Not to actually assemble,  but just to have a good old look in the box. I want to get the carbon cub set up finished first as It looks probably that my instructor is going to take me up in it this weekend if we over come the set up issue. ( turning off SAFE mode).

 

Anyway I digress. Back to the beaver. I'm just keen as we usually all are to have a look in the box and see what I have to work with when assembly time actually dawns.

 

I dont think I will bother with any photos as I'm sure most will have seen them a thousand times already unless there is a specific request for it.

 

Onwards and if set up right ....... upwards.

 

Cheers

 

Toto

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Well,

 

hit the shed to look at my Beaver ( conjures up a bit of an image ) and although I said I was not going to post up photos unless specifically asked to ( boy how do I lie so unashamedly ) I felt a little Michael Jackson ( of BAD fame ) come across me  ....... yes, for the purists ..... please now close your eyes.

 

1st up .....

 

P1100723.thumb.JPG.c5dd837ca0a29fad110e34b8b4f5a882.JPG

 

but wait ...... there worse to come ......

 

P1100724.thumb.JPG.7e2e7aec9323aea7b440417a82f6cafe.JPG

 

yes ..... the shame of it all ........ im a ... a.....ohhhhhh ........ assembler.

 

I really must go ........ for now anyway ......... but .... I'll be back ..... erm .....no .... thats a terminator. .... need to get it right...... must try harder.

 

beautiful kit .... erm .... toy .... OHHHH ..... whatever.

 

toto

 

 

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Only my opinion and I am sure others will have something to say!

 

Learn on a high wing trainer, so don't really need stabilisation (especially as we are coming out of winter). I have used stabilisation if its above 10 constant gusting +20 mph with the buddy lead as it just takes the unpredictable bouncing about out for the trainee. Other club trainers would probably not be there or fly, but I like to keep a consistent training program and not encourage fair weather fliers!

 

Safe, has its place and for me hand launching difficult models (2.7kg SU47) is a great boon, but what I would say is in practice there are two things to consider

  1. You have to be very practiced to recognise you have lost control and more importantly able to find the assigned button to press...before the ground meets the model
  2. Flying in safe is really weird as you have to hold the stick over to maintain say a set bank angle, now you might be able to unlearn this with a trainer, but it will be really hard with something more sporty!

IMO the best way to learn is with an instructor and a buddy system, it should be the cheapest and maximise flying time as opposed to repair time!

 

Lastly I am a great believer in flying different models to gain experience, but in the early days of flying one model is best until you have gained reasonable experience (take off circuit and land) before trying something else.

 

Looking forward to your assembly of the ARTF...you may find later on the term ARTF is interpreted in a very different way by some manufacturers!

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Thanks for that Chris.

 

I wasn't trying to complicate my learning programme by introducing a second trainer. I bought the carbon cub as " the " trainer, maybe a little I'll advised in a sense because the feedback that I got initially from my trainer was that it may be a little light to fly in windy conditions. Our club site is prone to typical windy conditions.

 

I did not want to potentially limit my air time when training so made the decision to buy a second model. It was something that was on my radar anyway so I dont mind. The longer wing span of 2.0m against the 1.3m of the Carbon Cub also helps with visuals in the air.

 

Ideally, I'll see which one works best and I'll be happy to fly it to death ..... literally if needs be. :classic_biggrin:

 

As for the safe or other flying assistance .... I am with you ( and my instructor ) they will

 Be disabled.

 

Thanks for your feedback

 

Toto

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Ok ..... I've got a little shed time tonight ..... not much but better than nothing. So I decided to start putting this brute together.

 

Fuselage mounted onto stand .....

 

 

 

P1100725.thumb.JPG.f535154f288e8dc5180e608fd8d9b855.JPG

 

The front windscreen unclips to give access to the electrics ....

 

P1100726.thumb.JPG.a085ee7d405e7c5367a7f44eb3681b1c.JPG

 

pretty neat and very easily accessible. then we turn the fuselage over to access the belly .......

 

P1100727.thumb.JPG.bf686ee2d8146bd048c63802e5e84546.JPG

 

and you can see where the landing gear goes ..... courteousy of five screws ......

 

P1100728.thumb.JPG.7ff9f43d3d884fda257889a52ede76e4.JPG

 

still to locate the screws from the fittings bag yet .....

 

Ok ...... so screws located and screwed in place and the fuselage turned back resting on its belly .....

 

P1100729.thumb.JPG.ba91a66be6d63c8ceee868775fe854d1.JPG

 

its a very snug fit with no movement or any causes for concern. However .........

 

P1100730.thumb.JPG.569979bedc6556f910133721ce2d12d2.JPG

 

The prop shaft does seem to nose down at a little bit of an angle ..... you can probably see it from the image above. Now I have heard previously that this is normal. The prop is normally a degree or so out from the level. Can anyone just confirm this prior to me going much further.

 

cheers for now ....

 

toto  

 

 

 

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Ok ..... marching on ..... with the assembly and we are on to the installation of the wings next.

 

So .... its in with the carbon rod strengthener thingy ...

 

P1100731.thumb.JPG.b47b74784559dfb44e134b4747fabb2a.JPG

 

and even with this blurry image you'll see the electric printed circuit board that connects all the servo workings to the ailerons etc and the lights on the wings. Ohhhhhh yes ..... let there be light ..... and there was.

 

next .... you can see from the image below the two screw locations which when inserted, fix the wing down through the wing into the body of the fuselage .....

 

P1100733.thumb.JPG.087ccb8f0f43ff4db14e7e2f9aa05e9f.JPG

 

and ....the little connections to fit the wing support spars ( I'm sure there will be a correct name for them ) to the fuselage .....

 

P1100734.thumb.JPG.115cdc434ed07c7aaa646b23aefe8f32.JPG

 

and the spars 

 

P1100736.thumb.JPG.fb3f411699f05d7785d663bac3c8d9e6.JPG

 

using the following screws and retention clips ....

 

P1100732.thumb.JPG.fada720e59b63c5b62ef4d68f843d817.JPG

 

seems easy enough so far on this ..... " assembly " .

 

 

 

Now .... lets fit them then.

 

P1100738.thumb.JPG.6554f8138a01a44197be40cbc322df44.JPG

 

The wings and their corresponding connections slotted into place with no trouble at all. A little awkward slotting in the wing support rods and marrying up the top of the wing at the same time trying to ensure that you dont put any undue pressure on any of the parts but got there.  Two screws through the top of the wing ......

 

P1100737.thumb.JPG.6b50a9d9517bf95495cfb6957328b9f3.JPG

 

and a retaining clip in the bottom for the wing support. Now ........ before you all come back telling me that the clip is on upside down, as technically speaking it could vibrate out the way I have orientated it in the picture, this will be changed the opposite way. 

I watched a Utube video where the guy building this had problems forcing the clip up through the support and the part that is attached to the fuselage so I thought I'd push it in from the bottom just to form / widen the hole to take the pin before changing it around and inserting it from the top.

 

anyway ....... we end up with this .......

 

P1100739.thumb.JPG.c481c9618b451e8aac331d0396edbd22.JPG 

 

and bang goes the space I just cleared in the shed .....😄 .....

 

P1100740.thumb.JPG.2c0887112f1b6593ce87d1fcd049b0cf.JPG

 

god knows where all the other models are going to go 😄 ...

 

but I have a cunning plan for that quandry ......... 

 

This area of the shed .....

 

P1100742.thumb.JPG.0207daced09b83e05bf56b67de2f1e78.JPG

 

and this area of the shed ( not a very great photo to give an idea with but all will become clearer as the story unfolds ...

 

P1100743.thumb.JPG.69935881f92b41b28e4359ff84a7ad49.JPG

 

will be being repurposed for hanging space for fuselages and wing bags etc.

 

There are also other areas which kit boxes etc are currently occupying which will make room for more built models as the boxes disappear.

 

Anyway ...... enough for tonight. I think I deserve a beer or a glass of red wine after that " assembly " work. 😄

 

Tomorrow will hopefully see the assembly of the tail end and any other small tasks that need to be done to get it ready to bind and test. Hmmmm binding to the transmitter is another story. I'll read up on that again. 

 

cheers for know

 

toto

 

 

P1100741.JPG

 

 

P1100735.JPG

Edited by toto
incorrect image inserted
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Thanks for that GrumpGnome. 

 

I heard that it was supposed to be about 1 degree on the vertical plane and about 2 degrees on the horizontal as well.

 

With regards to the very last image I posted on the last post, I tried to edit it out. I dont know how I managed to put that there. It certainly wasn't voluntary. It doesn't do any harm, it's just a duplicate but if the mods want to edit it out, feel free. 

 

Cheers

 

Toto 

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Hi Toto, following your progress with both flying and the FMS Beaver 'assembly' with interest.

 

The Beaver looks like a really nice model, I'm envious! Please, please don't try to fly it until you know you can fly it safely.

 

Ref. the motor down-thrust, the manual shows this in quite a few illustrations, but it's best seen on page 11.

 

1089279821_FMSBeaverdownthrust.thumb.jpg.60899e57af8cb8008b39c6618fb7a152.jpg

 

It looks very much like yours, so it's intentional. 

 

Incidentally, I had a look at the manual for the Carbon Cub. There didn't appear to be any way to disable the Safe system, even in expert mode. Did you find a way to do it?

 

GDB

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Hi Caveman,

 

No, I didn't find a way of disabling it but according to the online utube video i watched, the host did state that there was no assistance in experienced mode. .... Now ..... whether " safe " and assistance / limitations are two different levels of potential " assistance " I dont know but I took his meaning to be completely unaided. 

 

The image you posted above does seem to show that slight misalignment of the prop shaft. I never noticed that in the instructions and if I had, probably would have put it down to loss of scale with the picture if I had not seen it " in the flesh " so to speak.

 

With regards to flying the Beaver, the only way I'll be flying it will be tethered to an instructor when he thinks I'm ready for it. He reckoned that the Beaver will be easier to fly in terms of being easier to see and being more suitable in terms of weight. 

 

Not many at the club ( so far ) are too enthusiastic about the clubs suitability. I think they are of the opinion it's too light and small. ( especially due to the typical openness and wind characteristics at our site ).  Currently I am going between a boomerang and a mascot. The instructor that is mainly taking me under his wing is of the opinion that it will probably benefit me in the long run learning on my own model. I would not be tempted to try going it alone with it. I'm happy playing the longer game.

 

Toto

 

 

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On 25/04/2023 at 17:26, toto said:

Ok, things are looking good for tonight. Not to actually assemble,  but just to have a good old look in the box. I want to get the carbon cub set up finished first as It looks probably that my instructor is going to take me up in it this weekend if we over come the set up issue. ( turning off SAFE mode).

 

Anyway I digress. Back to the beaver. I'm just keen as we usually all are to have a look in the box and see what I have to work with when assembly time actually dawns.

 

I dont think I will bother with any photos as I'm sure most will have seen them a thousand times already unless there is a specific request for it.

 

Onwards and if set up right ....... upwards.

 

Cheers

 

Toto

I always like photos! Worth a thousand words!

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3 hours ago, toto said:

Hi Caveman,

 

No, I didn't find a way of disabling it but according to the online utube video i watched, the host did state that there was no assistance in experienced mode. .... Now ..... whether " safe " and assistance / limitations are two different levels of potential " assistance " I dont know but I took his meaning to be completely unaided. 

 

The image you posted above does seem to show that slight misalignment of the prop shaft. I never noticed that in the instructions and if I had, probably would have put it down to loss of scale with the picture if I had not seen it " in the flesh " so to speak.

 

With regards to flying the Beaver, the only way I'll be flying it will be tethered to an instructor when he thinks I'm ready for it. He reckoned that the Beaver will be easier to fly in terms of being easier to see and being more suitable in terms of weight. 

 

Not many at the club ( so far ) are too enthusiastic about the clubs suitability. I think they are of the opinion it's too light and small. ( especially due to the typical openness and wind characteristics at our site ).  Currently I am going between a boomerang and a mascot. The instructor that is mainly taking me under his wing is of the opinion that it will probably benefit me in the long run learning on my own model. I would not be tempted to try going it alone with it. I'm happy playing the longer game.

 

Toto

 

 

All planes I have flown have had down-thrust and side-thrust built in. Down-thrust to stop zooming and side thrust to counter engine torque  (the tendency for the fuselage to turn the opposite way to the prop under power).

The only model I have with SAFE (the Hz Cub) has three positions- almost complete assistance, partial and none (SAFE off). In practise, I have found the only way I can fly it is with SAFE off. Otherwise it is frustratingly like a free-flight model. I can well believe the manufacturers hype that a novice can learn to fly on it- it flies itself, and with power off it is so light it lands like a feather. 

I agree with those people that say SAFE is actually a hinderance to learning to fly, unless you are completely learning SOLO, when it may have some benefit. Once you can fly, it will frustrate you.

 

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Good evening,

 

time to get " assembling " and tonight we are assembling the horizontal and vertical stabilization parts.

 

 P1100744.thumb.JPG.a29c99be8b86c92cb10609c0657c5678.JPG

 

and there they are elevators, rudder and carbon joining pole. there is also a square section of hollow plastic that goes between the elevators that I have not pictured .... apologies.

 

P1100745.thumb.JPG.55ad688df650763c44e528e77d011fbc.JPG

 

and here is where they are going to be attached via the four screw holes as above.

 

P1100746.thumb.JPG.c573c03d4fde1a7baa58004ba4342d3f.JPG

 

and in position and screwed down. easy enough.

 

P1100747.thumb.JPG.f934d1a74741cc395a435b5852c14db0.JPG

 

next is to connect the rudder servo lead and tuck the slack into the fuselage.

 

P1100748.thumb.JPG.6b881caee5a5e9129e157b1223d3468d.JPG

 

and the rudder tail piece is slotted in , using medium force as its a tight fit which is good.

 

P1100749.thumb.JPG.97f46926f45a87504a4f89f84f7e8ded.JPG

 

and then in with one of the securing screws ......

 

P1100750.thumb.JPG.3b2c3f9fdfec8bc65d1a052e621aa7ff.JPG

 

and then the other through the side into a captive mould on the other side.

 

P1100751.thumb.JPG.9d489625130874b40b3bf90e34c6300c.JPG

 

Ya dancer ........... and one from the front .....

 

P1100754.thumb.JPG.a704ffeab28a1a0c33f996edea8475be.JPG

 

 

so .... unfortunately, thats it for tonight as I have to go and clear my car out as I pick up my new one in the morning. 

 

Tomorrow it will be ..... vortex generators o the main wings and elevators ...... pitot tube ....???? twin antenna and the linkage rods.

 

cheers for now

 

toto

 

 

P1100752.JPG

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Ok ......

 

back in the shed and on with the Beaver. not much to actually do to bring the physical assembley together now.

 

started by fixing in the vortex generators to either end of the wings ......

 

P1100755.thumb.JPG.c47eac38a3cedcd59d0159b5d4402cb1.JPG

 

there are indentations to assist in sliding these into place.

 

P1100756.thumb.JPG.93520120ab5edbb1917ca9f3658fea3f.JPG

 

they tell you to run some CA into the indentations  ..... then slide the vortex generators into position. They sure do help to make sure that they slide in straight along the top of the wing .......

 

P1100759.thumb.JPG.aaf3d50b98d7fa7cf562ac2a3d9714af.JPG

 

but don't be fooled as they are easily mis-aligned underneath ..... like here .... and CA is not very forgiving of numpties. 

 

Maybe that is why I am simply an assembler and not an esteemed builder ........ just guessing. I'll make a repair on that later, it has just really broken the surface layer but still annoying none the less.

 

then we were onto the only servo link you have to install and thats the one for the rudder.

 

P1100757.thumb.JPG.df5d378c6fbea575046e438ae57b1cdd.JPG 

 

and its in .........

 

Then two antenna which are simply pushed into place along the top of the cabin above the wing.

 

P1100758.thumb.JPG.53c94a367f3e4a0b1c26c68b43e4d3d4.JPG

 

Please note ....... these are not to be glued in place as they clip over the carbon steel wing support rod and if you want to remove this for transportation purposes ........ need I say more. thankfully I determined the instructions correctly.

 

Now .... on to the installation of the last physical parts .... the tail vortex generators. ... I'll be back with that as I jumped the gun with this post thinking it was complete .....

 

cheers

 

toto 

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Alrighty ........

 

the rear vortex generators .....

 

P1100760.thumb.JPG.09a3f4d55105dc525c936b64eee39378.JPG

 

you can see the slots in the foam where the plastic doofers slide into .... so apply some CA ......

 

P1100761.thumb.JPG.2f2973b73925b985de6d016429a84ee1.JPG

 

and its slid into place. please note that the model is in its stand in the upside down position as these slide in from underneath ..... yes I checked. You cant really go wrong as the guiding slots are only present on the underside of the wing.

 

P1100762.thumb.JPG.9b8fecde259135918016466cf742c462.JPG

 

and a photo from the top of the wing once they are in place.

 

So ....... apart from the prop which I wont be fixing for now ..... everything is " Assembled " and ready for the electronics to be installed and set up.

 

here is the receiver that will be getting fitted on the Beaver ......

 

P1100763.thumb.JPG.9335cc3f2df4710cde1fbcd0823f8201.JPG

 

As you can see its a Spektrum AR 631 with SAFE 6 channel receiver.

 

Now ..... I need to go create a model on the transmitter to create this Models electronic home on the transmitter. I've read up on this on Utube and it looks relatively straight forward. The Beaver template should already already be installed in the transmitters library so it should just be a case of selecting the preinstalled name.

 

Then ....... I should be able to pair it to the receiver ...... equally as easily ...... I hope. Anyway ..... one step at a time. I'm away with thr transmitter in hand to see if I can complete the " naming ceremony first. I'll be back to report on my progress ....... hopefully some time this year.

 

cheers

 

toto  

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