Spice Cat Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 I purchased the Speed Air which I then donated to a friend. Unfortunately I then smacked it into the ground breaking the fuze in two. About two hours of repair and she was up again. I have to say she flies beautifully and I am considering getting another myself although I already own a Calmato 40 which a bit more expensive but a great kit. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben B Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Spooky. I've got a Calmato 40 sports in the air at the moment and a Super Air sat in it's box (just in case!!!!!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 Armed wityh wellies,staff,camera and bimoculars, Ill be searching this morning after flying my Mpx Fun Cub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogster Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Good luck with the search Stephen. I`ve got myself a Travel Air and I am loving it. Its my first low winger and it flies superbly. Its seems pretty viceless and this gives me a lot of confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codename-John Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 i bought a super air at weston park, im not very impressed with the build quality, dont know if mines a friday afternoon jobbie but one of the elevators was hinged so tight it kind of popped over each side of the stabilizer and stayed there where moved, and one of the ailerons was hinged like a banana, was only £60 so i guess you get what you pay for, havent flown it yet but im hoping from the good comments, it makes up for the extra work needed to get it airworthy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 Stuill no success.so today the same goy who located the Super Air took 126 photos and some video footage of the area to see if he can locate ir.Its the worst negleted part of the farm and its the easiest way of locating it befgore I look physically again.He found 3 models the last time he did this,seems to recognise where vegetation has been disturbed,and searches those areas on a computer.His succes rate is excellant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 Success at last.The guy had drawn a map but I couldnt figure it out.So after trudging around getting very hot and tired I went and took his directions again.I started from a different location,found some old machinery that it should have been in line with but in a second field.After trcking and struggling through shoulder high foliage ,I decided to head for the hedgerow of trees and see if I couls ensure I was IN line with hie landmarks.There was a cave in the hedgerow that was less dense so I headed for that.In the mouth of the cave was my wing and on the otherside of the bank with just the nose cone submerged I found the fuselage,no under carriage.It looks like the elevator hinges had failed,but ive everything back ready to go in a replacement model Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I have just acquired a damaged 'Super Air' from Phil Claridge from Bognor Regis. It has a damaged nose and all the structure is missing up to the cockpit.---anyone got any measurements / details? MJE Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 19/10/2012 18:30:54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben B Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I have to say I've rather gone off my Super Air. It's not that it's not fun to fly, it's just not as precise as my old Calmato sports nor as chuckable as some of my other planes. If anyone gets one I'd recommend raking the wheels quite far forward. My plane was a nose-over fest until I got fed up and pushed the wheels forward by about an inch. It's now much better (although the prop clearance has reduced somewhat). It's not a bad plane. But it's not the best. It has a tendency to screw out of some manoevers, particularly if you fly inverted and push forwards into an inverted loop- the name of which I should know but don't I suspect the push rods are bending on one of the elevator halves and causing this.... It could also be the "horns" that aren't really horns (threaded rod jobbies)- they tend to move slightly in the control surface causing changes to the surface deflection- I'll be changing mine soon for "proper" horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chambers Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I have the Travel Air and I find the same (it's a similar design). It's alright, but even with max throws, it's fairly limited in what it can do. It's a bit of fight to keep it in knife edge and the speed needs keeping up. I went for the Travel Air instead of the Super Air, as it had the undercarriage on the fuselage. Which has proved handy as I've ripped the blighter off at least 6 times until learnt to land without breaking it off! On the plus side, I've also learnt how to glue an undercarriage on so well, that the next time it comes off, there won't be much model left to glue it back onto! I keep it as a back-up model for windy weekends. It's also my only glow model, to remind me how much I actually hate messy glow engines - ideal to alleviate the thought that running a glow model is fun! I still have problems to get it to idle low enough, so I end up coming in too quickly and having a pretty rough landing. Si. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 Im flying the Travel Air with my Harmon Rocket and enjoy both.The Harmon Rocket definitely has the edge and is a more robust build.Similarly I have to constantly replace the under carriage and have beefed it up, to try and keep it on.I have back up models on both also so if one is terminated a short time will be needed to get one back in the air.The down side is,I enjoy these 2 so much I tend not to fly much else.I always use epoxy to secure the Blackhorse horns as that secures them and prevents any movement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Stephen, Your photographs will come in very useful for the repair of my acquired damaged Super Air. Tomorrow I am off to Avicraft in the hope of getting some thin ply wood to laminate the front of the aircraft where it has obviously piled-in. I need to construct new ply bulkheads also for the front of the aircraft from plywood I already have. I also need two wing sheer bolts,tank and engine. However I have just read with great amusement the comments from all the Super Air flyers on these posts and it would appear none of the Super Airs have survived--or have they? I am just wondering whether I am wasting my time? When I described the metal tube arrangement with the metal push-rods in the rear of the fuselage to a club member he suggested they could attract radio interference on 35 mhz so I wonder whether he has a point? Did you note on the internet that you can buy separate wings and fuselage for the Super Air? Currently I gather a new fuselage is not available till January but it seems to be a way of resurrecting your plane assuming you have not cremated it? MJE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 Hi Mike,after spending a month in the Rape seed crop my was placed in the airing cupboard for a couple of days to dry.All the balsa had gone sort od mouldy looking but the only damage was the wing support came out so easily repaired.But then mine started breaking behind the cockpit and I repaired it on a number of iccasions,Decided mine was due to weakend balsa due ti being in the elements,hence I reitered it.It was my first low winger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Stephen, Having looked at the fuselage material on the Super Air I am not sure that it is balsa? Certainly the Super Air structure is not substantial so I can understand the planes not surviving crashes to any great extent. As for loosing your plane in the Rape Seed crop this reminded me of a trip to my relatives home in Southampton with some of my electric planes. Just behind their bungalow is a large field where we flew one of those tiny Extilin planes. My brother-in-law had a flight and in a short time the plane was out of sight but seen by a dog walker to fly over an adjacent road into a field with long grass (up to your knees) After some while though I found the plane, god knows how? The trip back to the bungalow involved crossing a stream no more than one foot wide but with steep banks. I grabbed the hand of one of my twin sisters who was with us to help her across the stream which she had crossed a number of times in the past. However my sister lost her footing and her arm dislocated so we had to take her in great pain to Southampton General Hospital! As for the Super Air I was given it will be my first low winger though I was given another which I have yet to identify. The repairable wrecks are shown below: Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 25/10/2012 09:16:03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 OOPS,that looks a bit of a challenge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Wright 2 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 The deadly sin is to operate a Super Air with the c/g to far back they will flick on round out usually resulting in fus failure behind the cockpit . Excessive elevator movement, and the use of, can produce the same result .Its a very cheap model but can be easily sorted to make a very acceptable .Have had one for nearly five years and it does what it says on the tin ,but did get rid of that horrible sticky printed vinal covering an recovered in the proper stuff ,and added a nose wheel ,its now very flyable by comparison to the model that came out of the box. The model has been around a long time and you can now buy the same size model in epo for around £40 ! so the cheap planes have got even cheaper! and don't need a recover or do extensive mods to get your moneys worth. Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Thanks Tom and Stephen, Got all my repair stuff this morning so I will make a start on the Super Air fuselage which I intend to strengthen with thin ply wood. Tom if you could let me know the C/G location i would very much appreciate it?--How did you modify the undercarriage to include a nosewheel? Best Wishes, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Wright 2 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Mike. The repair to your SA should be quite straight forward .You could try cutting back to the undamaged outer fus sides, then glue over lapping inner ply sides,and finish the outer with 3mm balsa .This should result in an easy to sand seamless repair and once done the rest is easy . It may be an advantage to extend the nose length at this stage as this will make getting a safe cg easy and avoid adding weight . My model is EP,I have not looked back in the thread to see if yours is EP or IC. Just had a call to ask if I will test fly a 3.4 m K8 so will get back. Regards Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Tom, The repair you describe is exactly what I had in mind. I have bought two thickness of ply to carry out the mend, I will use 1/16 ply to reinforce the fuselage sides and even thinner ply to create the cowling top which I will make removable to give access to the fuel tank. The three bulkheads necessary I will make similar to the originals but may use thicker ply which I already have. i will fair-in the fuselage sides with balsa as you suggest. The original fuselage did not appear to be fuel-proofed but I guess this is common to most ready built planes? Best Wishes, Mike Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 25/10/2012 20:04:14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Bastow Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I am on my second travel air. love it to bits, they fly really nice and i think for the money they are excellent value. I would suggest you check out the uc mounting as it is the only week spot on them. I agree with the comments about the covering if left in a hot car but it can be reshrunk with a hair dryer if you are carefull. Enjoy your model they are a great first low winger and should see you through your b if you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Cliff, I have just had a look at the Travel Air and noticed the constant chord wing which must eliminate tip stalling? It certainly gets good review comments. Your comments on the covering seem relevant as mine has a number of splits I will need to repair with fibre-glass reinforced tape. If the plane survives long enough I may treat it to a re-cover perhaps with Oratex? I spotted a Black Horse B25 MItchell for about £140 in Avicraft today---I must look further at their range in future as they do seem to be good value. Regards, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 I also spent time redoing the U/C mounting plate on my Travel Air in an effort to get it to stay in,and its been ok at the latest attempt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Repair started with 1/16 ply sides added and squared up. I just need to glue the ply to the original remaining fuselage wooden sides (They are not balsa!) and then fair-in the sides with 3/16th balsa. I need to adopt a profile for the nose of the plane but my need to find an engine, prop and spinner first and fit the bulkheads and engine mount. Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 26/10/2012 17:22:09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted October 26, 2012 Author Share Posted October 26, 2012 Beginning to look better already.The area that used to break on mine was high behind the canopy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Stephen, Thanks for the tip I will look to strengthen the area behind the cockpit. There area couple of fractures below the cockpit that need attention.also. I will have to find out the dimensions of the front bulkhead to ascertain whether the fuselage tapers from the cockpit location to the nose of the plane? I think the next job should be the bulkhead that support the wing plugs at the leading edge of the wing. I intend using a heavier grade of ply than the original which appeared to be quite flimsy ? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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