RE: How many would opt out of Model Aviation?
In this age of internet (where you can find 1000x as much info as in a magazine) and recycling, it hardly makes sense to me to force a magazine on everyone. I would drop it in a second if it meant a reduction of dues. However, given that AMA is making $18 from each of us on the magazine, as well as the fact that they sell ads in it as well... they're never going to give away that source of income. It would be nice if they would spend more of the money on nationwide programs rather than keeping an AMA field at Muncie that only a privileged few will ever even see.
Posted on: 5/23/2011 8:17 AM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "AMA Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10535952

RE: Jemco P-47 Razorback
a few more pics:
Posted on: 5/21/2011 5:14 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10533215

RE: Jemco P-47 Razorback
Well, I have made some progress. The fuse is almost done, and the tail is mostly built. I need to finish the hidden linkage for the elevator (need to make a cavity in the rudder still) Made a lot of progress on the cockpit. Got the wings sheeted, and there I ran into a problem. Nothing went wrong with getting the sheeting on. In fact, I found the whole process of preparing the cores and skinning the wing to be easier than just putting the skins onto a built up wing... But now that I'm to the point of cutting out the retract bays and servo boxes, I'm thinking I should have come up with some extra reinforcing inside the wing. I was hoping to make scaleish flaps that extended back as well as down, and was looking into mechanisms for that. But when I got the skins on the wing, and looked at how much of the lower skin would have to be removed near the root to accommodate all that, Im having doubts. As is, with the landing gear doors drawn on, if I put a servo cover from a different plane on the wing for reference, it shows how little of the skin is left. If I then remove some extra T.E. material to make room for the larger scale flap... well..... Have I built myself into a corner here? Is there a way to make the wing strong enough or do I need to re think how I am going to do the flaps altogether?
Posted on: 5/21/2011 5:08 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10533204

RE: Foam Core wing retract install
Thanks for the info, and the great pictures! I think I have a pretty good handle on how to go about it.
Posted on: 3/26/2011 9:19 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10425098

RE: Foam Core wing retract install
I am working on a Jemco P-47, and I have been scratching my head about the retract install. This will be my first foam core wing. The p-47 gear retracts inward, but also somewhat aft. When extended, the legs lean down and Forward... How does one go about figuring out what angle to install the mounts in the foam so that the gear will operate in the right way, and the wheel will end up straight when extended, and flush with the wing when retracted?
Posted on: 3/26/2011 12:06 AM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10423357

RE: Jemco P-47 Razorback
Thanks, that does indeed help! I will get to work on the spring system for those doors. I was tempted to use the scale rear exhaust, but I really want to save as much weight as possible by keeping the tail really light. I'm even planning on building up all new tail surfaces, and seeing if I can get it lighter than the solid sheet ones. (the wood feels pretty heavy) I like the aluminum look, but I think I'm going to go with paint. Mostly because I recently got an airbrush, so I must use it :p Im not sure if I will do panel lines, since the plane is so small, (only 1/9 scale) I'm not sure I could make them small enough to look right. Rivets are right out. Not sure what sort of scheme to use yet, but I want to have the nose art be a bearded god hurling a lightning bolt, and the name "Thor's Hammer". I did some searching, and couldn't find any indication of a P-47 named that, though it seems the most obvious possible name for a THUNDERBOLT to me :p
Posted on: 1/30/2011 11:00 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10301648

RE: Jemco P-47 Razorback
Nice looking aluminum finish Ram! Is that paint or foil? Quite honestly, I'm not sure why this kit got phased out. Not because of the design I would think. I haven't started on the wing yet, but it looks really straightforward, just a normal foam core setup. The fuselage is going together really fast, and is not at all hard to get straight. I have the formers all glued in place, and most of the stringers in. The first part of the intercooler door tracks are installed, and the fuse frame cut away where the doors will go. Before I get the sheeting on, I still need to rout the pushrods for the elevator and tailwheel, and pull-pull wires for the rudder. (I wanted to do all hidden linkages but with the rudder and elev. hinge lines on the same plane it would be really tricky to achieve) Also its time to install the intercooler doors. I made one up out of lithoplate aluminum, using carbon tubes for the guide posts. It seems to work fine, but I have a couple of decisions to make. Are the doors supposed to be flush with the outer skin when closed? or are they recessed? I cant find a good pic of this anywhere, ( I suppose in the grand scheme of things that if I cant really see exactly how it is in the pics Ive seen, it will be scale enough however I do it ;) Its just nice to know these things) The plans suggest having the doors spring loaded, and tied by a cable to either the throttle or retract servo. My first impression would be that tying it to the throttle would provide the most scale like movement. It just worries me that the throttle servo would have to work against the springs. Also, if done as suggested and spring loaded to close (which is supposed to be the full throttle position) if the servo failed the springs could drag the motor to full throttle. That brings me to another point, I can understand why the cowl flaps close at full throttle and open at idle, partly since they still leave a gap when closed, and because of the increased air pressure at full throttle. A) do the intercooler doors actually close at full throttle? and B) if so, is there a gap or do they close all the way? Another thing I'm considering is replacing the fuse sheeting with much thinner stock. The original sides are really thick... 3/16". The structure is already fairly stiff with no sheeting on it at all, and I plan to glass and paint the plane. I'm thinking I should go down to 3/32" or even 1/16" sheeting. (or I suppose I could plane down the original sides... it would be tedious but it would save buying the wood. Too bad I don't have a laser capable of just splitting one of the sheets into 2 thin ones ;) )
Posted on: 1/30/2011 9:58 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10301591

RE: Jemco P-47 Razorback
Some pics of the canopy, cowl, and other parts.
Posted on: 1/29/2011 3:07 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10298360

Jemco P-47 Razorback
I was recently given this kit by a friend in my flying club. We were talking about building, and ARFs vs Kits, and I was saying that at this point in my career, I have plenty of planes to fly, and I am much more interested in building a nice scale kit than assembling another ARF. So he offered me a Jemco .40 sized P-47 kit he had, (made in 1979 and designed by Jim Meister according to the plans) and I am totally stoked to be getting started on it. This kit is interestingly designed. It has a built up fuse, and foam core wings (new for me) and almost none of it is to be built over the plans. I had the plans scanned anyway, and I will refer to the computer screen for most of what I need. Any templates that were meant to be cut out of the plans will be traced from the copies and printed out. I also set up my camera in such a way as to capture parts straight on, and against a grid for scale, and shot in all the die cut plywood pieces, and the ends of the foam core blanks. My goal is to record enough info to be able to reproduce parts or even build the whole plane again. (the one snag in that being all the molded plastic goodies that go with it) As far as I can tell, all the parts are accounted for and in good shape, with the exception of the cowl. Over the years it has deformed some, and has an odd depression molded into both sides from heat and/or pressure. I have never done it before, but I am considering making it into a plug, so that I can then make a female mold from that to produce a new cowl out of fiberglass. Its just such a detailed part. Perhaps I will start with one of the simpler parts. The kit includes the parts for making 2 1000lb bombs and a center drop tank, the pylons for the bombs, the razorback, and a turbocharger (yeah?) exit on the bottom rear of the fuse. Also the clear canopy, which is pristine. It provides in the plans for scale opening supercharger exits on the sides which I plan to do, a scale exhaust exit at the rear of the fuse I do not, a sliding canopy I am not sure about yet, and I'm toying with making the cowl flaps operate. In the instructions, it says that the prototype flew well, even at 9 1/2 lbs, but I think I can do a lot of scale detail and still keep it well under that with modern materials and hardware. I have a Zero of about the same size that weighs 7 1/2 lbs, and it handles great. So far, I have inventoried and marked all the parts, removed all the die cut parts from their frames, and traced out everything that cant be copied off the plans. (just as a note, I checked several of the parts against the original plans, and they fit perfectly, so I have confidence I can reproduce accurately from them) I debated building up a cradle to set the fuse frame on during assembly, but since I will not need it long, and only for this, I opted to use "mini sawhorses" made out of taped together CD cases... Since my table is flat, and the CD cases all the same, it actually sits very flat and straight. I have gotten as far now as attaching all the fuse formers to the frame. F-1 is epoxied on, 2-9 are tacked on with CA, and 10 is wood glued, with some balsa added to it for the hinge to bite into later. I just wanted to get this thread going, since it is a fairly rare kit. (I looked, and hardly found any info on it) If anyone wants to chime in with their experience and comments please feel free :) This is my first real build thread. I have put together and repaired quite a few ARFs, and I have built a Great Planes Spirit 100 sailplane kit, and most of an old IM products CAP 21 kit. I fancy myself a decent craftsman, and don't foresee having too much trouble with this kit, but I hope to learn a lot doing it. Some pics so far
Posted on: 1/29/2011 2:58 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10298326

RE: Spektrum AR6400
Thanks :) There's just 1, the board on the top. On the bottom are the battery and the satellite servo for the ailerons. I bought a beat up Sukhoi at the RC Country Swap Meet and stripped the gear out of it.
Posted on: 1/23/2011 9:27 AM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10282455

RE: Spektrum AR6400
Thanks for the link :) I didnt find anything there, but I will send them an email just in case. Heres a couple pics of the plane its for.
Posted on: 1/22/2011 11:05 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10281762

RE: Bigger Tires for Micros?
Weight will be the biggest issue. If it were me, I would just make them. The stock PZ wheels that I've seen are just discs of foam with stickers for the hubs. Just find some soft light foam and cut it into small discs the size of the tires you want. Then cut some round dots out of tape or a spare sticker, and put them on the wheels. Either drill them in the center with a tiny bit, or push a hot pin through. Breaking the gear shouldn't be a concern unless they're really heavy, and the plane probably wont fly then anyway. ;)
Posted on: 1/21/2011 2:05 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10278804

Spektrum AR6400 "servo gear"
Going on the theory it doesn't hurt to ask... Does anyone happen to have a junk 6400 board (or the one from a vapor) that still has at least one of the gears, that they haven't thrown away yet and feel like sending to me? In repairing broken off power wires for one of the servo motors on the Spektrum AR6400, I managed to melt the larger plastic gear on the end of the drive.
Posted on: 1/21/2011 1:37 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10278730

RE: Second plane
I have been flying an Easy Sport for the last 3 or 4 years and I love it and would definitely recommend it as a 2nd plane. I use mine (with buddy box) to train new pilots. It's a lot like a Stick, but with smaller control surfaces, and a bit of dihedral, so its a bit more stable. I love my easy sport so much that when the covering started to peel off I gave it a makeover. Side mounted the engine to keep the exhaust out of the wing joint, made a balsa cowl (that can be removed), a slightly bigger rudder, and gave it a new covering scheme. Heres a pic of it on the floats I made for it.
Posted on: 12/23/2010 3:08 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10214509

RE: Pushbuttons on side.
I have seen (and had) these push to arm ESCs on a few cheaper electric planes. It is to arm the motor after power up. I got tired of it on one, and just twisted the 2 wires together. The only downside was as soon as the plane comes on the motor can spin if the throttle is above idle, not a good idea for a plane with too much power.
Posted on: 12/22/2010 12:03 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10212062

RE: My fat overweight Delta
Thanks for the input. I did originally copy the plan for the plane from a plan I found online, but in my enthusiasm in Cad I suppose I went a bit crazy on the beefing up. I also noticed as I was building that the wing did seem fairly thick for the type of plane. 15% is definitely achievable, and was my original target balance, but then I read somewhere that it should be more between 20 and 25. I will be doing some more studying before building the next version. I will probably give it a shot anyway, since I have it all built. I'm not sure if I can remove a meaningful amount of material from it at this point. At least I dont have to add any of the lead... The door skin material is fairly heavy, but its really good quality. As for the engine beams, they extend through the 1/4" ply firewall and then through the doorskin former about an inch behind it, so they should be pretty solid.
Posted on: 12/7/2010 7:43 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10183442

My fat overweight Delta
Well, I thought it would be fun to make a bigger version of the electric delta I scratch built a while back, and I had a spare K&B 40 laying around that I thought might go well in it. So I drew myself some plans on Autocad, and built the thing, using door skin ply for the main ribs. The plane has a 28" wingspan and is about 24" long. I was shooting for a wing loading of 14-16oz/sq foot, and I figured it needed to weigh in around 36oz to make that. So after getting it together, and putting the battery pack all the way back in the tail, I am at 41oz, and to get the plane to balance at the 20% MAC mark, I need to add 3 oz of lead to the tail, bringing me to 44oz without any fuel. (4oz tank) My question is, should I even try to fly this thing, can I mod it in any way to help, or should I just hang it on the wall and start over?
Posted on: 12/7/2010 6:23 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10183298

RE: Help Identify this Zero ARF
I have one of these with an older OS 60SR and I think its an Awesome flier. The landing gear rails are terribly weak, and mine were only tack glued in, but other than that it seems great.
Posted on: 10/29/2010 3:13 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10102681

RE: OS91FX With Macs Tuned Pipe need help
Not sure if this will help, but I have a .46 with a Macs pipe. I put the pressure nipple right where the pipe reaches the thickest part of the pipe. The pressure line is indeed quite long. Every time I start the engine, as I first run it up, it acts really really rich, like the motor is loaded up. What I do is pinch the fuel line to let the engine lean out. Once I hear the rpms pick up, I let go of the line, and its fine after that. My guess is that I have the carb set quite rich to deal with the lesser pressure, but once it picks up, it runs great.
Posted on: 9/25/2010 11:10 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10027334

RE: My first RC Plane. (PLZ help me build it)
I hate to be discouraging... but if you really have no flight experience, then that plane is NOT a good one to learn on for a few reasons. (if we misread your post and you know how to fly and this is a first build, please forgive me.) First, its a twin engine. This means a more complicated power system, whether you go with electric or gas. It also means that if one motor fails, you are almost GUARANTEED to lose the plane, since it requires a lot of rudder coordination and quick thinking to bring in most twins on one engine. Second, scale type planes are faster and heavier than good trainers, and do not have any of the self-stabilizing characteristics. Meaning, it will be harder to fly and harder to land. Third, your building skills. Now, this is a lot more subjective, since I dont know what your skills are in that area. But it is safe to assume that no matter how good a craftsman you are the first plane you build will be a learning experience. And I can assume since you're asking here, that you dont have an experienced builder around to help. Also, its not clear if this is a Kit, Whether you have plans, or are starting from just the pictures. If you just have pics, it will be a MAJOR project. The best thing I could recommend is to at least find a good set of plans for this model, and buy a reputable trainer, and perhaps a faster second plane to learn on while you build this.
Posted on: 9/24/2010 5:50 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10024983

RE: trike geared warbirds
That plane looks to me like what you would get if a P-51 and an ME-262 got together and had babies ;) (couldn't resist)
Posted on: 9/3/2010 12:25 AM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9977573

RE: NEED FRIGGIN HELP!!!
What is the voltage on your battery? If the batt didnt get a good chargem you could just be hitting the normal low voltage cutoff as soon as you hit full throttle.
Posted on: 9/1/2010 5:47 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Foamies! - RC Electric Foam Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9974568

RE: New prop for the PZ Corsair?
I have used an APC 10x7 electric prop on the trojan and corsair with good effect. I cant remember how much it increased the amp draw, but it wasnt very much. (the stock 2 blade is a 9x7.5)
Posted on: 8/18/2010 12:24 AM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Foamies! - RC Electric Foam Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9941611

RE: Pulse 25XT
My understanding was that a .40 4 stroke would be about equal to a .25 2 stroke? I am in the process of putting a saito .45 into the Pawnee 15-25E and Im actually concerned it wont have Enough power...
Posted on: 7/9/2010 12:45 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Electrics to Glow Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9854206

RE: Painting without glassing?
I would thing the biggest problem would be dings. I painted the wing fillets on a Cap 21 that I built because I felt the compound curves were too hard to monokote. After a dozen or so flights I already have 3 or 4 places where a ding chipped right through the paint and you can see the wood.
Posted on: 6/26/2010 11:52 AM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9827942

RE: My own private moneycoat nightmare!
I guess I'm one of the odd ones, but I have honestly had more luck with Monokote than Ultra.... The only plane I have covered in ultracote have wrinkles in the wing bottom I have never been able to get out.... not to mention how hard it is to cut smoothly.... I reckon its at least partly what you learn with.... On a side note, why do so many people call it "moneycote"? Its less expensive than ultracote, or fiberglassing and paint... isnt it? Usually when we say something is "money" It means its good, but I don't think that's the case here.....
Posted on: 5/26/2010 3:14 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9760936

RE: How to install propeller alighned with spinner back plate
I have had this problem a few times. You get everything aligned, tighten it up and just as you really wrench the last bit the prop spins on the backplate.... My theory is that this is caused by too much material in the plate right at the engine shaft. Under tension it bunches up and prevents the prop from seating except right in the center. What I do when this happens is to slightly bevel the prop shaft hole in the backplate, on the side the prop touches. This allows for the outer edge of the prop hub to grab more than the center and seems to solve the problem for me. Hope that helps.
Posted on: 5/25/2010 5:01 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9758703

RE: electric P-51D
I have never built anything quite that way, but if I did, here's what I would likely do. I see on the plans you have that the fuse is mostly square as you have it, with rounded top and bottom. I would make up the formers that the plans show and either: Cut the foam all the way through and glue in the former, OR just glue the rounded top and bottom former parts onto the block of foam. Then glue more blocks of foam in between the formers. Now the formers should give you a guide for shaping the foam between them.
Posted on: 5/25/2010 2:39 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9758378

RE: Looking for fuselage
[quote]ORIGINAL: wetsu82 You know that old saying when your not part of the solution your part of the problem... [/quote] I dont see that applying here... in fact, he gave you the information you were looking for. I see all the time lazy people asking a question that they could have answered themselves in 5 seconds on google. Not saying that's you exactly, but certainly cant blame maniac for his reaction.
Posted on: 5/17/2010 2:17 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Crash & Rebuild"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9739812

RE: Strongest glue for Parkzone foam?
I have found that polyurethane glues (Gorilla, Elmer's Ultimate) stick really well to the PZ foam. Also, if you have a chunk missing, you can mix some in a cup with a drop of water and smear it in the hole, and it will foam out and fill up the gap. Trim and sand smooth after it dries. It does turn yellow, but its not too bad if you're painting over it.
Posted on: 4/19/2010 12:45 PM by Author "BadSplice" in the forum "Electric General Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9672542