RE: Tigermoth on Floats with NO rudder
Here's some info about taxiing techniques. Taxiing
Posted on: 9/17/2012 4:33 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11231618

RE: Floats for Seniorita
All the "rules" about float length are just guidelines. Put the step of each float about 1/2" behind the balance point and (on a Kadet) make the bottom of the wing parallel to the flat top of the floats. Having the nose of the float x distance in front of the propeller is beneficial if you're taxiing up to a dock, but not super critical for taxiing. Hold full UP elevator when taxiing anyway.
Posted on: 9/17/2012 4:29 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11231611

RE: can you identify this model sea plane ??
One thing to remember with a pusher engine: They overheat unless they are flying. Revving them up on the ground is just a way to cook them. Be quick about setting the needle valve.
Posted on: 9/17/2012 4:23 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11231605

RE: prop size
Use the same pitch for a 3-blade and drop the diameter by 10%
Posted on: 8/29/2012 3:26 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11210707

RE: what side for the water rudder
Kinda what Teamerica said, but not: Almost always you need a little right rudder after takeoff. Put the rudder on the left, so you'll be compensating for its drag with right rudder. When you lift off it will be next to transparent with the rudder input.
Posted on: 8/13/2012 4:24 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11192181

RE: Seaplane debate
I have to say: I have flown a Polaris several times and it is a sweetheart. Today I was playing with it and working on landing technique. It's fun to kill power, glide in, level about a foot above the water, and add about 1/4 throttle while gently raising the nose. It assumes about a 20 degree aoa and settles in for a splashless gentle landing.
Posted on: 8/10/2012 5:04 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11188738

RE: Firelands Float Fly In Tomorrow
Can you guys actually have a fly-in without Art?
Posted on: 8/10/2012 5:00 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11188731

RE: sea plane for saito fg-36
The 120-size Seamaster or Mariner, if you can find one. The Mariner is better. If you find plans for the Seamaster 120 you can take a lot of weight out while still adding strength. It was not super well designed. Heavy without being strong.
Posted on: 8/6/2012 7:03 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11183572

RE: HITEC 5646WP Waterproff servo...
With the exception of the 300, I have found Hitec Servos to be completely reliable. The 300 was their bottom-feeder 20 years ago.
Posted on: 8/4/2012 4:18 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11181004

RE: Great Planes Seawind Water Takeoff Tips
I don't have a seawind, and have only seen an electric foamie Seawind fly. However, everything that could POSSIBLY ever be known about the GP seawind is on a thread in that other forum. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=726675&highlight=gp+seawind+takeoff Hundreds of posts.
Posted on: 7/27/2012 4:06 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11171630

RE: Box tape on bottom of neptune?
If you DO use tape, get the good stuff at a real shipping or office supply store. Cheepo stuff at WallyWorld has much less adhesion than the good stuff. Start at the rear and work toward the front so any seams will be shingled appropriately. I was flying my Telemaster on foam floats one day, overshot the landing and hit the riprap. Granite is stronger than balsa and styrofoam. It Gashed up the bottom of one float pretty badly. But since they were foam floats and could not sink, I just taped over the damage and kept flying.
Posted on: 7/25/2012 6:39 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11169391

RE: Where should the step be?
Bob has probably forgotten more about models than I ever knew, but I will disagree with him about the location of the step-with a small caveat. Having the step under 40% of the mean Aerodynamic chord has always worked well for me. All my references put the step behind the CG, And it's easy to see that it would be a little more stable on the takeoff run with the contact patch behind the CG. I have never even had to add balance weights when adding floats. Caveat: As long as it's not too far forward, Bob's method will probably work,. It has worked for Bob, and that's why Bob swears by it. It's like taildragger landing gear. From a stability standpoint, it's suicidal,but lots of airplanes have survived it. You'll notice videos of Spitfires taking off from nice slippery grass next to the grippy paved runway.......
Posted on: 7/16/2012 4:11 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11157791

RE: Product review: PlaneFun Floats
Ralph, you should weigh the old floats and the new set and post the difference. I have always downgraded built-up plywood floats not only because they can leak, but because they are so much heavier. I'll bet your Cub is a LOT sportier with the lightweight floats.
Posted on: 7/7/2012 11:37 AM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11146631

RE: 1987 Seaplane
Right you are, Scale Only 4 Me! There is an easy way to make nyrods work very well. The metal link should be from the anchored end of the Nyrod sheath to the clevis. If you make the plastic pushrod the same length as the sheath, then they will both grow/shrink the same amount with temperature changes. It's important only to anchor the ends of the sheath and to have a nearly but not exactly straight run. Growth/shrinkage of the sheath/pushrod happen together and the pushrod/sheath assembly can flex as it grows or shrinks together.. Guys who tie the sheath down in 16 places don't let it move, but the pushrod still grows/shrinks and the trim changes. OR they make the unsupported end of the pushrod so it whips in the breeze and has little resistance to buckling.
Posted on: 7/7/2012 11:30 AM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11146618

RE: 1987 Seaplane
The E-Z models were popular for a while. The covering is a structural laminate of foam, paper, and film, Really pretty but hard to repair. Bless you for your service in The Corps. I have a nephew flying V22s. His dad flew Cobras and in HMX-1 Semper-Fi.
Posted on: 7/5/2012 4:30 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11144506

RE: thrust line on sea planes
Yep. 3 degrees up is common for pod-mounted engines.
Posted on: 7/4/2012 6:07 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11143250

RE: thrust line on sea planes
The thrust line is above both the center of gravity and the center of drag. A thrust-line set at zero degrees will get leverage and push the nose down. This can be really scary if you abort a landing and try to go around because the plane will dive when you add power. If you tip the thrust line up a bit, it has a lift component that helps keep the nose from plunging, AND the prop blast puts a little downforce on the horizontal stab when you add throttle, als tending to lift the nose and countering the pure thrust's (zero degree thrust line) tendency to push the nose down. When you have it right, there should be no pitch response when you add or reduce power. A little extra right thrust is good, too, because the prop disc is running at more of a positive angle to the relative wind, so the right blade makes more thrust than the left. If you get the right thrust correct you won't have to punch in right rudder just as you lift off.
Posted on: 7/4/2012 10:24 AM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11142722

RE: Another aqua-star build question
That's the first time I ever heard anything negative about the Cheapass10 seaplane. Aqua-Sub, and its big brother are known to have problems. I have never seen an Aqua-star that would ROW altho some are reported and electrics help.
Posted on: 6/22/2012 3:23 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11128138

Product review: PlaneFun Floats
I'll post this here because there is not a category for floats in the "Reviews" section. PlaneFun Floats I decided to build a Kadet Senior in January, exclusively for Float Flying. I sent an Email to Ralph Smith at PlaneFun Floats to order a set. We communicated back and forth and agreed that a Ksr, as light as it is, should have a set of 45” Slim floats. Ralph makes conventional, traditional, proven floats with a v-bottom and sides that slope in toward a narrower top. AND he makes them with a foam core. They are light, can't sink, can't even leak! I like v-bottoms because they land a little more gently without skipping, even in choppy water, and the have a little better directional stability. Ralph kept me posted on all stages of his construction, even though I kept telling him it was no rush, the plane would take a while since I was extensively modifying the KSr design. (I never could color inside the lines). I re-made the KSr to look like a Cub, with bolt-on flat wings with “Cub” wingtips, flaps, Ailerons, and all-new Cub tailfeathers-and electric power courtesy of a .60 size motor and 100A speed controller from Heads-Up RC. Amazingly soon after I ordered the floats, a BIG box showed up on my doorstep. Courtesy of the US Postal Service, the box was undamaged in any way. Ralph and I corresponded with me letting him know they had arrived. Since the box was undamaged, I was sure the floats were safe, so I put the box aside so the floats would remain undamaged while I finished the plane. A couple of months later, I got the plane completed to the point that I could fit landing gear struts to the floats. Ralph had packed them carefully, top-to-top, wrapped in plastic film, and had then stuffed the box with newspaper packing. I opened the box with the floats and they are GORGEOUS. Pre-sheeted, pre-sanded, with built-in hardwood spine for the strut attachment, and ply transoms to accept water rudders. Ralph even marked where the spine ends were under the sheeting, so I would know where the reinforcements were when installing the struts. It took me a couple of weeks to work up the plan/courage to glass the floats. They were so perfect, and I struggle with fiberglass. It was important to me to do an attractive job. With recently sharpened scissors (important) I cut some ¾ oz glass cloth to shape, and applied Water Based Polyurethane (WBPU) varnish with a roller. WBPU has no solvent that will wick through the balsa sheeting to attack the foam. The roller does not drag the cloth like brushes have in my experience. Rolling on the WBPU really helped the cloth to lie flat. I glassed the bottoms first. When they were dry I flipped them over to do the tops. I added an extra strip of cloth along the keels where the floats would take punishment in transit or when beaching. When they were dry, I went over them with a sanding block and fine sandpaper to get the rough spots , then covered everything with lightweight spackling to fill the weave and the imperfections. When that was dry I sanded it back down to the cloth so the spackle coat almost disappeared, and rolled on another coat of WBPU. I wanted to show off the floats, so I left them varnished, without additional paint. I laid out a plan on some butcher paper, and bent the landing gear legs from ¾ x 1/8 aluminum strip I got at a Home Improvement Store. The struts are bent hat-shaped so I can use #10 sheet metal screws straight down into the reinforcing spine. Not scale, but cleaner than using a nose-gear block for each strut attachment. The front struts are about 3/8” taller to get proper incidence to the floats as the Kadet fuselage tapers up from the mains toward the firewall. Then I cut spreaders from 1/16 x ¾ strip. I drilled where holes were needed, bolted the floats to the plane, and made 1/16” holes and wire x-braces from SS leader wire. My installation could be prettier, but it is light and stiff. Flying: For the maiden flight the floats and the new plane drew favorable comments at the Florida Float Flyers' pond. The plane floated high on the floats and slightly nose-up when we placed it in the water. I have not at this time installed water rudders and may not. I found it controllable taxiing in a 10 mph breeze with only the air rudder. With the electric, it spins a BIG 18-8 prop. I did not add spray rails to the floats and never saw a drop of spray hitting the prop. Takeoffs were without incident-the plane just accelerated in a straight line and lifted off with only a gentle breath of back-pressure on the elevator stick. Landings-well, it's a Kadet Sr.! Chop the power , the plane slows down to a walk, and after a few minutes in the pattern it arrives at your landing spot, Hold it level just above the surface and it will settle in with no splashing, skipping, or other drama. Just avoid cross-winds as the KSr is so light that wind under the wing can tip it over easily. Having a flat wing and ailerons helps. I was able to taxi in crosswinds by taxiing with full UP elevator and controlling direction with the power lever. Ailerons help level he wing. There is an article about this in my website. The v-bottom makes this technique more easily utilized. All in all I give PlaneFun Floats a rave review. I am glad I requested the “Slim” floats because even these seem wider than I need for the KSr. My impressions: Super excellent workmanship Attractive scale-like proportions No spray in the prop. V-bottom for smooth landings and easy taxiing Foam core-can't sink Sheeted, with marked, reinforced hard points Packed with great care to withstand shipping abuse Great feedback from Ralph I wish I had a scale to give a quantitative measure but they are light, and I daresay much lighter than equivalent fiberglass or built-up ply floats.
Posted on: 6/16/2012 12:52 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11120348

RE: 48
Wow! Where did yu find a set of BJfloats? They have not been produced for at least 10 years! My first set of floats were BJs, and I have sworn by foam-core floats ever since.
Posted on: 6/5/2012 2:59 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11107716

RE: Scale/Semi-Scale Sea Plane Setups-PICS!!!
Lots of good photos of Cubs on floats here: Brown's seaplane base If you Google it, you will get many other hits.
Posted on: 5/27/2012 5:32 AM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11096015

RE: Rules and reulations for float flying in Massachusetts?
Well said, Chistech!
Posted on: 5/21/2012 3:05 AM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11088489

RE: Once on step plane whips around and dunks
Make your diagonal strut with small bends at the end so they line up with the main legs. Grind the contavt points at least flat if not a little concave. Polish all the contact areas with steel wool or fine sandpaper. Wrap with uninsulated copper wire. Get silver solder at your local hobby shop or ACE hardware. Flux, heat, solder. Hints here: www.smilesandwags.com/Floatsite/FAQ3.html
Posted on: 5/21/2012 2:59 AM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11088486

RE: Once on step plane whips around and dunks
Probably the most professional video I have seen-even from vendors. Thanks for the mention in your credits. I'm glad I could help with getting to a working setup. Your son will learn to fly more easily than you did. He is at the age where kids learn quickly, and his part of the brain that would be involved with flying is doubtlessly highly advanced from playing video games.
Posted on: 5/20/2012 7:14 AM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11087567

RE: Once on step plane whips around and dunks
I'm glad it helped. I may have misjudged the scale of your plane and suggested too much correction. I should have just expressed an angle. It is necessary for the plane to be supported by the step at planing speeds. On planes with flat-bottom airfoil it usually works to have the bottom of the wing parallel to the top of the float. There's a pretty wide range of angles where it "works". Since the forward planing surface has 4 degrees incidence, as does the afterbody. With the step, the float can usually rock about 6 degrees back. Optimal is to have the top of the float flat at takeoff speed, then you have ~6 degrees of rotation for the transition to flight.
Posted on: 5/19/2012 4:51 AM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11086565

RE: Once on step plane whips around and dunks
The floats have too much incidence. At liftoff speed your fuselage goes horizontal and the plane rides up on the nose of the floats-way ahead of the Cg. You have more incidence in the wing than you realize...incidence is not the bottom of the airfoil, it's measured from the most-forward point of the leading edge, to the trailing edge. You have plenty of reserve incidence to become airborne. Meanwhile the plane is acting like a grocery cart pushed backward. Rework the front strut and raise the noses of the floats 3/4 to 1"
Posted on: 5/18/2012 4:25 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11086148

RE: Rules and reulations for float flying in Massachusetts?
Local governments may have enacted "no fun allowed" regulations, but probably not, unless you see a sign posted. Scope out the site. Spot physical hazards such as wires and trees. Take note of canoe rentals, beaches, other "no-fly" situations. Plan your flight area. North-facing beaches are great. The sun stays out of your eyes. Avoid irritating people. As at your club field, it is completely unacceptable to fly over anyone. If you launch your plane while people are fishing in the vicinity it's just plain rude. Most people are appreciative and curious. Engage them in conversation. Be a "Nice Guy". They'll be spectators and not complainers. If somebody calls the cops, apologize and pack up your stuff immediately. Point out that you had looked and it's not posted, but are eager to obey regulations. Ask politely if other places are available where you might fly.. All that said, I have never been asked to leave a float-flying site. Floatplanes are cool to watch!
Posted on: 5/16/2012 3:04 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11083447

RE: CLIPPER ROUTE SURVEY SHIP
The only one I ever saw fly had a strong adverse yaw. It would be prudent to mix in a healthy shot of rudder to the ailerons.
Posted on: 5/10/2012 4:10 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11076264

RE: great planes floats question please:
sorry, I keep hitting OK instead of just returning to the forum. There is not a "DELETE" function in "Edit".
Posted on: 4/24/2012 6:52 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11024165

RE: Flaperons?
I am not a fan of flaperons. They are deployed at low-speed, High AOA. They cause huge adverse yaw ( mix in 50% or more rudder if using flaperons) . I have found that they help stall the slow wing, when you are already too low and slow for comfort. FLAPS on the other hand, are wonderful. They add lift and drag, let you fly with the tips at lower AOA, thus reducing adverse yaw. If you pop flaps ON final, the plane will balloon higher than the intended glide slope. If you pop flaps as you turn final, they will scrub off your speed in the turn and the landing will be slow and flat...with altitude controlled by the throttle trim.
Posted on: 4/14/2012 2:22 PM by Author "JimCasey" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11041826