RE: Airplane nicknames
Having worked for years in general aviation maintenance, and also having had the misfortune to have to work on Aerostars, I have to agree with JetCrazyCanada here... Despite it's noble heritage, the Aerostar was (is) a piece of junk. It is fast, yes, but that's about it.... Pretty ? That's debatable, as you know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... Very cramped interior, weird systems, weak landing gear. A mechanic's nightmare... Smith did a much better job on the AeroCommander, and the Turbo commander, based on the original Aerocommander line, was a huge success
Posted on: 2/3/2009 8:33 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8433269

RE: BOWLUS BABY ALBATROSS BA-100
Plans and short kit for a 122" BA-100 are available from skybench aerotech : http://skybench.com/slscale.html
Posted on: 12/17/2008 8:17 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8254399

RE: Help identify this plane??
I think I got it now : Antonov AN-38 : http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1260860/M
Posted on: 10/30/2008 7:22 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8099963

RE: Help identify this plane??
Now that you mention it, I'm not so sure anymore that it is a Shorts... For one thing, if you look at the cockpit windows, you can see that they are totally different from the ones on your picture. the other thing is, having worked on the 330 on a few occasions, I know that the retracts on the 330 don't work like that. they just get pulled up into the wheel pants. I'll have to do some more research....
Posted on: 10/30/2008 6:31 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8099806

RE: Help identify this plane??
It's a Shorts 330. At first sight, similiar to the Shorts Skyvan, but a totally different plane. Bigger than the Skyvan, and uses different engines. The Skyvan uses Garrett TPE331 series engines, while the 330 and 360 use PWC PT6A series engines. The 330 is a cargo/passenger plane with an aft cargo ramp , the 360 is basically a stretched 330 with a normal cruciform tail, and no cargo ramp. More info and pics here: http://www.air-and-space.com/Shorts%20Skyvan%20330%20360.htm
Posted on: 10/30/2008 5:18 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8099560

RE: cularis and thermaling
[quote]I don't have a Cularis, I do have an Easy Glider. I also have sailplanes that are in the $600 to $1200 range. There is no question that the high priced bagged wing and molded wing planes fly better, but at 5 to 10 times the price, they don't fly 5 to 10 times better. So there is absolute performance, and there is value. The Easy Glider and the Cularis are value planes. For what they cost, they deliver a great deal. They do not compete with the high end planes and so should not be compared to them either. My Ford Taurus Crossover doesn't compare to a Porche in performance, but the Porche won't haul my planes, equipment, batteries winch and retriver to the field for me either. So the Taurus is a better value for me, even though it is lower performance compared to the Porche. [/quote] My thoughts exactly..... Only that you managed to put it in words much better than I would have.... People sometimes tend to "diss" these planes, because they are made of foam, instead of glass, carbon & kevlar. but as you said, they do deliver an exceptional value. Also, as we all know, a great part of the performance of any radio controlled model sailplane is in the hands of the pilot, and not in the airframe. Spending $1k or more on the airframe does not guarantee exceptional performance.... Most of us weekend fliers ( myself included ) probably don't have the skills to really get the performance from a high end model of which it is capable.
Posted on: 8/19/2008 9:09 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7862212

RE: id help rhonadler-ka
Looks like a semi-scale model of the Schleicher Ka7 Rhoenadler . ==> [link=http://vintagesailplanes.de/Ka7.htm]http://vintagesailplanes.de/Ka7.htm[/link] The Ka7 was ( is ) a 2-seater, very popular in europe for training new sailplane pilots. With the open bay wing construction, I'd say your bird is more of a thermal soarer than a slope soarer.
Posted on: 8/3/2008 10:56 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7805332

RE: INCREDIBLE PLANE ! LOOK !
Looks like Airbus Industries is getting their act together : Emirate airways took delivery of their first ( of 58 ! ) A380 at the Airbus plant in Hamburg, Germany, at the same time another deal for another 60 Airbus planes ( 30 ea A330 and A350 ) was announced. ==>http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-07-28-a380-emirates_N.htm?csp=34 AI admits that production of the A380 is still lagging at only one unit per month, but they expect to be up to several units per month by the end of the year.
Posted on: 7/28/2008 8:47 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7782160

RE: looking for a really big glider kit?
None of the above mentioned is really "big"...... You want a big sailplane, you have to go scale : Nemere from Schneider modell, austria : 5m ( 196 " ) Schleicher Ka7 from the same manufacturer, also 5 m Not big enough ? Look at this, Schleicher Ka6CR from cnc-modellbautechnik in Germany, 1:2.3 scale, 6.52 m ( 256" ) span......
Posted on: 7/4/2008 11:14 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7693364

RE: electric power for 160in glider
You're right ! Hadn't noticed your location... To answer your question : No, I don't fly at the GCRCC, but with the Cincinnati Soaring Society ( http://www.cincinnatisoaring.org/ ), recently renamed Cincinnati Saoring and Electric, and we fly at the VOA park on Cox/Tylersville Rd. A few of us, who also fly scale sailplanes, used to go out to GCRCC for aerotow, since the activity at the VOA is restricted to sailplanes and electrics only, no IC engines allowed, but we haven't done that for quite a while now, unfortunately... Michael BTW, the electric setup I use, is available at towerhobbies : http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGCX0&P=7 Unfortunately, like everything else from Europe these days, not cheap.... For a spinner/yoke I recommend these clamp-on type yokes, available from Shredair (www.shredair.com) : http://www.shredair.com/spinners.html Folding prop blades in various different sizes are available from Hobby-Lobby ( www.hobby-lobby.com ) : http://www.hobby-lobby.com/freuden.htm
Posted on: 6/5/2008 8:50 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7582813

RE: electric power for 160in glider
I fly a 4m ( 157 " ) Valenta Thermik XL with a Kontronik drive 502 ( FUN 500-27 motor with 5.2:1 gearbox ) driving a 18x9 folding prop. Power is provided by a 4s2p 4100 mAh pack. AUW is approx 10.5 lbs. This setup is powerful enough to make handlaunches a non-issue, and to clinb to approx 700 ft ( measured by picolario ) in about 60 sec. I can do 3 60 sec climbs on one charge. According to Motocalc, this setup produces 800W. Before installing it in the Valenta, I used this same seup in a Multplex Alpina 4001 ( also 4m span ), slighlty heavier at 11 lbs, also with no problems.
Posted on: 6/4/2008 6:47 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7580673

RE: Anyone built a Big Bird w/Flaps & Ailerons???
Not me, but I saw one at the '05 woodcrafters meeting in Muncie, IN. It was built by Tom Scully and flew [b]very[/b] well. Here some pics : [image]http://www.mkrusa.com/images/WC05/ExtremeBird.JPG[/image][image]http://www.mkrusa.com/images/WC05/ExtremeBird2.JPG[/image]
Posted on: 6/4/2008 3:21 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7579911

RE: Valenta Thermik Excel C of G Problem
Careful now, here... The Thermik Excel and Thermik XL are different planes... Excel : 3.39 m span XL : 4m span
Posted on: 3/23/2008 10:02 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7268952

RE: Valenta Thermik Excel C of G Problem
I found these english building instructions on the website of Schmierer Modellbau, Valenta's distribuitor in Germany : http://www.schmierer-modellbau.com/1-2web-xhtml/bauanl/bauanleitung%20thermik%20excel_e.pdf It lists values for control surface deflections, but does not list the exact CG position either, however, in the german version it says to balance the model at 33% - 38% of the wing chord at the root. In your case, I would start with 35%, that should give you a flyable model, and then you can determine the exact CG position which suits your flying style through further test flights
Posted on: 3/9/2008 11:10 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7197870

RE: need some websites for scale gliders
http://www.icare-rc.com http://www.hkm-models.com/ http://www.xl-sailplanes.com/
Posted on: 3/6/2008 8:44 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7183824

RE: Mystery Ship
If I didn't already have a MS, built 2 yrs ago, I would buy your kit. I see that building is not your thing, but i like it, and the MS kit with it's laser cut parts is a joy to build.
Posted on: 2/21/2008 6:45 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7114932

RE: A380 cockpit panorama
Cool ! What are those "boobs" on the center console ?
Posted on: 1/29/2008 9:39 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6993279

RE: Alpina by Multiplex?
JYM is right $1000 does seem quite high for the Alpina kit... If the kit is sold out side the EU, the VAT does not apply, which brings the price down to 453 Euro = $ 649. currency converter : http://www.xe.com/ Now, if your friend resides in Germany, and buys the kits there, even if he then sells them to you, he will have to pay the full price incl. VAT, which would be $771. Once he has shipped them, he can go to the custums office, with his bills and shipping papers, and get the VAT refunded ( at least partially), but its a hassle, and lots of paperwork. However, you will not get a box of that size from Europe to the US for $ 100... Figure at least twice that.
Posted on: 12/20/2007 7:42 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6781618

RE: Alpina by Multiplex?
If they are "brand new" as in "recently manufactured", they will have the round steel wing joiner, since the blade type joiner has not been employed by Multiplex/Tangent for several years now. I think the blade type joiners were only used on the original Alpina, which came out in the early 80's, and in the follow-up Alpina "magic", which had variable wingspan, 3800/4400 mm.
Posted on: 12/17/2007 7:05 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6770274

RE: Mystery Ship
Electryfying the MS can be done, but is a bit tricky, since there is not a whole lot of room in the fuselage. Once you have you motor, speed control and drive battery installed, you will have trouble finding room for the fuselage servos. One example I found on the the german RC-Network, has the whole fwd fuse filled up with the motor and batteries, and the servos and rx ended up in the fuse aft of the wing joiner. Certainly doable, but requires some modifications. However, with today's battery technology (LiPo's) it will probably be easier. See pics here : http://www.rc-network.de/forum/showpost.php?p=78347&postcount=4
Posted on: 12/3/2007 7:26 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6707215

RE: Mystery Ship
Over the years, I have built and flown two MS's. The MS's weak point is that flying stab T-tail, for several reasons : It has only a very narrow support on top of the fin, and hence, is a wobbly affair. The tailplane is supposed to be actuated by a bowden type push-pull rod, which bends upwards in the vertical fin, and connects to the tailplane. The radius of this bend is fairly tight, and there is too much friction in it, so the tailplane does not center properly after elevator input. Most importantly : The aft fuselage, just in frony of the vertical fin, is quite narrow, and not strong enough to with withstand the loads generated by the T-tail even in moderately rough landings. The solution is to reinforce the aft fuselage, which adds a lot of weight right where you don't want to.... Or : convert the whole thing to a "regular" cross tail. I did this on my second MS, works very well, and I can not tell any difference in the flying characteristics compared to my first MS with the T-tail. I have not used any means to hold the wings on, other than slightly bending the incidence pins backwards. This generates enough tension so that the wings will not come off easily.
Posted on: 11/25/2007 9:00 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6669953

RE: Got to ride in a B-17 from Hillsboro, OR to Caldwell, ID on Wednesday!
This is beyond cool !!!!! $400 for a 20 min flight are quite steep, but if I ever get the chance, I will spend them....
Posted on: 6/13/2007 8:27 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5981552

RE: Czech Walter M 601-B run-up
Cool video ! Reminds me of my times in general aviation maintenance. I worked a lot on PWC PT6A turboprop engines, and that engine in your video [b]looks and sounds exactly [/b]like an early PT6A-20/21, like it was used on the Beech King Air 90's..... I wonder who copied whom here.... [:)][:)]
Posted on: 4/11/2007 9:04 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5701810

RE: MOLDIES V. MULTIPLEX/TANGENT
[quote] i am having trouble understanding aieleron set up ..22mm up and 12mm down seems a little out.. perhaps someone out there can help.. [/quote] That's about 45% differential, quite normal. I use approximately that amount of differential on all my sailplanes. Anyway, the amounts of control surface deflection given in the Alpina instructions is pretty much dead-on. If you go with them, you will have an uneventful maiden flight. And later on, you will need only small adjustments to suit your personal preferences.
Posted on: 3/27/2007 7:25 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5623431

RE: MOLDIES V. MULTIPLEX/TANGENT
Well, here goes : Over the years, I have had the following Multiplex planes : Original Alpina, as discussed here : http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5569758/tm.htm Later model Alpina (4001) ASH26 ( uses the same wings as the Alpina 4001 ) DG 600 evo I must add that all the models were from the time before Tangent, meaning that I bought them as "Multiplex" although they most probably were manufactured by Tangent My experiences : all positives, there really isn't one bad thing I could say about any of the models. Currently I am not flying any Multiplex/Tangent model, my 4m full-house electric ship is a Valenta Thermik XL. If it came to the point that I had to replace the Thermik XL, with another molded ship or something from the Tangent line, the decision would probably be mostly about the price. I don't know for what kind of $$$ the Tangent ships are currently going, but the high Euro/US$ exchange rate and the shipping costs from europe make them quite expensive. [quote]The Tangent planes come with comprehensive instruction books. Many moldies come with only a setup sheet with recommended control movements & CG. [/quote] I can confirm that.... as said , the my Tangent/MPX ships came with comprehensive instructions, the Thermik XL with one sheet, which shows CG, control surface deflections and where to put the incidence pins on the outer wing panels... Parts : I would think that any of the current Tangent dealers would be able to supply replacement parts. Wether it would be economically viable is another question, again, the high euro exchange rate, and shipping costs.
Posted on: 3/24/2007 6:54 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5610871

RE: How to secure these wings?
Just use a rubber band, that's what the hooks are for.
Posted on: 3/20/2007 2:22 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5590411

RE: old mutiplex (altina) 4m feedback
The flat steel blade wing joiner is OK. Only make sure to install a good sized compression strut in the fuselage, between the LE's of the wing. ( I think the plans show this ) With this kind of wing joiner, on a rough landing, the joiner will bend in the horizontal plane, and the wings will swing forward and crush the fuselage at the LE, if there is no compression strut installed there. I wouldn't worry about the glue between the foam and the veneer. The wings on my Alpina showed no signs of delamination, and they were around 15 years old when I crashed the plan and destroyed them. A few years before that, I had a mishap in which one of the wings broke in 2 pieces, approximately at mid-span, where the aileron starts. Repaired it and flew for several years more. The push-pull (bowden type) rod supplied in the kit for the elevator drive worked fine on my Alpina, showed no sign of being too small. Same goes for the elevator bellcrank, but if you feel that the plastic is brittle, just replace it, that would be cheap insurance.. My Alpina came with the slots for the spoilers routed in the wings, but the spoilers had to be bought separately. Which I did, and then just glued them into the wing with some 5 min epoxy. Just be very careful not to get any epoxy into the spoiler mechanism. Glassing/bagging the wings is overkill, IMHO, in the sense that the wings are strong enough, they don't need any reinforcements. Of course, if you want to glass them to achieve a better finish, that would be another matter. The Alpina will take added weight and still be a great thermal ship.
Posted on: 3/18/2007 8:40 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5578649

RE: old mutiplex (altina) 4m feedback
[b]Get it ![/b] The Alpina by multiplex is a great flying sailplane, be it on the slope, off the winch, or electrified. My first "big" sailplane was an Alpina, back around 1985. At that time, the kit came with spoilers, to be actuated by a single servo in the fuselage. Ailerons could be actuated either by a single servo in the fuse, or by individual servos in the wings. On mine, I opted for servos in the wings, and later also modified the setup for the spoilers, cut pockets in the wings and installed individual spoiler servos, because it was always a hassle to connect them to the central servo when assembling the plane. And some time late again, I even modified it for camber-changing flaps. I had [b]a lot[/b] of fun with that sailplane ! The wings were destroyed in a crash sometime in the 90's, but I never could bring myself to throw away the fuse and tailfeathers. A few years ago, I became interested in e-powered sailplanes. At the time, I had a brand new late model Alpina 4001, and having no experience at all with electrics, of course I was [b]very[/b] hesitant to cut off the nose off the fuse of my beautiful new sailplane... So I took the fuselage from the old Alpina, modified it to accept the new Alpina's wings, and installed an electric powerplant... Worked out very well, so a little later the electric drive went into the new Alpina. I still have the old fuselage and tailfeathers in my workshop, waiting for the next experiment.... :):) The early Alpinas used a flat steelblade for wing joiner, and had a Ritz airfoil. the Ritz is very good for thermal flying, not so good for speed and aerobatics. The newer ones use a round steel wing joiner , 12mm dia., I believe, and a modified RG15 airfoil, which is better for dynamic flying and aerobatics, but not quite as good as the Ritz for thermal flying, but this is compensated by the camber changing flaps, which are standard on the newer Alpinas.
Posted on: 3/17/2007 3:32 PM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5573888

RE: Airplane nicknames
airlines : TWA - The worst airline PANAM - Passengers are not allowed mating Alitalia - Always late in takeoff, always late in arrival Lufthansa - Let us f... the hostess, as no steward available planes : Slowtation is what pilots of "real" bizjets would call the citation Fear-jet is what citation pilots would call the Learjet's And pilots, as well as mechanics, would call the Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprops "Mitsu-bit.. " And any plane with a GE CJ610 turbojet engine was a "fuel-to-noise converter"
Posted on: 3/10/2007 10:03 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5539655

RE: Icare self launch?
As already said, yes , they will launch off grass, as long as it's not a foot high.... And, if properly set up , with the right components, you won't need a dolly, either. With "properly set up" I mean using a sequencer, for example like the one available from SM Modelltechnik of Germany. This sequencer controls the whole extension/retraction process, power up/down, even the servos for the SLS doors, if employed, and it will even control a tow release. Some setups use individual servos to open and close the SLS doors, others just have them springloaded closed, and the SLS will push them open. The sequencer will do all this using only on channel of the TX. To avoid the nosing over of the sailplane on takeoff, the sequencer will power up the motor gradually ( how much power at what point can be programmed ), so that the sailplane will start rolling down the runway with out nosing over, once it has enough airspeed for the elevator to be effective, it will be at full power. I have read that typically, the motor will start at 60% power, and then gradually go to 100% after a few seconds.
Posted on: 2/1/2007 9:40 AM by Author "MTT" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5355110