Live video from the RDRC Field
RD-RC is having a IMAA big bird fly-in this weekend on Saturday october 17 at the Youngsville NC field. Those of you who are too far away to come to the fly-in can watch it on www.RDRC.tv . Check it out, if you can't make the flyin! Dave
Posted on: 10/16/2009 9:12 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Digital Video (DV) & Video Editing Software"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9179161

RDRC Big Bird Flyin, Oct 17
RD-RC is having a IMAA big bird fly-in this weekend on Saturday october 17 at the Youngsville NC field. Get your big birds together and come on out. It will be lots of fun. Directions and info are located at www.Rd-RC.org . Those of you who are too far away to come to the fly-in can watch it on www.RDRC.tv . Check it out, if you can't make the flyin! Dave
Posted on: 10/16/2009 9:08 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Events, Shows and Fun Fly's - Airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9179150

RE: Spoiler/Big Boy family and friends
I have a shameless plug for our upcoming Open House this coming weekend: East R/C & Scootworks is having it's annual Street Festival and Bikefest '09 on July 25th. It's the 2nd one for East R/C, and the 7th for Scootworks. Those who came last year know what it's like, and this year should be bigger, based on the phone calls, emails, and vendor signups. Music, food, motorcycles, airplanes, tattoo shop, custom painters, deals in the store for the event, R/C Swapmeet, etc...a big party with lots to look at. There are two sites about this stuff... www.EastRCevents.com www.ScootworksEvents.com I hope to see some of y'all at the event...and to keep it on topic, you'll be able to see the latest Spoiler prototypes set up with several different power plants and control systems. Dave
Posted on: 7/20/2009 12:25 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8948817

RE: Spoiler/Big Boy family and friends
Kyle, You sure seem to have a lot for say for someone who isn't on the waiting list. We have just now got the import issues resolves with a new customs broker and have things moving. We have way more people on the waiting list than the size of the first production run, so don't worry about us being stuck with these models. We've learned a lot about importing from China in this project, and nothing is a simple as it seems on the surface. As for Jerry not flying a Spoiler, that's the norm for Jerry. Every model he's ever sold the rights to someone else for, he's quickly invented something else and moved on. The Big Boy and the Outlaw are good examples. I knew both parties who bought the rights to those models and this is nothing different. We're the people who bought the rights to the Spoiler and have dumped a load of $$ into them, and are well aware of how badly folks on the list want them (us too!). They're coming asap...if any of you are on the waiting list and want off, drop me a note to dave @ eastrc . org and I'll remove you. Otherwise, arguing about how slow we are for reasons few of you know does nothing for the project. Dave
Posted on: 7/15/2009 9:18 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8936743

RE: Spoiler/Big Boy family and friends
Hey guys, this isn't the only thing we do here, and we're a very small company (and new at it) when it comes to working to debug and producing a model...so, things are running behind. If my crystal ball were in good working order, I could give you an exact date, but it isn't. I also don't live on this forum, as I have 2 companies & a machine shop to run. If you're on the list for a Spoiler and want off, drop me a note to dave @ eastrc . org and I'll remove you. Otherwise, we're working as hard as we can to get these problems resolved and product released asap. Dave
Posted on: 7/1/2009 6:58 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8897169

RE: Spoiler/Big Boy family and friends
[quote]ORIGINAL: fokker34 When is this teasing going to end. It has been present for way over a year at the present time. Is the Spoiler ARF very close to being shipped or not. Why could not plans have been made available to those who can scratch build. That would not have harmed the sale of the ARF's and would have made the plane available to those who like to build. Enough of the tease! Produce! [/quote] It's easy to play armchair quarterback, but when you're actually working with the factories, working out bugs, field testing, etc. things don't go as quickly as we would sometimes like. We've invested a lot of money and time in these projects, and want them to be right when they're finished. As for plans, there is a huge different between the parts for the scratch-built version and the mass produced version... The entire aircraft had to be laid out to be as strong (or stronger) than the original, while being laser cut. The Spoiler, for example, was a pile of sticks and other parts, most of which don't reproduce well in a production evnvironment. Both aircraft have been going through exhaustive testing, modification, refit, and testing everything again. If we had tossed everything out to the public in the first pass, there would have been a lot of mad folks. Dave
Posted on: 6/16/2009 7:38 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8857527

RE: Don Muddiman Flying Machine
[quote]ORIGINAL: Dave McDonald So what's the latest update on the release date? [/quote] We're now looking at sometime in July. The Spoiler was delayed a bit, and is gonna be any day now, and the FM sould be about 2-4 weeks behind that. The factory made many changes per Don's recommendations and pictures he took of the prototypes he's now flying, so they should be solid as a rock. Dave
Posted on: 6/16/2009 9:21 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8856130

RE: Spoiler/Big Boy family and friends
[quote]ORIGINAL: F-16WpnsTech Are the Spoilers shipping yet? [/quote] I just posted an update to the site, we're hoping to see these in house any time now. Been a long wait... Everything else is ready, so we can pack the manuals and get them out as soon as they hit the dock. Dave
Posted on: 6/8/2009 7:14 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8834709

RE: Don Muddiman Flying Machine
Did anyone get pics of Don Muddiman during his 2-day demo gig with the Flying Machine at Top Gun this past weekend?? Dave
Posted on: 5/13/2009 8:18 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8766784

RE: Replacement Metal Program Roller, DX6i & 9303
[quote]ORIGINAL: airbusdrvr Tweek, Have a question. I noticed your replacement knob is smooth vs. the "knurled" or whatever adjective describes the verticle cuts in the original knob. Have you found this to be an issue when pushing down and rotating your aluminum replacement? [/quote] Actually, the picture doesn't do it justice. There is a fine helical cut into the roller
Posted on: 4/27/2009 8:55 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8720699

RE: Replacement Metal Program Roller, DX6i & 9303
[quote]ORIGINAL: richg99 Dave..do you by any chance have replacement gimbals for the DX6? Rich [/quote] Hi Rich, Sorry, that's something we don't make. Are yours broken, or are you just looking to upgrade them? Dave
Posted on: 4/27/2009 6:36 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8718517

Replacement Metal Program Roller, DX6i & 9303
For those who have broken program knobs, we are now manufacturing a CNC machined metal replacement roller knob for the DX6I and the 9303. This is an easy swap for those who have a broken OEM plastic program roller knob. You can see it at: http://www.eastrc.org/estorerollerbutton.htm Dave
Posted on: 4/23/2009 12:22 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8707447

RE: Don Muddiman Flying Machine
[quote]ORIGINAL: Nutz4flying Hey Dave, the ARF is looking good. I just finished my scratch build from Don's plans. Here's my trim scheme: [/quote] Wow, that's a great looking color scheme! Have you flown it yet? Dave
Posted on: 4/20/2009 7:55 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8699929

RE: Spoiler/Big Boy family and friends
[quote]ORIGINAL: randy racer it is good to see that rcu found this lost thread and gave it back to us. it is even better news to hear the spoilers are coming soon. i am looking forward to flying a spoiler again, it is hard to find a better all around flying plane. please keep us posted randy [/quote] Will do, Randy. In the very last update we added a carbon wing tube to cut over 1/2lb in weight, had the landing gear tempered, modified the lower hatch to be closed with magnets and added a couple of velcro restraints to the lower battery tray for the electric pilots, and switched all hardware to the metal 1/4 scale stuff like in the 1/4 scale yaks we sell. What wheel size does everyone prefer?? I'm running 3" wheels, and it seems to be about right to me. Dave
Posted on: 4/19/2009 8:36 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8695091

RE: Don Muddiman Flying Machine
To update the thread a litte... Don has been testing two of the ARFs down in Fla, and putting them through the paces. He has come up with a few mods that are now being put into the production version to improve the design. The ARF is lighter than his show birds, and very strong. He's working on video of the latest of this design, I'll get it on the server once it's ready. We're going to produce a version with the original Don Muddiman scheme as seen in these pics, an 'all white' version for those who want to blank canvas to decorate, and probably one more. I'd like to hear from folks to see what other color scheme might be desired. Here are a few pics of the ARFs he's testing now:
Posted on: 4/18/2009 9:55 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8692533

RE: Spoiler/Big Boy family and friends
[quote]ORIGINAL: SU29 Thanks Dave, I have also received an email from Chris and he has been very helpful to regarding the use of a gas engine. The performance with a gas engine is a concern along with fuel cost. If you come across any more info that you can share regarding any testing with a small gas engine please let us all know. Thanks Jeff [/quote] Will do. We'll be testing with gas, but we were limited on the number of prototypes we could hack up during testing and manufacturing refinement. Chris is flying one with electric power that will hang with a piped OS 1.20 2c for about 8 minutes! If you go to: http://www.eastrc.org/estorespoiler.htm ...and watch the video closely, you'll see (and hear) the electric version. Chris hasn't worked on increasing battery size to lengthen flight times, but he'll put it through the paces for about 8 minutes with no problems. I'll post info when we get a gas version tested. Dave
Posted on: 4/18/2009 9:06 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8692434

RE: Spoiler/Big Boy family and friends
[quote]ORIGINAL: SU29 Thanks Dave for the update, I have one on order. My plan was to use a YS 140 or 160 which I have on hand however with the price of glow fuel I am considering using a small gas engine ( 26 or 40cc) and was curious if you have any test information using a gas engine and what the setup/results and recommendation would be. Thanks Jeff Can't wait to get my hands on this one! [/quote] Hi Jeff, I'm familiar with the Spoiler setup with a 26cc gas...it flys OK, but the performance is a little better on glow. Guys are flying the prototypes on 1.20 glow (piped and unpiped), 1.60 glow (piped), and electric... and the power is great. Dave
Posted on: 4/13/2009 7:13 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8676096

RE: east rc luckt 13
I'm about to drop an OS .70 FS in one. I've flown several and love them. Chris did a great job on the design. One comment on the fuel tank setup... the kit is supplied with various fuel lines, as it is used in outer kits. The black line is for gas... If you fly with glow power, use the silicone lines supplied in the tank package. The black vinyl line will harden if used with glow fuel. Hope that helps! Dave
Posted on: 4/4/2009 1:50 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "User Product Reviews"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8648087

RE: East RC 'Lucky 13' ?
[quote]ORIGINAL: trs3243 I was informed by some one to ck the tank pick up in the tank. The black line factory installed will get hard & not allow fuel pick up on nitro. After only 10 days it was not flexable, so i replaced it.THANKS!!!!! it saved me from a sure dead stick. Terry [/quote] Hi Terry, I'm about to drop a OS .70 4S in one, now. Jason Jarvis was in the shop and mentioned the issue with the black fuel line, and I had not even throught about that. After posting this on another thread, Larry Lewis mentioned having the same issue. That same tank is used in several other airplanes, and comes with fuel tubing for both gas and glow operation. The black line is for gas... The guys are putting notes in the boxes now, to mention this, so hopefully others won't have the same issue. If you fly with glow power, use the silicone lines supplied in the tank package. The black vinyl line will harden if used with glow fuel. If you fly with electrons like the Geckoman, it doens't matter, heheheh. Hope that helps! Dave
Posted on: 4/4/2009 10:12 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8647610

RE: Spoiler/Big Boy family and friends
[quote]ORIGINAL: RCadmin Moved back into ARF forum. No idea why this was moved to our holding tank. I am sorry gentleman. I just caught this now. Please continue as you were. marc [/quote] Hi Marc, Thanks for returning this to the operational threads. There is now a bunch of pics, some video, a color assembly manual, and more info on the Spoiler ARF on the site at: http://www.eastrc.org/estorespoiler.htm The video shows an O.S. 1.20 piped version and an electric version in action, flown by Chris Hockaday, Larry Lewis, and Robert Vess. These have been flown with a wide range of power-plants, and one is being flown locally with an O.S. 1.60 piped setup. I've been flying the 1st prototype since last summer, and LOVE IT! We've worked through every manufacturing, assembly, setup, and flight scenario we could throw at it over the last 1-1/2 years of pre-production development. Converting a stick-type structure to a design that is similar in weight and strength from ply is quite a job, but we've worked through all of the issues and a great airframe has emerged. The kit is now supplied with nice metal 1/4 scale hardware like that shipped with the popular 1/4 scale Yaks, a carbon fiber wing tube, heavy-duty tempered aluminum landing gear, 3.5" main wheels, improved tail wheel assembly, and much more. The final model has all of the surfaces pre-slotted and ready to assemble, has a 2-piece bolt-on wing for easier transport, an easily removable bottom battery hatch, and several inprovements to improve strength. The fuse is an interlocking laser-cut ply design that is strong _and_ light. Team JR's Larry Lewis has built two, and can easily do it in 1 night. There have been several iterations of prototypes and many thousands of dollars spent, to make sure this project was a sucess. We're now _very_ happy with the result. The Spoiler ARFs have weighed in between 9.5 and 11 lbs, depending on power plant and other variables. While I'm sure we could shave more weight off with selection of equipment...there really isn't much difference in performance in this weight range. I know there is always arguement on this front, but the wing loading is so light already, all of the prototypes have flown great in this range. These will be shipping from our shop in early May (or before, depending on delivery). We are taking pre-orders at this time at www.EastRC.org . The first production batch has 100 units. There are already many people on the list that has been growing over the last 1.5 years. If any of you want one of this batch, please pre-order. We will let you know immediately if you have missed out on the first load. We will be stocking every part of these ARFs for replacement, in the event (and we know you will!) you should fly too closely to the flame. You can also direct any questions about these birds directly to me at dave@eastrc.org . Dave
Posted on: 4/2/2009 10:05 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8643471

RE: Green Model (Hobby-Lobby) Gee Bee Y Senior Sportster
[quote]ORIGINAL: garrett454ss Well it's almost done!!! Can anyone tell me the recomended throws and th CG? The "instructions" say the CG is 118.5 mm so that's about 4.665 inches or 4 & 21/32". I got it all done and it's at 4 & 3/4" so you think thats good or has someone found something better? [/quote] I'll check mine when I get back from work, tonight, and let you know where it is. I think, as best as I can remember, mine came out a little behind the recommended point. I'll shoot you a note tonight with my CG. Dave
Posted on: 2/13/2009 6:34 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Glow to Electric Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8471670

RE: Green Model (Hobby-Lobby) Gee Bee Y Senior Sportster
[quote]ORIGINAL: garrett454ss Well I'm almost done... I need to install the OS160 and the throttle servo then the Rx and batt. It went together pretty easy. I didn't use the pull-pull they gave me and used a great planes one. The one supplied wouldn't slide through the guides and I had to remove the collar and dissassembled it so I got a different one instead. I didn't use the control rods or the clevises either, I used 4-40 rod and great planes locking clevises. I cant wait to get this out... I built a Great Planes Escapade around the first of the year and just test flew it Sunday. It fly's pretty well. I hope this goes just as good. [/quote] You should have quite a bird there, on a OS 160! I'm flying one with a SPE 26 gas engine. More weight, less power, more vibration. I'll be she's HOT with that 1.60. Be sure to post some pics with info on performance, once you get it up and in the air. Dave
Posted on: 2/10/2009 8:30 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Glow to Electric Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8462875

RE: Green Model (Hobby-Lobby) Gee Bee Y Senior Sportster
[quote]ORIGINAL: antiquefer Tweek The hardwood blocks are the ones in the fuse for the upper end of the wing struts to attach to. I want to put metal machine thread incerts in them.................antiquefer. [/quote] Ahhh.. I see. It does look nice with those, but they serve no real purpose on this model otherwise. I don't use the struts or lower pan (nor do any of the other owners
Posted on: 2/8/2009 7:43 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Glow to Electric Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8454146

RE: Don Muddiman Flying Machine
[quote]ORIGINAL: Dave McDonald Can you give us a ballpark guess of the price for a FM ARF? $100 ? $200 ? $300 ? Any idea of a release date yet? [/quote] Not yet, the market is all over the place, every time we order a batch of anything from overseas. Also, we're working on final pricing, and that is partially determined by whatever else we do to it before production. I'll venture to say that it'll be well under $200, unless the market takes a huge shift. Guessing, I think the release date will most likely be in the April-May timeframe. Once we get the pricing and delivery nailed down, we'll begin to take pre-orders on the first batch. Dave
Posted on: 2/1/2009 8:50 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8425790

RE: Green Model (Hobby-Lobby) Gee Bee Y Senior Sportster
[quote]ORIGINAL: antiquefer Mine has blind nuts in the wing but hardwood blocks for wood screws in the fuse. I am with you about the pins on the wheel axles. I dont think they will fall out. I hope...................antiquefer. [/quote] What are the wood blocks/wood screws in the fuse you mention for? Is this for the little struts between the wing and fuse? Dave
Posted on: 1/31/2009 9:43 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Glow to Electric Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8422107

RE: Green Model (Hobby-Lobby) Gee Bee Y Senior Sportster
I've been flying mine since about November of '07 with a 26cc gas engine shaking it, and had no firewall problems. On mine, the firewall looked to be well attached (and mortised into the structure), and has worked well. I used the cotter pins in the axles, they were pretty hard to get in and out, so I felt these were plenty secure on mine. Dave
Posted on: 1/30/2009 5:14 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Glow to Electric Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8418521

RE: Green Model (Hobby-Lobby) Gee Bee Y Senior Sportster
[quote]ORIGINAL: antiquefer Transporting this large wing is not a problem for me so I taped the wings together. This way I can take them apart if I want. I am going to install machine thread incerts into the upper mounts for the wing struts. Wood screws eventualy wear out..........................antiquefer. [/quote] Wood screws? Hmmm....that's different. Mine (the older version we're building the stronger strut parts for) had machine screws to attach the struts to the wing, and blind nuts (prong nuts/threaded inserts) in the wing to screw into. Dave
Posted on: 1/30/2009 5:11 AM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Glow to Electric Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8418518

RE: Green Model (Hobby-Lobby) Gee Bee Y Senior Sportster
[quote]ORIGINAL: garrett454ss Well it came today...What a nice one. Did you glue your wings or leave them in two pieces. [/quote] Leave them in 2 pieces, this allows for easy transport and the wing tube is more than enough for this bird. Did your come with those "picture instructions"?
Posted on: 1/29/2009 8:27 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Glow to Electric Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8417215

RE: Don Muddiman Flying Machine
I'd love to make the trek as well, though I'm tied up on the Indy dealer show (motorcycle) Feb 11-17th, then Daytona Beach somewhere around the first of March. Hey, that might be an idea, I'll be down that way for Bike Week, anyway... Dave
Posted on: 1/29/2009 6:45 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8416754

RE: Green Model (Hobby-Lobby) Gee Bee Y Senior Sportster
You'll love it for sure! I really like mine, and have been flying it for about a year. We've sold several in the Hobby Shop, several local and some around the world on the web, and everybody seems to love this bird. Dave
Posted on: 1/28/2009 11:03 PM by Author "Tweek" in the forum "Glow to Electric Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8414171