RE: help with paint
I've found Iwata Eclipse airbrushes to be much better than any Paasche or Badger. The Eclipse BCS can spray anything.
Posted on: 9/9/2012 7:28 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11223253

RE: Are Pattern Planes Good 2nd Planes?
This is RC Ken's list of good 1st and 2nd planes. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4537845/tm.htm I agree a vintage pattern would be too fast. Probably good as a third plane. I'm sure a Tiger, Pulse, Escapade or 4star would be plenty fast with a good 46. My 4star zips along and slows down great to land. The Pulse and Escapade seem to be similar but more modern versions of the Tiger and 4star. There are definitely many other options, but these planes have proven themselves.
Posted on: 9/7/2012 7:42 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11221341

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
I switched props from a 12x6 to a 13x6 for the past few flights and it seems to be a better match for the os 65 ax. Good speed, decent vertical. Although I am curious to know what the 75 ax would have done.
Posted on: 9/6/2012 7:47 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11220232

RE: What is a Good Nighttime LED 3D flyer - Foamy or Balsa Extra 300 3D ?
Twistedhobbys.com has some very fun foamies with an optional light kit. I don't have a light kit but I do have a crack Pitts and it is a blast.
Posted on: 9/4/2012 8:34 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11217809

RE: Best Kits
By the way Bill, you will always be asking yourself "Which one should I build next?" Always.
Posted on: 8/31/2012 7:55 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11213154

RE: Best Kits
I really enjoyed the Ultra Sport 60. There are a lot of different options: trike gear or tail dragger, retracts, flaps, dual aileron servos or one. It can handle a two or four stroke. I did mine with fully sheeted wings. The instructions are good. And it is very smooth flying plane. The build thread started by Minnflyer is as good as the manual. I have a proctor sopwith camel kit in the basement that will be my long term project. The manual for that one is about three pages. So I guess that is one major difference between some of the 'builder kits' and the rest of them. I agree with the posts suggesting the sig 4 star and something extra as far as great flying planes but they are not challenging to build unless you do some kit bashing. By the way I fly my 4 star all the time. If you want to go a little further you could do a scratch build. I've always thought of this as two different hobbies. The building side and the flying side. It is absolutely wonderful to spend quite time meticulously building a plane. And is just as beautiful to see it break ground for the first time. Where else do two hobbies come together like this?
Posted on: 8/31/2012 7:50 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11213151

RE: Pre-Maiden Jitters
I make a preflight checklist. Things like balance cg, check throws, batteries charged and about 20 other items. It helps me feel confident that my plane will not surprise me. Then I take a few deep breaths.
Posted on: 8/25/2012 8:31 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11206075

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
Gray Beard That comment made me laugh. I actually moved the canopy back 2 inches to avoid some of that 'dolphin' look. Maybe 2 more inches would have been better. Honestly, I've always thought the US was a bit ugly too. Maybe its so ugly its pretty, like those wrinkled dogs. This thread and everyone saying how great of a flyer it was is why I built it. For the clear I ended up using Top Flight clear out of the rattle can. I had some ordering difficulties with the product I was planning on using. I most likely will try a different clear next time. The Top Flight didn't give me the perfect look I wanted but it is still decent. As far as color goes, most people think of color instead of contrast. Think Dark/Light, not color.
Posted on: 8/1/2012 7:32 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11177905

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
KaP2011 I'm running an OS 65 ax with a 12-6 prop. Next time out I will try a 13-6 and a 12-7. I put in the Robart 90 degree mechanical rectracts with a hitect retract servo. Orginally I had ordered the Dave Brown mechanicals but they were on back order for a long while. Those eflite retracts should work very well. There are fewer parts to assemble with the eflights so hopefully less can go wrong. I ordered the plane Jan 17th and had it in the air on July 14th.
Posted on: 7/31/2012 9:12 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11176753

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
Here it is during maiden flight and after. It flew great. Two clicks of aileron trim and two on the elevator. Very smooth flyer, retracts and flaps worked flawlessly. The motor is new so I flew it very rich. I'm excited to see what happens as the engine picks up power. On the first landing I went a little long and rolled into the weeds at the end of the runway. Not a scratch. Flew it again that evening and once the following day. Adam
Posted on: 7/31/2012 5:39 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11176510

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
Here are some photos of it finished.
Posted on: 7/31/2012 5:22 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11176491

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
I've been busy with a few things this summer so I haven't posted any progress photos in a while. My US60 is complete and I've had three good flights on it two weeks ago. Here are two photos with just paint and no clear.
Posted on: 7/31/2012 5:16 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11176484

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
Gray Beard, Your question is a big one. I've been airbrushing for over ten years and learn something new everytime. The first thing I suggest is a quality airbrush. For me that means an Iwata Eclipse BCS. Its one of the best all round airbrushes. Ive tried Badger and Paache and they don't come close to the Eclipse series. They are available at about half the retail cost at Coast Airbrush. com and Bear Air .com. Get a handful of 1 or 2 oz bottles that are solvent proof. Most paints can be thinned for spraying. (Just use the appropriate thinner for your paint.) Usually the thinner paints will run more, so spray multiple light coats. Paint that are thinned out will also lose their opacity and require more coats. On my US 60 I am using Createx AutoAir for a few reasons 1. I have a ton of it from other projects, 2 It sprays out of the bottle with no thinning. 3. It has very rich, bright colors with lots of pigmet. 4 It is compatible with most clear coats. and 5 I have a ton of it. Note, The Auto Air is not fuel proof I plan on using Nelson's Hobby Clear for fuel proofing and I hope that it does the job. I will let you all know how my success or failure goes. My other option would be Klass Cote epoxy clear. This is the first plane I have painted so I am not an expert in fuel proofing, but I have done a lot of airbrushing on many other surfaces. The videos or books that would be most helpful would probably be the automotive videos. Coast has a ton of videos about flames, stripes, aging and other techniques. For me its been 'learning things the hard way' for years.
Posted on: 6/15/2012 11:14 AM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11119339

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
Painted wing pics. More photos will come as painting proceeds.
Posted on: 6/14/2012 7:56 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11118672

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
Painted Fuse pics.
Posted on: 6/14/2012 7:52 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11118671

RE: have to share room with WIFE..........
I suggest staying very organized while you build. A messy shop feels much smaller. All of those little screws and linkages get lost quickly. Some extra shelves and small bins to keep hardware in will be very helpful. A 30 dollar mini shop vac will save your marriage. (and odorless CA)
Posted on: 6/8/2012 5:40 AM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11111074

RE: going to try instead of arf.
I agree with all of the posts about a Sig kit. LT 40 for beginner flying, Four Star for intermediate, and the SSE next. With all of the build threads out there I wouldn't worry about a mistake in the instruction manual. I built a Ultra Sport 60 and used Minnflyer's thread as my instruction book. I have a 4star 40 and I think the 60 would be a bit better as it would handle wind better and be more visible. I've also heard good things about the Venture 60, which was designed by the guy who did the 4 star series. It may be difficult to find a kit, but they are supposed to be great flyers. The best part about building your own is the fact that you can finish it as you want. Nobody will show up at the field with the same plane.
Posted on: 6/6/2012 2:40 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11109108

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
Are you guys using the liquid sheeting on top of fiberglass or instead of?
Posted on: 6/4/2012 8:01 AM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11105801

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
The glassing is complete, and the plane is primed white. I am very close to having my design for paint complete. Good looks and visibility is what I want. I will post some photos during the painting process.
Posted on: 5/28/2012 10:16 AM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11097394

RE: GP F-86 micro edf
I took mine out for a quick after work flight. First flight was great, then on my second I stuffed it in to the ground from about 10 feet. I was getting a little too confident too close to the ground. I broke the nose and the wing. For a small plane it made the infamous 'thud' sound quite well. I'll glue it together tonight and see how it does next time. THUD. Maybe I should change my screen name to THUD. I've heard that noise often enough.
Posted on: 4/30/2012 6:56 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11063381

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
I've been drawing, then erasing, and redrawing the paint scheme for about two months. The only thing that is certain is the red spinner and high contrast from top to bottom. I'm using an airbrush for most of it. The first plane I ever built was a Sig Kadet Senior. It had a beautiful skeleton made of balsa and spruce that showed throught the covering. This plane has sheeting on everything. The sheeting covers up all the hard work, but it is still a very sharp looking airplane. I'm already a bit nervous about the first few flights and they are weeks away. We've been having a lot of wind here, so its probably just fine that it isn't ready.
Posted on: 4/29/2012 5:14 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11061706

RE: The Long Awaited Ultra Sport 60 Build Thread
The Building part is done! Here are some photos. Next is final sanding, then glass, then paint.
Posted on: 4/29/2012 8:06 AM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11061152

RE: GP F-86 micro edf
Here is a photo of the inside of my slightly modified Sabre. The elevator moves in unison now. The stock way has the arm connected on the left side of the fuse and the right side has too much bending.
Posted on: 4/26/2012 9:22 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11058571

RE: GP F-86 micro edf
@ houckj Foam safe CA works. Although some people say it is a bit brittle. For my first repair I used 5 min epoxy. This however you have to hold together while it dries and that may take a while. It would also add more weight than ca. There was another glue someone on the rc groups thread had recommended but I don't remember what it was. I took a quick flight after work today and this is a fun little airplane. It handled the wind just like they said. My revised elevator set up worked well. TWO PENNIES in the nose for mine. That makes all the difference. I will try flying with only one penny next time just to see how it goes. (Hopefully not into the ground) Hopefully the LHS will have more lipos in tomorrow. One isn't enough.
Posted on: 4/25/2012 5:48 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11056807

RE: GP F-86 micro edf
The hand launch mishap was straight up and a bit of bobbing up and down and then down into the ground. Broke nose, but easily repaired it. I know I didn't have the throttle wide open, so lack of power may have contributed. So honestly there were a number of factors, cg, power, a bit of wind. In hindsight, I shouldn't have flown it until everything was just right. I will find out soon if my modifications were worth it. To me the elevator seems like a design flaw, but if it doesn't affect flying I suppose it is okay the way it is. Too late for me to change it back. I saw the thread on rc groups and the first 50 pages are just complaints about availability and shipments. But it is helpful once you get to the discussion of the actual airplane.
Posted on: 4/25/2012 11:04 AM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11056309

RE: GP F-86 micro edf
I had a bit of a mishap with the first hand launch this weekend and took that as an opportunity to make some modifications. I looked a bit closer at my F86 and found the right side elevator was moving about half as much as the left as well. I didn't feel that was right. So I took out my exacto blade and cut a hatch in the top from the cockpit to just in front of the vertical fin. The servos and esc are taped and glued to the top panel so I carefully removed them. The elevator problem comes because the servo arm in attached to the left side of the pushrod and the u shape is in front of the servo and wraps around to the right side. This means the left side has a straight line to the elevator and the right side doesn't, so, any little amount of friction on the right side causes it to bind. I thought about eliminating the right side pushrod and adding a elevator joining wire on the back but was concerned about weight. I thought it would be best if the servo arm was right in the middle of the u. So I took out the elevator servo, flipped over and attached it to the bottom of the inside of the fuse. I had to cut the side of the fuse a bit to get the servo to fit just right. Then I cut the u on one side, put it in the servo arm and made a brass sleeve to epoxy the u back together. I used a hot glue gun to glue the servos and esc back in place. Now both elevator sides move perfectly. There are also some parts that needed to come off the hatch so the new pushrod and servo arm locations would fit. Then I used CA to reattach the hatch. The final modification that I made was to add some nose weight. I made the mistake of assuming RTF meant 'ready to fly'. Most of you veterans out there are probably familiar with my mistake. (I think this is why my hand launch failed) Based on what I have read online, this plane is a bit tail heavy out of the box. A penny or dime in the front, under the battery might be needed to get the proper balance. The manual reads 70 mm. There is a small circle on the bottom and that seems to be the right place for the CG. I will post some photos with my pushrod changes when I get my camera back. (My wife took it to work)
Posted on: 4/25/2012 7:37 AM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11056033

RE: Flights per Day
I always like to get four in. However, on Saturday I put it down a little rough and ripped off the landing gear. So I guess that day was limited to two. @JohnBuckner. Do you take a sandwich or two with you? That would be a blast to not have to land and fill up.
Posted on: 4/23/2012 7:25 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11054328

RE: Ultra micro jets
I suppose the question is are you a communists or a capitalists? Just kidding. I bought the F86 Sabre and haven't had a chance to get it in the air. It has a lot a cool detail and seems a bit fragile. I suppose all micro jets are. I will let you know how it flies.
Posted on: 4/22/2012 5:56 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11052758

RE: Great Planes F86 making strange noise
Update, I took the Sabre to the LHS were I purchased it to show the strange noise to the owner. He listened to it, and got on the phone with Great Planes. GP wasn't all that helpful but said to send the plane back to them. The LHS owner let me bind to the other Sabre he had in the store and take that home. Two thumbs way up for customer service. However, the other Sabre made the same noise just not nearly as loud. I will fly it as soon as the wind calm. He said give it a try and if you crash because the plane is bad, they would take care of it. I will let you all know how it goes.
Posted on: 4/17/2012 3:57 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11046270

Great Planes F86 making strange noise
I just bought a Great Planes F86 with the any link system. I charged the lipo and hooked everything up according to the instructions. When I plug in the battery it makes a strange buzzing/humming sound. Sort of like a servo that is binding. All of the control surfaces and throttle work. This is my first electric, so my question is, Is this normal? Or do I have a bad servo, esc, or other part? Thanks for your help if you have any advise. Adam
Posted on: 4/14/2012 9:48 PM by Author "adamle" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11042284