RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Hey Joe, I just checked the dimensions of the OS FSa72 and they will fit no problem although you will need to cut the cowlings to allow the rocker covers to protrude (maybe the heads too) you'll have 70mm from the engine mount to the cowling, your engines are 90mm from the bearer surface to the top of the rocker cover so you'll have 20mm of engine through the cowlings. I went for the fully enclosed look but your four strokes will certainly sound nice. Hi had a Dual Ace before the Comanche and the flight characteristics are very similar. My Comanche build was heavy with all the extras but she certainly flys nicely. I'm sure you will enjoy flying it every bit as much as the Dual Ace but be warned........ the Dual Ace is going to look like an ugly duckling next to the Comanche. It's a lovely looking plane on the ground and in the air [:D] Enjoy Craig
Posted on: 8/29/2012 4:43 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11210038

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Hi Kor, the nacelles are approx 140mm wide, the 2 Stroke 46's just fit, your 4 Strokes will require cowl cutting for the head and rockers. I do agree that the 4 Strokes would sound great but having said that, the Comanche looks great flying at speed and the 2 Strokes are not out of place. The general opinion at the club is very positive and I'm more than happy with my decision to stick with the 2 Strokes. Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll love the plane. Craig
Posted on: 8/10/2012 4:09 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11187924

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Update on final trimming. Well I had a great day at the field yesterday, a little overcast but hardly any wind. Spent a bit of time on tuning idle mixtures to get both engines accelerating consistently and together then spent the rest of the day and about 3 litres of fuel flying and finalising control trims, Once I had everything the way I wanted it on the primary controls, she was straight and level on anything above about half throttle, below half throttle she definitely required a bit of elevator input to maintain level flight. However, from a scale perspective, below half throttle was too slow in my opinion so I made the decision that I will not be modifying the down thrust. What I have done is to set up my flaps using the "Flap System" settings on my transmitter (JR DSX9). By setting the auto land system to active on a throttle of 50% and a delay of 2.0 seconds, I can now flick the flap switch at anything above 50% throttle and nothing happens, then as I reduce power below 50%, the flaps automatically start to deploy at a slowed rate that takes a full 2 seconds to reach full flaps. I did not require any down elevator mixing to arrest any flair tendencies as the model naturally wants to sink as i reduce the throttle down anyway. The result is that I now use that 2 second deployment time to gradually reduce the throttle and let her settle into her glide path for landing or hold a touch of up elevator for slow flyby's. The comments from the few people who watched the flights after I had her all set up were very complimentary and I even had someone trying to buy her from me hahahahaha. Well, that convinced me that I'm on a winner with this setup and so I wont be changing the down-thrust at all. My job is complete, now I can just get on with enjoying her flights. I hope you are all as happy with your Twin Comanche's as I am with mine. Sooooooo................... what shall we build now Craig
Posted on: 5/25/2012 2:15 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11094046

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
thanks Nick, I am not overly concerned about the down-thrust issue at this stage, I am able to trim and fly as it is and only notice the pitch change when dropping the RPM for landing. Since I will have to program some elevator trim for flaps, I'm going to start with that and see how it goes. I would suggest for anyone else, leave the cowls off and test fly to get the down-thrust right before shaping and fitting the fibreglass. Craig
Posted on: 5/22/2012 2:35 PM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11090818

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Received the Assan Gear Door Sequencer today. Found a couple of E-Sky EK2-0508 8 gram micro servos that I had sitting in a drawer and decided to get on with the modification Before and after photos tell the story but as you can see, I was able to use the original spring attachment points as the control horns. Pushrods are simply Z Bends on both ends with one offset front side and the other offset back side so they clear each other. YouTube Video is here
Posted on: 5/22/2012 2:11 PM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11090066

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Hey Nick, thanks for the info, I have ordered the Assan Sequencer now just waiting for it to arrive, nice solution on the wiring, I will have to look at what I can do with mine. I expect to get a few more flights in on Saturday so if we get a nice day with minimal wind, I should be able to get a better feel on the trims and setup. Craig
Posted on: 5/15/2012 6:26 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11081332

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
She certainly does look good Nick, judging by your early estimates it looks like your total flight weight will be less than 5.9Kg on the electric conversion so you should definitely proceed with confidence At this stage, I'm pretty happy with centre of gravity at 110mm from the leading edge measured at the fuselage. I notice that there was a correction label stuck in my instruction manual for this measurement. She's only had 2 flights so there is still some stall testing, trim testing etc to do but that COG of 110 is a great starting point, once trimmed for straight and level, she only required slight down elevator while inverted and only minor down input to maintain level during the inverted section of a slow roll. Now, I have a question for you......... I notice from your gear door conversion that you are using the Assan Sequencer. I always do a bit of internet research on products before I buy them for the first time (I find it saves a few mistakes) anyway, I found that people are having trouble with the Assan when it powers up because it does not remember its last state at shutdown. So every time they power up, they have the problem of the gear retracting (even if they bind with the gear down) Obviously, it's not great to have the gear retracting with the model sitting on its wheels every time you turn it on. I found another discussion where Assan recognised the problem and said that the engineer had ben notified and the issue would be fixed "in future"........... Are you seeing this problem with yours?????? I'm just wondering what "future" is. I really don't want to buy one and have that problem. Thanks Craig
Posted on: 5/13/2012 2:55 PM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11079434

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
46's are heaps Alain, didn't need full throttle except for pulling through loops, running 11x6 APC props Craig
Posted on: 5/12/2012 1:32 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11077739

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Some more maiden day photos
Posted on: 5/11/2012 11:13 PM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11077719

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Maiden day was a success, didn't have any problem with the finished weight of 5.9Kg without fuel. Did require a fairly generous amount of down trim which could indicate more down thrust may be required on the engines but I will carry out further trim tests once I have some more flight time on her. She raised a lot of interest from fellow club members and have to admit, I was a bit nervous with the audience. It seems everyone but the pilot enjoys a maiden flight........ Was also happy with the lighting system, even on our bright summers day, lights were still visible. I imagine they will be spectacular in the late afternoon. Well, I promised photos, so here they are........ Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone to do video but will try again next time she fly's. Craig
Posted on: 5/11/2012 11:06 PM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11077715

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
sorry guys.......... I got distracted by a few things today. I did manage to get the engines tuned and throttle linkages adjusted so everything is as close to synced as possible without the twinsync connected. Than connected the twinsync and finalised the programming - Ahhhhhhh the beautiful sound of synchronised engines plus the security of throttle cut in the event of a one engine out. Batteries all charged, fresh fuel mixed, car packed (along with 3 other planes) so I'm ready to go in the morning. What I did run out of time for was the photos......... So for that I apologise, BUT I will get lots tomorrow at the field and hopefully some video too. Craig
Posted on: 5/11/2012 3:23 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11076673

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
[quote]ORIGINAL: Acetronics the main gear shows two versions: 1) double fork holding the two sides of the wheels axles 2) " mustang style " with the wheel facing outside ( facing wing tips when out ) for the " mustang style " ... no need to have modified the gear doors ... [:(] [/quote] Yes, I found the same thing when I went looking for photos of the undercarriage. There were a few challenges to overcome which lead to my "fork out" decision. My goals were; Avoid packing main gear outside wing surface Flush mount gears doors Use supplied Oleo's Problems faced with fork's inside; Not enough room to fully retract inside wing (could have ben overcome by packing the retract unit as suggested in manual) Would have required a cutout in the side of the wheel well for the fork (not a huge issue but not as nice cosmetically) Problems faced with forks outside; Not strictly scale (but neither is the rest of the model) Required a cutout in the gear door to fit around the fork. Problems faced with both options; The diameter of the oleo means that it comes right up against the motor assembly when fully retracted (in fact I had to modify the retract unit to stop it from binding - see photo) this also means that there is no room for the gear door mounts to wrap right around the strut so you will have to get creative with gear door mounting either way. Also, the axel in the fork is not at 90 degrees to the strut - not really a problem, I just slipped a piece of tube over the axel and bent it to an appropriate position once everything was installed and I could line it up visually. So my decision process went something like this; Fork out was less work Fork out would give me a way to epoxy the gear door to the fork (because of the cutout) and then use a partial sliding guide further up for support without binding on the retract) Fork out would "look" like the dual fork version with the gear up (with the gear down and on the grass, I don't think anyone will see them anyway) Fork out allowed me to meet all my goals. So there you have it, sorry for the long explanation but perhaps it helps someone else with their decisions. There is certainly more than one way to do it Craig
Posted on: 5/10/2012 5:46 PM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11076352

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Well it's late, but she's finished too late to lake photos and I still have a couple of mods that I want to make. I'm waiting for a nice lens for the rotation beacon LED but it hasn't arrived yet so I have fitted the led temporarily until the part arrives. The other mod I want to make is to convert the gear doors to servo and sequencer operation but again, waiting for parts to arrive. So tomorrow I will take some photos and then I'll run up the engines, tune up, set throttle linkages and finish setting up the twinsync programming. Saturday is maiden day, forecast is fine with 10-15Km winds so I'll be heading to the club to see how she fly's Finished weight (dry - no fuel) is 5.92Kg. Certainly on the heavy side, but I expected that with all the extras and I don't really expect it to be a problem.
Posted on: 5/10/2012 7:51 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11075707

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Finally, I can move onto the tail section and get some radio gear in the fuselage. Just when I thought I'd finished all the challenging parts, I remembered I had two more lights to put in the tail section. The rotating beacon and the rest facing white nav light in the rudder. What I needed was a very long 5mm drill........... to my surprise, I could actually get one, but the price was prohibitive for a drill I may never need again. Solution............. well, I still had a good length of bass tube that I used for the sleeve on the nose gear. Why not get inventive with the Dremel and turn the tube into a hole saw I've decided to use a 2500mAh LiFe battery for the flight pack, it's a bit long for the battery compartment but it fits easily through the hole in the front of the compartment. So some foam padding and some velcro to stop i sliding forward is all that I needed. The great thing was that with the battery mounted here and the rest of the radio installation contained behind the wing tube, centre of gravity is right on the recommended 110mm without any additional weight.
Posted on: 5/10/2012 7:33 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11075675

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
After sorting out the nose gear, I went back to finalise the doors for the mains, I little bit of fiddling here but it was all worth it in the long run (photos 1,2) I really liked Nick's idea (over on the electric build) of using servo's and a sequencer to open and close the gear doors, I am not overly happy with the supplied mechanism, it works, but the springs end up fighting the doors and so they close at the front but end up bulging open at the back. I will be using Nicks idea to modify my gear doors as soon as my gear door sequencer arrives. Anyway,......... for now, Gear down.......... Gear up........ (photo 3,4)
Posted on: 5/10/2012 7:12 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11075640

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Ok, well the nose gear went in without too many problems, there have been a number of solutions presented on other forums and builds, mine is by no means the only option but I am happy with the way it worked out and it didn't require any hacking of the airframe. Modification of the retract was similar to the mains except this time the tube required is 3/16th. I cut the retract wire at the point where it started to curve into the spring and that left me with sufficient straight wire to mount the strut. (photos 1,2,3) I mounted a separate servo for the steering which will just be "y" leaded to the rudder channel (photo 4) I then mounted the retract into the unmodified mounting point but changed the mounting angle by putting two washers under each of the front mounting screws. This changes the angle to retract further into the fuselage. Then, after reading that one of the tricks to overcome "landing challenges" with the real aircraft, was to change to a smaller nose wheel, I thought I would do the same to mine. with the wheel mounted in the strut, you can present it to a disk sander at an angle that causes the wheel to turn while it is being gently sanded back to about 2 1/4" diameter. the result is a nose gear that now successfully retracts far enough into the fuselage for the gear doors to close (photo 5) A broken muffler extension provided the perfect piece of aluminium to craft a pushrod guide for my steering linkage (photo 6)
Posted on: 5/10/2012 6:56 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11075613

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
[quote]ORIGINAL: nioa Nice work Craig. I like what you did with the main wheel wells. Those "Ultimate" spinners are very nice too. Hoping I can grab some in the States Subscribed. Thanks for the mention in the first post to my Comanche Electric Thread. It should be interesting for both versions of our builds, what the total air-up weight will be. Glad we have both versions "covered". Nick [/quote] Hey Nick, thanks for dropping in, I'm pretty happy with the way the mains turned out and I didn't have to do as much chopping on the nose gear as I thought. It's a bit late to do an update but I will try to get my nose gear mods posted tomorrow. If you cant find the phoenix ultimate spinners, tru-turn do an ultimate as well which can be ordered direct from Tru-Turn for $31.95. They provide a choice of slot sizes or you can tell them what prop you are going to run and they will custom slot to match. I should be able to get an accurate flight weight for you tomorrow. Craig
Posted on: 5/9/2012 8:53 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11074332

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Next came the wing modifications. I started by cutting the covering 45 degrees in from the outside corners of the retract mount back to the centre line of the leg cavity. Then I extended the centre line all the way to the inboard end of the wing and cut the covering along that line. Now I could gently peel back the covering to reveal the work area. (photo 1) There has been a bit of debate about the wing rib that stops the retract unit from sitting right down in the wing. I had a good look at this and the surrounding structure. Given that this area is sheeted and double sheeted and that the retract unit itself also acts as a structural "bridge", I believe there is no real concern with removing the section. (photo 2) A home made circle cutter makes easy work of recutting the wheel well's (I just slot a piece of hardwood and CA a blade in place then use a picture hook nail for the centre pin) The centre point for the new cutout was marked at 72mm from the inboard end of the wing and the diameter was identical to the existing cutout. Once the cut has been made, spin the off cut around and it can be used to sheet the old cutout (photo's 3,4,5,6) I then used the plastic wheel well but I slid it inside and glued (CA) it to the underside of the wing sheeting (this will give me a nicer finish than sticking it on the outside) Add some light sheeting to box in the rest of the cavity and you have a pretty quick and easy wheel well that will accommodate the supplied gear door and even have it sitting flush once I shorten it and figure out how to mount it to the strut. (photo's 7,8,9) Sealed it all with dope, ironed the covering back in place and added a small strip of covering over the cut line (between the well and the end of the wing) then some white paint and as soon as that dries, The retracts can be screwed in place. (photo's 10,11,12)
Posted on: 5/7/2012 4:42 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11071238

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
First job this morning was to adapt the fixed oleo struts from the kit to the E-Flite 60-120 retracts. I have only done the main gear today but should be able to show you the nose gear tomorrow. Simply remove the 3 grub screws from the top end of the strut and remove the aluminium plug with the fixed gear wire, the fixed gear wire was a fairly tight fit and had to be punched out then refit the plug back onto the strut. Cut a 40mm length of wire from the legs that came with the retracts and a 25mm length of 7/32 tube. Tap the wire into the tube, drill the aluminium plug in the strut to suit the sleeved wire and assemble. Easy enough (the nose gear will be more of a challenge as I may need to cut a circlip groove)
Posted on: 5/7/2012 4:05 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11071199

RE: New Twin Commanche ARF
[quote]ORIGINAL: eclipse3g Which e-flite nose retract do I need to purchase [/quote] good question, you can use either......... but you will probably need less modifications if you use the 105 degree because the extra 15 degrees of rotation will help get the wheel deeper into the fuselage when retracted. I have the tricycle set which comes with the 90 degree rotation and I will be documenting my setup on another thread http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_11027843/tm.htm Alain is also posting on both threads, he has the 105 degree front unit and we are both adapting the original oleo struts to fit the retracts so keep an eye on both threads and you should find a solution that suits either retract unit. Happy building Craig
Posted on: 5/6/2012 2:31 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11070066

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
[quote]ORIGINAL: Acetronics much easier to modify a bit the wheel well !!! ( the awful plastic bit will be replaced by "classic" balsa fairing ... ) [/quote] That's what I was thinking too, my thought was to cut the covering along the centre line of the retract and then at 90 degrees to that at both ends (probably along a rib line) then fold back the covering to reveal the area to be worked on. Once the mods have been done and boxed in with thin balsa sheeting, I could then fold back the covering, iron it back into place and only require a little pin stripe finishing over the cut lines. Your thoughts? Craig
Posted on: 5/5/2012 1:59 PM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11069202

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
[quote]ORIGINAL: Acetronics 1) front gear - a 105 ° action ( http://www.advantagehobby.com/124072/EFLG411105/?cat=691 ) is a simple solution, with limited [i][b]eventual[/b] [/i] sanding of the mounting blocks ... 2) main gear - placing some carbon fiber to strengthen the existing ribs before sanding them looks quite easy and strong enough ... [;)] [/quote] good idea on the nose gear, I already have the tricycle set which s a 90 degree, maybe I can exchange it otherwise I will have to go with the sanding option. I don't have too many concerns about the strengthening for the mains, what I'm trying to decide is what to do about the length difference between the mounting point and the wheel well cut out........ are you going to move the mounting point out toward the wingtip or are you going to recut the wheel well closer to the fuselage ?????? Craig
Posted on: 5/5/2012 5:16 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11069181

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Throttle linkages done, fuel dots installed and the spinners arrived So I decided not to use the supplied pushrods for the throttles and instead went with a more rigid arrangement made up of a standard pushrod with a threaded coupler soldered to the cut end and ball links on both ends. This has given me a nice positive throttle link with zero free play. The angle at the servo end provides fuel tank clearance at full throttle. Photo 3 shows those new spinners - one word.......... awesome There was no need to modify the blade cutouts on the spinners, my APC 11x6 props fit perfectly with a nice amount of clearance. I drilled my fuel dots in on the underside of the cowl, they will be easy enough to get to, there is plenty of room in the cowl to allow about 100mm of excess tube to make life easy and they wont be visible to the general observer (unless they are on their hands and knees) I took today of building to enjoy a great day of flying and I'm taking tomorrow of the build to spend with my daughter but the retracts have arrived so that ill be the next task. There has been a fair bit of discussion on other threads and a few different approaches to the retract solution. Some pretty and some pretty ugly. I'm still keen to adapt the original oleo struts to the retract units so stay tuned for the outcome. Feel free to comment, I'm open to all suggestions, the more ideas the better. Craig
Posted on: 5/5/2012 3:10 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11069121

RE: New Twin Commanche ARF
Looks like a challenge Paul, I'm looking at my struts and your photos. Thought about shortening the struts but it looks like there wouldn't be enough strut left after cutting to the required length. Next thought is to relocate the wheel well cutout to a position appropriate to the strut length Final thought is to relocate the retract mounting position and strengthen as required. I guess I need to wait till my retracts arrive and then I can have a look. Alain, I notice from your photos that you have mounted your struts to the retracts, what are you doing about this problem ?????? (I'm not going to sleep tonight am I hahahahahahahahahaha) Craig
Posted on: 5/2/2012 6:08 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11065255

RE: New Twin Commanche ARF
Hey Jimmy, looks like you have used the e-flight 60-20 units as supplied. I imagine that would have been a challenge particularly with the nose gear. (offset due to the torsion spring) What most of us are doing is modifying the retracts to accept the oleo struts from the kit. The advantage for the nose gear is that everything is kept on the centreline which will make the gear doors work as expected. Trying to get the doors closed evenly with your offset leg would have ben a nightmare Let us know when she fly's Craig
Posted on: 5/2/2012 4:23 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11065151

RE: New Twin Commanche ARF
Hey Paul, I was hoping my retracts would arrive today but they did not. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. The rest of my build is progressing nicely and I should be able to move on to the retracts as soon as they arrive so perhaps we can figure out the solution together. Craig
Posted on: 5/2/2012 3:01 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11065108

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
Completed the nacelle and cowling fit-out today except for the throttle linkages. I want to use either a clevis or ball link on the carburettor throttle arm rather than the Z Bend as suggested in the kit. I used the Z Band arrangement on my Dual Ace and felt that there was a little too much free play. Obviously with the twinsync, it will be beneficial to minimise any play on the throttles. I also noticed that the hole in the firewall for the throttle pushrod would be better in a different position, so I'll come back to throttle linkages later. Cutting cowlings has always been a long job for me. I'm tend to take out a little less than I think, then refit the cowling, check, remove, dremel, refit etc etc etc. Perhaps I'm too fussy but I think the effort is worth it even if it did take all day to cut the two Generally, I cut my cowls to allow removal without having to remove the muffler, but in this case, I felt it better to keep the structural integrity of the cowl and the finnish is much better this way for this aircraft. You will notice that the hole cut for the needle valve is a little oversize, this is to allow access to the front muffler bolt and also to make it easier to remove the cowl without removing the whole needle valve assembly from the carburettor (I do need to remove the needle itself, but can live with that.) The small hole behind the needle valve allows access to the rear muffler bolt, and the hole underneath the carburettor is for adjusting the idle mixture. I also fitted the nose cone using Three (one each side in the top stripe and one underneath) of those nice rivet head wood screws that I used on the nacelle cowlings. I really couldn't come to terms with that moulded in "red light" in the nose cone........ I was going to paint it out with white, but I had a spare white LED and decided to put it in there instead. (not strictly scale, but it looks cool ) I've included some photos of the lights on in full daylight, the photos probably show them a bit dimmer than they appear in real life but I expect that they will be quite visible in flight even in daylight. Not photographed, but I fitted the fuel tanks as well. First job was to throw away the nylon tubes supplied with the tanks and bend my own from brass tube. Over the years, I have tried all sorts of fuelling systems, quick valves, etc. Eventually, these fancy systems all seem to fail, so I now fit all my planes with a three tube tank. The pressure/overflow tube bends up to the top of the tank and connects directly to the muffler pressure nipple. A single clunk is used on the pickup pipe which is then connected directly to the carburettor and the third pipe is bent down to the bottom/front of the tank and is connected to a standard 1/4 turn fuel dot. This way I can fill without removing any hoses, just observe overflow from the muffler when full and to drain the tanks at the end of the day, simply angle the plane nose down and drain through the fuel dot pipe. (pictures are a bit difficult but let me know if you want a diagram).
Posted on: 5/2/2012 2:48 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11065102

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
[quote]ORIGINAL: Acetronics where do you find the "ultimate" spinners ??? [/quote] "Ultimate" refers to the spinner shape, and yes, the Tru-Turn ones tend to be a bit expensive, but they are a good spinner My local hobby shop stocks the "Phoenix Model" brand. They are not a high gloss polished finnish but more of a brushed finnish and a lot cheaper than the Tru-Turn. I will post a photo of the box and spinner when they arrive (the 49mm size was not in stock yesterday) Or you could try a search for Phoenix Model SUL01 The Manufacturers website appears to be limited access but you can see a picture of the SUL01 spinner there Craig
Posted on: 5/1/2012 4:07 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11063157

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
the following; 2 x Sub C 3300mAh NiMH batteries (for the onboard glows) 2 x 3.5mm switching phono... low profile finish and its easily removed if I need to change a plug. Third photo is the 3300mAh Sub C
Posted on: 4/30/2012 6:33 AM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11062351

RE: Seagull Piper Twin Comanche
[quote]ORIGINAL: Acetronics " hot air output must be , @ least, twice the input section " ...[/quote] Definitely agreed and familiar with the recommendation. Will open up the underside vent if necessary :-) [quote]You could solder the glow heating wire on the connection pin of the glow plug ... I already did it ...[/quote] Hmmmm, glow plug replacement would be a task but that doesn't happen often theses days....... I like the idea [quote]You could try the Multiplex " green " plugs ( 6 contacts ) or DB9 or even DB 15 informatics plugs ... often used aboard big scale gliders [;)] and good behaviour against vibes ...[/quote] Well those 9 plugs just became 10 plugs (I forgot about the retracts) I've heard good things about the multiplex plugs, I tried a multi-pin connector on my 96" Cessna but removed it after I noticed it not connecting sometimes. the general consensus was that I needed gold plated pins if I wanted a good connection ????? Your Thoughts Craig
Posted on: 4/29/2012 3:35 PM by Author "c_nut" in the forum "Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11061571