RE: So, lets talk about Aardvarks...
I have the firgelli's installed. They are the new L12 version set up as what they call the R model, they interface directly and act like servos. The gearing which if I remember was 250 gives 4.5 kg of torque. I use two of them per slat. It is absolutely necessary to find the pressure balance points for the slats or you will have binding. If the push points are balanced remarkably little torque is required.
Posted on: 7/15/2009 11:18 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8937099

RE: So, lets talk about Aardvarks...
I actuated using a servo which drives a torque arm. The arm has two horns which via linkages push the slat. The slat is on tongue and groove tracks with a radius allowing the desired amount of downward movement and forward travel. The slats maintain a slot gap at the bottom of 8 mm. In the new FB-111 I am using two Firgelli L12 linear servos which allowed me to do away with the torque arm system. Due to the size of the leading edge where the slat meets the wing, there is a limit to how much radius can be achieved on the tracks. This requires angling the channels downwards to achieve the desired droop. There are other ways to approach this but the problem is always mechanical complexity (reliability) and unnecessary weight.
Posted on: 7/15/2009 10:58 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8937022

RE: So, lets talk about Aardvarks...
Hi Thomas, pm me your e mail, I will try and come up with photos and a drawing. I need to look at the F-14 wing to see if it is applicable. I have a 1/10th scale turbine F-14 that I built 10 years ago, I did not do slats on that model but the wing should give me an idea of whether the mechanism I made can "translate" Mike
Posted on: 7/15/2009 6:40 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8936400

RE: So, lets talk about Aardvarks...
slats and flaps are full span
Posted on: 7/15/2009 4:32 AM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8934806

RE: So, lets talk about Aardvarks...
more shots
Posted on: 7/15/2009 3:22 AM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8934700

RE: So, lets talk about Aardvarks...
a few shots of the 111 that I had on this computer Mike
Posted on: 7/15/2009 1:47 AM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8934692

RE: So, lets talk about Aardvarks...
I will try to post some photos of the 111. The 111 that MIBO may come out with is mine. Bogo and I are still thinking about it, and want more test flights. We are also looking at certain prefabrication issues. The wing box and bracket alignment is critical and would be difficult to install if not done at the factory. It would need to be done at the factory. The same would apply to the pivot bushing mounts in the wings otherwise the incidence would be problematic as would the sweep angle. The scale main gear parts currently require a tremendous amount of mill time, we are trying to look at alternative ways to fabricate the main gear attachment block. If we get around these issues then it would be practical for serial production and would probably proceed early next year. The molds from Frans plane are with MIBO, Frans made a tremendous effort and several of his concepts were helpful in designing the current 111 model but too many design changes were required to make it fly properly so I did the project de novo here in Thailand. Similar issues have kept my 1/5 scale A-6 in prototype stage. Flights are fine, but production is not yet practical. Mike
Posted on: 7/15/2009 1:22 AM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8934663

RE: So, lets talk about Aardvarks...
I would be happy to provide more information on the 111 if there are any specific questions I can answer. The 111 at Top Gun demonstrated a need for several design modifications. We had 7 flights prior to the event. One of the problems was bounce after landing. This was due to a number of factors, including approach speed, gear damping, and a lifting fuse. The general flight characteristics were good although the radio programming requirements and some onboard microprocessors were a bit of a handful. However the ability to go to slow speed needed some improvement. This was a mix of not having enough practice flights to test the envelope on the plane, and the fact that the design itself is not really a "slow speed" aircraft. The plane has now been redesigned as an FB-111 with a longer wing and a new airfoil. The redesign has improved lift and low speed performance. The pivot point on the stabs was also adjusted after further tests. The gear now has oil dampers. Approach speed is now slower and to kill lift after touchdown the spoilers deploy upwards as on the original. We use the spoilers for roll augmentation along with the tailerons in normal flight. The FB111 A is likely to be at TG next year. Mike
Posted on: 7/14/2009 8:46 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8933867

RE: What is the best A-10?
Not much size difference between 1/6 and 5.8:1 on the MIBO. You won't find anything nicer than the MIBO. Mike
Posted on: 7/13/2009 7:03 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8930212

RE: PST F9F-2 Panther - Dry Takeoff Weight
Do not use a 160 on this plane, the 80 is more than adequate. 8411 or 85 11 on the elevator, the latter is preferable.
Posted on: 6/17/2009 7:01 AM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8858650

RE: Top Gun 2009, May 6-10 2009 - Pictures from event posted
Good chance we will bring it back next year but re-done as an FB-111 with a new wing, both longer and with a bit more lift. We could use a bit more "slow flight" capability on the model. Cheers Mike
Posted on: 5/12/2009 8:48 AM by Author "mselby" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8762086

RE: Top Gun 2009, May 6-10 2009 - Pictures from event posted
Great pix, enjoyed meeting you guys at the event. Mike
Posted on: 5/12/2009 7:26 AM by Author "mselby" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8761953

RE: Anyone flying PST Panther with P-80?
The Panther was originally designed around the PST 600 R. It has been flown with the PST 800R and the 1300R. The 1300 is really too much power for the plane and is not recommended. Either the PST 800R or the Jetcat 80 will be fine. You will need to recheck cg after installing the new engine and may need to adjust ballast. The fuel consumption is likely to change as well so you will need to watch out for flight duration until you know the new consumption rate. Mike
Posted on: 4/23/2009 6:49 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8709632

RE: PST1300j Thrust Chart
We will post shortly
Posted on: 3/23/2009 7:50 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "PST Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8609026

RE: PST Reaction ARF Directive - Flight Controls Seams
Kraivuth's post points to the link with photos of various joints. If there are any questions please contact the PST factory at the website e mail.
Posted on: 3/23/2009 7:46 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8609014

RE: A Question For The Powerbox Experts........
Billy is right, what got "stuck" is the switch in the box side. The switch you use is not actually a switch, but triggers a switch internal to the PB (similar to a relay). Sometimes (rarely) the switching in the PB goes into what amounts to a half state and needs to be reset. I have had it happen a couple of times on power up and power down. Simply turning it on and off resets everything. Mike
Posted on: 3/12/2009 7:34 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8571656

RE: 2 Axis gyro sources?
Hi Craig, My only experience with an F-14 was an old DCU kit that I converted to turbine around 8 years ago. It was around 1/10 scale and on the heavy side after conversion. It was difficult to set up a fuel system for more than 5 minutes of flight. There were no significant CG shifts, but some retrim was required. A pitch axis gyro might be beneficial if you are worried about too much shifting. The ACT gyro will pass a taileron mix and work only on the pitch axis. I suspect however that you won't really need it. Regards Mike
Posted on: 2/16/2009 6:02 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8483848

RE: 2 Axis gyro sources?
Hi Craig, The CG shift turned out to be virtually a non issue. The changes in center of lift and staying within a reasonable static margin allowed the test model to fly with no problems. It required a bit of trim change but that was all. We had considered a sliding weight before testing but it adds unnecessary complexity and creates the possibility of problems if it fails. Regards Mike
Posted on: 2/15/2009 5:30 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8480085

RE: Mibo A10 Help needed!
Ali, two 120 class turbines will be fine. Michael Wurm has been using P-80's but vertical maneuvers are mushy. As Billy said with proper equipment layout you should not need nose weight. I would not contemplate using the dummy fans for anything other than static. They will affect the intake airflow, and can break loose. have been flying with an extra 2 liter tank which was mounted center between the saddle tanks. This gives around 11 minutes of flight with some go around time. At around 64 lbs wet, there are really no issues with a plane of this size. Mike
Posted on: 1/6/2009 6:31 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8326848

RE: Fiberclassic skin delamination
Without seeing a picture the following response is conjecture. I think the layup you have is herex in a glass sandwich. The color layer is paint rather than an actual gel coat. It doubt that the paint delaminated, it is more likely you have a bubble from the glass not bonding properly. This could be from a dry spot, or a vacuum issue in the mold. The best bet is usually to open up the hole and clear the debonded area. Don't break through the herex core, fill the hole with epoxy and microballoons. This should stabliize the bubble area. If you are unsure post a photo. Mike
Posted on: 12/27/2008 6:27 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "Composites Fabrication And Repair"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8288255

RE: COMP ARF Rookie Gyro
Each elevon needs a separate channel. ACT makes a gyro that will pass through the mix for roll, and act only on the elevator function. It takes two channel inputs and outputs separately to each servo. It is likely to override your match box. You are better off mechanically matching your servos rather than using the match box.
Posted on: 12/4/2008 7:28 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8213500

RE: Dulling finish with 000 steel wool
On orange peel you may be better off with 1000 grit wet sanding. With the steel wool try staying with 0000 and go easy when you rub. The scratch pattern on 000 can catch you by surprise. Depending on paint steel wool does not always produce the dulling effect you might want, it can actually create a semi gloss shine. One other trick is to steel wool and then work in some ground up medium gray pastel, this can be rubbed in with a tissue. It would have to be sealed with a very light overspray of clear coat. Mike
Posted on: 11/27/2008 2:49 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8189304

RE: Why is BVM so darn expensive??
Harley's comments are really quite accurate. I have no affiliation with BVM but have visited them, know a number of the people there fairly well and have immense respect for the quality of the operation and products. The commitment to quality control and engineering is second to none. There are costs associated with this. Even on models produced overseas they send U.S. based engineers to supervise and train the offshore producer, they follow up with quality control visits regularly. Again there is a real cost involved in this. I have visited an number of the factories out in this part of the world. For the most part any comparison would be trite. The nice thing is you have a choice of what you buy. Mike
Posted on: 11/6/2008 6:33 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8121736

RE: Sounds like a BAD deal to me......
Patrick, There have been a number of scams on turbines from Indonesia. The more common one is where they advertise cheap turbines and then accept payment and disappear. There is also one where they have you ship the turbine to Singapore and tranship from there, once again disappearing. There are however some bonafide modelers in Indonesia. If you receive full payment, check with Paypal as to whether Paypal has the right to debit your credit card or any account you have with them if they receive a claim from a purchaser. If they can, then you have no way to protect yourself and it is likely another variant of the purchase scam. At that point you should probably cancel the transaction and return the funds. I lived in Indonesia for 9 years and have a reasonable degree of familiarity with it. Mike
Posted on: 10/13/2008 9:13 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8046464

RE: 2 Axis gyro sources?
Hi Duke, I will certainly look forward to hearing the outcome of your experiments, they sound quite interesting. Regards Mike
Posted on: 10/9/2008 10:14 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8034958

RE: 2 Axis gyro sources?
Hi Duke, I also did one of the DCU F-14's many years ago. We flew it with a pair of PST 600's, it was not very nimble, and fuel capacity/weight issues limited the flight time to around 5 minutes. With the wings swept I needed to stay at full power. The Weatronics might be interesting, I am not sure if they are actually out yet, I know they showed it at Jetpower. My only issues are a lack of desire to be a guinea pig with the plane I am building, and the 12 channel limit. Even with the multiple servo outputs I probably need more channels. the 14 MZ with the MDPX will give me adequate channels using a powerbox royal. A 23 would be an interesting project. The cg shift versus center of lift shift on swing wings was often speed dependent. If you look at the pilots manual on an F-111 they chart this. This obviously won't translate to a model as transonic and supersonic speeds don't come into play, but this accounted for a partial lack of cg shift problems on the real aircraft. Cheers Mike
Posted on: 10/9/2008 9:50 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8034868

RE: 2 Axis gyro sources?
Hi Duke, Ray and Woody have spoken of you often. (In nice terms of course). Thanks for the pointers on RC Groups. I am going to have a bit of a moving CG issue as the plane I need to put the gyro in has wing that sweep, roll control is via spoilers and tailerons and there are some variables in performance that I am still uncertain of. Ray has been looking at the original aircraft's behavior and has given me some good tips, but this does not always manifest itself in the model. The Raiden was around 1/5 scale. I built it around 7 years ago. It has a twin cylinder 64 cc gas engine. It flies very well, take off and landing require careful elevator control to avoid nose overs. Prop replacements seem to have taken place on several occasions.
Posted on: 10/9/2008 9:03 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8034691

RE: 2 Axis gyro sources?
Hi Dave, The after market mixer is an interesting idea. Futaba made the GYA352 which is out of production. It had a built in V tail mixer. Ray probably told you what it is going in to for TG next year. The test bird will be ready to fly at months end, which will leave just enough time to finish the competition version (assuming.....) We will have some yaw and side slip issues without some form of correction on roll and pitch onboard as the original plane could not fly without rate gyros on all axis. The A-10 was getting too easy to fly for Ray, so I needed to make something to challenge him a bit. Irb75 thanks for the suggestion. I had previously e mailed ACT, their response just came in yesterday, and it does appear they have the beast in question. Regards Mike
Posted on: 10/9/2008 7:37 PM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8034430

2 Axis gyro sources?
Is anybody familiar with the source and availability of 2 axis gyros suitable for use on tailerons ? It would probably have to have a built in mixer. Thanks. Mike
Posted on: 10/9/2008 1:39 AM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8032408

RE: MIBO A10
The other two round pieces are antennas. One goes at the bottom of the stab in front near the fuse joint. The other one is version dependent also on the fuse bottom. You would need a photo of the bottom of whichever plane you are doing to determine this one. Mike
Posted on: 9/23/2008 1:01 AM by Author "mselby" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7981825