RE: CO2 extinguishers
I realize that this thread has been quiet for quite a while but I thought it best to keep related info together rather than start a new thread. I've also been considering a Halotron fire extinguisher because as has already been mentioned here it leaves no residue and won't harm electronics, etc. However I've also read that it is dispensed as a rapidly evaporating liquid. Wouldn't squirting a liquid into a spinning turbine be a problem? If someone has successfully used a Halotron extinguisher on a turbine fire, how did you apply it? Should it be sprayed on the ground near the intake so as the liquid evaporates the gas is pulled into the turbine but the liquid isn't directly ingested by the turbine?
Posted on: 9/11/2012 6:35 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11225613

RE: thank God for the Pa state police !
[quote]ORIGINAL: bonehead2434 check this out remember it says a 1000 on the ama rules for damaged or stolen rc equipment ,,or anything that involves your rc equipment ,,ok homeowners covered some things ,,,ama covers deductable only ,,didnt care what was caused from the theves stealing it ,,,it wasnt a motorcycle they took ,,,,,this is what we have guys ,,,from what i see it covers the guy who doesnt have insurance at all ,,then why do i have them,, does anyone know what they have covered for someonme else ? i need to hear a story thats true about them not hearsay [/quote] First of all, sorry you had to go through this whole mess. As I understand it, AMA insurance is strictly secondary. Since your homeowners covered the damage to your model I would have expected that to be the end of it. Since it sounds like the AMA covered the deductible that sounds like a bonus. Since your primary insurance wouldn't cover your additional expense such as extended stay, etc, I'm not really sure why you would expect the AMA insurance to cover it. The AMA insurance (or any insurance for that matter) will pay only for what they are required to based on how the policy is written. There is no such thing as "doing the right thing" where insurance is concerned. If a company goes above and beyond it is because that is how they wrote their policy and their premiums are set accordingly. While I agree it would be nice if they covered the additional expenses that you incurred as a result of this incident, I'm not surprised they didn't. You asked if anyone knows first hand of the AMA paying out on their insurance and I do. Following a recent Hurricane, the covered shelter that we have at our flying field had the roof ripped off during the storm. We sent pictures to the AMA and receipts for the repairs ($500) and they sent us a check, no muss no fuss.
Posted on: 8/21/2012 8:35 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11200876

RE: 7th Annual New England Jet Rally Roll Call
I've been out to Gardner the past couple of years as a spectator, this will be my first year as a participant. I've just finished a Boomerang XL and hopefully I'll be able to get it checked out and test flown on Friday.
Posted on: 8/15/2012 9:31 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11194395

RE: Need help ganging jetronics valves to jetronics sequencer!
You can temporarily replace the valves with a servo while you are programming the sequencer so you can verify the sequencer setup by simply watching the servos. Once the sequencer is working correctly you can replace the servos with the electronic valves and go from there.
Posted on: 8/10/2012 9:11 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11188198

RE: Who has Changed over to the newer DSMX and why
[quote]ORIGINAL: Gary Arthur [quote]ORIGINAL: AFTERBURNER1 Why mess with what isn't broke. [:D] [/quote] A wise man once told me that if you follow this philosiphy, your bussiness and or product will become obsolete. An example, if a company thinks they make the best (maybe they do) product and just continue to make the same product, undoubtedly someone will copy it and immprove it. Then who will be the best? Japan did this in the 90's. That is what makes companies continue to improve and update their products. Obviously, JR has discovered the bennefits of FHSS and have embraced the technology, much like Futaba has done for the past few years. Futaba has also discovered the S-Bus which is not far off what JR has done with remote receivers (only have a few enhancements to ID each servo). So...If it ain't broke, break it!!!!! Then make it better!!!!! [/quote] A wise man (or was it a wise guy) once told ME; He who is never satisfied with "what's not BROKE", always buys latest junk and soon goes BROKE [;)] If you're a VENDOR, continually updating your product line makes perfect sense, and I'm glad that vendors keep making new products available to us. However, since I'm a CUSTOMER, I feel that buying stuff I don't need, just to always have the latest, makes no sense.
Posted on: 1/22/2012 8:02 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10921197

RE: Aero Works P-51?
[quote]ORIGINAL: Zeeb Hey Guys, Progress, slowly but surely.... lol Here's a pic with part of the answer to the air system issues and I just happen to have a couple of the original ''quality'' actuator servos available as well as the actuators and the main gear.... :) Any way, playing with this air system has shown a difficulty with my anticipated air pump device. I tried one of the Robart style a friend gave me, not much good probably due to it's size and age. Bought a fancy high pressure pump from the bicycle shop that's supposed to go to 100psi for the street tires on fancy bikes, it's small enough it could be mounted on a bike frame. Now it's worked well for cycling the gear as I was working on the mods and setting things up, but I tried to pump the system up to 100psi the other night and gave up at 70psi. Thing worked the snot out of me and the small handle did a job on my hand in the process. So what are you guys using? Is there a reasonable electric powered alternative? Thanks [/quote] I've been using this: http://www.shop.com/Airman_Portable_Air_Compressor-42970004-56774757-p+.xhtml?sourceid=298 The battery life isn't great but it gets the job done for a few flights when fully charged. Mine didn't have a way to use an external power source but I believe the new ones do.. Wayne
Posted on: 11/21/2011 5:12 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "Aero-Works Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10822992

RE: Aero Works P-51?
[quote]ORIGINAL: Zeeb Then Wayne pipes up about the tail gear failing.... UGH.... I looked at that puppy when I pulled it out to replace the air lines with the BVM stuff and wondered about replacing it, but I'd not really seen guys post about issues with that tail gear other than the occasional air leak? Oh, I got a response on the input voltage question for the Jetlegend gear sequencer from one of the USA vendors. Said they'd directed the question to the appropriate place and would get back to me with the answer. Thanks for the help; any of you other guys got thoughts, please feel free to chime in. [/quote] I wouldn't get too excited about the tail gear failing. Mine did blow the end cap off the cylinder and a clevis that supports the tail wheel broke. When it failed the tail gear just popped inside the fuse and landing without a tail wheel wasn't really a problem and there was no damage at all. My take on the tail wheel is if it ain't broke don't fix it.. Wayne
Posted on: 11/14/2011 6:26 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "Aero-Works Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10811316

RE: Aero Works P-51?
[quote]ORIGINAL: Zeeb Okay guys I appreciate the input so far, but there's 'gotta be more folks out there who aren't running regulators with Li-Ion batteries? I've sent e-mails to one of the USA vendors Jetlegend lists on their website for support and actually sent one to the sales e-mail address at Jetlegend since that's all they list on their website, we'll see if I hear anything back from either of those sources... :( In the mean time, I guess I'll build a short servo extension with a diode in it which should reduce the voltage by .6 or .7 volts. Lots of guys running DLE engines are doing that since those ignitions don't like over 6.0 volts. [/quote] I never even thought to worry about the sequencer as far as voltage is concerned so I've been running unregulated LiIons with mine. No problems so far but I've only got about a dozen flight on it. Of course I've probably run it about a MILLION hours on the bench dealing with all the air leaks I had with the retracts before I finally swapped them out for a pair of Robarts :^) Last flight the tail wheel retract blew up, looks like that will need to be replaced with a Robart too :^( Wayne
Posted on: 11/13/2011 4:32 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "Aero-Works Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10809498

RE: Boomerang XL II
[quote]ORIGINAL: KC36330 it's safer to have the canopy/hatch open during start on turbines, you need access to your manual fuel valve if something goes wrong, being you've got it open already, there's no need to have your switch/fuel fill/etc..... cluttering up the outside of the model. i simply tuck the pigtail off the UAT inside after filling. on the vent i use a bulkhead fitting (pictured below) out the bottom, you can then plug it when finished for the day and you can also use it for your startup/taxi tank connection. [/quote] Sounds simple enough and I like simple... Your comment about access to the manual fuel valve made me realize that I haven't installed one. I just double checked the manual and for the propane start turbines they show the safety shutoff valve installed between the fuel solenoid and the turbines fuel connection. In the PxxxSX supplement they show the complete fuel system but there is no safety shut off valve anywhere in the drawing. Since I have a P120SX that is the diagram I followed so I didn't install one. This sounds like an oversight in the documentation. Should it be adequate to simply install the shut off valve between the fuel solenoid and the turbine, the same as for the propane start version or do I need to be able to shut off the starting fuel circuit too? Thanks Wayne
Posted on: 10/27/2011 10:13 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10785115

RE: Boomerang XL II
Ok, next question... I'm plumbing up my tank and would like to know what people are typically using for fueling and vent / overflow connections? On my giant scale gas models I always just used a fuel dot through the side of the fuselage but just realized that I never seem to see that kind of arrangement on jets. Do most folks simply leave a piece of tygon inside the canopy area to fill through and then plug it? Basically a fuel dot, just not brought to the outside of the jet ?? What about the vent line and fittings to connect an overflow / startup tank? Some kind of bulkhead Festo fitting or just poke a piece of tygon out the bottom of the fuse?
Posted on: 10/27/2011 8:00 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10784929

RE: Boomerang XL II
[quote]ORIGINAL: KC36330 here's where mine is mounted. [/quote] Can't tell from the picture, did you need to shim the motor mounts to allow your turbine to slide that far forward? The FOD guard on my P120SX hits the front former, preventing it from being slid any further forward. Looking from behind, it appears my turbine is sitting about 1/8" below the center line of the exhaust pipe on the fuselage. Should I shim it to center the turbine in the exhaust port or is it supposed to be below the center line? Also, while we are talking about FOD guards, I didn't receive any installation instructions. It looks simple enough, plug the 3mm and 4mm tubes into the turbine, slide the FOD guard over the starter motor and tubes, put the 3mm and 4mm Festos onto the tubes. My question is, what am I supposed to do with the big (2" OD, 7/8" ID) neoprene washer that was included? It seems the ID is too small to go over the starter... Thanks Wayne
Posted on: 10/26/2011 9:25 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10783457

RE: Boomerang XL II
[quote]ORIGINAL: K.O. Wayne The P-160 weighs the same as the P-120. If you happen to have the larger of the two engines there is no penalty. In as much as this is your 1st jet and for peace of mind go with the recommended C/G then move your weight around little at a time as you become familiar with the plane. K.O. [/quote] Good advise and that's the plan, start with the recommended CG and adjust from there based on how it flies. Wayne
Posted on: 10/22/2011 5:02 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10777949

RE: Boomerang XL II
[quote]ORIGINAL: K.O. I just have to chim in here. I have over 300 flights on my XL. It started with a P-120, all the batteries in the nose (three 123 batteries) plus 14 oz of lead in the nose cone. The beginning of this year I installed a P-160 which improved the verticle, removed the 14 oz of lead, moved the ECU battery in front of the Fuel tank and moved the (2) receiver packs back 10 '' from thier origional position. Dry weight is still about 30 Lbs. I have 126 flights so far this year with the changes. What was gained? Improved vertical and inverted trim. The plane will never trim zero inverted because it is not a symetrical wing. I fly it full speed at times, snap roll it at slow speeds and not a hint of falling apart. At least not yet. I guess all moving of batteries here and there using different power plants etc just tells us this plane has a huge C/G window, it flys great and its a good comparison to any sport flyer or trainer out there. I have 2 other jets but this will always be in my inventory. K.O. P.S. I haven't checked my C/G since the changes so I really don't know where it is. [/quote] I'd guess that by removing the nose weight and moving the batteries back you probably moved the CG about an 1" or so AFT. No idea how much the P160 weighs but I assume it must weigh a bit more than the P120 so that must have moved it back even a bit further. This will be my first jet but I definitely prefer a more neutral CG for my aerobatic planes, just nose heavy enough to be predictable. I'm sure it will take a while to get the CG dialed in to where I like it but it's good to know it isn't terribly sensitive. Wayne
Posted on: 10/21/2011 2:35 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10776496

RE: Boomerang XL II
I tried moving the ECU battery all the way up with the receiver batteries but it only moved the CG about 1/16". Since it's a Lipo and I want to remove it from the plane for charging I decided to leave it it a bit further back where I can get at it easily. I also have my UAT located up at the front of the radio tray and I'm guessing that when it is full of fuel it should weigh between 4oz and 6oz which will move the CG between an 1/8" and 1/4" forward. I'm assuming the CG in the manual is a bit on the nose heavy side and that I should be able to remove a little nose weight later on to get a more neutral CG???? Wayne
Posted on: 10/21/2011 2:21 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10776475

RE: Boomerang XL II
[quote]ORIGINAL: figueroa Wayne, Both of my Boomerang XL's came in at 32 pounds . My new Torus came in at 33 pounds . I did have to add a considerable amount of weight in the nose. Good luck with your Boomer. [/quote] Thanks for the info. If yours flew well at 32lbs I guess I shouldn't have any problems at 30lbs. What did you use for a turbine in your? Wayne
Posted on: 10/21/2011 1:09 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10776352

RE: Boomerang XL II
Well I've finally got back to work on my Boomerang XL and have keyed the tail booms to the wing center section and eliminated all of the slop associated with the loose fitting spars, etc. Once I had that done I decided to set the Turbine (P120SX) and batteries in place and check the CG. With 2 4600MAH A123 packs(22 oz worth) sitting directly over the nose gear and the turbine slid as far forward as I can the CG is still almost 2" aft of the recommended CG and the dry weight is at 28lbs 12oz. It looks like I will need about an additional pound of lead poured right into the nose cone to get it to balance at the recommended CG which will bring it to almost 30lbs.... This sounds very heavy to me, do I have a significant problem or should I just balance it and forget about it? Thanks Wayne
Posted on: 10/21/2011 12:26 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10776300

RE: Aero Works P-51?
"Well I'm replacing the included air control valves with variable Robarts and the included retract servos with digitals since the JR 2048 resolution capable rx's and some analog servos don't get along." Since the analog gear servos are driven by the gear sequencer they shouldn't be affected by the JR receiver not driving the servo signal wire prior to link up. That said, I replaced both the valves and the servos with a pair of Jet-tronics dual action air valves as my air valves leaked badly and I didn't think much of the provided servos either. Wayne
Posted on: 10/19/2011 3:46 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "Aero-Works Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10772676

RE: in Boston
[quote]ORIGINAL: scottkieper Any big r/c store in Boston Im here for a week [/quote] R/C Buyers in Nasua NH is probably about an hour from Boston. They have a pretty good selection of RC stuff depending on what you're into. They're probably one of the biggest in the area. Wayne
Posted on: 10/4/2011 10:19 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10748168

RE: Boomerang XL II
I'm also in the process of finishing up a Boomerang XL II and would love to here about any updates / modifications that are worthwhile. I'm already planning on overlapping the covering on the leading edge of the wing and the stabilizer. I'm still wrestling with the extremely poor fit of the wing spars to the wings and especially the tail booms. After applying the provided heat shrink tubing (total hack) and a layer of packing tape to the spars they fit the wing OK but they are still so loose in the tail booms that I can wiggle them up and down close to an inch at the tail. I'm not sure whether to install pins to key the tail booms to the wing center section or to permanently attach the tail booms to the wing center section with Hysol. To be honest this project has been stalled for weeks because I find it very frustrating to be having to deal with these type of issues. Guess I'll just have to suck it up, pick a solution and get this thing flying. What other things do I still need to fix that I haven't discovered yet :^) Wayne
Posted on: 9/28/2011 2:34 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10738944

RE: Explain the Overflow Tank please
Regarding dual vents, what are the 2 vents connected to? I assumed that even if you where using 2 smaller tanks instead a single large tank that they would be connected in series with a single vent? Also, while were discussing fuel systems, is a "REAL" UAT absolutely essential? Would a 4 - 6 oz hopper tank with the vents right at the top and a brass tube centered in the tank be good enough? I'm currently finishing up my first jet and it is easy to get confused as to whether something is just "nice" or absolutely essential... Wayne
Posted on: 9/12/2011 6:36 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10712621

RE: Aero Works P-51?
I'll give that a try. Thanks Wayne
Posted on: 8/23/2011 4:26 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "Aero-Works Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10683014

RE: Aero Works P-51?
After flying my P-51 this weekend I noticed that the canopy appeared slightly cocked. Closer inspection revealed that the anchor point (for lack of better description) that slides in the rail at the aft of the canopy was gone. Has this happened to anyone else and if so, how did you fix it? Wayne
Posted on: 8/22/2011 3:38 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "Aero-Works Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10682292

RE: Jettronics Dual Air Valve problem
I figured it was unlikely that I got two defective air valves. I'll isolate the bad cylinder as you described. Thanks for the reply. Wayne
Posted on: 8/12/2011 3:05 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10666984

Jettronics Dual Air Valve problem
Hi, I have a Jettronics Dual Air Valve that appears to leak air after being cycled if the pressure is above 50PSI. I am able to pressurize the tank to 100PSI and the air valve doesn't leak at first but when I cycle the retracts air continues to leak out the exit port for several seconds after the retracts have already cycled and doesn't stop until the pressure drops to about 50PSI. If I cycle the retracts again there is no prolonged escape of air leak at the valve, it only happens when the tank is fully pressurized. At first I assumed I had a defective air valve so I installed another valve that I had purchased for a different project and it behaves the exact same way. Since I have two valves behaving the exact same way I'm beginning to wonder if I'm doing something wrong but I really can't see what that could be. Any suggestions? Thanks Wayne
Posted on: 8/11/2011 4:16 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10666380

South Shore R/C Clubs Great New England Scale Fly-In
SSRCC in Bridgewater Mass will be holding it's Scale Fly-In on August 20th, 2011. The $20 landing fee is per pilot. Each pilot may enter as many categories as they wish.
Posted on: 7/25/2011 6:05 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10637709

RE: Retract related questions..
Thanks for the replies. I hadn't considered that the cylinders may be leaking at mid travel. I'll try stopping the gear at partial travel and see if that shows any signs of leaking. I also do hear air continue to flow for a while whenever the gear is cycled but I haven't been able to figure out if this is something leaking or just the air being cycled out of the cylinders.. It seems to continue for 2 or 3 seconds after the gear has transitioned.. I did initially have a kink in the air line that was preventing the tank from filling but before I fixed that, the pressure gauge would indicate the tank was full immediately and the gear would only cycle while my air pump was operating. In any event I had replaced the kinked line and the air tank is filling properly... As this is a 20 something pound warbird it does have fairly substantial gear legs, gear doors and a tail wheel retract so perhaps it is just using a lot more air than I suspected. Between the existing air tank and the electronics, the main compartment over the wing is pretty well filled up... I may need to find a creative way to add another, larger air tank.... Thanks Wayne
Posted on: 4/14/2011 7:28 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10463408

Retract related questions..
This isn't jet related but I figured there would be plenty of people here that have experience with retracts so I thought I would go ahead and ask anyways. I recently completed an Aeroworks P-51 (told you it wasn't jet related) and I wasn't too keen on the air valves, servos and restrictors that were supplied with the kit so I removed the restrictors and replaced the servos and valves with two JetTronics dual action air valves. I was able to get everything set up so that the gear doors cycle properly and the gear extends and retracts in a positive fashion without slamming. The problem is that cycling the gear just once, nearly empties the air tank. I had expected to be able to cycle the gear at least 3 or maybe even 4 times. At 8" long and 2" in diameter I assume the supplied tank would be classified as medium sized? I have pressurized the system and let it sit for several hours without noticing any loss of pressure so I don't think I have any major air leaks. This is the first time I've used pneumatic retracts so I'm just wondering if someone has any suggestions about what may be wrong or if perhaps I just have unreasonable expectations for the size of the air tank installed. If there was more room, I would simply install a larger air tank but I don't think I could get anything larger in there. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Wayne
Posted on: 4/14/2011 6:12 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10463194

RE: JR 1222 Rx Question
If you have both switches in the off position but the receiver remains on, you must have a defective switch... I often use dual switches (Fromeco Wolverine) with JR power safe receivers to avoid the need to disconnect the batteries when the aircraft is down for a prolonged period and simply leave the soft switch disconnected. I just connect the switches between the batteries and the EC3 connectors on the receiver. If both switches are actually off, there is no power getting to the receiver so it must turn of... Wayne
Posted on: 3/8/2011 8:04 AM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10386557

RE: Problems with Horizon Hobby
When you call customer service, instead of relating the whole story about the repair and what you were promised and what was actually done, or about how you can't get the CEO to return your calls, try these magic words. " I have a brand new JR receiver, that I purchased from you. It has never been used and I would like to return it for a full refund. Can you help me with that please?" Once I learned the magic phrase it has worked for me every time. Wayne
Posted on: 12/10/2010 1:13 PM by Author "wfield0455" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10188848