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The pilot stopped by to supervise. He is not impressed with my lack of progress. Called me a dumbass.
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Team PowerBox Systems Americas... If flying were the language of men, soaring would be its poetry. -
Walter lit a fire under me, so I took some time to work on wiring. There are no seat pans and such in this model to easily tuck things beneath. Instead I did an bit of a split system. All the heavy electrons up in the nose and all the brains in the back of the cockpit behind the back seat.
The side panels are to be glued to the insides of the cockpit. Instead, I made carbon fiber tabs with added Velcro so they are removable. Behind each are the wire runs and receivers. One side has a heavy duty power run to a Multiplex plug and one 26D receiver, the other side a lighter power run to a standard servo plug input with another 26D receiver.
All the end runs are to a PowerExpander under the rear seat. You can see below the left and right wings coming in from the sides, the two elevator servos and rudder down the center. One antenna lead peeking out from the side panel. Channel 13 is a redundant power input and 14 is the tow release.
I’m liking these tiny antenna standoffs from STV Tech. A dot of CA and that’s it.
With the rear seat in place, no wiring shows inside the cockpit.
Last edited by Steve P; 02-08-2020, 11:39 PM.Team PowerBox Systems Americas... If flying were the language of men, soaring would be its poetry.Comment
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I had a question about the servo wire I’m using. It’s PowerBox Premium Maxi Wire. It looks thinner than typical wire, but actually that is a function of the insulation which is much thinner, tougher and fire resistant. The strands that matter are in there! It is also a bit stiffer which I see as a benefit. I use this wire with the array of Hansen Hobby connector parts.
https://powerbox-americas.com/collec...xi-servo-leads
The Premium™ MAXI servo cable is the thicker variant of the familiar Premium™ cable with a conductor cross-section of 0.35mm². In this case ‘thicker’ means that the current-bearing positive and negative conductors have a cross-sectional area of 0.5mm², while the signal conductor’s cross-section is 0.3mm² in order to save weight. This makes the Premium™ Plus cable ideal for installations where relatively long leads have to be deployed in the wing or fuselage for high-performance servos.
This insulation produces a weight reduction of about 30% compared with the conventional PVC.
For comparison: in spite of its larger cross-section, the 0.5 mm² Premium MAXI cable is lighter than standard 0.25 mm² PVC cable. The insulation is fire resistant, and its heat resistance is much higher than the usual PVC.
Last edited by Steve P; 02-09-2020, 01:30 PM.Team PowerBox Systems Americas... If flying were the language of men, soaring would be its poetry.Comment
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we are all getting the maxi wire for this type of use. kevin k told me about it last week for use in his dg800 using mks 777a+ that were not acting right on regular hvy wire leads. im setting up a hempel 50% for les powel using mks 777 servos and maxi wire as well. keep up the good workComment
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Added microphones, seat linings, made up some belts, added control sticks and side pockets. Anything to put off cutting the canopies for another day.
The good news is that Walter thinks his seat is not altogether uncomfortable and that I did an okay job for being an idiot.
The bad news is that it is official that no pilot will ever be willing to fly with Walter, so the back seat will remain forever open. Walter says that’s fine as he does not want to listen to some whining little dumbass complain the whole time. If he wanted that, he’d go home to his wife.
Last edited by Steve P; 02-09-2020, 09:40 PM.Team PowerBox Systems Americas... If flying were the language of men, soaring would be its poetry.Comment
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Not exactly the day to begin a project that usually requires taking the Lord’s name in vein... frequently.
Actually, patience and quality time with a Sharpie marker and the Lexan scissors led to a great result. First cut the huge blank in half and then just lots of tracing, cutting and repeat. The next step will be to grind the frames a bit in a few areas as they’re wide in spots which caused the clear to stand proud.
Last edited by Steve P; 04-13-2020, 12:29 AM.Team PowerBox Systems Americas... If flying were the language of men, soaring would be its poetry.Comment
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Back to the slowest sailplane build in modern history. Too humid to paint today, but not too humid to prep.
I was worried about matching Scot’s perfect paint job, but as he said even some of the $7000 and $8000 sailplanes have canopy trim that doesn’t quite match the body. Oddly, after testing several rattle can whites on strips of PETG plastic and narrowing to two – – as we know not all white is white – – I landed on Krylon fusion gloss white as the closest match to the epoxy paint.
So, more glacial progress...
Last edited by Steve P; 06-06-2020, 04:15 PM.Team PowerBox Systems Americas... If flying were the language of men, soaring would be its poetry.Comment
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Scot asked today if the monster will maiden at Hammondsport? Maybe sooner! I wanted to fine tune the mixes and flight models, so I put ‘er together again. Walter is itching to fly!
This is a good reminder to post another huge thank you to Scot for taking on the assignment of refining the split fuselage and doing a masterful job on the paint. Following in his footsteps, Bob Morrow stepped in with his lathe to mill maple fillers for the two tip joiner tubes and the big center joiner reinforcement tube (a joiner tube inside a joiner tube now filled with maple).
So, it’s time to fly. Very soon.
Team PowerBox Systems Americas... If flying were the language of men, soaring would be its poetry.Comment
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Outstanding!! I'm confident you won't need any luck, but good luck anyway. Never hurts.. Looks great! Enjoy.Comment
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Looking great, can't wait to see it!Gunny
Aviation Concepts rcComment
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I remember the day we first saw that plane in Germany!! Nice work guys!
Len Buffinton
Team Horizon HobbyComment
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Finally! The Smelliyak was called to duty and off the 21 went into the sky!
Five successful flights and two speck outs along the way for the beast. First tow it was clear we could lose some nose weight. It also quickly caught the tug when we turned into the wind while climbing. 2.5 ounces out of the nose, steering some right rudder to stay outside the tug when we turned back into the wind and the final tows of the day were cake. Len reported it needs all the "mo" his tug can provide. A much more scale ride than our usual ballistic tows.
Flying is simply a non event, it just does what you'd want. With all that wing area it definitely likes to thermal.
Landings are actually fun. Refined the elevator mix to air brakes and the plane comes in very nicely landing on the main and nose wheel in perfect two point style. It is deceptive how much energy it carries being so heavy (we're guessing mid-40's). I skimmed along the top of the corn on final and then went full airbrakes as I crossed over the grass, touchdown nicely and a roll out down the entire length of the runway. The landings were the most fun!
The animatronic talking Walter was a big hit. His verbal abuse was most welcome and he fit right in with our fellow club members.
Kept the rule of no photos until after a successful maiden...
Walter back on terra firma and entirely unimpressed
It's a beast, the transmitter looks tiny sitting next to the plane...
He say's we're not paying him enough to be surrounded bi idiots...
Last edited by Steve P; 08-10-2020, 12:12 PM.Team PowerBox Systems Americas... If flying were the language of men, soaring would be its poetry.Comment
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Awsome Steve!Gunny
Aviation Concepts rcComment
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Glad I got to see it fly - awesome glider! I've never seen Walter so happy...Comment
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Congrats Steve! Can't wait to see it at Windy Ridge.Kevin K
Kremer Aerotowing TeamComment
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