So after a long week end playing with my new toy here is the Cumberland test verdict :
this is the fourth aerotow with that plane for me this year, I flew it about 14 days between maiden flight on my field, the MRCA aerotow, the WRBP Aerotow, HH Aerotow and Cumberland Summer Aerotow.
Durability is quite good, had couple hard landing without big issues, I just stripped one of the blind nut of the stab and replaced it. Fuse is holding well together, nice improvement from the Blanik, didn't had to put any re enforcements in the fuse.
Couple of useful advises :
The prop is very nice but according to the fact that it is quite long, DO NOT BACKUP your plane using the tail, one of the blade will stick in the ground and damage the end of the prop. Either use a rubber band to get the prop locked on the fuse and remove it before flying or mount a small spring to keep the blade folded, last option, keep a spare set in your toolbox!
Sans titre by steffruelle, sur Flickr
Tow hook : Like the blanik, the piano wire can bend, better to use a stiffer one, and as this wire is far from the epoxy skin, there is quite some leverage on this skin that lead mine to split at the seam and can still hold the towline even if the servo has released it. Corrective action : Enlarging the hole up to the plywood and fill the gap between skin and plywood with epoxy and filer (curing tonight...)
Sans titre by steffruelle, sur Flickr
Sans titre by steffruelle, sur Flickr
Canopy lock : the mechanism is short but you can increase length as the brass tube is screwed on a threaded piano wire. So unscrew it to the proper length and set it in place with a droplet of CA
Retract doors : The plywood hook to close the door using a rubber band is not offering enough surface to hold the landings, both of mine are gone and have been replace by some small music wire stuffed in the epoxy
Sans titre by steffruelle, sur Flickr
That's it for now
Stéphane
this is the fourth aerotow with that plane for me this year, I flew it about 14 days between maiden flight on my field, the MRCA aerotow, the WRBP Aerotow, HH Aerotow and Cumberland Summer Aerotow.
Durability is quite good, had couple hard landing without big issues, I just stripped one of the blind nut of the stab and replaced it. Fuse is holding well together, nice improvement from the Blanik, didn't had to put any re enforcements in the fuse.
Couple of useful advises :
The prop is very nice but according to the fact that it is quite long, DO NOT BACKUP your plane using the tail, one of the blade will stick in the ground and damage the end of the prop. Either use a rubber band to get the prop locked on the fuse and remove it before flying or mount a small spring to keep the blade folded, last option, keep a spare set in your toolbox!
Sans titre by steffruelle, sur Flickr
Tow hook : Like the blanik, the piano wire can bend, better to use a stiffer one, and as this wire is far from the epoxy skin, there is quite some leverage on this skin that lead mine to split at the seam and can still hold the towline even if the servo has released it. Corrective action : Enlarging the hole up to the plywood and fill the gap between skin and plywood with epoxy and filer (curing tonight...)
Sans titre by steffruelle, sur Flickr
Sans titre by steffruelle, sur Flickr
Canopy lock : the mechanism is short but you can increase length as the brass tube is screwed on a threaded piano wire. So unscrew it to the proper length and set it in place with a droplet of CA
Retract doors : The plywood hook to close the door using a rubber band is not offering enough surface to hold the landings, both of mine are gone and have been replace by some small music wire stuffed in the epoxy
Sans titre by steffruelle, sur Flickr
That's it for now
Stéphane
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