Bidule 170

[MarnochS]

Hi Dean,
I have done two orders with KS in Germany recently ,ordering thru their website ( exhaust stubs ,tubes and solder). Only issue I had was that one of my orders went to Canada instead of California ( two extra weeks)

Scott

[lenb]

Scott,
Don't even try.
Those plastic covers will fail in no time. The plastic is very brittle. I was putting one together as you did and it fell off the bench onto my 3/4 PADDED floor and shattered.
The solution is to make a Plywood mount, using the same technique and then glue the cover to the top of the ply. It will hold up forever that way. I ended up getting some larger ones from Somewhere because the ones I had were too brittle.

LEN

[BobM]

Like many others I have had difficulties with the steering on the Bidule 170. I decided to use the design that Stew put together on his Bidule as well as Len's. The design is excellent and I know it seems to be working very well on the Bidules that have it installed currently.

I went through the basic making of the parts and had an assembly about ready for final work and installation a few weeks back now, but I realized when I was about to install it the control rods for the throttle and the choke on my Bidule go right through where part of the new steering assembly sits. I am using the DA 170 for power on mine instead of the ZDZ 180 as on Len's and Stew's.

I did a quick rethinking and reversed the upper and lower brackets and all seems to fit well. Steering is in place and linked now and everything seems to work and also go in the right direction.

I used the same materials that Stew did......the Losi 1/5 scale car steering, 2" x 1/8" angle aluminum and some thicker aluminum stock for the servo mounts.....plus a variety of various screws, nuts, washers etc that Stew listed with his design. I also picked up some 5mm threaded rod as I found the linkage lengths were slightly longer once I had made my steering system. I wanted to be sure the rod is threaded very deep into the ball links so there will be less likely chance of failure.

I also used a JR DS8911 HV high torque servo instead of the one that Stew is using. Have to see how it works.......it seems to be very good as I was using the same servo before I made the new modifications.

Here are a couple pictures of the assembly and the installation. I removed some of the ply plate at the front of the firewall, but not the sides. It would make it easier to have access to everything if I took out some of the side plywood as well.........have to decide if I will put in a removable plate similar to the setup before the modifications.

Next week will be the real test at the New England Aerotow. Hopefully I will be able to tow on demand and not have to pull things apart as I did in the past to deal with the steering issues.

[lenb]

Hi Bob,
Happy to see you were able to get the steering system together for the aerotow. God job!

Len

[Helijet]

Soooo...I am happy to report that another Bidule 170 is ready for tow duty. The maiden went well with just a few vibration related issues to sort out. I would like to thank all those that pioneered the path before me ( steering arm, servo saver and disc brakes, CG ) as I used all the recommendations. She will see some light duty this weekend at the High Country Aerotow in B.C. Canada and then should be at a number of future events in the Pacific NorthWest.


​pics to follow
Cheers
Dean

[lenb]

Yah Dan,

Congratulations......

[Helijet]

So...I have about 3 hours of run time on the Bidule now with about 6 or so landings and lots of taxing. The DLE 170 is running well and most little vibration related issues have been sorted out. After today's flying session I was cleaning her up and checking things over. While looking at the main landing gear I noticed some rippled covering. On inspection I noted that I could rock the gear for and aft a little. The main plate is still intact and I could not find any breaks in the fuse. I had placed the for and aft brace but it seems I forgot to add triangle stock to the sides of the main gear plate. Before I go and start tearing out the main plate could anyone give me some words of wisdom as to how to properly beef up this area. BTW all landings were gentle so I suspect its the powerful disc brakes that is causing the stresses on the plate??

​She is an awesome flyer as everyone says!

Dean W.

[MarnochS]

Hi Dean,

I added a Vertical shear brace( 1/4" ply ) along the front and back of the landing gear plate to tie it to the sidewall and stiffen it up a bit. My AMR Payload Master 100 had a similar configuration........



Scott

[lenb]

Hi Dean,

I cant find a picture, however I did a similar mod as Scot did. I made a saddle which mounted to the sidewall and stepped up over the plywood gear mount. Tri stock anything you can.

Len

[Helijet]

Fantastic...I can see that working and its a simply retrofit.
​Appreciate the help!

Thx
Dean

[Stew2]

Dean,

I did what Len is describing. A 1/4" aircraft ply plate that is laminated to the fuse side and keys over the top of the gear plate. 3/4" triangle stock cut from rock hard maple, glued in with West Systems epoxy. And Jim Dolly and Len can both attest to my testing the gear strength this past weekend as I bounced a couple of landings pretty hard off the mains. There is a hum at the end of the field, but at least I did not put it down in the corn!! Easy to do and strengthens the gear mounting immensely. What are your vibration challenges? I am working a very shaky airframe now and am curious to what you are addressing. Congrats on the Bidule time, it is addictive, and while there is no known cure, it is at least treatable!!

Scot

[Helijet]

Thank you for the info Scot. I will do the same. As for vibration issues, I had some chaffing and foaming of the fuel tanks which was resolved with some extra support plates front and back of the tanks. My engine mount bolts loosened a little after each run but with some extra blue locktite they are holding now. A couple of loose nose steering bolts needed locktite and retightening. The cockpit bolts needed a silicon washer to add a little vibration dampening. mostly stuff around the engine compartment. OH I DID FIND ONE SERIOUS PROBLEM. PLEASE CHECK YOUR NYLON WING BOLTS. I had one that would seem to snug up well against the wing but with vibration would loosen up. The last time I tightened it, the bolt would not bite into the threads. It appears the blind nut's thread is just a bit too wide for the nylon bolt. I substituted a 6 mm metal bolt which worked perfectly. Clearly poor Chinese quality control. I thought I would try the machined aluminum rudder post that was supplied with the kit. DONT BOTHER..IT SNAPPED ON THE 6TH FLIGHT. So, a Dubro one will be substituted ( as others have done ) The DLE is becoming smoother with each run but it does shake more than I am used too ( btw the Falcon CF prop is perfectly balanced -not using a spinner ).

Despite all the above noted little snags the plane is an amazingly easy one to fly and will perform much heavier duty than my Hangar 9 33% Pawnee did. I must say that I am disappointed with the quality of the hardware that was supplied given the cost but I suspect at least $300 of that is built in shipping costs to Etienne. I have also found that having the disc brakes makes for much safer field operations of such a big bird.

​Dean

[Stew2]

I used Dubro control horns on the flaps, ailerons and rudders and used 2 of the "gold" ones supplied in the kit on the elevators. I only received 2 with the kit. I swapped the wing bolts to steel from day one and use them on the rear bolts only. The forward ones have the latch catches that Asher found from McMaster Carr. They are convenient for not having to move the fuel tank to get the wings on and off. Everything is loc-tited when assembled, so I haven't had to go back on anything yet. The brakes are the total bomb on the Bidule and I use them not only for safety, but also to bump the idle up and get some vibration off the airframe when waiting for the sailplane to hook up. I have had the Bidule out for 3 aero-towing sessions/events so far and my total time is on the order of 20 hours so far. I am going to see what I can get for vibration reduction with some mixture adjustments, but past that I am working ways to stiffen up the fuselage to see if I can get the shaking to decrease. Right now I have hinges and servos getting hammered at idle that I need to change somehow to make sure this thing has the best chances for a long life. Keep posting your experience, it helps all of us!! Thanks,

Scot

[Helijet]

Lol...nice to know we are all experiencing similar issues / resolutions. Don't get me wrong. This airframe with the 170 and brakes is a true aerotowing workhorse.
It just needs some improvements in order to keep up the pace of busy weekends. I understand that.
Thanks again for all that have posted. I have employed many if not all the recommendations noted on this site! Will keep you posted as I log more time.

Dean

[lenb]

Dean,
I immediately tapped the wing blind nuts to 1/4-20 and use a wing bolt to attach them. Scot's slick setup for the front bolts work pretty well so far.
With over 103 hrs on the air frame at this point, I can attest its will last a good long time with standard care and average skill. Try to always land on the mains and keep the nose wheel up, its very easy to make soft landings with a couple extra clicks of power right at the point of touchdown.

Love the plane, love the ZDZ 180 power and the brakes are awesome.

Len