Winter Build Project: Pacific Aeromodels Super Knockabout Kit – DLE-30

Build log updated 2/27/2012 – Click here.

From the designer:

The Knockabout 46 is recognized across the country as one of the best sport flyers ever designed. Although it has been out of production for 2 years, I still get new inquiries and previous buyers calling, looking for another Knockabout 46.

The Super Knockabout is the same airplane, but enlarged to 80” wingspan and with a new semi-symmetrical airfoil. It flies just as well as the smaller size and actually lands a little slower. It has plug in wings to ease transportation and storage, and it’s perfect for large glow engines or 160 size electric power.

The Super Knockabout is now available as a built-it-yourself kit. The cowl, wing tube, landing gear and wheels are included. You supply the the pushrods and horns of your choice. This kit is made in very small quantities right here in the USA and that makes it expensive, but you cannot buy a better or more fun IMAA legal sport
plane for any price.

SPECIFICATIONS:
• Wingspan…………….. 80.5 inches
• Wing Area…………….. 1200 sq. in.
• Overall Length……….…64 inches
• Ready to Fly Weight……13 – 14 pounds
• Radio Equipment……….4 – 5 channels
5 – 7 servos
• Power……………Glow 1.20 – 1.80
Electric 2200 – 2700 watt

FEATURES:
• IMAA legal
• Plug in wings
• Convenient battery hatch
• Fast and easy, self jigging, assembly
• Over 100 laser cut parts included
• All parts except sticks and sheeting are laser-cut
• Tail dragger and float mounts are built right in
• Designed, cut and boxed in the USA

http://www.pacaeromodel.com/

I See Flying People

R/C Car Documentary – Carpet Racers (2009)

I enjoy watching documentaries and there are so few about the R/C hobby.  I haven’t seen this one yet but it looks interesting.

Storyline

A funny, yet dramatic, in-depth look inside the subculture of professional, competitive radio control race car drivers. Carpet Racers explores the lives of the men (and women) who’s love affair with RC is timeless.

http://www.carpetracers.com/

RC Pilot Magazine for the iPad

The future of RC magazines is here.  With the iPad, Apple has opened the door to the evolution of print media. To quote Egon from Ghost Busters, “Print is dead”.

You have to see it to believe it and you need to hear about it with the creators own words.

 

I happened to met the Publisher & CEO of RC Pilot Magazine, Michael Kranitz,  at the recent AMA Expo.  I had found and downloaded the magazine app 30 minutes before I left to attend the Expo.  5 minutes after entering the expo hall I see a familiar face and realized it was Michael.  I followed him to the RC Pilot Magazine booth and was eager to talk with him.  I told him that I had found his magazine concept to be exciting and revolutionary, and I wanted more.  He said he was pleased that I was an early adopter and gave me a free hat and promised much more is to come.

I’ve purchased a subscription and have not been disappointed.

Click here for more information.

Glow Power Transmitter Throttle Kill

I had a fail safe incident some years back and found a solution for my problem.  I  just recently found the information again so I thought I’d post it.

I had an experience a while back  that almost cost me my Aeroworks .60 -.90 Extra when I first had it on glow power. Thankfully only the gear was ripped out and was repaired, but it could have been much worse for the plane and anyone or anything in the area.

As I was taxing back to the pilot station, I went to use the transmitters throttle trim to kill the engine when I accidentally turned off the transmitter. Well, I had not set my fail safe correctly and the engine went full throttle. The plane clipped a berm and landed in a ditch.

It all happened so fast and I had no idea the transmitter was off and that I would not have had any control had the plane taken off, scary is one word to describe it.

My bad for not ensuring that I set the  transmitter’s built in fail safe correctly, and now I wanted a transmitter throttle cut-off switch to prevent this from happening again.

Searching the internet I found forum discussion groups that had instructions for setting cut-off switches on various brands and models of transmitters.

The below instructions are for the transmitter I use, the JR X9303 and utilizes the trainer button switch to kill the engine.

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Go into the System Menu by pressing down on the ENTER button while powering on the transmitter.

1. Go to DeviceSEL
2. Select Aux4 and press the selector
3. Roll to BUTN and press
4. Roll down and INH Aux4

Exit and go to the Function Menu

1. Pick a PROG.MIX. I used MIX3
2. Roll over INH and press
3. Select AUX4 as the Master and THRO as the Slave Push the Trainer Button. In the upper left of the screen of the Mix screen, you’ll see [PROG.MIX3]>0 or maybe a >1. Release the trainer button and you should see a little bar to the right of the >0 move up and down.
5. Scroll to Pos0 (or Pos1), press the rolling selector. Press and hold the trainer button and scroll to 100%. You’ll have to turn your plane on and check the throttle to see if you need +100% or -100%.

Exit the mix and you’re done. Press the trainer button and the engine shuts down.

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Using the above programming directions, I programmed my JR X9303 transmitter to use the trainer button as the engine cut-off.

Assuming that your transmitter is in the same factory default configuration as mine, the directions worked perfectly.

Note that pressing the trainer button when the throttle is in a position other than full off, may not completely close the throttle.  This is a servo travel issue so this kill function won’t work in all situations.

If you need to use the trainer button as the trainer button, you’ll need to either reconfigure a different button for the kill switch or create a duplicate model with the reconfigured kill button for trainer use.

R/C Airplane Kit Building Tips (Updated 1/18/2012)

The Super Knockabout is my first kit build in over 25 years. The first kits I built were before laser cutting and CA glue were either available or in wide use.

As I’m moving through this build, getting reacquainted will building again, I thought I’d list some building tips that I find useful and help me get through the build process.

Building Tips

1. First and foremost is a complete review and inspection of your kit. Check the manufacturers supplied parts list to make sure all of the needed parts are included and in useable condition. If you have dimensions identified for the parts double check them. You don’t want to find an incorrectly sized part after you’ve glued it together.

2. Organize the parts by building step. Use rubber bands to group smaller parts together. When starting a step keep only the necessary parts in the immediate build area. This helps to keep you from accidentally using a visually similar but wrong part.

3. Read through the entire instruction manual several times and reread it as you go along. Get visually familiar with all of the parts and with the assembly order.

4. Always test fit parts before you glue them together. For example, wing-tube holes in the ribs and landing gear wire holes in the gear blocks may need some resizing to get a proper fit and after these parts are installed is sometimes not the best time to have to make adjustments.

5. Building up sub-assemblies before you start on a section keeps the build process flowing.

6. Start with and maintain a clean and uncluttered work area. Make sure you have plenty of lighting so you can easily see small details.

7. A flat and level work surface is critical. A ceiling tile on top of a wood or thick glass surface works well.

8. Setup you work table in a “U” or “L” shape so you can keep building supplies and tools within reach and to help keep them off of the build table.  A comfortable chair set to the correct height takes some stress off of your back and legs, which helps to keep you at the building table.

9. Fresh CA glue in different viscosities close at hand keeps the build moving. If the bottle is getting low, have another that is ready to use. Sometimes you can’t afford to lose even a few seconds looking for more glue when you run out in the middle of a squeeze.  Use medium to thick for the basic building, medium penetrates better than thick, while thick helps to fill gaps and buys some setup time as it will cure a bit slower.

Updated 1/18/2012 -

10.  Keep plenty of small light pressure, various length clamps on hand.  They are inexpensive and having extra ones keeps the build process moving.

11.  When building a wing panel, a Rafters Square (see above picture) helps align the ribs to the required 90 degree angle.

That’s it for right now. More tips to come as I work through the build and I find out what’s working and what’s not!

IMAC 2012 Basic Video

 

http://www.mini-iac.com/

1. Full roll
2. 1/2 Cuban eight
3. Reverse shark’s tooth
4. Loop
5. Shark’s tooth
6. Hammerhead (Stall turn)
7. Teardrop
8. Humpty bump
9. Immelman turn
10. 1 1/2 turn positive spin

How To Clean & Rebuild A Walbro Carburetor

After sitting for a few months, gas engine carburetors might need a cleaning to get them in flying condition.  Here’s a good article from Model Airplane News that will show you how.

http://www.modelairplanenews.com/blog/2010/07/27/how-to-clean-and-rebuild-your-walbro-carburetor/

The Future of R/C Flying: Robot Pliots

Could this be the first test pilot, controlled via transmitter? The KT-X SUPERBOT

Take a 30% with a 50cc, build a cockpit with full flight controls; aileron / elevator gimbal for the right hand, throttle stick for the left, and rudder pedals for the feet.

KT-X SUPERBOT SPECS

HEIGHT: 13.5 in.

WIDTH: 6 in.

DEPTH: 2.5 in.

WEIGHT: ~ 3lb.

PRICE: $1,395

http://find.botmag.com/print/385

Some pilots can be a bit of a showoff:

Ashlok Connectors

Wings can be a pain installing when you have lots of servos to connect.  Besides having a rats nest of wires stuffed into the fuse, it’s important to be sure you have the connections correct.  Adding to the pain is finding out after you installed the wing you missed plugging in a servo.

The Ashlok connector solves this problem by combining all those servo connections into a single connection.  Ashlok has connectors for up to four servos.  If your wing has more than four servos, you group them using a “Y” harness.

I found a couple of sources for these connectors.  Thunderbolt R/C in Canada has the best information about the connectors and a source in the U.S. is Shulman Aviation.