I have built and flown
2 40 trainers, 2 colts, 2 Barnstormers, and one Corostar. I have found that
putting balsa airlerons on these planes definitely improve the flying and you
can even link the airlerons & flap
setup using a V-Tail mixer set-up with servo linked to the airlerons. (Flaperons)
On all the planes I changed the firewall area ahead of the gas tank (cut off
the mounting legs and added a 90 degree firewall on which I am able to mount
larger engines) and use soft mounts. On the Colt (for which I have both the
long wing and short wing set up), I started with a Magnum .46 ball bearing,
moved to a .65 ringed ASP, then a .65 ball bearing Magnum, and am now flying
a Saito .91 4 cycle. The Saito gives me unlimited slow pattern ship type flying
(loose pattern ship). NOTE: I increased the size (length - plus I separated
the rear servo's from the main power cartridge - to accept a bigger gas tank
and moved everything back for balance. I have built a wooden cowl mold on which
I use plastic soft drink bottles with the
top cut off to make formed cowls for the Colt, Corostar, and 40 trainer. (put
the plastic drink bottles over the mold and skrink them with your heatgun -
cut out engine opening to suit). This new cowl set-up requires cutting the nose
off the planes just ahead of the new firewall and siding the cowl over the aircore
material -- use servo screws (two on each
surface) to attach cowl. Cowl can be painted to suit (I painted mine black inside
& out) and stands up to many "crash" type landings.
I've installed composite filament wound landing gear directly to the lower wing
set-up using "wing mount" nylon mounting bolts (glued a piece of plywood
inside the colt wing to drill and hold the nylon mounting bolts (4 used). I
used GeeBee style wheel pants attached to landing gear. (drilled the landing
gear 1/2 up to accept a piece of push rod formed into a "J"
configuration -- one on each side of the gear.) These "J" rods are
pushed thru the holes drilled in each side of the landing gear and a wheel collar
is attached to hold them in place. By wrapping rubber bands between the two
"J" rods you can have your own shock adsorbing system (needed when
you go to the bigger engines).
To increase the strength of the rudder and stablizer, I installed extra 1/8
dowels into the aircore "cores" and put steel stablizer rods between
the rudder and stablizer (top side only) -- use electrical eyelets soldered
to rods and bolted to rudder and stablizer thru small plywood squares (both
sides of aircore material) this modification is needed with bigger engines
otherwise the rudder and stablizer bend under the higher G-forces.
On the Barnstormers I added a wire setup landing gear with plywood fairings
wired to them mounted with a plywood plate (drilled for 4 nylon mounting bolts
like in the colt -- with plywood added inside the fuselage to hold the nylon
mounting bolts). I added plywood wing struts and added wire between the wings
(flying wires) to hold the struts in place (otherwise the struts come apart
at the outter edges in manuevers). In place of the "fake" cowl I built
a plywood "rectanglar" radiator type cowl and attachedvit with servo
screws thru the aircore material on two sides. I have the Magnum .65 installed
on this Barnstormer.
I currently fly an Extra 300 with on-board glow, smoke and a Saito 1.50 4 cycle;
a .40 size Raven, a .25 size pattern plane; a .40 size "ugly stick";
a .40 size Citabria (with the ASP .65 on it); the Colt & the Barnstormer.
The aircores I use to fun fly and loosen up my thumbs. Am currently working
on a P-51 (Great Planes) and an EAA Bipe (Jack Strafford models).
The Colt is my favorite "test" plane as I try everything out on it
(smoke, bomb drops, flaperons, etc.)
Well enough for now, as you can tell, once I "bash" a plane they do
gain weight. They land fast and take off slower (longer rolls) but they do fly
nice. If the engine quits you want to find the ground fast as the sink rate
is rather high but they will guide. The Colt with the Saito on it will do square
loops, 8's, cubans (regular & reverse), fly inverted, and
will go vertical for a good distance. The slower pattern time on the Colt allows
me time to work thru manuevers before I move them onto the Extra or the Raven.
Keep flying the Aircores!
Best regards
Big Daddy Wag's
Wags@hit.net