Tigercat RC pylon racer build project

András, if you take the tail model and lift it up (indicated by green arrows), and release it, does it fall backwards? (indicated by a blue arrow), or is it kept with the engine resting on the ground?
If the model falls backwards, that is, returns to its initial position "alone", you have landing gear that will help you keep the landing line level. If the model, on the other hand, is tilted, you have to be much more careful when landing, since it needs (that model) very little force to tilt, and therefore the motor will be exposed more often.
Thus, if the model returns by itself to its initial position, you will be able to be more calm at the moment of landing, that the landing gear itself will help you to hold it in the correct position, you will be able to "lever" more smoothly and with more strength of your command. chance to keep it even forever.
If, on the other hand, the model does not return to its initial position on its own, the landing gear would not be helping you at that point, and you should land by exchanging depth angles more critically, as the model hits the ground. .
Generally when this happens, you can have two elevator positions from your radio, Dual Rate, when the model touches the ground, activate the maximum angle of the elevator by means of the dual rate lever and that way, pulling the elevator, you will have to have more easily the tail stuck to the ground.
Of course, you must take into account the speed of the model, because if you activate the maximum elevator travel before, it is possible that the model wants to resume flight abruptly and ends up hitting you. I hope I have explained myself, if not, tell me and we continue chatting.
that's the method I use when I land my Pitts 1/2 A and Kiosho's Mustang model with Enya .09 engine.

Thank you Mauricio, yes, because the Center of Gravity is behind the front wheel, when I lift the tail, then release it, the tail falls back to the ground, so the plane in principle is safe to land on smooth runway.

But the runways I use are not that smooth.

What I am concerned is when the plane is taxiing after landing with still some speed, and the front wheel sinks into a pit, or, is hooked by some weed, the plane will bow with its engine head hanging down,hitting the ground. The area where I fly is a small airport for Cessna size passenger planes with grass on it, but the surface is not that even as small model airplanes would need for take off and landing.

Anyway, I will take extra caution and slow the plane down in headwind as much as I can, so that it stops the soonest.

The racer is coming right along , Looking good !

Thanks a lot, Eric.

The final assembly, waiting for a garage run of the engine, then the maiden flight is here:

Beautiful airplane…. Elegant…..Really will like to see that one fly….Good luck with first flight!!!

Thanks rdw777, I will try to shoot a video on a headcam...

András, nice work, your pylon racer looks fast sitting still. I bet it will be one competitive racer, to be sure. Looking forward to seeing a video of it in flight.

Thank you, George.
Will definitely try to make a video....not much was found on the net about this pylon racer of the 1970-s...I assume this will be fast but not with the standards of pylon racers of today..

balogh wrote:Thank you, George. Will definitely try to make a video....not much was found on the net about this pylon racer of the 1970-s...I assume this will be fast but not with the standards of pylon racers of today..

You're welcome, András. I think the difference is the reduction in weight, which reduces wing loading and drag. Then one can go with a thinner wing section. The wheel housing adds drag. a slimmer fuselage reduces drag.

Anyway, that is my observation, but I really haven't kept up on speed performance, because my interests are different. I imagine it will be a fun flyer.

Nice!! Looks more like a shark than a cat Hope the engine run is on target with the build

great build András! It looks really cool. its definately got that 1970s experimental speed aircraft look . Well done and I hope the flight(s) go really well for you.

Yabby

Thanks Eric and Yabby,

Eric, maybe we can rename it Tiger(shar)-k-at?  

Yabby, yes, a bit old-school but still classic shape , I cannot wait for the right weather to maiden it! I really like the inverted engine and its cowl, but fear for its vulnerability in landing on rough terrain where I fly..I hope sommersaults while taxiing after landing will be avoided, and  the nose section will survive...

balogh wrote:Thanks a lot, Eric.

The final assembly, waiting for a garage run of the engine, then the maiden flight is here:

WOW! that is one slick looking aircraft! Really like the "mono"wheel landing gear. Looks like it should be a good flier too.

Thanks, Rene, yes, the plane was supposed to have only a single front wheel, and the horizontal stab forming an inverted V, so that upon landing it is the tip of the stab that should touch the ground first, allowing some absorption of the gravitational energy before the tail of the fuselage also touches ground (this was in the building instruction of the gentleman who made the kit in 1976). The plane was most likely intended to be flown over smooth, asphalt runways of racing tracks.

Life on my end is different, an outlaw flyer dodging the drone laws,  I can only play with my RC planes in remote areas or at a friendly, small airport with grassy runway suitable for Cessna-sized propeller passenger planes, that is smooth enough for the real size planes but still bumpy for the model airplanes.

So I decided to elevate the tail section with the addition of tail wheel, and to minimize the inverted V setting of the stab, in order  to avoid the shock to the stabilizer when hitting the weeds on the runway, and still keeping the CG low, so as to lower the  somersaulting susceptibility of the plane while taxiing at high speed after landing, because such a somersault - if the front wheel sinks into a pothole on the grassy land - would damage the nose section (engine head and cowl both), .

All this is just a precaution and theories on my side, life will tell if landing is safe with the low-built, single front wheel plane on grassy terrain.

It is almost begging for a shark's mouth where the front wheel is.

George, in fact a good idea, I am still wondering about the decoration design, your idea is in the bucket of options, thank you!!!

I figure that the front part of the fuselage above the wheel compartment  is exposed to hot castor, precipitating from the main stream of exhaust gasses emitted by the inverted engine, so either I apply the shark jaw decoration as an epoxy paint pattern, or normal decals would probably soon give up and peel off, unfortunately..

I went to the friendly airport today to maiden the Tigercat. Sorry, now videos as yet, I was alone and a bit thrilled at how the pylon racer will handle me...

10 or so flights later I can confirm, that

1. The Tigercat flies well but certainly not at the speed of nowadays pylon racers...just enough quick for me but not too much...my Quickie100 is much faster as an example.

2. The control surfaces are just OK, the ailerons remain efficient without a rudder even if the plane is near stalling at low speed

3. The position of the single front wheel and the low position of CG efficiently prevent the plane from flipping when hitting a pit or weed on the rough terrain in landing. So far the nice cowl and the inverted engine with the Kamtechnik head hanging down has never hit the ground.

4. I did not experience any harmful vibration of the fibre reinforced epoxy fuselage, my COX 5x4 black nylon prop was well balanced before the flights. So hopefully the elevator and throttle servos sitting in a tray fixed to the fuse bottom will survive.

5. The small vent openings cut in the front of the cowl, and the 1/3 cylinder hanging out of the cowl provide sufficient cooling, the engine does not overheat...true, the ambient temperature was less than 20C when I flew,  hot summer day temperatures near 35C will tell more.

6.  The orange epoxy spray paint I found withstands glow fuel and it's residues well. The paint is sold to cover the body of RC cars, that also burn glow fuel.

More to come from the next flying session when I will dare using a cam...

It survived lol it don't surprise me much that it is slower But all in all it sounds like a pretty good flier and has the right stuff incorporated in the build to let it last a good while . Thanks Andres !

Thanks Eric, I tend to praise only the planes that survive my trial flights no matter who to blame if it does not survive..

Congratulations on first flights!! Very pretty bird….I used to like to read the racer articles and advertisements in the 70’s …. Way over my head and budget at the time…. Thanks for sharing

Robert

Thank you, Robert. This is also something new to me after the primarily balsa RC planes. But it is worth the experience and my tribute to the old-school racer planes and their designers of the 70-s...(the heydays of COX too, anyways)

Nice objective analysis Andras. Neither feast or famine. Beautiful plane that makes me want to build one.

What do you do with all your past builds?

Bob,

Thank you. I have altogether 10 or so past builds, they take turn in entertaining me in the field..they hang in my mancave on a tie rack.





I make sure that each gets airtime every season..