Pageboy Build

WOW that was a long flight , the ,020 and HM throttle were doing a good job of keeping it in the air , Alot of wind I could hear it at time on the video . Thanks for sharing

Thanks Fella’s, That outing was a lot of fun!…Yes Bob, There’s not a lot to land on out there other than try to plop it down on some pasture grass or that little strip of road… I nearly smacked the rocks at the end LOL!!…. Thanks George, Yes we’re really not that far apart, But I think you have even more wind than we do due to elevation…. I’m lucky being retired I can watch for best days to fly… Usually right before or after passing weather fronts…I think you are right Andras about the mixture setting being a little lean….That was the third flight of the day, The first was way too rich, The second was short (I think I got a bubble in the tank), And the third I probably over compensated…. Speaking of tanks, A couple of things I’ve learned…. Last week’s outing was cut short because I pulled a line off the balloon and I didn’t want to pull it out of the plane and mess with it at the field…. So I cut small pieces of brass tube that slipped over the outlets and soldered them in place forming a better nipple…. Then pieces of fuel line for clamps at the very end…
The other thing I found to help fish the lines thru their openings is to wrap a few loops of soft copper wire around them so they can be pulled thru…Eric noticed the long run.., 12cc’s!!!…, I need to back off it a little, Would probably help mixture setting as well..




Thanks to Ken Willard for a neat little design, I’m sure he would be pleased and maybe even surprised they are still being flown today…

dear friend, beautiful video and very good fingers when driving!!, it is not easy with that wind.
beautiful job you have done!

Robert,

Here are a few tips on my use of the balloon tanks hidden inside the fuselage. Unless I bang on an open door with these tips and you already have different methods proven, you may find them of some value:

My ballon tanks have 2 separate lines. A separate filling line will not necessitate the closure of the NV to prevent the engine from flooding while filling the tank

1.  The filling line ends right at the inner side if the rubber stopper. This allows the removal of remnant air from the tank after filling, keeping the tank vertically to allow all bubbles to collect at the inner side of the stopper right at the end of the filler tube. By pulling on the syringe after the tank is full, the bubbles in the tank's highest point are removed through the filling line.

2. A supply line that goes deep into the balloon. It is perforated several places along its length inside the tank so that when the fuel is just about to be fully consumed and the balloon collapses, the perforations allow remnant fuel drops to leave through not just the tube end but through the perforations too. This way the complete fuel fill will be consumed, otherwise some pockets in the collapsed balloon would capture some part of the fuel.

For mounting the balloon into the plane I push 2 plastic wires through the filling and supply line openings in the firewall and shove the wire ends into the filling and supply silicon tubes of the balloon tank deep down into the tank..then I push the balloon into the tank compartment until the plastic wires have led the tube ends through the firewall openings.

Then pulling on the free tube ends through the firewall will drive the tank into the inside of the fuselage.

I hope the above is clearly explained in my Hunglish..

Gracias Mauricio … I appreciate the kind words and encouragement

Thanks Andras, Understood perfectly!!…. The way I was doing it leaves chance for a small amount of air…. I have #2 right, The perforated tube to the back of the balloon…. I will reconfigure the stopper as you describe, Makes good sense!…. Your Hunglish is way better than my Spanglish ….. I appreciate the tip

Robert

András writes English so well, you would never guess he was Hungarian, he writes better than a lot of Americans.

Robert, I've been on motorcycle near your area. My impressions are except for elevation, maybe not that much different. We do get more than our share of wind, though. Maybe that is why we are now dotted all over the place with wind generators that weren't there 20 years ago.

For more reliable fuel feeds, I have Bernie's oversized aluminum anodized red tank for my Tee Dee .020. Thought may be it would be a good candidate for Ken Willard's 1963 single channel Virus with an over the wing engine pod. The 3/32nd curved balsa wings could be replaced with 3/16th foam board, ditto on rest of the aircraft. But have a few other projects to finish.

I agree George…. I like that there is participation from all parts of the world… I tell my friends about some of the interactions on the forum and usually they are amazed that the interest in these engines is that broad….. Your Spanish is getting very good btw… I’m sure you use it in your ministry, Good for you on that…..I should know more especially since my Esposita is Hispanic…. I can get around on the street OK but it’s sloppy…

Yes, Eastern NM is very much like West TX…. I’ve been to Clovis in the past but it’s been a few years…Went thru Carlsbad about a year ago on the way to Dell City TX … Along the Guadalupe mountains and came out at El Capitan… A very pretty drive…

The Virus is unusual but a cutie …. Would be a good rough field flyer with the pod mounted engine…. I bet a strong PeeWee would pull it up as well…. Lots of fun these little engines

rdw777 wrote:

dude, your idea is great!
I do the same but I use a very fine wire with copper wires and at one end I place a tin ball, that way I can direct the hoses, but I think your idea is even better!!

rdw777 wrote:

dude, your idea is great!
I do the same but I use a very fine wire with copper wires and at one end I place a tin - pewter - (estaño) ball, that way I can direct the hoses, but I think your idea is even better!!

Took Pageboy out yesterday and tested one of its new props…3.875 x 3 ….Made from Cocobolo….I’m pretty tickled with it!





Had a couple of troubles though… I knew I was forgetting something… It was the battery box for my starter…. So my red neck temporary solution was Gorilla tape, I always keep some in the truck  




On the second flight the throttle finally blew out (That was exciting!!)….It had about a dozen flights and that many more bench runs…. It was made from .001 copper… Have some .004 that I ordered so will try and make it a little stronger….




I was going to try and clean up the video some but got a little lazy so apologies for the long tune time and some of it being blurry… It’s so small the camera has a hard time to find it sometimes…. Check out “looping the moon” at 4:02… Purely accidental …
Fun stuff…..

Awesome video Robert, that plane is pulled by the PeeWee with real authority!

I cut my home made exhaust throttle out of beer cans, the material is thick and strong enough for a lasting use.

Great flight ! Looks like the new prop is doing a good job for you and HM makes it even better ! I couldn't tell when the throttle went out ,but that's a long time for something that thin at the hot exhaust ports to work , Good job on that for sure ! Enjoyed ! Thanks

that plane is pulled by the PeeWee with real authority!

Thanks Andras, It’s a hoot to fly…..Very stable but will get up and go when you
want it to Angry gnat syndrome….

I’ve looked at your throttle, very ingenious and well thought out…I think more so, Encouraging for others to try and make a throttle….I was curious how the cigarette paper gasket was holding up so I peeled the copper off and checked…. Basically burned away at the top but still intact on its lower part… The throttle worked good until failure so I think the gasket was helpful even partially burned…It made a decent idle but wouldn’t shut the engine down completely… I have a factory throttle on a Bee on Zoomslot that behaves about the same way…. I’ll fiddle with the design and see what happens… Would be nice to come up with a way to replace the gasket from time to time..,




Thanks Eric   The throttle failed on the next flight after the video…. I was just trying to hang on to the plane so that vid it’s not in the frame much…The prop works great, thanks!… It lets the engine run about 20 K on the test stand, right in the peak of its power band… Unloads real nice in the air…Lots of fun little trails to chase in the model airplane business..

Smoky fly by      

Naturally Robert, I had to fast forward to 4:02...........pretty wild for that model airplane. You have coordination........and great eyesight. I stayed around for the bumpy landing.

Bob

Thanks Bob, I try to hit that little piece of gravel road but obviously don’t make it every time LOL!!!… It’s getting a few beauty marks on its chin but those just add character

Hi rdw777,
Thanks for taking us flying with you !
The 'setting the needle' is music to my ears...
I doubt Ken Willard could not have imagined it, but he was there.
Love your field and open blue skies !
Take care,
Have fun,
Dave

You bet Dave, Glad to have you guys to hang out with…. Certainly a bit of Mr. Willard has been thru the whole project… He put a lot of smiles on many faces

Hi rdw77,
I appreciate you posting pics/vids here on CEF...
Thank You, I consider it: "Us flying together"
On a drizzly/damp/cold Nov other day, I found sorting thru balsa, no kidding....
4ftX6inX1/16th med B-grain perfectly flat balsa. The bottom of the box, I forgot about. 10 sheets no less !
Needless to say,
I am thinking about Ken Willard designs, combined to my favourite, Andy Lennon.
The nice thing about balsa sheet construction is,
You can dent it, and keep flying...
As usual, your results will vary,
Take care,
Have fun,
Dave

friend, congratulations on your video!...the Pee Wee .020 engine drives the model airplane wonderfully and you master it excellently.
I understand that you are looking to land in the optimal place, but believe me, judging by the terrain, I congratulate you on how you land.
Your propeller works very well!
The accelerator has fulfilled a very good function, so I will surely make another one that works and perhaps will be much more durable considering this experience.
For a few months now the wind has not stopped here, it is active day and night, it is strange, maybe something has changed, I hope that in a few more days the wind will return to normal...meanwhile I go to the model airplane club and from time to time when I fly a Cox model.
Big hug for you!

Thank you Gentlemen, I appreciate your encouragement and enthusiasm for flying…. We’ll do some more one these days

Roberto

Robert, watching your Pageboy on the loose doing its thing, reminds me of the total joy I had with my R/C Schoolboy and with my R/C Roaring 20 back in the 1970's, both Pee Wee powered and rudder only. I flew those alone in open fields on military bases then, sort of reminds of the fun in solitude you've had with your creations.

For me, it was a way to totally blow off steam, because of the short engine runs, (increased from 1.5 minutes to 2.5 by using 5x3 yellow Tornado or 5.25x3 white T/F nylon props - only Cox available at the time were Competition gray 4.5x2 that broke oft on dead stick landings - too brittle) I'd oft get at least a dozen flights in before calling it quits, sometimes almost too dark to fly.

Now in limbo with a move to MO, once I settle down there, maybe can visit with Kim and a few friends on the KS side who do C/L, start blowing off steam again.

Thanks George, I appreciate the kind words….Yes it’s nice to be able to set aside our cares for awhile and go fly our creations even if it’s only for a short time….Very refreshing… That site that I go to is about seven miles from where I grew up… It was the location of the first RC plane club in Howard County…. Dad would drive us kids out there sometimes to watch…. That would be in the late 60’s-early 70’s…I thought it was like magic to watch those guys fly… The club is long gone and the old covered pit area is still there but falling apart …The runway is overgrown with trees so I find the most open place possible and go from there…Kind of surreal flying there after all these years…

Wish you and your family well and good on your relocation …. Would be great if you could hook up with some CEF friends!! … You’re going to wonder where has the wind gone? LOL!!…. You may be able to fix up another RO Schoolboy with a PeeWee .020!.. That would be real sweetheart

Robert

Now you all are making me feel bad. I never got into Free Flight if you discount the Scientific Little Bipe I intentionally let go after an afternoon of control line flying.

I thought I would just run the remaining fuel out of the tank and sitting it on the ground I let it go. It rose and circled it's way out of sight never to be seen (by me) again. I remember being sad about it and my stupidity. Money for engines and planes was hard to come by then.

Perhaps my reluctance to ever try it again.

Good luck on your move George, and I hope that your wife continues to do well.