Lil' Spee-Dee flight video

balogh Wed Feb 15, 2023 9:59 am

Following my build thread on how the TeeDee010 powered Lil' Spee Dee was built ( https://www.coxengineforum.com/t16888-spee-dee-010-a-new-build-project?highlight=spee+dee) I finally managed to prepare a short video about its first "official" maiden flight:

This was actually the 4th flight the plane has completed - 3 flights prior to the video last weekend encouraged me to share the 4th with the public - , and the weather was generous on this late winter day to provide plus 10C air temperature, sunshine, and just a little bit of a wind for the frame of my flight.

The engine (old stock from the 60-s with the black anodized carb and nice pinch on the TDC due to the taper bore) is so new and tightly fit , that in a subsequent flight it has developed some light, slightly visible varnish inside the cylinder, that actually reduced its speed. I have 20% nitro in the fuel plus 20% all- castor lubricant...the high relative humidity makes to fuel prone to forming varnish ...There is no way I will remove it with the devarnisher brush...I will use a drop of kitchen cold grease remover on the tip of a cotton ear bud...

Sorry for the quality of the video, my small head-mounted Sony camera is now mature enough to retire, I need to go for a more sophisticated one..

The Lil' Spee-Dee has finally proved to be an very airworthy vehicle, that the COX TeeDee010 pulls with authority. I am thinking about scaling up its - non existent - design for my TeeDee020-s!

rdw777 Wed Feb 15, 2023 1:29 pm

Just beautiful Andras!!…. Excellent project from conception to complete!!!…. The .010 is really a screamer and ran well the entire flight…I’m taking notes on its pitch so when I get mine tuned up to compare …. Mine is a newer version with black nylon parts so may not be quite as hi reving…. I look forward to get better acquainted with the balloon tanks too…. Your videos prove they work well!!!…. Good job friend and thank you for sharing …

Robert

balogh Wed Feb 15, 2023 1:45 pm

Thank you Robert! If kept clean and fed with carefully filtered fuel, the 010 TeeDee is one of the most dependable COX engines, that will scream at top rpm as long as the fuel lasts. Minutes or hours, just does not matter..This is my experience with these adorable critters.

Contrary to the usual concern that an engine so small is finnicky to start and tune, with 1 drop of prime in the ventury, another into the closed exhaust port, the starter spring kisses it alive at the first yank..

I filled about 10 ccm fuel into the balloon tank that was enough for a flight of about 5 minutes - so an unthrottled 010 consumes roughly 2ccm fuel per minute. I pulled my syringe on the filler tube after the plane landed, and found no residue fuel in the tank..

Do not expect anything less from your newer 010 with black nylon parts.. again, in my opinion the taper bore may enhance longevity, but 010-s with red and black carb body will invariably run near 27k for loooong loooong hours.

I have audiotached the engine, that unloaded near 30k:

I have several small RC planes built around 010 and 020 TeeDees and my concerns with a windy site are the least when I play with these smallest toys..I am more concerned with 09 powered planes if winds really blow...so the tiny Lil Spee Dee is really handy, as your Page Boy will be!

rdw777 Wed Feb 15, 2023 5:29 pm

Andras, Thanks for the information on the engine, They are truly amazing little pieces of machinery…. I’ve been around.020’s and .049’s since I was a kid but up until just a few weeks ago had never even seen one except for photos…. I’m watching for the right deal for one of the earlier red/gold ones…Just love that hi pitch scream they have…

And you are right about ease of starting, I was pleasantly surprised considering how gunked up it was…. How are you managing to remove the cylinder on yours?… Did you file flats to accept a wrench?….. Luckily mine came apart with heat and padded pliers… Using leather only slips easily so I tried wrapping the cylinder with masking tape, Then leather over that…. Seems to grip better with less slipping …

I’ve had good luck with small planes in windy weather too…. My Ace Littlest Stick has been a real trooper for flying in rough weather albeit electric powered… But a little at a time being reconverted back to gas…. Looking forward to getting PB going too…, Still fiddling with engines for a while to be sure I have it like I want it…Will be looking forward to Lil Speedy.020 Very Happy

Robert

balogh Wed Feb 15, 2023 6:09 pm

Thanks. Robert, I add some silicone containing oil like WD40 to the threads of the cylinder and crankcase before assembly in hopes it will delay the caking of castor in between. But the good news with 010-s is you do not need to often remove the cylinder for e.g. piston balljoint resetting, because it is either properly set in the factory, or you reset it once and that will last for eternity. The forces acting on the balljoint as well as on the load bearing surfaces are proportionally smaller than in a 049, but the material strength is the same, so the stresses in the 010 parts are not so near to yielding stresses as in larger motors, i.e wear and loosening of joints are smaller/slower
I try to avoid removing the cylinder if it us stuck, otherwise just carefully use the stock wrench saddling the exhaust ports. I add after run oil by removing the glow head, which always comes off easily.

I am looking forward to the maiden flight of your Page Boy!

Yabby Wed Feb 15, 2023 8:02 pm

fantastic video of a marvellous little speedy plane and great flight Andras. To think you built that little speedy entirely yourself and then were able to fly it the way you can fly is a seriously cool achievement. I like how you describe how easy it is to start, like many engines, when started exactly right, they run just as expected. But finding that exact setup and method is not always easy. The engine revs are incredible!! It seems to make quite a lot of power as the plane is quite quick and performs effortlessly without appearing to lose speed anywhwere, plus of course good pilot skills add to that by manauvering properly. It would seem you have matched the plane dimensions/design very very well to the engines performance charachteristics.

As with you, I certainly dont use those brushes or any thing that scratches to remove varnish. I use similar method, cotton ear bud and metho, it cleans the cylinder up no wories.

Thanks for videoing and posting the video Andras Thumbs Up

I greatly enjoyed watching it and reading the posts associated with it. This Site Rocks!

balogh Thu Feb 16, 2023 12:40 am

Thanks Yabby, I wish the video could show more than what it's resolution and the tiny size of the plane allow, as you mentioned, the engine and plane indeed well complement each other..

As you said, and as we who build CL or RC planes all feel, it is very rewarding to see your creation perform and the tiny details and solutions you thought out prove right!

Michpatriot Thu Feb 16, 2023 10:41 pm

What a sweet little bird you've made! Thanks for the video.

MauricioB Thu Feb 16, 2023 11:34 pm

Hi András, your model with Cox .010 is fantastic, it also has good glide conditions! I'm very happy to see the flight! Great.
Your camera works well, the video can be fully enjoyed. It is understood in these cases, the size of the model and the difference of seeing it in action live and direct, but all of us who do this know how to understand.
Congratulations friend, it's beautiful what it feels like when our own creation works, it fills us with joy! Beer Cheers

balogh Fri Feb 17, 2023 1:42 am

Mich, thank you very much, yes, I also love it though I am positively biased! The next one will have a bit more streamlined nose, the current snub nose adds a lil bit of drag, not too much..

Mauricio, thanks for the nice words and for encouragement on my camera..in fact your videos have much better resolution and your 010 size planes are better visible..what is the type of camera you are using?

MauricioB Fri Feb 17, 2023 11:47 am

balogh wrote:
Mauricio, thanks for the nice words and for encouragement on my camera..in fact your videos have much better resolution and your 010 size planes are better visible..what is the type of camera you are using?

András, my camera is relatively cheap, it's Chinese-made, generic, but it still records acceptably, here I leave the specifications so you can see if it can be useful for you.

1/2A Nut Fri Feb 17, 2023 12:45 pm

Thank you for sharing, always a treat to see a RC small IC creation function and fly! RC Plane

balogh wrote:I also love it though I am positively biased! The next one will have a bit more streamlined nose,
the current snub nose adds a lil bit of drag, not too much..

The current size firewall is a ton of drag when 3" dia. prop wash smacks it - launch / passes suffer and prop rpm drops.
4k sport camera's are dirt cheap now, can film and upload at 2k for better 2023 You tube vids.
Trick is to learn to fly closer to the camera with all 1/2A projects.

The plane can do with a TD .020 and perhaps a smooth running reed .049 per original post below:

1/2A Nut wrote: Hi Andras, looks like your having fun!

Plenty big firewall to slow it down with a TD .010. -this one looks like it can handle up to a Cox KB .049
Perhaps another layer of ply if up to .049 will help nose impacts and cover balsa seams and square stock / oil seep.

Painting a picture with a TD .020

The servos / battery should work with the .020., the larger dia. fuel tank is quick fix for that big firewall.
I am not sure if still available the aluminum tank .010 needs a big foot print for the mounting holes.
Would do well with the current firewall size if you don't want to upgrade the displacement.

My first Lil Speedy went from flying with a .010 to a .020 and finally to a TD .049 (with radial mount)
Was designed to start with a .010 and move to a .020. A bonus as I realized the .049 could fit and work.
Flying the small ones are amazing heart thumping fun a big challenge for the willing.

Ahh soo.. Cool

balogh Fri Feb 17, 2023 1:23 pm

Thanks Brad, I hear you, it could be better, but this is how it ended up as a prototype....the aluminum 010 tank is too small for my preferred flight duration of 5+ minutes. The 010 drinks about 2 ccm fuel per minute, so I need 10-12 ccm fuel on board that best travels in an external balloon tank in the nose section..I am not sure of the volume of the aftermarket aluminum tank, but it looks smaller than 10cc.
The firewall has blind nuts on its back side placed as per the 010 mounting screw pattern..too bad the 020 radial mount has a slightly narrower screw pattern, so it will not mount on the 010 pattern..I may do later a mid-piece between the present firewall and an 020 radial mount backplate, with 2 countersunk blind nuts spaced as per the 020..believe me I tried to minimize the firewall dimensions but my efforts fell victim to the unavailability here in my region of the smallest gear like battery , receiver, micro switch that had to be accommodated in the shortened fuselage. Waiting time of more advanced gear imported from outside the EU is so long that my build project started after Xmas would not have ended with imports from US or Far East..
Thanks on your note regarding the camera, I will check now what is available based on Mauricio 's specification.

balogh Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:35 am

Just wanted to let you all know that the tightly fit 010 is past its 1 hour run and waking up like Cinderella with more and more power. This weekend was very windy, but I could not resist the bug and took the plane out flying..no matter the snub nose, it really begins to live up to its name Lil Spee-Dee and is growing into being one of my fastest birds...I am thinking about ways to make its 020 successor even more slender..

rdw777 Tue Feb 21, 2023 6:52 am

That’s a great report Andras…. I guess the .010 is “settling in” to its best fit for all moving parts…. That being said, I would think it is best to not take them apart again unless there was a need to de-varnish or a piston reset?….. If course if they are running good no need to take it apart anyway ….Look forward to its continued progress…

I agree with Brad’s last post in this thread…. Small/Fast ones are a hoot… My best effort was a five oz flying wing at 66 watts… About like a TeeDee .049….. Looking forward to a little more zippy soon Very Happy

Robert

balogh Tue Feb 21, 2023 7:17 am

Thanks, Robert, I follow the old saying that "do not repair it if it ain't broke..." even if the temptation to disassemble the engine and check why it DOES work so well, is always there... lol!

(There is a fantastic Czech writer the late and great Bohumil Hrabal, whose iconic figure in his hilarious novels had a temptation to disassemble down to the last bolt his old German motorcycle each weekend, just to check why the engine is so good...then he reassembled it and used till the following Saturday to disassemble it again)

A disassembly of a COX engine with balljoint piston connection, though, is never so risky for an exact reassembly, as it is for pistons with gudgeon pins, in my opinion... The balljoint conrod allows the piston to spin around the joint during operation, so there is no dedicated position of the piston relative to the cylinder....while disassembling an engine with a non-rotational piston i.e. fixed in its circumferential position by a gudgeon pin may be more sensitive to re-mating surfaces that settled before disassembly...any radial play of the small and/or big end of the conrod will allow the assembly in a new piston circumferential position, that will add some extra wear when the engine is started up and the mating surfaces meet up again?

rdw777 Tue Feb 21, 2023 9:02 am

I think you are right Andras…. Purely speculation on my part, But since the piston is free to rotate it is free to settle to its most round and happy place and does not move much, if any afterwards…..Any oil dynamics seals the deal….Therefore best to leave it alone after that…. Was probably planned from the beginning and proven out in some Cox lab back in the day….Most likely by that guy looking thru the microscope on some of the Cox packaging lol!

…..
Glad it’s working out for you friend Very Happy

Robert

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