Predator UAV on the way

Go tee dee .15 and keep us posted!

Yup, you could do a bladder tank in that fuse, or one of the moldable sullivans in there. 2-3 oz or so.

I got a couple of these kits a while back, with the intention of converting one to glow and using the other to introduce myself to all this new electric stuff. They're still on the "back burner" but perhaps I can work to get the glow version going here shortly.

I'm going to use one of my hard-ridden Medallion .09 RC's with a Sullivan streamlined tank sitting on top of the fuse. Don't know how much of the original engine fairing I can use, so I may have to make up one. I'm going to mount the engine at an angle to try and get as much of it's cylinder out in the breeze as possible.

Figure that if the yuppies over in the subdivision thought the Recon B.O.T.'s were spooky, this REALLY ought to make them wonder what's going on with the weird guy over on the hill !!!

Reaper Kim

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5826832/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm

From back on 2007--a very long thread. I have slogged through all of it

There are a lot of good ideas for modifications and flying quirks. This is not a good plane for a beginner RC pilot (like me) and I plan to take my time doing the glow conversion.

I think first I will set it up electric and have my flight mentor trim and help me dial in the computer RX (Futaba 8FG) for all the mixing and differential.

I intend to make the rudder functional (as delivered it is just a skeg) as well as steerable nose gear. I also think I will re-engineer the wings to be transportable as my smart car is interior space challenged.

I have never seen a TD 09 or 15 in pusher. I assume I need to add a thrust washer as I have not seen brass prop drives for these size engines

Looks like the cowl could be opened up in the front (increase opening and add semi venturi front lip) to provide ram air cooling over the vertical cylinder

Like many here I am rapidly gaining more "projects" than space or time can accommodate. It is time to start prioritizing and scheduling my retirement time. (I retire from the DoD in two weeks ...grin)

Glad to hear I'm not alone in collecting more projects than my schedule will allow ! My poor Medallion .09 served in the 'Pusher Mode' for a couple of years on my Lil' Swamp Buggy, and still runs amazingly well...considering that it had all manner of fuels run through it, and was lugging some off-brand pusher prop that had been cut down just enough to clear the deck.

I bought some pusher 7-4 wood props for it's run on the Reaper, and may also use the rudder to help things along. I want to convert it to a tail-dragger gear, with a wire skid on the inverted rudder.

The wing situation, for me, is problematic, as I want to be able to dump it in the weeds out here without too much trauma. I'm considering modifying the wing into a single, removable unit, and building up an internal saddle in the fuse for it to rest against. This will also help me transport it without "door testing" the thing !

Anyway...GOT to finish Baby Wulf first...so the Reaper still lurks in the background !

HobbyKing USA warehouse sourced predator arrived today and I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of the build (it’s an ARF) and at the same time concerned with engineering of it. I decided to back shelf it and focus on flying soon as the weather and my pending free time cooperate.

This winter I will completely strip the factory covering..all OD green with splashed (sprayed ) white stripes and blotches .. This will allow re-engineering the wing root with 3/4 length carbon spar and adding carbon flat along the fuselage for strength.

I think the tail drag via spring wire is doable and moving the fixed gear forward to make tail drag should not be a problem

The TeeDee .09 upright looks proper perspective but this is not the correct way to decide on .09 or .15 pusher so will have to research thrust factors for the successful electric guys and try to figure how much from the 09 or 15 based on prop selection

Going to feed the TeeDee with loose low pressure bladder kit from Texas Timer or Sullivan plastic 1oz clunk tank mid ships I think problem with clunk tank is the long fuel line to the engine

I plan 2 degrees of tip wash out torque in with steam as most reports claim this wing design tip stalls very fast. I am also planning on spring steel skid wire on each wing tip

I need to swap meet a bunch of old small inexpensive RC .25 and smaller to see if I can adapt a real carb to the 09 or .15

I also intend to permanently wire the glow head for switched 1.5VDC so I can use the supplied cowl slightly modified to get air flow over the cylinder

As always I am interested in any good ideas or thoughts

fredvon4 wrote: I have the complete electric set up and fairly sure a TD .15 in pusher with fairl sized fuel tank, RX and RX battery is less wieght then than the electric setup.

I kinda wonder about weight distribution. All the IC powerplant weight is going to be waaay back there. Guessing that with electric power, they shove the LiPo in the nose? Of course, looks like there's plenty of room up there, you could just toss in a couple spools of solder to balance it out.

Just a thought my .09 drains a 1 oz tank in minutes. Not sure how many minutes mind you but, it was quick. I imagine a .15 is even quicker.

That might be a tough one to get balanced with a big .15 in the back. Lotta lead up front. A subtle pusher-puller arangement might be cool. Just a thought.

Yeah, I'd planned on making mine pack a camera up front, and had hoped that might get it close enough that too much ballast wouldn't be needed. I'm still using nicads (heavy), and the snout is fairly long, so maybe it won't be too bad.

I'll try a lash-up with the components this afternoon just to get an idea of the weight needed to make the sucker balance.

I am leaning toward the loose bladder light/no pressure fuel cell mid ship at CG so it stays neutral on full or empty. From what I know of aircraft this particular design is very CG sensitive with the ratio to length vs wing chord. That said, if the 09 will provide adequate thrust the light weight radio gear and battery in the nose should balance well. If I need to up the power to the Cox TD .15 (much heavier engine)I can compensate with larger flight battery

So the advice I need is about running a TD rotary valve on fuel cell about 17 inches from the carburetor? I also need to know fuel quantity needed for 5 to 7 min on TD 09 or TD 15. Yes I know Virginia; I could set up an engine stand, place fuel cell some distance away and experiment with differing quantities to see what I need. Just polling the community to see if I do NOT need to reinvent the wheel

Thanks to all for following and posting thoughts and advice

You shouldn't have much fuel draw problems but if you do as you may.
You could drill the Tee Dee for pressure.

Well, it would seem that some bench testing would be needed with the fuel line lengths that you would be running. Thats how I usually do that. Fit the tank to the airframe and cut the lines needed, then the lines and tank get set up on the stand to about the same relation that they would sit in the frame and see how it responds.

You could do a small surge tank about 1/2 the distance to the motor from your big tank,,or right up close to the motor with the surge tank if it will fit. I have seen some flyers just use a big offroad fuel filter as a inline surge tank. A muffler pressure setup or crankcase pressure of some sort. Try a bigger feed line and a small pressure line,, and vice versa and see how it responds.

You'll have to think about your wing loading also, as that looks to be somewhat of a narrow wing with alot of length. Reinforce that somewhat as you deivate from the planned design.

re: Predator drone

I think (for me) the "Stealth" element of EP would be more suitable for this drone.

Ye but then it should also be FPV and covered in a dull grey covering.

The color on the plane now looks pretty "sealthy" as is.

"Achmed" would never see it coming.

Only if you were flying over a jungle and the person you didn't want to see it was above it.

The outrunner Turnigy G15, 45A ESC and 3s 1600 LiPo weigh considerably more than either of my two Cox TeeDees I am considering. Thus I am not too concerned on wing loading from that aspect.

However the ARF as delivered is poorly engineered in the wing root with only a light Ply 6 inch 1/4" square spar and the wings do not get bonded in the center but sit on the outside of the Fuselage ...this arrangement is reported to snap wings in flight on any light G up or down maneuver. Most owners who followed the long post on RC Groups already use a round Carbon tube spar set deeper in each wing and an outer tube through the 3" wide fuselage.

Where I have worked for over 15 years is on West Fort Hood across from Gray Army Airfield, the MI BN flies various UAV (drones) almost daily for training. I know we all see the photos from the combat zones with all sorts of camo schemes. That is curious because all the ones I see are always a light grey top and bottom and easily lost in the clouds or bright sky.

Engine noise…hum not sure what really makes for scale sounds…each variant real UAV I see is pretty loud from the distances I see them. Up close they have small turbine, some 2 and or 4 cylinder horizontally opposed, two and three blade pusher (some push pull from common engine) and even 2 two and three blade counter rotating pusher configurations… FWIIW the Army, Navy, and Air Force UAV programs are the fastest changing acquisition program I have ever witnessed. You could say changing configurations almost every 90 to 120 days

I am (for next 5 days) an Army Test Officer with the Operational Test Command. My co workers who have these projects (I test enterprises software products) test the aircraft here, at Ft Huachuca AZ, and White Sands Missile Range NM

Bottom line is this smallish form factor is going to look and sound correct with a Cox TeeDee IMO