COX .020 POWERED SPEEDSTER

Well I have finished all the structural work and mechanical details.
I decided to hook up the ailerons with just .055" music wire and 1/16" aluminum tubing for the torque rod bearings and the control horns.
There must be a small weight savings vs using 2-56 threaded control wire...and once you get used to doing it this way there is much less hardware involved.

All this method has to do now is prove that it works without fail.....

Here is a look at the WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

220 MAH NIMH Battery... ...............1 1/8 oz
micro 4 ch RX              ..... ..............1/8 oz
balloon tank....................................1/4 oz
50 sq inch wing with 5g servo..............1 3/8 oz
plywood fuselage w/ 5g elevator servo  2 1/2 oz....................5 3/8 ozs before 3 coats of dope and a coat of automotive urethane are applied.........

I could SWISS CHEESE the 1/32" plywood sides and recover maybe a 1/4 oz of dead weight...but some of that recovery would be given back with tissue patches.
I think putting the plane on weight loss surgery  is something that could be done after I try flying this plane at let's say  5 3/4 ozs all shiny, pretty and RTF...

Nice work, I like the adjustable-length aileron pushrod concept!

As a weight cut option you may want to try a 400mAh Lipo battery with a small DC to DC ramp up converter from 3.7 to 5 volts, and a Zepsus magnetic
micro-switch...the whole package stops at about 0.6 oz or so and brings extra power compared to a 220mAh NiMH battery.

1/2A Nut wrote:I cover the balsa and ply surfaces only after going over with fine grit and a proper wipe down with a cotton cloth.
Looking for a clean polished finish to insure best possible bond with the covering.
Proper iron temp is everything as well, can be pull separation tested tested on some prepped scarp wood.

The .09 plane had a piece of clear tape hinged at the aileron control horn and wing prior to covering to improve no
cover hinge separation over time. The constant push / pull action makes this extra step worth it with larger surfaces.
Proper full covering with no expose wood is key to avoid exhaust oils do not wick under the covering.
The small engine displacements do just fine up to 15 size engines with proper technique and covering brand / age.
Note the top surface hinge has a slight bevel induced by the iron tip ran along the crease line to establish consistent
hinge point.

Brad thanks very much for the effort you put into my education...!
There was an old German Dude at RCU known as "Der Steuermann" who spent a great deal of time getting me up to speed with the techniques and details that make a Euro Speed Cup Plane go fast.
"High Plains" at RCU was another guy who was also very generous with his time,,,he dated back to the Formula 500 days of RC Pylon that was flown at 170 mph
Joe Clause of KK and Dave Shadel of Performance Specialties were also mentors of mine who I never met in person. They just wanted to pass on what they knew to people they thought weren't a waste of their time [to be blunt about it]
Here is the plane that Der Steuermann painstakingly helped me  build from his desk in Germany to mine....  


This is a Nelson FAI 40 engine that uses zero percent nitro and it spins a 7x7 prop 30,000 rpm for flat and level speeds of 200 mph. While converting the weight of the model to higher speed during the allowed Speed Cup dive angle this plane recorded 205 MPH.
The cost of doing this just for fun was too much for me so I hung the model up in my attic about 20 years ago.

balogh wrote:Nice work, I like the adjustable-length aileron pushrod concept!

As a weight cut option you may want to try a 400mAh Lipo battery with a small DC to DC ramp up converter from 3.7 to 5 volts, and a Zepsus magnetic
micro-switch...the whole package stops at about 0.6 oz or so and brings extra power compared to a 220mAh NiMH battery.

Thanks Man...!
So I will guess that the conversion from 3,7 to 5 volts only de-rates the battery from 400MAH to about 300 MAH...which is plenty of power for doing a handful of flights....

Correct, the beauty of the small DC to DC converter is its output Voltage is adjustable with a small screw, so if your servos run on  4.8 V or even less  safely, the 400mAh on 3.7V level  goes down to 310mAh on 4.8V level or so..my Shoestring micro racer powered by a COX TEE DEE 010 and running on elevator and aileron drains about 5% from the battery  in each 10 minutes flight, so you are good and safe with such a setup for numerous flights before the battery needs recharging...I charge the 1cell LiPo from my starter box with a USB charger so I do not have to run to my car or home for some juice for my onboard battery

balogh wrote:Correct, the beauty of the small DC to DC converter is its output Voltage is adjustable with a small screw, so if your servos run on  4.8 V or even less  safely, the 400mAh on 3.7V level  goes down to 310mAh on 4.8V level or so..my Shoestring micro racer powered by a COX TEE DEE 010 and running on elevator and aileron drains about 5% from the battery  in each 10 minutes flight, so you are good and safe with such a setup for numerous flights before the battery needs recharging...I charge the 1cell LiPo from my starter box with a USB charger so I do not have to run to my car or home for some juice for my onboard battery

Thanks again...!
This is why I see the search results for variable outputs...there is a voltage selector switch. !