My mid week flight report.

**RknRusty** Tue Oct 28, 2014 8:34 pm

Finally, it's post Huntersville, no more pressure! As usual, Wayne the perpetual trimmer was trimming a Pathfinder that was passed down from a downsizing elder member. This fellow decided to try CLPA at one time and built it, as well as a Strega and some other nice planes, but he builds crooked and stiff, so all of these planes are a challenge. One by one, we're getting them in proper flying shape. By the end of the day Wayne had this one tracking pretty nicely.

I took the Osprey and the Shoestring. I flew the SS once just to make sure I had a good handle paired with it, and though I flew it much better than I could last year, it's still my same old beloved Shoestring, coughing out in every loop and scaring the carp out of the pilot. I'd finally had better success with that problem by running high nitro, but of course I left that on the table in my shop. So I'll revisit the idea Sunday. Wayne is going to bring his old indestructible Fox 35 powered Ukey so Cribbs will have something to play with besides mister cough.

I've been whining about not being able to fly the Osprey as well as my old beater Skyray and had all sorts of plans for changing trim to try and fill that void. But when I got ready to rig it up I decided that was a stupid plan and I need to just get used to this plane. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not as sluggish and I'm still trying to tune myself UP to it. And I've seen Wayne fly a good advanced level pattern with it. So I forged ahead and flew some patterns, did some good things and others, well not so much. I can't fly a decent overhead 8 to save my freakin' life. I always complete them, but they just suck. But I didn't break anything, no unplanned landings and I left feeling pretty good about it.

The planes can wait till tomorrow to get degreased. Maybe Ron will come help me wipe them down and flush the lines. Gotta freshen them up for Sunday. A cold front is coming through Friday and hopefully the usual wind will get all blown out on Saturday.

So that's my mid week report. Till next time,
Rusty

**Cribbs74** Tue Oct 28, 2014 9:12 pm

I'm there.

I should have brought a Fox .35 to swap out the TT... lol!

**RknRusty** Tue Oct 28, 2014 9:22 pm

Cribbs74 wrote:I'm there.

I should have brought a Fox .35 to swap out the TT...

No kidding, I think that's probably what it's designed for. I have an OS .25 but the holes will have to be plugged and rebored. Probably for about the third time in its life. I think it's about 25 years old.
Rusty

Ken Cook Wed Oct 29, 2014 4:28 am

My Shoestring was built by a British Spitfire pilot. Unfortunately, I just creamed it on the racing circle last season when I came in for a pit and the tail wheel broke off. I didn't think much of it, and the next thing was the control horn became the new tail wheel after I refueled and launched. The control horn broke where the pushrod entered thus leaving the plane to do whatever it wanted. It stayed on the ground for a good while and then went 45 deg. and the rest is history. At least he would be happy to know it went out in a blaze of glory. Ken

**RknRusty** Wed Oct 29, 2014 8:18 pm

Ouch, that hurts. Sorry to hear about that.
Speaking of control horns I ordered a new 1-1/8" steel horn from Sullivan for the Osprey. The kit horn is too soft and flexes. I tried bracing it with a ply doubler, but it's still squashed thin where I threaded it and bolted the ball link to it. I'm scared it's going to break. I have Sullivans on the Yak and I really like them.
Rusty

**RknRusty** Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:24 pm

I must have too much spare time for the moment, so I'll think out loud... or whatever it is you do with a keyboard...

I fly the Osprey with an OS .25fp and an APC 9x4 prop. It's heavy after adding nose weight at 37.5 oz.(the old Ray with a .35fp was 38.5 oz.). I launch it just off peak fully 2 stroking, and it hits a comfortable lap time and seems to run happily using 3 oz. of fuel for a pattern flight. It turns corners with ease and all is well on a perfect day, but if the winds overhead are gusty it gets blown off course easily. I'm wondering if a 10x4 prop on that .25 would show more thrust and authority way up top. I don't know if that's too much for a .25 to swing. I'm going to bolt one on Sunday and try it.

I'm going to search SSW and SH for similar discussions too.

Rusty

[/rumination]

**Cribbs74** Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:27 pm

I think a 10x4 is feasable.

If the old plane is toast why not just swap engines?

We are talking 1oz of difference. You possibly could end up the same AUW with the .35 if you remove the weight added for the .25

I am not sold on the Brett combo.

Ron

**RknRusty** Wed Oct 29, 2014 10:07 pm

Cribbs74 wrote:I think a 10x4 is feasable.

If the old plane is toast why not just swap engines?

We are talking 1oz of difference. You possibly could end up the same AUW with the .35 if you remove the weight added for the .25

I am not sold on the Brett combo.

Ron

I've certainly moved the leadouts back from Brett's suggestion and now it tracks better and tighter. My Brett style ribs certainly held up well where I suspect the kit ribs would have broken. They obviously flexed enough to split some Monokote, but no damaged wood was found in my exploratory surgery. That could possibly be the help of my non-Brett shear webs on the TE. I've thought of that old 35, I love it and can crank it so much more easily too. But I did wuss out and order a starter motor for the 25 which will be here next week.

However I have a built Skyray wing that I'm going to put in the old Ray fuse. The weight will probably rise and so I'm leaving the 35 on it for now. I do have an Enya 35, an old one with a square venturi. Ken wrote some info for me last year that I'll look up if I decide to try that.

Little bits at a time. I will try the prop swap next time out. When I get my starter I can go back to Top Flite woodys. I use APC now so I can back slap them to crank. That's a little scary after more than a couple of good clobbers.

I'm thinking all this while still keeping in mind, It's a different plane I just have to adapt too. I'm an impatient sort when it comes to evaluating myself.

Ken Cook Thu Oct 30, 2014 4:28 am

The 10x4 was the talk of the town when the Flite Streak ARF came about using the LA .25. I strongly dislike it. I had much better results using the 9x4 and running the engine into it's upper rpm range. It also depends on what 9x4 your trying. I find the speeds come up a bit using the Master Airscrew, but they're so many different versions of them. The newer GF series are very thin and don't seem to have the bite the older wider bladed versions have. The APC work well but they work even better if you trim the tips and reshape them a little. It really depends if your engine is up to the task. A stock muffler in my opinion is doing nothing more than trapping heat and not allowing the engine to run it's full potential. Brett strongly encourages the stock muffler. That's the first thing that goes in the trash. One thing that a lot of us have experimented with is Pro Braid for sport flying. I found that it allows my planes to fly far superior than the steel. Ken

**RknRusty** Thu Oct 30, 2014 8:18 am

Ken Cook wrote: The 10x4 was the talk of the town when the Flite Streak ARF came about using the LA .25. I strongly dislike it. I had much better results using the 9x4 and running the engine into it's upper rpm range. It also depends on what 9x4 your trying. I find the speeds come up a bit using the Master Airscrew, but they're so many different versions of them. The newer GF series are very thin and don't seem to have the bite the older wider bladed versions have. The APC work well but they work even better if you trim the tips and reshape them a little. It really depends if your engine is up to the task. A stock muffler in my opinion is doing nothing more than trapping heat and not allowing the engine to run it's full potential. Brett strongly encourages the stock muffler. That's the first thing that goes in the trash. One thing that a lot of us have experimented with is Pro Braid for sport flying. I found that it allows my planes to fly far superior than the steel. Ken

I do round the tips of the APC before I balance it. Most of them are a pretty quick job to balance, makes you appreciate a good manufacturer. Once flying the SS, I broke my last Topflite and all I had left was a Master airscrew. It ran the exact same lap speed, but in maneuvers it was immediately apparent that it was completely gutless. I've never even considered using one again. I still like them for 1/2A, cut down and rounded.

The muffler is an 842. That's probably the stocker. I did shorten the outlet and intended to widen it, but never got it done before its big weekend. I like the little 746 mufflers with the entire stinger cut off and widened. I have that on my Thunder Tiger .25 and my .35fp but it doesn't fit the .25fp. Go figure. Brett probably encourages the stock muffler to help get the CG way forward. My CG is not quite as forward as his, depending on which writing you read. He changes his mind on things over the evolution of the BB Skyray. His has no flap extensions either and mine does, as did the Copeland Skyray.

I could practice with the gelspun line, but at this time in my quest I think I should practice with what I compete with. I do use it for 1/2A, but I go with heavier test line than most people do because it lasts longer and doesn't tangle. Probably draggy. People might think I'm getting too serious about it, but i find it to be really fun, and I enjoy having a mission to accomplish when I walk out onto the field.

I'll report on how the 10x4 experiment goes.
Rusty

Sponsored content

My mid week flight report.

My mid week flight report.

Re: My mid week flight report.

Re: My mid week flight report.

Re: My mid week flight report.

Re: My mid week flight report.

Re: My mid week flight report.

Re: My mid week flight report.

Re: My mid week flight report.

Re: My mid week flight report.

Re: My mid week flight report.

Re: My mid week flight report.