Ep 154: Listener Questions

[00:00:11] Hello everyone and welcome to the sick edition of the RC Plane Lab podcast. I’m Ron, I’m Tom and I’m dave. Can you guess who is the sick one? It’s not Tom, it’s not Ron. Does it sound that bad? No, actually, not yet. Beforehand it did. As of now, we’re good, but it’s been 28 seconds, so

[00:00:29] Yes, we’ll caveat the episode by saying that dave is not feeling himself and may feel worse as the episode goes on, but we’ll see. He’s not feeling himself, we are going to make him suffer through it anyway. He’s not feeling himself. Who’s he feeling? Well, he’s not feeling me, so any whoozle.

[00:00:52] We got some listener questions. We do. This is a weird timing episode. Yes, because we literally recorded two days, two days ago, but with tommy being out of town for a while, we figured if we did it this way we would have at least one with me in it while I’m gone, only one without you while you’re gone is how I was looking at it. Well, that’s a blessing, right? Yes, in disguise- not sure how to take that- no, it’s good, we like having you here. Oh, I thought you were saying the opposite. No, like it.

[00:01:26] When I’m not here. No, because then I don’t have to talk as much when you’re here, because dave’s usually pretty quiet. Sorry, I’m sorry, he’s looking at facebook or something on his phone, I think. We know I forgot to turn on airplane mode. Oh, no big deal. Yeah, because you’ll get yelled at even though the host one of the hosts. We’re all one of the hosts, by the way, one of the other hosts, who’s all?

[00:01:50] Right, we’re safe. Now, who’s not you I’m not gonna call Ron will complain about your phone not making noises, but then his phone always makes noises. Do you have a point? That was it okay. Good, so is that it? That was all, that’s it okay. Before we get into questions, do you want to provide our

[00:02:07] Listeners with an update. So it’s odd because it’s only been two days since we recorded, but I feel as though in those two days we did more- rc- plane related yeah- than in the last huge update. Really, to be honest. Well, you guys got a lot done. It’s a big update and tommy got more done than I did, because tommy’s the one that does all the shrike. Oh, that, yeah. So last time we talked about the- the shrike that I’m taking to sell in dayton if it doesn’t go in toledo, I told you I’m going to be getting those mixed up. We’re starting with it in toledo and then, if it doesn’t get sold there,

[00:02:39] It’ll go into to dayton, but anyway. So it’s the smaller series, the smaller size, size shrike, linear shrike, that had trying to think what was wrong with it. It had the rear stab knocked off and the motor was hole in the wing. Oh, there was a, and the engine was locked in the covering, not the covering right. So last episode, two days ago, tommy decided to take it home and then the day after that, friday, he showed me a video, sent me a video of the engine running, runs good and get everything.

[00:03:14] Put back together and brought it to me that next day yeah runs good as all webers do so what all.

[00:03:19] All did you do to it? So I freed up- obviously freed up the engine and ran it, and so I found some covering that actually matched. It’s a metallic yellow actually, really yeah, I don’t know if it’s.

[00:03:30] Ultra code or what’s the other one I’m trying to think. I think that was monoco that did the. This was definitely. This was definitely not monoco, because it had the white backing and white backing.

[00:03:40] At any rate, I found some that matched cover right. Then, oh, that could be, it could be cover right. Yeah, because it was thick, it was a very that sounds like cover. I, king, anyway, found some of that in my stash that matched it likely came out of the same dumpster that the airplane came out of. Now that I think about it, that would make sense then, yeah, because I didn’t have very much just enough to do that and it was brittle also, so that was fun to work with. But, yeah, patched up the covering, freed up the engine and ran it and just oh, and I fixed the stab, the vertical stab, put that back on.

[00:04:14] And made it presentable so now if should you decide to keep it’s worth keeping I thought about it.

[00:04:21] But it’s nitro. I know, like when I originally got it from you- or however, you want to say that for good from the dumpster- that my plan was to make it electric. Yeah, and I’m going to be honest, that’s a project I don’t want to deal with, especially because it’s together, so I don’t want to go through.

[00:04:42] The hassle. That’d be a- I don’t want to say a difficult project, but because of the size of the flight back, yeah, battery. So probably best that you leave it nitro and let someone else enjoy it and you get your wonder kit. Yeah, and you got- I know- I keep forgetting about that- that you can start from scratch, basically, and build that however you like it to match your power system. So, yep, so.

[00:05:08] So the only thing that needs now is a receiver yeah it needs a receiver and a tank and a tank yeah.

[00:05:13] There was no tank in it and I didn’t have any tanks small enough to fit in it otherwise I would.

[00:05:18] Put one in there. I think it’s a two ounce. Yeah, it’s tiny. I think I got rid of all my tanks actually. Yeah, I think I was never gonna use it. Thank you, it was either you or you said you didn’t want some of them, so they went to brian’s. Oh, okay, that’s right. Yeah, because I have a. You have a plethora.

[00:05:34] Of tanks, of large apparently, I think so yeah, just no small ones. Yeah, so anyway, but be a fun. Airplane. Strike is done. It should be fast. That little engine screams. It did pretty good, and that was a nine seven prop too, not a nine six that you would normally put on something that small. Yeah, so it was cranking on a big prop. Yeah, I should have, I should have tacked it, but it sounded like it was 12, 13 000. It’s up there anyway. Good airplanes for somebody else, the other very exciting.

[00:06:08] Thing that I was happy about friday we got the jet started we got the jet started several times.

[00:06:16] Yes it has four what I would call nominal runs on it been watching spacex yes.

[00:06:24] That’s about the only time I ever hear that nominal trajectory but I mean no hiccups no.

[00:06:31] Anomalies of any kind so yep no ruds definitely no ruds that’s yeah rapid unscheduled disassembly.

[00:06:41] It was. No, it was a good nerve-wracking. At first it was with you. Yeah, me too, because I, because it’s not mine, that should make it better. Well, I don’t know, it’s weird. I feel some sort of.

[00:06:56] Responsibility when I’m sort of running the show. But, yeah, exactly. Well, I did all the reading, so I knew what I was. I think I would say I knew what I was doing. I get the gist of it, but with

[00:07:11] Something like that. I learned better by watching and doing under somebody else’s tutelage as opposed to reading, right? So if you were happy reading and figuring it out, then that was which I was, because

[00:07:23] That, that sort of the tinkering that makes me tick, yeah. So yeah, four good runs on it. I would say: good runs loud, yeah, loud when you’re next to it. Yeah, forgot to put my earplugs in once.

[00:07:35] In the video. Yeah, that you posted on youtube. There’s a video on youtube of running. That’s no talking, just a quick start up and shut down. Yeah, I think it was like four minutes from start to end. Yeah, but no it.

[00:07:49] Was smoky only on shutdown and startup. Yeah, I guess that’s. I mean that’ll get better maybe. Maybe that’s normal, but it seemed. It seemed excessive to me. On shutdown it did a little excessive well.

[00:08:03] Have you seen like jet meets and stuff, when people run not kerosene, but when they actually run diesel it’s smokier than kerosene. Okay, so I mean that didn’t really concern me too much. I mean, there’s a lot of times, especially bigger turbines, when I’ve seen them shut them off and it.

[00:08:21] Just I mean it very smoky so you think that’s the difference between kerosene and diesel then.

[00:08:26] Yeah, kerosene burns cleaner. Ah, and why are we not running kerosene in yours? Because it’s not as easily accessible? Oh, okay, I mean honestly, you can run. Either you can run jet fuel, which I think is just a different form of kerosene and then like a more refined- maybe I don’t know- kerosene, like I said, or you can run diesel, which is, I mean seriously, from eli. It’s less than a mile away at the gas station that’s up there and you send your turbine in every 25 hours to be regardless of clean.

[00:09:00] And taken care of so okay there’s no from what I’ve been told there’s no ill side effects to using diesel.

[00:09:06] Well you are. You are about 10 minutes closer now to rebuild. Yeah, 25 hours should that should be a while. That’s what depends on how much we fly. Hopefully it’s a lot. 10- That’s 10 bucks an hour.

[00:09:22] I guess, is what it cost me to run that thing just in rebuild costs right? Did I do that math correct? 20, 250 Bucks is what it costs. Yeah, so 10 bucks. Yep, that’s not bad, not bad at all. Could you fly what?

[00:09:36] 15 20 Minutes at a time maybe probably not even probably closer to 10 yeah honestly so yes it’ll.

[00:09:42] Be good I think so that’s a lot of flights yeah pretty exciting 40 flights something like that yeah.

[00:09:48] It will be a bunch. Yeah, with four, four good starts under your belt, I mean you feel pretty, pretty comfortable. It’s easy. I mean it is. It does everything for us. Yeah, it’s just a push button and go, not even that. You just run the trim all the way up and run the throttle, stick up to full power and back and it does everything from there. Just it. It handles the whole startup procedure, which is really cool and it sounds it’s fun to watch too. On the, on the gsu, that’s what that’s called. Yeah, it’s fun to watch because it’ll tell you what stage of the startup it is too. I didn’t show you.

[00:10:22] That, but no, I didn’t see as I was watching it would display what phase of the startup is happening, which is pretty cool. Oh, that is neat. So that’s when I knew when to look for flames and

[00:10:32] And such. Yeah, nice, and I could see them. It was awesome because you could hear- and it must be like a spark plug that’s in it, not like a glow plug, because I could hear the clicking of it and I’m assuming that’s what I was hearing. So, yep, yeah, it was kind of cool trying to light the and then wine love to.

[00:10:51] Hear that at the airport here at the f4s click yep well this is a lot.

[00:10:56] Quieter than those, I assume, but yeah, still the same, still loud if you’re not wearing earplugs, which is neat. Yeah, yeah, like I said I was, I was happy with how that went down. Now, unfortunately, the jet is stored in the garage just because I don’t want to get the diesel smell and stuff all in here. But we’ll see how that goes. It might end up living in here over the winter time. I would say when you.

[00:11:17] Defuel it probably should be okay the uat still is fill or is still full oh is it because it pulls.

[00:11:24] After it pulls the fuel- oh right, the main tank- then it pulls it from the uat, which fills from the top. So I mean I guess we could flip it over. I mean I don’t know if it matters that much.

[00:11:35] I mean the only place you’re going to get the smell is out of the vent.

[00:11:42] That’s true. I mean just cap that, because the uat is, yes, it’s all sealed, so I guess I could just get a cap, like you said, for the vent on the bottom. Anyway, it’s done, it’s ready to go almost.

[00:11:56] Almost right well technically it could fly well that’s true you could lock the gear down.

[00:12:00] That’ll be fixed by next time we speak I just have not got the gear yet so cool.

[00:12:09] What else? Oh yeah, I, yeah, I tinkered around with the beast just this morning. Actually you gave me the gizmo like what it’s called amp meter. Amp meter, that’s it. Plug that into one battery because it only has one lead on it. And I ran- when I say ran, I turned the airplane on and ran all the servos and like, got really violent with the sticks trying to, and I even put my hand on a couple of the surfaces to try to provide some resistance. And with one battery, the

[00:12:40] Most I ever saw was 7.8 Something amps, so just call it eight amps. And then when I plugged in the second battery, so that was just running one battery through the amp meter, right, yeah, so the.

[00:12:53] Amp meter only has one in one out so you didn’t use a second battery at first to save the complete.

[00:12:59] Draw, exactly okay, and then when I plugged in the second battery, as expected, it halved all of those numbers. So, worst case scenario, the amp draw- I’m just going to call it- four amps per battery, yeah, which is a little more than I’d like to see across those jst connectors. But, if I’m honest, I don’t fly that way, like I don’t. I don’t fly with the. That’s an intermittent load, yeah, so it’s not constant. I feel pretty comfortable that one battery would be enough, however, because it

[00:13:32] Makes me feel better, I’m going to leave the two batteries in there. Yeah, I do a lot of that kind of stuff. Yeah, because it makes me feel, yeah, and so I, like I said, I’m pretty sure it would fly fine with one battery, because I did switch the thing over to volts and I watched the voltage when I was moving the sticks around and putting some resistance and with one battery I never saw the voltage get below. I want to say it was either five, five, six, five, five, or maybe it was six. It was five, five. Never saw it get below that with one battery. And then when I plugged in the battery it never got.

[00:14:07] Below six and a half. So, and you also said those batteries were at, yeah, they were at storage charge, yeah. So, yeah, I feel sorry. LiPos or those, those are like lithium ions, lithium ions, yep. So they’re, they’re, they’re, they’re. I think they might be labeled incorrectly, because I think lithium ions are seven, two and LiPos are seven four, two cell I mean, but these are labeled seven, four, but they’re, they’re actually a lithium, lithium ion chemistry. So, either way, plenty, plenty of battery. So it’ll be.

[00:14:39] Interesting when I top those batteries off and do a 15 minute or so flight to see how much I’m actually pulling out of them capacity wise. Yeah, because these are 2500 milliamp packs and I feel like that’s going to be plenty. And they’re nice and lightweight too, maybe. I mean, I mean, what do I like? Normally I go to the field and I fly what? Two or three times and that’s usually I’m done, true? Yeah, so I think I think 2500 will be played, but my plan is to, once I get to the field with it, do a range check.

[00:15:11] Just to make me feel that much better, do that one flight and then check them, recharge them either at the field and see how much I actually put back in. Then I’ll feel a lot better about.

[00:15:23] How much I can fly with them you’re sticking with that receiver you’re not putting the power safe in.

[00:15:28] I mean I. So in the 20 or so minutes that I had it on this morning and running all the surfaces and all that, no frame. Now, granted, I was close, like you mentioned in the in the text, we were going back and forth, but no frame losses and no holds. And I even unplugged it and plugged it back in several times different. I tried to be like slow plugging it back in and then I tried to plug it in because I’m not using switches, yeah and I. There was no frame losses, no holds, so I

[00:15:59] Don’t know it could have been just some weird thing with the way I was plugging it in before but.

[00:16:06] No issues with it this morning. So I’m surprised you didn’t get holds on that. But, like I said, I guess it depends on what receiver you must be using. That’s what I assumed your holds last time: unplugging it, plugging it back in, that’s. That’s seeing a loss of signal, loss of communication. That was longer than the, the frames that it takes to just show single drops. So that’s why I went to a hold, but I don’t

[00:16:28] Know, maybe I’m wrong. Yeah, I could not. I could not repeat it. So, yeah, but yeah, the plan is I’m gonna leave that receiver in it, do a range check the very first time, yeah, before I fly it, just to make me feel that much better. But I’m gonna fly it the way. The way it is sounds fine to me. Yeah, so, and that unfortunately won’t be till. Yeah, it’s gonna be. It’s gonna be a while now. Yeah, because I’m gonna be gone for just shy of a month, so we’re in a weather hold now. Anyway, well, yeah, it’s so dang windy, except

[00:16:58] Except friday was nice for a little bit yeah it got pretty bad there towards the evening but.

[00:17:06] Yeah after we ran the jet you were actually able to fly a couple things I did maiden one I did I.

[00:17:11] Made in the umx consendo that thing flies great it really does yeah I’m not sure I want to destroy it.

[00:17:18] Now I don’t think you will and if you do I mean I mean it’s cheap enough I can get parts available.

[00:17:24] And parts. Yeah, but it does. It flies really, really nice. I like I, I flew, so I. I have two timers set up on my transmitter. I have a what I call a motor timer and then just a regular on timer and what’s.

[00:17:37] Your motor timer start at like is it anything over a certain percent what do you have that set to do you.

[00:17:41] Oh, 25. Okay, me too. So when I get the throttle stick above 25 it turns the timer on, and then when I pull the throttle off it shuts the timer off. So I know, because it’s a glider, yeah, exactly, motor glider, so on. I think it was three and a half ish minutes of motor time. I got like ten and a half minutes of actual flight time, yeah, which for an electric little umx is pretty dang good. I’d say, yeah, and you were up there. Yeah, and it doesn’t take long to get there. No, it’s like straight, vertical. No.

[00:18:11] Issues. Yeah, yeah, it’s a good airplane, it is I. I like it a lot. Only problem we had, and just in general the way the wind was going, is it was landing. That thing was landing with a tail- tail.

[00:18:22] Because the weight? Yeah, because, looking back, I probably should have just done circles above and then landed away from me and walked down, got it, but it worked out. That would have been a good idea.

[00:18:32] Yeah can you program it to kick the ailerons up I sure can there you go and I did but oh did you.

[00:18:39] Yeah it’s still pretty floaty even with the ailerons up all I know is I was in the garage and I just.

[00:18:43] Heard, heads up, heads up. And I turned around and looked and I just saw the airplane go right by the garage. I started laughing because that was like the garage. The way it was set up was probably 50 feet, 40 feet behind where you were sitting, and so you made it past the garage.

[00:19:02] To the driveway, which is probably another. It didn’t make it quite to the driveway. Well, which driveway? Like the driveway going up to the garage or the driveway to the road? It was? It wasn’t in the driveway, it was in the, is it? It landed just ahead of it and then ran down.

[00:19:17] Into the ditch. Oh, okay, yeah, and by ditch you just mean like it’s not like an actual low spot right on the side of the road. But yeah, so that was a probably another 30 to 40 feet give or take.

[00:19:30] Yeah, it was a good ways. So, yeah, that was funny. Needs a drug shoot? Yeah, that well, I’m not sure a drug shoot would have helped because I was tailwind. Oh yeah, so, and that was a problem I had.

[00:19:40] The same problem trying to land the slow ultra stick. Yeah, because it floats so much too I literally half the battery. I was trying to land into the wind, but I just I could not get it to where I was happy.

[00:19:51] With how far away you had to get with it right I didn’t want to run into a tree or go again field.

[00:19:57] Because, thank you sorry, go into the field because I haven’t mowed the field this year, so it’s taller than the rest of the grass. Otherwise, if that would have been cut, no problems whatsoever. But yeah, oh.

[00:20:08] Well, still fun, life still had a good time. Flew the ultrax, that thing’s always a blast. Yeah, it’s a good airplane, yeah, except I don’t know what I did. I got a little too close to the ground or something, and oh yeah, you doinked it hard, I did. Yeah, I broke the nose and everything. Well, cracked it anyway.

[00:20:23] That’s fixed already so whatever would you just glue it up shugu yeah I don’t I don’t know what.

[00:20:30] Happened either I was surprised so glad you guys had fun friday I was just locked in my box sorry.

[00:20:39] Yeah, well, I took half day, so I was happy with that. Yeah, I didn’t expect you were gonna be like I. I forgot you’re off fridays. But, like I said, I ended up taking a half day because I knew this weekend was going to be shot. Yeah, completely out of the realm of doing anything. I really wanted to. Yeah, so I took.

[00:20:57] By the way the bathroom’s coming along nicely I gotta say by the time this goes live hopefully I’m.

[00:21:02] Done. Yeah, that would be sweet, but anyway. So I took half day and that’s why I was working on the jet stuff, because I wanted to get everything hooked back up, all the plumbing done and all that just in case we had a chance to- yeah, to run it sometime and worked out. Didn’t even think about it, but you- it sent me a text with the shrike video running it and I was like, oh, that means he’s working on stuff. And I was like, hey, what are you doing now? So I sent you a picture of me working on the jet. You’re like: are you home all day? Yeah, yes, I am all right. I’ll be out as soon as I’m done with my

[00:21:37] My chores so I was doing laundry so oh no biggie that’s fine I was wondering what you were doing.

[00:21:42] Because you said you had other things to finish up on but well I was also getting the mower ready.

[00:21:46] Because we’re getting pretty close to mowing season yeah it sucks doesn’t it yes I hate.

[00:21:51] That I gotta drop the deck on mine. I gotta change the blades on mine because I must have hit something last year and one of my blades is messed up that minor’s dolls could be. It rips of grass.

[00:22:02] Instead of cutting it you would think for a guy like me that loves to tinker would enjoy.

[00:22:07] That kind of no, I don’t not, even so. That’s not the tinkering you like. No, yeah, not even a little bit. I thought about just taking it somewhere and having to be honest and I got an idler. Probably it’s loose.

[00:22:20] Or it doesn’t pull hard enough so long grass it’s pools down it’s an 83 john deere I mean I mean it’s.

[00:22:28] Done in the best it can. But oh yeah, I think was it last year or the year before we bought ours, I think it was a year before. So it’s been two years without sharpening blades or doing anything, because I haven’t done anything on that one yet. So, yeah, so it’s gonna be major maintenance to drop.

[00:22:43] Mine that sucks two blades and figure out what’s going on with the idler pulley I’m gonna make.

[00:22:48] Lori, do ours cut your grass. You mean no work on the mower, are you really? She worked on it last year while I was gone. Yeah, because she had to, because you were gone, right, but she did a great job, so I’ll just have her do it right. Here’s youtube. I’m gone exactly. Yeah, I’d like to have.

[00:23:05] Crystal cut the grass. She likes to cut the grass, but she doesn’t have as much time, like evening wise, as I do. Oh yeah, she works late and stuff, so, and not gonna lie, she takes like twice as long to cut.

[00:23:18] And so I’m. I’m terrible, like I look at that as well. Airplane money but that well, I see. No, I mean not really, but yeah, because it ends up. I think when I cut I figured out it ends up costing us about 15 bucks for me to cut our grass each time we do it. It costs twice for her to do it because, yes, it takes her, she just moseys. It’s so fun to watch it like she just gets into his own, she’s happy and I’m like as fast as this thing will go. That’s how I cut the whole time and I’m done.

[00:23:48] My wife’s not even allowed to touch the tractor. Last time she drew she plowed into the side of the garage with it. It backfired. It hit so hard. Oh, it’s hydrostatic. She doesn’t quite understand.

[00:24:02] Is it? Pedal operator? They got. It’s got the lever. Yeah, yeah, our neighbor had the. I’m trying to think it might have been an old, old 8n, like not the one I have, but one that he had before I had that one- and his wife was driving it for the first time, so she’d never driven a tractor. And this is a clutch, an old clutch tractor, which tractors are made to give more throttle when it needs more power, so it doesn’t die if you’re pulling a plow or something like that, and so she was driving it.

[00:24:33] I think the first time she ever drove it and didn’t know how to stop and went into their barn- oh geez, which bigger tractor that doesn’t just die when that happens. So she’s sitting there and the wheels are just spinning on the concrete, on the concrete and the front of the tractors on the back of the barn, and just she didn’t know how to shut it off. It’s a wonder it didn’t go through the barn. Lucky, yeah. But yeah, I remember that was a fun, fun story anyway, all right, shall we get into some of these listener questions, I think, or do you have any other updates? Oh, I did want to do one.

[00:25:08] Thing it’s time for rc plane labs tool of the week the straight edge oh yeah I mean it’s very simple and.

[00:25:19] The reason that brought this up is I’ve been needing one longer than my foot one for a long time and I finally ended up going- when we were doing the, the bathroom stuff- went to menards and bought a three foot and a four foot straight edge and I was like, oh, this is perfect dual purpose. So now that’s one of my tools for down here. But I really like the. The one I got I don’t even know what it is, but it’s. It’s a four foot straight edge, but it’s kind of like it’s an ex. Hold on, let me try and say that again, it’s an extrusion to where it’s got a like an angled front, to where you can put your.

[00:25:53] Hands behind it and your hands are safe. Oh yeah, to where? If you don’t slice your fingertips, you don’t slide your fingertips off, nice. And then it’s got a anti-slip part on the bottom, so it’ll hold.

[00:26:06] Yeah, what you’re cutting too, which is kind of nice. Nice, that is nice. I’m, I feel like I’m due for a new one. Like I have a steel one- three footer- and an aluminum one, and then aluminum one’s nice because it’s lightweight, I can fling it around, yeah, yeah, but my steel one is pretty rough shape I’m. I feel like I’m due for a new one. Maybe I’ll go look at what you’ve gotten, yeah.

[00:26:28] Remind me before you leave which we’re both going to forget but yes it’s upstairs and I don’t think.

[00:26:33] It was more than 15 bucks. Okay, so it’s a: yeah, I use, I use this. So I’ve got a foot long. Also steel straight edge and I use those things all the time. Yeah, and the one I like the best. I have several. Actually, the one I like the best has both sae and metric on it, so you just flip it over if you need metric or vice versa. So I use them all the time and I also prefer the ones that start.

[00:26:59] With zero at the edge not that I know I what I own has got that little bump on the edge and.

[00:27:05] I have to take that into account a little eighth inch or whatever right exactly rounded corner or they.

[00:27:09] Don’t count that. Yeah, that’s annoying. That is annoying, so I like to be able to bump it up to against whatever I’m trying to measure from and that’s zero. Yeah, exactly, and that’s how it should.

[00:27:17] Be, yeah, and you can find them. They’re out there. You just have to be mindful of that when you’re shopping for them. So, yeah, but a lot of times, like for the longer ones, I don’t really care to use that for measuring, it’s more. I just need to cut something straight. Yep, so that’s perfect for that? I think so.

[00:27:33] Now with- although I do- I’m sorry, I do use the long one to align stabs, so I do use it, for I’m going to air quote measuring at that point, but that’s really just more to make sure one side matches the other, regardless of what the actual measurement is. So I do want marks on. It is what I’m saying, yeah.

[00:27:51] But I think now, so that I have the three foot and four foot, I also have a one foot and a six inch. The six inch one is actually pretty handy, more handy than I would have thought. I use that a lot, probably more than a foot long one, to be honest with you, okay. So anyway, that’s the straight edge, straight of the week. Simple, what do you? Got dave.

[00:28:10] I like straight edges. What do you use? I’ve got a one foot and an 18 inch steel rule with the cork back and those work nice, nice and they well. The one footer used to have markings on it. It doesn’t anymore. It now has a piece of sandpaper on it. Makes a nice.

[00:28:28] Oh, a sanding stick, yeah, yeah, I like the, I like the ones with the cork back. Yeah, because I’ve got one of those as well, kind of does what you were talking about doesn’t slip, yeah, and then I’ve got.

[00:28:39] A few pieces of steel banding that I use and those are nice because they’re flexible so you can run them around a wing. Nice, it’s kind of cool, and the steel banding seems to be pretty straight. I’m not sure it’s laser straight, but it’s close enough, yeah, and durable since it’s. You’re not gonna break it.

[00:28:55] Yeah you can’t cut into it with your knife either yeah like you can aluminum gotta be careful with.

[00:29:00] That yeah so yeah are we ready I think so oh geez I started to say tools listener questions so.

[00:29:10] We’ve got several of these yeah it’s been a while since we’ve done some listener questions been a long.

[00:29:14] Time since we’ve done some. I was reading through these and, like a few of these, some of them sound familiar. Yeah, I don’t remember if we actually talked about them on an episode or if we just looked at.

[00:29:23] These so many times planning on doing it I think that’s really more what it is because I don’t.

[00:29:27] Remember covering any of these so well, if we did, I’m going to apologize to everybody if we cover some of these again. If we did, hopefully our answers are the same. I’m sure they will be, but we’ll a little faux pas. Yeah, we’ll see. Yeah, who wants to go first? You want me to read the first one? Yes, please. So from justin. He says: quick question: what twin engine plane would you build if you had two os 50 sx engines? I really don’t care too much. Your scale looks just good, flying, sporty twin. Thanks.

[00:29:56] Love y’all’s show well shall we answer this all together because I think we all have the same.

[00:30:00] Opinion it’s all the same answer on the count of three one two three dualist I almost said something.

[00:30:06] Different, just to be weird. But yeah, the, the, the pika dualist from dave platt, I mean it’s, it’s easy to build we all. Well, Ron and I built one. You went electric, I went nitro. A pair of those 50 sx would make that thing scream, yeah. So I built three wings. It’s, it’s great you can. Yeah, you can.

[00:30:31] Build a straight wing without an adjuster jig. But yeah, well, and so here’s a good thing too, I guess. If you decide to build a dualist for these or for your engines, we have build log on the website. That’s right. You can go through and follow through and see what I messed up on. Well, you can see the.

[00:30:53] Differences too, the difference between what you did and I did. And I went all out and went with three tracks and tuned pipes and you kind of went the opposite end, went with electric for simplicity.

[00:31:04] And it flies awesome actually not for simplicity it’s because I like electric better.

[00:31:09] Because they are simple it is yeah you just turn them on you don’t have to tune or anything like.

[00:31:13] That yeah so you could say that’s simpler right and then I also went with a tail dragger design.

[00:31:18] That’s right which I like that better too which is also simpler than the tricycle retractable gear.

[00:31:23] That I went with and lighter and much lighter what sucks though yours was faster.

[00:31:29] By a couple of mile an hour, like it wasn’t much. No, and honestly, if I really wanted to tune it and try to figure it out, we could probably have a better race. I think so because I could get more.

[00:31:40] Out of mine too I think yeah I could probably get more out of mine though you could get more.

[00:31:46] More out of yours more out of mine I don’t know maybe later this summer that we should.

[00:31:52] Revisit that yeah let’s put that on mark that our things to do that we won’t do all right so.

[00:31:59] I’ll go next. This is from travis. Hello, fellas. I’m currently in the middle of episode 95, which has been great so far. You guys definitely make my awful commute much better. Well, thanks, we appreciate that. Also. He says episode 93, when you had dave and Reggie on and you guys were just chopping it up a bit, reflecting and basically having a field chat via the podcast, was great. I think the occasional episode with recent flight stories, good banter and all that comes with it would be wonderful one.

[00:32:31] Question I have as I’m charging batteries. Before you get to the question, that’s kind of what we’ve turned into. So, yeah, that’s well, that was. That was a lot of the feedback we got was people most, it seemed like mostly just wanted to hear us make fun of each other. So one question I have as I’m charging batteries, so more aimed at Ron, I suppose, correct: how do you transport your batteries- batteries to and from the field? I have a charging bag for when I’m charging them, in case that wasn’t painfully obvious, but also have a LiPo safe bag that I typically store them in. I only have 11.

[00:33:02] Batteries at the moment and use only four with the plane I’m flying currently, but I bring my bag with all batteries to the field because I’m new to electric and started with nitro, so this is new territory. Can I just toss the batteries I’ll be using in a bag and have at it, or should they be transported in some sort of a LiPo safe container? Thanks for any information. Love the show. Please don’t ever quit. Don’t ever. Don’t ever quit. So well, we’re not planning on quitting I’ll. I can answer that one. We’re not planning on quitting anytime soon. I have no interest. I’d keep showing.

[00:33:35] Up there you go but as far as transporting your batteries Ron so I have a few more than 11 batteries.

[00:33:43] Not a lot, but I have multiple storage bags that I carry them in or that I keep them in: 3s, 4s, 2s- I think 6s is what I have separate ones for each one to store them in when I’m going to the field. I have another bag that I put whatever batteries I need in to take with me. So they are.

[00:34:05] Always in a LiPo safe bag yeah I like to live on the edge I just throw the ones I need in my flight.

[00:34:13] Bag and off we go now, which is funny because you have actually had a problem with the LiPo fire when you were at the field. Granted, it was when you were charging, but still, yeah, I think when

[00:34:24] They’re just in static state. They’re pretty safe. Yeah, the only thing I can see is if you’re an accident and things happen, so really ideally you should put them in some sort of LiPo safe bag, like I said.

[00:34:40] They’ll just like live on the edge. Yeah, so me personally. Normally I fly with smaller batteries because most of my electric stuff is umx type size, with the exception of the electro streak, which is 3s, 1500 or 2100 or whatever. Those are 22 maybe. Yeah, so what I do is I charge them at home while I’m getting ready to go to the field, or the night before getting stuff ready on a ceramic plate, so I don’t actually charge them in a bag, but I do have a kevlar bag that I will.

[00:35:13] Take them to the field in. So I will put the batteries that I’m planning on flying that day in that bag, seal it up real nice, and then put that in the car with the, with the airplanes. That’s how I.

[00:35:25] Take my batteries to the field, see what you can see. I’m sitting back here on the table. What do you consider that like? It’s a bag. It’s a bag, but it’s it’s got a shoulder strap on it and the whole thing. The whole top unzips like three of the four sides, like a lunchbox or something. Yeah, what I like about that is, first off, they’re cheap. They’re small. I think they’re 12 bucks a piece, maybe 13 on amazon. They’re smaller, so I don’t keep every battery in it, because my thought is if one battery goes bad, they’re all going to go bad if something happens inside of that case. So I don’t want three.

[00:36:02] Four hundred dollar batteries, three or four quantity: one hundred dollar batteries right in a single case, because if something happens they all go bad. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Exactly, that’s a good. Don’t put all your LiPo batteries in one basket, because that way so.

[00:36:19] If you take three batteries to the field you take three bags no going to the field I will.

[00:36:24] Have more. Oh, but you’re saying for storage. But when I store them at home, I prefer not to keep all of them in a single one. Yeah, like I said, just because of the chances, if something does happen, I’d rather lose a 12 bag than four hundred dollars worth of batteries. Yeah, yeah, no, I get that makes.

[00:36:42] Sense. When I’m traveling, I’m using more than two or three batteries. I will throw them in my ammo cans and travel with more batteries in the ammo can well, and for me, putting them in bags like.

[00:36:55] That is easier for transport. You can just throw them over your shoulder. It’s got a handle on top. It’s easier to carry than trying to carry them. And like the flat pack LiPo safe charging bag thing, yeah, like I got. Yeah, oh, is that what you use? Yeah, see, it’s just a big kevlar bag with a yeah, with the.

[00:37:13] Shut. Yep, yeah, for home I keep. So I kind of do the same thing you do. But I have a bat safe box which is a big white steel box that’s insulated and all that has a picture of a bat like the animal on the top. So I keep my all of my smaller- pretty much 1300 and below. I keep all of those in that and then my big batteries I keep in separate drawers of my refrigerator. Okay, I have a refrigerator.

[00:37:45] Downstairs that’s just yeah for sodas and stuff like that and extra and that’s where I keep my.

[00:37:51] Larger LiPos. I used to do that, but I don’t anymore, just out of laziness. I mean honestly that, because when I need a battery, it’s it’s here as opposed to, oh, I see out in the garage. Yeah, well.

[00:38:02] My fridge is down in my shop area. Well, and I should think- because we have one down here too- that I could use, but honestly I don’t think. Yeah, I mean, there’s lots of, lots of different ways to skin.

[00:38:12] The cat so to speak yeah I got two ammo cans big batteries in one small batteries in the other.

[00:38:17] One. Yeah, and honestly, like I keep all my 1s batteries and like the 150s and even the 500s for the ultrax and stuff. I keep those in a plastic container because I mean I don’t really think there’s a big chance of any of those go on and if they do I’m still not out a ton of money, right. But I keep all of those in a little almost like a pencil case. Yeah, like the kids have the top open, yeah, just like that, and then most of the time- not always most of the time- that gets put inside.

[00:38:49] One of those LiPo bags. So, yep, that answered that question. So there you go. Thanks, travis, for that question. Dave, you’re up, you can take the next one. Canny, if I can get through this, if you.

[00:39:02] Want to if you don’t want to from john. Hi guys, I’m a late comer to your podcast and I’ve started at the beginning and listened to them in order, up to episode 33 or so now, which I am so sorry for the

[00:39:14] Early episodes john I know yeah I don’t even listen to them because I just I cringe thinking.

[00:39:19] About it. Thomas mentioned a couple times about joining balsa sheeting with tight bond or other alphidic resin glues and I’m just wondering if he’s tried, since he’s so old school.

[00:39:31] Not sure how to take that- he’s squirming in his chair or using sigment or ambroid type glues for this purpose. Instead, I tend to use these glues anytime I’m joining wood pieces that will have an exposed glue joint on the finished surface of the airframe. This glue comes closest to sanding, at the same rate as balsa. In my experience, I still end up with raised glued lines if I use alphidic resin glues for the sheeting joints. I’m really enjoying the podcast. Keep it up. My only gripe is I get distracted by what you guys are talking about and don’t get much work done.

[00:40:04] On my build, as I should. Thank you, john, understand that. So to answer john’s question: no, I have not ever used segment or ambroid. I know what it is. I used to fumes, yeah, and that’s what I was going to say. That’s that’s why I don’t use it, because they are pretty stinky. We used to sell the stuff. Dave and I both used to work in hobby shops and we used to sell ambroid all the time. Today, ambroid and segment- both yeah, and I was always put off by the smell. You could just open your case. It’s like, oh, it’s got the segment in it, yeah, so no, I’ve never used it, but if it does,

[00:40:39] Sand better than the than the aliphatic resin that I use maybe I should try it yeah it’s worth.

[00:40:46] A shot but I like the low odor me I don’t see much difference myself yeah and I’ve never like I said.

[00:40:52] I’ve never used this, the segment, or ambroid. I don’t know how much working time it gives you, but I’m comfortable with the amount of working time. That tight bond or yellow carpenters, and so much easier to get and it’s easy to clean up too. Yeah, water based so, but no, I may, who knows, maybe I’ll.

[00:41:09] Try it I’m gonna dig around somewhere I think I got a SIG a ambroid somewhere probably half dried up.

[00:41:16] Metal tube if it hasn’t ate its way through the tube all right well thanks john maybe I will.

[00:41:23] Try ambroid one day? Probably not. I can’t say. Let’s be honest here, it’s stinky. Okay, next one. I’ll read this one because it’s very, very short. Oh, but this is a good one. Yeah, ray says, hey y’all, there’s a lot of y’alls. I’ve noticed many people say that yeah, it must be from the south, maybe. Anyway, hey y’all, I need to upgrade my transmitter. What would you suggest? I’m using a dx6I now. I love the show.

[00:41:49] Thanks. Well, ray, I mean- and not to be snarky, but how much can you afford? I mean, that’s really kind of what it boils down. How much can you afford, how long do you want to stay in the hobby and what are your goals are you gonna do? You want to fly big, crazy scale airplanes like war birds and stuff? You’re going to need more channels. It’s basically what do you need, yeah, yeah, so I mean anything with a spectrum label on it. That’s, that’s more than a dx6I, I think, would be a solid choice.

[00:42:19] I fly a nine I’d be happy with an eight but the nine is more capable yeah I was gonna say buy as.

[00:42:26] Many channels as you can comfortably afford, because it’s always better to have more than you need. I feel like, especially for setting up things like dual aileron servos, that requires two channels, not one, right, and if you get into big airplanes that use multiple servos on the same surface, having that extra channel available to plug that extra servo and to allow you to match them, as opposed to buying some aftermarket gizmo that you then have to put in your plane and carry.

[00:42:55] Around well, and with you, like with your ix 12, you’re able to separate all four of your aileron servos out on your beast, yep. So yeah, it’s always better to have more, right. I would. I would say honestly: eight would be the minimum, ten would be happier, and anything above that would just be.

[00:43:12] Icing on the cake. Yep, yeah, yeah, and the beast is a great example. There’s there’s four aileron servos. I have them plugged into four separate channels so I can and- and you don’t need an ix 12 to do this. The nx series radios will do this as well, probably maybe not as user-friendly like. If you’re used to the, the nx or the dx programming, you’ll find it very comfortable to use. But for me, the ix was easy to program because it’s touch screen. I can see what I’m doing right on the screen. But having

[00:43:45] The ability to plug all four of those servos into separate channels and get them matched as far as throws and all that has been wonderful, yeah, so yeah, I, I would, I would agree with what?

[00:43:56] You’re saying eight is kind of a minimum, I would say: and if you think you’re going to be in a hobby for a while and going to grow and expand, spend the money now so you don’t have to do it again later. Yeah, I would agree with that. I mean, I’ve been through a lot of incremental upgrades, upgrades, yeah, as I as I go through, until I finally got the one that I’m going to stick with for hopefully ever, and it would have been cheaper in the long run to do it just by going straight to what I have now, which is the x20. But that technology didn’t exist when you started.

[00:44:32] That’s true but it has been out for several years and it was out when I bought multiples of my.

[00:44:39] Previous ones too, yeah. So I was happy with my dx8 for many, many years until I started getting into these larger aerobatic type airplanes and I ran out of channels, I mean. Or I would have run out of channels had I not on the eight. Yeah, upgraded to the to 12 and that was just luck for me that worked out. But buy what you can afford and more channels is better, yeah, that.

[00:45:04] Would be, and it’s okay to look at used. I mean there’s nothing wrong with you. Yeah, mine was used or used transmitters. So was my 12, 12 yep when I bought it too. So, yeah, I’ve had. I’ve had no real.

[00:45:14] Issues with it. I mean, especially with the newer radios, that you can download firmware updates and things like that. That’s really pretty handy, like I haven’t had to send my transmitter to horizon for any reason. That we couldn’t solve right on the on the internet or on the website.

[00:45:34] Yeah, and that’s like I don’t. I should know more about, but I don’t remember what the differences are with the or what the names are. But when you get with spectrum radios, the ones that end in the e,

[00:45:45] I’m pretty sure the ones that end in the e just denote that they’re a little less expensive and they don’t have wi-fi or bluetooth built in. Oh, okay, that makes sense, because the new nx70 that has the, the white, yeah, and all that does not have wi-fi does not have okay, so you update it with a cable, big deal, right. Well, I mean, let’s be honest, the wi-fi is kind of nice. We are spoiled. Yes, because we know Ron doesn’t like plugging things in. I mean, he’s got a point, he’s got a very valid point and

[00:46:16] One of the things, too, that I’m spoiled with on the, the ix20 se, that I didn’t think I was going to like, but I really do like. It has a camera built in for taking pictures of your airplane, whereas beforehand I have to get my phone out, take a picture, share it via bluetooth- well, I would upload it to google drive and then download it on google drive on the. Oh, it’s much easier to share it via bluetooth. Well, it’s much easier to just take a picture with your transmitter. Yeah, I get that anyway.

[00:46:43] But anyway, yeah, buy, buy what you can afford and do yourself a favor and get as many channels as you can now so you’re not upgrading later, right, spending money again. It’s better to have them and not.

[00:46:54] Need them than need them and not have them. Yeah, I’ve maxed a nine out multiple times, or you could have used a ten. No, I’ve always been able to get away with the nine. No, no, I’m not saying you couldn’t, couldn’t get away with it, right, but I’m saying you would have been able to.

[00:47:11] Expand and use a 10 channel or something like that. Right, yeah, right, nine has gotten by, but it would have been nice to have that extra channel or two. Yeah, so there you go. Honestly, the best radio.

[00:47:23] Right now that’s not stupid expensive would probably be like the ix14.

[00:47:29] Yeah but well that’s still a fairly expensive radio I mean in the grand scheme of things that’s.

[00:47:34] And the but depends on what you’re flying if you’re well no I mean I get that but that’s a.

[00:47:39] Decent airplane cost, right, yeah, so yeah, but I mean you can get the nx20 for, I think, just a little bit more right, a couple hundred bucks more, I think, and then you’ve got 20 channels as opposed to 14. Yeah, but I look at the nx as a not as nice of a radio. Well, I mean, nice is relative right. So the nx20, it will not do as much the it’ll do as much programming as the ix will. It’s just not. The interface isn’t as nice like. If you are, if you’re already used to dx style programming. And when I say

[00:48:16] Dx style programming. I’m talking about the scroll wheel and scrolling through the menus and stuff. If you’re already proficient at that, the nx20 is a great option. I think tommy’s opinion though.

[00:48:26] True so I would personally go with ix though only because having used it both the dx and the ix it’s.

[00:48:35] The ix is like: so don’t buy an ix if you ever plan on downgrading, because you will not want to, right, but you won’t have to once you’re spoiled. Yeah, you are spoiled for any other radio. Okay, I think we beat that one up. Who’s? Oh, I guess I’m up. All right, this one’s from mark. He says: what are some tips on ensuring a successful maiden flight? What are the most critical things to look for so as not to crash a newly built airplane? Good question, have someone?

[00:49:06] Else look it over for you yeah having a set of eyes goes a long way for sure yep especially if it’s.

[00:49:11] Somebody that’s experienced, like maybe another club member or somebody that maybe has taught you to fly. Have that person look airplane over. That’s great advice. Well, I had you look.

[00:49:23] Over the jet before we started that up and one of the things you caught was the, the plugs for the retracts. One of them was plugged in backwards, which was on purpose, was correct, but that is something. But I did notice that you would notice on somebody else’s airplane or somebody else should notice on yours when they’re looking at it. Yeah, but yes, for some reason, on that- the main gear, they were different than the nose gear, yep, and they were backwards. So when I looked online it said: just plug.

[00:49:52] It in opposite yep and mark. By the way, on our website we do have a pre-flight checklist that we put together a while back, yeah, and that it kind of covers every flight, not specifically maidens, but there’s a lot of good information on that checklist. Yeah, stuff to look at, correct, and I think

[00:50:13] Though for a before your maiden needs to be a little bit more in depth oh absolutely than a regular.

[00:50:18] Pre-flight yeah go through it from nose to tail tighten every single screw check everything yep and.

[00:50:24] He asks: what are, what are the most critical things to look for? Aileron direction- that’s, that’s number one. That is that it seems to be that’s the number one killer, because you can fly with a with a CG kind of. That’s too far after, too far forward. You can get away with that a lot- I don’t want to say easier, but you’ll have land from that. Yeah, ailerons backwards is usually not something you catch right away, like if you take off with them. Reversed it’s, it’s not.

[00:50:56] Something that connects in your brain to go backwards on the ailerons to try to save it you.

[00:51:03] Can’t do it. No, like. I mean like, because you, if you see it start to roll left when you turn right, you’re automatically just you’re going to give it more right, which is going to make it roll left more, and that’s just. I mean, yeah, by the time you realize what’s going on close to the ground, yeah, before you realize what’s going on, it’s usually upside down and on the ground, yeah. So, yeah, ailerons are.

[00:51:23] Number one, and then CG, I would say, is number two, yeah, and then they. And then, like these guys are saying, nose to tail, check every nut, every bolt, every screw, every glue joint, if you, if you can, especially if it’s something that you didn’t build like, if you bought a- yeah, a new to you, someone else put it together, time well spent. We cut daniel’s big stick with no screws in the throttle servo. Oh my gosh, really, yeah, they had vibrated out. Oh my goodness, how did that not make an episode? That’s, that’s a good find, actually. Yeah, nothing worse than a stuck wide.

[00:51:56] Open or even half throttle, no doubt. So yeah, that’s some of our sorry, some of our suggestions. Make sure those ailerons are going the correct direction and CG, but then that goes along with.

[00:52:09] An overall look of the airplane and then control throws make sure you set them per recommendations or.

[00:52:17] In your experience? Yep, yeah, that’s one thing I tend to not do as well as I should like. Yeah, control throws or pre-flights- oh, pre-flights I do. All the time I always run through make sure everything’s moving right, but control throws I always just kind of that looks about right.

[00:52:34] Well, but I mean to be fair, to be to be fair, you have enough experience to know what too much or not enough control, I guess throw looks like for a given airframe. I mean, let’s be honest, you’ve done well. It depends well. But I mean, at a glance you can tell if something, oh, that’s not nearly enough throw, I’m gonna need more for at least for the first flight. Like looking up the

[00:52:57] Glider stuff. When I was setting up the tail on it, I was really surprised by how little they had set for even their max throw like. So much so that when I- because they gave you okay, so for the, just the elevator- I don’t remember what the actual numbers were, but it gave you throw for low and throw for high, which is normal to me- the high looked so low I actually set an extra high to where it’s on a three position switch to actually give me some movement. Yeah, but obviously

[00:53:31] They know what they’re talking about. So you would hope- I hope- to not have to use mine and it flies fine on low and what I call medium now, but we’ll see yep. So yeah, if you have the specs for that.

[00:53:44] Particular airframe. Yeah, follow them, follow them. Somebody figured them out exactly. Yeah, they spend a. These companies spend a lot of time on r and d when they’re developing these airplanes. Hopefully.

[00:53:56] So that they’ve got all the one that seems to be wrong is center of gravity a lot yeah I read that.

[00:54:01] A lot that the cgs are way off, yeah, yeah, and I wonder if that just has to do with the type of flying people like to do, because the rearward CG will snap better, it will be more responsive. But for somebody that just wants to- and I don’t want that on my first flight, true, yeah, so I don’t know, so there.

[00:54:20] You go. Okay, dave, you’re up. What do I always get the long ones? You want me to read it. I know it’s all right. Okay, jerry says hi, Ron, and dave and Tom. Yeah, I recently- a month or so ago- found your podcast and enjoy it very much. I also met you and Tom at last year’s toledo show. Nice, nice, hello. We’ll be going back very soon. Well, most of us. Ten days, nine days, something like that. As I’m catching up on episodes, I started listening to number 54, where the trimotor project was introduced. Oh god, oh boy, I didn’t see.

[00:54:55] Any additional shows about this project by scanning the episode descriptions. During the episode there was discussion on how to achieve the corrugated aluminum finish. I ran across youtube channel a while back from the rc twins and discovered a few planes with- I think that’s aluminum duct tape and how to make the corrugated look. Anyway, if the project is still moving forward, have a look. I included the link to the episode. The corrugated segment is around the 1620 mark. Good luck with the

[00:55:25] Project and keep the podcast going as it gives me something to listen to during my commute to and from.

[00:55:30] Work cool. Well, thanks for the kind words, jerry. As far as the Telemaster is concerned, trimotor- I’m sorry, trimotor, we, we still want to do it. We still want to do it very badly, but I think I can’t speak for Ron but for myself. I think motivation is, is probably my biggest issue. It’s going to be such a big project and require a lot of balsa that we don’t currently have in our position. I think it’s.

[00:56:04] Time for that to stop being the excuse and we just need to move on and start like I’m serious, like I, I still want to do it very I do too. A lot of things have shiny, shiny, this shiny that have come in into our purview. Yeah, that have derailed us. Yeah, but that needs to be a winter project coming up very soon, but we keep getting projects. Well, we need to stop that with. With this year of simplification, hopefully selling stuff, less projects, all that kind of stuff we should be good. You’re caught up at this point with I am like I, so currently do not have anything on the table.

[00:56:40] Except for your glider project. Well, yeah, but if we can get to that level of everything is completed by fall, slash winter, yeah, that might be something we at least start on. Yeah, I mean, it’s gonna be a big.

[00:56:55] Project. There’s no reason we shouldn’t big rewards to it. Yeah, huge rewards. I’m gonna learn 44 inches, right, yeah, but anyway, regarding the youtube, I have not watched it- that from rc twins- but I will actually, because, yeah, we’re looking for, we’re still, we’re still kind of.

[00:57:17] Brainstorming on how we were going to make that, that corrugation. Yeah, we had toyed with the idea of doing some vacuum forming and some styrene angle. So, yeah, I will definitely check it out. That’s on our 10-year to-do list, right? Well, hopefully it doesn’t take that long. I mean at that point you’re.

[00:57:39] Getting into soft with camel project or I forgot about that mine’s still in the box so you’re at.

[00:57:45] Least further ahead than mine, true? So much for everything being on your bench. So next one: I’ve been listening on and off for a while now and really enjoy the information you guys put out as I progress and learn, or learn more about the hobby. I got my dad back into the hobby in 2019 as a way for he and I to spend time together and he and my grant, or as he and my grandfather did back in the 80s. My grandfather passed away in 2016 and since we have been flying and putting together a few our planes, we have reminisced and shared so many stories about my grandfather. It has been a great

[00:58:20] Hobby for me and my father. Sorry, it’s been a great hobby for my father and I to spend time together. We have landed home so we fly. Oh my god, it’s almost like I need my glasses for this, but now I can’t. We have landed home to fly, so we started on a simulator and umx planes. We now have progressed a little and joined a local club to gain more knowledge. Cool, we enjoy the foam planes from 42 to 60 inches and have a few our planes that we are trying to transition to. We still mostly fly with

[00:58:51] An option to flip on the safe switch if need be. My question for you is how or is about setting up expo and dual rates on my ARF planes. I like how I can calm down the planes that are way cooler than the plane I should be flying. I am flying spectrum receivers and using a dx8e transmitter. Thanks again for all your content that you guys put out, brian. Wow, I ruined that one, but thanks, brian. The gist of it, yeah, expo and dual rates. I don’t know how to set those up on a dx8e but I think it’s the same.

[00:59:25] As any dx it’s dx series programming it’s not hard yep scroll and click yeah if it has a scroll wheel.

[00:59:34] Like, like the other dx8s which I’m I think it does. I don’t. I’m not familiar with the dx8e. I would assume it does. But yeah, you, you can actually. So the scroll wheel is it? It scrolls and you can also push it to select whatever it is you have highlighted in your menu. So, yeah, click and scroll. However, you get to the dual rate menu. It sounds like. It sounds like he kind of already has the basics. So I like to start with about, like, if it’s, let’s say, rudder, I’ll try to.

[01:00:06] Start with about 30 percent of expo, positive or negative, I can never remember which. I think it’s positive. Current spectrum series are positive. Okay, so that softens it up around the centers so you’re not over controlling with small stick movements. But yeah, the larger the percentage, the more calm air quotes. Again, it’ll be around center. Yeah, dens, the center of the stick. Yep, and there’s too much. There’s such a thing as too much of a good thing. Yeah, Reggie found that out. Yeah, 70, 70 is not an ideal number. Yeah, and now there are times when you probably could use.

[01:00:44] 70 As a real number yeah just not in this situation right depending on the plane depending on the plane.

[01:00:49] And the type of flying you’re you’re doing. But, yeah, and then dual rates always just follow. Manufacturers, yeah, yeah, spectrum and e-flight and hangar nine, and they all do a really, really good job, especially on the on the bind and fly stuff. They do a really good job of either giving you the programming, yeah, that you can download and plug into your transmitter, or in their instructions, they tell you what to set this dual rate at, what to set that dual rate out and.

[01:01:17] If you’re using triple rates because oftentimes they don’t give you those numbers right I usually just.

[01:01:21] Pick something in the middle. In the middle, yeah, yeah, put it on a three position switch, because- and the dx8e, I’m pretty sure you can assign those switches to, to whatever you want to control. I myself, I put all my dual rates on one switch, so you put it on a flight mode switch, or?

[01:01:36] I use flight modes yeah okay and I always split mine so what do you mean split yours elevators on.

[01:01:43] One switch. Rotor ailerons are on the other, so you don’t use flight modes. I don’t use flight mode switch and that’s, I think, because I started out with radios that didn’t have flight mode switches and I just never got into the habit of using them. I’ve only just recently started to experiment with

[01:01:57] That and I like it. So, for example, my ix12, I can well, I can go up to like I don’t think I’ve found a limit yet on how many flight modes you can actually program, but on the beast, for example, I have five set up, five flight modes really yeah. So I’m not going to get into it, but each flight mode is a specific type of flying. So like flight mode one is like takeoff, flight mode two is basically flight mode more, flight mode one with less elevator, so flight mode one for takeoff. I want a little bit, or.

[01:02:33] Landing. I want a little bit of a little bit more elevator control to control the flare, especially at high alpha low speed, because I like to do the three point landings like we talked about in the last episode. So flight mode one has more elevator than flight mode two, but everything else is the same. Flight mode three would be like a, would be like mid rates. Flight mode four is high rates. Flight mode five is high rates minus a little bit of rudder. That just seems way too complicated. That’s a lot of work.

[01:03:04] Yeah, yeah, I do like to split. In case in point on this, one is my f-105. The aileron rates listed were way too sensitive, okay, but the elevator was unsensitive. Oh, I got you. Yeah, so you can change them. So I was able to knock the ailerons down to low rates and keep high rates for the elevator, which, in that airplane, is a little weird in the fact that the ailerons and elevators are hooked together. Oh, that’s right, they’re mixed, yeah. So yeah, I definitely need to separate those.

[01:03:37] Yeah, and, and what it boils down to is personal preference. Yeah, so I, I like to have mine on one switch and dave likes to have his on separate switches, on five switches, six switches, whatever. No, do you do what? Do you put your router on another switch too? If I use a router rate, it’s on.

[01:03:54] Another switch and it’s a triple rate switch but I typically fly a hundred percent rudder all the.

[01:03:59] Time yeah so do I like I’ve never put rudders on a I have the option to turn it down yeah I just.

[01:04:05] Haven’t found a need for it, I guess, I don’t know. Typically I need a lot of rudder, especially my world one stuff, to just even get them to move around on the ground. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so I just get really used to flying high rate rudder. I do have some expo in it sometimes, if that’s more aggressive rudder, sure, but typically I just leave it on high rates and never change. There you.

[01:04:26] Go okay yeah so that’s a little bit about dual rates and how we all use them differently next oh.

[01:04:35] Correct answer? That’s true. There’s not. That is true. All right, so this one is from chris. He says: hello, guys, love the shows, love youtube as well, really enjoy the wealth of knowledge you guys share. So attempting to sneak back into rc planes under the wife’s nose, incorporating the grandson in the good luck with that, nice, nice, that’s a good strategy. It is. Use the kids. Yeah, I grew up with my father and older brothers flying control line and then transitioned to rc so I found the

[01:05:06] Podcast. After googling dualist mark 240, that’s one of my favorites. I had the kit but just found out it didn’t make the make it to the new house. Oh boo. But here I am. I have a hanger 960 spitfire, the hobby code twin star, and already built the hanger 9 cub. Put the cub together with old analog servos tied to my old Futaba setup. Question: are the old analog servos compatible with digital receivers and transmitters? It’s actually a good question. Already sold on the trying to. I’m sorry, already sold on.

[01:05:40] Trying to get cheap fr sky for the cub sooner or later and should I scrap my old setup? Also enjoy the great depth of detail you guys discuss on topics. Sometimes you go overboard, but I’d rather have too much than too little. I grew up during the early days without youtube. I did too. Also, Tom bought my first sato fa 100 bk. I’m assuming that’s probably a gk golden knight for the spitfire to be built. Never could afford to buy as a kid, but got one off ebay for 169 bucks. It’s pretty good.

[01:06:14] Hope to put your carb tuning to the test, especially not knowing the low carb setting tune existed until your video. Oh, he’s talking about the low speed needle. It didn’t even have existed. So yeah, there you go. Experience goes way up. But yeah, don’t have to tune on control line. Venturis, from back in the days jump just a high speed. So I do think simplicity of electric engines will soon be in the near future. Yes, to get easier flying hours in. Thanks your loyal listener, chris from virginia. All right, chris. So number one, a really great question about analog.

[01:06:47] Servos being compatible with new digital receivers and transmitters? They absolutely are. Yes, yeah, I mean, that’s so much to the point, that’s almost all I fly right. Analog servos are still great servos. They, where they kind of shine, is in sport airplanes, where you’re powering them with nickel, metal or low voltage applications, I would say. But you can still buy actually high voltage.

[01:07:12] Analog servos. They’re out there. So, yeah, analog versus digital just tells how it gets feedback in the servo itself. It has nothing to do with the rest of the system, right? Yeah, the analogs just use a pot.

[01:07:25] Yeah, yeah. So the reason I use analogs for the most part is I cannot stand to hear my servos sitting there chirping and whining, sitting on the ground. Yeah, yeah, that is really annoying, just drives me.

[01:07:36] Absolutely batty, and that’s something that not all high voltage or, I’m sorry, digital servos do, but most yeah, when they’re, when they’re idling, they’re constantly trying to find center, that absolute perfect center, and that noise is what you hear. The analog servos don’t care so much, they just find the center, they, and then anything that deflects them off in that’s five degrees, yeah, exactly, but they are absolutely compatible. There’s no reason to. And you can mix and match. Yeah, absolutely, yeah, I think I’ve got mix and match on the dual list. Actually, I went with spectrum digitals on

[01:08:12] Most of the services but I think my throttles are analog actually yeah just because I didn’t want.

[01:08:16] Them humming at idle. Yeah, and at idle I mean idle position on the stick. Yeah, yeah, so right, and digital does tend to use a little bit more power than analog. Yeah, because they’re constantly searching negligible, but that’s still something to take into consideration, yep, so no, you should not scrap your.

[01:08:35] Old setup, unless there’s an issue with them or unless you’re going high voltage. Analog you need to make. Well, not just analog, but you need to go high voltage with high voltage- and by high voltage I mean anything above, like two cells, 6.6 Volts or more. Yeah, is probably going to be considered high.

[01:08:54] Voltage and your old analog servos will not like that not at all yeah so the magic smoke genie.

[01:09:01] They’ll start to smell pretty quick. Yep, yep, so. But yeah, absolutely compatible. Don’t don’t throw them away. They’re still, they’re still useful. Oh look, dave, you get a short one.

[01:09:17] Okay, let’s see here. This is from tim. I got an os 91, f s 91 surpass in a box with a bunch of other airplane stuff. I’d like to use it, but it feels like it has pretty low compression compared to the fs 48 that is also in the lot. Is it normal for a larger displacement engine and, if not, is it practically rebuild it? Well, I got an osff 91 at an auction and it was definitely low compression and it was something just as simple as a stuck lifter valve or lifter, stuck lifter, yep, which is.

[01:09:48] Pretty common don’t don’t freak out about low compression four strokes nope yeah so exactly.

[01:09:56] What dave said. Probably if these engines have been sitting for a while, the caster sort of gums up and whatever position the valves were in when it was put away, if it’s gummed up in those positions, there’s a good chance that the one of the valves is lifted off the seat and it’s probably stuck there, which lets the compression sneak by and feels like it has low compression, even hardened chunks of

[01:10:20] Castor oil can hold the valve open yep so or a ring gets stuck not uncommon at all for.

[01:10:28] Four strokes, especially to feel like they’re low on compression after they’ve been sitting for a while now. To address the other question, the displacement of the engine, it’s been my experience that they, because you’re using a longer prop on a bigger engine, you have more leverage. You have more leverage. So they normally feel to me when they’re fresh and they’re they’re, they’re right, so to speak. They always feel to me like they all have about the same amount of compression. Because they’re smaller engine, you have a smaller lever. Because you’re using a smaller.

[01:11:01] Prop, so it feels like it’s kicking back about the same as you would on a bigger engine with potentially more compression. So which makes sense to me? They all feel kind of about the same. Now there are tools out there. You can use compression gauge, dynamite used to make them, which is a hobby, hobby brand, horizon hobby brand, excuse me- and you could measure the actual compression in psi, pounds per square inch. I don’t know if that tool is available anymore and, to be honest, I never really

[01:11:34] I had one and I never really used it I used it constantly in the shop did you mostly on car.

[01:11:40] Engines oh that makes sense yeah because they would lose pinch yeah they would lose pinch fast right you.

[01:11:45] Know, one lean run and they’re done. Yeah, but as far as airplane engines go, size didn’t really seem to matter to me. They all feel like they have about the same compression and it’s a relative term. Right, it’s how much resistance I’m feeling when I’m trying to pull it through a compression and as far

[01:12:02] As feasibility rebuilding if you actually do find something wrong as long as you can get parts it’s not.

[01:12:07] That big a deal. Yeah, ebay is a good place for I found a lot of new, old stock engine parts on ebay. Also forums, rc groups, flying giants- there’s a lot of them out there- websites, rc websites. If you can’t find what you need on ebay, there’s usually a guy like me that has that part in a drawer somewhere that doesn’t mind selling it to you or even just mailing it to you if it’s a

[01:12:34] Cheap part. So typically, just pull the valve cover, spray some wd-40 down the tubes and if there’s anything stuck it’ll probably loosen it right up and heat and heat. Yep, so there you go. Yeah, if it’s anywhere close, just start it. Yeah, that 99 pops them right back to life. Yep, so there you go, are we?

[01:12:54] Ready to move on? Yeah, next dylan asks: what would you recommend for a first balsa electric, a balsa nitro and balsa gas airplane for the intermediate pilot, a three to five foot wingspan ish. I’m looking for a kit to discover the balsa and nitro aspects of this hobby. Thanks a lot. That’s wow. That’s a that is.

[01:13:15] An open-ended question. Yeah, I mean there’s three of us here. You’ll probably get 18 different opinions just from the three of us. Yeah, so I’ll start. So for a balsa build, looking for a kit to discover the balsa and nitro aspects of the hobby. So something new that we talked about on the last episode: old school model works their. Their kits are pretty good. They just came out with something new called a polaris. I believe an intermediate pilot could probably fly that pretty.

[01:13:51] Successfully with a mild 42 stroke, I’ll say, not a screaming 60, yeah, I wouldn’t put a piped 61 on this, at least not for an intermediate pilot, but this will give you the flavor of a balsa kit they. That has been through the rnd. It goes together well. It’s a laser cut. Yeah, laser cut. It goes, should go together easily and it should also fly really well because it’s a. It’s an existing design that they’ve sort of updated with the build techniques and designed for electric or glow, so you could do both.

[01:14:25] With this one yeah that would be my recommendation for one of his questions there so I.

[01:14:32] Would say I don’t know if you can get them right now, but I know SIG is working on moving and replenishing their stock on stuff. But my first build was a SIG cavalier and that is a great plane to build first, very simple. There’s not a lot of difficult things to do on that one. I would stick with that if you can. If you can find one, they’re not very expensive either. Yeah, yeah, the.

[01:15:00] Old school model works. Polaris is about 200 bucks, I think. The cavalier is probably somewhere around the 150 ish range, probably, I don’t know, maybe a little more nowadays. But yeah, yeah, great, great beginners kit. The SIG kit is more of a builder’s kit, I would call it because you actually have to cut and sand, whereas the old school model works is probably a little bit less so.

[01:15:21] I would think that one is more of a jigsaw puzzle yeah well you still have to do some sheeting and you.

[01:15:30] Still have to round some leading edge type operations but yeah which is I mean really there.

[01:15:34] Wasn’t much on that cavalier that was difficult I think the worst part was probably shaping the leading.

[01:15:39] Edge, but you still had to cut some sticks to shape or to length the length. Yeah, stuff like that I think the old school model works is more like you were saying, the tab and jig design or whatever you call.

[01:15:49] It, yeah. So I don’t know about gas, though gas in that three to five foot’s gonna be kind of hard, because that is electric glow territory. Yeah, my recommendation for a first-time builders kit for gasoline would be either a SIG or a balsa usa quarter scale cub. There you go. Yeah, that’s, that’s.

[01:16:11] Quite a bit larger than the three to five speed wingspan. But if you’re wanting to get into gas, I agree with dave, those are great, great platform for, and the wide range of engines will fly those too, including glow, if you decide right. But I mean like you could fly those probably with this, the cub. Anyway, you could probably fly that with a 25 cc gasser, probably. Yeah, I fly mine with.

[01:16:32] A g26 and it’s yeah way more horsepower than it needs yeah and if you want to go crazy you could.

[01:16:39] Clip the wing and put a 50 cc on it and have yourself an aerobatic airplane so yeah I’d say.

[01:16:43] Actually I think already produces the clipped wing version so you don’t have to adjust anything.

[01:16:47] There you go. So there you go, just a few of our suggestions. But the suggestions are many. I mean, you could go so many different directions with those questions. So sorry, no, that’s I mean we could talk for hours. Just that’s an episode unto itself, right? No, I agree with that. So, but we all have our favorites and- and don’t just listen to us, I mean, get input of local club members. They may have great ideas and suggestions as well, I agree. All right, next your turn. Oh, I’m up. Okay, so the

[01:17:20] Next one comes from daniel. He says: hi guys, I am a fan of the podcast. I was wondering if you could take up the topic on one of your podcasts of open tx transmitters. I’m looking to get started in the hobby and was out checking out a local rc club in my area in florida. Hey, I’m going to be there next week to get started. I was expecting to find a lot of guys flying with spectrum, but I found most using radio master tx 16 transmitters with open tx or newest versions with new edge tx.

[01:17:53] A lot of the guys are saying they recommend going with open tx and in the future. Most said they switch from spectrum and would not look back, and the price point is definitely appealing. Wondering what your guys thoughts are on this topic. Thanks, well, I’ll be honest, I’m I am not very familiar with open tx or the radio master transmitters. I can certainly see the appeal based on the price, yeah, but what limited experience and what limited reading I’ve done about.

[01:18:25] Them was enough to turn me off of them just because I so. I’m an old guy, it’s hard for me to learn new things and with the, with the open tx, it seems like you have to know or learn a lot about programming, which is not something I’m. Me personally, I’m not interested in doing so. I’ll probably stick with spectrum because I understand the programming and I don’t need to write code to do to make the

[01:18:54] Transmitter do what I want it to do. I mean ditto. I. I know spectrum, I’ve used it forever. Are they more pricey? Sure, sure they are, but really, in the grand scheme of things, is it that big of a deal to me? It’s not. Some people it is like I. I understand we’re probably more engrossed in the hobby than a lot. I won’t say most, but then probably I would say a lot. Yeah, so spending the extra money once on a

[01:19:24] Transmitter that should last me honestly a long time doesn’t bother me yeah it seems to me.

[01:19:33] From what I’ve seen, that the open tx stuff is more of a regional or area situation where it’s like everybody in this area either use a spectrum like it is up here- because I don’t know anybody up here that uses it, I don’t either- or, like in this guy’s area, it sounds like they’re all using open tx stuff.

[01:19:49] Yeah, or even fr sky, which is less. It’s kind of I would consider fr sky kind of in between open t or radio master and spectrum it’s: you pull it out of the box and it works. You don’t have to do the programming that you have to. As I understand it anyway, with the open, yeah, we’re talking out of our butts because even with the popularity of fr sky stuff, I don’t see any of that in our field like so the regional thing makes a lot of sense, like what you’re saying, dave. Yeah, I mean that just.

[01:20:19] Seems to be the experience I’m running across talking to people from different areas. It seems like it’s a regional thing. This is like whatever people use in your area is what you use, right? It’s like for the longest time it was Futaba around here and then it switched to jr, then yep and I.

[01:20:32] Haven’t seen either of those at all. Locally. Yeah, I mean, Futaba obviously is still in business and Futaba is dead. Around here they still have a faithful following, but not here. We don’t even want to talk about airtronics. Yeah, and apparently they still make radios. I did not know that, I thought they were done and out. But I saw somebody post something on one of my forums not long ago. He had a brand new airtronics something. I was like very surprised because I thought they were out of the game. But are

[01:21:00] They the ones out of germany, what, who’s? This is a very expensive jetty jet. Okay, yeah, that’s. That’s good stuff too, but yeah, more so even than spectrum, I think, price wise. But yeah, I like, so I wish.

[01:21:15] I wish, daniel, I wish we could talk more about it, but, like I said, the small amount of reading that I’ve done it was enough to turn me off of them. So just because I’m old and I’m, I would be interested in knowing why, why that the folks he’s experienced here have gone away from spectrum and say they would not look back. I wonder if that’s price or because I, I mean, I’ve not had any issues.

[01:21:43] At all with my spectrum stuff. No, and I like I understand if price is something that’s important to you, you can get a lot of transmitter, oh yeah, for a lot less money than you can with spectrum. Sure, but there’s a lot of you have to know stuff that I don’t want to have to know. Does that make?

[01:22:02] Yeah, and let’s be honest, the younger generations, they get that stuff in high school now they do. They do stem stuff like as early I mean grade school even I feel so old. So I mean, for the younger generation it probably makes a lot of sense because they already have that sort of foundational knowledge. Yeah, on programming and all the stem projects they probably work on in schools, and that we didn’t- well, that I didn’t. I know dave and I didn’t have when we were growing up, so to be,

[01:22:33] Able to pull something out of box and not have to have that knowledge is probably why will I.

[01:22:39] Well anyway stick with spectrum yeah I mean I’d like to try it sometime but I need to clear off a lot of.

[01:22:45] Projects. My list first: yeah, I mean it seems like it would take. Yeah, because? Because you would have to learn a lot of stuff. I think probably that the younger folks- and I’m assuming daniel’s probably a-

[01:22:55] Younger guy based on his questions. But I mean, yeah, so I’ve seen somebody with the. I think it was a tx16s. Is that what? What was it? Oh gosh, who did that? Last year at joan, all bought that one of.

[01:23:10] The rhode island guys. I don’t remember which one it was. Oh, I can’t remember which was it. Jimmy? Did jimmy buy one? I think it was good. I think it was jimmy. Well, they’ll correct us if we’re wrong. Yeah.

[01:23:21] But I mean that was a nice looking. Yeah, it looked really cool. It seemed quality, like holding it your hand. It had a good feel to it. Yeah. But like I said, there’s they for the price. They seem to be really good radios. I just don’t want to have to learn them right, which is weird because usually I’m all about that you are, and that does surprise me slightly. But your radio is really nice too, so okay.

[01:23:44] Okay, sorry, daniel, wish I could tell you more. Oh, there’s a run and I are gonna cough this place up. Yeah, thanks, dave is the sick one, but Ron’s doing all the coughing. Well, I’ve got drainage too.

[01:23:57] Sorry, all right, I’m gonna skip this one, okay. Yeah, we took that one out, I think. Oh, I missed that. He wasn’t listening, he wasn’t. Well, that was one I didn’t mean to print. It’s not an actual question. Yeah,

[01:24:09] Those are potential subjects for future episodes hi Ron Tom and dave hey I’m on hey dave made it in.

[01:24:17] This one. I’ve been a fan of the podcast from the first episode. Thanks for all the effort it takes to continue such a great show. Well, thank you very much. This is from alvin, by the way. I’ve been an aero modeler since the late 80s and very much old school. Well, welcome to the group. Balsa built planes with a nitro engine with a mix of composite turbine jets too, which is fast becoming my favorite part of the hobby. But recently I’ve been embracing the electric side of the hobby, and one of my favorite current planes is the rc extra ng on 6s, which is just an amazing.

[01:24:50] Aircraft I’ve recently started to look at 3d printed planes and I came across a website called.

[01:24:58] 3D lab. 3D lab print. Thank you. I would be interesting to hear your thoughts on 3d printed models as an option for producing planes at home. I’m currently building their f86 saber and have most of the aircraft completed. The quality is far better than I expected. It’s a big bird: it’s 70 inch span and I’m hoping to fly it on a 90 millimeter fan on 6s, and I thought this might be a subject you may like to discuss on a broadcast, as many modelers have access to or own a 3d printer.

[01:25:29] Many thanks again alvin from it looks like the uk yeah that’s our buddy alvin yeah.

[01:25:35] That’s okay it’s 3d printing that’s that’s a question that it seems like it has a lot of.

[01:25:42] Potential. It does what I’m saying like completely 3d printed rc airplanes. I mean, it sounds like in theory, it sounds like this would be a super cool way to produce your own airplanes and not have to spend the sometimes exorbitant amount on manufactured from someone else. Yeah, so far I’ve not. I’ve not seen a lot of successful 3d print 3d printed planes. They seem to be somewhat.

[01:26:18] Fragile, fragile- yeah, fragile, but I could be wrong. Maybe that, maybe they’ve. Maybe the only stuff I see on the internet is the stuff you see crash, because that’s more interesting than seeing stuff fly successfully. That could totally be the case too, but yeah, so I’ve heard a lot about these.

[01:26:34] Guys, the 3d lab print. I’ve. There’s a couple other companies out there too that do a lot of design work and then you just buy the file, then it’s yours, you print it, you do whatever you want with it. The idea is great, but in actuality I don’t know how well like the printer I have would be set up to do that, because those have to be the printers have to be pretty exact. I mean, your tolerances are very, very low, and not only that, but the details, like the printing, is very fine, like you have.

[01:27:10] To be able to print thin, tall things without any kind of what’s, where I’m looking for waviness or that’s. Yeah, so you, you’ve got to have your printer dialed in a lot. It would be cool to try sometime, but, like I said, I just I don’t know, knowing the like what you print with the pla and even the, there’s some sort of- oh, what’s it called like foam type pla, that’s. That’s lighter, like a very lightweight stuff. Looks like it prints good, looks like it would be fun to try sometime, but they just they’re.

[01:27:47] Very flimsy they’re they’re not as stout for the amount of weight that it is it’s like a balsa plane.

[01:27:54] Or foam plane: yeah, and I’ve seen a great number of successes, yeah, but they all seem to be. Have the fragile factor right, the slightest little mishandling and crack, you can get some really cool shapes out of.

[01:28:06] Them I mean like they’re you can do a lot more with it than you can with a balsa airplane.

[01:28:12] Easily because the computer does the work. But yeah, and this thing that alvin is working on, heck, he may have it finished by now. A 70 inch span f86, that’s not a small, no, that’s huge actually for 3d printed. So for a 3d printed plane that’s. I mean, I’ve not seen one that large yet. Yeah, I’m a little.

[01:28:31] Concerned about the power plant system in that so I have it a free wing 80 millimeter f86 which is.

[01:28:39] Under four foot. Oh, so that’s 48 inches on 80 millimeter and yeah, I mean it flies, flies, nice, yeah, but the huge size difference on a 10 millimeter larger fan and only on six cells, yeah, I don’t know if he’s gonna have enough thrust. It might be a lot of weight too. Yeah, I might not be putting gear and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, I mean, it’s just a shell, maybe. Yeah, if it’s got retracts, and I wonder how you finish those, like you don’t. Maybe just paint them, print them in color, like I don’t.

[01:29:13] Know once I’ve seen are mostly printed in color and people aren’t doing anything with them huh.

[01:29:18] Might be worth looking into a little bit more but yeah once again not high on my list because.

[01:29:24] A lot of other stuff, but, yeah, a lot of luck with his f86. Yeah, well, maybe, maybe he’ll he’ll hear this and provide us an update on his 70 inch f86. I would, I would really be interested to see. Yeah, send us pictures, alvin, see what it. I mean it’s gonna sound silly, but see what it feels like. Yeah, does it feel fragile? Is it fragile? I mean, I, I would like to. That’s intriguing to me, but I, I think it’s a. I mean for sure, eventually we’re gonna get there. Yeah, I mean, somebody recently is producing a.

[01:30:01] 3D printed plane in the box you just buy. I just saw it the other day and I can’t hear what it was. Yeah, it was a repop of one of flight test planes. Oh, really, somebody’s 3d printing it. I’ll be darned.

[01:30:13] Beats me interesting. I’ll have to dig that up for the next show. Cool, yeah, it’s coming. I mean eventually, yeah it’ll be, they’ll get it figured out, they’ll get the right material composition and the printing technique and they’ll get all that sort of stuff figured out and I can imagine a time where we will have a lot of options, 3d printed, yeah, and as printers mature.

[01:30:36] Yeah, they’ll get bigger, they’ll get cheaper, they’ll get easier to use. Yep, yeah, okay. Next, thanks, alvin, thanks. Next paul says thanks for doing the show. You’re welcome. Can you someday explain glow to electric conversion with the badass power prop data aka weight, or a sheesh aka weight of a plane and thrust numbers? Sorry if you did already, I’d like to buy a go. I’d like to buy a glow plane cheap.

[01:31:08] At an auction and change it to electric. Have you guys discussed programming a radio for accidental motor? Turn on process lua scripts and quad guys do this okay. So this is all you, Ron. All I can say to make it easy is head over to the website. Under the electric motor page there is a section on converting nitro to gas. We go over the number electric you mean, sorry, nitro to electric.

[01:31:48] Yeah, there’s a section where we go over the numbers on what you want, watts per pound. I don’t remember that right off hand. Depending on intermediate, advanced, all that kind of stuff, 100 watts per pound, whatever it’s supposed to be. Like I said, I don’t have that memorized. It’s not as hard to do the conversion as you would think. The biggest problem with doing it that I have found in, like any airplane trying to go electric, is space for battery and access for battery. Yeah, when

[01:32:21] You buy a plane that was designed to be electric. They have nice hatches for you to get to the battery easily, which you don’t have to have in a nitro plane because you just have a fuel dot. So that’s. That’s always been the thing that stopped me from doing conversions that I have thought about doing. But as I kind of think through more and try and figure, where do you put a hatch, where do you do this, where do you do that? I shy away from it. Completely doable if you have the, the knowledge to cut and reinforce and figure CG and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, it’s, it’s definitely something that you can do.

[01:32:57] I’ve made the SIG cavalier electric. That was easy because I was doing it from scratch, so I was able to plan ahead. It wasn’t one that was finished already so I was able to put a hatch in where I wanted to, as opposed to trying to retrofit something, like I said, doable. Check out the website. It’s the easiest thing to go. Look at it’s all written out, hopefully easy to understand, and you can go from there. Yeah, accidental motor turn on. I don’t know exactly what he’s talking about. Other, I’m other.

[01:33:31] Than I’m assuming throttle cut that. That was my assumption as well, but throttle cut and take the prop off when you’re working on it. Yeah, when you’re working on, I always have the propeller off, but when you’re moving a plane around, when you’re taking it from the table to the ground to get ready to take off and taxi and stuff, I always have the power or the throttle cut. Throttle cut switch. Thank you on my right top switch and that’s what I use. Yeah, for everything, even when I did nitro.

[01:34:02] That was my throttle cut also. Yep, me too, and that’s the one I use as well. I’ve always got it set up so that when you drop the radio it’s it would push it into the off position. Yeah, so I have to push the switch away. Yeah, so if I drop it or fumble it, I’m gonna naturally gonna throw that switch into the safe.

[01:34:21] Position I mean I mean I didn’t I didn’t use that thought process when I set mine up but.

[01:34:30] That’s exactly how mine’s because I fall over on a regular basis weebles wobble but they do fall down.

[01:34:36] No, I guess that’s a good thought process for me when I am ready to fly and flying, I like having all the switches back that way, like gear throttle cut, all that. The switches are far away. So if you,

[01:34:50] Dropped yours, it would turn it off as well. Yeah, yeah, oh, that is right. So why did I think of that one backwards? I don’t know. Well, I do it the right way then. Yeah, wow, I think we all do it, because I’m the same way. I like flight mode. Normal are all switches up and back, that’s sort of so. And then if

[01:35:09] I need something special let’s pull out of context yeah exactly yep me too so there you go.

[01:35:16] I’m pretty sure that’s what he was asking about. But thanks, paul, for, if not, send us an email and clarify. Yeah, there you go next. I think was that me. Okay, this one from tony. He says you guys famously have your charts and spreadsheets to track what you have, but do any of you have a list of dream projects or air quotes, bucket list projects? Excuse me, my mentor, while growing up in this hobby, always said that his goal was to build and fly a model of every airplane he ever liked. Obvious, oh my gosh.

[01:35:50] Yeah, that’s oh well, he goes on to say, obviously an unobtainable goal, but it was always an interesting concept to me. He’s an avid scale modeler, so this really referred to a list of subjects to model intrigued. I’ve always kept such a list- at least to some extent currently exists as a pinterest page- because it is very easy to add and remove items. Plus, you can visually browse the list when I’m looking for inspiration. Oh, that’s a good idea. But unlike him, my list also includes many sport models and out of production kits that I have never built when I was younger. That is a

[01:36:26] Really interesting idea. Actually it is. I’m not sure if we would ever. Well, I’m not sure if I would ever accomplish that, because I pretty much like all airplanes. That’s my problem too, and as you talked,

[01:36:38] About before shiny, you go from one thing to another, to where you want this or you want that. I’m kind of the same way. There’s a lot of airplanes that I have. I guess you could say on the bucket list, not officially written down but in my mind- that I know I’ve liked and wanted, that I have gotten and then just gotten rid of: yeah, so that’s a good. That’s a good question, like: do you guys keep a list of things you want to do? I don’t. It’s spur of the moment, because, yeah, like, like you said, shiny object.

[01:37:11] My bucket list probably changes exactly yeah exactly I do have some by the way that I and I’ve said.

[01:37:21] This before that I know if I see I am buying as long as they’re not stupid expensive see I want another.

[01:37:27] Anniversary edition goldberg cup okay I’m not going to spend 200 on a kit yeah I get it I happen.

[01:37:36] To have one of those dave 199.99. But yeah, I mean, I think the only the only airplane that I am in on is the tri-motor. That’s one that’s held my interest for so long. Yeah, well, because it has meaning to you.

[01:37:55] Right, sure that makes sense, but I can honestly say I don’t. I like all. I like them all. Yeah. So I mean, if I, if I kept a bucket list of all the airplanes I like and would like to build one of, it would be all of them, so I would never accomplish that goal. Yeah, okay, last one, dave you good, yeah.

[01:38:19] I’m good the whole way. This is the last one, yeah, yeah, all right, this is from mark. Are there resource guides for best places to buy rebuild parts for nitro engines and basic parts for older aircraft? Is there a good place to look for specs on older planes? Yeah, it’s called the internet. Wow, snarky dave, sorry about being snarky. I got into flying and building last year and help with information on the swap meet planes I can afford would be helpful. Thanks, mark. That’s actually a tough

[01:38:52] One because, as I have found out, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, like exactly, you don’t know what to search. Yeah, like I have had multiple planes that I have bought and even gotten rid of without.

[01:39:06] Knowing what it was, and that can be kind of. Yeah, it definitely helps to know what it is you’re searching for, like what, what airplane it is that you’re searching for a particular part, for right or specs. I was gonna say if you- if, for example, SIG cougar, you can probably type in SIG cougar specs in google search bar and it’ll probably be one of the first couple of hits that.

[01:39:37] Come up yeah probably a link to SIG’s website so it really helps to know what airplane it is that.

[01:39:43] You’re that you’re searching for. Sometimes I’ll take and just pull up what I think it is and ask for images and start right that’s it or that’s close, but that’s not it, right. Well, and here’s the problem.

[01:39:57] Too. Like if I sold my duelist and didn’t tell anybody that was built off duelist plans, right, you would not guess really that is a duelist. Probably not the. The nacelles are different. Yeah, they don’t match what an actual duelist is. Right, it’s a tail dragger which is not a duelist, and I took the rear stab and changed the shape of it to what I liked better. Yeah, so it doesn’t fit that classic duelist lines, even though, right, there wasn’t a lot of changes, but enough to make it look.

[01:40:28] Like a different airplane right even though it was built to the plans otherwise my searches I find.

[01:40:34] That having the exact wingspan helps a lot right well that’s the other thing my wingspan is a little.

[01:40:39] Bit different on that one because he wanted to be bigger I added an inch tip I think on each side to.

[01:40:45] Make it bigger than tommy’s. Well, I would run 56 inches and if I found something that’s very, very close and it’s 57 inches, it’s like, yeah, yeah, that’s probably it, yeah, it depends on. I always leave a little leeway in there because people don’t know how tape measures work right. But yeah, the other.

[01:41:02] Part of the question, or one other part, is for parts for nitro engines. Like I said earlier in the episode, ebay- as long as what it is you’re searching for ebay is- is usually my number one go-to. Even if I don’t buy the part on ebay, I can. Usually the seller has the part number, like the manufacturer’s part number, and then I can type that number into google and find other places to buy it, normally cheaper than ebay. But ebay is a good resource if the engine manufacturer’s still

[01:41:32] Around exactly hit their website oftentimes they have exploded parts diagrams yeah and you can.

[01:41:38] At least get a part number if they don’t offer it anymore. Right, exactly, yeah, so those are. Those are some, some places you can try rc groups. Rc universe used to be a good one, flying giants, that’s another good one. The forums you ask. I mean, lots of people like me peruse those forums, so usually if you ask a question in those forums about: hey, I’ve got this engine, would anyone happen to know the part number for this particular part? Guys like me will normally answer correctly.

[01:42:12] Yeah, or, or name that plane, or yeah, that’s a good one too. I’ve been part of several text groups where it just goes through: anybody know what this is and a lot of times somebody knows, somebody has an idea, somebody somewhere owned one, yeah, yeah. And if you buy it at the swap meet, obviously ask who you bought it for or from, if they know what it is. If they don’t, as you’re walking out, if you see people that look like they’ve been in the hobby for a while, hey do what this is talking about, old guys, like. I didn’t want to say it that way, but yes, kind of just ask the question. Hey, just got this. Any.

[01:42:44] Clue what you think this is yeah it doesn’t hurt to ask that’s right so there you go there’s just.

[01:42:50] A few of the resources that we use often because I buy a lot of old stuff more stuff from when you.

[01:42:59] Started all right gentlemen that’s another well there you go I think we’re all caught up on.

[01:43:05] Listener questions. So if you’ve enjoyed this episode and you have questions, feel free to send them our way and eventually, in a couple years, we’ll answer them. Yeah, it’s been a while, all right, well, anything.

[01:43:19] Else are you ready to jump off of here oh I’m done I don’t know that dave just handed this to me.

[01:43:25] I don’t know how I got a next one oh yeah this one wasn’t in mine yes it was that was page two.

[01:43:31] Of the one that we took out because it’s all. Oh, it’s not questions, ideas, ideas, cool. No, that’s all I got, okay. Well, everybody thanks for I survived. He did good deal, that’s all right, everybody thanks.

[01:43:44] For listening okay somebody else send it we’re good oh well thanks for listening I’m Tom.

[01:43:52] I’m dave and I’m Ron good night good night good night hope you enjoyed this episode of the rc.

[01:43:58] Plane lab podcast for topic suggestions. To ask questions or to give any feedback, connect with us at rcplanelab.com or email us direct at either Ron at rcplanelab.com or Tom at rcplanelab.com. You can also text us or leave us a voicemail at 818-351-9846. Please subscribe, rate and review us on your favorite podcast app until next time. May your landings be gentle.