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Pictures of the power end of things before I close up the front of the fuselage. The battery tray screws in, so technically the motor and ESC can be serviced in the future, but it might be a Houdini magic act to fit it all in nicely so I am installing now and building around them. I wrapped the motor with painter’s tape to protect from balsa dust from sanding.
Also shown is the landing gear. The battery access latch will cover the area forward from the landing gear. This will provide access to the rear of the motor so it can be held secure for propeller changes. I’m thinking I will use electrician tape as securing strap.
My main concern is making a fatal layout mistake that will prevent needed adjustments or repairs in the future. My former dairy farmer neighbors always said they did a job twice; once to learn how to do it and the second time to do it right. This is my first time building an ElectroStreak!
Clearing a corner of my basement and setting up a build table took longer than expected, but that’s done and I’m moving forward on my ElectroStreak. I started with the fuselage as I figured that would be the most challenging due to modifications needed for the motor and battery tray. I found 3/32″ balsa sheets in a box of balsa I inherited from a neighbor when I was a teenager 50+ years ago and obtained other balsa stock from a friend and one of our hobby shops.
I lined the front half of the fuselage sides with 1/64 plywood instead of using the 1/16 balsa doubler under the wing. That resulted in stiffer sides that bowed out under the wing when pulled over the the formers. I added an additional former under the wing to pull the sides in. Yeah, more weight.
The motor I chose is a Cobra 2810/10 and widened the fuselage 1/4″ to accommodate it. It shoehorns in with about 1/8″ to spare on the sides. I did a static test on the motor using a 10X6 Master Airscrew prop and after peaking at 38A, 412W for a short time, settled down to 35A, 360W at 100% throttle; pretty darn close to Inno8tive Design’s published data (which uses ACP props).
I plan to leave the fuselage in front of the wing “boxy” to better accommodate the motor, ESC and battery.
Even though it is a straight-forward sports plane fuselage, it has taken me time for me to build because 1) I’m rusty, and, 2) the need to think two or three steps ahead to make sure the placement of something will fit into the overall design. I’m gaining new appreciation for model airplane designers! I’m installing landing gear that adds to the complexity.
I have two Hitech HS-81 servos for the rudder and elevator and two Hitech HS-65 servos for the wing-mounted aileron servos. The HS-65 are the first servos I paid more than $5 for . . . everything else has been used or no-name brands.
Pictures below.
Thanks, John, for the landing gear info! I’m thinking of flat metal or flat carbon fiber gear rather than bent metal rod, but the plans show the mounting location and overall dimensions. Also nice tail skid detail. Thanks again!
I am settling on the Cobra 2820/10 for a power system. With a 10X6 prop on 3S it produces 350 W; maybe a bit much for my flying, but if nose weight is needed it might as well be in a motor. It will be a tight fit and I think the front two formers will need to be re-cut to make them wider.
This Saturday is our club’s swap meet and one member is selling his stock of balsa, so I hope to get the wood I need and maybe an ESC.
As this discussion moves along, I’ll be interested in what size servos people are using.
Love the open ribs on Steve-in-Aus’ build!
My short kit arrived today and I’m reviewing the plans and strategizing. Thanks Ron for including the rib stand-offs in the kit as I will be building without a jig. I appreciate the discussion so far on motor sizes and anticipated flying weight with current vs. vintage power systems.
I plan on adding landing gear (tail dragger) so if anyone as has the recommended placement from the original kit plans, it would be great! Thanks!