Episode 4 is a shorter workshop-update episode with quite a bit of useful RC airplane information packed into it. Ron and Tom talk about progress on the Horten Ho 229 and Senior Telemaster, explain why engine thrust angle matters, consider using 3D-printed wing ribs in a traditional wood airplane, and respond to a listener’s experience with an AS3X receiver.
The discussion moves between current projects and practical building questions, including Frise-style hinges, drag rudders, adding flaps to a Telemaster, positioning an engine before designing a cowl, combining 3D printing with balsa construction, and securely installing stabilization receivers.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
- Progress on Tom’s Horten Ho 229 wing panels
- Frise-style elevon hinges, split speed brakes, and drag rudders
- Ron’s Senior Telemaster flap, aileron, servo, and pushrod work
- Why RC airplane engines sometimes use right and down thrust
- Why the engine position should be finalized before designing a cowl
- Whether 3D-printed wing ribs could work in a Ford Trimotor
- Combining printed plastic parts with traditional balsa construction
- Listener feedback about mounting an AS3X receiver with Velcro
- Receiver movement, vibration, servo tape, and Shoe Goo
- Why stabilization-receiver mounting orientation matters
- Tom’s search for a larger four-stroke engine for his Stick
Tom’s Horten Ho 229 Project
Tom begins with progress on the Horten Ho 229 flying-wing project. The unusual Frise-style elevon hinges are proving difficult, and he is building the wing panels without having the completed center section sitting in his workshop.
That means the real test will come when the wings are taken to the owner and fitted to the center section for the first time. If the fit is not close enough, more finishing work will be required before the wings are fiberglassed.
The model will have several unusual controls. In addition to elevons, the wing uses split surfaces that act more like speed brakes than conventional flaps. One section moves upward while another moves downward. It also uses drag rudders that open on the upper and lower wing surfaces to create drag on one side of the airplane and produce yaw.
Senior Telemaster Progress
Ron has been working on the Senior Telemaster. The ailerons and newly added flaps are installed, the wing servos are in place, and the pushrods have been completed.
The airplane originally used long ailerons, but the control surfaces were divided so that roughly one-third of each surface functions as a flap and the remaining two-thirds acts as the aileron.
The next major job is mounting the engine.
What Is Engine Thrust Angle?
Ron asks Tom to explain the right-thrust angle they plan to use when mounting the Telemaster’s engine.
If the crankshaft were perfectly parallel with the airplane’s centerline, the engine would have essentially zero thrust angle. Many piston-powered RC airplanes instead point the engine slightly to the right. Propeller and engine effects can make an airplane pull or yaw left under power, so a small amount of right thrust can help the model track more consistently.
Tom also discusses the possibility of a small amount of down thrust because of the Telemaster’s high-lift wing and airfoiled stabilizer. Small changes can be made with washers under the engine mount and evaluated during flight testing.
Mount the Engine Before Designing the Cowl
Ron plans to 3D print a cowl for the Telemaster, but they decide to wait until the engine’s final position and thrust angle are established. Even a small angle change at the firewall can noticeably move the propeller shaft and spinner farther forward.
Designing the cowl afterward makes it much easier to center the opening around the engine and align it correctly with the spinner.
3D-Printed Wing Ribs for a Ford Trimotor
The conversation then returns to the Ford Trimotor project. Ron asks whether they could 3D print the wing ribs instead of cutting every rib from wood.
Tom is open to trying it, but he raises two concerns: structural strength and surface finish. A printed rib may have different strength characteristics than a balsa or hardwood rib, and its surface must be suitable for covering or for bonding reinforcement such as fiberglass or carbon-fiber material.
Rather than debating it indefinitely, Ron proposes printing a single rib and letting Tom inspect it. If it works, the airplane could combine printed ribs with traditional basswood spars and balsa sheeting.
That blend of old and new construction techniques is exactly what makes the idea interesting to them.
Listener Feedback About AS3X Receiver Mounting
An anonymous listener contacted the show after the previous beginner episode. The listener reported having problems after an AS3X receiver was installed using Velcro and said a hobby shop advised using a firmer mounting method instead.
Ron and Tom discuss why the issue is different from mounting an ordinary receiver. Velcro is convenient and has worked for both of them on conventional receiver installations. A stabilization receiver, however, contains sensors that measure aircraft movement.
If the receiver itself can shift or wobble relative to the airplane, that movement may be interpreted by the stabilization system as movement of the aircraft.
Their conclusion is that a stabilization receiver should be mounted securely enough that it cannot move independently of the airframe.
Follow the Instructions for Your Exact Receiver
Stabilization receivers must also be installed in an approved orientation and configured for that orientation. The correct mounting method and allowable orientations can vary by receiver. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the exact receiver and configuration installed in the airplane.
Servo Tape, Shoe Goo, and Receiver Mounting
Tom talks about several methods he has used to install electronics. For components that are intended to stay in an airplane for a long time, he likes Shoe Goo because it can hold the component securely while still providing some vibration and impact absorption.
It takes longer to cure than double-sided servo tape and is less convenient when a component must be removed frequently, but Tom likes that it can usually be removed cleanly when necessary.
The conversation briefly detours into RC cars, where Ron and Tom remember receivers and ESCs coming loose after bouncing around their homemade dirt track. Those experiences reinforce the basic point: regardless of the mounting product used, flight-critical electronics need to remain securely attached.
Receiver Orientation Matters
Ron points out that an AS3X receiver also has to be installed in the proper orientation. Tom agrees and recalls installing one in another club member’s airplane where the instructions specified several acceptable mounting positions.
The stabilization system needs to know how the receiver is oriented relative to the airplane. Installing or configuring it incorrectly can cause the system to make the wrong corrections.
The simplest rule from this part of the episode is also the safest: read and follow the instructions that come with the equipment.
Key Takeaways From Episode 4
- Complex scratch-built or plan-built projects often require trial fitting before final finishing.
- Right and down thrust can be used to improve how an airplane behaves under power.
- Finalize the engine position before designing a close-fitting cowl.
- 3D printing can potentially complement traditional wood construction rather than replace it entirely.
- Test a new structural idea on a sample part before committing an entire airplane to it.
- Stabilization receivers should not be allowed to shift independently of the airframe.
- Receiver orientation and configuration are critical when gyros are involved.
- The manufacturer’s installation instructions should always take priority.
Episode 4 Transcript
This transcript has been lightly edited for readability. Timestamps are retained.
Read the full transcript
[00:00:04] To RC Plane Lab, a podcast for anyone interested in RC Airplane. We'll share tips and tricks on how to build models and talk about successful flights, epic crashes, and everything in between. Visit us at rcplanelab.com to sign up for our email list and to ask us questions. You can also text us or leave us a voicemail at 818-351-9846. Please help us out by rating and reviewing us in your favorite podcast app. Thanks for spending time with us today.
[00:00:35] Now, here are your hosts, Ron and Tom.
[00:00:38] Hello, everyone, and welcome to the RC Plane Lab podcast. I'm Ron. I'm Tom. Today is going to be just a short episode to kind of talk about what we've been up to in the last week with our extra downtime, what we've got accomplished, and kind of what our next steps plan on being. So, Tom, you want to start us off?
[00:00:59] Yeah, we'll cover a little bit of what's going on in the shop down here. I've got some more progress on the HO229 project. Boy, what a complicated build this thing is. Trying to hinge these freeze-style elevons has been a challenge, but I'm making slow progress. I can't wait until it's done.
[00:01:22] How long do you think you have left?
[00:01:25] At the rate I'm going, I'll need about six months off thanks to the coronavirus.
[00:01:31] Oh, man. That's a lot of time to put into one plane.
[00:01:36] Yeah, it's a complicated build. I still have quite a bit of work to do on this panel, and then I still have what will end up being the right-hand panel to finish up as well. So, it's going to be some time.
[00:01:50] You said you're only doing the wings too, right? The other gentleman is taking care of the fuselage?
[00:01:56] Right. That was the agreement. I've not seen the center section or the fuselage up close yet, so it'll be interesting when I go to mate the wings to the center section.
[00:02:10] Yeah. Have you talked to him to find out how far along he is with stuff?
[00:02:15] No. I think the last conversation I had with him, he was pretty much as far as he could go on the fuselage until he had the wings, and that's when he sort of gave up the build and started poking club members to see if they would finish it for him. Oh.
[00:02:36] Like finish the wing or finish? Oh, I'm sorry. So, you mean he finished the fuselage before he gave you the wings? Yes. Oh, I understand now. Okay. Yeah, yeah. I got it.
[00:02:48] Yep. So, I had to pretty much construct the wings from the beginning without having the center section with me. Like I said, the real test will be when I go to marry up the wing panels to the center section.
[00:03:06] Oh, that's going to be scary. It's kind of hard when you don't have all the pieces with you to make sure everything, lines up right when you're doing it.
[00:03:13] Right. And I think what the plan is, once I get the right panel to, to a point of completion, I'll, give him a call and I'll take the wings with me to his house. Because the center section is actually, the reason I don't have it with me is because, number one, it's big and I have a fairly small workshop here to work out of.
[00:03:37] So, having it here, I didn't want anything to happen to it while I was building the wings, get knocked on the floor, dog run over it or whatever. So, I just thought it was safer if it was at his house. That way, if anything happened to it, it was on him.
[00:03:52] Yeah.
[00:03:53] But I think when I get the other panel to the point where I'm going to put them together, I'll just take them over there to his house, kind of put them on there, have a look at them and see how close they are. And if they're going to need a lot of work, then I'll have to figure out a way to get this intersection here and probably a lot of bondo and stuff like that before I actually fiberglass the wings.
[00:04:15] Yeah. It'll be nice to get that done and kind of start on some of your own stuff too,.
[00:04:21] Well, yeah. I mean, actually looking forward to seeing this thing completed because it is a really neat looking airplane. I mean, it's going to have some really, really cool features and, it's going to have retractable gear. I think he's built gear doors for it. I'm not positive. I'm hoping he has so that I don't have to do it. But it has, it has elevons and then we're doing split flaps.
[00:04:44] So, it has two flap sections per wing and one flap will go up and one flap will go down. So, essentially, they're speed brakes, not really flaps.
[00:04:54] Yeah.
[00:04:54] And then this thing has also got drag rudders, which are these little deals that just kind of pop out of the upper and lower surface of the wing to act as rudders. Essentially, they just cause drag on that particular wing to help control yaw. It's pretty neat.
[00:05:09] Yeah, that'll be pretty cool to see it finished. I can't wait until it's done.
[00:05:13] Yeah, me too.
[00:05:15] Although that might be a year down the road. It's hard to say.
[00:05:18] Well, hopefully it's not that long. Like you said, I've got other stuff that I'd like to work on. We've got an airplane that we're going to have to build, right?
[00:05:24] Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I've been looking online. Apparently, a lot of places are shut down and not shipping Balsa. Okay. So, we're just going to have to kind of see how it goes. Actually, I went on Amazon because I needed some batteries for this telemaster. Oh, yeah? Yeah. So, I bought the, the six-cell, the battery packs, the, what are they called? The receiver packs.
[00:05:51] Receiver packs, yep.
[00:05:52] Yeah. They're not supposed to be delivered until April 21st.
[00:05:58] Oh. That's unfortunate. But, I mean, I can kind of…
[00:06:02] And they're even in stock, it says. Oh, really? Yeah, I'm very surprised by that.
[00:06:08] Yeah, that is surprising.
[00:06:09] Yeah.
[00:06:10] Although, I can't tell you how many times I've gotten stuff way before Amazon said, I was supposed to get it.
[00:06:15] Yeah, that's my hope because, really, I'm going to be getting to a point where I'm finished with what I can do on this telemaster. Yeah. And I'm just going to have to be moving on to something else. I ended up getting all the aileron and the flaps installed on both wings, and I ended up getting the servos all installed and got all that hooked up.
[00:06:35] So, that's pretty much ready to go. You got the push rods all done?
[00:06:38] Yeah. Yeah, those are all done. I'm actually glad you left some of yours over here because I had to use one of them.
[00:06:45] Okay.
[00:06:45] I thought I had more, and I went to find what I had, and I didn't have what I was expecting. So, I don't know what I ended up doing with them. I actually think I might have used one for a different use, and I don't remember what it was.
[00:07:00] Unclog the toilet drain, maybe?
[00:07:02] No, it wasn't that, but it was something out in the shop I remember I was working on last summer. I needed something long to reach down into something. I was like, oh, I'm just going to use that. Well, I probably shouldn't have because now I don't have what I need. But anyway, yeah, like I said, I'm glad you left your materials over here because I've scrounged through those a little bit.
[00:07:21] Well, luckily, I did. we had a hobby shop that closed here recently, and luckily, I was able to take advantage of their, store closing sale, if you will. And I did stock up on a lot of stuff like that, the hardware and push rods and clevises and that sort of junk. But you just never seem to have enough of that stuff.
[00:07:43] Yeah, I probably should have, but I didn't. And I'm paying that price now. Actually, I'm just stealing your stuff, so I guess that works too.
[00:07:50] Well, it worked out.
[00:07:51] Yeah. Well, but I figured you brought that out for that plane, so I'm not too worried about it.
[00:07:56] No, that's why I brought it out there for us to use.
[00:08:00] Yeah. But yeah, so like I said, I did get the aileron and flaps all taken care of. That's one thing that we did add on this airplane that wasn't original to it was the flaps. So I'll be interested to see how that works. Yeah. So they were just the long ailerons on each wing, but we ended up cutting those, I'd say probably a third flap and then two thirds ailerons. About a third, yep. Yeah, give or take. So yeah, it'll be interesting to fly that and see how that goes.
[00:08:24] I'm looking forward to it. One of the next things I have to do, though. Yeah, one of the next things I have to do, though, is mount the engine. And I remember, so I have the standoffs on there, but I don't have the actual engine mounted. And I remember talking to you about it before, and you said something about some thrust or some angle thrust or whatever you call it, thrust angle or something had to go on it.
[00:08:44] Right. We're going to add some right thrust.
[00:08:47] So I guess I don't necessarily understand what all that means. Could you explain that to me? And maybe there's some people listening that don't understand that either.
[00:08:56] Yeah, sure. So most airplanes have some amount of thrust built into their engine mounting. And what that means is, if you were to draw a line right down the center line of the crankshaft and line that up parallel to the center line of the airplane, you would have zero degrees of thrust, meaning that your thrust is being applied 100% in line with the center line of the airplane.
[00:09:27] Most airplanes, right thrust is fairly common, anywhere from one to three, one to four degrees, something like that. And the reason for that is these engines, especially the, the nitros and gassers, they produce torque. And that tends to yaw the airplane to the left. So by adding some right thrust to the engine mounting, it sort of counteracts that left thrust tendency so the airplane flies in a straight line.
[00:09:56] Oh, okay. I get it. Then that makes sense.
[00:09:59] Yep. Yeah. So we'll put a, we'll put a couple of degrees of right thrust on that thing, maybe a degree of down thrust because that airplane's got so much wing, it's going to have a lot of lift. Yeah. And it also has lifting tail. Right. It has an airfoil stabilizer. So we may add a couple of the, then that's something that's really easy to tinker with by just adding washers under the mounts. Okay.
[00:10:23] Well, then one of the other things I was going to be doing on it was, was kind of measuring up and printing like 3D printing a cowl, but I think I might end up.
[00:10:32] I think that'd be cool.
[00:10:33] Yeah. But I think I might end up wait or waiting to do that until we have the motor mount done. Okay. and correct that way. That's probably wise. Yeah. Cause I mean, two degrees on a motor that's on an engine that's that long is going to make quite a bit of a difference on where it actually ends up. Right.
[00:10:48] And you don't want to create a cowl that, that's not going to line up with the spinner and its final location.
[00:10:54] No, I get it. Right. Yeah. So I'll probably wait and do that, but no, that'll be good to get that done too. So hopefully if we ever get out of this, lockdown, which this lockdown is kind of weird to me because I still have to go to work and apparently like everybody else does too, because I do not notice any difference whatsoever in traffic when I go to work and when I come home, I mean, it almost seems like you should say
[00:11:17] That because, Lori and I, this evening, Lori is my wife, by the way. yeah, I know we went to, well, the reason our listeners may not know. Yeah, I got it, but, we went to, and picked up dinner at a, at a restaurant tonight and brought it home. And usually, this particular restaurant, is, it's on the West side of town. Where there's always traffic. And tonight it was like, it was like a ghost town. It was really, really kind of strange.
[00:11:46] So I understand what you're saying about it. You're, your, your commute to work and home probably kind of looks similar, but any other like extraneous or extra traveling people just aren't doing it. And it's really, it's really kind of eerie almost.
[00:12:01] Well, yeah, that's interesting. Cause there's still, a lot of traffic out by where we live. but I guess, I, I guess the road we're close to is, is fairly main country road, connecting a couple of towns, but maybe that's why there's a lot of traffic going by. But yeah, I haven't noticed any difference now. I haven't been out obviously last weekend or in the evenings.
[00:12:21] So I haven't seen any differences in there because I'm not out, but yeah, just going to work and coming home. I mean, there is a ton of people out.
[00:12:28] Yeah.
[00:12:29] So that's just odd. It is, it is odd.
[00:12:32] And, and, but I mean, getting back to what you said, we'll, we'll, eventually we'll get through this and we'll be able to do those things that we want to do.
[00:12:41] Yeah, no, I, I get it. It's just, yeah, we'll, we'll have to see what the next step is. Cause I, I don't know if this is going to be enough to, to get the result we need at this point yet.
[00:12:53] Yeah. But anyway, yeah, it's not worth worrying about it.
[00:12:55] We'll, we'll see what happens and move on from there.
[00:12:57] You could waste a lot of time worrying about it.
[00:13:00] Yeah. And so changing topics a little bit, we were talking about that other airplane that we were going to build the Ford tri-motor.
[00:13:08] The tri-motor.
[00:13:09] Yeah. So one of the things I was thinking, and I wanted to get your input on it before I spent a lot of time trying to figure it out, 3d printing the wing spars or not the spars, the wing ribs. What do you think of that?
[00:13:23] So obviously you'd be printing them out of plastic.
[00:13:27] Right.
[00:13:28] I mean, I, I, I'm not opposed to that. I think probably, I mean, I'm not sure how much I, so I've never actually seen a finished, 3d printed, product that is like ready for use right off the printer. Meaning like I've, I'm assuming that a wing rib is probably going to have kind of a rough finish probably.
[00:13:58] So like the, the outside part where you'd actually put your covering would be smoother than like the finish on the top and bottom. Not that it's going to be bad. but it's, you're going to, it's going to have a little bit of texture to it.
[00:14:15] Now that can be standard. Here's, here's why that's important. Like, so if you, if you, if you, if you're looking down edgewise at a rib, okay, so flip it 90 degrees. So now you're looking at the, at the face, if you will. Yeah. a plastic rib compared to a balsa or, some other hardwood rib, I'm not sure what sort of structural qualities it has.
[00:14:43] So because I would be unsure, I would want to laminate that with something, carbon fiber veil or fiberglass or whatever. and that would require a smooth surface or a somewhat smooth surface to actually bond
[00:14:59] To, Oh, okay. Well, I tell you what, why don't I, why don't I try and print one?
[00:15:07] Okay.
[00:15:07] And then maybe I can either send it to you or drop it on your porch or something.
[00:15:12] Yeah. One day.
[00:15:12] I would like to kind of look at it. So maybe I can work on, maybe I can work on doing that this weekend or next weekend. We'll just kind of see how time goes, but yeah, I'll give you the final say in that because if so, I mean, that's a lot easier, Oh heck yeah. a lot easier to do cause I can just do that on the computer and then it can print and why I'm at work even. It doesn't matter.
[00:15:31] Yeah. Yeah. That, I mean, if something like that would, would work, man, that would be a real time saver. Number one. but I mean, there's, there's something to be said with, with working with wood too.
[00:15:45] Yeah. No, I understand. I, that's cool.
[00:15:48] But I kind of like, I'm old school.
[00:15:50] Yeah. And I, I like the newer stuff. So I, I kind of like having the, the ability to do 3d printing.
[00:15:55] Kind of a cool blend of old and new, 3d printed ribs. If those would work out with, basswood spars and balsa sheeting. And I don't know, it might be a cool blend of old and new. Yeah. Maybe it's already been done out there. Maybe I'll have to Google search it.
[00:16:11] Yeah. That's a good idea. I was just thinking about that at work today and I was like, Oh, I'm going to, I'm going to ask him about that and see what he thinks. So I guess I can go on there too and see, cause I'm sure I'm not the first person that thought about it.
[00:16:20] I mean, probably not.
[00:16:21] I'm sure it's been done and that we'll probably either find out that, yeah, it's a decent idea or don't do it because of this. So, but yeah, we'll, we'll look into it and see what happens. Yeah. other thing I wanted to bring up before we, we sign off for the night. so we did have, a listener comment on the, AS3X receivers that we talked about in our last episode. Oh, okay. so he reached out and wants to remain anonymous, which is fine.
[00:16:50] So we won't name names. but he said that, the AS3X receivers cannot be installed with Velcro. He just wanted to make that clear that everybody knew it. So according to what he was told, and I'm, I'm assuming this is correct because it kind of makes a little bit of sense, but maybe you can tell me if I'm wrong.
[00:17:10] So he said that, he was told the, the Velcro does not isolate the receiver enough from vibrations from the airframe and it can kind of, amplify them a little bit, I guess, to where it doesn't actually match exactly what the airplane is doing. so he said he actually crashed an airplane. And then when he went to put the new, the new body on the new fuselage on, he put all the electronics in it and use Velcro on, on that time, when he did it.
[00:17:45] And then he crashed as soon as he took off. He said it just did some weird stuff. and then when he talked to the, the, the hobby shop that he was dealing with, with it, that's what they told him, that you have to put it with, servo tape or with some, some double-sided tape instead of the Velcro.
[00:18:05] Hmm.
[00:18:06] So what are your thoughts on that?
[00:18:08] Well, I mean, I've, I've not dealt with AS3X, very much myself. because I, I'm kind of at a point in my flying where I don't feel like I want it or, or need it even. Cause it, AS3X is, is, like we discussed before is a tool, right? Right. sort of like the safe technologies, but not, not getting into that. I, I gotta say that I, I've mounted receivers both ways. In fact, I've mounted receivers lots of different ways.
[00:18:42] And I've never had any problems with standard receivers and Velcro. In fact, the, the receiver that is in the stick project in your basement there that we've been working on is mounted with Velcro and I've never had an issue with it. Yeah.
[00:18:57] I, I, I usually use Velcro on them too, just because if you're, if you're going to change out any servos or anything, it's easier to just be able to pull that out with Velcro, plug things in and unplug things as you need to.
[00:19:08] Yeah. Especially if you're, yeah, if you're, swapping between airframes and things like that, it's convenient. But with the AS3X, I, I would have to, I would have to say that, I guess, I guess that I have, I kind of have two ways of thinking about it.
[00:19:24] So number one, it seems like, the Velcro, or at least the Velcro that I use, it, it does a, a pretty good job of cushioning, of isolating, the component that you're using it, to mount, does a pretty good job of isolating it from vibration because the Velcro that I use has, the, the firm side and the soft side. I mean, you stick them both together.
[00:19:50] It's a pretty soft, there is room for movement, which leads me to number two, which, since this thing has built in gyros, any kind of movement in that receiver is probably going to send wonky signals to those gyros that are mounted internally. Yeah. So I, I'd say there's probably a lot of merit, to the, to the comment that, our listener, heard from the hobby shop. I would say I would probably agree.
[00:20:20] You probably want to mount your AS3X receiver somewhat solidly, at least so that it can't move around. I'm a huge fan of shoe goo. Like, I don't know if what that is or not. but if it, if I know I'm going to put this component in an airplane for a really long time, I'll just go ahead and shoe goo it. And shoe goo is wonderful. Oh, really? Oh, it absorbs, it absorbs impact. It absorbs vibration.
[00:20:47] And it'll, someday if you need to pull the receiver or what have you, I've mounted servos with this stuff. it's, it's time consuming and you have to be patient, cause you have to wait for it to cure and make sure nothing moves, when it's, when, when the glue is still wet.
[00:21:05] But, once it's, once it's done, man, it's very, very solidly mounted, with all, with also those, sound deadening vibration absorbing qualities, but it will also release. It's, it's, it's tougher to get it to release than servo tape, but it will release and it releases clean, which I like.
[00:21:24] Oh, that is interesting. I've never used that before. Yeah.
[00:21:27] Used to use it all the time on cars, RC cars.
[00:21:31] I always just use double-sided tape.
[00:21:33] Well, I tend to, to, to crash a lot. So double-sided tape would sometimes let me down. Well, right, right, right. Yeah. So double-sided tape would let me down sometimes.
[00:21:45] Yeah. That happened to me quite a bit too, but I mean, we never raced, raced. It was all just kind of, we, we had a track out in our front, our front pasture and when we used to do RC cars, it had probably a, oh, I'd say probably 120 foot long straight away. I would think something in that range. And, it was pretty big.
[00:22:05] I remember.
[00:22:06] Yeah. It was a lot of fun, had some jumps and stuff on it, but anyway, there were several times that, yeah, you'd, you'd pull in, have to run a couple of laps and you'd have to take your car off the road or off the, the dirt and, and re, double-sided tape the, the receiver down because it's, or the ESC even, either one of those, because they're just kind of bouncing around.
[00:22:24] And so, yeah, I can see where that would be an issue, but you, you get a lot more vibrations and stuff with cars than you do with planes.
[00:22:32] Yeah. Yeah. And, and I never had, knock on wood, I've never had an issue with a receiver that
[00:22:39] I've, that I've mounted that way.
[00:22:41] Having said that, I will say that, to, to our listener who might, might be listening to this episode that brought the question, I would say that I agree. you should probably not mount AS3X receivers with Velcro. I think that's probably, probably a wise, wise person that told him that.
[00:22:58] The other thing with AS3X2 though, is I'm, I'm pretty sure that you have to mount the, the receiver in the same position every time.
[00:23:06] Oh yeah. That's extremely important. In fact, when you, when you get the receiver, there's usually fairly explicit directions on how to mount that receiver because it's extremely important to mount that receiver in the correct direction.
[00:23:18] Yeah. Or else it's really going to get messed up when you, when you're pitching or rolling or whatever you're doing.
[00:23:24] Like I, I installed a, an AS3X receiver for one of our club members in a, I think it
[00:23:29] Was an edge or something like that, a little foamy.
[00:23:32] And, I think it was a spectrum receiver and I think it said that there was one of four, maybe five positions that you could mount the receiver in such that it would work correctly. And anything other than that would be, would give you unsatisfactory performance.
[00:23:47] Which also means crash.
[00:23:49] Exactly.
[00:23:52] Wow. Okay.
[00:23:53] Yeah. Anything unsatisfactory with RC airplanes is usually going to end up in a crash.
[00:23:59] Yeah. So be on the watch out for it, I guess. So yeah. Make sure you always read the directions with anything you get. But I mean, that's, that's the number one thing. So it will always tell you best practices and, and, how to mount things, how to.
[00:24:12] Yeah. A lot of, a lot of development goes into these products and that's all reflected on those instructions that you get inside the box.
[00:24:19] Yep. So, all right. Well, good deal. Do you have anything else you want to cover?
[00:24:25] No, I, I dug around the, the shop here a couple of days ago looking for a big four stroke to put on the stick and couldn't find anything. So it looks like I'm going to stick that ugly blue LA-61. I'm back on there.
[00:24:38] What about, don't you have one of those, Sato Golden Knights? Do you have that on something?
[00:24:44] Yes. It's not big enough.
[00:24:46] Oh, it's not big enough. Oh. I thought. Yeah. I thought, isn't it a, I thought it was like a 80 size or 82 or something.
[00:24:53] It's a 72.
[00:24:55] Oh, 72.
[00:24:56] Yeah. I mean, it would fly the stick, but not, not the way I like to fly it.
[00:25:00] All right. Well, keep looking. Maybe you'll find something else.
[00:25:03] Eh, you never know. It's, yeah, that's, that's, that's all I got.
[00:25:07] Yeah. Well, me too. So I guess until next time, thanks for listening to everybody and, we'll talk to you later. All right. We'll see you guys. Bye.
[00:25:15] We hope you enjoyed this episode of the RC 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.
[25:44] UNKNOWN: Thank you. Bye. Bye.