Saturday, May 4, 2024

Recent Posts

Propeller Safety: Safety Tips For Everyone

The traditional safety structure of AMA clubs has done a lot to reinforce good safety habits over the years. Unfortunately, with the advances made in electric flight and its often less organized and more isolated nature, we have many up-and-coming pilots who have little, if any, way to learn good safety practices

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Bending Perfect Pushrods

If you have ever tried to set up solid aileron pushrods with Z-bend linkages, you know the frustration of trying to get the second bend in just the right place, or adjusting a V-bend in the middle of your pushrod. It turns out that there is an easier way. Here is how I bend aileron pushrods for most models with wing-mounted aileron servos. In this case, I was setting up the new Small Stik from Aero Craft Ltd. The same technique can be used on models up to 60 size and beyond, depending on the pushrod wire size.

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Power Loading

Why does it have to be this complicated? If I had a dollar for every time Ive heard that question asked by fliers who are trying to match electric power systems with airframes, Id be a rich man. In the glow and gas world, the process is pretty simple: just pick an engine at or around the top end of the recommended range and one of the few props listed on its data sheet, and youre good to go.

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Making Hatches

I've been a sport modeler for 30 years. Along the way, I have discovered some simple techniques for making hatches. Here are a few that I've relied on. Given the expansion of onboard widgets of all kinds, you just may find yourself wanting some hatches to better access electrical connections and components on any brand of ARF. First, let's look at how the designers at Goldberg and Great Planes paved the way, and then we'll look at a very simple magnetic hatch you can build in 20 minutes.

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Glow Engine Maintenance

This month I will discuss how I overhaul a basic two-stroke glow engine. I will be disassembling an O.S. .46 SF, cleaning the various parts, doing an inspection and replacing the bearings before reassembling and test running the engine. The techniques shown are applicable to any brand of engine.

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Anderson Powerpole Installation Secrets

Anderson Powerpoles are among the safest, most reliable and most useful of all connectors for electric- powered airplanes. They are easy to disconnect (you won’t damage your plane pulling them apart), expose no live metal contacts and do not require soldering. Here, we will discuss additional key installation tips and tricks that, until now, have been known only to the “experts.”

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E-Flite Habu 32

HABU is a tribal word that loosely translates to “Holy crap, Batman, did you see this?” And that is what I said to the guys in the shop when I first opened the box. But, I digress. If you seek a great looking, hot performing and fun to put together electric ducted fan jet, with unheard of performance, this Habu 32 is the bird for you. It came from the design team at Horizon Hobby/EFlite, headed by none other than David Payne, you know, Kim’s significant other. If you’ve been chomping at the bit for a step up from their original “foamy” version, it is here. Yes, it is more expensive; yes, it takes about 30 hours to assemble, and yes, it will definitely help prepare you for hotter EDFs, such as the BVM Electra, EDF Bandit or perhaps any turbine sport jet you may see in your modeling future.

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E-Flite Habu 32

HABU is a tribal word that loosely translates to “Holy crap, Batman, did you see this?” And that is what I said to the guys in the shop when I first opened the box. But, I digress. If you seek a great looking, hot performing and fun to put together electric ducted fan jet, with unheard of performance, this Habu 32 is the bird for you. It came from the design team at Horizon Hobby/EFlite, headed by none other than David Payne, you know, Kim’s significant other. If you’ve been chomping at the bit for a step up from their original “foamy” version, it is here. Yes, it is more expensive; yes, it takes about 30 hours to assemble, and yes, it will definitely help prepare you for hotter EDFs, such as the BVM Electra, EDF Bandit or perhaps any turbine sport jet you may see in your modeling future.

Read More »