Wright Stuff C

[CrayolaCrayon]

Most likely, the motor is too long or the motor stick is too short. As the motor unwinds, it doesn't maintain enough tension to stay on.

^ this

[lechassin]

I don't have any videos to post from today but it was all Luke flying the plane he built. In order to keep things simple and sturdy/reliable, he used a rigid (non-flaring) prop and has permanently centered wings, with a 1mm shim that he adds under the leading edge for left circles. We did tinker with the motor length and he's consistently 1'35" to 1'45" in both directions with few knots remaining. He's winding to 4440 initially, then back to 4170, launching at 0.3 in.oz torque. That's where we left things in anticipation of his first invitational next Saturday. Of course we have no way of knowing where he will stand because NOBODY IS POSTING TIMES (sorry for yelling ). He did start to build a back-up plane; he should have it done for the invitational but obviously not fully trimmed (lesson in time management...)

I didn't fly mine at all with my new motors because I spent the morning helping my younger boy with elastic-launch gliders. We're getting 12-16 seconds at 25' altitude which is pretty good, considering that last week we just made balsa debris...

[jander14indoor]

Hey guys!

I don't think you fully understood my problem. The rubber band isn't landing with out winds. Rather, in mid flight, the rubber band would slip off the front propeller assembly and then only leave the other side keeping it on the plane. This would cause the plane to lose a substantial amount of time.

Thanks!

Franklin

What does your prop hook look like?

Let me repeat that, what does you prop hook look like?!
If it twists the wrong way, you can encourage the o-ring to slip off.
Hard to explain, but look up reverse s or z- motor hooks. Viewed from the rear, the hook has an reverse-s shape that locks in the o-ring.
Also the tail that comes forward should be bent to help retain the motor, not parallel to the axis.
Hmmm, a little googling found this you tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlebZPDdVSQ
That is more reverse S than I use, but Chris Boehm is a better, more experienced flyer than I am.
I also make mine different, but don't have a You Tube video to share. I make a normal hook, then grab the hook from the side with flat nose pliers such that the rear of the hook is protuding. Then I twist in the reverse hook with a pair of needle nose pliers.
However you do it, a properly constructed reverse S-hook will NOT let go of your O-ring.

Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI

[jinhusong]

Reverse S hook is the way to go. You can get it after a few practices. Our motor dropped middle air last year and that fixed it. You can make a bunch of them. Make them in a batch will improve you skill.

Jinhu

[lechassin]

That S hook is great!

Using those, would there be any advantage to intentionally using a motor stick that is on the short end of the spectrum, knowing the motor will stay on no matter what? At some point the knots would bunch up terribly, but what if the stick were juuuust short enough to avoid that. I can think of possible pros and cons, but I can't discern which are correct or relevant.

Pros: lighter motor stick that is less prone to bend, less tension on the hub (less friction), less tension on the motor (less strain).

Cons: does the motor need a certain amount of longitudinal tension in it to be efficient? Would knots pile up unpredictably even if the motor starts out neatly?

Also, how are you guys doing quick change props? Do you change the whole rotating assembly/mount or does the prop somehow pop off?

[xiangyu]

I don't have any videos to post from today but it was all Luke flying the plane he built. In order to keep things simple and sturdy/reliable, he used a rigid (non-flaring) prop and has permanently centered wings, with a 1mm shim that he adds under the leading edge for left circles. We did tinker with the motor length and he's consistently 1'35" to 1'45" in both directions with few knots remaining. He's winding to 4440 initially, then back to 4170, launching at 0.3 in.oz torque. That's where we left things in anticipation of his first invitational next Saturday. Of course we have no way of knowing where he will stand because NOBODY IS POSTING TIMES (sorry for yelling ). He did start to build a back-up plane; he should have it done for the invitational but obviously not fully trimmed (lesson in time management...)

I didn't fly mine at all with my new motors because I spent the morning helping my younger boy with elastic-launch gliders. We're getting 12-16 seconds at 25' altitude which is pretty good, considering that last week we just made balsa debris...

Nice! I will be curious to know the times as well so if you don't mind sharing what you know after your upcoming invitational. Good luck by the way!

[xiangyu]

Today's flight for me was a success. I continued to play around with the bi wing and figured out the problem (I think). My wing was warped a little too much so the plane would turn too rapidly causing extreme drag. The thing is, it's so hard to tell when the warp is too much/too little, if anyone has suggestions on how to better tell that would be great! Anyways, I was able to get the bi-plane up to 1 min 20 seconds bothways with a 29 inch 0.065 motor. I was able to film some videos for you guys and test out some longer rubber before we got kicked out by sports practice. (My teachers would joke that my school is an athletic facility with a school attached to it LOL). I'll be trying longer motors next week and will keep y'all updated.

Xiangyu

[FranklinHung]

I'm using a standard Ikara propeller. Only modification was that I took the plastic part off the "hook" Would that make a difference?

[Dreamz]

I'm using a standard Ikara propeller. Only modification was that I took the plastic part off the "hook" Would that make a difference?

If you're using Ikaras, I'd recommend bending your own propeller shaft out of straightened 0.020" music wire. With two needle nose pliers and a bit of practice, it's not difficult to achieve a decent level of precision, and the propeller/thrust bearing/nose button that come with Ikaras thread onto it perfectly.
Quick fix to a very common problem.

[xiangyu]

I'm using a standard Ikara propeller. Only modification was that I took the plastic part off the "hook" Would that make a difference?

No, it won't, at least from my experience. Just make sure the you don't bend open the hook too much (if you plan to do so) or your rubberband may have a hard time staying on.

Xiangyu