Sun Fli4 IV wing construction

Decided to utilize the recently acquired A-Justo-jig on building the SF4 (SunFli IV) I've had in inventory for a few years.  The jig instructions were fairly straightforward on how to assemble the jig. I substituted most of the jig's screw hardware with socket-head screws.  This makes the jig easier to assemble and makes adjustments of setting rib spacing and dihedral much easier.  The jig's instructions lack practical examples and or pictures on how to configure the jig for different wing platforms.  I had a couple of false starts setting up for the SF4 wing but managed to produce a high-quality wing.  The jig allows constructing up to a 70" wing in one piece.  Plus having the ability to rotate the wing 360 degrees on the jig enables applying top and bottom sheeting, cap strips servo bays, landing gear blocks among other elements before removing the wing from the jig.  I'm looking forward to using the jig to construct the fuse.

Wing Jig

 I recently picked up a NIB  A-justo-jig which included complete jig fixtures for constructing wings and fuselages. This will come in handy for building the Dirty Birdy and Sun Fli IV kits I have in inventory.  Many years ago I was given a used A-justo-jig for wings.  It was missing some parts, however, there was enough there to enable building a few wings and to appreciate the value it offered. Glad  I came across the opportunity to own a complete jig. 

Sebart Avanti EDF

 Mini Avanti S is ready for its maiden flight.

Equipment:

• JP Hobby 90mm 8S fan
• Castle Edge Lite HV120 ESC
• effflux RC heavy-duty struts
• Roaring Top 8S 5000mAh
• Roaring Top 1200mAh Rx
• Futaba HV MG servos on flying surfaces
• Futaba HV mini nose gear steering
• Futaba 5v regulator on retracts
• Maxx Products wheels

RTF weight = 9lbs 4ozs

CA Model's Epic+ vs Epic Evo

 Did some testing and performance comparison today between the Epic+ an Epic Evo.  

Epic Evo update

 Epic Evo update:

Have logged 10 flights to date...I continue to make adjustments to achieve the feel I desire.  To improve the pitch feel the elevator clevis was moved in one hole at the servo.  I am planning to move that in an additional hole before the next flying session which should reduce/minimize the expo amount and improve the resolution.

The last couple of flights were in front of a fellow pattern pilot who commented on how constant the speed was with the up, down, and horizontal lines. I mentioned I had changed to an APC 22x13 carbon prop plus made adjustments to the throttle curve and in-out throttle channel response.  I like this prop a lot and plan to test its performance on my Epic + and Invitation G2.

CA Model's Epic Evo

 Epic Evo

A successful an uneventful maiden occurred 10/27/20 at my club field. Today (Saturday) conditions were perfect for fine-tuning trim feel of throws, expo, CG, and wing incidence.  Having gone through this with the Epic + knowing what was possible shorten the process somewhat.  By the fourth flight, I was able to fly through the current Masters sequence reasonably well. The Evo is proving to be an improvement over the Epic +.

Evo:

Futaba 32MZ w/HV servos

Hacker C54 - Budd mount

D3 Controller

TP 5000 10s 25c

TP 910 2s 25c  rx

Tech-Aero regulator

APC 21.5x13 carbon

Falcon spinner, gear, and pants

RTF weight - 4762 gr

 

D3 controller installation

 Mounting the D3 in direct airflow.

First and foremost I am believer in Adam Debowski's controller performance for F3A competition models.  I now have three models outfitted: Invitation G2/Hacker C50 14xl comp, Epic Evo/Hacker C54, Passion Bipe/Plettenberg 30-10 which I use as a testbed for new equipment.  

The following illustrates how I retrofitted my Epic Evo setup to use the D3 by mounting it in direct airflow as recommended by Adam.

The Evo has a removable battery tray.  I mounted it to the front of the tray using an aluminum bracket to mount the D3

The bracket is held in place using two 2/2-56 screws and nuts.

Velcro is used to secure the D3 to the bracket.

View of finished tray retrofit.

View of D3 from the front air intake. This should work nicely.

P-Shooter, designed by Hal Debolt

P-Shooter progress.  Entering the final construction phase.  Need to add trim to the wings, setup radio and CG.

Here's the finished plane after its successful test flight on 9/20/20.

Reflections

2007 was a good year. The ZN Line Twister served me well.  The first 2m plane I built and flight trimmed entirely myself.

CA Models Epic Evo

Epic Evo has been updated with a D3 controller and is ready to maiden. The RTF weight is 4746g.

Equipment List:

• Futaba 32MZ 
• Futaba HV digital servos
• Futaba R7008SB Rx
• Futaba SBS-01RB Brushless RPM Sensor (temporary, setup D3)
• Hacker C54 comp 
• Adam Debowski's D3 Esc 
• Falcon 82mm spinner 
• APC 21 X 13.5 Carbon prop 
• Falcon landing gear/pants 
• MPI wheels 
• Central Hobbies NMP axles 
• Thunder Power 5000mAh motor battery 
• Thunder power 910 mAh Rx battery Tech-Aero regulator

D3 Controller

D3 ESC first impressions

The recent buzz on the NSRCA's email chat list regarding the D3 ESC produced by Adam Debowski out of  Poland influenced me to try one.  Like most new products introduced to the F3A community, there were pros and cons encountered and mentioned by users. Since this product had been in use for some time by many European and some US competitors I felt I would not be taking a large risk trying this ESC from a small producer.

For my first venture, I elected to try the D3 in my BJ Craft G2 Invitation outfitted with  Hacker C50 14XL comp motor.  The prop I like on this combo is the APC 21.5x13 carbon.  As recommended by the D3 designer, I set the RPMs for on the ground, normal, spin, and landing flight conditions.  In addition, I set a high idle setting in the snap and stall turn flight conditions plus the recommended mid-stick RPMs for all throttle curves configured for these conditions. On the first flight, I was a bit apprehensive about how the plane would perform in downlines with a 3100 rpm or high idle.  The first couple of downlines I moved the Tx throttle stick to full low as I would flying a more traditional ESC like the Spin 99.  The plane decelerated very nicely, however, I quickly realized by moving the stick to a position just a few clicks below mid-stick but not to full low positions the braking effect was variable.  After logging a few more flights I made several adjustments to the throttle curves of raising RPMs at the mid-stick position and adjusted the in/out channel speed response.  Doing so greatly reduced the overall stick movement used for level flight cruise RPMs to RPMs required for downlines and uplines.

In summary, the value of the device has been quickly realized.  I am looking forward to logging more flights and fine-tuning rpm settings for each flight condition to my liking.  In the near term, I plan to order a second D3 for my recently completed CA Models Epic Evo with a Hacker C54 motor.  Contact Adam Debowski the designer/producer of the D3 at adam.debowski@d3motors.com  for more details and questions.

To measure RPM's realtime I used Futaba's brushless sensor.  To properly measure RPM's for the geared Hacker C50 a formula must be used to determine the gear ratio value for the sensor...(# of poles/2) x 6.7 = 6.7. The result is rounded to the nearest whole # and entered into the gear ratio field in the 32MZ's sensor setup.  Be sure to change the sensor type to Magnet as the instructions indicate.

Futuba SBS-01RB Brushless Sensor

https://futabausa.com/product/sbs-01rb/

Invitation G2