BJ Craft Epilogue (ARC)

 In May of this year, I took delivery of a BJ Craft Epilogue ARC from F3AU. Upon unpacking the contents I was surprised by the shape of the rudder.  The rudder incorporated a counterbalance similar to my Invitation G2. This was unlike pictures I had viewed of the Epilogue to date online. In addition, there was a nose ring attached to the exterior of the original molded nose ring which had a noticeable change in the right and down thrust amounts. As I continued to unpack components I quickly noted the double taper of the wings and stabs and general location on the fuse were what as I had expected.  Concerned about the rudder shape and nose ring thrust modifications I sent an inquiry to F3AU and BJ Park. The following is the response I received direct from BJ Park about the design changes.

From BJ Craft:

I am BJ Park, owner of  BJ Craft. I am very sorry for giving you trouble and confusion. If you do not like changed design, you can return the plane, the return cost shall be paid to Mike by me. English is not my mother tongue and culture barrier shall be, I may commit indecent act  in the text, please understand and forgive me.

I am going to say about the modification of the design. I have a mistake that I did not inform this to Mike. Sorry for Mike. I am engineer rather than business man, so I commit mistake like this case Especially when I develop new models. please understand this mistake. The reason that I change vertical fin is 3 causes. 

1. The height  of wood crate is determined by the height of the vertical fin. As you know well I ship plans all over the world air shipping by UPS/DHL  Reducing the height of Fin,  wich can save USD600~800/pc. You can see if you check freight in their home page. This is very important element for dealers.

2. Epilogue's counter balance. Feed back from world wide about 1st. lot  production, rudder to aileron mixing is no need or recovery a bit. To reduce recovery, counter balance is,  it  pushes top of the rudder post when you use rudder, due to pushing makes counter recovery roll. It is not  big, reuces mix about 1%.

3. Height of fin in Nuance G2 and Epilogue has higher fin at first lot, that is "new spec" design. this is the spec about design coefficient for aircraft plane form (geometry) which is related with pattern trackng. Epilogue is 2020 versoin of 'new spec" which includes stability (tracking) in 8~10m/sec strong cross wind. 1st  lot  of  Nuance G2  was old version it was 6~ 8m/sec strong cross wind. In the 2nd lot  of  Nuance G2  improved into 2020 version. I realized that feedback from worldwide has a margin to improve. To match 2020 version tail (horizontal, vertical) volume coefficient, vertical fin height of 1st lot Nuance G2 is necessary to highten. This improvement can't  be felt by the fliers who fly the plane in the not srong wind. The improvement that I do in detail may not necessary for the common fliers in worldwide but aircraft designer test and understand those in detail for future technology. The improvement of performance is important but more important is customers' needs.

P.S. : Epilogue in the F3AU pic is the epilogue  prototype which is flown by me WC in 2019. This plane is deigned only for me, my flying style and my propulsion. Drive unit for this plane is 22*16 prop runs at 7000RPM (4000w) this is used only by me in the world. Unique plane makes unique flying possible. unfortunately it needs unique design. Production Epilogue lot was redesigned for common fliers and popular propulsion in the world,even if it is not perfect one but can be satisfied worldwide

The plane perfetly fit to your flying field only is able to be easily designed by me, but your flying field is the micro part of the world, my design is flown in the fields from 0~3000m above sea level, besides this, many elements give effect to the aircraft design. So my design is not perfect  but is stisfied all over the world and prototyhpe and production type is different from each other.

Canalizer for prototype is only one ( wrong design too small) so I changed it into present one. Anhedral for big prop was also deleted. Wing fence in the pic was changed into wing tip fence, which can be easily changed larger or smaller depending on the customer circumstances. Besides these, the moment, wing position ( I like low wing) tail volume etc, etc.

I should have provided the production type picture, due to various reason I couldn't, it was my mistake. Story was long, F3A market is so small that  factory couldn't employ enough workers. But I am doing my best to do all the things as long as I can.

Rudder configuration BJ referenced of his WC 2019 version

Rudder shape of the version I received.

After inspecting the entire ARC kit contents, overall I am very please with the weights, fit and finish like I was with the Invitation G2 ARC.  I've begun working on the Epilogue starting with reinforcement of the gear plate with a Carbon Fiber/Nomex plate with dowel hardpoints for the blind nuts plus installation of the Hacker C54.

Future Project

 Future project Angel's Shadow V20 

• 360 view
• Canopy
• Belly pan

A nice Texas evening for pattern practice

Yesterday I experienced perfect Texas evening weather.  Light wind down the runway, low humidity a rare occurrence for August. An added plus was having the runway mowed allowing the ability to taxi with my 2" Maxx Prod wheels tucked inside the Falcon wheel pants.

Logged several flights with the EPIC Evo without making changes to setups.  I feel I have the throttle settings/curve on the C54/D3 combo and other flight conditions set to my liking.  Now it's up to me to just fly the plane.

EPIC Evo / Hacker C54 / D3 Update

The Invitation G3/C50/D3 combination served me well at the Texas City contest.  I have not done much flying since then for various reasons.  Wifey and I spent a week in Jamaica, there were multiple days of heavy rain which made the Space City Club runway unusable plus I have been avoiding the late July Texas heat.  Seeking a place to fly in the morning when it's cooler I decided to rejoin the SPARKS RC Club which recently upgraded the runway to a hard surface and is a 10-minute drive from my house.

For the last two weeks, I've been logging air time with the EPIC Evo at SPARKS.  I recently redid the elevator controls to reduce the amount of mechanical travel volume.  I felt the pitch response was difficult to manage due to flying with more exponential than I prefer to use. This helped but I still felt there was room for improvement. Pushing into and out of vertical lines plus elevator input during rolls and inverted flight segments was inconsistent.  A friend and fellow pilot suggested to aggressively move the motor battery forward by an inch or so.  This dramatically changed the pitch feel.  In the flights that followed I began sliding the battery incrementally back towards the original position until I achieved the desired pitch response I was after. This confirms recommended CG position by the designer is simply that, a recommendation. One must experiment with the CG position to their particular flying preference.

The EVO now feels very comfortable, now it's a matter of logging practice time on the Evo to adjust to the different visual queues it presents and fine-tuning flight conditions to my liking.  Overall I am very pleased with this design and selected power system.

EPIC EVO

• Motor: Hacker C54 2Y L
• ESC: Debowski D3
• Battery: TP 10S 5000mAh
• Prop: APC carbon 22x13
• Radio: Futaba 32MZ, HV servos
• Landing gear: Falcon gear and pants
• RTF weight: 4756gr

SPARKS Runway

EPIC Evo

Air Plane Rack Update - Honda Odyssey

 The new airplane rack in the old Odyssey works great.  It comfortably accommodates 2-2m fuselages equipped with canilizers.  The cradle on the right is a different height to enable planes with anhedral stab configurations. Since the contest trip, last weekend was just across town, I elected to lay the wings on the floor although they can fit up off the floor on either side of the fuselages to provide ample floor space for support equipment, etc. The rack is easily removed to covert the cargo area to haul whatever including people and storable in the garage. Very happy with how the rack turned out.

Texas City Contest

This weekend I competed in the Texas City Pattern Classic.  I understand the last pattern event the club held was 30 years ago.  Their facility is perfect for pattern along with the club's energy and support for hosting a first-class event is second to none. 

I've been flying with and coaching  Justin Wells who is preparing for the 2021 Nats.  Helping him has rejuvenated my pattern spirit.  I am practicing and focused again on airplane equipment preparation, trimming/setup, and practice.   This weekend's event demonstrated I am still competitive in Masters at least in D6.

As a Futaba Field Rep, I always have an ear out for radio comments from users.  Futaba continues to be the dominant brand in this part of the country.  Because of the integrated telemetry with their ESC's and recorded voice playback options a few have migrated over to Jeti.  The next popular radio would be Spectrum, JR and Airtronics are pretty much non-existent.  Propulsion systems, contra drive systems have become very popular among competitors in all classes.  For the most part, the Adverunn is what I see the most of, then Brenner's system.  For me, the Hacker geared inrunners C50 and C54 is what I continue to use. Pairing these motors with Adam Debowski's D3 swinging an APC carbon 22x13 is an ideal power system in my Invitation G2 and Epic + and Evo.  The invitation served me very well this weekend at the Texas City event.

Texas City Contest Results

Here are a few pictures from the Texas City event:

 

Futaba 32MZ signal disruptions

Passing along info from Futaba USA tech support.

Recently with a newly acquired 32MZ at a certain flying site, I began experiencing momentary failsafe episodes/signal disruptions.  This same plane and equipment for the past two years were flown with a 14MZ at the same location with zero signal disruption occurrences.  So I reached out to FUSA tech support for help with troubleshooting. 

The following is the feedback I received from tech support.

1) Exchange the 7008 RX with the 7108 RX that came with the 32MZ.  Here is the quote from tech support:

“The idea of the R7108SB is to increase its reception in RF by adding high gain antennas. It doesn’t increase the range however it is best described as having more sensitivity to RF. However, we do not claim it increases range. It will perform similarly to the R7008SB, in some regions with higher ambient RF we have heard people express issues with the Standard R7008SB that were then fixed with the R7108SB.”

2) Regarding differences between transmitters.  There is a difference in mW output power between the MZ series.  Tech support provided a link that enabled me to input the FCC-ID from the transmitter and the T14 module which validated the mW output power of the 14MZ is indeed greater than the 32MZ.  Here is the link https://fccid.io/. A friend used the link to validate the mW output of the 18MZ is also greater than the 32MZ.  Tech support did not substantiate what the effect of the difference would be however, their comment about using 7108 with high gain antennas vs. the 7008 makes sense.

3) I also asked about the difference between FASST vs. FASSTest protocols.  Tech support quoted the following. 

“FASST is transmitting full time where FASSTest has less transmission time compared to the FASST protocol”.  

Based on this information plus my past personal experience using the 14MZ (FASST Protocol) at my primary flying site. I have personally elected to configure the 32MZ to transmit in the FASST protocol linked to the 7108 in FASST mode.  Results so far have been positive.  I have logged a small number of flights with no detectable signal disruptions. Again, just sharing information that may be useful to some 32MZ users.

Perfect flying evening

Arrived at the club airfield around 16:30 with 4-10s packs charged thinking I would be alone. To my surprise a fellow club member, dedicated pattern flyer was already there logging practice time. Conditions were unbelievable for pattern practice. Mostly cloudy with a light 2-3 mph variable breeze and mild temperatures. Gotta love this time of year in SE Texas. To date flights logged on the BJ Craft Invitation G2 have been in gusty windy conditions. Today's conditions provide an outstanding opportunity to validate trim configurations on the G2. All flight elements roll, pitch up/down vertical track, and snaps performed great. In the light wind condition stall turns and spin entry which worked well in windy conditions require some tweaking for light wind. The same prop used in windy conditions was easy to adapt to in the light wind. The combination of the Hacker C50, D3, APC carbon 22x13 is a very versatile power system. I continue to be amazed of the braking abilities of the D3. Down lines even in light wind conditions require a throttle position something between full low and mid throttle to achieve desired braking effect and pace. Glad I was able to fit in some late afternoon practice after completing my daily assigned chores. Hope there are more days like this in the near future.

Practice & Funday at BomberField 4/12/21

Perfect SE Texas April spring day. Light wind down the center of the runway, cloudy with mild humidity. Logged some much needed time on the Invitation. I'm getting more comfortable wtih the C50/D3 combination swinging an APC 22X13 Carbon prop. Pace control has become easier to manage in calm and windy condition with the combo. I am excited to have an Epilogue on order from m F3AU, I plan to configure it with a C54/D3 combination. This should prove to be great setup for this plane. I also logged time on the Mini Avanti, the 8S/JP fan setup is proving to be a perfect power option. I am used to landing light wing loaded 2M pattern planes, so I am still figuring out how to achieve high alpha landings with the Mini blending power with flaps.

Space City RC's 2nd annual throwback event

Had a great time participating in my club's 2nd annual throwback event for aircraft designed 1994 an earlier. We had 18 total registered pilots who each brought multiple planes. There were 049 powered planes to giant scale plus and added bonus of a club member flying contol line. My Como 51 powered Hal Debolt P-shooter and my OS 46AX powered Avistar both performed well with the Futaba 32MZ and CoolPower 30% heli blend. Given the hard freeze the Houston area experienced ealier this year our club's runway has rebounded back very well. The club is looking forward to hosting its upcoming annual pattern and other events in 2021.