GlasairAllen
Mar 25, 2003, 01:31 AM
Today I made the first flight with my 1/3rd scale Hangar 9 Sukhio SU-31.
I've posted photos and first flight video on my website at:
http://www.allenrockwell.com/PhotoGallery/Models/Sukhoi/index.htm
Here is message I just posted to my local club's website regarding the first flight (and answering some questions posed to me)
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It's a Hangar 9 kit, with a 88.7" length and 97" wingspan. I put in a Zenoah GT-80 twin 80cc gas engine that delivers 5.5 HP swinging a 24" prop. The model weighs about 25 lbs and has an amazing 1810 sq/in of wing area.
As far as cost: The model can be had for about $750, the engine for about the same, then add 9 servos, a large battery, an aluminum spinner, the Hangar 9 hardware kit, and other goodies and you can expect to top $2k pretty easily.
I built it pretty much exactly as the instructions say with the exception of attaching the canopy with screws and blind nuts (rather than canopy glue) so that I can easily install my wireless TV camera (in-flight "pilots-eye view" videos coming soon) and remove it easily. I also removed all the annoying 'Hangar 9' graphics and made my own vinyl graphics with my company name and other logos.
The model has 9 servos; 2 on each aileron, one on each elevator, two on the rudder and one on the throttle (duh). All servos are hi-torque (60-117 oz/in range) with the exception of the throttle servo. Most of the servos are Hi-Tec brand, the rudder servos are JR. The receiver is a JR 10 channel PCM (with almost every plug filled). Control is from a JR 10-X.
As far as flight time, I don’t know yet but I'll tell you that I was up on this first flight for a little under 5 minutes and the tank still looks full (down about 3/4").
The engine is amazing, it starts SO easily with the spring starter ... Who would have guessed that one person could start the engine on such a large model, it's a piece of cake. And as far as power, don’t worry about it... It's got plenty, I never got over 1/2 throttle on this flight (well, maybe about 5/8th on the vertical stuff). Someone once told me "once you try gas engines you will never go back to glow fuel again" ... He was right, it's so nice... And even with the current prices it's still about 15% of the price of good quality glow fuel.
As far as flight characteristics, it's smooth as silk and very predictable. Having about 70 hours flying full scale planes (ranging from Cessna 150 to Glasair) I have always been annoyed that most models do not behave like "real" planes ... This one does! The closer you get to full scale, the more they behave like full scale airplanes ...is there a 46% TOC Ultimate in my future? <Grin>, probably not at that price, but it’s a nice thought.
By the way, one important note that further illustrates what a nice plane this is: I made the first flight without any of the control surface mixing, differential, exponential etc that is recommended in the manual ... I flew it raw and it performed very nicely. I will now start to fine tune it with all the mixing and stuff that is recommended.
I've posted photos and first flight video on my website at:
http://www.allenrockwell.com/PhotoGallery/Models/Sukhoi/index.htm
Here is message I just posted to my local club's website regarding the first flight (and answering some questions posed to me)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
It's a Hangar 9 kit, with a 88.7" length and 97" wingspan. I put in a Zenoah GT-80 twin 80cc gas engine that delivers 5.5 HP swinging a 24" prop. The model weighs about 25 lbs and has an amazing 1810 sq/in of wing area.
As far as cost: The model can be had for about $750, the engine for about the same, then add 9 servos, a large battery, an aluminum spinner, the Hangar 9 hardware kit, and other goodies and you can expect to top $2k pretty easily.
I built it pretty much exactly as the instructions say with the exception of attaching the canopy with screws and blind nuts (rather than canopy glue) so that I can easily install my wireless TV camera (in-flight "pilots-eye view" videos coming soon) and remove it easily. I also removed all the annoying 'Hangar 9' graphics and made my own vinyl graphics with my company name and other logos.
The model has 9 servos; 2 on each aileron, one on each elevator, two on the rudder and one on the throttle (duh). All servos are hi-torque (60-117 oz/in range) with the exception of the throttle servo. Most of the servos are Hi-Tec brand, the rudder servos are JR. The receiver is a JR 10 channel PCM (with almost every plug filled). Control is from a JR 10-X.
As far as flight time, I don’t know yet but I'll tell you that I was up on this first flight for a little under 5 minutes and the tank still looks full (down about 3/4").
The engine is amazing, it starts SO easily with the spring starter ... Who would have guessed that one person could start the engine on such a large model, it's a piece of cake. And as far as power, don’t worry about it... It's got plenty, I never got over 1/2 throttle on this flight (well, maybe about 5/8th on the vertical stuff). Someone once told me "once you try gas engines you will never go back to glow fuel again" ... He was right, it's so nice... And even with the current prices it's still about 15% of the price of good quality glow fuel.
As far as flight characteristics, it's smooth as silk and very predictable. Having about 70 hours flying full scale planes (ranging from Cessna 150 to Glasair) I have always been annoyed that most models do not behave like "real" planes ... This one does! The closer you get to full scale, the more they behave like full scale airplanes ...is there a 46% TOC Ultimate in my future? <Grin>, probably not at that price, but it’s a nice thought.
By the way, one important note that further illustrates what a nice plane this is: I made the first flight without any of the control surface mixing, differential, exponential etc that is recommended in the manual ... I flew it raw and it performed very nicely. I will now start to fine tune it with all the mixing and stuff that is recommended.