Acacia 2 build.

[Robbieuk]

Hi all,

I've just got an Acacia 2 and am just in the process of fitting the flap linkages. I have read the F3X build but i'm wondering if its better to not drill through the TE spar, but put the pushrod over the top of it and through the wingskin and into the servobox that way. I am also using some glass/pcb flap horns that i've made so they are higher, and the pull is spread across the flap more than the brass horns used in the F3X build, my thinking being that they would give more leverage to the flaps. Has anyone else done it this way?

thanks
Rob.

[Terminator]

Top drive with holes thru the sub spar worked well as did the brass control horns. Kept everything under the fairings...Toms web site has a build thread...go there for instruction....I did build a ds Acacia 2 with cf horns and top drove it as well...I drive oppsite the hinges.... :rolleyes:

Alan

[Robbieuk]

Top drive with holes thru the sub spar worked well as did the brass control horns. Kept everything under the fairings...Toms web site has a build thread...go there for instruction....I did build a ds Acacia 2 with cf horns and top drove it as well...I drive oppsite the hinges.... :rolleyes:

Alan

Thanks, Alan,

I ve been on the phone to a mate and he says most F3F builds are similar to this. Its my first F3F build so i was a bit concerned about drilling the spar but it seems its ok.

thanks again
Rob.

[edwardssc]

I also have an Acacia II on the go, wierd coincidence as Robbieuk and I have
just finished building Erwin 2M's !

I had exactly the same concerns with the drag spar - my conclusion though
was that the main spar is built like a shick brithouse so I went ahead and
ground through the top of the drag spar to clear the M2 snaplink.

A bigger problem for me was the flap servo boxes are way too shallow. If you
build as intended, the servo arms are very short and give you nothing like
enough travel to achieve the full flap movement.

My solution was simple - cut out the boxes, and mount the servos (Futaba
3150) using Cubbit mounts on thin ply directly on the upper skin.

Even doing this I still needed a 13mm servo arm length to get enough travel,
so the arm protrudes below the lower wing surface, and I cut a slot in the
box cover to accomodate this. Not beautiful, but then neither am I. 100%
flap servo travel now gives full down flap.

I have attached a couple of pics - hopefully of some use ?

One strange thing about the Acacia is no instructions ! Not a scrap of
writing anywhere in the entire wardrobe of a box it comes in ! I found some
settings on the f3x website, but these are in degrees (I am a mm man) I
have therefore used good old trig to convert degrees of throw to mm of
travel, do please let me know if thats of any use to you ?

[Robbieuk]

Hi Scott,

That really is a coincidence eh? yours looks much neater than mine i'm afraid. After the Erwin i thought i'd make some ail/flap horns the same from f/glass rather than buying the brass horns. Big mistake, it looks a mess , i spent a lot of time trying to get the height and angle of the hole in the spar right. I have kept the servo boxes for my 85MG servos as i thought it would add strength to the wing. I have'nt got as far as you with the linkage as everything i do seems to go wrong at the moment! so its all away in a cupboard for the time being as i'm sick of the sight of it.

Thanks for sharing your findings though. Good luck with it.
Rob.

[infopimp]

FWIW, I have bottom hinged flaps on my AII and get 85 degree down on flaps. I know there may be other benefits to top drive, just sayin'

Got an AIII on the bench here (this is the TomC A3... with the RG15 and about a foot larger span than AII)... on fence about "best" way to do flaps for this one, so watching/listening with interest.

[F3X]

I know its tempting to reinvent the wheel on assembly but I would go with what works and has worked for LOTS of guys. Regarding the Acacia 2 flaps, I usually remove the servo pocket because I have more room and options available. I did notice on the above photo the control horn looks a bit long or tall and this is the reason you may have needed a longer servo arm, your build looks tight and clean, you won''t have any problems. A shorter control horn would have kept your servo arm inside the wing but like I said its clean. Nice work.

Did someone say they were going to use HS85 on flaps :eek: I won't say more but search the threads and see if its still a good idea on a fast F3F model.

For reference: Put the flap control horn hole just above the skin and the hole fwd of the hinge line by 3-4mm and you won't have any problems driving the flaps. Keep the linkage straight and position the servo arm about 35-40 deg to the LE for neutral.

Oh yea: trim away the balsa sub spar, on the newer versions you can leave the carbon caps if your horn is low enough but its more important to have both the same and tight.

Good luck!

[edwardssc]

Hi Scott,

That really is a coincidence eh? yours looks much neater than mine i'm afraid. After the Erwin i thought i'd make some ail/flap horns the same from f/glass rather than buying the brass horns. Big mistake, it looks a mess , i spent a lot of time trying to get the height and angle of the hole in the spar right. I have kept the servo boxes for my 85MG servos as i thought it would add strength to the wing. I have'nt got as far as you with the linkage as everything i do seems to go wrong at the moment! so its all away in a cupboard for the time being as i'm sick of the sight of it.

Thanks for sharing your findings though. Good luck with it.
Rob.

Rob - dont give up ! This Acacia is a doddle compared with the Erwin ! Is
it too late to revert to the 'conventional' method for the flaps ? My set up
is rock solid, but as f3x suggests, my brass horns are definitely too long
though, but chopping out the servo boxes really makes things sooo much
easier.

I too spent a long time trying to cut out the bare minimum from the drag
spar, but eventually just dremelled out a big old channel easily large enough
to clear the snaplink. If I fold a wing in flight - I will let you know :)

After the flaps are done the rest of it is as easy as it gets, compared to the
tight as blazes Erwin, you can jump into the Acacia fuselage and invite
your mates round for a party in it.

The only things I might replace are the floppy ali pushrods for 4mm carbon
ones. Also the little white plastic ball links for the vee tails pop off with
minimal effort, so I will replace those with some stronger ones I have.

Cheers,
Scott

[Doc Holiday48]

On my Acacia's I had a problem with the control horn from the flap servo rubbing the back of the cover. It was just enough that I was afraid it would cause some undue wear to my servos. So I cut some relief holes in the cover and used fake fingernails sanded down slightly to form blisters. Glued them onto the flap servo cover and painted them with some mail polish my wife had. The nail polish color was close enough to the correct shade as the plane. :D Came out pretty good. I think.

Bob

[edwardssc]

On my Acacia's I had a problem with the control horn from the flap servo rubbing the back of the cover. It was just enough that I was afraid it would cause some undue wear to my servos. So I cut some relief holes in the cover and used fake fingernails sanded down slightly to form blisters. Glued them onto the flap servo cover and painted them with some mail polish my wife had. The nail polish color was close enough to the correct shade as the plane. :D Came out pretty good. I think.

Bob

Fake fingernails as servo blisters ! Thats cool. The ingenuity of model flyers
never ceases to amaze me. I regularly raid the local fishing tackle shop, art
shop, toy shop, computer centre and even the local sewing shop for model
aircraft bits ! By the way, yoghurt pots make excellent EDF shrouds :)

[F3X]

<<<<Snip<<<<

If I fold a wing in flight - I will let you know :)

Snip>>

If you fold a wing you will be the first!

[target]

Hi all,

I've just got an Acacia 2 and am just in the process of fitting the flap linkages. I have read the F3X build but i'm wondering if its better to not drill through the TE spar, but put the pushrod over the top of it and through the wingskin and into the servobox that way. I am also using some glass/pcb flap horns that i've made so they are higher, and the pull is spread across the flap more than the brass horns used in the F3X build, my thinking being that they would give more leverage to the flaps. Has anyone else done it this way?

thanks
Rob.


Alex Neigher has an AII that has the flap linkages exiting the top wing skin AT the servo arm, and traveling about 3/16" above the top wing skin, back to the top mounted horns....

It looks kinda ugly, but seems to work pretty well, and you can keep the drag spar intact.

I don't think that any of the F3F planes will have a problem in flight from making a linkage hole in the drag spar.

The only thing I would avoid is having the bottom hinged flaps bottom driven with short horns; not enough centering accuracy that way.

AII's are awesome F3F planes!

Target

[Wing-span]

I would just like to clear one thing up here.

The trailing edge spar, TE spar or sub spar is only in existance to separate the wing skins towards the trailing edge. Normally just before the hinge line. Having to cut through it for the control linkages is common practice and the manufacturers are aware of this. They even do it themselves on their own models. Only the main spar is critical to the strength of the wing.

[thermaled]

Your Acacia looks great in the air Rob, well done. All that hassle will become a distant memory now, you just need to concentrate on not grinning so much when you land. Have loaded some video of the afternoon onto my video page.

http://www.valegliders.com/videos.htm

[Robbieuk]

Your Acacia looks great in the air Rob, well done. All that hassle will become a distant memory now, you just need to concentrate on not grinning so much when you land. Have loaded some video of the afternoon onto my video page.

http://www.valegliders.com/videos.htm

Cheers Mark, great job, like the music too. Can't wait to fly it again when i've sorted out some ballast. You know i only grin 'cos i've had a happy landing with no damage!!! for a change. :D

For some reason none of the pics. you took with my camera came out so we'll have to get some next time.

Rob.

[Andy_b]

Cheers Mark, great job, like the music too. Can't wait to fly it again when i've sorted out some ballast. You know i only grin 'cos i've had a happy landing with no damage!!! for a change. :D

For some reason none of the pics. you took with my camera came out so we'll have to get some next time.

Rob.
Thats the best landing Ive not seen you do Rob .....................well done mate ....you fly better inverted than right ways up ....you got a bit of Aussie in you ..? :D

was still raining when I got home

Andy

[thermaled]

Sorry the pic`s didnt come out, but here is that just landed shot for your album.

[infopimp]

Where'd you put the CG? Looks like you need some ballast, but otherwise seems to fly just like my AII... isn't it a fun frontsider?

[Robbieuk]

Where'd you put the CG? Looks like you need some ballast, but otherwise seems to fly just like my AII... isn't it a fun frontsider?

CG is at 102mm, that wind was gusting to 30+ at times. I knew i needed ballast to get it going better but that was its maiden and i have'nt sorted the ballast yet, need to find the right diam. tube. Yep, its going to be fun alright :)

[Mike_Y]

Nice one Rob, lucky you got to fly at all yesterday, started raining here at 7:30am and didn't stop until late afternoon :(. Just downloading vid to check out the grin :)

Mike_Y

[Robbieuk]

Nice one Rob, lucky you got to fly at all yesterday, started raining here at 7:30am and didn't stop until late afternoon :(. Just downloading vid to check out the grin :)

Mike_Y

That was Fri. afternoon Mike, i didnt fly yesterday at all as it was on/off rain here too. Sorry! could'nt wait for the combat w/end to maiden this one :) but it will be coming down for its "Bwlch" introduction. I will have ballast too by then as i've just been cutting up a garden chair which happens to have the right size tube!! :eek: luckily its the wifes chair, not mine.....well she sits down too long anyway :D :D

[Mike_Y]

You look happy with it on the vid Rob :), if there's time you'll be able to have a go on a timed coarse after the 60". Ref the sitting down too much comment, your misses obviously doesnt read these forums then ;)

[Robbieuk]

You look happy with it on the vid Rob :), if there's time you'll be able to have a go on a timed coarse after the 60". Ref the sitting down too much comment, your misses obviously doesnt read these forums then ;)

Yeah! i'm happy :) would like to give it a run on the F3F course if poss. then if you and Shane can do a run with it for a comparison on times it will give me summat to aim for.

No worries about my mrs reading forums!!! she's pretty bored with the whole flying thing i think, she only managed to watch about 10secs. of the vid. before wandering off!! and she does'nt even asked how much they cost any more ;)...... sorted i think :D

[Wingtech]

HI Rob
Nice one I have been flying the Acacia 111 speed a lot recently moved the cg back a bit and I just love it looks like the 11 flys just as well I 'm up for some timed runs next Saturday aswell.

Got a 47 in a flagged club comp so looking promising.

Cant wait for some Bwlch time it has been too long :D

Steve

[Robbieuk]

Hi Steve,

Good to hear you have the A3 sorted now and that you're enjoying it. I'm going to have fun with mine i think, hopefully next w/end we'll get some Bwlch "magic" to play in :cool:

Here's a couple of pics from yesterday at beacon hill.


2007_0713hill0004.JPG ( 2007_0713hill0001.JPG

[infopimp]

The A3 (over on your side of the pond) is the one with the non-RG foil, right? AKA, TomC's A4?

[Andy_b]

The A3 (over on your side of the pond) is the one with the non-RG foil, right? AKA, TomC's A4?

Isnt the A4 a 3mtr ................Steves is a 2.7 speed I think ....probably the same section tho

[F3X]

The A3 (over on your side of the pond) is the one with the non-RG foil, right? AKA, TomC's A4?

Yep, The EU A3 is my A4 but there is a new A4 (A3) speed, 2.7 meters its a short A4 and it seams to really go.


I went A1, A2, A3, A4. Simply because the A2 3M has nothing in common with the A2 its so different it deserved its own number.

In the EU you have the A2, A2-3m, A4

The A1 (original) is not produced anymore.

[Wingtech]

I went A1, A2, A3, A4. Simply because the A2 3M has nothing in common with the A2 its so different it deserved its own number.

In the EU you have the A2, A2-3m, A4

Ohhh my head hearts mine is the 2.7m speed.

I cant wait to get some decent runs against the clock.


Steve