NEW Aero-naut SHK 4M Construction Pics

[Cones]

Hi,

Following Thorstens post on the electric sailplane forum about the SHK release from aero-naut I thought you might be interested in a construction thread of work so far.

This is not my model but belongs to a good friend of mine Roger.

He has only had the Kit one week but has already built a fair bit of it as you will see in the following pictures. Despite my best attempts to get Roger the English instructions for this kit, Aero-naut have not yet replied to my email. So making the most of the very detailed plan, construction has started and so far gone reasonably well.

Major problem on the wing root not alining to the fus was solved by warming the fus carefully with a heat gun and pulling it into line with the wing. The wing joiners fit perfectly with exactly parallel wing roots. Although work is required on the wing incidence pins to get them to line up. The holes in the fus will be filled and re-drilled.

The tail section has gone very well with Roger making a few slight alterations to the original design. The tailplane holding grub screws have been replaced with normal screws to prevent overtightening. This allows the screw to tighten on the threaded brass tube before it binds on the pivot rod. The tail section will be attatched to the back of the fus more permanently after the maiden flight. This is so it can be lined up with the trimmed neutral position of the v-tail.

More work will be carried out next week with the Graupner retract unit going into the fus.

Many Thanks

Mark

[Cones]

Complete model so far

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Front View

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Front View 2

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V-Tail

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V-Tail Tip Detail

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V-Tail Root

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Tail in bits

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Tail Detail 1

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Tail Detail 2

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Tail Detail 3

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Tail Detail 4

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Tail Detail 5

Last one for now will post more as work continues.

Mark

[Cones]

Quick update,

I have just got the English instructions. Aero-naut emailed them to me today. Roger is now well on with the installation of the Graupner retract unit. More pics will follow later in the week to show this.

Mark

[WarrenKriesel]

I will follow your thread with interest, since I just bouight the Roedel Ventus. I have built a Graupner and MPX sailplane before, but nothing this large. I will put a retract wheel in it - probably a MPX unit because their written instructions are clear and detailed.
Warren

[Cones]

Front and rear formers for the retract have now been made and fitted to the fus. They were sized by cutting card templates first until a good fit was achieved. A beach block fitted with two blind 6 mm nuts has been fitted to the front former to allow the retract unit to be removed for maintenace. Photos will follow later this week.

Mark

[Cones]

Here we go. Pictures at last of all Roger hard work over the last few days.

Pic 1 Inner formers fitted & doors cut and hinged.

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Side view showing servo attatchment to the side of the fus.

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Graupner retract mechanics shown in front of the larger 1/3 scale unit used for the Bruno Rimm DG600 5.1 M.

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Top view of retract showing hold down block.

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Top view showing retract retaining block.

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Retract fitted into place.

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Wheels down.

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Doors open.

[dgliderguy]

Mark,

I am following this thread with intense interest! I just got off the phone with Hobby Lobby in Tennessee, and my SHK kit will be on it's way to me in 4-6 weeks. It will appear as a review article in Quiet Flyer magazine, if all goes as planned.

Please keep those great pics coming, and fill us in on Roger's progress-- particularly with the flight testing phase.

Thanks,

Don Bailey

[Cones]

Hi Don,
Rogers made a bit more progress this week. Retract unit is now complete with doors on and fully working. Today he fitted the Volz Micro maxx servos for the V-Tail operation.
Covering the model will be done in Pro-Film in the box colours.
The next plan of attack is to cover the tails then place the equipment in the fus for rough CofG location.
An aerotow release mechanism will be fitted into the nose along with servo 2400 SCR 4.8 RX battery and LEAD :D
Wings will be looked at next week with spoilers and aileron servos to go in.

Do you want a copy of the English instructions to look through?
I have the PDF file that I got from Aeronaut.

Mark

[Cones]

Hi Don,
Rogers made a bit more progress this week. Retract unit is now complete with doors on and fully working. Today he fitted the Volz Micro maxx servos for the V-Tail operation.
Covering the model will be done in Pro-Film in the box colours.
The next plan of attack is to cover the tails then place the equipment in the fus for rough CofG location.
An aerotow release mechanism will be fitted into the nose along with servo 2400 SCR 4.8 RX battery and LEAD :D
Wings will be looked at next week with spoilers and aileron servos to go in.

Do you want a copy of the English instructions to look through?
I have the PDF file that I got from Aeronaut.

Mark

[dgliderguy]

Mark,

YOU BET I'd like the PDF file with English instructions! Great way to get warmed up while I wait for the kit to get here.

Thanks!

Don.:p

[Cones]

Hi Don,

I tried to email them directly to you but kept getting a failure message. SO I think I can post them here for everyone instead!

:D

Answer to your questions on the servos.

Not sure about the recommended servo torq for the model but the Volz Micro Maxx are 40 Ncm or 55 oz.in at 4.8 Volts with all metal gears.
They will be used on all the flying surfaces with lower cost servos on the spoilers.

Have Fun

Mark

[Cones]

Don,
Now you are not going to belive this. I was going to tell you about Roger other recent purchase. A partly completed Flair ASK8! So i thought that I would go to the Flair site to get some more info. You know what coming next don't you? :)

Here's the link http://www.ss16.dial.pipex.com/model_frames.shtml

He has a mostly complete and very well built fus. But the wings are warped and need to be rebuilt! Should keep him busy for a while. So I now know who to ask if he has any questions :D

Many Thanks

Mark

[hattrick]

Hi
I am also building an SHK but not from Aero-naut. I was interested in the retract door operation. Does the wheel jam on the doors when it retracts or do you have some way of closing the doors after the wheel is raised.
Mike

[Cones]

Hi Mike,

Good question. I asked Roger exactly the same thing.
There is a very clever trick to this. Roger has attatched two lengths of 2mm tube to the rear of the doors near to the center line. These cause the wheel to rotate when the doors close and thus prevent it from jamming. Very simple and works everytime. I will try to post pics of this over the next few days.

Mark

[dgliderguy]

Mark,

Yeah, I still have my Flair Ka8b after four years of hard flying (all aerotow), and I'm ready for another enjoyable season with her. I have had many, many long and fulfilling flights with the Ka8, and I still gets lots of compliments and queries from admiring fellow modelers. A truly wonderful model in every way.

I have helped several guys with their construction efforts with this kit, so tell Roger he can email me anytime with questions. I would be more than happy to offer suggestions/tips.

Thermals,

Don.

P.S. Mark, please email me directly, I couldn't open the zipfile.

[Cones]

Hi Don,
Nice Pic.

I have PM you on the other issues.

Mark

[MTT]

Hi, you Ka8 lovers, here is a bunch of pictures from the building and finished model of my first Ka8 : Ka8 No.1 (http://www.pixum.de/members/mitote/?act=a_view&st=0&album=454728&ktw=734067ed11e8d41adafcc1d337d68af3)

Hereyou can see pictures of the building of my 2nd Ka8, which is still in process : Ka8 No.2 (http://www.pixum.de/members/mitote/?act=a_view&st=0&album=655835&ktw=63327e2eec3a36e3f77134638599563c)

[Daniel Gut]

Hallo V tailers

I have been building the SHK since December last year and have looked high and low for anyone else that might be doing the same, what a nice surprise to find that I am not alone. Mine is finished and could have its first flight this weekend if the weather plays along. I also have some pictures that I have posted on webshots.
http://community.webshots.com/user/danielgut101
All up it weighs in at 4.970 kg with one 5 cell 3000 mah battery, but I hope to add a second soon.

Regards

Daniel

[Cones]

Daniel,

Nice pictures. I bet you cannot wait to fly this?
Roger is still making slow progress with his SHK. He has now got the covering material. So the tails may be covered in the next few days. Did you need much Lead in the front to get the C of G correct? I see that you said that you would use another 5 Cell RX pack. Is this instead of the lead?

Many Thanks

Mark

[Daniel Gut]

Hallo Mark

I will put a few more pictures onto Webshots in the next few days.
I needed exactly 300g of lead in the nose, as you can see from the pictures I tried to keep everything as far forward as possible. I don't think I am going to take the lead out when the second battery goes in, I will rather place it over the CG so that I have the option of more or less weight depending on the conditions.

I see that Roger has opted for Volz. I put Digital sevos (hitec) on the V-tail because of their strength ( about 6 kg @6v) and exactness. I also fly F3j and use the Volz micromax on the flaps of my Stork 2, I find that they have too much play (varies from servo to servo) and that the temp drift is quite big. The V-tail must be play free as you can imagine on such big control surfaces, but if I had to do it again I would use the Graupner digitals as they are more economical on the batteries.

Regards

Daniel

[Cones]

Daniel,

Thanks for the info.

Roger also flys F3J. He won the British league a couple of years ago. He has just got a Stork II for this years league also with Volz servos. Are you using the newer versions of the Volz servos? I know they had a few problems some years ago with their servos but that they have been redesigned. My Stork II is on order. Should get it any day now. I have ordered F3J version and the electric fus to fit on it. I use Volz in my MTI Cobra and so far have been very pleased with their response. No slop as yet but its only flown for a few hours so far. I know a lot of the Turbine Jet people are starting to use Volz. So they have a backup they fit two small servos rather than 1 large one. How do you get on with the Digital servos? I know a few people who are using the Multiplex versions and they perform very well. Don't you worry about the big current draw when using a 6V RX pack on a model with all Digital servos in it? The current consuption can be more than double that of a 4.8V non digital setup. I know this from just using one high speed Digital tail servo on the helicopters that I fly.

Quick question from Roger. What did you use to cover the SHK?

Many Thanks

Mark

[Daniel Gut]

Hi Mark

(Off topic) The Stork is a fantastic glider and I fly it every month in our winter league here with the designer. He is a super chap and tells me that there is a Stork 3 to come in the not too distant future. The manufacturers seem to be the problem when it comes to new product and are unreliable to say the least, so who knows when it is actually going to arrive. I still have the Stork 2 with the smaller V tail, the new ones have about 25% more surface on the tail with makes it slightly easier to fly, but not quite as agile when the lift is tight. The Stork is not the easiest F3J model to fly, but when you get right they are superb. I flew a new Escape the other day and it is a breeze by comparison. My Volz are about 9 months old. Volz also have digitals, but they are still in the test phase.

Back on topic! I used Orastick on the under side of the wings
( because of the camber) and Oracover on the top side. The v tail is all orastick. I am only using the digital servos on the 2 tail surfaces, everything else is normal analog. (Hitec 225 - aelerons, hitec 81 - spoilers, hitec 605 for tow release and undercarriage) I suspect that once the second battery is in it might stay in. These old designs have a lot of wind resistance and the extra 300g won't do any harm on that nice thick, cambered wing profile.

Regards

Daniel

[Cones]

Right , i'm back, after Roger brief relapse into other projects (6m ASH, & a Bruno Rimm DG600). We now have more pictures of the further build progress. He has started on the air brakes, after lots of consultation with the manual, Roger decided that the one mention in the parts list of the air brakes was pretty inadequate. So he has made his own mind up on the installation. The boxes cut into the veneer surface of the wing are not deep enough to allow the cap strips to be fitted to the the tops of the brakes. So they have been trimmed down to allow the unit to sit lower in the wing. Servos are normal Ripmax 200 size low cost units. The servo well has been lined to give a good surface to glue the servo to. Detailed pics follow.

Mark

Pic1 Retracted. Note slight recess around the brake. The front and back strips have yet to be fitted. The cap strip for the blade edge will be fitted after the wing has been covered.

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Spoiler extended

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Rear view spoiler extended

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Close up spoiler extended

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Spoiler servo fixed in position

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Top view showing servo location

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Side view of spoiler servo. Note the clevis has been ground away to allow greater servo arm movement without using a longer servo arm that would stick out the bottom of the wing.

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Back to the fuselage. Placement of the Volz servos for the V-Tail operation.

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Opposite side servo.

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As promised the details for the clever mechanism for preventing the retract doors from jamming on the wheel when closing.

Pic 1 note the placement of the orange tube on the very rear of the doors near to the edge of the centre opening point.

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Doors fully open. Note the orange tube position.

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Doors closing onto wheel. Note that the tubes will now cause the wheel to rotate thus preventing the doors from jamming. For this to work correctly the tubes must be at all times behind the wheel axel.

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Side view showing doors closing onto wheel.

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Rear view showing doors resting on the tubes. Note the gap along the rest of the door edge between the wheel.

Thats it for now. Next stage is to cap the air brakes then possibly the ailerons will be done.

Mark

[Cones]

Brakes have now been lined with balsa front and back.

Mark

[Cones]

Closeup showing recess that will be filled with a upvc spoiler blade once the wing has been covered.

Mark

[WarrenKriesel]

Mark:

Why don't you just cap the spoiler with another strip of balsa or plywood? What is the advantage in using the other materiial? What is a uvpc spoiler blade?

Warren

[hattrick]

Thanks a million for the pictures of the doors
it will help alot. I wish I could send some pictures of the shk that I am working on. It is quite different when it comes to the ruddervaters and the wing mount surface of the fuse. I had to mold the shape of the fuse. on the root rib with micro-ballons for a good fit (it was in the directions). Not much for instructions, just a few pictures and everything else is in German. The servos for the rudders are mounted in pockets in the tail under each rudder. I'll follow your progress and use whatever I can. You're a great help.
Mike

[Cones]

Warren,

The UPVC is the material that white double glazed windows are usually made out of here in the UK. Advantages are that its is White :) It is also a uniform thickness that will readily fit the gap at the top of the spoiler. It is easy to cut it into nice straight lines with sharp knife and it does not need to be sanded or covered.

Roger has made further progress today and fitted the aileron servos into place. The wiring loom, complete with Multiplex plugs is being made this week. Pis will follow when I go over and see him.

Mark

[Daniel Gut]

CG checked, batteries tested, CG checked again, ROLL OUT will be this Saturday, weather permitting. I will hopefully be able to report happy news here in the forum on Saturday evening.

There is alot of it when assembled in the lounge.

[Cones]

Hi Danial,

Any news yet?

Please check your Private Mail for more Stork II questions.

We all had a great day here on Sunday.

http://www.sandhaysscalegliding.com/Main_Pagex.html

With some very nice & very large models. Roger flew his Bruno Rimm DG600 for the first time after his one test flight at Christmas.

Brian flew his 6m 1/3 Scale Ash 26. Very very impressive. Nice big loops and rolls plus a stunning low level getaway that just had to be seen to be belived.

Mark

[Daniel Gut]

Hallo Mark

Sadly it blew a hooligan in Zürich this weekend, which normaly very seldom happens and the conditions were less than suitable for the SHK's maiden flight. I will check my mail asap. I did fly my Stork on Sunday , but on a small slope not far from home and did everything an F3J model was not really supposed to do ( I am very grateful for modern materials and technology). I have got a pair of all carbon ends per chance (after damaging one of the originals) and the wing has become super stiff. A hard winch lauch does not make an impression and the height off the line is better too .

Regards

Daniel

[Cones]

More pics that I have taken before the wings were sent to be covered.

Mark

[Cones]

Wingtip profile

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Wingtip plan

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Wing servos with ply coverplates. Roger has decided to fix the servos in place before covering the wing. No access can be gained without cutting away the covering and the ply cover plate. Hence the use of good quality Volz servos for the ailerons.

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Side view showing servo arm position. These arms will be pushed down out of the way for covering. Then the slots will be cut in the covering to allow them to re-appear :)

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Flap servo covers

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View showing inboard wing profile. Note the Multiplex plug for servo connections. Roger has also decided not to use the wing retainer supplied in the kit. He will use a hook made from piano wire along with a tie wrap to attatch to the hooks he has fixed into the wing roots. This allows easy field replacement in the event of any incidents :p

[Cones]

Top view of wing retainer

[WarrenKriesel]

Hi Mark:

My Ventus came with nylon studs and wing nuts for wing retention. I have read about the screw-type eyelet and nylon tie that Roger seems to be using. Installing a retaining system is my next step. Do you have any strong opinions? Six of one, half dozen of the other? What size tie will he use?

Also, could you show a pic of the fuse wing root fairing?

Warren

[Cones]

Warren,

I think the main idea behind using the tie wraps is that if you break it on the field, you usually have a spare one in your box. The nylon threaded rod is also a good retainer but if you break that you then have to go and look for a spare :( Roger has also used the tie wrap system on lots of previous models and it is proven. I think he has some reluctence to use the nylon system proveded in the kit because of this.

I will try and get some more pictures later in the week of the fuselage. Roger is now looking at the canopy and seat arrangement. Well he will be after he has fixed the inner cone back into my Cobra fuselage after my attempt at spiral diving it into the ground at the weekend ;) Must be very strong as the wings are completely undamaged and it hit so hard that the outer cone stuck into the ground and the rest of the model jumped out of it :D I thought the whole thing was going to be dust!

Wings & tails have been mostly covered my Rogers friend Brian, we hope to collect the finished items tomorrow night :)

Must get some of my own building done. My Valenta models electric Dragon is nearly ready. Just needs the servos and nose cone to be glued. Weather looks good for the weekend as well.

Mark

[Cones]

Great progress this week. The model has now been covered.

Pics follow.

Mark

[Cones]

Whole model

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Red wing tips

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Tail

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Trial fit of cockpit surround and pilot.

[Cones]

Warren,

Wing root pics as requested.

Mark

[Cones]

Side view.

[Daniel Gut]

Hallo Mark

I have not received any private mail from you, please send it again to dpgut@bluewin.ch.

My SHK flew today and did it FLY!

I met up with our tug pilot at about 13h30 down at the field in absolutely gorgeous weather and we put our craft together.
Before I knew it we had done our checks and I was listening to him count down to the full throttle. Within 10 m the SHK was clear and flying a meter above the ground behind the tug, undercarriage up and the tug climbed away with the SHK very well behaved behind. At about 250m a got off the towline and started doing a few checks. I had the CG for the first flight at 92mm (90 is given in the instruction), because the reports I have heard have all said that it belongs further back. This is still not far back enough, I had to trim the elevator about 1.5mm up to achieve the right flying speed and I will be removing some lead from the nose, tonight. Once in a bit of lift there is now stopping the SHK going up, it is an absolute scale floater and fantastic to thermal even in the very light activity that we had today. I tested the airbrakes and once these are deployed it feels like an elephant sitting on the wings, but it needs possibly a mm or two of elevator, since the nose drops quite strongly when the spoilers are out. Landing was easy and with the nice big wheel on the undercarriage, the roll out was about 30m. Two more flights, easy tows, more climbing in weak thermals and great landings, what more could I have asked for on the first day?

The potential has not nearly been realised on my model and I am already extremely pleased with its performance and docile behavior. It can only get better. This is a true soarer, designed for the scale pilot who wants to be airborne for longer than his mates.

Regards ;) :p :D

Daniel

[Cones]

Daniel,

Great news. Thanks for the flight report. I will print this out for Roger to read. As you can see he is getting nearer to completion. We have also had a fantastic weekend flying. Only just got in myself. Sunburnt and and weary from throwing my HLG for 4 Hours between electric Highlight flights. Had a great thermal with some birds and a free flight model, over 22 minutes with only a 40 second motor run :D

I just hope that next weekend is as good.

P.S. the private mail is on the RCgroups system. Go to the home page and select private mail at the bottom.

Mark

[dgliderguy]

Man, this kit is flawless! I ooohed and aaahed at all the nice pieces, and good craftsmanship.

Can't wait to start on it! With any luck I'll have it done in a month, in time for our first aerotow event of the season in Yakima. At the very least it will be ready for the Mission, B.C. event at the end of May.

I'll keep you guys posted on my progress. This will be a review article for Quiet Flyer magazine, probably the September issue or so. My first V-tail!

Don Bailey
Seattle Area Soaring Society

[Daniel Gut]

Hello Don

It feels like a few weeks ago that my SHK was still all nice wrapped in its box and awaiting some attention. Enjoy the assembly and good luck with the flying. I hope to have mine in the air again this weekend.

@ Mark (Cones)

Have a look at my webshots page. I have managed to lay my hands on a very unusual model, which I am going to build when I am back from my holiday at the beginning of May.
http://community.webshots.com/user/danielgut101

Regards

Daniel

[Cones]

Don,
Great news good to see that you have not had to wait too long to get your kit.

Daniel,
Very unusual model I agree. Who makes it? and what size and weight do you expect it to be? ( just seen this 4.3 M and 2.2 Kg) how many servos in the wings? Was this model designed for cross country soaring events?

Roger is still making great progress. Wings now have the numbers applied. The tow release and servo is in place. He had a slight accident with the clear canopy :( It was made worse when he put has fist through it when it cracked on the first cut :D
The pilot is now sitting on his seat and the control stick and console are in place. He has cleverly mounted the console on two sliding pins and tubes so that it can be slid into place. Next week should see the cockpit painted and hopefully the new clear canopy will arrive.

Next pics could well be the finished model.

Mark

[MTT]

Don, did you fly the Duo yet ?
If so, how did it go ?

Another question : where did you get your SHK from ? Direct from Germany, or is there somebody over here who carries it ?

Michael

[dgliderguy]

Michael,

I got my SHK kit from Hobby Lobby. Took 6 weeks for it to arrive by boat from Germany.

Yup, I flew the 3.1m Duo Discus last Saturday, behind a buddy's OS52-powered Cub. It went really well. I need more aileron throw and a tiny bit more lead in the nose, but it is a fine flyer, and a very efficient, slippery machine. The retract worked great, btw. I need to add a shroud, however-- the first landing in the dew-coated grass threw a nice spray of water all up the inside of the canopy. Yikes! I kept in on the paved runway after that. Surprisingly, the OS52 Surpass was plenty enough pull for the 5.5lb Duo. We were off the ground in about fifty feet, and rate of climb was more than adequate.

Don.

[Daniel Gut]

Hello Mark

The canopy on the SHK is a bit of a bugger and mine split slightly too, while cutting it out. With some restraint, I managed to keep my fist from going through it and could conceal the crack when I painted the white rim around the edge. Maybe a wide band of sellotape (before starting to cut) over the cutting line would prevent it spliting.
My SHK has been on a small diet and lost about 80g which has brought the Cg back some more.Tomorrow I will see what it does.

Off Topic!
I am not sure if the scrooge was designed for cross country. It has 3 servos per wing, long flaps, long aelerons and 30cm long aelerons out at the ends.
I think the criteria was to experiment on a model with the best materials and methods to see where one can go with the weight limit , with max stiffness. The company that build them is called PCM and they also had a 3m and 3.3m versions. The 3m version has a flying weight of 900g and is rock hard.
Sadly the forms were damaged somehow and these models are no longer produced. I have the third and last Scrooge.

Regards

Daniel

[dgliderguy]

Daniel and Mark,

Did you guys also get two canopies with your kit? Mine has a clear and a blue-tinted canopy. Can't say as I'm too turned on by Sani-Flush blue, but if I end up cracking my clear one while trimming it, I at least have a back-up one. :D

Don

[Cones]

Yes, Rogers kit came with both canopies. He has ordered a spare clear conopy but I think it comes as a complete blue / clear set with the surround.

Mark

[Daniel Gut]

I spent a few hours down at the field today and logged up an hour and a half with the SHK, including a nice fast climb up to about 450+ meters.
After removing 80-90g from the nose, it has become far more agile and while I think the CG could still come further back, I am going to leave it where it is for the time being, since summer gets quite bumby it is better slightly forward. I will measure it during the week and let you folks know where it is now. Here are three new photos.
http://community.webshots.com/user/danielgut101

Regards

Daniel

[Cones]

Hi Daniel,

Have you measured the new C of G position yet?
Roger should be nearly ready by the end of this week.

OT
He flew his Stork II in the pre season comp round zero on Sunday. He is now not convinced that it is as good as the starlight 3000's that were there. He thinks the wing area is down comparied to many other models. I think he needs to fly it more. :D

Mark

[Daniel Gut]

Hi Mark

I have not checked it yet and will try and do it this evening. At a guess, it is around 93-94 mm. Some Expo on the elevators may be a good idea.
I had an excellent afternoons flying with it on Saterday and it felt like I have been flying the SHK for months. It is so well behaved and thermic performance make for adrenaline free flying , it has got to be the nicest scale model I have owned.

OT

It has taken me 9 months of regular flying to get my stork to the point where I feel that it is realising its potential. It will take some time and experimentation.

Regards

Daniel

[Daniel Gut]

Hello Mark

C of G is at 95 mm from the leading edge and I still trim up the elevators very slightly when flying like this.

Regards

Daniel

[dgliderguy]

Mark and Daniel,

I got the quarter-scale retract wheel from Icare, and it's too big! The wheel diameter is 90mm, the wheel tray aperature measures 50mm wide by 125mm long, and the tray dimensions are about 95mm by 180mm. What size retract are you guys using?

Thanks,

Don.

[Daniel Gut]

Hallo Don

I cannot remember the dimensions exactly, but it fits in with about 3-4mm clearance. The wheel is possibly a fraction too big for the scale perfectionist, but our runway is not the smoothest and the bigger wheel works much better than a smaller one. Here is an idea of what the retract looks like and how big it is.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/59739869/59740991SRdzIf
Regards

Daniel

[dgliderguy]

Daniel,

Can you please measure the wheel diameter for me? It's hard to read the scale in your photo, but it looks to be something less than 90mm.

Etienne also has a retract with a 70mm wheel, for fifth scale ships. I may get that one instead.

thanks!

Mark, what is Roger's wheel diameter?

Don.

[Daniel Gut]

Hello Don

I am currently on holiday and the SHK is far away I cannot remember the exact diameter of the wheel, but it is in the oder of 84- 86 mm.

Regards

Daniel

[dgliderguy]

Thanks, Daniel.

I measured the wheel on the kit-supplied half-size blueprint, and it measures out right at 70mm, so I called Etienne at Icare and asked him if he would exchange my 90mm for the smaller 70mm size retract. The 70mm is advertised as a "fifth scale" retract, and the kit is 1/4.25 scale, so I would have thought the quarter-scale retract would have been the smarter choice, but at 90mm, it was BIG. Like one of those Big Foot monster truck wheels!

Boy, I gotta say that 90mm retract he sent me was a work of art, though! I had a hard time sending it back! If you guys find yourself some day looking for a nice quality retract for a true 1/4 scale ship, I highly recommend this one.

Don.

[Cones]

Hi Don,
Saw Roger during my half hour dinner. He only lives 1 Min away from where I work. His wheel is also 70mm using the Graupner retract unit. All work has now stopped until the new clear canopy turns up.

He is also now flying the F3J comp season as well so this will take some weekends away. We are both off to Filey on holiday (Vacation :D ) next weekend. Two weeks of solid model flying if the weather holds out. Should be able to get several hours of flying per day on some excellent slope sites. Other sites are also available for powered models (Bandit, Zagi, Etc). Combat with various foamies on the slope is an absolute must on this holiday and as many as 30 foamies have been seen in the air before! Another good fun thing that has been tried is slope foamies vs twinstar.

I must get something sensible Scale to fly as I feel I may be missing out.

Mark

[Cones]

Hi all,

Not had a great weekend weather wise as it blowing about 20 MPH :( .

Roger & myself saw one of our other flying buddies yesterday. He is also building an SHK :)

Nice to see another approach to the model. He is glassing all of the wings and tail. We saw the part finished tails. They were glassed but only one was rubbed down. The finish is really excellent. He is also going to paint the fuselage as well. We think this will possibly add an extra 1/2 pound in weight to the airframe. But will give a very very nice finish to the model and make the soft skinning a lot more ding proof.

Mark