Looks a treat Bob. Good luck with the flying, should be a formality though.

Nice - I suggest a Blink-O-Matic spec-cam for recoding the first flight!

Originally Posted by Colonel Blink

Nice - I suggest a Blink-O-Matic spec-cam for recoding the first flight!

Thanks Colonel. What is this thing? A key cam? "I know nothing".......about such wonders!
Your Ajax is superb. If the Senator is half as good I'll be satisfied. Should be flying it very soon if the weather permits.

Bob - thanks for the kind words....all I need to do now is learn about trimming..

Re the Spec-cam:

Thanks for the lead to this invisible means of spying on my friends!! I'll try to get some video of the early flights (note: I'm not saying First Fright!). May be able to persuade someone to hold my point and shoot but if not I'll strap it across me specs.

Finished weight is 165 grammes 5.8 ozs. No ballast needed for balance at 50%.

Excellent outcome on the weight Bob - Applehoney will have a fit, but for a radio version that is pretty damn good, and spot on for that little motor, practically the same as my Witch and I know how well that flies, so I have no worries at all that yours will be great.

Well it's flown! Test glides only as I need a couple of small grub screws for the shaft extension. No obvious problems evident so I'll be applying power next time out.

Flew the Senator today. Seemed really calm at home so I dropped everything and raced of to Pendle Hill. Wanted plenty of room and soft landing places. When I got there it was blowing a bit (about force 3?) and I could easily flown a medium size slope soarer! By going low on the hill I found a spot a bit calmer and launched the model with about 2/3 throttle. Flew very well and quite quickly gained height such that I could cut the motor and slope soar. Had several flights totaling about 20 mins. A mixture of power and gliding. The conditions were not ideal for checking the trim but no serious problems showed up. Will probably reduce the rudder throw a bit but nothing more just yet. Now to charge the battery and see what it used.
I wish I could show you some pics but the only "arrival" I had was when trying to manipulate a camera whilst flying low enough to show something. Got a few shots of empty sky though.
One thing I'd appreciate is your comments on this prop. Do they usually bend back like this? It's a GWS 6X3 and works fine. There are a few stress marks around the root but no other signs trauma. It's mounted on a home made motor shaft extension. I know the o-ring is not on correctly but that was an oversight when taking the shot, it didn't fly like that. Anyway I hereby present my Senator as finished, flown and ready for the build-off day of judgment! Thanks to all who have helped with advice, encouragement and kind words.

Forgot the picture of my prop. Can one add pics to existing posts?

Congratulations on a nice build and successful maiden flight. The Senator is on my build list, along with about 400 others....

Originally Posted by Raf_Bob

Forgot the picture of my prop......

Eeee!..........That bain't be lookin none too roit moi dear! I would presume that the main concerns would be:
a) One of the blades letting go and causing an unholy mess, plus the requirement to deadstick thereafter
b) Balance - if one blade is bent more than the other, it's CG will effectively be at a slightly different radius to the other, which could cause vibration, and
c) Efficiency - but if it still has enough power to fly, that's a minor issue.

But like you, rightly or wrongly I would have continued flying like that if I had no spare... what's life without a bit of danger?

Originally Posted by Colonel Blink

Eeee!..........That bain't be lookin none too roit moi dear! I would presume that the main concerns would be:
a) One of the blades letting go and causing an unholy mess, plus the requirement to deadstick thereafter
b) Balance - if one blade is bent more than the other, it's CG will effectively be at a slightly different radius to the other, which could cause vibration, and
c) Efficiency - but if it still has enough power to fly, that's a minor issue.

But like you, rightly or wrongly I would have continued flying like that if I had no spare... what's life without a bit of danger?

I presume from that you've not had this happen ?? Now I want to know why it happened to mine Is it to do with the way it's mounted or summat?????

Originally Posted by Raf_Bob

I presume from that you've not had this happen ?? Now I want to know why it happened to mine Is it to do with the way it's mounted or summat?????

I had simply assumed that it happened because the prop was still turning when it landed, tipping over because of the rather odd single wheel arrangement (the Ajax has the correct number of wheels)..... is that not the case??

EDIT: Is the prop saver O ring tight? I'm using the kit that came with the motor, and the prop doesn't feel like it is held anywhere near solidly enough (but it is). If the O ring is pulling against the blade root, that could bend the rather flimsy blades....

Originally Posted by Colonel Blink

I had simply assumed that it happened because the prop was still turning when it landed, tipping over because of the rather odd single wheel arrangement (the Ajax has the correct number of wheels)..... is that not the case??
Yep two wheels good, one wheel funny! But, I fly the Senator without it's "tripping up stick." Over rough ground what use is it? True it does form part of the model's character but that's my excuse for saving a bit of weight.

EDIT: Is the prop saver O ring tight? I'm using the kit that came with the motor, and the prop doesn't feel like it is held anywhere near solidly enough (but it is). If the O ring is pulling against the blade root, that could bend the rather flimsy blades....

You may have it there Colonel, you may have it! The O-ring is fairly tight and does pull the roots a little. It's not excessive but I'll turn a bit off the boss and try for a slightly looser fit. May also fit it with a softish rubber band. It's worth a try.
All part of the fettling process eh? It's not only a matter of the flying!

Congratulations Bob - I was never in any doubt that it would fly OK, but it is nice to have it confirmed!

Re the prop; (a) If you try to straighten it, it will break
(b) I would definitely replace it; if it has stress marks it is very likely to let go, and if you lose one blade the vibration will very likely rip the motor out of the model. Don't ask me how I know
Could be too tight an O ring, but I have mine on the Sportster mounted on a rigid prop driver and have had no trouble, so I think that landing with the prop turning and the monowheel undercart may be the problem. The GWS props do have very thin blades, but I have only broken a couple and they were both in "unscheduled arrivals". Worth having a few spares, they are cheap enough.