Originally Posted by Pramus

After a few flights of my Ryan I did following now:

1. replaced the stock prop with a APC 9x6 prop. Thrust is now enough for good climbings and throttle can be reduced to ca. 50 - 60% for authentic speed.
2. The ESC is placed under the motor -> pic. 1.
3. Removed the 2 screws and 3 nuts (metallic in a foamies tail ) which fit the rudder and elevator; glued them with UHU-Por. Thats saves 7 gr. nearly 40 cm behind CG. So is no need for the additional weight (22 gr. less), total saved 29 gr. -> pic. 2 and ESC has place there.

My other modificatons are that I secured the connections wire ./. springs with short pieces of shrinking tube -> pic. 3. Here you can see too the distance plate of 2 x 6 mm depron, which I plug in to hold the lipo in position. At least the stock wheels were replaced with foam whells dia 55 mm -> pic 4.

My Ryan weighs now with 1.300 Lipo total 695 gr. and also 2.200 Lipos can be used.

Pramus

Nicely done Pramus. Thanks for posting those photos & doing the write up. Very helpful in giving those of us that have the Ryan some interesting ideas of how to deal with this (supposedly) Rx-R bird...

Originally Posted by 4x4rc

As for securing the battery I use a 4" long 3mm CF rod that I poke down vertically through a hole in the top of the fuse into a hole in the bottom. It secures the battery in its location by not allowing it to slide out backwards. Cheap, simple, works.

I didn't like the ESC floating around in there either so I relocated it to the front under the cowl, see an earlier page in this thread for a pic. Also moves the CG forward a bit.

I'll try and get a pic of the reinforcement rod on the elevator for you.

4x4rc,
I've seen your previous posts & along with the rest. It looks like some front end mods are now in order, mainly cutting a notch in the nose area to relocate the ESC up front. I'm definitely interested in your CF battery restraining rod. Please post a photo. Thanks...

GENTS- its cool to see the flury of postings on the ryan on this thread.When i inpulsed bought this plane back in december there were some postings and what there was didn't sound to good about the plane.NOW THERE'S DIALOGUE AND EXCHANE OF IDEAS AND ENCOURAGEMENT(SNIFF-SNIFF)I LOVE RC GROUPS-KEVIN

IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?(PINK FLOYD-THE WALL) Third flight of the ryan in calmer winds-went very well.No nose over on landing,haven't had time to change the set up.I had my doubts about this ryan before but now-it looks o.k. for a $85 pnp

Glad to hear that you are having success with your Ryan, Kevin. I always thought that this was a misunderstood little airplane. With a bit of juggling with the CG and the addition of flaps, mine flew great, or did until I was involved in a rather nasty midair. Reading this thread is making me think that it is time to break out the Ryan and get her back in the air!

Originally Posted by kevin whitesell

IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?(PINK FLOYD-THE WALL) Third flight of the ryan in calmer winds-went very well.No nose over on landing,haven't had time to change the set up.

So, somebody (kevin) IS having fun with this lil' scale bird, after all. Good to hear, kevin...

I'm having doubts about mine & haven't even flown her yet. Just finished the assembly, electronics installation, testing & bench trimming work. One thing that comes to mind is that this is a cheap plane. Don't get me wrong, everything works but the quality, besides the foam & scale look, isn't there...

The control rods are flimsy. They bend & flex with the slightest control movements. Definitely an area that needs improvement. The linkage connectors are weak & there's airframe interference when operating them depending on where you place them on the control horns...

No factory placement for the ESC. I used adhesive backed Velcro & stuck it just behind the "window" in the fuselage for the aileron servo wire well. No real place for the battery, either. I'm using 25C-30C 3S 1800 mAh packs pushed all the way forward...

Thanks to "Pramus" for posting your photos of your Ryan. These helped me with devising a lightweight foam block to hold the battery in place since it disappears from view when installed. Got the CG almost dead on per the manual even with the ESC behind the battery & factory nose weight still in place so that's a good starting point for the balancing act...

For the slip-on, will eventually slip-off, cowl I used a small magnet & metal plate at the bottom rear to help keep it locked in. Not much airflow either making it's way from front to back. I even added vent holes in the cowl & pilot compartment to help with this. We'll see how much things heat up in there soon...

I've swapped out the stock motor in favor of a non-threaded shaft outrunner. Had to modify the firewall somewhat by adding light ply mounting plates but it seems to be working out okay. Only bad part is I need to use a standard prop adapter (smooth shaft) so I won't be able to use the proprietary prop spinner that locates itself on the motor housing shaft hub...

O.K., done ranting...for now...

Originally Posted by kevin whitesell

I had my doubts about this ryan before but now-it looks o.k. for a $85 pnp

I know better than to think this was going to be a high quality product at this price point. It does look pretty, though. I have a Great Planes WWI pilot coming for it as well to top it all off...

All that's left to do now is to maiden her to find out how she does. I'm looking forward to seeing her in the air. Hopefully, all the issues will fade away once she's airborne & then safely brought back down to earth...

Keep ya posted...

YA RCAV8TOR, i could tell this ryan was $85 worth of pnp when i impulse bought it back in dec(you can read my observations as they progressed along from puchase,minor mods,first flight,second and third.) My maiden flight,i was whole heartly expecting to smoke this puppy into the ground.I didn't have full confidence in the ryan's engineering and read about a lot of issues guy's were having with it here on this thread .This ryan is so cheap,with the issues you and others have previously pointed out-that i'm just along for the ride to see what happens.I think that as cheap as this plane is maybe i got lucky and got a half decent one? I'M AMAZED with how well my plane has done so far.(maybe i'm on borrowed time and somethings going to crap-out sooner than later?) ON my third flight last night, i did remember to check the esc after my 7min flight, It was slightly warm to the touch . Anyways good luck with yours buddy-keep this thread posted on what happens-kevin

Not much to report. Maidened her yesterday but forgot to double check the controls. Turns out the aileron servos were reversed so it was a complete disaster on the first take-off & short flight back to terra firma...

Too much damage to want to repair for flight duty. Still like the scale look of this Ryan so I pieced her back together but only as a static model that's now hanging from the rafters.

Needless to say she's now going to be a hangar queen...permanently...

Awww man! All that effort and then all for nothing due to a botched preflight?

I find the Ryan's foam to be very sturdy and fixable. CA and gorilla glue work extremely well and it's thick enough to stick CF reinforcements everywhere. Might just want to sleep over it and then reconsider.

Originally Posted by 4x4rc

Awww man! All that effort and then all for nothing due to a botched preflight?

I find the Ryan's foam to be very sturdy and fixable. CA and gorilla glue work extremely well and it's thick enough to stick CF reinforcements everywhere. Might just want to sleep over it and then reconsider.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. And, you're right, "all that effort for nothing." It's a let down but it's no fault of the plane.

I'll have to admit I did make the repairs strong enough to make the plane flyable again, just in case, but it looks pretty bad at this point. It needs a new motor, cowling, wing struts, wires & springs, & a new cockpit. Too much time, effort & $$$ for new parts at the moment but maybe later...just maybe...

Originally Posted by RCAV8T0R

Thanks for the words of encouragement. And, you're right, "all that effort for nothing." It's a let down but it's no fault of the plane.

I'll have to admit I did make the repairs strong enough to make the plane flyable again, just in case, but it looks pretty bad at this point. It needs a new motor, cowling, wing struts, wires & springs, & a new cockpit. Too much time, effort & $$$ for new parts at the moment but maybe later...just maybe...

RCAV8TOR-Go alittle at a time in your purchases and repairs-then it won't seem such a bother. I know the wretched feelings after a mishap-that will come to pass and be replaced by the will to fly!!! Chin up and cheers mate.-kevin

Originally Posted by kevin whitesell

RCAV8TOR-Go alittle at a time in your purchases and repairs-then it won't seem such a bother. I know the wretched feelings after a mishap-that will come to pass and be replaced by the will to fly!!! Chin up and cheers mate.-kevin

Thanks kevin. The Ryan caught my interest with its unique & nostalgic design. Have fun with yours. IMHO, it could use a larger, more powerful motor, though...

For me, my attitude is RC aircraft come & they go. Some end up going away more quickly, too. Unfortunately, this one went by the wayside immediately...

No worries, though. I have other planes that give me plenty of enjoyment & keep me more than busy in this great hobby. I flew before & after the mishap that same day & still managed to have fun...

Next up is the HK 55" Sbach 342 EPO that'll be here any day now. This one will be quite a change from the smaller parkflyers that I'm accustomed to flying...

Originally Posted by Fravits

Glad to hear that you are having success with your Ryan, Kevin. I always thought that this was a misunderstood little airplane. With a bit of juggling with the CG and the addition of flaps, mine flew great, or did until I was involved in a rather nasty midair. Reading this thread is making me think that it is time to break out the Ryan and get her back in the air!

FRAVITS-YA MON,GET IT BACK IN THE AIR MON (said with a jamacan accent) I don't want to be the only guy in cyber world flying this plane(it's too lonely-sniff-sniff)-kevin

I'm flying mine with a clamshell cowl-mod snuggled around a TowerPro 2409-18. I can use 3s batteries from 1600 down to 800 mAh...

Thanks for the prod, Kevin! As we speak, I am coating the fuselage with WBPU and sanding down everything. The nose weight has been removed, battery pressed forward, and esc mounted underneath the forward section of the battery compartment. Collecting paint, graphics, and pilot now. Still have to make the new windshields and some minor details, but things are really starting to speed up. I miss this little guy!