Thanks for the pictures, Steve. I was wondering if the Calypso had a stiffener tube in the fuselage. That is a good deal. Is it accessible, so a guy could run a 72 MHz antenna in there?

Looking forward to the RX ready model to become available.

Riley

Yes Peter, I forgot to mention that my friend also has a calypso and his tail was not tightened down all the way and he had trim issues as well. So it's a good idea to double check that tail screw.

Riley, I'd have to look to see if there is a way to thread a 72 mhz in the fuse tube. I have not had to worry about that for a while so I didn't even look.

Steve

Originally Posted by seabass1005

Drmwmc, Sorry about the mishap. I think I'll check my prop before I fly again!
-
I wanted to report back with some poor quality videos of my Calypso flights 3 and 4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPPHn...ature=youtu.be

The plane was balanced OK as far as I could tell but the trim was way too far forward. If I let go of the elevator, the plane would go into a dive. This issue is me and the radio and not the plane.

I thought your video was pretty good, what camara are you using?.

Camera is an 808 #16 key chain camera. Found only on Ebay

Any update on the upgrade?

Originally Posted by Esprit Model

Calypso upgrade
(1) BB 45/3/8mm folding spinner
(1) Aeronaut 9x5 folding propeller

Originally Posted by oneniner

Thanks for the pictures, Steve. I was wondering if the Calypso had a stiffener tube in the fuselage. That is a good deal. Is it accessible, so a guy could run a 72 MHz antenna in there?

Looking forward to the RX ready model to become available.

Riley

It depends on whether the stiffener is carbon or not . If it's carbon you'll need to run the 72 Mhz antenna elsewhere.

Originally Posted by Greywing

It depends on whether the stiffener is carbon or not . If it's carbon you'll need to run the 72 Mhz antenna elsewhere.

Yes, so they say. Not sure why, but it worked fine in my Art Hobby Sky EV. I ran the long antenna inside the carbon tail boom and had full range. (Had it so high it was just a dot.) In a smaller diameter, thicker tube it may not work.

We got my friend's Calypso back in the air after he was assaulted by a tree. We must have gotten the nose back on pretty straight cause it flies straight but the canopy doesn't quite fit any more. I still love the slow floating ability but wind penetration, at least with a fairly aft CG, isn't its strong suit. Has anyone tried ballasting theirs for windier days?

Originally Posted by oneniner

Yes, so they say. Not sure why, but it worked fine in my Art Hobby Sky EV. I ran the long antenna inside the carbon tail boom and had full range. (Had it so high it was just a dot.) In a smaller diameter, thicker tube it may not work.

I think you should count yourself as lucky. You probably had some part of the antenna that extended outside the aft end so it wasn't totally masked. The Art Hobby tailboom is a carbon fiber and fiberglass composite so it may not be totally opaque to RF signals. Carbon is like a shield to RF signals which is why the 2.4 MHz antenna whiskers are always put outside of carbon pods and fuselages.

After 1st flight (flew great) tail seemed a bit loose. Tightened assembly screw a bit. Seemed a little better. 2nd flight, no issues. Flew fine. Checked tail, loose again. Tried to tighten screw, but it felt tight as should be. Packed it up, brought it home. Didn't want to lose control in flight.

On the bench, dis-assembled the tail section. Checked screw depth in nut, it bottoms out in nut, looks like the threads are slightly crossed, maybe mis-aligned. Gently tried to re-thread screw in to nut while apart. Doesn't want to go past depth of nut. Appears the screw cannot be tightened enough to provide a tight connection between fuse and elevator. I don't want to force the screw any tighter since the nut is housed (cemented) in a plastic assembly.

Two good flights, no crashes, perfect soft landings in grass field. Hate to do it, but I guess it should go back to the LHS. No other Calypsos on the shelf right now. Hope the CS is better than HK stories.

Just finished the flap install tonight. Guess I won't get to try them out now. Darn shame, I love this plane. Anyone else have an issue with this assembly point?

I'm quite certain a call to Hobby Services should provide assistance (new parts if no way to remidy?).

If you want to mess with it yourself at home first, you should be able to extract the nut from the tab in the vertical stab. Then, maybe a new nut and bolt from the hardware store? Either 4mm or 5mm - I can check from work, but not until Tuesday.

Tim

What keeps the screw head from pushing through the fuse? Is there a washer or stop inside? I hope it is simple as you said, but if not, I would hate to mess up a brand new plane. The nut is glued in the plastic retainer. Not sure I can get it out without breaking or loosening the assembly.

Stopping by the LHS tomorrow, see what they say. If I try to repair it and it doesn't correct it, I want the option to return for a replacement.

Well, you can do all those things. Oor you get the part at ebay

I would hope the LHS and Hobbico would help me with this problem on a one week old plane with two flights. If not, they would be no better than overseas suppliers.

I'm just trying to help. There isn't very much I can do on the weekend over the internet.

What keeps the screw from pushing through the foam is the tube inside the fuselage - the screw goes through the tube up into the nut in the clamp that secures the vertical stab.

If the threads are crossed in the screw it should be a simple matter of getting a new screw. If the threads are crossed in the nut...same thing. If you cannot extract the nut without damaging the vertical stab or the clamp maybe you could run a tap up through it? If that's not an option, I'm sure we can replace your vertical stab (with a new nut therein).

I'm not sure if your hobby shop will be able to help (maybe they can). If there is something wrong with your plane/defective parts I'm sure Hobby Services will assist.

Sincerely sorry.

Tim