So, I'm walking through the AMA Expo here in Ontario and I run across the Soaring USA booth and they have all these magnificent looking planes all over the back wall. I've been dying to buy and own such an awesome looking plane.

Well, I take my time and think things through and I decide I want one to build and fly. I ask the guy behind the booth a lot of questions, about this plane and that plane and I ask about wing spans and such. I don't have a large car...so a one piece wing is out of the question. I've also never had a V-tail...so I choose the Pike Precision. I also have been thinking about the RDS system for the ailerons and flaps.

They tell me the only one that has the RDS built in is the Pike Precision on the back wall. You know...the one with the honeycomb paint design...Pics to come soon.

I make up my mind and slap down the plastic and order it. I also take into consideration that I want the recommended servos, so I ask about those and they help me choose what is recommended and would fit the plane.

They don't want to pull the plane off the wall on Saturday. it would leave a big gap and that beautiful looking plane would not attract further customers. They promise to ship free of charge as soon as the show is over, so I agree.

I've been waiting a few days for this package to come in and low and behold, it's shipped Fedex and they require a signature and obviously I was at work during the delivery so back onto the truck and left me a notice. I had come home for lunch and just missed the truck by about 15 minutes....dammit. I call and ask if they can leave at a location nearby and they do....the following day.

I drop by the location after work the following day and pick up the package. box looks nice and clean...no expected damage. I get the box home and start slowly cutting through the tape. Everything is nicely packaged and bubble wrapped. I pull out the wings, and unwrap them and set them aside. I pull out the v-tails and also set them aside. Next is the fuse and still set that aside. Finally I look through the box and pull out the bag full of RDS stuff....looking through the box further and picking it up, I notice that it still feels really heavy...I poke around and down at the bottom of the left corner is a mass of tape and plastic bag. I pull it out and it weighs a ton....ballast!

Lots of nicely cut and cleaned up brass ballast.

I next start to pull out one of the wings from the bags that they shipped in. Nice....and they look amazing. I turn it over and over and look at every angle and just admire the beautiful paint design. Just awesome.

I do the same with the the other wing, inspecting it for any flaws..there are a few minor paint flaws, but none in the wing, that I can tell. I move onto the v-tails and they also look magnificent and no design flaws...I don't see any paint flaws, but I'm getting dizzy now from all this beautiful plane.

I then move onto the fuse and pull it out of the fuse bag...just awesome...and inspect it. It also just looks amazing. I can't believe the quality workmanship. the whole thing is just fantastic.

I mull over the ballast and spread it out on the bench and then look through all the RDS stuff.

At this point I notice that the RDS system is not really installed. I look at the wing and the servo holes and notice that the RDS looks well planned, however nothing is really done. The hole for the RDS wiper blade isn't even drilled. I look through the box and find no instructions...at all. I would have thought that for the price of this thing there would be some kind of instructions. I've purchased $99-200 planes with TONS of instructions. I spend this much on a Pike Precision and zip...nada...zilch. Definitely makes me think twice about purchasing from them again. I likely will, they do make beautiful planes.

I've searched RCG for RDS instructions and I've even emailed the SUSA group and they sent me a link for a few videos on the installation...all of the videos have NO SOUND. Do you know how difficult it is to watch someone install an RDS system...in the final stages? You gotta be kidding me.

Well...That leads me to....here.

A build log...hopefully with my input and questions, You all could guide me and I can provide the next noob some instructions. I'll likely end up with better instructions than the SUSA group has...no offense.

I've done enough talking...I'll have to upload all the pics I've taken so far and I'll begin the build log with the RDS system since that is the major component that is missing and the most difficult to take on.

Ken

Pics...Enjoy

Pardon the fisheye....Used the GoPro to take the photos.

Ken

another group of photos...again sorry for the GoPro fisheye.

I've got all the servos assembled in a trial fit and everything setup...the one thing I'm not sure is how to fit the wiper blade into the coupler...or RDS...whatever it's called. If I had instructions, I'd know what every part was. Perhaps someone can help with that.

So...the wiper fits into the coupler very nice, but not tight....do I glue this wiper in? do I crimp it into place? Do I drill and tap the coupler and put in a set screw?

I dunno.....some help please.

I understand the frustration and there is a bit of a learning curve with RDS. I will tell you most of the models in this league don't come with any instructions. As harsh as it might sound I think the unwritten expectation is if you buy a $2K plus model you're going to know how to build it. I just got done installing RDS for the first time in my Fosa. I struggled a bit and went through the same head scratching you're experiencing. I studied lots of photos and connected and discussed the install with guys experienced with RDS. You will figure it out after you play with it a bit. It's pretty intuitive. I asked a bunch of questions about it in the F3X forum. A search there under "RDS" will yield lots of information. You might also have a look at some of the photos in the "Baudis Fosa" thread there too. If you have specific questions on the install just post them here or better yet in the F3X forum and I'm sure someone will get you the information you need. Hang in there. You bought a wonderful model and it will be worth the effort. Bob and gang at SUSA are super good people. Worst case scenerio you can also have the builder for SUSA (who lives close to you) install the RDS for you.

Good luck,

Vic

You'll love the Precision! The RDS is pretty easy to install actually. Just take your time, and get it right. As far as instructions, I've only ever had one molded plane that came with instruction, an Erwin. The rest (and there has been a few ) all came airframe only, and from several different vendors. All the info you need is on here, with plenty of people willing to help. There's a lot of threads here on RDS installs, an the videos on YouTube are good too, even of there's no sound. Here's a quick thread;

Fosa build thread with RDS install;

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ght=rds+instal

Here's a thread on the Precision that has good info;

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1464496

I haven't followed the links,so apologies if I'm repeating.
Graupner Germany used to have set up templates to download& print.Might be worth checking.

Added some pics to post 2 & 3...

In Post 4, I've added a couple of the questions I have....Some assistance would be most helpful.

Ken

Ken,

You want to glue the wiper arm to the coupler. Use the tiny clear stickers to keep the glue off the main shaft. I recommend JB Weld for the job. Make sure you power up the servo and center the wiper arm so it sets up perpendicular to the servo case. There is discussion and photos about this in the Fosa thread referenced above.

Here is another video I just ran across that you might find useful.

RDS Einbau Crossover - Futaba S3150.mp4 (22 min 24 sec)

Hey Ken, which GoPro were those pics taken with? I'm guessing a Hero1 or Hero2?

Congratz on a stellar bird and best of luck on the build. I hope it all comes together well.

-Jonathan
who noted the poor mute in the above video cut his finger somewhere between 11:00 and 12:00 minutes

Pics were taken with a Hero3 Black edition

Originally Posted by Yablonsky

Pics were taken with a Hero3 Black edition

Thanks and darn, was hoping that wasn't the case as I heard the Hero3 Black had reduced the fisheye effect considerably.

-Jonathan
who's H3B will finally arrive next Wednesday.

Hi Ken
This is a great plane I had samba install everything, with the skins being closed originally now they are not, its easier to service, you may want to move this thread to the f3x forum probably alot more people there with advice, not that you arent getting any here. Ian

not sure how to move a thread

Really tough watching this in silence...and all the text in another language.

I think it's time we have our own video to reference. If anyone that is a resident expert wants to help, I'll video the whole process and put here for everyone to consume.

Ken

Originally Posted by PDX Slope Pilot

Ken,

You want to glue the wiper arm to the coupler. Use the tiny clear stickers to keep the glue off the main shaft. I recommend JB Weld for the job. Make sure you power up the servo and center the wiper arm so it sets up perpendicular to the servo case. There is discussion and photos about this in the Fosa thread referenced above.

Here is another video I just ran across that you might find useful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5HEi...ature=youtu.be