I see you went with a red cowl, Looks Great!

Jon

ronrandle - my wattmeter came today and thanks to Jon I got some Deans connectors on it tonight. (Not as easy as it sounds.) I will test the E Flite 400 tomorrow night but I did get to quickly run the AXI 2212/34 on a Ph 10, APC 12x5 E Prop and an Etec 1200 3s1p 2nd Gen pack. Up to 3/4 throttle amps were very low - 4-6 amps. WOT 9.1 amps at I think 66 watts.

Just to compare the Lehner 1020/12 on a Ph 35, Kokum 3s1p 2000 (15C) and a APC 11x3.8 SF - WOT 27 amps and 260 watts (pack was not fully charged)

Mexico, thanks for the info. As soon as I replenish my Paypal account I'm picking up some new batts and a Himax 2025-4200. For the maiden this weekend I'm planning on using my trusty RZ 350 on a 6.61 GB with a 12x6 prop. Although it won't haul Stella around like a Lehner, it'll be good for the first few flights.

Thanks again for the time invested to help with my dilemma.

Ron

if you have never seen an angry teenage boy(except for those parents out there)come around to my house.


i took the stella out for just another routine flight this afternoon in slightly windy conditions but nothing the stella couldn't shrug off. i was up for a good 5 mins when i brought it into a knife edge spin, i went to power out of it and had no control, all surfaces locked up and motor held its position at about 3/4 throttle. i watched it spin into the ground. my heart sank, i honestly felt like eating that stupid MGM esc, i knew straight away it was the esc. it has given me intermittant problems that dont shwe for months than something like this happens. anyway, i walked over dragging my stomach behind me feeling like a piece of dirt. the damage isn't all that bad from what i a have seen, but for a first time balsa builder like me i looked at it and thought, its gone.
first the nose hit and blew it apart then the left wing snapped off at the fuse and broke the leading edge. because the motor was locked on, it kept spinning and sheared the spur gear off. the motor got pushed forward and my shiny new purple motor is scratched down the sides.
amazingly thought the prop didn't snap and the shaft still spins true, only i will have to use the 5.33:1 gears now.

as of now i am not motivated enough to help old stella out by repairing her, i will let it sit until i decide to shine some light on her.


i will replace the MGM esc with a phoinex 25 and also find a new motor stick, this one has already been broken a few times and just isnt as strong as it use to be.


here are some pics

Ouch! Sorry to hear about that James! Don't get discouraged though - if it's balsa, it's probably repairable. If not, Bill has a whole stack of Stellas in his garage... Still, sucks to see something like this happen after all the work that went into building and covering the plane.
Doc

Oh No. James - I feel for you. To those of us that are more familiar with crashing than you are I know (all too often) that sick feeling when the plane hits the ground. It won't make you feel any better but at least it wasn't dumb thumbs, which is generally the cause of my crashes.

I feel responsible in a way. Right before I signed off last night I asked you about whether to use up or down elevator input when you do a KE spin. I think I then told you to go fly something. Don't ever listen to me. My kids don't.

If you want to replace the stick you might consider the aluminum flush mount they sell for the Cobri GB. It is basically a short aluminum stick with a mounting plate. I have one but have not used it yet. It is for mounting a GB to a firewall. None of my planes have a firewall.

Good - I'm feeling much better

Originally Posted by twu01

Bill,

I already stuffed a piece of carbon tubing down it with a bunch of Probond. Should be tough enough, right? Only one way to find out....My Jumping Jack was my "test plane" for this setup. Ripped the stick right off on that first flight. I learned my lesson with this motor.

-Ted

Hey Lenny, which wattmeter did you get - the Astro or the Medusa?

I know this is off topic so please forgive me guys

Lubo - I got the Astro. A fellow zoner who's name I forget did me a major solid and alerted me to a $20 off coupon from Tower. They only had the Astro. It was too good a deal to pass up. It ended up being $39. Only problem was they only carry the version with the zero loss connectors. I stink at soldering. Had a heck of a time getting those thick wires soldered down real well to the deans. Too lumpy for my shrink tube to slide over so I had to tape it up. Seems to be ok though.

It has been so windy lately. Have you been able to fly?

Originally Posted by mexico

I know this is off topic so please forgive me guys

Lubo - I got the Astro. A fellow zoner who's name I forget did me a major solid and alerted me to a $20 off coupon from Tower. They only had the Astro. It was too good a deal to pass up. It ended up being $39. Only problem was they only carry the version with the zero loss connectors. I stink at soldering. Had a heck of a time getting those thick wires soldered down real well to the deans. Too lumpy for my shrink tube to slide over so I had to tape it up. Seems to be ok though.

It has been so windy lately. Have you been able to fly?

$39 for an Astro is a GREAT deal! As for the wind, yeah, it's been pretty horrible around here lately. The few times it wasn't so windy I was stuck at work, and when I'm off, the wind is blowing 20-30mph. Last time I flew was last Friday afternoon. Put two more flights on Stella and flew my long forgotten 3DX. It has a bat on the bottom, so I figured it's appropriate for Halloween.
Hopefully Sunday should be ok. If so, do you guys (you and Jon) wanna go up to Pine Island?
Lubo

Jon? You and I should be as fortunate as he. Jon is heading to the Valley of the Sun to go flying with Josh.

Lucky boy.

Ted,
How much do you have to cut out of the cowl for the cobri gearbox? I've got the same gearbox (different motor ).

Anyone, how about split elevators? Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by cadconversions

Ted,
How much do you have to cut out of the cowl for the cobri gearbox? I've got the same gearbox (different motor ).

Anyone, how about split elevators? Any thoughts?

I just installed a Cobri on mine and the cutout is very minimal. Not noticeable.

On the split elevators, I have tried it before on other models and found it to be a novelty with very little use. The roll rate is blinding with just the ailerons, so tailerons wouldn't really serve a purpose IMHO. Would be unique though.

Scott

I just installed a Cobri on mine and the cutout is very minimal. Not noticeable.

Yep. Just what Scott said. Actually I only needed to trim a small bit of the firewall opening to fit the Lehner can, nothing from the cowling.

-Ted

Thanks guys.