Originally Posted by 70 ragtop

They are in the area behind the cockpit. I don't have enough cooling over the packs.....another item for the list
Do you plan to sell any kits, or short kits?

Yes, after everything is complete. The internal component structure is about 60% complete.
Considering we began with a damaged "Flight Of The Intruder" fuselage and nothing else
we have come a very long way. What was originally a single piece 10' long fuselage is now
a three piece easily transported 119" fuselage.

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Originally Posted by erh7771

NICE !!!

Are the 9700s putting out like the rest of the SMC packs?

I decided to go all in on them cause of the weight saving but haven't flown the 1/6 F-18 with them yet

Also

Were the 7s packs a special order from Danny? Don't see them on his site yet

Thx in advance

Not sure, I only have a few flights on one set (4) of 8000s, and haven't flown the 9700s yet....having motivation problems lately

I ordered the 7S packs before Danny added the 6S to the website, supposed to be same chemistry as the 8000s

I had an 8000 with a bad cell, so used the old pack and mocked up the cells so they were assembled like a BVM pack.....about the size of a 6600, maybe a little smaller

Did a back to back comparison of the 7700 vs SMC 8000, one minute WOT, one min half throttle, one min WOT, one min half throttle, end. The 8000 held a higher voltage ( and amperage) the entire time, and both were about 30-35% at completion. I think Danny is going to assemble some packs like this. Not a max performance setup, but may be a good alternative for BVM jets that need a thinner, lighter pack without giving up capacity ( like an F-86). I'd wanted to try some of the 4.3 volt packs he had, but they sold out before I figured out how change the settings in my charger

Its an impressive model FM, good luck!

Looking forward to hearing how the 9700s perform. They seem very light.

Sorry to hear of the motivation problems. You worked so hard on this model and it turned out fantastic. Enjoy some flying for now and hopefully the motivation will come back.

I took a little over a week away from the A6. Needed a break from the concentrated routine though there is more than enough to not get bored with any one element of it. Looking forward to your 9700 results. My Castle 160 HVF's came in yesterday. After you get a few flights on the 9700's I will decide.

Thanks Ken
Trying to get up to the field, but work always seems to find a way to mess up the best laid plans

FM, all to familiar with needing to take a break. I’ve been forcing myself not to start a new project until I get the F-15 and -18 done......and it’s killing me!
I’ll post some feedback on the 9700’s, but it might not be until September ( EJets)

Not a lot of progress, but removed the decals I slapped on it for Jet Jam, and painted them on
Messing around with weathering, and water slides. Want to do just enough weathering to give it a used look, but not the " end of a cruise" filthy dirty look.
Couple of pictures of the progress so far

Great work. Are you following a method or is this just something you have learned over the years. I would really like to see some steps so you know how it looks throughout the process. I think that is where it goes all wrong for me. I know weathering doesn't go on looking that good lol

hey ragtop....looking great man!! hey, did callie do your decals/paint masks?

Hi Ken
Thanks, no plan, just winging it. Haven't done any airbrushing yet as my airbrush has been acting up. New one came in the mail yesterday . I learned early on that you can easily stain this paint. Can't just run a brush down a row of fasteners and clean it off without sanding/thinner, it stains the paint. I did washes on the on P-38, and worked great, not so much with this paint. That problem actually works really well to dirty it up as Corsair Nut shows in his F-14 video series

Also learned on the F-15 that clear coat absolutely kills the effect, so plan to clear only the water slides, not the whole thing.
I'm just sort of experimenting at this point, finding what I like and running with it, taking off what I don't like an doing it again

Thanks Nut
Yes on the masks, I'm doing the water slides using MS paint. Hope to get a cutter, and learn how to use it for next one

Hey ragtop, did you end up balancing your stabs? I'm trying to decide if I need to this on the F14 and I'm looking for input. Its seems to be a debated topic so wondering now that you have flown it what your opinion is.

Ken,

Sorry, I misread your post and responded relative to aileron or spoileron...

I'm elbow deep in working on my 6's spoileron and flap. Preoccupying everything it seems...

The YA manual for the F-18 single specifically states that you should NOT balance the stab.

I would assume that the larger bird would be the same.

Originally Posted by FliteMetal

Ken,

Unless the aileron is a Frise style aerodynamc balance will not have an effect. The 18 has no air traveling through a gap ahead of aileron leading edge... The 14 uses spoileron, not aileron so there is nothing to balance...unless its a non-scale wing and for some "strange" reason Frise style aileron are on it.

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I think his question was on the stabs, tailerons.

Hi: KenM

On my Yellow Aircraft F-14, I did not balance the tailerons. My F-14 fly's great.
I was told a long time back that (balancing the Elevators might create fluttering} .
I would say the best answer is 600 ounce torque servos.......LOL

Originally Posted by KenM

Hey ragtop, did you end up balancing your stabs? I'm trying to decide if I need to this on the F14 and I'm looking for input. Its seems to be a debated topic so wondering now that you have flown it what your opinion is.

I balance mine
When unbalanced, you are counting on zero slop, and a very strong servo to prevent flutter. I base my preference on the full size planes I work on. On an older GIV 450/550, all the surfaces are all balanced. The control input from the hyd actuator is routed thru pushrods and bellcranks. You loose hydraulics, you can still fly on and have control, and there is "some" play in the linkage...not a lot, but by design, there is going to be some play.
On a newer plane like a G650 ( fly by wire) the actuator is directly in line to the surface. There is only a short link that goes between the actuator and surface, and that link is a critical item that can not be removed from actuator in the field. Also much more stringent inspection requirements for any play....at all . If memory serves, its like .030 or .050" free play at 20" back from the hinge line....or there abouts
One can only deduce this is because the surface is inherently unstable ( which it is), and is forcibly held solid by its actuator to prevent flutter. This is all done to save weight. On the F-14 and 18, stabs appear to be tail heavy, but have very large actuators right there

There is a pretty good weight penalty for balancing, but to me, it's worth it. I think a lot of planes get away with it by using very heavy duty servos, much more than is actually needed to fly the plane. I think the problem comes in when the servo is not right next to the surface, and airframe rigidity factors into the mix....think Fly Eagle. How many videos did we see with stab fluttering right before a plane was lost

That's my 2 cents