http://www.3m.com/us/office/scotch/transducttape/

Originally Posted by sargentw

This is another picture of the fuse half. Unfortunantly, I got busy and did not take a picture of the spar glued in the tail end.

There have been comments that the tail gets flimsy and twists when the elevator or rudder are applied. It seems like the tail end of the fuse has a pre-cut space that's perfect for mounting a 6.5" 3/15" spar. So I CA'ed one in. A graphite spar would have been better, but I had a 3/16" dowel on hand. It doesn't weigh much and is nice and stiff with CA and activator sprayed on it. With the spar installed, the tail section of the EZ is solid after the 2 halves are C/A'ed togethrer. Make sure if you mount a spar the fit is good or the tail end of the fuse won't be perfectly stratigh.

sargentw
what is that wire going thru the body of the plane?

Originally Posted by bluesteel212

sargentw
what is that wire going thru the body of the plane?

bluesteel,

If you are referring to Post 10 that's an extra wire "pre-routed" for a brushless motor upgrade. The brushed motors require 2 wires for power. Brushless motors require 3.

Some folks run wires externally which is OK. I like them hidden and out of the air stream.

Sarge

I thought this would be a good opportunity to revive this thread from the dead. I have to give major kudos to Sarge and Ian for putting in so much time and effort on explaining/detailing the build and mods to this plane. I'll be getting an ES in a few weeks and have read through the current ES thread and got to page 15 of thread #21 (along with many side topics) when I found this one. It's simply amaing all the possibilities this cheap and simple plane has to go from simple trainer to moderate areobatic hotliner.

Of the 4 or 5 recommended planes for beginners, the EZ * is hands down the only plane to consider. I have bookmarked this thread and will refer anyone looking to start flying right here. I myself am just getting back into the hobby after a 10 yr hiatus and a brief stint with an areobird last summer. If the real plane flies anything like the fms model, I'll have a fleet of these things for my 12 yr old daughter and 5 yr old son to cut their teeth on.

Thanks again Sarge for an incredible tutorial!!! I only wish there were planes like this and internet forums 20 years ago when I learned to fly.

Originally Posted by SMonkey

Thanks again Sarge for an incredible tutorial!!! I only wish there were planes like this and internet forums 20 years ago when I learned to fly.

SMonkey,

Thanks for the compliments. The EZ is a great plane and you take it can fly it anywhere......

For the EZ build thread I've used a cookbook approach where the chef appears to be right by your side, i.e., "The Seafood Notebook", by Frank Davis (New Orleans). As the EZ build thread is read, notice that each major step is examined, analyzed, and dealt with. You can see where the chef suggests and demonstrates EZ build ideas that work, however, it's left up to the reader to go from there.

We're having fun now!!!

Sarge

Thanks to SARGE and Ian Pullar for the great pictures and tips on the ES build. I am in the process of using them. These forums are great!!!!!
Fred

This thread has been a tremendous help to me in building my second plane since returning to the hobby. Many thanks !

Rod Clark
Toronto, Canada

Thanks for the tips, guys. Just maidened mine, and it was perfect. Not much in the mod department, but the extra tips did help. All I really did was make a new rudder (2.5x larger) from EPP sheet, and hinge it with some transparency film. In times of trouble (stalls, and downwind) it was very useful. I also used a better prop adapter that was in my parts box.

No idea why anyone needs more power With the stock setup, and a 7x1400 (A size) pack, or an 8x1050 (2/3A), it climbed so fast I had to chop back in less than a minute. Takes several more minutes before I need to put throttle back to it Trim it for a lazy circle at 1/4-1/3 throttle, and sit back and just bump the stick every once in a while...

The wind kicked up a tad, maybe 5mph, and I was glad, so I could see how it does.... like it wasn't anything I'll try in 10-20mph next, for the heck of it!

Continuous loops at 1/2 throttle? Yup.
Cruise at 1/4 throttle? Yup.
Scoot along at 10' altitude and scare the kiddies? Yup.
Outside loop? Nope.
Inverted level flight? Nope.
Rudder rolls? Yup
Climbing cyclones? Yup.

Nice and gentle, the way I hoped it'd be.

Thanks!

There are tons of good ways to "skin" the EZ AP upgrade "Cat" . The next several posts will detail how I tackled the task.

Currently I have a Pentax S5i mounted on a brushless slow stick with an electronically controlled shutter.

The Slow Stik is a great plane for AP because you can launch and land it anywhere, including small culdesacs. The down side to the stik is at about 500+ feet it bumps and dips all over the place and the photos become hit or miss. I like the ultra smooth glide of the EZ at any altitude. In addition, I'll be able to take some good AP at the beach wind or not

Here are a couple pictures of my Stik with the camera mounted. The pink foam is covering/protecting an altimeter.

More on this Slow Stik mod can been seen here:
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...=321715&page=2

Ok on with the EZ AP Upgrade.

The first thing I did was make my canopy a "convertable so it could be removed for the camera mount. I do not like the clips that came with the EZ. I bumped the nose one time and the clips no longer worked properly. I currently taped the front and velcroed the back. The front is now held with velcro and the canopy is removable..

Here are a couple of pictures that illustrate the mod,.

6/13/07 Update: Rather than use velcro I now secure the front of the canopy with black plastic electrician's tape. It holds fine when using the canopy. I still use the velcro tabs in the rear of the canopy. I would still say bevel out the area in the front for the black plastic electrician's tape to help keep the wind from possibly peeling it back.

Here are a couple more pictures of the canopy with the removable velcro hinge.

A year or so ago I evaluated a bunch of cameras for AP. The best I came up with considering, price, performance, electronic shutter capable, size, and weight is the Pentax S5i.

You can read the Pentax S5i experts review here.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_.../optios5i.html

I think there are tons of great cameras out there; Canon Power Shots, NiKons, etc. However, if I were to buy another electronic shutter controlled "first" camera I'd take a look at the Pentax 5z. The review is not that good but it has a better movie mode. I've seen the Pentax 5z going for $157.00 and that's a real bargain.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_.../optios5z.html

The Camera that might be worth waiting for and may be my next upgrade is the Pentax A10. It's real new so I have not been able to find any comprehensive reviews.

http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/pent...s.html#details.

These Pentax cameras take great pictures of family gatherings, etc. I also have both the Panasonic Z20 and Z30 Super zooms for taking pictures of the kids sports. Being the size of a credit card I still keep the Pentax S5i handy when not on a plane.

I have a radio controlled shutter release that uses the 4th channel in my rec. You can use these electronic shutters with several different types of cameras. The Pentax seems to be smallest camera using this device.

Here is where you order the prism shutter.

http://www.hexpertsystems.com/prism/

The next couple of pictures details the steps in making the camera mount and reinforcing one or the walls in the EZ cockpit.

The aluminum bar stock used for the camera mount in the Slow Stik and EZ is of high quality and very light. You can find the bar stock here.

http://www.northcoastmetalmart.com/60alflbar3x1.html

Here is the final product ready to go. The camera is securly mounted and well protected in case I land in corn fields or the dark side of the moon.

The shutter release is very smooth and extremely reliable.

Everything balances and I'm using a 3S TP 2100 mah battery. I'll post the flight report and some pictures soon.

Sarge