Here's a large 4.5M Ka8B from Phoenix Model. It's a built up plane made from laser-cut balsa and ply and being an ARF, most of the work is already done and waiting for final assembly and gear installation. The wings are a two-piece construction as well as the fuselage which allows it to break down into a much smaller size for transport and storage of the model. The removable canopy has some scale cockpit graphics installed and there's room inside to put your own pilot bust. The wings are ready for a set of spoilers that are sold separately. A list of items needed to finish the build is posted below.
Ka-8b PHOENIXMODEL (4 min 32 sec) |
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This looks like a “rescaling” Of the design used for both the smaller 3.5M plane and the larger 6M plane. Can you confirm if that is true? Or did they design this from scratch and use an actual spar in this one?
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Anyone know when this will be released? I was about to.pull the trigger on a 3.5m.
Thanks Joe |
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No idea on either question.
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Will be interested in seeing a look inside the wing via the spoiler opening to see if they put an actual spar in this version. The 3.5M worked because it was small enough but the 6M was a disaster. At 4.5M this new one will be hit or miss as far as wing failure goes if they didn't redesign and put a real spar in the wings.
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My 6 meter is one of my favorite goto airplanes because it just plain flys fantastically! Now....that is after I striped the wings and installed actual spars in the main panel! With that done at 35lbs. it is a soaring machine!
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Both the 3.5 and 6m models had wing issues. Tower was expecting to have the 4.5m available in July, but now - who knows.
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![]() OOH, and two of my aero tow buddies have the 6 meter that they "reworked" and love them as thermal ships. |
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Last edited by KiwiKid; May 28, 2020 at 09:41 PM.
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The 3.5 Mtr, is my husbands - Melvyn, sorry or glad to say it didn't "sycamore down", Mel lost it coming off the aerotow by diving and pulling up with too much G and the wing gave up at the end of the wing joiners... I walked to follow the separated wing as we were flying at an MOD airfield - Middle Wallop and can't leave any FOD on the airfield at the end of meetings, plus I thought this is going to be carnage!..... as I was walking I heard Jane (one of the admin at the meeting say "Did that glider just land with one wing?..." Mel had pulled the airbrake and with full apposite aileron to the rotation, he found with a 45 degree dive the glider levelled, he just kept it stable and rounded out for a gentle landing. "Motley" Geoff was flying the 6 mtr later in the day when his wing gave up doing nothing special, the shout went out from the pilots box "If Mel can land it with one wing so can you!..." the photo was taken later in the day with two very relieved pilots who's wallets weren't about to be opened...
I rebuilt the wing with a carbon "telescopic" main spar, I turned down wood drill shanks inserted the drill into the carbon tube drilled behind the "spar" top and bottom for the length of the three sections, the carbon telescopic spar was the inserted into the holes with epoxy resin and cotton flock, the new spar finished about 100mm short of the outboard end of the aileron, the carbon tube diameters were 8, 6, and 4mm, Geoff on the other hand stripped sections of the D box off and let in a proper spruce and ply box main spar. Both gliders are still flying here in the UK, well when we can get flying again with all these covid restrictions...... |
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I really do want to see the bones of this ship. It fits right in with my requirements for transportation and storage. My 3.5 meter is a hoot to fly and it is fun flying below 1 K feet. Above that and it becomes work...too small. I've had many a flight dancing around from 300' to 1 K for over a half an hour (1 hour is my limit now). Also, on those days just had to pull the brakes and make it come down.
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