Jeff, the Super Rocketeer has been put away for now. May have bit off more than one(me) could chew. Let's just say I am gliding into another project... Looking forward to the bright colors you are doing for this airplane ! Have fun as always, Mike

Mike - you will get back to the SR as you travel the RC journey..... a Glider, Eh ??? You have fun too ...

All -

Some Fast Eddie progress - the green is now ironed onto the fuselage, looks OK but iron ons are not my " thing " but it will do..... The motor is now mounted as well... I'm probably going to go with some color combination of checkerboard on the tail surfaces... Need to get that on the way too....

More later,

jeff

Jeff, that green does add some WOW to it ! Should be easy to see in the sky. You have a lot of building going on, I have counted at least three ! Have fun, Mike

All

Thanks Mike.... yes, three builds and all the fun and frustration to go with. But, the reward when completed will be really fun....

Fast Eddie progress -

Hot pink wing covering has started, one panel is done. The fuselage, exvept for tail feathers covering, is covered. The 25 amp ESC and motor are wired. The Lemonrc receiver was, uh, received today.... the radio will be " set up " tomorrow. Still need to measure fuselage space and find a 3 cell to fit.....

More later,

Jeff

All -

Fast Eddie progress consists of the main covering job being completed today... I'll probably buy decals from calliegraphics and add checkerboard iron on to the tail feathers.....

A 1000 MaH 11.1 battery was ordered as well...... The receiver is now in, so radio set up will begin this week....

More later,

jeff

Nice can’t wait until you fly it!

Thank you JB.... getting closer now...

All -

Fast Eddie progress has improved - the checkerboard covering was received and applied to the tail surfaces.... radio set up will be done this week.... and the 1000 MAH 11.1 volt LIPO arrived.....

More later,

Jeff

All -

Fast Eddie progress now has the radio and all electronics set up... the motor should be AMPLE power.... the ready to fly weight is 17.2 ounces.....

If the weather allows, this weekend a test flight will be attempted. No viddie will be taken, i just have a cell phone and flying alone. I'm sure both hands will be needed on the sticks and both eyes on the bird....

More later,

Jeff

Originally Posted by JeffMac

All -

Fast Eddie progress now has the radio and all electronics set up... the motor should be AMPLE power.... the ready to fly weight is 17.2 ounces.....

If the weather allows, this weekend a test flight will be attempted. No viddie will be taken, i just have a cell phone and flying alone. I'm sure both hands will be needed on the sticks and both eyes on the bird....

More later,

Jeff

Brings back a lot of memories! Looks great, good luck with the test flight!

Thanks JB..... Appreciated....

All -

Fast Eddie flew this morning..... 25 degree F air temp, calm.... Time to fly. Please excuse the rubber band hatch hold down..... It's temporary...... Eddie left my hand after final checks, at about 1/3 power..... Slight elevator down trim and a touch of aileron trim were required. Then Eddie tracked reasonably well.... Higher throttle settings were then tried, Eddie moves right along.... Aileron was not at all sensitive, elevator was sensitive ...... no balance weight was required....Eddie at 17 ounces glides very slow and flat, it probably could thermal if you could see it to fly it. Some practice landings were shot at altitude and later the real landing was a cinch...... At high speed, Eddie will high speed stall in a tight loop, but no such stalls were noticed at glide or slower speeds. Thanks all for the nice comments .....

Best regards,

jeff

Jeff, sounds like Eddie did pretty well ! And, man, you built that pretty quickly ! Nice work, Sir !! Have fun over there, Mike

Jeff,

Congrats on a great build, successful maiden and a pretty complete report.

Amazing how the use of today's brushless motors and lipos brings the weight down from my model - albeit the 38" wing span version - built and flown in with a brushed cobalt motor and nicads.

Michael in Ontario, Canada

Hi Mike - Yes, for me, it was a fast build Using the kit that was simple and designed well did not need changed much at all to suit me..... Thanks, and have fun too......

2M - Yes, i knew the weight would be WAAY down compared to 1984 ...... If i was to build another Eddie i think the 33 " would be a somewhat better choice than 29".... I'm pleased though, thanks !

Fast Eddie has been flown several more times - it needs a very fast , level launch at about 1/3 to 1/2 power to get that instant speed. I'm using a 5.7-3 APC prop, higher pitch would give greater speed but i like the very long flight time combined with really good performance.... Eddie will high speed stall but recovers quickly.... A wing will drop in the glide if slowed too much but no issues for me - just let him glide down then flair just before touchdown to avoid low airspeed, adding a blip of power can help too..... The pink will not be repeated - seems Red based colours for me just aren't as visible. The checker board and bright green really work on this small model....

Best regards,

jeff

Just saw this thread and thought I’d comment. In the mid ‘80s I built and destroyed at least two Fast Eddies. I usedto go buy them directly from Bob Sliff at his shop in Orange County. Mine were always the 38” versions. I used Astro or Leisure ferrite magnet can motors, money being too tight for a cobalt motor. Battery was the standard RC car pack, 6 1200 sub-c cells. No speed control, just a microswitch taped to a servo for on-off. I wired the switch to provide braking so I could get the prop to stop horizontally which saved the prop when landing.

Typical weight was around 2 pounds, half of which was the power system. Standard receiver, the smallest servos I could afford, and a 225 mah airborne battery as there was no bec.

They were fast and fun, mainly because I’d never flown any other power planes, being a glider guy back then. I discovered that the CG was critical- too far aft, with that high wing loading, and it would snap roll instantly. That was the demise of my first one, since I made the discovery at about 6 feet of altitude. After that, as I got more familiar with it ( my second one that is ), I was able to do snap rolls intentionally, even without rudder. It always rolled the same way, left as I recall, but it was fun to do as long as I was up there enough.

I still have my set of instructions, but the plans are missing. Not that I was planning to build another, but I always kept plans.

Another similar plane of the era was the Wasp, designed by Jim Zarembski and kitted by Leisure. After destroying my second or third Fast Eddie, I wanted something different so I built a Wasp. Actually preferred it, just as aerobatic but the stall wasn’t so vicious and the glide seemed better- important back then, since you always landed dead stick. Plus it looked cool, with its twin fins. And as I recall, the battery went in through the bottom so you didn’t have to remove the wing each time.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Cheers,
Dave

Hi Dave - thanks for sharing your memories.... i never got to meet Bob Sliff but was very familar with hobby horn .... yep, electrics back then were mostly tubs ..... i never had the cobalt eirher but used leisure 05 .... Glad i did not build a Fast Eddie back then........ btw , Fast Eddie is posted on outerzone if you get the urge

Thanks,

Jeff