Erpelding's Dodger

Finally finished the Brooklyn Dodger. 4oz. overweight, CG around 50% . Next step is to run engine then test fly at Muncie.It has had its share of problems during the building stage so maybe testing will go a little better. HAW!!

Bob

Tandy's Jenno .29

Good Morning Thomas,

While I am waiting for the Sailplane graphics to arrive, I started cycling transmitter, receiver, and ignition batteries and I also changed out one engine yesterday. I have been using a Shilen Torpedo .29 ignition engine in the Class B Airborn since it was initially built. However, last year in a discussion with George Tallent out in Arizona, George said I should pick up a Jenno Torpedo .29 because they would outperformed the Shilen engine. Well, I did locate a Jenno Torp .29 (S/N 337) and bought it. I sent the engine to Bob Beecroft out in California who is not only a free flight modeler, but a good machinist as well. He drilled the three threaded holes that hold the backplate on crankcase all the way through the crankcase so the engine could be radial mounted as shown below.

I removed the rear mounted tank, changed out the needle valve assembly for an fine thread Enya needle valve assembly, and installed the Jenno Torp .29 in the Airborn as shown below.

The up and coming flight tests will be used to check out the Airborn's new Futaba FASST 2.4 gHZ receiver as well as evaluate the performance of the Jenno Torp .29........................Tandy

159 Sailplane Today's Progress on the Final Assembly

Report #159 from Tandy Walker on the construction of his Comet Sailplane for the 2009 SAM Champs in Las Vegas

Comet Sailplane Project

The picture below shows the integrated ignition unit consisting of (1) a 750 mAH NiMH battery pack, (2) a ModelElectric coil, and (3) Marv Stern's Aero Tech IGN-SW ignition module installed on the back side of the Sailplane's firewall with two 2-56 cap screws. You can see the (+) ignition pack charge terminal and the (+) booster terminal wires with lugs soldered to their ends. In addition, the landing gear has also been installed.

With the two wire lugs attached to the terminals on the back side of the hatch cover, this picture shows the two external terminals and the hook up for charging the ignition pack and attaching external booster batteries (note that the landing gear wire is grounded to the engine).
The green wire in the picture below is the landing gear's ground wire to the engine for the booster and ignition pack charge grounds on the landing gear shown above. I was doing a continuity check with the multimeter that you see in the picture.

This picture shows the ignition unit's ground and point wires. Notice that the high tension lead is too short to be routed up through the cowl and to the spark plug.

So I started making a new high tension lead. Larry Davidson sells the clip shown below that snaps onto the coil post. Years ago Dick Huang gave me bunch of very small aluminum brads that I use to attach the high tension wire to the coil clip. About a 1/4" of the insulation on the high tension wire is removed and the stranded wire is bent through the hole in the coil clip. The aluminum brad is also pushed through the hole and then flared out, which attaches the high tension wire to the coil clip. Black heat shrink tubing is used insulate the connection as shown below.

James Lollar is sending me some 1K and 10K resistors to use inline with the little spark plug clip that I make, but they have not arrived yet. I will probably use a 10K resistor and locate it as close to the spark plug as practical. Well, that it for today.........................Tandy

Sylph Wing attachment

This is one way I did it. Now I would clip at the rear and use a magnet at the front. Eut SAM Hall of Fame

Spraying Klass Kote on Sailplane's Wing

This afternoon I made up an all new mix of satin Klass Kote and shot the bottom of the wing around 1:30 p.m. Later on this afternoon, I decided the wing would be dry enough to spray the top. So around 5:00 p.m. I shot the top of the wing. When I had finished spraying the top, I took the picture below before the atomized Klass Kote epoxy particles had settled out of the air in the closed garage.

A little later when I went out and checked on how the wing was drying, I took this picture in an attempt to show you the beautifully smooth satin Klass Kote finish on the top of the wing.

I want to share with you a problem I encountered with the satin Klass Kote. Remember last Friday I sprayed the bottom of the stab. Since I let it dry overnight, I sealed the remaining 6 ounce Klass Kote mix in a jar and put it in the refrigerator. Saturday morning I removed the mix from the refrigerator, gave it a couple of hours to come up to room temperature, and then added just a touch of reducer to help thin the mix. I took the time to thoroughly stir up the mix. Then I mounted the stab on the second support fixture and sprayed the top of the stab.

Here is problem I encountered: As late as yesterday evening the dry coat of satin Klass Kote on top of the stab was not as satin as the rest of the model's components #$@&? (it had kind of a shiny or semi gloss sheen). The only thing I can come up with as to why is that the mix had been placed in the refrigerator overnight and it had a little additional thinner added, which by the way according to Nate Dickerson was supposed to be OK.

I kept looking at the top of the stab and debating about what to do for a long time. Since I was never going to accept this miss matched sheen of the top of the stab, I remounted the stab on the second support fixture and resprayed the top of the stab this afternoon in between the time I sprayed the bottom of the wing and the top of the wing. As you can see below, by respraying using the fresh satin Klass Kote I had mixed up for the wing, the satin finish of the top of the stab now matches the rest of the model's components. I will call Nate Dickerson (Mr. Klass Kote) tomorrow and see if he knows what the problem could possibly be.

Now I will take my time and spend this coming week going through all of the final installations and assembly on the Comet Sailplane. I will perform a weight and balance to check for meeting the SAM minimum weight requirement and to check for the proper CG location. So I will have a couple more reports to send out before I begin the Sailplane's all important flight test program. But at least I am finally finished with all the covering, painting, and finishing activities!..............................Tandy Walker

2nd Sylph Video From Germany

Carlo Minotti

click here