J-10B fighter

[19000rpm]

Almost done now. I was using an eflite pro 30A ESC and when I went to power it up the motor didn't start up until 40% throttle. I talked to HH and they replaced the ESC.

I need to install the nose gear and servo that runs both the gear and the rudder. I decided to use the one provided for now, but I'm betting it won't survive very many landings.

[Gabe]

Metal gear time 19K.

[19000rpm]

Yeah, I've got both a metal and a karbonite servos as back ups.

[19000rpm]

Everything is ready except the decals and the velcro for the battery. When I get it wrapped up I'll post the photos of the finished plane.

[Gabe]

Can't wait to see this one!

[19000rpm]

As it turns out I just finished it a few minutes ago.

I added a bit of color to distinguish top and bottom a little easier.

It's raining today. Tomorrow, if the weather clears, I'll do a taxi test and see if the nose wheel is running true. After that it's on to the maiden. The HS parking lot seems like the most likely place to fly off of, for now, so I'll be limited to weekends until schools out.

[akent]

That looks awesome! I really like your choice of colors for the bottom. That should be really easy to see in the sky!
That sure is a ton of room inside, too!

I look forward to hearing about your maiden!
Kent

[19000rpm]

Thanks Kent.

The weather doesn't look like it's going to cooperate this week. Rain and wind predicted through Friday. This would be a great time for the weather man to be wrong. ;D

[Gabe]

Great looking jet 19K!

[19000rpm]

Thanks Gabe. My wife thinks it looks kind of scary. ;D

Now it looks like we've got some break in the weather mid week for the maiden. Today will be a record breaker at 90 + with high dew point making it feel like 97. Severe T-Storms. Yuck.

I usually carry some of my planes/helis around in the SUV. Not today. The foam could deform when interior temps get around 130-150 with the truck closed up in a parking lot.

[19000rpm]

The taxi test went well, so when the school parking lot empties for the holiday I'll be off for the maiden.

[19000rpm]

Got up bright and early today and headed for the HS parking lot. Completely empty. No wind. Perfect conditions for a maiden.

Taxied it around a bit. It handles very nicely on the ground. Not nearly as tippy as I thought it might be.

Brought it around and nailed the throttle. It took off in about 60ft. Absolutely no drama; just rose like a graceful bird. ;D

Looks fantastic in the air.

A tiny bit of down elevator and left aileron trim had her flying straight and true. I cut the throttle back a bit for my first turn and she slowed up nicely and both entered and exited the turn with aplomb.

I nailed the throttle again and she picked up some speed, but as I predicted, she's not very fast.

She looped and rolls well, just not lightning quick.

I slowed it way down on a fly by. It flies slowly very well. Not even a hint of stall. Those big Delta wings and the little canards work great.

When it came time to land I just lowered the throttle and let it glide in with just a touch of throttle to ward off the possiblility of stall. It slowed down nicely. The rear wheels touched first and immediately the nosewheel settled. Just a tiny bit of rocking from the uneven pavement.

Everything looked good on the post. The rockets took a little bit of scraping. That was a foredrawn conclusion since they hang so low that unless you stick a 3 point landing they are going to touch.

All in all I'm very satisfied. I'll fly it stock for awhile and then look into more power.

I'd recommend this plane as a first EDF with easy low speed handling that can also be made into a fairly fast plane with more motor and maybe a larger fan.

[Gabe]

Nice report, 19K!

Good to hear that there were no mishaps. I love when the maiden flight goes smooth!

[akent]

Awesome!
I love it when you can fly with ORDINANCE!!! Those rockets look nice!

How about power? Is it overpowered, or just so-so? I know you mentioned it was slow. That's actually fine. But how is the acceleration to get yourself out of trouble?

For example, I think the F-86 is underpowered. It is very slow to gain speed, but it's plenty fast enough once you get there.

It's also a good flyer. It's now on my list. That is a good looking jet for sure.
Thanks!
Kent

[19000rpm]

Thanks guys. It really does look cool either on the ground or in the air.

The J-10B has plenty of thrust for a 45 degree climb off the runway.

Since all EDF's spool up slowly I don't the EDF lag plays into either the J or the '86 to effect low speed, or recovery performance that much, in itself, or even the amount of power available.

IMO, the difference is that the J was designed with 80's technology to provide a better platform, both low and high speed, than was possible with the '50's designed '86.

The '86 was never designed for low speed flight. And niether are are our models. Everything about it says, "Don't fly me slow": The swept, thin, low area wing needs to be flown reasonably fast. Once you've got it out of it's minimum low speed envelope, lift vanishes, a nose or tip stall develops, and it's difficult to make a recovery without lot's of altitude. Once lost, it has dificulty making the airspeed fast enough. Just the way it is. A victim of its place in time and the design parameters of its era.

I don't think a lot more power, or a quicker power application, is going to make up very much for the inherent low speed deficiencies in the '86. A 64mm fan is quite a lot for a 1 pound plane.

Well, at any rate, I love them both. Hope you get a chance to pick up the J too.