BH Model Pitts Special

[Doozer]

Yeah that made me feel pretty good. I had been trying to "flip" start it for the better part of an hour. Not even a pop. I had to install the spinner and back plate. Then... I couldn't find the spinner cup for the Align starter. I thought it had fallen out of my field box. I called my two LHS's neither of them had them. I even went to the field to see if maybe it had fallen out there. I finally just gave up, and resigned myself to the fact that it wasn't going to happen today.

I sat down in front of my bench... and there it was hiding behind a box, and I have no idea how it got there. A few spins later, and it cranked right up.

Anyway. The engine's running on Coleman and royal purple at a 25:1 mix (5 oz of oil per gallon). Factory needle settings.

[Doozer]

Feb 21, 2012 21:56:54 GMT -6 akent said:

That sounds awesome!
Humm. Nose heavy really bad? If it's not too bad, then it should still fly fine. Nose heavy is better than tail heavy for a maiden, for sure!

Get that film rollin for the maiden!
Kent

I wont know exactly how much until I get the wings installed. I wasn't planning on installing the wings until I get a couple of tanks through without them. It was creating so much lift on the tail, I'm sure I'm going to have to add weight. I'm looking forward to flying this, but I'm not going to jump the gun. I want to find a field where I wont have to worry about prop torque on the take off. Just sitting there it wanted move left.

I've got another angle video my son made with his Zoom (tablet). It's pretty loud.



My neighbor from across the street came over. He was hanging around today as I was trying to flip start it. He said he could hear it crank up over his T.V. and he came out and we talked helis. I've got some cool neighbors.

[akphill]

Holy molly that sounds sweeeet
Can't wait to see her fly

[19000rpm]

Yes, that sounds great. And you've got some cool neighbors. Gas motors are a no, no around here.

[Doozer]

Most of my neighbors enjoy the helicopters. I'm never out late... it was around 7:30P last night when I packed everything up. That's not too late... I hope.

It took me 45 minutes to burn off 14 oz of fuel last night. I never went above mid stick. With a 0 10 15 20 25 40 100 Throttle curve. Going to give a little more throttle tonight.

[Doozer]

Well I'm pretty much finished. I still need to modify the cowl since this engine is bigger than what's required. I'm not going to do that right away because I'm going to break in for a gallon or so with the cowl off. I have had a minor set back. A brand new servo I bought at the beginning of the year was DOA. It was a Hyperion DS 20 UMD. I've got to get with A Main Hobbies to see what can be done. I've purchased another one, but they are supposed to have a one year warranty. We'll see.

I'm going to do a detailed walk around because I just didn't have the energy to take a lot of pictures.

A few things to note:

- This kit uses Phillips head screws. I hate them.
- There are many little things not covered in the manual. I found myself using a lot of trial and error with heavy emphasis on the latter.
- Three of the four servo mounts in the wings came unglued after a few minutes of testing. I removed them all and epoxied them.
- Servo mounts throughout the plane are flimsy. One more ply of wood in several key areas significantly increases the strength.
- The design is not transportation friendly. I do not own a truck or a trailer. I'll have to break the plane down in order to transport it. This means I have to remove the wings, and unplug servos. This is not a simple process. I've broken it down and put it together twice now. Takes me about an hour to take it apart and an hour (give or take a few minutes) to put it back together using a check list. Eventually, the Phillips head screws are going to strip. The top wing doesn't fit in my trunk, it has to ride as a passenger. I'm halfway tempted to strap it to the top of my car and drive a mile to the field. So, unless you have a truck or van, think twice before building this ARF kit.
- This was a very "buildy" ARF. I think AARF would have been a better designation (Almost Almost Ready to Fly).

Knowing what I know now, I'd probably only buy this plane if it was a good deal... like $100 shipped good. The transportation issue is a big factor but not the deciding one. The skimping in vital places really put me off.

[Doozer]

I'm going to break it all down in the very first post i.e. price, parts, where I got them...etc.

Edit:Made a new walk around video. This one has more details. If you've watched the old one, the inside/electronics portion is the same, and I didn't change a thing after that. No need going beyond that unless you want to.

[19000rpm]

All ARF's are not created equal. LOL. You picked a verrrrry complicated one for your first. It looks like you've done a great job with it. It's a beautiful plane!

You've learned a lot and the next one will be easier.

Wow, that baby has got a bunch of screws holding it together! Some big ARF's only have a few. Part of the price of having a bipe.

Nice walk around!

[Doozer]

I learned a lot... so maybe the money was worth it. The main thing I learned is patience. I've always been a work all day until it's finished type builder, but with the Pitts, I really took my time. Gluing is an art form. Balsa is delicate if pressure is applied to the wrong area. Getting four servos to throw exactly the same when there are subtle differences in each control surface....I had a good time building the Pitts. I'll think of ways to break it down faster.

I'm going to re-make the walk around. I forgot a ton of stuff. I was wingin' it... just saying whatever popped in my head with no direction. I'm still going to add a break down in the first post, for those that don't feel like hearing me babble.

[Doozer]

Rendering a new video now... It's won't be ready for a while. I like this walk around better. I wasn't as tired and sick and was able to think better. I'll probably go to bed before it finishes, so I'll upload it to You
Tube in the AM.

[Doozer]

Added the new walk around. More detail. If you've watched before, you don't need to go beyond the inside/electronics. I didn't change anything after that.

[19000rpm]

Ah, Patience.

Nice additions to the walkaround.

[Doozer]

All the feathers!
Video showing how the IBEF works.

[akent]

NICE!

Doesn't the thrust of that combo blow your mind?

I am super impressed when I hold any plane here with a DLE 30! They want to pull your arms off!

You should let your son drive!

Heh heh!
Kent

[Doozer]

The only issues that I have now are the idle when cold, and a small sag going from Low to mid stick. It's like the throttle leaves the carb behind, then it catches up. If I punch through to H stick I don't feel the sag. It's not broken in yet, I've only run 28 oz. of fuel through.

I've also got way too much aileron in my right roll. Recommended is 15mm and I'm at 25mm on all four servos when I push the stick right. I've got 10mm on all four when I push the stick Left. Doesnt' seem to matter where I put the servo horn or how I adjust the linkage. I think it's something with the Matchbox so... I'm going to try and find a set up video for the matchbox. Or... i could be completely wrong and missing something extremely obvious, which I hope someone will help me out.