I tried this last night, but ended up losing it all with a "mis-click" So....
I've actually been finished with this for a few days, but I ended up changing out the throttle servo, and I had to replace the Viton Tubing on the vent because after a run up in my driveway, the vibration kinked the tubing against the firewall and it split. That was the tubing that came with the 10gx engine. So I drilled a hole in the bottom of the mount box and ran the line so it sits naturally on the pressure fitting. I changed out the throttle servo because it was acting like it had a broken tooth in the gears. It was from the Sukhoi. I just replaced it with a brand new servo. I had to cut away some of the servo mount because the new servo (Savox) was wider than the old one (Hitec) and would rub the fuel tank.
This was an interesting build. There were many things that I liked, but also quite a few disappointments.
These are the control horns. I wasn't going to use them at first but after I saw how beefy they were, I decided to use them. After I got them out of the bag, I gave them a flex test, and any doubt I had about using them went away. I wish they would have painted them to match the fuse though.... I guess I could do that.
You can find the mount for the control horn inside the control surface by holding it up to the light. That dark box in the aileron is the mount.
Once I found the mount, I ran my finger across it until I found the slot. Then I made an indentation with my fingernail.
In hindsight, I should have used a hot soldering iron to open up the slot. You need to be careful here because the slot goes all the way through to the other side and you could easily cut a hole in the covering if you're not paying attention.
I got both aileron horns ready, then mixed up some 5 minute epoxy. If you're not fully prepared first you might want to use 30 minute (safer). I had plenty of time left over because of the preparation.
This is the horn installed. The manual suggests installing the ball link first. The push-rod threads are bigger than the ball link threads and I had to "force tap" the push-rod. If you tap your ball links first this method is OK... but I had to remove the links and adjust them several times to get the aileron to zero throw. So installing them first is kind of a waste of time.
I CA'd the hinges then installed the servo. This is the control surface set up. I'm using Hitec 485 HB's in the wings. They were cheap and light.
Installed the Horizontal Stab. Here I'm making sure it's level. This really is an important process for stable flight, and that's why I'm showing it again in this thread. It requires installing the wings and leveling them by using measurements and a level. After I measured and cut the covering from the middle of the stab, I glued it up with 30 minute epoxy then I made sure that the stabilizer was equal on both sides. Then much like I would with a pitch gauge on a heli, I sight over the Horizontal stab to make sure it is level.
You have to cut a hole in the fuse for the elevator servos. Again, if you hold the fuse in front of a light, or if you shine your light down the fuse from the inside, you can see the mount. This is a part that chapped my a$$ a bit. Nowhere in the manual does is say to use mini servos, but this mount is clearly set up for minis. I had to do this for my Reactor Bipe, but it gives you the option, and tells you you'll need to cut away some of the mount if you want to use standard servos. Most people read their manuals before digging into the build... as I did. I was not prepared for this. I'm not sure I would have used mini servos here, but if I would have known it was an option, and I would have considered it. Anyway... I had to cut away some of the mount to fit the standard servos. This isn't a problem because there is plenty of mount to cut away.
The servos are hard to see here, but if you follow the lead up you can see the screws, then the servos, which are black. I'm using Savox 252MG's which have 145 oz of torque at 6V. I'm sure I could have gotten away with one and an elevator joiner, but the joiner didn't come with the kit, even though the manual shows one. That's not something I felt comfortable fabricating, so I just went safe, bought a JR matchbox, and sync'd them that way.
Here's a better view of the servos, and how close they are. I'm not sure hyperion servos would have worked in this case because their box is longer.
Here's the control horn set up for the rudder. The top is the horn for the pull-pull and the bottom is for an Ohio Superstar tail wheel system I bought at my LHS. This is the "Tiny" system (4-8 lbs). The only problem was that the rudder is thicker than the bolts they give you in for the system. So I had to find a bolt that was long enough and use a lock nut on the other side. That worked out fine.
A close up of the system installed. Though I ended up bolting the springs in which you can see if you look in other images.
Again, I used a Savox SC 0252MG for the pull-pull. I also used a MPI 3" servo arm with a Futaba spline. I went with a Sullivan Kevlar pull-pull system instead of the stock system provided. The Kevlar is strong, light and much easier to work with than the plastic coated metal wire provided in the kit. The Kevlar pull-pull was only 8 dollars, and I have enough left over to make another system should the need arise.
I didn't use the eyebolts, clevises, but I did use the copper crimp tubes because they were longer than the stock ones. You can make those easily though. So if you want them to be another size, you can make your own.
This picture is deceiving. It looks like a straight shot, but it's crossed closer to the tail. I used wire guides so the Kevlar wouldn't rub together.
The Kevlar was nice because I could get a nice and small loop and practically zero slack. Also, here you can see the bolt I used on the spring for the tail wheel.
Control Horns on the Elevator
Installed the engine then worked my way back with the electronics. I'm using a Quick-Fire fuel filter/balancer. Gives me a constant fuel supply without the bubbles. I had to go with the Viton tubing from the carb to the Quick-Fire because the heat of the head melts the Tygon.
This is the tank and electronics placement. I'm using a 10oz Rotoflow tank. If they made 8oz tanks, I would be using an 8oz tank, but they don't. I had to cut away some of the frame to get the tank in, but I screwed in a support bracket so if I needed to remove the tank I could. The support bracket also acts as a mount for the Dual Switch and the fuel Dot. Because the canopy is so large, it's easier, and safer, to install both the switch and the fuel dot on the inside. The frame wouldn't support either in the aft of the throttle servo, and there was no way to mount the switch forward of the throttle servo (no room). Also, that is not the throttle servo I'm using now. I'm using a Savox 0252. Overkill? Probably, But the throttle servo is more important than people think. The Hitec was making the broken tooth sound that servos make when they have a broken tooth in the gears somewhere. I had the extra Savox... no worries now. Plus, it gave me a chance to get my linkage working with a linear curve.
close up of the fill line and fuel dot.
Tach in the forefront, and a better view of the Dual switch placement and the tank. The mount that the tach is on is glued in because there wasn't enough room or strength to support a screw.
This is where I put the weights for the nose. The plane is upside down in this image. For orientation purposes, you can see the quick-fire in the bottom right of the image. After it was all said and done, I used 1 and 1/4 ounces of weight on the bottom of the engine mount box for a slightly (and I mean slightly) nose heavy empty tank balance. It will stay balanced for about 5 seconds before it tips forward due to air current.
Here it is on the balancer. Sitting pretty.
Things I liked: Light, strong airframe; tons of room if you need it; the hardware was actually quite good and I ended up using most of it; the covering is nice; The plane is beautiful.
Disappointments: The manual. Again ARFMFG drops the ball. This manual wasn't even for the "Skyline" it was for a Goldwing which is different in many ways; the tail wheel was sub par; the wheels were foam garbage and I went with 2.5" low bounce DuBros; There was no servo mount for the throttle servo that is shown in the manual, so you have to guess (use your best judgement) at the placement. However, I was using an over-sized tank, but it still would have been nice to have that mounting tray; The elevator joiner was missing.
I do think it was worth $200 shipped, but not a penny more than that. I caught it on sale over Christmas. I think if you email Richard Yan on RC Universe, and offer him $200 shipped on the plane, he'll accept your offer. If I wanted another one, that's what I would do.
Instead of using some of the stock hardware I added the following:
- 2.5" Low bounce Dubro Wheels
- Sullivan Kevlar Pull-Pull System
- Ohio Superstar "Tiny" Tail wheel system
- Sullivan semi-flexible control rod system for the throttle
- 10 oz Rotoflow Fuel Tank
- Dubro Fuel Dot
Power-plant and Electronics:
- x4 Savox 0252MG Servos (Tail and Throttle)
- x2 Hitec HS 485HB Servos (Ailerons)
- Miracle RC Metal Dual Switch
- Evolution 10gx 10cc Gas Engine
- Rcexl Small Digital Tachometer
- Spektrum AR 6200 with satellite rx
- JR Matchbox for elevator servos
- APC 12X6 prop
- Chrome Bullet Prop Nut/spinner
- Bisson Pitts Muffler
- Quick-Fire Fuel Filter/Balancer
- Tygon and Viton Fuel line (from McMaster-Carr (cheaper))
- 18" Servo Extensions and a "Y" extension for the ailerons
- MPI 3" servo arm for rudder servo
