Been catching up on my R/C Aircraft projects & flying ,, this season.

I74

Well-Known Member
Pic prior, is of my highly modified Sig Ninja.

Guy that originally built it back in the early 90's,, , was an RC Sailplane world renowned Guru who worked for Sig, here in Iowa.
I got it years later, & modified it ,, some more...

Sucker flies on rails,, is fully aerobatic,, & also priceless .
Just need 15 + mph winds ''off the slope face'' to fly it,, as it weighs around 52 ozs.,, & is basically designed for Slope aerobatics in higher winds,, & can handle 30+mph off the slope face easy.. ;)
Fuse structure & wing ''sheeting'',, is mostly 1/16 - 1/32 Birch ply.,, & ''very'' stout.

Another pic of when I streamlined & recovered the fuse & hortz. stab/elevator a couple years ago,, plus cleaned & retightened the covering on the wing ...

The 30 year old fuse & tail covering was pretty much shot.

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I74

Well-Known Member
Just got the flyer & info for our yearly ''Huge'' R/C Swap Meet - 1/27/24 ! :cool:

It is @ the Iowa City Nat. Guard Armory again on the very spacious drill floor,, right off of I-80.

This will be my ''I think'' 16th or 17th one,, & is always a real hoot,, plus ''a lot'' of Folks show up from surrounding States,, including Chicago & Kansas,, ect. ect.

I usually get 2 tables,, one for me & one for the Wifey,, plus bring extra chairs for Friends to sit with us.

I
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I74

Well-Known Member
My highly modified 12th scale - Elam plus - Unlimited - ''Electric Brushless'' - 2600kv Hydro.
It runs around ''45mph'' on 2 -3000 3s Lipo's,, wired in parallel.
My buddy ''Fred'' picked up this ''rare gem'' as a wrecked Goodwill find, for 65 bucks,, with no motor or radio gear,, or turbine cowel,, & sold it to me.
I found a brand new ''very rare'' Turbine cowel on flea bay, for 25,,, & also epoxyed & repaired the front sponsons ect.,, plus added my hot rod - ''state of the art'' stuff in it ect., that I already had put away,, for my ''1992'' 12th scale ''brushless'' ''very rare'' Miss Budweiser project.
Also did my set up tricks,, which I learned, in playing with this size, & bigger R/C Hydros,, for over 30 years......
These are also ''very'' rare''-''highly sought after''- finds,, that are going for like 500 to 1000 bucks on flea bay now,, ''if you can even find one''...
Already got the replacement stuff for the ''rare'' 12/th scale MRP Miss Budweiser as well ,, as that is going to be my 2024 winter project to finish up. ;)
Next posts on this thread,, will probably be of the mods & build on that.
Really frigg'n scored on this,, & think it was ''definitely'' in the stars. :):cool:
Even though having to down size going full time RV within the next few years,, I will ''definitely'' make room for this gem.
I have 5 runs on it already,, & this sucker is on rails !
I
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I74

Well-Known Member
Dec. 8th,, & it was a steller nice ''upper 50's''afternoon for the season's final !
I got 4 runs in,, & was all good.
We had a Photograher show up, & he took some ''free'' killer pics for us. :)
If this Guy ain't a pro,, he should be ,, WOW !!

The little white Unlimited is one of mine, & the yellow Hydro, is Fred's,, that I set up for him.
The white one runs 30 - 35mph,, which is pretty darn respectable, for a little 1/20th scale,, which is only around 17 inches long !
The yellow 1/12th scale one on 4s,, could break 50 easy . ;)
We had it dialed down to around 60% throttle for test & tune,, & it was running upper mid 40's without breaking a sweat !
Put a new higher rpm motor in my Orange Elam,, & was running about the same as Freds,, but on 3s.,,, & flat out.
The Photo Guy unfortunately showed up to late to get pics of my Orange Elam Unlimited,, but will keep him in the loop when we start running again in the spring.
He want's to take pics of my Miss Budweiser when I get it finished,, plus my Orange Elam. :cool:
That will be spectacular !!
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I74

Well-Known Member
Pic again of my 1992 Miss Budweiser in 'mid' completion.
It will be ready to run for the Spring of 2024. ;)
I
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I74

Well-Known Member
Got a whole bunch of build mods ect. done on the Vintage Miss Budweiser, in this first Jan. 2024,, ''week & a half'',, already.
It is turning out really slick,, & will post some pics. & details shortly.... ;)

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I74

Well-Known Member
It is done !

Took me almost 6 weeks to finish it.
Stuffing tube,, I made a removable carrier support, that also has a rubber isolation ''support''mount grommet for it.
If I ever need to take the motor & mount out,, that removable carrier, will allow me to do that pretty slick & easy. :cool:

Rear wing,, those graphics were custom made,, as with others,, that were missing when I got the kit.
The wing graphics,, with all the pieces I had to section in & put on,, I figure a total of 2 dz. pieces !
The top wing boarder pin stripe around the gold billboard,, I configured & made that out of Oracover from Germany.

The rudder mount & linkage,, I made,, plus cut down & reshaped the rudder.
Also made the turn ''skid'' fin assy.
It was ''a lot'' of tedious work,, but think it all turned out pretty decent. :)

Should run around 43 - 44 mph,, which is ''plenty'' fast for this 32 year old ''rare'' Gem.

I
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I74

Well-Known Member
Pics. from our Mt Trashmore 2024 Slope Soaring season opener yesterday - 3/6/24 !! :)
We were very blessed to have been able to do this in early March,, & usually dont get rolling till @ least late April.

The camera Guy that took the killer prev. Boat pics.,, also joined us & took these.

The one with the Bald Eagle is ''steller'',, & they live down below next to the river,, by the roller dam,,, that is also a bottle neck for Fish. ;)

They like to pop up once in awhile & check us out,, & also fly with us for a bit . :cool:

I
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I74

Well-Known Member
Well,, second run of the Miss Budweiser was not successful.

When initially taking off to get up on plane,, & just rolling the throttle on slowly,, so the bow wouldn't submerge,, it snapped the wire drive shaft clean off the end of the motor collet.
That shouldn't of happened,, & also found a carbon trace on the end of the piano wire where it failed.
That carbon piano wire drive,, I had specially made,, & the Guy is making me a new one,, plus another as well,, that's .013 larger diameter,, & motor collet for that one as well.
He said that's never happened @ that spot before in the 20 years making them,, & ones that have failed,, generally snap down @ the prop end.
Obviously it was bad crappy wire.

Anyways,,

When the MB drive failed,, it was pretty much impossible to get it back with the ''little'' rescue retriever that had a cow catcher on it,, as the wind started blowing,, & making chop on the water.:rolleyes:

After trying for about 20 min. to get it back,, it pretty much had drifted to the middle of the pond @ that point,, & I then said ''F'' it,, & will just wait for it to drift to the other shore side.
Finally got it back after 45 min. or so,, & decided then to pack up & go home.

I then started doing research on retriever boat kit's & designs out there,, & found a Hacker kit out of Europe, That had an ''air'' thrust vectoring set up on it,, kinda like an air boat,, but the vector steering on the pivot mounted motor & prop,, eliminates air or water assist rudder.

That basic foam block kit with just some bits of plastic & wood support stringers ect.,, but ''no'' included power system,, is like 100 bucks plus ship !! o_O

Then thought to myself ''F'' that !! ,, I have a cool piece of : 27 by 18,, plastic type ''laminated'' foam that I got from work,, & will just design & make my own. ;)

After thinking out my design for a couple of days,, I came up with the - '' AVR ''.
AVR stands for,,, -'' Air Vector Rescue''.

Had enough stuff for it laying around,, except for the motor, ESC,, & prop.
Got the motor & ESC from a Buddy,, & a bag of 4 props from a racing Drone place in Cal.
Have a total of 20 bucks in it,, plus 3 spare props. :cool:

AUW came out to 25ozs.,, which gives it a thrust to weight ratio of around 1.2 - 1

Motor is a 2200 kv,, & powered by a 1600- 3s- 55c lipo,, with top rpms around 30k.
The prop choice I came up with,, is a real wick'd - Emax - 5 inch racing Drone type,, with a butt load of pitch !!

The pivot motor mount,, I made from a boat strut & stinger assy.,, that I bought a couple so years ago,, to use the duel pick up rudder off it,, to incorporate on the Miss Budweiser,, & knew I would eventially find a use for the rest of it.
The motor mount post assy. ,, is 2 sleeved carbon tubes,, which works real slick & stout.
A servo in the little radio gear tub, connects to that mount assy.,, & vector steers the pivot motor assy.
I also made the motor sub mount, & servo arm bracket,, out of aluminum.

The reciever & Transmitter,, have adjustable Gyro functions,, & that helps a lot in keeping the boat going strait on land.
I layered the bottom with real good quality Hockey tape,, as that stuff is real slick & strong !!
Haven't tried it in water yet ,, but does well on the drive way,, & will do way better in the water & on snow . :)

The opening between the front sponsons,, will capture the back half of both my 12th scale Hydro's nicely. ;)

I
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I74

Well-Known Member
Well,, second run of the Miss Budweiser was not successful.

When initially taking off to get up on plane,, & just rolling the throttle on slowly,, so the bow wouldn't submerge,, it snapped the wire drive shaft clean off the end of the motor collet.
That shouldn't of happened,, & also found a carbon trace on the end of the piano wire where it failed.
That carbon piano wire drive,, I had specially made,, & the Guy is making me a new one,, plus another as well,, that's .013 larger diameter,, & motor collet for that one as well.
He said that's never happened @ that spot before in the 20 years making them,, & ones that have failed,, generally snap down @ the prop end.
Obviously it was bad crappy wire.

Anyways,,

When the MB drive failed,, it was pretty much impossible to get it back with the ''little'' rescue retriever that had a cow catcher on it,, as the wind started blowing,, & making chop on the water.:rolleyes:

After trying for about 20 min. to get it back,, it pretty much had drifted to the middle of the pond @ that point,, & I then said ''F'' it,, & will just wait for it to drift to the other shore side.
Finally got it back after 45 min. or so,, & decided then to pack up & go home.

I then started doing research on retriever boat kit's & designs out there,, & found a Hacker kit out of Europe, That had an ''air'' thrust vectoring set up on it,, kinda like an air boat,, but the vector steering on the pivot mounted motor & prop,, eliminates air or water assist rudder.

That basic foam block kit with just some bits of plastic & wood support stringers ect.,, but ''no'' included power system,, is like 100 bucks plus ship !! o_O

Then thought to myself ''F'' that !! ,, I have a cool piece of : 27 by 18,, plastic type ''laminated'' foam that I got from work,, & will just design & make my own. ;)

After thinking out my design for a couple of days,, I came up with the - '' AVR ''.
AVR stands for,,, -'' Air Vector Rescue''.

Had enough stuff for it laying around,, except for the motor, ESC,, & prop.
Got the motor & ESC from a Buddy,, & a bag of 4 props from a racing Drone place in Cal.
Have a total of 20 bucks in it,, plus 3 spare props. :cool:

AUW came out to 25ozs.,, which gives it a thrust to weight ratio of around 1.2 - 1

Motor is a 2200 kv,, & powered by a 1600- 3s- 55c lipo,, with top rpms around 30k.
The prop choice I came up with,, is a real wick'd - Emax - 5 inch racing Drone type,, with a butt load of pitch !!

The pivot motor mount,, I made from a boat strut & stinger assy.,, that I bought a couple so years ago,, to use the duel pick up rudder off it,, to incorporate on the Miss Budweiser,, & knew I would eventially find a use for the rest of it.
The motor mount post assy. ,, is 2 sleeved carbon tubes,, which works real slick & stout.
A servo in the little radio gear tub, connects to that mount assy.,, & vector steers the pivot motor assy.
I also made the motor sub mount, & servo arm bracket,, out of aluminum.

The reciever & Transmitter,, have adjustable Gyro functions,, & that helps a lot in keeping the boat going strait on land.
I layered the bottom with real good quality Hockey tape,, as that stuff is real slick & strong !!
Haven't tried it in water yet ,, but does well on the drive way,, & will do way better in the water & on snow . :)

The opening between the front sponsons,, will capture the back half of both my 12th scale Hydro's nicely. ;)

I
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Thanks for the likes Guys !!! :):cool:
 

I74

Well-Known Member
Tried out The Miss Budweiser with the new .078 piano drive yesterday,, & it held ! :)

Still couldn't open it up though,, as the stern still shimmy's when getting over around 5/8 throttle.
Think it's time to experiment with different props. ;)

I
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I74

Well-Known Member
Haven't been on here in awhile,, & thought I better make a post to ensure everyone that I'am still kick'n.
Shitty Pic of ''getting old & withered'' me,, last time @ the pond.
Broke another carbon steel wire drive on the Miss Budweiser,, & really pissed me off,, which I had a larger O.D. one specially made,, ''again''..
The Guy wouldn't make it right with me either,, & I wasted over 60 bucks having those 2 P.O.S.'s made,, plus lost the custom reworked prop I did up also . :mad:
I ordered 4- ''really nice'' 3.187mm stainless ones this time,, which I should of done in the first place,, & would of saved over 40 bucks. :rolleyes:
With those stainless shafts,, there is 'no way'' one of those will fail.

The orange Elam is running right around 50mph.

I
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I74

Well-Known Member
Is that 50 SCALE MPH or REAL MPH?
Those are some beautiful boats!
I wonder if you could rig one to drop a bait and come back...
Thanks ! :)
That be ''real'' mph.

Being 1/12th scale,, scale mph would be 600. ;)

To give you an idea of how fast it really is,, the area ''in view'' of the pond behind me,, is about 2/3 of what my oval race course is.
I can usually do around 12 -14 laps in under 3 1/2 minutes on that,, with the orange Elam Plus,, depending on water coditions & wind ect...

Lastly,,

An Unlimited Hydroplane like these,, is totally the wrong type of Boat for trolling,, or sitting laying wait ...
They are designed to get right up on plane,, & ''$#it 'n' git'',, with pretty much ''flying'' on top of the water !!

You would want a 'mono'' type,, or swamp boat hull,, for catching fish .

I
 
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I74

Well-Known Member
Took the GX for a 10 mile cruise this eve . :cool:

We also had a ''steller'' Slope soaring event Tues. afternoon,, & was the best conditions in a very long time ....

NE winds out of Canada,, & 14 mph average,, with gusts up to 23.

A ''huge'' black Vulture also flew with us a few times,, & it's wing span,, must of been around 5 1/2 ft. !

He was actually ''bigger'' than most the Bald Eagles that fly with us once in awhile !!

Shame no one got a pic. of it flying with us ..

Here's some other pics though ...

First one,, is of 3 ''old'' fossils,,, holding our ''30+ year old fossils ...

They still perform ''way'' better than than we do,,, & I'am think'n of nick naming mine, - ''Viagra''. LMFAO !!!!! :D:p

Those old Sig Ninja's,, are designed for ''alot'' of wind,, with min. being around 17mph,, as they are designed heavy & stout,, to handle it.

2nd pic. is another Buddy, getting his ''rare vintage'' Bob Martin ''Talon'' dialed in,, that he recently aquired & refurbished.

That Slope Ship is every bit as old as the 3 Ninja's in the prev pic. ,,, & flew really well also,, once he got it dialed in ..

3rd pic,, is some of the line up ..

We should get @ least 2 more events yet up there this season .. ;)

I
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