H9's Sundowner

[GremlinX]

I eyeballed this thing as soon as it came out in the magazine. It's a pretty plane. I know, I know, but ARF's can and I think will save some forms of the sport of RC...

[Neogenesis]

Interested....Listening intently.....subscribed.....



Neo

[Leseirf]

Mike McConville said it should start shipping in about two weeks. The rules are still a work in progress but as I understand it, it will be box stock airframe and motor. Rules will be posted at USRAINFO.ORG when ready. Race info and entry forms are also available on the the USRA site.

You must have AMA but USRA membership is not required. Entry fee for non-USRA is slightly higher.

Well, back to work for me. I'll post a few pics of the sundowner from Rantoul when I get home tonight.

Mike

[GremlinX]

Schemes? I would also like to see some different ones... It would be fun to get into a spec series. Stock everything.

[Leseirf]

Unfortunately H9 will only produce 1 color scheme. It's up to you to strip it or add more color. I know I'll need mine to be VERY unique! I have a hard enough time keeping track of my Dominator in the fray and it's bigger!

Mike

[Leseirf]

Here are the pics I promised. This plane looks really nice in person. Mike McConville flew a demo at lunchtime on Saturday and it looked great in the air as well. I wish I had remembered to take pictures of the inside but it was a busy weekend!!

Mike

[KennyMac]

Hey Everybody....

I'm working on the provisional rules package for the Sundowner F-1 Lite class for the USRA. It will end up on the usrainfo.org site, but I will make sure to post them here as well.

What everybody has said so far is fairly accurate. It will be a stock Sundowner kit with no mods allowed. The stock/unmodified Evolution 35 will be the power plant with a spec muffler coming from Horizon. This is a gas burning engine on ignition, and the fuel and prop will be supplied. I can't give you the prop info yet, but it will be a stock APC product. Minimum weight will be about 14.5 lbs which is easily achievable with conventional radio gear and nicd/nimh batteries.

You can recover the airplane for a different paint scheme, and that will be encouraged. The kit most likely will not be available in a ready to cover version, nor will an all white version be available. Since many of the kits that end up racing will be in the stock color scheme, we are planning on using some aspects of the Quickee 500 and Q40 ID system with the different colored stickers on the high wing, low wing.

In the above configuration, which is what Mike Mc flew at Rantoul, the airplane is about the same speed as the Dominators (125 mph approx). The promoters of the Ohio (August) and Parker (October) races plan on offering the class this year, so get your kits on order and don't miss out. This class will be a USRA class, so you will need to be an AMA and USRA member...But, it is likely that the entry fee for the first event that you enter will include the USRA membership fee... The entry fee will be in the neighborhood of $50-$70.

Hope we get to see some of you come out and race. Let us know here if you plan on coming so we can properly plan the event. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask them here and I'll get to them asap.

Thanks

KMac

[GremlinX]

	Quote: Originally Posted by SleepyC
	I had heard that the color thing was going to happen.

	Quote: Originally Posted by Leseirf
	Unfortunately H9 will only produce 1 color scheme. It's up to you to strip it or add more color. I know I'll need mine to be VERY unique! I have a hard enough time keeping track of my Dominator in the fray and it's bigger! Mike

I thought we were not allowed to have hear say on the Giants?

[Dangerous Dan]

do you always turn left?

[GremlinX]

LTO, Left Turn Only...

[KennyMac]

Hope there is still some interest from some of you guys to go racing with the Sundowner this year. The last two events on the USRA schedule ( www.usrainfo.org ) will offer the Sundowner class...that's Ohio in August, and Arizona/California in October.

Here are the very PRELIMINARY rules so far...we are still trying to nail down the muffler, but we'll keep you posted...

12USRA Provisional Class: Hangar9 Sundowner F-1Lite Class
12.1INTENT
To provide a low cost “entry level” Reno style F-1 racing event for all pilots. The Sundowner/F-1 Lite class is intended to provide a less expensive means of introducing “new “racers to giant scale racing and to increase membership in the USRA. Initially, The specifications have been developed to create a one plane and engine event that will provide a level playing field amongst the aircraft and place the competitive emphasis on flying and calling. Once a competitor has grown proficient in this class, they will be encouraged to move on to the Giant Scale USRA classes.
12.2SPECIFICATIONS
12.2.1GENERAL - All pertinent AMA / USRA safety rules apply. Servos operating all control surfaces must be of sufficient size with at least 69.5 in.oz. of torque. The battery capacity must be a minimum of 200 mah per servo. USRA engine safety cable is required.
12.2.2AIRCRAFT – Hangar 9 Sundowner ARF kit with no modifications to the airframe. Model must be built according to manufacturer instructions including control linkages, tail wheel assembly, etc. Tape can be used to seal airframe gaps or openings. When in doubt, if the rules don’t say that you can do it, then you can’t.
12.2.3ADDITIONAL AIRFRAME REQUIREMENTS
12.2.3.1Landing Gear - Landing gear and wheel pants must be used unmodified as they come in the kit. Replacement wheels of the same diameter and width as the original units may be used. A cover may be fashioned to fill the space on the bottom of the fuselage where the landing gear mounts.
12.2.3.2Spinner - Must be the diameter specified in the manual and of metal construction. No plastic allowed.
12.2.3.3Covering – Covering may be removed and replaced with different color scheme to aid identification.
12.2.4 ENGINES – Evolution 35GT in stock configuration. No modification is permitted except for screws, spark plugs, prop washers and prop nuts that may come from any source. Carb must remain in stock configuration and the choke plate may not be removed.
12.2.5 Muffler – Muffler must be the stock production unit for the Evolution 35GT designed to fit in the Hangar 9 Sundowner kit. No modifications will be allowed.
12.2.6 Kill Switch – aircraft must have a manual emergency ignition kill switch (momentary push and hold pushbuttons are not permitted)visibly mounted on the exterior of the aircraft. Marking of the kill switch location is encouraged. All aircraft are required to use an on-board ignition kill switch operable from the transmitter, preferably operated by a dedicated servo. If a separate radio channel is not available the ignition switch servo may be slaved to throttle command via a "Y" harness however one servo cannot perform both functions.
12.2.7 Fuel Tank – May be any commercially available tank compatible for use with Gasoline. No bladder or bubble-less tanks. Fuel system must have provision for completely defueling aircraft prior to filling.
12.2.8 PROPELLER - APC 15x12 pattern propeller will be used and will be supplied by the race organizer. No modifications can be made to the prop. Shaft hole may be enlarged. If balancing is necessary, material can only be removed on the front side of one blade.

12.2.9 WEIGHT - Ready to fly dry weight should not be less than 14 lbs, 8oz.
12.2.10 FUEL - Provided by event organizer. A fueling station will be provided to de-fuel and re-fuel aircraft before they are staged for racing. The gasoline/oil mix will be 25:1 as specified in the USRA common rules for AT-6 and F-1GT classes.
12.2.11 RACE IDENTIFICATION - Racing identification will use brightly colored stickers on either the right or left wing panel. The participants will be divided into 5 groups each day and will place the appropriate sticker in the proper location on your aircraft. Each day these groups will be reassigned and the participants aircraft relabeled.
12.2.12 RACE COURSE - The standard 1600 ft. course is normally used for giant scale racing, however for smaller flying sites a 1200 or 1000 ft could be used. It is recommended that typical USRA race procedures be used. This information can be obtained via the USRA Internet site at www.usrainfo.org.



Let me know if you have any questions....

KennyMac

[Tom K]

Kenny,

Just a quick note. The only side mounted muffler on the Horizon site for the E35 is the Bisson Pitts style. The Evolution muffler in stock is for inverted engine mounting. Did Mike M. say when or if Evolution is going to produce the side mounted muffler. Should I assume that the Bisson will be legal?

TK