Hangar One 40% DR-109 rebuild

[KrisW]

Okay. .the MX-2 has been taken care of. . and I am suddenly without anything on my building boards. . .

About 7 years ago, when I first got into Giant Scale and IMAC, I bought an ARC from Mike Clemmens. It was one of 5 42% DR-109 models built by Neal Henderson at Hangar One Models in Hendersonville, NC. A bit of a notorious plane at the time, since Warren Thomas used one of them to fly Demo's for the Judges at the TOC the year before. . if it had not been for the advent of Fiberclassics/Composite-ARF, and the tremendous surge in ARF's built overseas, it's possible that this plane would have been a REAL contender against such companies as Carden, Aeroworks, Aero-Tech, and the other big names of the day.

My first season in IMAC I took 3rd place in a meet flying this plane, using a TOC-140 on canisters for power. Dan Baker used it to take his first ever 1st place trophy, flying it in Freestyle at a meet that year. it was one of the first planes with a full Canister Exhaust setup, as well as using a Fuchs 27.5-13 3-blade . . which was extremely rare at the time. I consider it to be one of the planes that help launch the "quiet revolution" In IMAC, and got to fly it at Joe Nall in an impromptu demonstration of QUIET . .in an age of open stack exhausts and screaming 2-bladed props.

The plane was Crashed at Joe Nall some 5 years ago. . due to a flameout in a TR at about 75 feet altitude. It pancaked on the runway, and I rebuilt it, and continued to fly it till I got the "Extra" disease, at which time I stripped it and put it under the house. . just in case I ever wanted to resurrect it. It's been there. . over 4 years now. .patiently waiting for me to come back to my senses.

The plane Knife Edges at low speeds better than ANY other plane I've ever seen. . even a Yak. The roll rate was phenomenal for the time, and is still quick today. It always flew very well, and MY thumbs were the only limit on it's performance.

So. . . . I have a DA-150 sitting here. . . I have lots of spare servos sitting here. . . . I have spare receivers, spare batteries and regulators. . I have everything to rebuild the DR-109. . and I don't have much else to do. And. .I've been overthinking myself to death over. . 260, Super Extra, Yak, MX-2. . etc etc etc . .Trying to decide what to do next. I want something .. different. I want something that NO ONE else has .. I want something that flies GOOD. . and I finally found it.

I love it when a plan finally comes together.

This rebuild is going to take some time ..probably 2-3 months. I want the plane to be PERFECT. . or as near perfect as I can rebuild it. That means new covering. . redoing some of the structure. . and making it better than it ever was before.

And THEN. . I'm going to take it out and WHOOP some Advanced Class BUTT with it ! ! ! !

The attached pics show the plane in it's original form, after I repaired it from the crash. . a pretty plane. . a very good flying plane.

[KrisW]

I just checked the aircrafts dimensions again. .

Length: 115.5 from tip of cowl to end of rudder, about 122" from spinner point to tail point.
Span: 122" tip-tip
Root chord is 29". .tip chord is 15.5 .. Rendering an overall wing area of about 2715"

This plane is about the size of a SuperExtra, with a .5" higher wing placement, and much more side area. Weight, if memory serves me correctly, was in the 40-41 lbs range before. . with large 805 HiTec rudder servos, 2 servos per wing, and 1 per stabilizer, using 2700ma 5-cell NiMH packs.

We'll see if we can beat that weight this time.

[Lowkey3D]

Very Cool.

Nice to see something different. I plan someday to scratch build a DR-107 if they don'e make
a large ARF of one soon..

[airborneSGT]

Isnt there a company that makes a 35% and a 47% one as a kit or ARC right now? The 35% they had looked really light. In any case sometimes the answer to our questions is right in front of us. That thing will be sweet when you are done. Put one of those cool covering jobs on it to really set it off.

[KrisW]

GB Aircraft. . Genovese Brothers. Perry and Dave Genovese, make the 35 and 47% DR-109's

[airborneSGT]

Sweet keep us posted on the progress. I think doing the airbrush thing on the wings and stabs would be cool.

I am going to guess you will swap the servos it has now for something like 5955's?
There are a lot of areas I am sure you can save weight.

My theory of weight saving:

The lighter the wing loading the lighter the wallet loading.

[KrisW]

Well. .one thing that will save a lot of "wallet" is that the covering is still pristine. Amazing, I think, after 3-4 years in a harsh environment, that it still looks as good as it does. Covering is Ultracote, so I ought to be able to just go over it with a heat gun and a sock and things will be fine.

Youa re right. . I am going to go with newer technology when possible, and 5955's are definitely in the mix for it. I had 5945's on it before and they were just fine, but I'd like to get away from the dual elevator servos to a single servo per side, as well as running 5955's or 5995's on the rudder.

I just weighed the wing panels. . 3 lbs 6 ounces each without servos or pushrods. . a respectable weight for such large panels. I have a feeling that a 2" CF wing tube is going to make it's way into the plane as well, since it will save at least 8 ounes over the aluminum tube I currently have for the plane.

Main thing right now is going to be checking how things fit, getting the engine in place, and reworking the structure, as well as going through everything, to make sure it is as ready as it can be for that first flight.

[Boogie]

Pictures of the actual state please!!!!

[KrisW]

Ask and ye shall receive.

Took me a few minutes to find the blasted wing tube. . .hiding in a closet in my computer room.

[KrisW]

And how she looked in her prime.

I was a bit younger and thinner then. . Damn I hate getting older ! !

[KrisW]

Now .. the plane looks complete. . jsut drop radio and engine gear in place, flip and fly.

Basically, that is true. .. BUT. . and it's a big but. . there are things about the plane that should be addressed, and improved if possible, before it flies again.

During the same flight where the plane was crashed at Joe Nall, Jason Shulman took a few minutes with the transmitter. He indicated he was surprised by how light the wings flew, and that the plane over-rotated in the wrong axis. . i.e., the fuselage was heavier than it should be, causing it to yaw and pitch more during snap recoveries. He gave me back the transmitte, I handed it to Ynot, and 5 minutes later it got pranged big time.

During the rebuild I removed a lot of extra wood that was on the inside of the trusswork sides (clamshells with foam outer pieces that are sheeted), and removed about 1.5 lbs overall from the airframe. But, in rebuilding the tail pieces, I used sheeted foam construction, which was heavier than the stick and sheeting pieces that the plane originally had. Actually, the tail was meant to be all stick construction, with flying wires that were actually structural, and only covering over the framework.

I see no reason not to redo the tail surfaces, specifically the horizontal stabilizer and elevators, and rudder, in a non-sheeted stick built fashion. the other planes of this type flew perfectly well with that type of construction, and the sheeting I added was unnecessary, I was told.

So, that is the first project. . redoing the tail surfaces and horizontal stabilizer with stick framed pieces. But, this time they will be designed to house 1 servo per elevator, laying on their sides (originally had servos on the side of the fuselage).

Then, there is the canopy and hatch area, that have seen better days, are made out of pink foam and sheeting, and could realy be done lighter and better using formers and sheeting. . a la Dalton Aviation 260..

then, there is the cowl itself, that has been modified to fit arond a 3W150 with the CF snorkel inlet sticking down. Since I do not have this piece on the DA150, I can remove the bulge in the bottom of the cowl, and make it scale contoured again.

Wingtips. . time to redo them and make them prettier and more scale appearing.

Wheels and pants. . needsnew wheels, and I have a BUNCH of Composite-Arf wheel pants sitting on the shelf.

Tail Gear. . Replace the heavy Haigh unit with a lighter RCBlimpro Titanium unit.

And, finally, go through, lightly fill all the bad spots and dings and seams that are now showing, do a top notch covering job in the current scheme, and make the plane worthy of flying in competition again.

AND .see if I can find a new canopy for the plane. . somewhere.

So. . I have my work cut out for me. 2-3 months sounds about right for the resurrection of this bird.

[KrisW]

AND. . if anyone is wondering what all that writing is on the wings. . . . . . .

ASCENDANCE

The Sirens voice called to me from afar,
Her primal scream of joy and triumph
Tearing across the Ether, fixing me where I stood.
Again she called to me,
Her Life fulfilling presence shattering Sound
As her soul sped onward to Eternity.
Too much, this sound,
Too poignant and strong,
Making me watch as she danced anew.
And as her scream filled my ears,
Drowning out even the Engines roar,
It phased with the churning propellor.
Then, in chorus they sang,
Woman and machine now as one,
Dancing the Dance that only they knew.
Now a pirouette, then a tumble,
Hanging in balance so tenuous,
Then dashing toward Hell and Heaven.
And all the while, she sang her song,
The machines harmony completing her being,
And transcending this world for their own.
They say that all are Human,
Though each has their special gift,
That one thing only they can do.
They say we have souls,
And that our spirits make us unique,
And each of us is unlike another.
They say that with hard work,
Comes the fruition of dreams,
And a final satisfaction with Self.
And they say there are those,
Who go beyond these normalcy's,
And show us that we should be humble.
The Valkyr danced her dance that day,
And made mere mortals wonder,
That one so blessed should be among us,
As she laughed in the face of Death,
Then flew with it on her wing, as a brother
And made known things never believed.
So, count yourselves fortunate,
You who have seen her dance, heard her song, and lived,
The Echoes of Her Devan voice still call to me, from afar.
KW

For Patty Wagstaff . .whom I shall always admire.