Originally Posted by Flyfalcons

I'll put a megaphone on my GP pilot.

Call him Kev and put a bottle of vodka in his hand instead. Remember, Wenatchee is only a few months away.

Ken

I think I'm gonna give him some helium instead. Not the lightest pilot out there unfortunately. He looks great though, so I'm gonna give him a shot.

Holes drilled, engine box sealed, and the engine is back on. I may have to remove it again to get the throttle and choke pushrods attached but we'll see. In fact, with the width of this cowl, you can actually reach in and reach the choke lever without the need for a choke pushrod. I'm considering a baffle though, so that will hinder access to the carb. You can see I also drilled and screwed in the lock screw on the header.

The Sukhoi comes with a 20oz Dubro fuel tank with a gasoline stopper and tygon clunk line. You will need to purchase the rest of the fuel line, fuel filter, and fuel dot. I recommend four feet of fuel line. I ran out before I could install the vent line. I chose the Dubro black plastic fuel dot, as I have had success with it on my 50cc Midwest Extra and PAU Edge. Additionally, it blends in very well with the black fuse stripe. I recommend installing it near one of the side ply bulkheads, to help take the load when you are pulling the dot out and putting it back in. I also made a small lite-ply brace and installed it behind the hole for the fuel dot that I drilled. This helps the spread the load over the balsa sheeting. I've also dropped the throttle servo in one of the pre-cut holes, and will leave it there to check the CG.

Originally Posted by Flyfalcons

The Sukhoi page is up now, too: http://www.flypau.com/html/sukhoi/sukhoi.html The page states that the Sukhoi has a cowl ring, which is not correct. They are aware of the error and should be correcting it shortly.

Sorry guys that was my fault, page has been updated and the "Photos" page will be populated soon.

David

I was just sent a few pics of a DA-50 w/pitts muffler installation on Herve's plane. Like the MT-57, a relief hole in the cowl will be necessary for the spark plug. In addition to the exit air holes that Herve cut in the cowl, he said that he cut out the cannister exit hole in the fuselage. Herve said that he has been flying his plane in Hawaii with no baffle on the engine, and hasn't had any heat issues. I will probably fly mine at first without a baffle and see how it does.

That being the case, I'm pretty sure that the same cut outs will have to be made for the DL-50 also.

More gear installation. Checking the CG as I go, it looks like I'll need to keep my electronics forward to get a proper CG. From what I understand, the CDI ignition on the MT-57 does not like the 6.5 volt A123 batteries, so I purchased a 2000nimh 4.8V pack for the ignition. I will be using two Fromeco Iron Corps 2400 packs on the receiver. No power expander. The receiver is going to be a Futaba R608 2.4ghz receiver. You can see here that the JR heavy duty switches are slightly wider than the black stripe on the fuse. Still, quite a bit less contrast than when they were on my all-white compy Extra.

NO Expander???????

Hammbone where are you on this one?

J/K, I wouldn't use one on a 50cc either

Forget the power expander, I've heard that two JR switches aren't going to be enough on a 50cc.

How's this plane suppose to 3D compared to a Yak. I know you guys probably don't know yet. But this is one tempting bird. Flyfalcons, good review and good luck with it. She's a beast!

Stang, I haven't flown any Yak to compare this with. I have a BME/Aeromaster electric Yak in the garage waiting to be built but that doesn't count. The Sukhoi definitely has more frontal area and drag than my PAU 50cc Edge and my former 100cc Compy Extra. It takes a little getting used to the speed that this plane flies at. When I flew the final prototype I kept wanting to add power, but all that does is just add noise and burn more gas. I'm sure those with more round-cowl experience are used to that by now. Aside from that, the Sukhoi does all the usual 3D maneuvers very well, and the large fuselage (in terms of side area and horizontal area) adds quite a bit of lift, making maneuvers like rolling harriers, flat turns, and rolling circles a bit easier than a smaller fuselage airplane. The prototype balanced a bit tail heavy for my taste, but a good amount of weight was removed aft of the wing tube on the production planes. I will definitely get flight video of my Sukhoi when I get it in the air and get comfortable with the engine.

In the pic's it just looks much larger that most 50cc planes. Is this true, or am I wrong?

It's true, Stang. The wing span is similar but the chord is pretty wide and the fuselage has a lot of girth. Hang on, I'll bring my 50cc PAU Edge inside (fairly typical size for a 50cc) so you can see the difference in size.

Here's what they look like side by side. I haven't cut the Sukhoi's cowl yet so it's tough to get an idea of the completed size of the Sukhoi fuselage compared with the Edge. I still love my Edge and couldn't bring myself to use its gear in the Sukhoi. Now I'm going to have two 50cc planes in the trailer this summer.