Fliton's John Glezellis Extra 260

[Uncle Brett]

Hey gang,
I ordered Fliton's new John Glezellis Extra 260 and it was delivered today so I thought I'd do a build thread on it. So far all I've had a chance to do is open the box, inspect everything, and snap a couple photos before I have to go back to work. I'll probably start working on it after work during the week and dedicate more time on it this weekend.
Here are the specs:
Wingspan: 51" (1296 mm)
Length: 49.5" w/spinner (1257 mm)
Wing Area: 518 sq. inches
Flying Weight: 48-51 ozs. (3 lbs.)

Here is the recommended power systems:
Outrunner Motor: Hacker A30 10XL, E-Flight Power 25BL, Axi 2820/10
Propeller: 13x6.5E or 14x7E
ESC: Hacker X-55 Pro or 60 Amp ESC
Battery: 3s(11.1V) 3200 mAh / 4s(14.8V) 2500-3200 mAh
Servos: (3) Hitec HS-81 + (1) Hitec HS-81MG (Rudder)
This is a new model from Fliton that was developed with John Glezellis, similar to what Andrew did with his Extra 330S, which, IMHO, is the best flying plane in it's class so far.

I plan on robbing my Fliton AJ Extra for the power set up which is a Hacker A30 10XL, CC Phoenix 60 ESC, and a CC Adjustable BEC. I must say I really hate having to take my AJ's motor combo out of it because I love flying that plane, but it's all I got and I'm curious to see how the Glezellis compares with the AJ. I'm really familiar with the AJ'S flight characteristics, having put almost 100 hours on it (according to my transmitter's time log).
As I go along I will try to give an account of the differences between the two that I can see. So far I've only compared the wings. At first glance they look identical but upon further inspection I could see that the JG's wing is a 1/4" longer and the airfoil is thinner than the AJ'S.
Well, gotta go back to work (lunch break) so I'll add more as time allows. If you have any questions, ask away, I'll try to answer them for you.
Brett

[bodywerks]

Is it not just the same plane but with a Glezellis scheme? Regardless, the AJ version was an awesome flier.

[robertp17]

I thought about buying this plane as my AJ was an awsome flyer for whatever, 3D, presicion anything. I loved it but unfortunatly as with all foamies and small planes you tend to get stupid with them and I put mine in and broke the fuse and wing in half so I have a complete setup for a new JG 260 but would like to hear from someone who owns one how it flies. I know it will fly well but I want to hear it from someone else.

[Uncle Brett]

	Quote: Originally Posted by bodywerks
	Is it not just the same plane but with a Glezellis scheme? Regardless, the AJ version was an awesome flier.

Hey Nick!
Yeah they do look almost identical but they're not. So far I've only compared the wings and they are not the same dimensions. At first I thought the Glezellis was a thinner airfoil because I was looking at the tip of the wing, but after measuring both, only the tip is thinner but the root rib is slightly thicker. Here's what I've measured so far:

Wing length @ leading edge: JG: 22 5/8"
AJ: 22 1/2"
Root rib length: JG: 12 3/8"
AJ: 12 1/2"
Root rib thickness: JG: 39mm
AJ: 37mm
Wing tip length w/ aileron: JG: 7 3/16"
AJ: 7 1/2"
Wing tip thickness: JG: 21mm
AJ: 30mm
Aileron length: JG: 21 3/4"
AJ: 22 9/16"
Aileron root length: JG: 3 11/16"
AJ: 3 7/8"
Aileron tip length: JG: 1 7/8"
AJ: 2 1/8"

As you can see by the dimensions they're not the same wing, close but no cigar. The biggest difference that I can see is the taper from root to tip and the aileron dimensions.
I haven't done any fuselage measuring yet but I can see the internal construction is different also. It looks to be beefed up (or I should say different laser cutting on the lite ply) where the AJ had some weaknesses, like the rudder servo tray for the pull-pull.
As I get into the build I'll try to remember to take photos of both planes if there are any significant differances between the two.

[RC4x4]

Hey Brett.
You'll like the plane. I've been flying one for about three weeks now. There are few little problems with the kit. I have also did some modifications to mine as well. I have really enjoyed flying it so far. I have a AJ Extra 330 as well. I really like the way the 330 flies and the 260 is just as nice. Can't wait to see what you think. It seems like noone has this plane or wants it?
You can see the discussion on RC Groups here http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=864096.

My Setup:
Axi 2826/12
Xoar 14x7 prop
GP spinner
Castle Phoenix 60 w/5v bec
Hitec HS-82mg's
Dubro large servo arms
made my own control linkages
Flight Power 4s 2500 Evo 25 lipoly
Spektrum Radio

Here's a few pictures of mine.


Cory

[bodywerks]

Side by side, you can see many differences. Keep up the build Brett!

[John Glezellis]

Hey Brett,

How has everything been? It's been awhile.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding the build. A few changes were made from the model that was used to make the instruction manual.

A 50cc version of this model is in the works... well, has been since September of 2006

Regards,
JPG

[Dan_nO]

Hey John, been a while since we spoke, I called and left you a message on your phone, figured you were busy. DHL showed up yesterday with a box that you said would be on its way, it got here, THANKS !

Give me a call when you can, got a couple of questions for ya.

Danny

[RC4x4]

	Quote: Originally Posted by John Glezellis
	A 50cc version of this model is in the works... well, has been since September of 2006 Regards, JPG

I remember seeing it in one of the magazines. That's along time John. What's the deal?


Cory

[Uncle Brett]

Hey John! Thanks. I've been following your thread on RCG so I know that there have been changes from when the manual was printed to the final production model.
RC4X4, I know I'll like this plane, after all, It was designed by John, and I know he wouldn't put his name on something that was mediocre.
Work has been kicking my butt so, to tell the truth, I havent been in the mood to build anything when I get home. The only thing I've done so far is tint the canopy and take measurements to see how different this plane is frrom the AJ. I'll really get into it this weekend.
I'll say this though, at first I thought, probably like most people, that the JG Extra was the AJ Extra with a few minor changes. Wrong. After taking measurements of both I can tell you that this is a completely different airplane. There is not one thing on the JG that is the same as the AJ except for the elevator joiner and I plan to use my own joiner like I did on my AJ's. Originally, when doing the build I was going to point out where the JG differs from the AJ. Well, that's just silly now after taking the measurements because everything is different.
I'll start building on Sunday, finish it up on Monday, and take a lot of photos during the build, including any modifications I may do and why I chose to do them. I'll wait until the following weekend to maiden after Max gets back from the Huckfest (he's my cameraman and pit beotch)

[John Glezellis]

We began the 50cc Extra 260 back in September of 2006. However, it was put on the backburner as we focused on the smaller Hacker A30-size Extra 260.

I had hoped that the 50cc Extra would have entered production sooner, but I only took part in the design process of the model. Fliton is in charge of the actual production, marketing, and sales of the product. Recently I received a few pictures from Edson Hong. They are attached below.

[RC4x4]

Looks like the 50cc is in production. Very Cool! I bet that's gonna be a nice plane.


Cory

[Uncle Brett]

OK, here we go.
I pretty much followed the manual as far as the building steps go. First thing was to open up all the pre-cut openings underneath the covering on the fuselage with a soldering iron, well, actually it's a mask cutting iron used for airbrushing. The first step is the horizontal stab and elevators installation. After sliding in the Hoz Stab and taking measurements on the leading edge and trailing edge on both sides to make sure it was perfectly centered, I marked the stab along the fuselage line with a sharpie. BTW, for those that don't know, denatured alcohol takes the sharpie marks off the covering when done. I then slid the stab back out and, with my iron and a ruler, cut (burned) the covering about a 1/16" inside the sharpie lines and peeled the covering away.
Also, here is a photo of the internal structure of the fuselage.
Click on the photos to enlarge them.

[Mithrandir]

Ugh!! The engine cowl is *****!

[Uncle Brett]

Next up is hinging the left elevator. This is one place that I did a mod.
In the kit, the elevator halves are joined together with a wooden dowel that sits in a groove in each elevator half. there is a slit in each end of the dowel to allow a CA hinge to pass through. I personally don't like this set up because there is too much torsional twist in that wooden dowel, some more than others. I've had 3 or 4 (can't remember) AJ's and each one of the dowels had different torsional ridgidity. What this means is; under high stress loads the elevator half without the control horn can react slower, or not have as much deflection, as the half with the control horn. Fliton has a solution to this by offering a carbon elevator joiner called a "Stiffy" (at $3.95 + shipping). On my AJ's I've always made my own version of a Stiffy and I'll show you how I did it.
Right off the bat I'll answer the question, "Is this step necessary?" Well that depends on your style of flying. If you're going to be sport flying this plane then I would say no, just use the wood. On the other hand if you're going to be flying high G maneuvers and expect precision, then I would say yes. I've also done this mod using stiff bent wire (C bend) that works as well.
Anyway, here's what I did.
I took a hollow carbon rod, the same diameter as the dowel, and cut it to the same length. I then cut a smaller piece of solid carbon rod into two pieces about an inch long. Here's the critical part and it really helps to have a drill press. About a 1/2" in from the ends of the carbon dowel, I drilled a hole, the same diameter as the small carbon rod pieces (I'll call them "pins"), all the way through. It is critical to make sure the holes are on the same line so when the pins are CA'ed in, they line up exactly, otherwise the elevator halves won't line up. After that, I pushed the pins through, sighted down the joiner to make sure the pins lined up, and glued them, at 90 degrees to the dowel, with thin CA. I then cut a slit on each end of the dowel with my Dremel and cut off wheel to allow CA hinges to pass through, just like the original wooden dowel. It's really not as complicated as it sounds and only took about 15-20 minutes to fabricate.
Here's what it looked like after finished.