“New” 28% Wild Hare Extra 300 84”– Red Black Yellow

[WhirlyGirl]

	Quote: Originally Posted by gavo
	Very thorough job, I am slowly putting an 84" edge together and find your build very informative. I am a bit concerned about the covering on mine and was wondering what the "trim solvent" was that you used to seal the trim?

Thank you guys. My husband and I are really enjoying working on this project! He's the builder and I'm transfering the knowledge up here to you guys to read and enjoy. We love this hobby!

Back to the Q: FlyinTiger uses the Monokote trim solvent.

Jeanette

[FlyinTiger]

	Quote: Originally Posted by RustyTumbles
	Looking very good. You are doing an awesome job with this thread. Lots of good info and very good descriptions of what you have done and why. Did you add any more right thrust to the engine when you installed it? I had to add quite a bit to my extra.

Thank you, Rusty! My wife and I really enjoy working through the technical parts of this hobby together (so we can get to the flying field faster!).

Regarding the right thrust -- I leave the right thrust Tom has designed into the engine box as is. During the flight trimming process I'll mix in RUDDER to THROTTLE if necessary to counteract any thrusting moment that is introduced near full power.

The "right thrust" required will vary as the engine output varies. From my experimentation it apprears that Tom has set the degree of right thrust for a mid-range throttle setting which is most commonly used during the course of a flight. One would expect to have more P-factor and spiral slipstream at 3/4 to full power, so that is where the mix comes in.

Reference Peter Goldsmith's Trimming Sequence for more information on dynamically trimming an aircraft for optimal flight performance.

http://www.mini-iac.com/Portals/57ad...20trimming.pdf

Good luck!

[FlyinTiger]

Here's the pen I've used for "painting" the wood black. It is a paint pen I got from Michael's craft store. Works like a charm.

[FlyinTiger]

The hatch has a tendency to vibrate a little during certain RPMs and this causes the screws that secure it to back out on occasion. Tom suggests trying some nylon 8-32 bolts to prevent that from happening...I'll try anything once, so I gave it a whirl.

I popped off the blind nuts on the inside of the hatch hold-down tabs, then threaded them with an 8-32 tap. I had to drill out the fuselage sides to 5/32" to accomodate the nylon bolts. After everything was trial fit I applied thin CA to all the newly cut wood to make sure everything would be solid. The threads were firm but not too tight after applying the thin CA and the fuselage sides stiffened up a bit...I wouldn't want any vibes to elongate those holes!

I trimmed the nylon bolts down to 7/8" which was enough to let them protrude into the fuse by about 1/4" to give me a warm fuzzy. To make those nylon bolts look a little more at home I colored the heads of them black with the paint pen...we'll see if that lasts. Ideally I need to get some 8-32 black plastic bolts with a hex head for ease of installation and removal at the field. The flat heads just aren't very convenient.

[FlyinTiger]

It was time to install the battery and ignition to the sides of the motor box. I am getting ready to route wires, install the throttle and choke servos, and finalize the front end of the plane before I get the canister installation under way, so this was the first step. I like to see my parts bins empty out, it means were closer to being airborne!

I simply held up the battery and ignition module where I thought they should be located and marked where the holes for the Velcro should be drilled. I chose self wrapping Velcro over zip ties for a few reasons:

1. Vibration -- zip ties are hard and easily transfer vibration to whatever they are touching
2. Ease of installation -- the self wrapping Velcro is simple to route through the holes and pull the foam in for a good solid fit
3. Ease of removal -- the Velcro can be easily removed to service the battery or the ignition module
4. Good looks -- red Velcro matches the red trim on the DA-50R, so it was a natural choice
5. Flexibility -- Velcro is somewhat flexible, unlike a zip tie, and won't just snap...I'll be able to see the wear starting and replace the strap as necessary

Those nice straps can be found at Home Depot. I found black straps at Walmart.

[FlyinTiger]

The fuel dot that comes in the Wild Hare hardware kit is nothing spectacular, but that is the point. It is fairly subdued and I could paint it if I wanted to. It screws nicely into the wood and will stay there eternally with just a little medium CA. I applied some thin CA around the inside of the cutout after the fuel dot was in and glued with medium, just to harden the wood around. Pulling and pushing on the side of a plane does add a bit of stress, so I wanted to make sure the plywood could take the abuse.

[gavo]

	Quote: Originally Posted by RustyTumbles
	G'day gav, I have used clear nail polish before with great success. My wife has always got some laying around. Just apply a light coat where the covering wraps around corners. I only use it where the seams are not visible. On visible seam I just use the iron.

Hi Rusty,

Yes I have used nail polish before on the trim on a U-CAN-DO it worked ok on the areas that did not collect glo fuel residue but turned into a gell where it did.

With a gas engine it should be ok. Some of the Edge trim on the wing and fuse has been put on with the join into the wind and I'm concerned it may peel off early in it's life.

I will check the info on the Monocote solvent, thanks wirlygirl, flyin tiger

[RustyTumbles]

	Quote: Originally Posted by gavo
	Hi Rusty, Yes I have used nail polish before on the trim on a U-CAN-DO it worked ok on the areas that did not collect glo fuel residue but turned into a gell where it did. With a gas engine it should be ok. Some of the Edge trim on the wing and fuse has been put on with the join into the wind and I'm concerned it may peel off early in it's life. I will check the info on the Monocote solvent, thanks wirlygirl, flyin tiger

If you can't find the solvent, maybe try some pinstriping or something similar to cover the seam.

[gavo]

	Quote: Originally Posted by RustyTumbles
	If you can't find the solvent, maybe try some pinstriping or something similar to cover the seam.

Thanks Rusty,

I hadn't thought of that, I will look into it. The Auto shops don't seem to sell pin striping any more, I needed some a couple of years ago and it was very hard to get.

[FlyinTiger]

Pin striping can be found at places like Autozone and Napa Autoparts. Look for the roll of it with several different thicknesses to choose from.

A decent temporary fix that would look all right would be to use the 3M Plastic Tape that I used to install my canopy. The red matches the "True Red" Ultracote perfectly. The white is a perfect match and the black will work too, though the dull color of the tape would be noticeable against the shiny black Ultracote.

Depending on the location of the seam issue, my favorite PERMENANT solution is to select an appropriate vinyl graphic and plaster it over the problem area!!!

Good luck and let the rest of us know what worked for you so we can experience the same success!

[FlyinTiger]

There are three ways to make extreme duty pushrods that I know of.

1. Use Central Hobbies titanium rod ends and carbon fiber tubing. Measure everything, cut the CF to length, clean everything with rubbing alcohol, glue the ends in with JB Weld. This is my favorite home-made pushrod.

2. Use the all-thread in Tom's hardware kit along with the CF rod for strength. Measure the rod with the ends attached to the control surface and the servo arm to get the overall length. Cut the all-thread. Cut the CF tube short enough that you can get your ball links threaded all the way on with out hitting the nylon nuts, then assemble all the parts and you have a strong pushrod.

3. Use Troy Built Models steel rod ends and carbon fiber tubing. Measure, cut the CF, clean everything with rubbing alcohol, then JB weld the metal rod ends on. These are black and blend in the most.

Of course, the BEST solution is if you can find the right length Hanger 9 Titanium Pro Links and use those for the finest adjustments (less than half a turn) and suburb looks! Measure from center hole to center hole (center of pushrod connector screw on flying surface ball link to center of hole in servo arm) to get the length and pick the one that falls in the middle of the range required.

The key is this: If you're going to JB weld something, clean the CF dust off first with rubbing alcohol! That way the pushrod will NEVER pull loose. I've tested mine by pulling on one with all my might...it didn't budge.

By way of necessity I'll be using the H9 Titanium Pro Links on the elevators, Tom's hardware pushrods on the ailerons, and TBM's push rod ends on the throttle and choke. What variety!

I chose to use the hole on my servo arm that corresponded to one inch away from the center of the screw hole and used 1-1/4" from the center of the aileron to the center of the attachment bolt to give the servos a little mechanical advantage. I still get the recommended throws from the manual...BTW 12 degrees up and down on the elevator is great for low rate ops, plus takeoff and landing.

[FlyinTiger]

Checking the incidences of the wings and horizontal stabs with reference to the "zero degree line" gives me peace of mind and could prevent a great deal of heart-ache down the road. If any of the incidences are off I can correct them before they have a chance to give me undesireable flight characteristics. Beg and borrow an incidence meter, or buy one if your club doesn't have a "community" use meter...I finally had to buy one because no one I knew had one.

First I chose a reference line for the "zero degree line." The only logical choice was the hatch area that was straight and flat. I set my incidence meter on the hatch area while it was detached from the spanner, and along the side to get the truest level reference possible. I leveled this zero degree line using the level and degree meter on the Robart Incidence meter and books under the tailwheel. I checked between each flying surface I measured to see if the hatch area was still level. To reach all the way across the chord of these larger planes I had to buy a longer spanner. Home Depot came through with a piece of nice aluminum the same thickness and width as the original spanner. The new piece came in a four foot section and cost me less than $5, as opposed to buying the Robard brand name replacement for $20 or so.

My results came out with the wings at zero degrees as well as both the horizontal stabilizers. The best time to check the horizontal stabs is BEFORE glueing in the hinges so a true incidence check can be done. I'll make reference to this post near the beginning so people seeing the thread for the first time won't omit this important step!

[FlyinTiger]

Canister time! Yep, all of that has to go in "there."

After stuffing the canister inside the tunnel I knew I was going to have to do some work to figure out how to make it work well. My goal is to create a method, complete with dimensions and templates, that can be used over and over to make this canister install quick and painless, so it is going to be slow and arduous for me. I like a challenge!

Well, back to work, it ain't buildin' itself!

[FlyinTiger]

I'm holding off sheeting the inside for the sake of trial fitting everything first. The balsa for the top of the tunnel will definitely go on the top, I need all the room I can get! As you can see I needed to trim the bottom crossmembers where the landing gear plate is. Trimming these will allow ample room for the canister to rest completely inside the ring on the rubber bumpers.

The aircraft is not wide enough to get the exhaust exit tube down through a hole in the fuselage. I had to cut out a elongated section for the exit pipe to rotate down through. I could have cut the fuselage down at the center where the cowl ring mates up, but I didn't want to sacrifice the integrity of the fuse front.

Desert Aircraft warned not to cut the header pipe shorter than 10-1/2" or it might affect the performance of their engine. That limited me as far as being able to pull the canister forward and have it exit through the cowling. I did not want to cut the cowl ring either, Tom highly recommends leaving that in tact.

[FlyinTiger]

Desert Aircraft advised me not to cut the header pipe shorter than 10-1/2 inches in length for the DA-50R. I measured and cut off only 1-1/8 inches, which allowed me to have a pipe that was 11-1/4 inches long...whew!

It is worth going over the dimensions of the canister mounting piece to make any subsequent canister mounting experience MUCH quicker and easier. It took me at least an hour to get that canister mounting ring to fit properly, line up the canister so it is in the proper position to accept the header without stressing the coupler. At least it fits nicely so the glue will hold when I do the final assembly.