E-Flite Bonanza - the build thread.

[afterburne]

I did not realize you were converting a fixed gear to a retractable gear. It must be a fair bit tricky for some that. Sure looks good in the video.

[pasquale91]

I saw a 6 pl yesterday when we went past the airfield.
I'll have to remember the color scheme next time I see it.

[sham]

Mar 19, 2015 14:18:56 GMT 1 afterburne said:

I did not realize you were converting a fixed gear to a retractable gear. It must be a fair bit tricky for some that. Sure looks good in the video.

The retracts are an option, the instruction book details the work needed but most parts need to be cut/shaped to allow the retracts. Fixed would be a great deal easier.

There's still a lot to do, mostly small things.. But time consuming.

I'm getting the itch to fly it now.

[sham]

Well - today is the end of the actual construction. Glueing the belly pan in place and making sure the front retract clears the cowl. All good. Also remade a control rod which I made a bit of a mess of and finishing the static trimming of the control surfaces.

Allowing the glue to dry without moving anything will take up the rest of today, and then this evening - or more likely tomorrow will be final cable routing, radio programming and setting the CG.

Then, I'll post a picture or two of her finished - and awaiting good conditions to maiden.

[pasquale91]

Good Stuff Sham.

[Knackered Sailor]

Well done mate

[sham]

Thank you.

As promised - all finished. "American Pie" is ready to maiden

Inside, cable routing was a late idea - using parts intended for a PC.

I'm really pleased with it, its a lovely kit - very well made. And I didn't do a terrible job either

[sham]

And to top it all off - it balances perfectly with no need to adjust. CoG spot on with a 4250mah battery!

So, all that's holding me back now is the weather - I've not flown anything for about 2 months. Rusty fingers mean I need at least a couple of batteries through each of the two Cubs first.

That leaves just one piece of media left to add to the thread - the maiden flight video

I can't wait, but am also utterly terrified of crashing it.

[hghost]

Your going from 2 High wing planes to a Low wing plane...you have to remember that "Float " factor is not going to be there...YOU have to FLY the Bonanza all the way.

As i have not flown one, I can not say how it will react to input, but I figure it will be more sensitive to input .

It should fly smooth and more precise...but again Just remember you have to FLY it at all times ( i know that sounds odd ) but we tend to allow the High wing planes
to fly themselves as they have that float factor more than low wing planes...the Dihedral on the wing should make it "float-ish" but also will have to keep the speed up more
so it will not tip stall .

It's better to fly faster, than stall it going to slow..especially on approach...as we ease back on throttle, sometimes we ease to much to fast ( i know at times i do )....you may have to
come in a little hotter than what you are use to..but fly it to the ground would be better at first, until you get use to it's characteristics .

My 2 cents worth....But your pretty natural it seems so, go with your gut first.

[sham]

Yea, I'm only too aware of the low wing layouts natural tendancies and am going to approach it the same way I approached learning with the others. The plane does have a pretty large dihedral, so it should smooth out some of it - and the manual instructs some surprisingly small control surface throws. Like 10mm aileron movement, for example.
In theory, she should be relatively docile - but thats not something that can be relied on.

So the approach is to fly fast until its high enough and then learn what happens when x, y, and z is applied.

I've been practicing a lot on the sim, but as you say, I am going to have to rely on my natural cautiousness to learn how she behaves in reality.

[Knackered Sailor]

You've done a terrific job building her sham, good luck with the maiden flight, I'll put my money on a good one. :-)

[pasquale91]

Any update Sham? Did you get her maiden'd

[sham]

Not yet, the weather has been horrendous since the build was finished. One day I could potentially have flown (15mph and dry), I was at work.

The rest has been 30-50mph and hail/rain... Truly awful.

Hopeful for Easter weekend, but I guess we'll see how the weather is. After all that work and money... It's a calm day or nothing!

I don't mind flying the cubs in a breeze, but not the maiden on the Bonanza!

[sham]

I could cry. Two months, two d**ned months after I last got the plane connected to a battery and tested it - every last function, I took it to the field for its maiden. I physically checked it, powered it on and checked the surfaces moved, did a range check, and was a few seconds from take off when I noticed an aileron fluttering.

Then one of the flaps started moving from full up to full down and back, over and over.

Turned everything off and the fluttering aileron turned into a flapping aileron, along with the flapping - er - flap. Both surfaces going full range in both directions (beyond what the radio programming says).

Really, I feel like sobbing.

Is there anything other than dodgy servos that could cause this kind of thing? And why would it do it now when the last time the plane was turned on it was fine. I just don't understand... how can a servo go bad just sitting there? If its the servo, whats the odds of two failing? Could it be the y harnesses? The wiring all looks OK, but it seems more likely than the servos, space it tight between the rx and the bottom of the canopy so the wires get a little squashed, maybe I need to move the RX and replace the y harnesses. Anything in the receiver that could cause it? I don't see how, but...

I'm just really gutted. 

[pasquale91]

I'm sorry to hear it Sham.
I'm going to have to go with a smashed wire though.
Is it possible to pull the servo and check it on another receiver and another y-harness?