[NSRCA-discussion] CA Models Eclipse

Fri Nov 6 13:50:39 AKST 2009

Good point Anthony. I didn't think of that. Yeah that stuff is heavy alright. :)

I think Jeremy Chinn's plane was "overweight" when he arrived at the NAT's with it. And it was just a profile job! LOL Between me, Mike Hester and a few others, he had enough ideas to get that baby down to legal weight in a few hours. It's not as hard as you think sometimes. And you don't need to do it all at once since technically it's not really "flying season" anymore. By next season you'll be good to go. :)

Like I said, just take off 1/2 an ounce 32 times. VBG

The most common sources of "surprise" are:
1. Wheels. Weigh the wheels. I bet they're heavier than you think. Hobby Lobby has some really good super light wheels that don't deform.
2. Linkage parts. Replace metal with carbon fiber. Stronger and lighter.
3. Servo leads. Use the shortest leads possible. Saves weight and reduces chance of interference + power loss to servos.
4. Prop. Look at different prop weights. You'd be surprised.
5. Wing + stab. tubes - Must be carbon.
6. Axles. Especially on an electric, a single 8-32 or even a 6-32 bolt may be used with a blind nut inside the wheel pant. You don't need a big gangly axle with a nylock nut on the end.
7. Landing gear. Some gear is REALLY heavy.
8. Rx batteries. 2 480's or a single 910 LiPO are fine for an electric - you don't need an on / off switch either. Just plug the flight batteries in when you install the main batteries.

These are just some of the things that can add up to a porky plane. Of course you can't go back and pick the wood or lighten up the finish too much so you're kind of stuck in that area. I bet you can hack 8 ounces out without spending too much money or time though.

John Pavlick

--- On Fri, 11/6/09, Anthony Abdullah <aabdu at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

From: Anthony Abdullah <aabdu at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] CA Models Eclipse
To: "General pattern discussion" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
Date: Friday, November 6, 2009, 5:04 PM

Sand off all of the clear coat 

That stuff weighs a ton and is no longer needed to fuel proof the airframe.

From: Ron Van Putte <vanputte at cox.net>
To: General pattern discussion <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
Sent: Fri, November 6, 2009 12:29:33 PM
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] CA Models Eclipse

I have two 2500 gram calibration weights.  On my electronic scale, they "weigh" 5008 grams.  The fuselage (with landing gear and wheels) is 3750 grams; the stabs (with stab tube) are 259 grams; the wings (with wing tube) are 998 grams.  That's a total of 5007 grams, so it actually weighs 4999 grams.  Remember, this airplane is all painted.

Ron

On Nov 6, 2009, at 11:15 AM, krishlan fitzsimmons wrote:

> Ron,
> 
> You sure your scale is accurate (Heck, am I sure mine is?)? I'm putting together an Eclipse arf for a friend with a heavy Turnigy motor and heavy motor mount, a heavy Turnigy ESC, the stock wheel pants, heavy wheels, TP 5300's and it's at 4950. Most of it is put together now, all pieces weighed though.. He'll be overweight by the end of it I'm sure as he will run a heavier rec pack, Rhino 4900's, and so forth, but, he used heavier components. I know with stuff that I use he could be under with it. I built a Eclipse arc that was well under.
> 
> Seeing as this plane was built for glow, I'm surprised to see how close this one is. Sorry yours is a lil heavier! Bummer as it's a nice plane!
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From: Anthony Frackowiak <frackowiak at sbcglobal.net>
> To: jpavlick at idseng.com; General pattern discussion <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
> Sent: Fri, November 6, 2009 8:51:53 AM
> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] CA Models Eclipse
> 
> Just a perfect example of what is wrong with the current weight rules.
> 
> Tony
> 
> 
> On Nov 6, 2009, at 8:05 AM, John Pavlick wrote:
> 
>> Ron,
>>  What are you using for an Rx battery? Regulator? Wheels? Don't overlook the little things. You only need to save 1/2 an ounce 32 times. VBG
>> 
>> John Pavlick
>> 
>> --- On Fri, 11/6/09, Ron Van Putte <vanputte at cox.net> wrote:
>> 
>> From: Ron Van Putte <vanputte at cox.net>
>> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] CA Models Eclipse
>> To: "General pattern discussion" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
>> Date: Friday, November 6, 2009, 10:18 AM
>> 
>> After further reflection, I couldn't use two 6S packs with lower capacity; it would exceed AMA's limit of 42 volts on batteries.
>> 
>> Ron VP
>> 
>> On Nov 6, 2009, at 9:11 AM, Ron Van Putte wrote:
>> 
>> > No matter how I fudge the data, it still comes out at least a pound heavy.
>> >
>> > Ron
>> >
>> > On Nov 6, 2009, at 8:46 AM, Jerry Stebbins wrote:
>> >
>> >> Ron, have you looked at 6s packs at lower mah. Jerry
>> >
>> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Thompson" <kthompson56 at satx.rr.com>
>> >> To: "General pattern discussion" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
>> >> Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 6:32 PM
>> >> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] CA Models Eclipse
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>> Man I wish I had the cash for that plane...
>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Van Putte" <vanputte at cox.net>
>> >>> To: "General pattern discussion" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
>> >>> Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 1:40 PM
>> >>> Subject: [NSRCA-discussion] CA Models Eclipse
>> >>>> I bought a beautiful receiver-ready CA Models Eclipse from Mike Wingo, hoping to convert it to electric power.  It is an all-painted  airplane; no MonoKote/UltraCote/etc.  It is complete, except for the receiver and is fitted with Futaba digital servos.  Power is an OS  1.40RX, with appropriate header/pipe.  The only problem I have with it is that it weighs 5 kg.  After doing the math, I cannot figure out  how to convert it to electric power and keep the weight at/under 5 kg.  So, I want to sell it for what I paid for it: $900 + shipping,  if necessary, I can provide additional details/pictures for anyone who's interested.
>> >>>> Ron Van Putte
>> >>>> _______________________________________________
>> >>>> NSRCA-discussion mailing list
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>> >>>> http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion
>> >>> _______________________________________________
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