Modification to Phat Larry
10-03-2003, 04:43 PM
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Modification to Phat Larry
I wanted to post these mods the Phat Larry so other people could give them a try. These would also work on the Acro Phat, it is basically the same plane.
1) My biggest complaint is simply that the balsa used in the fusalage is extreemely soft. I made several modifications to try to rectify this. First I beefed up the front firewall with 3/32" plywood, epoxied to the inside. The motor mounts to this, however it has holes cut out for cooling, not a particularly strong arrangement. I also got very sloppy with the epoxy and coated the inside nose with it. All the main bulkheads also got coated with epoxy. I also added more bracing in the nose and main compartment.
2) I added a steerable nose gear from Dubro, and beefed up the plywood backet that it mounts to. This also involved mounting the rudder servo in the main compartment rather than on the tail.
3) I got new wire and rebent the main landing gear. The gear sent with it would actually have extended into the open area of the wing. (I would have an open hole in the wing) I made different ones that fit the hardwood mounts correctly with a outer bend so I still get a wide stants and a little spring on the main gear.
4) I threw away the little control horns provided, I could just imagine losing a plane when one of them broke loose. I put dubro mini's on the ailerons and GWS on the rudder and elevator. All of them have a back nylon piece.
5) After two rough landings in which I missed the field, I redid the back wing mount. This was originally held on by a nylon screw. But of course, the nylon screw does not break, rather it pulls the plywood away from the soft balsa and destroy's the underside of the aircraft right behind the wing. So I went back to basics and put in a dowel and used rubber bands to hold on just the rear of the wing. I left the dowel in the front. This allows a little give on rough landings, without shattering the fusalage.
I still have a little warp in the wing that I am finding very difficult to remove. It has carbon fiber in the leading edge and center of the wing. I have tried twisting it hard and re-heating the solarfilm to get it to go away. But the carbon fiber is proving stronger than the solarfilm. For this reason, I have to fly with the ailerons not really set to zero. This is not a giant problem, but it did contribute to my first rough landing.
I hope you find this useful.
Larry
1) My biggest complaint is simply that the balsa used in the fusalage is extreemely soft. I made several modifications to try to rectify this. First I beefed up the front firewall with 3/32" plywood, epoxied to the inside. The motor mounts to this, however it has holes cut out for cooling, not a particularly strong arrangement. I also got very sloppy with the epoxy and coated the inside nose with it. All the main bulkheads also got coated with epoxy. I also added more bracing in the nose and main compartment.
2) I added a steerable nose gear from Dubro, and beefed up the plywood backet that it mounts to. This also involved mounting the rudder servo in the main compartment rather than on the tail.
3) I got new wire and rebent the main landing gear. The gear sent with it would actually have extended into the open area of the wing. (I would have an open hole in the wing) I made different ones that fit the hardwood mounts correctly with a outer bend so I still get a wide stants and a little spring on the main gear.
4) I threw away the little control horns provided, I could just imagine losing a plane when one of them broke loose. I put dubro mini's on the ailerons and GWS on the rudder and elevator. All of them have a back nylon piece.
5) After two rough landings in which I missed the field, I redid the back wing mount. This was originally held on by a nylon screw. But of course, the nylon screw does not break, rather it pulls the plywood away from the soft balsa and destroy's the underside of the aircraft right behind the wing. So I went back to basics and put in a dowel and used rubber bands to hold on just the rear of the wing. I left the dowel in the front. This allows a little give on rough landings, without shattering the fusalage.
I still have a little warp in the wing that I am finding very difficult to remove. It has carbon fiber in the leading edge and center of the wing. I have tried twisting it hard and re-heating the solarfilm to get it to go away. But the carbon fiber is proving stronger than the solarfilm. For this reason, I have to fly with the ailerons not really set to zero. This is not a giant problem, but it did contribute to my first rough landing.
I hope you find this useful.
Larry
11-13-2003, 12:31 AM
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RE: Modification to Phat Larry
Hi I was considering getting this plane just because it is advertised as a ROG off of grassy land , I just wanted to know if you have accomplished this yet and if you had any noticeable problems doing ROG of off grass.... also the pic on the site is poor it make the plane look small can you put some comparison pics on your next post so I can see the exact size of the plane , one more thing how is this plane as far as gliding into a landing , to heavy ? contollable ? etc. thanks ....
