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Redshift; Used Purchase
- Thread starter Konrad
- Start date
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- aeroic f3f redshift slope racing
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Doc James Hammond
Very Strong User
Konrad
Very Strong User
I never said they don’t work. But we’ve been friends and modeling together for 20 years and I’ve never seen you leave a plane stock, or take the easy way when gains could be made with some effort. This is a good thing, it means you evaluate and learn to understand what you’re working on and work to make it what you want not just accept what it is.
Hank
Hank
Konrad
Very Strong User
Wow, 20 years!
It is often said the necessity is the mother of invention. Don't know about that, but desperation often calls for drastic matters! Here I'm using a whole nutmeg. Yes, the spice! the nutmeg is the sphere that will form the epoxy glass nose. after the epoxy cures I hope be able to tap the nut free leaving a glass dome.
Now those that fly with me don't be alarmed thinking you might be suffering an olfactory hallucination. The next crash site might actually smell like a bakery!
It is often said the necessity is the mother of invention. Don't know about that, but desperation often calls for drastic matters! Here I'm using a whole nutmeg. Yes, the spice! the nutmeg is the sphere that will form the epoxy glass nose. after the epoxy cures I hope be able to tap the nut free leaving a glass dome.
Now those that fly with me don't be alarmed thinking you might be suffering an olfactory hallucination. The next crash site might actually smell like a bakery!
Doc James Hammond
Very Strong User
You could at least have used cinnamon powder as the filler Konrad. As long as SWMBO would allow it that is.
Great idea by the way...Mighty oaks from little nutmegs grow.
Doc.
Great idea by the way...Mighty oaks from little nutmegs grow.
Doc.
Doc James Hammond
Very Strong User
An interesting point.
BTW I don't know if many people know this, but one of the best fillers for epoxy is good old cement powder.
As long as you don't care about the weight - like maybe for the front of a nose, or maybe you are making a propeller mould or another simple mould like maybe a Servo hatch? - its uber hard!
Logical really when you think about it.
Doc.
Is Cabosil any different from fumed silica and if so when would you use it as opposed to silca ?
Doc James Hammond
Very Strong User
purview
Very Strong User
I describe briefly my landing issue and concerns I figured out yesterday. Flying most of the time with not predictable lift capacity and trying to set up the proper amount of ballast for the session, it happens that the position of the plane forces me to land within not so clean pre landing scedules and pre preparation for touchdown. Short: To land the plane with ballast and with backwinds and pointed upwards the slope it requires frame tuffness to handle the such touchdowns. Of course, I always try to gently pull and avoid some obstacles (branches, stones, mole hills and the supi-dupi alpine pillows and run off gullies) to keep momentum low, despite within the reference of stall.
It would be very nice to keep that in mind ? 75g/dm²
It would be very nice to keep that in mind ? 75g/dm²
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Konrad
Very Strong User
Not sure how much of this was lost in translation.
Yes it is very difficult to land through or in the back side rotor. This results in the lost of lift that often demands a dive to maintain airspeed over the control surfaces. This dive increases the inertia that will damage the airframe if it can't be bleed off.
I find I on the backside I can't use the elevator to avoid obstacles as this will often induce a stall with the inevitable wing down chart wheel. This always does more damage than a a high speed landing.
My crash of this RedShift was because of insufficient ballast combined with the inappropriate use of crow. This drove me into the rear rotor and forced me to dive into the hill to maintain control.
The forces on the fuselage are why I like to keep the ballast port as small as possible. I like to bind the ballast tube and window with as much fiber reinforced epoxy as practical. This is not the place to try to save weight.
These landing loads are why the more modern nose designs are now using bottom servo trays. This allows for more material on the top of the nose helping resist buckling.
This top opening for the servos and too small a control arm for the V-tail were the main issues I had with the original Redshift. The new RedShift Spada has addressed these issue.
Yes it is very difficult to land through or in the back side rotor. This results in the lost of lift that often demands a dive to maintain airspeed over the control surfaces. This dive increases the inertia that will damage the airframe if it can't be bleed off.
I find I on the backside I can't use the elevator to avoid obstacles as this will often induce a stall with the inevitable wing down chart wheel. This always does more damage than a a high speed landing.
My crash of this RedShift was because of insufficient ballast combined with the inappropriate use of crow. This drove me into the rear rotor and forced me to dive into the hill to maintain control.
The forces on the fuselage are why I like to keep the ballast port as small as possible. I like to bind the ballast tube and window with as much fiber reinforced epoxy as practical. This is not the place to try to save weight.
These landing loads are why the more modern nose designs are now using bottom servo trays. This allows for more material on the top of the nose helping resist buckling.
This top opening for the servos and too small a control arm for the V-tail were the main issues I had with the original Redshift. The new RedShift Spada has addressed these issue.
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Konrad
Very Strong User
With the round ballast tube I had adequate clearance with the 4mm carbon push rod. And more than adequate stiffness with a mid boom foam bulkhead support. With the wider bottom fuselage of the Spada I actually think it might be possible to have top drive V-tail flippers and still miss the wing joiner. I fit check in CAD might be nice.
purview
Very Strong User
Redshift is also a step forward, if you compare F3F ships with uniqueness of shape. The long nose is sometimes worrying me while flying and the line from the bottom belly looks like it is pregnant. Sorry but there is definitely a bulk under the wing. Although the thickest section is way forward. ?
Konrad
Very Strong User
Well I can now say that I've recovered from my error flying my Redshift in the back side of the hill.
I took the opportunity to test fly all three of my F3F ships that have been badly damaged by my poor flying skills. The wind at the SLoT was from the east varying E by NE and E by SE with velocity varying from 8mph to 16mph. This is known as light lift conditions at the SLoT.
Much to my surprise all three ships flew out of my hands with no trim changes need to the normal cruise flight modes. All three ships are trimmed for a very neutral CG as they will not pull out of dive. I saw no tucks but no pull outs ether.
This was really a surprise with the yellow Strega as I had torn off the V-tail in my last tango with the rocks.
But as this thread is about my RedShift I was ecstatic by how the repaired Redshift flew. As you might recall I slammed in the back side of the hill which resulted in all six control surface tearing off at the kevlar hinge. I also tore free one of the wing boxes.
The repair of this Redshift has been rather frustrating as I've made approximately 4 attempts to get the repaired Kevlar hinges to work. Also the wing box damage was tricky to repair needing a lot of access holes to inject the needed epoxy.
All these repair attempts combined with some of my defeatist attitude has left a lot of epoxy finger prints that I'll now have to buff out. But the flight test has shown that this will be worth it.
Today I spent 4 hours at the SLoT with a good hour of this time spent trimming the Redshift and sport flying her.
I had the opportunity to compare the RedShift to the Stregas in the same light lift. The Redshift was heavier than ether Strega as it is a carbon lay up and the Stregas are a glass lay up.
Much to my surprise the Redshift out flew the Stregas at both extremes. She was about 30% faster in the straight line speed runs. This was expected.
But when the wind stopped the Redshift actually out thermalled the Stregas. I had some fears that the narrow tips would prove to be a problem at these slow thermal speeds. But nothing could have been further from the truth. Maybe I was particularly more aware of airspeed with the Redshift, but Strega would drop a wing in a tight thermal turn. I never saw this in the Redshift. I don't know if I didn't feel I need to go as slow with the Redshift or if the wings just held on longer prior to a stall. I attribute a lot of this of this thermal performance to the longer wings and higher aspect ratio. The Redshift thermals wells. I did notice more wandering in yaw when the Redshift is slowed down (not in crow). I may have to work on the aileron differential a bit. Also in the high speed runs the tail wiggled more than I thought was prudent.
In landing I noticed a marked difference! The Redshift was upset in roll a lot less than the Stregas. Also she took longer to slow down. Again empty the Redshift weight more also the flaps are shorter and of less area than the Stregas. But if one waited the Redshift did slow down to much the same landing speed as the Stregas, but with what felt like more control.
I tried to test the wing box repair with fast sharp pull ups. But with the lift and no ballast I can't say as I've actually tested the load capacity of my wing box repair.
I'm tickled pink that I was able to repair this Redshift to be at least my sport ship. I hope to test her some more this Saturday with a coastal F3F race.
I'm now anxious to finish my Alpha 2.8 with her longer tail boom and larger V-tail to see if I gain some more directional control at low speed and if I loose some of the high speed wiggle.
I'm also working on my second Redshift. I hope I can treat her with bit more respect and care than I did this one.
While not the super bloom of a few years ago the landing zone was beautiful!
I took the opportunity to test fly all three of my F3F ships that have been badly damaged by my poor flying skills. The wind at the SLoT was from the east varying E by NE and E by SE with velocity varying from 8mph to 16mph. This is known as light lift conditions at the SLoT.
Much to my surprise all three ships flew out of my hands with no trim changes need to the normal cruise flight modes. All three ships are trimmed for a very neutral CG as they will not pull out of dive. I saw no tucks but no pull outs ether.
This was really a surprise with the yellow Strega as I had torn off the V-tail in my last tango with the rocks.
But as this thread is about my RedShift I was ecstatic by how the repaired Redshift flew. As you might recall I slammed in the back side of the hill which resulted in all six control surface tearing off at the kevlar hinge. I also tore free one of the wing boxes.
The repair of this Redshift has been rather frustrating as I've made approximately 4 attempts to get the repaired Kevlar hinges to work. Also the wing box damage was tricky to repair needing a lot of access holes to inject the needed epoxy.
All these repair attempts combined with some of my defeatist attitude has left a lot of epoxy finger prints that I'll now have to buff out. But the flight test has shown that this will be worth it.
Today I spent 4 hours at the SLoT with a good hour of this time spent trimming the Redshift and sport flying her.
I had the opportunity to compare the RedShift to the Stregas in the same light lift. The Redshift was heavier than ether Strega as it is a carbon lay up and the Stregas are a glass lay up.
Much to my surprise the Redshift out flew the Stregas at both extremes. She was about 30% faster in the straight line speed runs. This was expected.
But when the wind stopped the Redshift actually out thermalled the Stregas. I had some fears that the narrow tips would prove to be a problem at these slow thermal speeds. But nothing could have been further from the truth. Maybe I was particularly more aware of airspeed with the Redshift, but Strega would drop a wing in a tight thermal turn. I never saw this in the Redshift. I don't know if I didn't feel I need to go as slow with the Redshift or if the wings just held on longer prior to a stall. I attribute a lot of this of this thermal performance to the longer wings and higher aspect ratio. The Redshift thermals wells. I did notice more wandering in yaw when the Redshift is slowed down (not in crow). I may have to work on the aileron differential a bit. Also in the high speed runs the tail wiggled more than I thought was prudent.
In landing I noticed a marked difference! The Redshift was upset in roll a lot less than the Stregas. Also she took longer to slow down. Again empty the Redshift weight more also the flaps are shorter and of less area than the Stregas. But if one waited the Redshift did slow down to much the same landing speed as the Stregas, but with what felt like more control.
I tried to test the wing box repair with fast sharp pull ups. But with the lift and no ballast I can't say as I've actually tested the load capacity of my wing box repair.
I'm tickled pink that I was able to repair this Redshift to be at least my sport ship. I hope to test her some more this Saturday with a coastal F3F race.
I'm now anxious to finish my Alpha 2.8 with her longer tail boom and larger V-tail to see if I gain some more directional control at low speed and if I loose some of the high speed wiggle.
I'm also working on my second Redshift. I hope I can treat her with bit more respect and care than I did this one.
While not the super bloom of a few years ago the landing zone was beautiful!
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Doc James Hammond
Very Strong User
Oh the joys of an optimised wing planform...Tail will wiggle a bit, Konrad - its a tad too small.
As you have observed, Its nice how the model thermals well and just tracks in for landings without too much wing waggling - I can tell you that most people when they first saw the wing shape, were very quick to forecast dire consequences - but then they didn't know that I had tested it.
About the only thing thats not changed on the New Redshift "Spada" model is the wing.
What a lovely day's flying. Glad to see its keeping you amused!
Cheers,
Doc.
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