SA G480 Groove

[rclark]

Thought I'd start a thread here on the SA G480 Groove. The plane at 44" is not really a 'backyard' flyer and is pattern oriented rather than 3D . Anyway here is my completed Groove with a couple of mods. This is my second as a couple of years ago I lost Groove #1 to a structural failure. This is Groove #2 (version 1) .

This one is powered by an AXI2808/24, CC-25 (3A BEC version) flipping a 11x7E on 3S1P 2200s. Rx is Hitec E6. AUW is 28oz. This is a bit heavy than normal as most Grooves come in at 22 to 24 AUW. I did add some additional structual support though :) . Mods includes doublers inside fuse over the wing and a couple of cross supports. Also added more area to the stab and counter balances. Blocked up the landing gear area just incase. I think that is about it for mods.

Waiting on a good day to maiden ...

http://www.stevensaero.com/shop/product.php?productid=17493&cat=249&page=1

Show us your groovy Grooves!

[Rugar]

Great looking Groove!

Here is my Version 1 Groove:
Axi 2808/24
Phx 35
Berg 5 RX
4 HS 55's
3S1P 2150
AUW 27 1/2 oz.
Fully sheeted and covered in Ultracote, so mines also on the heavy side. Flys Great!
I need to order a new motor mount for mine after having a prop strike from a little dumb thumb pancake maneuver. Air Frame held up great. Just broke the motor mount when the prop hit the ground and bent the landing gear. No other damage.

[rclark]

Here is a couple of pictures with the decals on. Looking good to fly it tomorrow.

Rugar, BTW the pancake manuever is called an "Aunt Jemima" :) . Good looking Groove too.

[Rugar]

I received a new motor mount from Bill for mine yesterday. Have a few more half built projects to get finished and then I will get my Groove up and going again.

[rclark]

I maidened my Groove #2 this morning on a cool cloudy day before the wind come up.... and it went super. First time I think, that I built a plane that flew hands off from get go. Wahoo. Guess that is what happens when you build 'em straight. I did have to put just a couple of clicks up, this to keep it from 'barely' decending . But it was a 'most' relaxing maiden in a long time http://static.rcgroups.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif . Not to say the plane may need trimming in other ways. I found the up-line to strongly pull left for example. So I have some work to do there ... Also my batteries 2200s need replaced. They are well down on power. I put in a newer 3100 and I could actually test an up-line with the heavier battery wherewith the lighter 2200s I could only pull a tight loop.... The 2200s are about a couple of years old now...

Oh, it was the first 'wheeled' flights since last November 22, 2005 too. And I greased all three landings :) .... Not exactly where I wanted to set down, but good landings none the less . Boy it lands nice ....

Here are a couple of pictures after the maiden flight. As you can see the ground is still a bit soggy and is just starting to 'unfreeze' but was flyable this morning....

[rclark]

Groove is trimmed out and ready to fly now after 16 flights so far. Boy does it ever fly nice. Have lots to learn from this bird. Have new 2100 3S1P Irate packs now -- no more power problems what-so-ever :D . Also right thrust has helped the up-lines. Can go straight up and rotate on the line nicely without hardly any rudder input. Down lines look good too (to me anyway)..... Inverted with a touch of down. Knife pulls to wheels but is manageable. It's a keeper for sure! Oh, I did remove the extra counter balance from the tail. Was getting flutter at high speeds. Now, no flutter. Since I don't fly strong 3D anyway, I feel the extra isn't needed. Lots to learn just pattern flying :) .
Next up is try a spin or two with it and see how it harriers....

[griffin]

Hi Richard,
Glad to hear you are getting her dialed. Flew mine this morning on a perfect sunny day. I'm pulling just a tad to canopy in knife edge. I'm also more interested in the non-3d stuff and would be happy to pull off a clean slow roll some day. But knife edge and inverted harrier are both so easy with this plane I can actually pull them off for a while.
Cheers, Steve

[rclark]

Finally got a flying picture. Groove continues to fly very well. Really glad I built #2. Got in flight 74 today. My son used the rest of the batteries in his E-Tana :rolleyes: .

[Rugar]

I finally got my Groove put back together last week. Cant tell it was ever even crashed :D. Hopefully I will be able to Re Maiden it this weekend.

[Mike Parsons]

I loved this plane. I keep telling myself that I am going to build another.

[rclark]

Mike, I know you have a lot of good ARFs on tap to fly, but you gotta get your Groove back :) . I had a build a couple of planes after the first one ... and 'had' to get another Groove. Well worth the effort (for me anyway) !

Ruger, hopefully your back in the saddle again! Good luck on the re-maiden!

[buzzltyr]

My Groove. 2+ years old and still flying.

Mark

[Rugar]

Ruger, hopefully your back in the saddle again! Good luck on the re-maiden!
Definitely back! Man I forgot just how much fun this plane is to fly! What a knife edging fool :D. The replacement motor mount appeared to have right thrust built into it, which the original did not. So I didn't add any, but she pulls to the left a little on up-lines. I will give it some right thrust before next weekend, but other then that, I got my Groove on!

[rclark]

Knocking on 100 flights now. Got in 4 more this morning. Finally starting to get a feel for knife edge snaps.... Almost can do them everytime now. Well, the snap part is easy, it's staying on the line and finishing in a knife that is difficult.... FUN!

Oh, might as well relate a recent 'bump' (last Thursday). On taxi back, I happened to see my son trying to catch my new Gambler+ DLG he was flying. I watched .... and then heard a 'bam' .... Look down and I had run my plane smack into a bench :eek: . Jambed the adapter against the firewall ... or so I thought.... Fixed that, prop run free, but the motor sounded funny, so I put a watt meter on it and it appeared to be 'ok', just sounded funny. Flew on Saturday and power was way down :( . Ok took cowl off this time and found the motor bell pushed back about 1/2" exposing the windings!!! After a couple taps of the hammer and putting the shaft clip back in place, motor was as good as new again.... Moral, is check EVERYTHING before re-flying, even if it's a minor 'bump' !!!

[Rugar]

Snaps are one thing that my Groove doesn't seem to do very well. It will snap, but its a slow snap. Not violent at all compared to some of my other planes. I'm thinking I may be getting some rudder blow back because I also have a hard time keeping it spinning in a inverted flat spin. Maybe I need to replace the HS-55 with a HS-65 :confused:

[rclark]

That's strange. All my servos are hs-55s... It's snaps very quick (I don't dare blink) .... I do have max rudder deflection (almost touchs the elevator side to side) and is pull pull from the bottom of the plane. My elevator though will just start a snap on its full deflection (DR set to about 60%). I like it there so I can use almost the full elevator range without worrying about a inadvertant snap :) . On 100% it would get interesting :) . The hs-65 though would defintely take care of any blowback you may have! BTW, I do input aileron into the snap, so not 'quite' true snap by the book.


Update, Friday, got in 4 flights this beautiful morning.... makes 101 flights total to date....

Update 10/28/06 Saturday, got in 3 flights this morning .... makes is 151 flights total to day. Here is another picture of the Groove.

[rclark]

Rugar, how did your hs-65 work out? Just curious as it has been a while....

[Rugar]

I haven't got around to installing it yet. Was still flying it with the 55. Haven't flown at all lately because of the Holidays and all the wind were getting here every Weekend. :(

[rclark]

Got in two Groovy flights last weekend .... Good to be back flying again now that the snow is gone! Oh yes, three new 2100 3S1P Apex packs to get me through the season too!

My Littlebirdz Predator B fly for the first time this week (Pictures in the gallery) .... Just not in the same class as the Groove!

[Bob_CO]

Mine is sitting the wrapper still. My SA Edge, SA Stella and SA Mini-Cap are flying great though! :) I can't wait to see the Groove up.

[rclark]

I will get the Edge eventually. Up first is the Littlebirdz Yak 54 though. Have several other planes 'waiting' as well. The Groove flys so well it's hard to imagine something better :) .

[echoplanar]

I am finishing up my Groove-what servo are you guys using on the rudder? HS55 up to the task?

Thanks
Jon

[rclark]

It is for me... but others feel it may need more. Maybe an hs-65?

Here are some pictures from Yesterday flying :) .

[echoplanar]

Groovy pics-now that mine is coming together I really love the lines of this model. If the hs55 works for you I am sure it will for me. I see you went with the pull-pull in the belly spot. Nice plane!

-Jon

[rclark]

FWIW, the Elevator is by the tail and the rudder servo on the bottom. I did this because my first Groove had the battery hanging off the back of the battery tray to get it to balance properly. Even with the servos in the current position on Groove II, the back of the battery is lined up with the back of the tray.....

Can't wait for your flight report!

[griffin]

FWIW, the Elevator is by the tail and the rudder servo on the bottom. I did this because my first Groove had the battery hanging off the back of the battery tray to get it to balance properly. Even with the servos in the current position on Groove II, the back of the battery is lined up with the back of the tray.....

Can't wait for your flight report!


Now wait a minute--if your battery on is hanging off the back of the tray, you should put the rudder servo in the tail if you want to move the battery forward, right?

The other forum has had this discussion a few times, and it seems the Groove works with either rudder servo location. I like mine in the back with a short push rod, and the battery is fairly forward on the tray. The nice thing about either choice is you are not stuck with it--the servo can be moved later with only a little work.

Also looking forward to flight report! -Steve

[rclark]

Steve, both of my Grooves were/are nose heavy.

Now, Groove number 1 had both servos (rudder and elevator side by side) under the main wing right behind the Rx location which was right behind the battery tray. Pull-pull for both. To balance it, I had to move the battery back so that it was hanging off the end of the battery tray to balance.

On Groove number 2, the rudder servo is located on the bottom of the plane (further back) and the elevator servo just under the horizonal stab. Now the battery is just level with the back edge of the tray which is better. Hope that makes sense! I could have moved the rudder servo even further back but at the time I didn't know how much it would take to 'balance'.


Here is a picture of Groove #1 servo positons.

[griffin]

Richard,
Oh I see. Having the new groove with pull pull and elevator servo in the tail was a shifting of weight aft compared to your first groove. Plus you use solite rather than solarfilm, which keeps the tail even lighter.

In any case, I think someone building the groove is fine with rudder servo in pull pull position, or in the tail position unless they have an unusual motor setup.

I flew mine the other day too in these early spring temps we've been having. Still my favorite plane! -Steve

[rclark]

in any case, I think someone building the groove is fine with rudder servo in pull pull position, or in the tail position unless they have an unusual motor setup. I agree :) .

Yah enjoying mine too again. I flew my miniFlash several times before I flew the Groove and what a night and day difference between the two! Yank and Bank to nice Precision flying :) .

I have only used SolarFilm on one plane ... my new Predator B. I like the opaqueness but you have to be so careful when shrinking so not to warp the surface or break ribs.... at least that is what I've found with it.....

[rclark]

echoplanar, Where's the flight report :) .

Last Saturday, the tail wheel wire broke off right at the aluminum tube holder. Stopped the flying at that point. Took about 30 minutes back home to have a new wire installed again and flew again on Monday. Today we have about 4" of snow so flying is 'stopped' for a while :o .

[rclark]

Passed 200 flights (drained batteries) this morning. 75 more to get to $1 flights ;) . Still going very strong and just as much fun to fly as on the maiden! :) .

[rclark]

RIP. Dumb thumbed (no wait, I got a glitch ;) had to be ;) ) my Groove #2 into the ground today. Doing a fast rolling 45 down-line that got to close to the ground. Was inverted at the bottomed and pushed instead of pulled :( . No time to correct the 'error' ..... 267 flights in total on the plane.... Just had to relate! :o .

[Konrad]

Taps:{

Konrad

[rclark]

Rise of the Phoenix .... It flies again .... A bit more weight, bit more robust, but it is flying again without it's cowl. Amazing what one can do with a pile of sticks.... Flies just like it used too :D :D :D . Passed $1 flights. Now they are 98 cent flights :) .


From this ... to flying ...

[FlyingMonkey]

what's a little more weight?

first wives pack on a few pounds, now airplanes?

[rclark]

Oh, it looks like about 1 oz. Went from 27 to 28 oz....

[FlyingMonkey]

ounce, pound, same difference ;)