Capricorn - the ultimate flying boat.

[DHC Beaver]

Thank for that,John,I'll just have to give it a try,see how (or if!) it flies.Just using a few felt pens to put some colour on it.

[indyet]

DHC,
Oh it will fly, that's the beauty of the Capricorns I have found that the pilot is the limiting factor, a bit more glue and try again and it soon comes together.
Good luck !

[DHC Beaver]

Unfortunately,the cg on mine was way back,so i've put a couple of lead sinkers into the front of the floats.Cg right on 6" now.If i want to make it a bit wilder later on,I'll remove the lead balls.

[DHC Beaver]

My 43 oz. Capricorn had it's maiden this morning.
It did fly,but only just.Very fast roll rate,but couldn't complete a loop.It just rolled off the top.
I started with an 11x4.7sf prop,then tried a borrowed 10x4.8.The 10 gave a slight improvement in flying speed,but still not great.
Motor and battery were mildly warm,but not worryingly so.
My next move is a bigger motor.
Unfortunately,it will have to wait for a couple of weeks.I have to take SWMBO to the hospital next flying day.
On reflection,I should have removed the paper from the foam board.This would have saved just over a third in weight.I,ll know for next time.

[indyet]

Crikey DHC, I had to google SWHMBO, it made the bride laugh though,
Cap No. 4 is still taking shape, hinged all the elevons today but the big rudder is causing me concern , it's huge, the removable aspect is not a problem but the effect on the CG is, not to worry it's a Capricorn it WILL fly

[DBacon]

Larry,

I just read about your Knee replacement, I (and all of us) hope you are doing well!

[DHC Beaver]

Only had a short time to spend in the shop today,so made new spacers to mount the motor.
I tried some from an acrylic blind handle,as it's nice and light.Too light,as it turned out.When i tightened the screws,the end split.


Hence my new spacers made from brass 6mm hex rod.Drilled and tapped 3mm one side,4mm the other.


I would have used alloy if i had any.But the brass ones aren't that heavy anyway,and the extra weight in front might allow me to remove the lead weights out of the floats.
so here's the whole kit with the motor mounted.


I had thought about reversing the motor shaft,so i could use the original mount,but,man,that shaft was tight.I couldn't press it out in my bench vise.
So i simply extended the original mount with the spacers.I made 8,as I have 2 of these motors,and while I'm working on the lathe,it doesn't take much more time to do a spare set.
That's all,folks.

[DHC Beaver]

Flew the "improved" capricorn today,but not happy.The bigger motor has made it too heavy,and now it just barely wallows around the sky.I did a low level loop,with ended with a resounding crash,mercifully flat on the ground.
Damage was confined to a broken motor shaft,and the elevator hinge ripped out.I've already replaced the shaft.
I'm now stripping the paper off the elmers foam board,in order to put the Capricorn on a diet.
The reason i don't dump the whole thing,is that elmers board costs me $8.50 for a 30x20" sheet,so i've got over 30 bucks in the airframe.So,a wet cloth and plenty of scrubbing will get the job done.Maybe I'll be able to go back to a smaller,lighter motor and esc.

[indyet]

DHC.
As Larry says, light wing loading , big props, and huuuuggggge rudders make for happy pilot, but I will be the first to admit to big motor heavy weight and a different style. The new No. 4 is slowly taking shape, but the MAAA has shut down our flying field due to safety violations, so I have slowed up the build and am enjoying the luxury of taking my time and worrying about the small details and I am suffering from tail anxiety, (is it big enough ) photos soon

[Larry3215]

Building light is not easy for most people and certainly not for me in general.
I find that I have to really pay attention to every single detail and resist all temptations to make some part "just a little bit stronger". Every gram adds up.

It really pays off when you finally get a model that truly floats though. Its a hoot

[indyet]

It's funny how you get fixated on parts of a build, at the moment it is the CG, but I have decided to leave the motor mount to last and hope it works out. Larry is right I had Georgette who floated beautifully but I gave her to a friend who needed a lift, but he won't give her back, having too much fun. Such is life

[DHC Beaver]

Yes,I'm fixated on weight loss.Maybe I should take Capricorn to Jenny Craig.
For the uninitiated,Jenny Craig is a weight-loss guru in Australasia.
I could use her services myself!

[DHC Beaver]

I had a flight or two on monday with the bigger motor,but found it to be very nose heavy now that i've removed the paper.


I have now removed this motor,and fitted a dt800.I've also fitted a couple of 2.5mm carbon fibre rods across the wing ,as it flexes too much without the paper.


I weighed it today,and got a total of 36.5 ounces with a 2200mah 3s lipo included.That's about 11 ounces lighter than it was before,so i consider the dieting to have been a success.It's still not as light as larry's,but I'm reasonably happy with it at that weight.
The proof will be in the flying,so I'm hoping for a few nice flights next monday.
Incidentally,i didn't remove the paper from the wing doubler area,as i felt that was one area were the strength was needed.

[Larry3215]

Thats a significant weight reduction! Well done! You should notice a definite improvement in the way it flys.

[Larry3215]

Ok, someone please thank me for something. Other wise my mother-in-law will freak if she finds out that I've been thanked 666 times

[DBacon]

Thank you for being Larry!

[Otto Dieffenbach]

The Devil is in the details...... Thanx Larry.

[DBacon]

Originally Posted by Otto Dieffenbach

The Devil is in the details...... Thanx Larry.

Must click the "Thanks" symbol in Larry's post lower Rt corner, then it will be his 668th "thanks"

[DHC Beaver]

Haha,i just put thank you in for larry,cause this is such a great design!
And I gave you one as well,Dbacon,for your modifications,which i've included in mine.

[Larry3215]

My domestic tranquility thanks you all

[DBacon]

I don't even know if I have a domestic tranquility, that is the kind of thing you find out about when you don't have it... I still thank you DHC Beaver
-Dave