Parkzone Radian RTF CG way out of whack

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by tscheffel

@Rockin: Thanks for commenting on Paul's suggested Radian mods. It's nice to get another experienced flyer's perspective.

Too late on #4: I bought a spare battery when I bought the plane. I'm sure I'll upgrade down the road when I become a competent pilot and want more power.

No harm done. There's nothing wrong with the Parkzone battery, it's just too expensive and the C rating is abyssmal. But it will work fine and you'll never know the difference until you get a cheaper, better battery. You'll still keep the old ones in rotation, so no harm done!

Originally Posted by tscheffel

What is the purpose of #5 (taping over the hatch front)? I assume it is to reduce air turbulence but am not sure.

Exactly right. I'm not sure exactly how much good it will do but it certainly won't do any harm and it marks you as a guy who is willing to pay attention to detail to make the plane fly better. It's easier than painting lightning on the wings.

Originally Posted by tscheffel

I did #8 using Scotch Tough transparent duct tape. I also taped along the top and bottom of the fuselage and the leading edge of the vertical tail.

Good! That will stiffen up the airframe and make it more dent resistant where it counts.

Originally Posted by tscheffel

I ordered replacement Dubro mini EZ connectors and 2 canopies. Hopefully they are here by the end of the week.

PERFECT! I use Dubro mini EZ connectors on my Slow Stick and they are great. I always took a rubber band and used it around my fuselage as a canopy keeper. If you do it right it looks like window framework from 20' away. You can also double up on the magnets to make it stick tighter.

[tscheffel]

My replacement Dubro mini EZ connectors and 2 spare canopies arrived yesterday. I hope the weather/wind permits flying this weekend. One thing I noticed when I removed the old thumbscrews was that the elevator was not perfectly flush with the horizontal stabilizer (it had a slight upturn). This may have contributed to my first 2 flights prematurely ending.

This yields the following question: which side (top or bottom) of the Radian's horizontal stabilizer should the elevator be flush with (which side do I set the ruler on)? I assume the bottom but want to be sure.

[JetPlaneFlyer]

Originally Posted by tscheffel

This yields the following question: which side (top or bottom) of the Radian's horizontal stabilizer should the elevator be flush with (which side do I set the ruler on)? I assume the bottom but want to be sure.

Neither top nor bottom, it should be dead centre so if you put a straight edge on the top of the stab, and another on the bottom, the elevator should dead centre between the two.

This is of course just a starting point, you may need to add trim.

[tscheffel]

One issue I forgot to mention: the connector with the broken thumbscrew is still tightly attached to the control rod. I am trying to figure out how to safely remove it.

p.s. No flying this weekend as it is fairly windy.

[JetPlaneFlyer]

Originally Posted by tscheffel

the connector with the broken thumbscrew is still tightly attached to the control rod.

Not sure what part of the plane you are talking about? Do you mean pushrod?.. If so i'm not sure where the thumbscrew fits in?

[tscheffel]

Yep, the connector on the pushrod to the elevator. The thumbscrew screwed into the connector that slides onto the pushrod, securing it to the elevator. I'm probably using the incorrect lingo.

Anyway, the aluminum thumbscrew broke off as I was tightening it, leaving the base of the screw still inside the connector, tight against the pushrod. Not sure how to get it off without damaging the pushrod.

[xmech2k]

That'll be fun to get out. Is any portion of it still sticking out? You might be able to grab it with needle nose pliers. Being that tiny, it's gonna be tough. If it's broken flush or inside, it may have rough enough spots to catch with a small screwdriver. Once it's broken loose, it might back out without any more resistance. Holding the 'thingie' that holds the pushrod and wiggling the pushrod (Both with pliers) may help getting what's left of the screw to loosen that little bit to get started. Good luck!

[JetPlaneFlyer]

I guess we must be looking at some sort of non-standard connector? The standard pushrod arrangement is for the pushrod to have a male screwed end and the clavis (the bit that connects to the control horn) screws on to the pushrod.

This sounds something quite different. maybe you could swap the whole thing out for a standard pushrod and clevis?

[tscheffel]

It's the standard connector that comes with the plane. The screw that goes into the connector to secure the pushrod is an aluminum thumbscrew that isn't very sturdy.

I think I will apply a drill to it for my first attempt at removing it.

[JetPlaneFlyer]

Sorry, when i said 'standard' I meant standard as in the normal type that you find on most RC planes. The one you have is obviously a special design not found on many other models.

Drilling out is good but ideally you would want a left hand drill so that it would extract the male threaded part from the hole rather than just drilling a hole down the middle.

[Rockin Robbins]

Or it could be a job for the trusty old Dremel cutoff wheel.

[tscheffel]

Excellent idea! Why didn't I think of that?!