Guillows P-51 conversion

[SnoJetter]

I bought this kit about 4 years ago when I had a coupon from a hobby shop. Last month, when stuck in doors with -10 degree temps and wind chills that freeze motor oil, I decided to start building it. Part way into the project, I thought it would be great to try and conver it to R/C.

Here I have the fuse built with the servos positioned about where they'll end up.

Kyle Sands <>< Huntley, MN

[SnoJetter]

Here's the motor mount. Power originally was an IPS "A" but I've since gone to a "4.14" gear ratio.

KS

[SnoJetter]

I chose to go with scale ailerons.

KS

[SnoJetter]

Here the wing is covered and it's beginning to look like a Mustang!

KS

[SnoJetter]

Covering is left-over doculam from my Switchback. This is great stuff! The narrow wing tips and scale shape caused me concern about tip stalling. So I covered the bottom of the wing as normal, then tacked the doculam to the perimeter of the top of the wing. Then I put a piece of 1/4 inch square balsa under the rear of each wing tip and shrunk the covering. Presto! Plenty of washout!

KS

[SnoJetter]

I finished it with aluminum acrylic paint airbrushed on. Don't look too closely, it ain't perfect, but looks fine fromthe air.

KS

[SnoJetter]

All up wieight is 8oz. I'd like to try a 3.5 (or so) gear ratio motor and a 7x6 prop. I think it needs more speed for better performance. The empannage is a little small, too. It seems to fly tail down even though the CG is plenty far forward. I think more tail surface area would really help. The elevator is on the small side. These things aside, it flies fine and isn't hard to control. I have to keep my eyes on it all the time cuz it can get away from me. Landings are power on otherwise the nose drops right away. If I were to do this again, I would look for more ways to lighten up the whole plane and make a larger tail.

KS

[SnoJetter]

Don't believe the talk that Guillows planes don't fly well. Yes, the wood is heavy, and it sure isn't a project for everyone. But they will fly and do it quite well.

KS

[SnoJetter]

AND it's rugged, too! I smacked this plane in from about 25 feet after an aileron stuck and it spiraled in. Ended up with a small crack in the firewall and bent landing gear. Didn't bother to repair it, just freed up the aileron and flew for another 15 minutes. It's a tough plane!

KS

[flyinhigh]

Hey Kyle
I got to say SWEEEEEEEEET!!! very nice looking....Great Job on the conversion.
Are you using the HS-55?I would give you some suggestions but you probably arleady know..
If your flying tail heavy kinda dragging along and poor climb performance.Im no expert but you might want to try to move the CG back a lil and not foward.
you have gotta have some of the best inflight pics around Kyle and I love seeing em:D This plane looks great in the air and once again I have to say GOOD JOB!!!!!
Take more pics PLEASE...:)
Take Care
MIKE

[CalmAir]

Nice work SnoJetter,

Those kits are a lot of work as is, much less converting it to RC. It's been a long time since I built one of those, but I remember how much patience it took. I was surprised to hear that the front end held up as good as it did after the spiral.

It really looks fabulous in the air. Very nice photo's. Putting in the washout was a good idea on that wing. What a commendable job!

Dale

[SnoJetter]

Thanks guys, conversions really are a blast since they involve some engineering to get everything to work right. It's the next step beyond kit building or designing your own plane. I've been building Guillows since I was 10 or so. Not all worked out, but most ended up resembling an airplane.

I've hesitated to move the CG back since it already can become unstable at low speeds. I snapped rolled yesterday without trying - just a simple attempt at a roll and it snapped about hal-way around. Perhaps when I get more airspeed with the new motor, the tail will fly better.

I have plenty of pictures. Unfortunately, the still feature on the video cam doesn't have great resolution. If I could figure out why Pinnacle doesn't work on the computer, I'd post a flight video as well. Here she is revving up for take-off.

Kyle

[SnoJetter]

Thanks guys, conversions really are a blast since they involve some engineering to get everything to work right. It's the next step beyond kit building or designing your own plane. I've been building Guillows since I was 10 or so. Not all worked out, but most ended up resembling an airplane.

I've hesitated to move the CG back since it already can become unstable at low speeds. I snapped rolled yesterday without trying - just a simple attempt at a roll and it snapped about hal-way around. Perhaps when I get more airspeed with the new motor, the tail will fly better.

I have plenty of pictures. Will post more after a bit. Unfortunately, the still feature on the video cam doesn't have great resolution. If I could figure out why Pinnacle doesn't work on the computer, I'd post a flight video as well.

Kyle

[SnoJetter]

Oh, forgot to mention...yes those are HS-55's. I'm not sure that saving a quarter of an ounce by going to the HS-50's is worth the extra money for those. I can't see any reason not to use these servos in everything I've got.

Here's a shot lined up and ready for take-off.

Kyle

[SnoJetter]

Here's the start of a strafing run...

KS

[genovia]

GOOD JOB KYLE :cool: :cool: I love it, I love it. Thanks for sharing this with us:)

[Dave Robelen]

Hello Kyle,
That is one neat looking model! I agree without seeng it fly, that moving the CG further back could make mess, especially if it wants to snap in a maneuver now. One of the many changes my Micro Mustang has from the original is an enlarged horizontal tail. While the washout is good news on a tapered wing, you may be getting hit with leakage throught the aileron hinge line if you have not sealed this. An unsealed aileron hinge leads both to easy snaps that are uncommanded, and wimpy aileon response.
Regards, Dave

[RC10tee3]

is that the p51 from guillows that is u-control

[flyinhigh]

Hey Kyle
How many cells are you using in the S1 drive?I have found that 7 cells makes a dramatic improvement in this drive and from what I remember is stronger than the 3.75 drive although Im not familair with the 3.5 drive. is that a GWS or another ?Are you using a ep9047 on the 4.14?
MIKE

[flyinhigh]

Oh Yeah
About the HS-55's Im not saying theres anything wrong with them I have bought stock in them myself;) but I think when I start with the more weight sensitive planes Im going to switch to the GWS PICO's just a tid bit lighter thatn the 50's at the same price as the 55's .
Back when I was rich I bought a whole bunch of the 55's,and I too have them going in everything Im building.

:D
MIKE

[SnoJetter]

RC10, this is Guillows 27 3/4 inch model. It can be converted to U-control.

Dave, the underside of the ailerons is not sealed. The hinge is simple clear packing tape on the top of the wing, so it is sealed fine there. I only had it snap once and that was when I tried a simple roll - it went to knife-edge and then fell out in a snap. No big deal to recover. I haven't been able to do a loop either - just not ebough elevator surface or flying speed. Like I say, it's a good first try at R/C conversion and just flying around doing strafing runs and touch-and-goes. But if anyone else tries it, more tail area would really improve performance.

Mike, I've got no quibble about HS-50's either. But to pay an extra 10 bucks each just isn't worth the weight savings to me. A full house ship will save maybe 3/4 of an oz and to me that isn't worth $30. My modeling budget is too tight. The suggestion for GWS servos might be a good idea for me - I haven't looked into those. Thanks,

Kyle

[RC10tee3]

thats what i thought it was b/c i bought one a long time a go

[SnoJetter]

Power comes from a 2-cell, 1020 mah Kokam Li-poly pack. I have to fly at pretty much full throttle all the time and my longest flights have been nearly 20 minutes with no perceivable loss in speed or climb rate. Not bad at temps below freezing.

I went out yesterday afternoon to fly my Switchback Lite. Temps were about 8 degrees. I flew through 2 of the 1020 Kokam packs and each lasted about 5 minutes. That's ok, I was getting cold myself awfully fast!

Kyle

[GWS4CEO]

Well done!:)