TF FliteStreak Lead-outs

Well I have finally got around to purchasing a ready made Flight Streak from my local hobby shop. I just couldn't pass up the price and time savings to have a back-up plane at the ready.

This brings me to the upgrade of the lead-outs. I would like to here from you how you tackled the problem, what you used and how well it is holding up. I have my own plan of attack but there may be a better "mouse trap" built by someone else.

"Cracking a plane or two per month is a right of passage."

I left the leadouts stock on my Streak, there not how I would do them but they will do. Great flying plane!

Mike,
I hope you're planning on bringing that ARF streak to Tulsa tomorrow!
Weather forecast gets better the closer we get. Come up and visit at least.

This brings me to the upgrade of the lead-outs. I would like to here from you how you tackled the problem, what you used and how well it is holding up. I have my own plan of attack but there may be a better "mouse trap" built by someone else.

Is there a NEED to upgrade? I've flown the ARF But I haven't heard of any problems. "SO IS THERE A PROBLEM?" Maybe I should read some of the back posts.

Scott(still on chapter one) Riese

Good point. From a practical stand point is it worth the man-hours and hassle to change the lead outs for something heavier when at my level of flying I will more likely crack the plane up before any componet has a chance of failing.

I do not have a Streak ARF but if they used the same leadouts they did in the Nobler I would replace them.

The easiest is to use .032 solids with the stock bellcrank.

I didn't change mine. With the smaller powerplants, an OS 20 in my case, they have been fine. Dennis

> I didn't change mine. With the smaller powerplants, an OS
>20 in my case, they have been fine. Dennis

But for how long. I, too, after seeing the lack of quality in the control system that should be the most "bullet proof" part of it, do, indeed, feel that they should be changed out. If you crash it early, OK, it probably didn't take that long to change out. I believe we had one person here who broke the leadouts the first time out. Just a little jerk or a little extra flexing, and they are going to be gone.

I would second the motion to use .031 solids as the easiest and quickest fix with the current belcrank. If you cange out belcranks as well, then use the system of your choice. But make sure it is solid enough to not depart the plane under any and all circumstances.

I left my leadouts stock on the Flite Streak, and have inspected them occasionally. No problem so far.

However, the Nobler ones have got to go! They seem flimsier than the ones on the FS, if anything, and soldered ends are a no-no!

> I didn't change mine. With the smaller powerplants, an OS
>20 in my case, they have been fine. Dennis

I feel that I should clarify one thing. I bought this plane for what it is a disposable airplane. At $60.00 a pop it is cheap enough to be cavalier about. Were it something that I was building from a kit or scratch and investing my time in then yes it would have a bullet proof system in it.
Most ARF's are really meant to last a season, no more. If this plane was bought by a beginner then it might not outlast the control system, or at some wreck need replacing.Would the control system be the cause of the wreck I don't have enough feedback to form an opinion. Lets see what the results are after a season of flying. Dennis

This leads me back to my question, if you went with the solids, how would you or did you accomplish the task. With the limited work space and access to the bell crank, solids could be a bugger compared to cable lead outs. What I am shooting for here is the tried and true and the don't do that methods.

Mike,

Here is a link to the thread that I explained how I did it on my Nobler with a picture.

http://www.clstunt.com/htdocs/dcforum/DCForumID1/5588.html

As I said I do not have a Streak but if you can wiggle the bellcrank out through the access hatch you should be able to follow the same procedure I did on the Nobler.

There is one problem with the Flite Streak Leadouts----they are braided wire in a metal bellcrank. I am not particularly worried about the fact that they are crimped, but I am worried that the bellcrank will cut the wire in two.

This actually happend to me on a CG Shoestring with a Fox35 mounted on it--fortunately it was the down that broke, so the plane went into full loops. This slowed down the plane so much , that when it did hit not much damage was done. Actually pulling the bellcrank out did more damage than the crash!

I am planning to use the BB Fox 15 so it may not be as much of a shaker as the Fox35, but I am making sure the little access hole is always accessible.

Alan Hahn: I am not particularly worried about the fact that they are crimped, but I am worried that the bellcrank will cut the wire in two.

If the crank is aluminum, it's the other way around.

I just checked the other Streak that I haven't started yet. This one has plastic coated leadout wire the diameter of the wire is slightly heavier then the one in my first one .The crimping is done with the final pass up the outside and down the tube and then crimped. Dennis

As I described, the Shoestring had the wire cut (or broken) at the bellcrank. NOw this was a Fox bellcrank, and I am not positive what it was made out of. I am also not sure what the Arf Streak bellcrank material is either.

The leadouts that came in my streak were plastic coated that measured .027 with the plastic on, without the plastic they measured .017. Thought this was too small and replaced with heavier braided lines after bushing the holes in the bellcrank. I hate taking pieces home and after losing one plane after about 3 flights when the metal bellcrank cut through (think they really broke from the 90 deg bend) the up leadout I'm not willing to risk it.

If you expect to crash within a short time no need to replace them, if not pull the bellcrank out and bring them up to your standard for leadouts.

hmm, my Arf Streak leadouts are just bare braide 25 thousandths wire which loop though the leaout hole in the bellcrank. I just received this plane about a week ago from Tower, so I think it is the latest version.

>hmm, my Arf Streak leadouts are just bare braide 25
>thousandths wire which loop though the leaout hole in the
>bellcrank. I just received this plane about a week ago from
>Tower, so I think it is the latest version.

The new one that i have now has the plastic coated L/O. My origional ship had the non coated larger L/O. Apparently they are made on more then one line or more then one location. Dennis

Ok Guys here is my follow. I took Leonard's and Bob Reeves sugguestions and guidlines and hit the work bench. It took me and hour to complete ( I was taking my time and piddling), but it was not difficult nor tricky. I used .032 solid lead outs and attached directly to the existing bell crank. Make sure to test movement when you put everything back together. I had a catch on my leadout with the elevator control rod and it would lock at full down. I had to reverse the way I connected the lead out to the bell crank for bind free operation. Any way here are some pictures.

>Ok Guys here is my follow. I took Leonard's and Bob Reeves
>sugguestions and guidlines and hit the work bench. It took
>me and hour to complete ( I was taking my time and
>piddling), but it was not difficult nor tricky. I used .032
>solid lead outs and attached directly to the existing bell
>crank. Make sure to test movement when you put everything
>back together. I had a catch on my leadout with the
>elevator control rod and it would lock at full down. I had
>to reverse the way I connected the lead out to the bell
>crank for bind free operation. Any way here are some
>pictures.

Excellent!! Thanks for showing this. I have the following nagging question which I will now break down and ask:

I get the subjective impression that certain combinations of bell crank material and leadout material are favored, others are to be avoided.

In the current example, in addition to the leadouts simply being too small in diameter, there have been a number of concerns raised that the cable leadouts will cut through the aluminum bellcrank, or vise versa. Is this a general concern? I get the impression that the preferred combinations are: 1) Nylon bell crank with cable leadouts and 2) Aluminum bell crank with solid leadouts. Is it just plain bad to combine an aluminum bell crank with cable leadouts? Then there is the issue of bushings or no bushings in the bell crank holes, or equivalently, thimbles on the cable leadouts as they pass through the crank.

Can somebody please sort this out for me? My baseline plan is to replace the existing leadouts with heavier cable (0.027") and leave the stock crank in place. Is this just a bad idea? Should I plan on installing a nylon crank instead, and if so, which one? I strongly favor cables over solids, just personal preference.

What are the preferred combinations?

Thanks In Advance,

Andy if you leave the stock bell crank in, use brass bushings in the lead out holes. The stock crank is a "sand blasted" appearing steel bell crank. If you go to a nylon crank, solids will be fine, but they do bend at the leadout holes in the tip, and this will be a royal pain. A nylon 3" crank will hold up with .027" braided leadouts that are wrapped. There is not a lot of tension in this plane compared to a heavier one, and the wear will be slight, but it will be there.

If you use stranded cable with any kind of bellcrank you should bush the holes in the bellcrank so the braded cable doesn't saw through it. Brass tubing works real well, you just do not want the cable to be the bearing material, it makes a great saw.

I would say if you want to use heavier lead out cables then bush the existing bell crank where the cables go through and run with it. We have an inspection hatch on this model so we can always pop it off and see how components are wearing.

It is my understanding that steel cable tends to cut through aluminium and can wear through a bell crank in time. Cable also flexes and there fore will fatigue and fail. So we go with combinations that have shown to give us the best run for the money before it wears out.

By the way the first picture should have been the last in the sequence. It was my first try at posting pictures.