Howard and Paul

"Masters of Stunt" How did your testing of that thingamajig on the flap turn out? People need an up date on it.

Scott(lonely in Portland)Riese

It's a big secret!

Howard seems to think it does something. What is unclear. I know the point was reduce the control pressure, but maybe it flushed his toliet.

>Howard seems to think it does something. What is unclear. I
>know the point was reduce the control pressure, but maybe it
>flushed his toliet.

Hmmm. Perhaps that would explain all the recent plumbing work.

Hmmm.... Must have worked quite well then....

Are you guys testing at night out in the desert somewhere? Area Fifty-TWO, perhaps...

God bless!

The last time I saw Howie's Impact it was fitted with whatever it was Scott asked about. (Sorry, I'm really weak in following Scott's clear and concise descriptions of things aero.)

The linkage and tabs and CF parts really look cool. And just owning the model in question must be similar to driving a low-rider, in that everybody wants to know all about the hydraulics and then to see a demonstration.

Unfortunately, Howard remains less than a champion of this trickery. One asks him how it works in the air and the best response is an indication that it doesn't seem to screw up an otherwise excellent model.

Except that was exactly what seemed to be happening when I watched the model fly, there being some sort of problem in merely keeping the model flying level. As ambient temperatures rose. Honest. I would explain, but if I got it wrong both PW and Howard would be mad at me and I can ill afford that right now.

Bottom line: I don't see any existing PA designs being forced into obsolescence. Heck, I don't even see Howard's own set of unadulterated flaps--the ones originally built for this model--being made obsolete.

But it does look cool...

Thanks DAN. I knew "I COULD COUNT ON YOU"

Scott(wolf, wolf, he he he)Riese

Paul...Christmas is comming

Did someone put a boost tab on thier flaps? That would be a cool picture.

we used boost tabs on a lot of our early quarter scale RC jobs. Servos were a little weaker then and needed all the help that we could give. They are effective but I don't see them as being something for the flaps, generally we used them on the elevators and ailerons.
They are simplicity itself to hook up and work, the biggest mistake is to make them too big.
Dennis

>They are simplicity itself to hook up and work......
.
>Dennis

Dennis,

Uh, you've never actually been around Howard much, have you? I'm guessing, but the set of Impact flaps we're talking about appear to have taken months from design to flying-field trials.

Dan,

Don't forget the exhaustive wind tunnel testing and computer simulations.

That would be Howard. Of course, aren't all former combat flyers sort of technical?

Randy Powell

Ducking and running

>.
>
>Of course, aren't all former combat
>flyers sort of technical?
>
>

Randy Powell
>
> Ducking and running

No.

> we used boost tabs on a lot of our early quarter scale RC
>jobs. Servos were a little weaker then and needed all the
>help that we could give. They are effective but I don't see
>them as being something for the flaps, generally we used
>them on the elevators and ailerons.

>Dennis

Actually, it makes sense that boost tabs would be more effective on the flaps of a stunt model than on the elevators. (And it goes without saying that boost tabs are not needed on the ailerons of a stunt ship.) The flaps on a stunt ship are nearly twice the area of the elevators. If boost tabs would be a benefit on a CL Stunt design, they would be more effective on the flaps than on the elevators, even if the flaps have a reduced deflection ratio to the elevators. I have a profile ship going together to try out boost tabs on the flaps only, elevators only, and in combination. And if there is not any perceived benefit, the boost tab mechanism will be disabled and the tabs taped in a fixed position.

First, let me correct your title: I ain't no master.

Yes, the prototype flaps took awhile. We tried them a couple of weeks before the Nats, and they worked so well that I whipped out new flaps for the Nats. The doodads may have some beneficial effect, but there are side effects, to wit:

1. I can't keep the wings level. I have no flap horn adjustment, so I have to bend the flaps to level the wing. I have to retweak them pretty much every time I go flying. I need to determine whether this is because the hastily built flaps are warped and not stabilized, the leading-edge torque tube is a rotational thermometer, or something aerodynamically weird is happening.

2. Sometimes the airplane drops in corners. Maybe the airplane is just mistrimmed, or maybe I was hammering the corners, but it could very well be that the tabs are reducing the max lift of the wing too much.

3. The highest tab gain reduces the hinge moment so much that the airplane loses control feel: the controls don't center like they oughta.

I plan to do some more experimenting. The initial optimism may have come from the flaps accidentally canceling a slight mistrim in the test airplane, so when we switched to the new flaps, the airplane appeared to improve.

I'll post some pictures in the next few days.

Howard wrote...First, let me correct your title: I ain't no master.

Not what your wife say's.....LOL
Hay thanks for getting back on this.

Scott(hope it works) Riese}>

Scott,

I don't know. I starting to become one of those "the more complicated the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain" sorts.

But it is Howard and he does have some cool ideas.

Remember I'm A Pipefitter/Plumber by trade.

Scott(have a lot of ideas)Riese:P

I think it important to note, and repeat, the first response to Scott's query: "It's a big secret!"

Secrets are really fun, especially in an event populated by folk who maintain there are no secrets.

My advice to all who wish to be in on a Big Secret is to recruit your very own Howard Rush. Sure, this sort of personality type is rare. And there are quantifiable downsides. But we in the NW have found the situation to be a net gain and so have learned to encourage Mr. Rush no matter how bizarre his ideas may seem.

>I think it important to note, and repeat, the first response
>to Scott's query: "It's a big secret!"

I don't see how. I watched the mad scientist hook the crazy things up at the Nats. Took like an hour to get off the tape!

The paint was still wet.