f6hlct

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It was a great week end, and the chance to fly with a couple of other Reactions was awesome.

bob1393

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Dave - I also put on the Robart struts and Trim brakes and wheels on the mains and had the same issues you did. It wasn't difficult. I haven't done the nose wheel
yet but do have the strut. How do you think it would work if I use a 2 inch nose wheel instead of 3 inch - thus picking up 1/2 inch more so less cutting would be needed
on the nose wheel strut?

Bob

autothrottle

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Thanks Dave for the pic's and the wright-up. That's just what I was looking for.

f6hlct

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Your right that the 2� wheel would give you some extra length, but the larger wheel is probably the answer on grass. I think if you save ½� you are still into doing some cutting. If you still want a functional strut on the nose, I think that the best approach is to make the modifications as mentioned. Perhaps have a friend give you a hand that is more comfortable with this type of work.

Dave Penchuk

f6hlct

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This is just a resend of a screwy picture. I don't know how it ended up that way, but let me try again Jim.

BruceTharpe

My Feedback: (1)

Dave, thanks for the great info! That's the beauty of RCU and this thread in particular. Lots of bright people sharing their mods, tweaks, experiences, etc...

I'm asked fairly often about replacing the wire struts with shock-absorbing struts. As you've made clear, Robart doesn't make any that are a drop-in fit. Don't expect them to, either. If you knew how much trouble I've had getting standard, off-the-shelf product from them, you would understand that asking for something custom would be like volunteering for a root canal.

Matt, that was actually a very logical question about mounting the nose retract higher. Problem is that the longer strut would interfere with the bulkhead just aft of the retract mount. Also, moving the mount upward gets you into some prime real estate that's needed for batteries and receiver.

John Beran

My Feedback: (14)

Hi Dave,
I just finished my Reaction 54 and did the first test flight at the HOTMAC field in Waco, Texas during their 2006 Greater Southwest Jet Rally. I got in 7 great flights on the Reaction before the JetCat P60 gave up. The RPM sensor failed according to the JetCat field rep that was at the rally. So the engine is on the way back to the factory in CA and it'll be awhile before I get to fly the plane again.
I am glad you put your experience with the gear on the web site. It does sound intimidating and I think I'll stick with the 3/16!QUOT! struts. They do ride hard but I doubt I could do all the mod's you did plus my plane is all finished which makes me think I would have a bit of plane mod's to do also. I did have the nose strut problem (bending very easy)but Bruce is sending me a replacement strut which will solve the problem.
I am using main gear wheels and brakes from Intairco which work great. I did have to make a simple mod to the 3/16!QUOT! struts to keep the inner part of the wheel locked to it. Nothing difficult at all (it had to be simple for me). I am also using BVM's Smooth Stop which I like very much.
My son Bob did the covering using BTE templates and the plane is beautiful. He sure can do monocoat proud.

John Beran

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Hey Guys, here is Bob B's R54, and Chuck K's.. Bob let me fly his, and I got dibs on a local kit now... will put a P70 in it.

Bruce, you can use these if you want to also..





I like this pic if it was a bit sharper..

bob1393

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Hi John - thanks for the pics here. Please note that most of us move the turbine foward by cutting a notch in the boat tail. This helps eliminate some of the nose weight needed.

Bob B.

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Yep, I should note that Bob's is the bottom one of the two

BruceTharpe

My Feedback: (1)

Fantastic shots, John! Saw them in the Princeton thread - really wish I coulda made it up there.

Glad to hear you got your hands on a kit. Just to let people know, I'm managing to find scraps of time here and there to make R54 parts, so next batch is still on schedule for Nov or Dec. For those that haven't heard, BTE has taken on a major project building four of our Super Flyin' King models for NASA Dryden to be used as UAV trainers. It has top priority now, but should be done in a few weeks. After that, R54 kits will be top priority. Lots of builders are waiting, and I want you all to know your patience is appreciated.

causeitflies

NASA kits first??[X(]
Bruce, you need to get your priorities straight..

Copngrats on the contract.

phantom driver

My Feedback: (32)

That's awsome. I am going to get my R-54 before NASA discovers them.

booker-RCU

My Feedback: (43)

To late!! They already have one

http://image.rcuniverse.com/forum/up...40/Yv66167.jpg

speedbrake

Hey,
Just a heads up about the latch assembly. The latch assembly on my R54 (the plastic body) crumbled into numerous pieces during a flight. When I landed I noticed the hatch was loose. The metal pin had come free of the plastic (nylon?)body. I'm fortunate the hatch didn't come off during flight. I have no idea why the latch assembly would fail. There wasn't that much stress on it. Because of the difficulty of removing the epoxied plywood pieces that hold the latch assemby to the top fuselage sheeting, I decided to use a nylon screw to hold the hatch in place. It was simple to do and shouldn't cause any problems in the future.
Keith

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Got my kit, am impressed by how it all fits in that tiny box.... got the overwhelmed feeling once laying out all the stuff.... But am working on it.. I will have questions..

BTW, those have have put a P70 on it, any mods/beefing up done?

Thanks
John

jclittle

My Feedback: (99)

I have a P70 on mine and have logged about 40 flights with it. Built it per BTE's plans. Just watch the G's. Full throttle dives into low passes are awesome. Take off distance and vertical performance are much better then the P60. Nothing against the P60, it just flies better with the 70. Yes I have flown both.

JohnVH

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yeah, Im not a high G puller type with jets anyway.. Good to know, thanks!

Ron Stahl

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I put an extra 24 oz dubro tank where the air tank is shown on the plans and moved the tank to the rear hatch area, other than that no other mods. You'll love it with the P-70

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Cool, thanks Ron, sure wish I liked building more...

afterburner

My Feedback: (18)

Once you get past the wing, the rest of it goes fast.

Marty

causeitflies

The R-54 will be the last kit I build for a while. Thank goodness it was a nice kit to build. I don't mind building too much but sometimes it's hard to get motivated and seems I build slower and slowwwer every year. Now I can finish an ARF in the time it used to take to build a kit.

Wayne22

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Hey John..what engine was in that blue and yellow Reaction? Easily the noisiest jet there..!!

bob1393

My Feedback: (10)

Hi Nony,

the blue and yellow R54 was mine, and I have a PST J600R in it. Are the exposed turbines nosier than those inclosed inside a fuselage?

Bob

bob1393

My Feedback: (10)

Nony - I should add that the blue, yellow, red and white one was mine. The blue and yellow only R54 was Chuck's and he has the original PST J600 in it. That turbine puts out about 12 lbs of thrust. The J600R puts out about 14 + lbs of thrust.

Bob