Morris Twin Trainer
07-31-2003, 11:29 PM
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Morris Twin Trainer
Morris Hobby Twin Trainer
In one of the earlier posts about trainers, it came up about the Morris Hobbies Twin Trainer. As I seem to have some “interest” in twin engine airplanes, (See “Obsession” in the dictionary!!!) I decided to see if I could learn more about the “Twin Trainer”. (Of course I personally had little interest, I would only do this for the glory of RC Universe!)
Life is good if you happen to live in a city, Houston, which houses an airplane manufacturer such as Morris.
I met Robert, the owner, and discussed the interest by RCU posters about the Morris Twin Trainer. Morris has two twins, The Trainer and a twin fuselage plane called the Pinwheel. Morris is possibly best known for flat fuselage “Fun Fly” or Profile type airplanes and these are no exception. He does have videotapes that detail the flying characteristics of these planes…..Uh, in the hands of very skilled profile expert fliers.
Not only did we discuss the planes, but he lent me his personal Twin Trainer to take home and fly. (Not my plane, sure I will go fly it!)
The plane was equipped with two 3.5cc (That is .21cubic inches for the rest of us) MVVS engines. One of the interesting notes on these engines is that the head can be rotated 360 degrees in four increments. If you note the enclosed pictures, this allows both cylinder heads to be inboard mounted, for lower outward mass during maneuvers and both exhaust pipes, (tuned, in this case), to be positioned downward. Note, you need a small glow driver extension or remote glow driver to power the plugs. This also eliminates or greatly reduces the need for wing tip weights to laterally balance the wing.( You do laterally balance your wings, don’t you???)
Flying the Twin Trainer
.
I will readily admit that profile planes are not my personal favorites and so approached this experiment with caution. (Not my plane…..who pays for it if I crash it??..Never got that point clear!!)
Take off was not as powerful as I would have expected. The engines on this plane were the MVVS .21’s as previously noted. Personally, I would recommend going with the allowed more powerful .30-.35 cu.in. size engines. Robert did say that the 9x5 props on the engines were not letting them come up to “Hit the pipes”, but I personally did not experiment with the props for more performance.
With the huge control surfaces and thick wing cord, control was not a problem, and in the hands of a more experienced profile flyer, and special mixing of control surfaces and possibly engine, it has almost unlimited possibilities. The video, that is available from Morris Hobbies, actually show the plane taking off and performing loops rolls ect. on a SINGLE ENGINE!
I was not really inclined to test those claims, but as Murphy’s Law would have it, one engine did in fact quit during one of the flights. Now the proof of the pudding for a “Trainer” could I control it?….Panic is setting in.( Not my plane!!!). Remember my previous posts about LEARN TO USE THE RUDDER for twins??? The plane does try to yaw and try to flip over as do most twins at slower speed, however, the large surfaces both wing, rudder, and fuselage, make for easy recovery and control. I was actually flying the plane at almost a 30-degree angle. This angle was easy to control with the large rudder.
Personal Feeling
Does this give the feeling of flying a twin? Yes, but, it is not a heavy warbird or fast over powered bashed or sport twin. ( My personal favorite) Due to the very thick wing that is typical of profile type airplanes, the glide ratio is very different than typical twins. Much higher drag and very light wing loading. One thing, that I felt that might be of value to the beginning twin pilot, is that while it does try to yaw and roll on one engine out, it does so at much slower speeds than does the normal twin with higher wing loading and thinner wings and therefore easier to “Catch”. If you want into an aerobatic twin of the profile type, unlimited aerobatic variety, then this is not only worth looking at, but is one of the few games in town.
I often mix the engines on my planes to the rudder, but did not try this on a plane that I might have to pay for if I “messed up and the earth rose up to smack my borrowed plane”
As previously mentioned, Morris does have a Pin Wheel twin that is a profile twin fuse design also. Have not tried it ….yet…….wonder if he has one ready to go????
Morris Twin Trainer Data
Wing Span…………..48”
Wing Area……….678sp.ins.
Recommended Engines………(2) .19-.32
Radio…..Four channel minimum w/ 6 servos. I would recommend a computer radio to get full use of a profile type plane, but it is not necessary.
What I have to go through for the Twins forum at RCU. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it.!!!!!
In one of the earlier posts about trainers, it came up about the Morris Hobbies Twin Trainer. As I seem to have some “interest” in twin engine airplanes, (See “Obsession” in the dictionary!!!) I decided to see if I could learn more about the “Twin Trainer”. (Of course I personally had little interest, I would only do this for the glory of RC Universe!)
Life is good if you happen to live in a city, Houston, which houses an airplane manufacturer such as Morris.
I met Robert, the owner, and discussed the interest by RCU posters about the Morris Twin Trainer. Morris has two twins, The Trainer and a twin fuselage plane called the Pinwheel. Morris is possibly best known for flat fuselage “Fun Fly” or Profile type airplanes and these are no exception. He does have videotapes that detail the flying characteristics of these planes…..Uh, in the hands of very skilled profile expert fliers.
Not only did we discuss the planes, but he lent me his personal Twin Trainer to take home and fly. (Not my plane, sure I will go fly it!)
The plane was equipped with two 3.5cc (That is .21cubic inches for the rest of us) MVVS engines. One of the interesting notes on these engines is that the head can be rotated 360 degrees in four increments. If you note the enclosed pictures, this allows both cylinder heads to be inboard mounted, for lower outward mass during maneuvers and both exhaust pipes, (tuned, in this case), to be positioned downward. Note, you need a small glow driver extension or remote glow driver to power the plugs. This also eliminates or greatly reduces the need for wing tip weights to laterally balance the wing.( You do laterally balance your wings, don’t you???)
Flying the Twin Trainer
.
I will readily admit that profile planes are not my personal favorites and so approached this experiment with caution. (Not my plane…..who pays for it if I crash it??..Never got that point clear!!)
Take off was not as powerful as I would have expected. The engines on this plane were the MVVS .21’s as previously noted. Personally, I would recommend going with the allowed more powerful .30-.35 cu.in. size engines. Robert did say that the 9x5 props on the engines were not letting them come up to “Hit the pipes”, but I personally did not experiment with the props for more performance.
With the huge control surfaces and thick wing cord, control was not a problem, and in the hands of a more experienced profile flyer, and special mixing of control surfaces and possibly engine, it has almost unlimited possibilities. The video, that is available from Morris Hobbies, actually show the plane taking off and performing loops rolls ect. on a SINGLE ENGINE!
I was not really inclined to test those claims, but as Murphy’s Law would have it, one engine did in fact quit during one of the flights. Now the proof of the pudding for a “Trainer” could I control it?….Panic is setting in.( Not my plane!!!). Remember my previous posts about LEARN TO USE THE RUDDER for twins??? The plane does try to yaw and try to flip over as do most twins at slower speed, however, the large surfaces both wing, rudder, and fuselage, make for easy recovery and control. I was actually flying the plane at almost a 30-degree angle. This angle was easy to control with the large rudder.
Personal Feeling
Does this give the feeling of flying a twin? Yes, but, it is not a heavy warbird or fast over powered bashed or sport twin. ( My personal favorite) Due to the very thick wing that is typical of profile type airplanes, the glide ratio is very different than typical twins. Much higher drag and very light wing loading. One thing, that I felt that might be of value to the beginning twin pilot, is that while it does try to yaw and roll on one engine out, it does so at much slower speeds than does the normal twin with higher wing loading and thinner wings and therefore easier to “Catch”. If you want into an aerobatic twin of the profile type, unlimited aerobatic variety, then this is not only worth looking at, but is one of the few games in town.
I often mix the engines on my planes to the rudder, but did not try this on a plane that I might have to pay for if I “messed up and the earth rose up to smack my borrowed plane”
As previously mentioned, Morris does have a Pin Wheel twin that is a profile twin fuse design also. Have not tried it ….yet…….wonder if he has one ready to go????
Morris Twin Trainer Data
Wing Span…………..48”
Wing Area……….678sp.ins.
Recommended Engines………(2) .19-.32
Radio…..Four channel minimum w/ 6 servos. I would recommend a computer radio to get full use of a profile type plane, but it is not necessary.
What I have to go through for the Twins forum at RCU. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it.!!!!!
08-01-2003, 03:07 AM
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Twinman,
I built a Spinsation last winter, and bought the video tapes for both the Spinsation and the Twin Trainer. I lately have a renewed interest in the Twin Trainer, given the performance of the Spinsation, and the fact that the winter building season is coming up.
I spoke to Robert the other day about the Spinsation, and we got to talking about the Twin Trainer. Robert said he's had three (3) Twin Trainers, so he's a wealth of information on the plane. Robert was highly suggesting the MVVS .21 (ie. also the engines shown in the video). I've never run an MVVS before, but I enjoy trying different brands of engines. The ability to reposition the exhaust of the MVVS, keeping the cylinders inboard, has caught my interest. If anything, I'll try one first, before I invest $200 on two. I've got a .25 FX that runs flawless, so getting another one of those is also an option.
I agree with your reasoning that it is one of the few "unlimited aerobatic" twins on the market. This is why it appeals to me. I don't know about everyone else, but flying around in circles gets old after awhile. Not only does this plane appear to be a good, first twin, but it will also let you push the envelope a little bit.
Robert said he could set me up with a short kit (ie. plans, instructions, ribs, fuselage formers) for around $50. This is about half the price of a kit, and lets me choose my own wood.
One good thing about Morris, is that most of the people there fly what they sell, and enjoy discussing the models. They're always on the same page when it comes to questions. It's also kind of hard to dispute their claims, especially when they have videos to back them up.
Robb
I built a Spinsation last winter, and bought the video tapes for both the Spinsation and the Twin Trainer. I lately have a renewed interest in the Twin Trainer, given the performance of the Spinsation, and the fact that the winter building season is coming up.
I spoke to Robert the other day about the Spinsation, and we got to talking about the Twin Trainer. Robert said he's had three (3) Twin Trainers, so he's a wealth of information on the plane. Robert was highly suggesting the MVVS .21 (ie. also the engines shown in the video). I've never run an MVVS before, but I enjoy trying different brands of engines. The ability to reposition the exhaust of the MVVS, keeping the cylinders inboard, has caught my interest. If anything, I'll try one first, before I invest $200 on two. I've got a .25 FX that runs flawless, so getting another one of those is also an option.
I agree with your reasoning that it is one of the few "unlimited aerobatic" twins on the market. This is why it appeals to me. I don't know about everyone else, but flying around in circles gets old after awhile. Not only does this plane appear to be a good, first twin, but it will also let you push the envelope a little bit.
Robert said he could set me up with a short kit (ie. plans, instructions, ribs, fuselage formers) for around $50. This is about half the price of a kit, and lets me choose my own wood.
One good thing about Morris, is that most of the people there fly what they sell, and enjoy discussing the models. They're always on the same page when it comes to questions. It's also kind of hard to dispute their claims, especially when they have videos to back them up.
Robb
08-08-2003, 01:02 AM
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Got a copy of the video for the twin trainer.......uh......my flight did not look like that. I don't know who that pilot is, but he flies a lot more profiles than I do.
Robert at Morris also told me that he cut the props to 8x5 and the performance returned to video levels.
Sorry Robert.......still want MORE POWER!!!! That is what the throttle lever is for!!!!!!
Robert at Morris also told me that he cut the props to 8x5 and the performance returned to video levels.
Sorry Robert.......still want MORE POWER!!!! That is what the throttle lever is for!!!!!!
08-09-2003, 11:41 AM
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I've also got the video, and it sure does makes the MVVS .21's look great. I love the sound of them turning in sync while doing knife edge. I've heard mixed opinions about running the MVVS's on 10% nitro, even with a head shim installed. Robert said that I probably wouldn't need a head shim with 10% nitro, since I fly at a relatively high altitude (2050 ft.). I know one thing for certain, I absolutely, positively refuse to buy 0% or 5% to use especially in these engines. Guess I won't know until I try one.
I just picked-up a kit for one, and am looking forward to starting it soon.
Robb
I just picked-up a kit for one, and am looking forward to starting it soon.
Robb
08-09-2003, 01:47 PM
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robb_h
I took addtional pictures while I had the plane. If you are going to build it, they might help.
Here is the tail with pull pull controls on both elevator and rudder.
Good Luck,
UH.......If you get to fly this like the video........uh......don't tell me
Twinman
I took addtional pictures while I had the plane. If you are going to build it, they might help.
Here is the tail with pull pull controls on both elevator and rudder.
Good Luck,
UH.......If you get to fly this like the video........uh......don't tell me
Twinman
08-09-2003, 02:52 PM
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Twinman,
Thanks for the pictures. I've never used pull-pull, and was actually checking them out on a plane at a meet yesterday. I've heard they come with the kit. If not, Dubro sells the complete setup for like $6.00.
Morris sells the Twin Trainer kit for $120, and I just got one NIB off ebay for $69! First time I've ever bought anything from there, but I think I did good.
Robert told me to eliminate the top, counterbalance portion of the rudder, as he's had them flutter before. He said to simply make the rudder even with the top of the vertical fin.
Robb
Thanks for the pictures. I've never used pull-pull, and was actually checking them out on a plane at a meet yesterday. I've heard they come with the kit. If not, Dubro sells the complete setup for like $6.00.
Morris sells the Twin Trainer kit for $120, and I just got one NIB off ebay for $69! First time I've ever bought anything from there, but I think I did good.
Robert told me to eliminate the top, counterbalance portion of the rudder, as he's had them flutter before. He said to simply make the rudder even with the top of the vertical fin.
Robb
