DavidE

I have just bought a Starjet with an almost unused Sophia J850 on board.

Trouble is I have no instructions for the airframe (surface throws etc.)

Also, I have no instructions for the turbine at all - it does have a GSU with what looks like a JetCat ECU.

Can anyone help on either of these two issues. I am using a plasma bag fuel system without a UAT (no room )

It seems impossible to get every bubble out of the bag - is this the case and is it critical?

Thanks Guys

David Evans

lov2flyrc

My Feedback: (24)

Cant help you with the engine or airframe but I can tell you if you plan to fly at an ama field you'll have to loose the plasma bag. It's an AMA No-No

Terry Holston

My Feedback: (1)

Todd, he is in England, I don't think he needs to worry about the AMA. (Unless he wants to bring it over here.) LOL

glowplugboy

My Feedback: (17)

Make sure all the plasma is out of the bag.... plasma really screws up turbine jet fuel pumps!

Mokulele

My Feedback: (9)

David,
This is what I got from Aviation Design:
aileron up 12mm down 12mm
elevator up 15mm down 15mm
flaps 0 mm up, 75mm down with 15mm up for the aileron as a cro brakes effect + 5mm down elevator for pitch moment.
CG is 20 inches or 510mm back from the front point along the leading edge of the wing.
You must remove all air bubbles from the plasma bags. It may run okay on the ground but as soon as your jet gets a high enough angle of attack that bubble will get sucked into the fuel feed line and your engine will probably flame out.
Larry

Tom Antlfinger

My Feedback: (24)

David:

Try one of the U.K. Starjet flyers....Jason in Kenilworth....RCU handle is Jason-RCU....He and Laura managed many outstanding flights at Florida International Jets 2002.

Tom

Vern Kramer

I have a Starjet still in the box, I bought 2 Dubro (If I remember correctly) 32oz square tanks, they fit just perfect in the fuse. I think a small hopper would fit up front.

Vern

Laura H

The Starjet is a fast, precise flying plane.. Was keeping up with afew Bandits in speed at Florida jet rally.....But the kit is cheap and the fuselage is alittle weak.....
My dad has an Exocet with a Mercury Hp and that flies well too....
Jason may chime in here later about the Starjet.

Laura

Laura H

Tank wise you can put a 2litre soda bottle in the Starjet!!!!!!!!
David, is your Starjet Pink with flames on the wings?

L

jason

My Feedback: (1)

David,

the Starjet flys the absolute dogs ... but is a crap kit to build but that is a problem you wont have to contend with. Why dont you chuck it in ya car and bring it to the Wroughton jet meet this weekend and get it sorted out?.You will need to contact the swindon club from the JMA web site to apply.


jason.

P.S it will be well quick with a sophia in it with 18lb cos mine is awsome with a 12 wren in it.

David Gladwin

Thats unfair, Jason, theres nothing wrong with the Starjet kit. It can be a little tedious to build and the fin need stiffening, but a pure delight to fly. I have built two and one has been re-engined with a RAM 500 and will fly again soon. I believe Andy Sheldon is still flying one of my original models with a JetCat P80.
Regards, David Gladwin

jason

My Feedback: (1)

David,

let me make myself clear, the starjet flys supurb and is ideal for the 500 size engines.but the kit is still of poor quality and just too weak in many areas. Andy has not flown any starjet this year and I don`t think he did last either but he is now getting very excited about flying his Bandit, bless him.


jason

Laura H

Jason,
Thats all Aviation kits...

mick15

DavidE

I'll be at Wroughton on Sunday I can probably help with the engine, are there any specific isues, have you run it yet!
M

David Gladwin

Sorry Jason,
The Starjet flies "superbly" and the ONLY improvement it needs is stiffening of the fin. Mine have been flying without ANY problems for over 5 years. I have recently grafted on a new nose folowing a propane fire, perfect fit. Starjet is of very good quality which builds into a super model and is excellent value for money. You may not know that Harald Piggisch, the designer, has flown his to almost 400 KPH (240 mph). Can't say fairer than that !
BRG,
david Gladwin

DavidE

Hi Mick-Laura

Thanks for your reply to my "Starjet" posting - YES mine is pink with flames Do you know the model??? if so let me know about it.

You can see it in the home page of www.DavidEvans1.com. Haven't flown it yet - Not a lot of room for fuel!![]

Best Regards

Hope to hear from you

David Evans

LGM Graphix

My Feedback: (22)

I think those throws are about the same as on my Exocet, From what I understand the Exocet and Starjet share the same wing, it should be an awesome flying jet.

I don't think the Aviation design kits are bad kits at all, I think they are perhaps a fair bit more work than a BVM kit or something, but then at the same time I found my parts fit to be better as well. The hatch on my Exocet was the first and only hatch on any jet kit I've built that actually fit reasonably well without major work. The Wings are perhaps the only part I was dissappointed in, the obechi soaks up alot of resin when glassing and they are heavy, I think probably 2 pounds could be shed with balsa covered wings and carbon spars vs the fiberglass cloth and then obechi that AD used.
However, it is an incredibly string wing!. Also, for what the kits cost you certainly can't complain. When I bought my Exocet I was of course drooling over a Bandit, the deciding factor was that the Exocet landed at my door cost me under $1000 Canadian dollars, I had $1150 canadian invested once I had retracts, (the jet came with brakes) and a Bandit with retracts and brakes would have cost me over $5000 Canadian landed at my door. That's not to say the Bandit isn't worth that money, I don't know if it is or not, I would have to say it is based on what everyone says about them, but having just recently maiden'd my Exocet I give HUGE props to Aviation Design for an outstanding jet!

Anyway, the only improvement I could think of for the exocet would be plug in wings as the one piece highly swept wing is a major pain to transport, had I been thinking when I built it I'd have made it a 2 piece wing that joined together and then was bolted on as one piece, but I wasn't thinking LOL!!!!

Based on the 2 jets being of similar design, I can only imagine your starjet will fly awesome too.
It was a squeeze, but I fit a 1.5 liter bottle in the exocet and a 12oz header tank, there is no way a 2 liter bottle would fit in it, (at least not the 2 liter bottles we have here) but I get good flight time with what I have.

Good luck with your maiden voyage!!!

David Gladwin

Just finished the RAM 500 installation on my StarJet and it has gone well. All valves and on-board propane tank, Duralite Plus receiver battery, standard ECU pack are all in. The fuel tank is a 1.5 liter soda bottle, not ideal* but it fits and I have even squeezed in a UAT. Total weight 13 pounds , about 1.5 pounds less than the JPX installation so with 12 pounds of thrust performance will be even better than it was and that means very high speed performance with excellent low speed capability using crow braking. C of G was almost exactly on target without ballast. A PST 600 R or Wren 54 would also be perfect for this model. Just final checks then hopefully fly the thing on Sunday. In its JPX config. this machine was a delight to fly and John Palmer and I demoed both of mine in the air at the same time doing formation aeros at the British Nats. some years ago.


A better, safer, fuel tank would be two parts of a BobCat fuselage tank joined by a kevlar tube so that the length could be tailored to suit and the capacity would probably come up to about two liters. To prevent any possibility of damage in the event of a wet start I have aranged for a stainless steel tube to plug into the rear of the fuselage which will be removed after engine start. That overhanging tail is easy to burn.
David Gladwin

Doug Cronkhite

My Feedback: (34)

An easy fix to that is an old trick we used to use when we glassed pattern airplane wings back in the old days. Spray a LIGHT coat of hairspray onto the wings before you glass. This will seal the wood just a bit and prevent so much resin from being soaked in.

jason

My Feedback: (1)

David,
the Starjet will indeed fly well with your RAM 500. Mine has been flying with a RAM500 with Wren manual start ECU for well over a year now. I have fitted a 2 litre coke bottle and a UAT and get a good 9 min flight if im not too heavy on the throttle. One of Jetlines adjustable length kevlar tanks might be a good alterntive choice of tank.My only probem is that I am suffering the odd lockout since I repared the nose with carbon after it was ripped of when it rolled on to eneven grass on landing.

jason

LGM Graphix

My Feedback: (22)

Yeah, I've actually done that, what I ended up doing was actually mixing some talc into the resin, filled the weave nicely and didn't soak up so much resin, but the main problem isn't really the soaking up, it's the very open grain of the obechi leaving grain lines in the resin for the first couple coats. The talc just acted as a filler. Worked out well.

I flew pattern for quite a while, but used ultracote on all the flight surfaces, just a little lighter, I miss my pattern birds, might have to do another one someday

MrScott

Hey Dave:

For what it's worth.. I built a plug for fuel tank for a Starjet several years ago. It puts 75 ounces of fuel as close to the CG as possible and it leaves plenty of room for the air trap BV sells.

I glued my tank in with 'Great Stuff', the a foam adheasive. It made the fuse as solid as a baseball bat.

If any of you guys want the plug, I'd be happy to part with it for shipping cost.

Scott

747drvr

My Feedback: (5)

Hi Mr Scott,

I'll take it !!!! And I promise to lay up a tank if any one else wants one.

Thanks,
Marc

David Gladwin

I'll have a tank IF it will fit. Point is that I have the 3 servos for the elevators and rudder inside at the back of the fuselage . That kept the tail surfaces as stiff as posible and reduced the noseweight required. It still allowed the installation and removal of the JPX tank

I did look at the Jetline tank but unfortunately its is just too large in diameter (93 mm).

The resin soaking into the obechi skin makes for a very strong and ding proof wing surface, much more durable than balsa. Weight is absolutely not a problem as the machine flies very slowly when necessary the crow setup works very well indeed.

I'd attach an image if I could work out how do to it in this new RCU !

David Gladwin

Terry Holston

My Feedback: (1)

Just use the "Upload Images!" button at the bottom left of the screen you use to type your message on. The New RCU will do the rest.