super reaper flap mod
11-17-2014, 11:07 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Troy, Ohio
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
super reaper flap mod
I read a thread about this here, dated about a year ago, regarding better landing manners with this mod. Has Mr. Reeves incorporated this in his latest Super Reaper kits?
11-18-2014, 04:51 PM
#2
If you are thinking of my post and photo allow me to offer a few thoughts on my experience.
My friend had given me his Super Reaper with a Simjet 13lb turbine. Knowing the airplane had a reputation as a floater, he engineered a split-flap speedbrake for it. I have flown the airplane several times with the Simjet. There was adequate power but make no mistake, the airplane is a major floater. The speedbrake helped. More importantly, the little Simjet had very little residual thrust which is a big plus, making it easy to slow down. Between the low residual thrust and speedbrake I was able to routinely fly the airplane off of a grass strip about 600 feet long.
Since then I installed a Kingtech K100. I put one flight on it. The airplane flew like a homesick angel but on landing, even with the speedbrake open, I floated down the runway and wound up doing a few hops and busting up the nose. Pure pilot error. If you build a Super Reaper with something like the K100 you will have to count on pilot technique rather than flaps or a speedbrake. I realized after the flight that I needed to fly the Super Reaper like I do my Hotspot, namely slow it down, get the nose up and establish high alpha flight before starting the approach. I thought the speedbrake would save me but it didn't. The K100 at 22lb of thrust is probably too much residual thrust for an 18lb airplane. I bought it instead of the K80 because it was the same size and I figured I could always use it in something else.
I emailed Mick Reeves about the speedbrake idea and he thought it was pretty neat but to my knowledge has not incorporated it into the kit. He offers a few other ideas for speedbrakes in his info.
If you build a Super Reaper, don't count on the speedbrake or flaps. The speedbrake on my Hotspot is basically useless. Pilot technique is the most important part of flying both models.
Bob Wilcox gave me an excellent piece of advice for flying the Hotspot. I never forgot it and it has served me well. He said, "On final approach, you better be able to see the bottom of the airplane or you will never get it on the runway." I would think that advice would serve the Super Reaper pilot as well.
My friend had given me his Super Reaper with a Simjet 13lb turbine. Knowing the airplane had a reputation as a floater, he engineered a split-flap speedbrake for it. I have flown the airplane several times with the Simjet. There was adequate power but make no mistake, the airplane is a major floater. The speedbrake helped. More importantly, the little Simjet had very little residual thrust which is a big plus, making it easy to slow down. Between the low residual thrust and speedbrake I was able to routinely fly the airplane off of a grass strip about 600 feet long.
Since then I installed a Kingtech K100. I put one flight on it. The airplane flew like a homesick angel but on landing, even with the speedbrake open, I floated down the runway and wound up doing a few hops and busting up the nose. Pure pilot error. If you build a Super Reaper with something like the K100 you will have to count on pilot technique rather than flaps or a speedbrake. I realized after the flight that I needed to fly the Super Reaper like I do my Hotspot, namely slow it down, get the nose up and establish high alpha flight before starting the approach. I thought the speedbrake would save me but it didn't. The K100 at 22lb of thrust is probably too much residual thrust for an 18lb airplane. I bought it instead of the K80 because it was the same size and I figured I could always use it in something else.
I emailed Mick Reeves about the speedbrake idea and he thought it was pretty neat but to my knowledge has not incorporated it into the kit. He offers a few other ideas for speedbrakes in his info.
If you build a Super Reaper, don't count on the speedbrake or flaps. The speedbrake on my Hotspot is basically useless. Pilot technique is the most important part of flying both models.
Bob Wilcox gave me an excellent piece of advice for flying the Hotspot. I never forgot it and it has served me well. He said, "On final approach, you better be able to see the bottom of the airplane or you will never get it on the runway." I would think that advice would serve the Super Reaper pilot as well.
Last edited by Dustflyer; 11-19-2014 at 10:36 AM. Reason: Added paragraph
11-20-2014, 02:51 AM
#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Troy, Ohio
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks, good info to know.
I have a Wren 80i, perhaps similar residual thrust. I sure like the Super Reaper, but would want a mod that would really help w/ landings. I would think there is something out there to help reduce the floating.
I really enjoyed your video,btw! Watched several times with my morning coffee! Appreciate your response, Dustflyer. Was the Reaper in this video the Simjet or K100?
Richard
I have a Wren 80i, perhaps similar residual thrust. I sure like the Super Reaper, but would want a mod that would really help w/ landings. I would think there is something out there to help reduce the floating.
I really enjoyed your video,btw! Watched several times with my morning coffee! Appreciate your response, Dustflyer. Was the Reaper in this video the Simjet or K100?
Richard
Last edited by RDERC; 11-20-2014 at 02:56 AM. Reason: add
11-20-2014, 07:15 AM
#5
Thanks, good info to know.
I have a Wren 80i, perhaps similar residual thrust. I sure like the Super Reaper, but would want a mod that would really help w/ landings. I would think there is something out there to help reduce the floating.
I really enjoyed your video,btw! Watched several times with my morning coffee! Appreciate your response, Dustflyer. Was the Reaper in this video the Simjet or K100?
Richard
I have a Wren 80i, perhaps similar residual thrust. I sure like the Super Reaper, but would want a mod that would really help w/ landings. I would think there is something out there to help reduce the floating.
I really enjoyed your video,btw! Watched several times with my morning coffee! Appreciate your response, Dustflyer. Was the Reaper in this video the Simjet or K100?
Richard
The Super Reaper in the video had the Simjet 1200. As you saw, I came a little too hot! I should have slowed it down even further. If you search YouTube for Super Reaper videos you will see that most guys make the same mistake I did, they come in way too fast. I found one video; however, where the guy brought it in at what seemed like a walking pace! The landing roll was about ten feet!
If you do the speedbrake mod, you only need one servo for each speedbrake. Just run a threaded horn through a hole in the lower half of the speedbrake. Hook up pushrods to opposite sides of the servo horn. When the servo turns it pushs one half of the speedbrake up and pulls the other one down! I wish I was the clever rascal who engineered it, but it was my dear friend, master modeler and flyer Joe Weizer.
I like the Super Reaper too. I believe the kits are only about 400 bucks, you can probably build one in a day. I am frankly surprised I don't see more of them. Mine is the Mark I, the latest one is the Mark II which looks a lot better. Once it's up in the air the Super Reaper is definitely one of the cooler looking model jets around.
Here's the speedbrake setup:
11-25-2014, 08:19 AM
#6
Here's a great video of the wrong way and the right way to land a Super Reaper. At 7:40 he makes his first approach, the deck angle is flat and he floats down the runway, barely saving it with a go-around near the overrun. The second approach at 8:35 is the way to do it, nose high and slow. Check out the short landing roll. It is amazing how slow the Super Reaper will fly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXC35iLFB18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXC35iLFB18
