Tga Topcat
03-19-2003, 07:38 PM
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Tga Topcat
Hey guys.....Thought I would give a little info on this jet....been sitting around unfinished for quite a while due to the fact money does'nt grow on trees to purchase a turbine.....soooo.....I took a O.S. 91 with dynamax fan and a striaght pipe and put on it.....it has all the goodies, tga grass field struts, wheel brakes etc....did a inair mixture control etc....all out weight of 17 1/2 lbs...I'm thinking this is not going to be fun.....32 oz fuel tank on 10% nitro...guys I gotta tell you........this thing was a BLAST....test flight went without a hitch....OS ran smooth and cool and I was concerned about the weight and the appearrance of the engine and pipe....(It's not a turbine)....who cares!!!! this thing was so much fun and will flat out move on......no tinkering between flights...no nothing...just plain out fun and did'nt cost me a fortune to do.....so if your wanting to get into jets and not spend a large amount and maybe later add a turbine to it...(increased wow factor)...this Topcat gets a thums up for sure.......Sincerely, Joey Hamilton
Sure looks clean under the "Hood" withoput all that nast turnibe junk in there!
03-19-2003, 08:30 PM
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Thanks for the concern Chris.....there is a 1/16 th piano wire that runs through the horizontal trailing edge that drops down with a small hook on the end.....a rubber heat ring goes around the pipe tightly while attached to the hook...works like a champ and the great thing is you can barely see it unless right up on it....you have a good eye for detail...thanks, Joey H.
03-19-2003, 08:34 PM
#7
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I thought I could see a hint of something in the shadow of the stab, but I wasn't sure.
If anyone had suggested to me, doing what you did to this kit, I would have said it was not worth the trouble. Boy would I have been wrong. Looks great. Great Idea.
If anyone had suggested to me, doing what you did to this kit, I would have said it was not worth the trouble. Boy would I have been wrong. Looks great. Great Idea.
03-19-2003, 09:07 PM
#8
Tga Topcat
Joey,
Ya know what????? I can't think of a better plane to get your turbine waiver with!!! The whole enchalada in one plane. Fly the plane with the ducted fan power, get your waiver, then convert it to turbine. How easy is that?!?!?!? You've stumbled on to something here. Great idea and great job!!!
Kevin
Ya know what????? I can't think of a better plane to get your turbine waiver with!!! The whole enchalada in one plane. Fly the plane with the ducted fan power, get your waiver, then convert it to turbine. How easy is that?!?!?!? You've stumbled on to something here. Great idea and great job!!!
Kevin
03-20-2003, 03:00 AM
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Thanks for all the kind words guys....I've had my turbine waiver for a couple of years......just no turbine...<G>...I stay pretty busy with the 40% 3D stuff but wanted to get this Topcat in the air....sweet flying bird....Take care, Joey H.
03-20-2003, 08:06 AM
#13
Tga Topcat
Never tried glow DF before, but I have a question.
wont you get much more thrust with a rounded intake lip on the fan ?
I have only played a little with EDF, and the guru`s say you loose about 25% thrust when you dont use an intake lip.... on an EDF anyway.
SJ.
wont you get much more thrust with a rounded intake lip on the fan ?
I have only played a little with EDF, and the guru`s say you loose about 25% thrust when you dont use an intake lip.... on an EDF anyway.
SJ.
03-20-2003, 05:33 PM
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Thanks John.....I always try to give sponsors a plug ....lol......hope to get some pics this weekend (weather permitting) and SJ that might be worth checking into..I have no problems with the way it performs now but a little extra thrust is always good...good job! Joey H.
03-20-2003, 11:31 PM
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Joey,
Your design/bash is awesome! This would be a great way to find out the flying characteristics of the Topcat airframe without risking an expensive turbine engine. Do you think it would fly from a grass field with the Dynamax setup, or is it pretty much restricted to a paved runway?
b/r,
DFF
Your design/bash is awesome! This would be a great way to find out the flying characteristics of the Topcat airframe without risking an expensive turbine engine. Do you think it would fly from a grass field with the Dynamax setup, or is it pretty much restricted to a paved runway?
b/r,
DFF
03-21-2003, 01:14 AM
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Hi DFF, It comes off pretty quick on pavement...as a matter of fact I was going to see how it does on grass this weekend....I'll try to give some specifics on a future post, this jet seems really hard to stall..does'nt show any bad flight characteristics and is surprisingly fast....the fact that the OS is outside with plenty of airflow makes for a solid run every time....I've flown many aircraft over the years and you would be hard pressed to beat the performance...............Take care, Joey H.
03-22-2003, 03:13 AM
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Got a couple of 3D events to do in Tenn. this yr...send me the info and I'll try to make [email protected] Thanks, Joey H.