shaggy48

I'm trying to find anyone who has built the Aeroworks yak 54 and using a glow engine. Maybe someone who still has one. I have a couple questions i think only someone who has built it might be able to answer.

Shaggy

skysfallin

My Feedback: (10)

Ihave four YAKs, Three are glow and one is gas. My aeroworks is the gas. I can probably help you, what are you looking for?

shaggy48

Ok Great skysfalling. I'm building one with a saito 100 and had to mount the engine sideways, about 4 O'clock as you're looking at the plane from the front. That puts my muffler (stock saito muffler) right in line with the center of the plane on the bottom. Yeah I know I can move the muffler to point somewhere else but for balance reasons I wanted it on the center line. In line with that slot. I'm guessing that's a slot for a muffler. But the problem is that slot or channel is open to the inside of the fuselage not completely just a few slots. I don't know what sizes planes you have, mine is the 60-90 but maybe they are all built the same. I'm talking about that channel behind the hatch that covers the landing gear bolts. In my manual on page 42 it shows the cowl installation and cutting the cowl for the muffler if you're using a 2 stroke. well you can clearly see the remainder of the channel behind the muffler. In the manual it shows that channel sealed off from the fuselage. It is even looks painted white or covered white. But on my kit it's not. There are several slats open so you can put a tie-wrap through to hold the fuel tank. I'm guessing that no matter what engine you use, you're going to get fuel going up in that hole and inside the fuse. So, Did your kits come with that sealed off? If not how did you deal with sealing it from exhaust fuel?
I tried talking with someone at Aeroworks but the person I spoke with didn't wasn't aware it had any openings there. I didn't even notice it until after I'd already installed my engine and tank. Mine wasn't even fuel proofed under there. I'm just trying to find out if mine is unique or if not what others might have done to solve the possibility of fuel getting in there from the exhaust.

Hope I've explained it correctly. If not I can always take a few pictures.

Thanks in advance
Shaggy

skysfallin

My Feedback: (10)

Shaggy, I went on line and downloaded your manual and the area your refering to is for the exhaust. However that plane is also set up for electric power and the fuselage will be vented to let out heat. You are using glow power so seal the area up with glued in balsa sheet and coat it with epoxy, or iron in some monocote or your fuselage will end up with oily gue inside. If I can be of any help let me know.

shaggy48

Yeah I figured that's what I need to do before I even run the engine on the plane, I was just hoping to find some alternatives to just how to do it. It doesn't sound like your yak had similar "vents" lets call em that. The problem with sealing it permanently is doing it such that there is still a place to put the tie-wrap through to hold the tank. Another hatch cover like what's over the landing gear screws would have been ideal. But even that may be problematic as it may not seal completely. Guess I'll have to fabricate something on my own.

Thanks for your help.
Shaggy

skysfallin

My Feedback: (10)

Shaggy, get some 1/16 sheet balsa, and a manilla folder or some type of thin cardboard. Make a cardboard template out of the cardboard of the area you want to cover. When you have it trimmed perfectly to the area you want to cover trace it on to the balsa and cut it out. I believe you only need to fit the left and right side correct? Then just epoxy the sheet over the area you want to cover. If you need to cover the bottom of that area do the same thing. It should go very quickly, thats a boxy area so it should be easy to do. If you had a picture of the area it may help me with what I think I'm looking at. What I looked at in the manual was the exhaust cut out in the fuse. Is that correct. My Aeroworks is the 50cc size so it didn't have the vent area.

shaggy48

Skysfallin,Thanks for the tip but I took care of it yesterday. I fabricated a hatch-like cover leaving room for the tire-wrap to pass through, and epoxy-ed it in place. So, yes it is the exhaust cutout. Didn't know that's what it was called. I am going to try and post a picture showing the location. I've never posted a pic before so I hope it works. I thought about taking some pictures of my own and posting when I asked my question, but I was assuming that anyone who had built one of these would know exactly what I was talking about.

This pic is from Aeroworks website. And, you can clearly see that "square" area behind the muffler. Well that is the exposed area of the exhaust cutout as you call it. In this pic and in my manual it shows that area covered white and of course completely closed off. But on my plane there are two holes, or slots there about 3/4 inch long and maybe open 1/4 inch. If they are for the purpose of "venting" in the case of electric. My manual uses them as a place to run tie-wraps to secure the fuel tank. Clearly you'd need this area closed since the exhaust is right there.

In retrospect I should have taken pictures before but as I said, if you've built this version, you'd know. Still hoping to find anyone who has one besides me. No surprise that your bigger version does not have those holes. And whomever I spoke with at Aeroworks didn't seem to know the slots were there either. I know this plane can be built electric or glow, but I think the designers overlooked that problem for those of us who haven't gone electric. Not a big deal. But considering how well built the kit is otherwise, I would have expected they would have made a better solution than leaving it to my poor fabricating skills.

Aeroworks suggested I just cover the area with Monokote. But I've got two large tie-wraps going through there holding the fuel tank. So Monokote wasn't an option until I had already covered the area. I also have no covering material or excess balsa. I've only built two planes in the past 20 years and both are ARFs. Luckily I went to a local craft store and got what I needed to seal the area off. Didn't even change the center of gravity after I epoxy-ed, so I'm good to go at this point. Just need to program control thows and a few more minor things and I should be able to maiden in a week or so. Still have to run a tank or two through the engine.Thanks againShaggy

skysfallin

My Feedback: (10)

Shaggy, isn't there a floor area above the exhaust cut out that the tie wrap will pass through so you don't have to have them exposed. Now that you have explained it to me a little better I don't think it's a vent for electric powered plane. I find that strange that they would want anything to pass through that area exposing the fuse to exhaust gue, even if it's only two slots. They do a pretty good job on building these planes, I think they might have forgotten a step on yours. Good luck, you will love this plane.