FNQFLYER

I'm back, we survived ok and while I do not wish to diminish all that has happened up here as my mentor and good friend at Mena Creek (near Innisfail)  said this one wasn't as bad as Larry.  His roof lifeted about 1/2 inch in that one (measured by the studs (bolts) that held his roof on.  Lack of electricty and telephone circuits were for us the worst bits but it is 0500hrs and I still hear the hum of generators around us (mains power came on at about 2200 last night)  At least all we had to worry about was keeping thedrinks cool there are lots of people "down south" that are in heaps worse trouble than us.  My son (in the army) gets to play his favourite game "power lining running"  flying in the Blackhawk at a legal 100ft down to 50 feeet checking out and marking power lines and then doing the sling loads to replace the damaged lines and pylons, some people are nuts (but then aren't all rotor heads)
Quikturn what you described is exactly te problem I had with my Texaco competition 65 but mine was worse because it would run for the required 10 minutes (on allowed fuel) as long as I didn't warm it up first, if I did it would just get airborne in the Lanzo Bomber and die.  I have found that the heat gun used on Monokote is adequate to warm up the crankcase, one of my other flying mates used a super dooper paint stripping heat gun and lets say the results weren't pretty.  His excuse was that he was a POM and the process of becoming an Aussie reduced his mental facilities.
For the Australians reading this consider the following please I know of at least 6 modellers that have lost everything (guys between me and Townsville) and once all this lot settles the model clubs (both here and down in the flood zone,) will need a lot of support in getting up and running again so any help you can extend them like supporting events etc (as fund and moral raisers) is going to be really accepted, please consider.
Any way I now have to clear all the stuff in my shed and get back to a degree of normality.  One thing about cyclone (or to be PC sevre weather events) they help you sort out the crap and needless bits you accumulate
Catch ya 

FNQFLYER

BTB how are all those guys in the US going that are suffering from that accumulation of white stuff (on the ground)

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

For me things are pretty much back to normal but yesterday, I struggle with the ice most of the day.

The highway department made a big ridge of ice at the end of my driveway that was 3 fett high. It was straight up and down on the highway side.

I used a dirt digging pick to chip into the ice and my wife removed the loose stuff with a pointed shovel. We worked until exhaustion three different times until we had it good enough for the wife's automobile. In the driveway we just drove on top of the ice.

My older son also had trouble and I had to go to his house as he lives on a hill above the road on the other side of town. I took $70 worth of salt to him. Salt costs half again what it did last summer.

RC Specialties

I am glad you are doing okay, Jim. We are having some problems down south but nothing like you guys up north.

Jim

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

In recent times I lived in the South for most of 3 years to look after my mother until her passing. I flew pretty much all winter while there.

But watching the weather this year, there wouldn't have been a whole lot of flying this winter in the mid part of Alabama

RC Specialties

It has been bad. When it warms up, it rains. On clear days it's too darned cold. This Sunday is looking good. High of 62.

Jim

N1EDM

My Feedback: (2)

We've been getting socked every 3-5 days up here in the Northeast. I finally made a personal 'first'. With no more place to put the snow, I am now putting into the yard across the street - fortunately, no one lives there right now.

FNQFLYER, what is a POM? Does that mean "Person of Means"??

And for all you chaps in Oz, we're following what's going on there. We're rooting for you...

Bob

FNQFLYER

M1EDM, POM is short for POME which stands for "Prisoner of Mother England" This what was written on the back of the shirts of the first white "citizens of NSW" (New South Wales)  which eventually become Australia from the latin Terra Australis, (They got to go there as an alternate after you guys had that tea party in Boston in the 1700s) we as usual contract every thing so POME became POM which is not to be confused with the airport designator POM which is Port Moresby  which is in Nuigine (Papua New Guinea, another story for another time) (like LAX is Los Angeles).  PNG last week I am reliably informed had snow on Mount William not bad for a country on the equator.

We all managed to survive Yasi one way or another, there are a few nice boats down at Port Hinchinbrook, which is walking distanch from Cardwell.  All you have to do is choose one and untangle it from the rest, but mind the crocodiles in the mean time.  Those suckers are a lot meaner and sneakier than your Aligators so I am told.  
Now for the strange but true and believe it or not I had a query from a guy about the gold Saito 30 and how it wouldn't run I haven't answered any suggestions?? 

the pope

Hey there FNQ I think you will find all the white stuff up Charlie Sheens nose. Glad to hear everythings half alright up there for you. Cheers the pope

blw

My Feedback: (3)

Jim, I think the winters up here are more unpredictable than in southern Alabama. This has been a cold one this year. At least we didn't have to worry about hurricanes much. Hurricane Opal hit Auburn my first year here. Seeing all of the Gulf weather map red from Katrina is unforgettable.

N1EDM

My Feedback: (2)

FNQFlyer,

Thanks for that education... I never knew where Australia got its name. By coincidence, I spoke to some chaps in Port Moresby via ham radio once. They were RN types at their own ham radio station, and I was in the radio compartment of a P-3 Orion (my avatar) while flying over the US, so it was quite a contact between us. I'll always remember that one,

Back to Club Saito

Bob

GaGeeBees

My Feedback: (23)

I moved to Atlanta just in time for Opal. We lost 10,000 trees and had no electricity for over a week. Was quite a welcome to the south

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Opal

I visited Pensacola Beach two years after Opal and things were a lot different than the previous time I had been there 5 years before Opal.

When I was a elementary kid, my dad and uncle worked at Chemstrand and the Navy base and I was around there all the time. Now my Daughter-in-law's sister and her husband are engineers at the paper mill so I hear about Pensacola this and that.

FNQFLYER

N1EDM, POM the place in PNG is a nice place to be if you like living in compounds with guards these days.  I have had a long association with Port Moresby and PNG in fact that was where I saw my first Saito (an open rocker 40) and flew my first R/c Saito powered a/c an open rocker 40 (yes 40) in a RCM trainer.  My dad was a Kiap, and my uncles were publics works foremen in Port Moresby and I did apprentice time + there over the years.  Really sad to see it go down hill so much.
Nuff, I really love the L188C and the many P3 variants.  Have worked on the pax and freighter versions and the patrol and spook ships and to experience the sheer power coming from those 4 Alison 501 / T34's (standing in front with 4 churning and burning in high ground idle) is one of my fondest memories as a LAME / crew chief
Back to club Saito, in the gas engine thread I made a comment re "impatience" with the running in of the Saito gas engines (at least as I see it) and the problems resulting from it.  I have just had a discussion with a guy (welcome break from tidying up the debris in the yard, I reckon I have every gum leaf from the area in my pool and likewise every palm frond but what the hell it isn't a real problem just time consuming) who was having problems getting hs Saito 62 to idle reliably.  When questioned I discovered that he had only put about 6 oz of fule through it, "which is all his mate said would be needed"  That was juist before Yasi and I have just noted an e mail that indicated that he has put about 8 to 10 oz through it plus some air time and it is performing "brilliantly".  He lives in the SE corner of the state and I had referred him to my mentor / mate down there but my point is how many engines (Saitos) out there have developed a "bad name" o lie idle because of this "impatience"
I am working my way back into the shed (the other 1/2 keeps finding work for me, you know we should just tidy / sort this before we put it back syndrome) and will be back in the swing of things hopefully by the end of the week
Catch Ya guys  

blw

My Feedback: (3)

The outer bands of Opal did a lot of damage to Atlanta. I drove a couple of hours south the next day and some places appeared to have no damage at all. I probably saw 30 trees next to houses that were uprooted and blown over. Only one hit a house.

We had a beautiful day after the past week. I ran a Saito for a few minutes on the bench.

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

Yesterday I bought a used Saito FA30 open rocker engine. I removed the rear cover and all looks good. The compression is good also. No marks or damage. It had a cold plug in it so I swapped in an O.S. F plug. It even has the tools and all instructions, but no box. The only thing missing is the prop washer and nut. Is there a replacement or substitution available?

Anyone have any idea what this engine is worth and when it came out?

Bob

RC-CAKES

My Feedback: (4)

Hi gang. Just a quick follow up with my Saito 72. You will recall I found the carb was the wrong one. I ordered a new one; replaced the backplate with the alum mod; gaskets; and after all that ... it wouldn't idle without the driver.

I replaced the glowplug with another OS F - and tada... she purrs!! Guess I goofed the first one up. Lesson learned. So it is running fine and I balanced a new 13x6 prop. Back into the Stearman she goes!

I also tuned my FA100 and she is ready to go... just don't have an airframe for it. Looking forward to warmer weather.

Thanks to W8YE and all the others for the assistance - love this forum!

Safe flights!

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

So from now on . . . When someone has a Saito problem, we will refer them to you?

You've done good so far

RC-CAKES

My Feedback: (4)

Ha.. I respectfully yield to the 'seasoned' club members.. .!

tkline

Hello to all, I have a ? for y'all I have a saito fa-50 that is itching to go on something and I have decided I want a corsair for it I was just wandering if y'all knew of an arf that would be a good match for this? I haven't had time to do any research on it so I figured someone would probably know of one that would be a good match I'm wanting something quick so that is why I'm thinking of an arf instead of building (I would say I don't have time to build but I would be lying, I would have to get several things off my board before I could start anything else) I'm just wanting something kinda small for an everyday flyer nothing fancy.
Thanks tracy

earlwb

Great Planes has the ARF Corsairplane http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma0177.html

here is another one too: http://hobbyhobby.com/store/product/...0-Size-Kit/But it may or may not be discontinued now.

Nitroplanes also has a Corsair ARF plane kit. http://www.nitroplanes.com/newnicmpf4uc.html
They appear to be in stock at the moment.

But depending on your flying style you may or may not feel they are underpowered with a FA-50 though.

tkline

Thanks I am leaning towards the nitro planes corsair I mainly fly the smaller planes about that size anyways just cause my landing strip is a little small for anything much bigger

earlwb

I actually have the Nitroplanes Corsair kit, I bought it about 2 years ago now. I just haven't gotten around to building it all up yet.
I have too many planes to build yet and a bunch more to fly still.

tkline

Does that kit look good? I haven't ever had any nitroplanes

earlwb

My kit looked really good. But the instructions may be iffy as to how good they are. Due to the discount prices, they usually have poor instructions. The hardware, things like threaded rods and clevises may or may not be usable. But I have substituted better hardware on better kits before anyway. I bought a set of mechanical 90 degree rotating retracts for it, but I haven't figured out a way to connect the retract servo to them. The retracts are like the regular ones with a rod that goes in and out. The rotating retracts use the same rod going in and out. But in this case the rod would be at a 90 degree angle from the retract servo and not a more or less straight line for the wire pushrod. But I haven't really put much thought into it yet. Maybe using some Du-Bro flex push nyrods would do the trick. But if you are going to use the Saito 50, I would not bother with the retracts as you want to try to keep the overall weight down. Besides retracts can sometimes be more hassle than fun.

With the real airplanes the big radial engine meant you had a short nose on the airplane to help set the CG in relation to the big heavy engine. Usually with a 4 stroke engine, it is easier to set the CG on the model planes as the engine is heavier. But with a Saito engine, they don't weigh much more than a similar two stroke engine, sometimes less. So you might need to add weight to the nose to help balance it. The fiberglass fuselage tends to make the plane a little bit more tail heavy too.

The airplane kits or ARFs have grown larger over the years. Many years ago, kits like this would have been a .60 size engine kit. Where you would use a .60 engine from that time period.