Scratch Built "Turbo Bushmaster" Build

[Derek]

Just a few more pics...

23 Daughter Donated a Pilot.jpg (1.93 MiB) Viewed 6176 times

24 Makayla Says It's Big.jpg (2.29 MiB) Viewed 6176 times

25 Flaps and Ailerons Installed.jpg (2.03 MiB) Viewed 6176 times

26 From The Tail.jpg (1.74 MiB) Viewed 6176 times

Just a few tidbits to finish up....

[Stambo]

Cool, love the pilot, is he certified on that airplane?

[Derek]

Cool, love the pilot, is he certified on that airplane?

hmmmm, I'll have to ask my daughter if the pilot is certified, lol.

[DOG]

The plane is looking awesome Derek . Any on your first flight Your little girl is growing up quick. Good luck with both of them You'll have your hands full bud

[Derek]

I have a few little things to take care of on the plane but I have some overtime days coming up at work. I'm sure I'll be done within the next two weeks.

I did plug a battery in and set all the subtrims. All the control surfaces work very nicely.

[pvolcko]

Great progress. And love the pilot.

[Derek]

Thanks Paul!!!

[Derek]

Initially, I was going to get a Castle Creations 20amp BEC Pro to power the rx and servos but, with the 6S pack in the nose, I tested the CG location and I found that the plane is slightly tail heavy. Go figure...I've never built a plane that was nose heavy, lol. So, I've opted to make a mount, in the nose compartment, for my 2100mah 6.6v LiFe rx pack. The addition of the LiFe pack doesn't totally satisfy the tail heaviness but it sure seems to be close.

I made up a custom 20ga servo wire extension to take the power from the rx pack to the rx (rx pack is in the nose, rx is a bit behind the CG for accessibility)

I've labeled the Flaps and Aileron servo wires to make it easier to identify when connecting to the AR8000.

I've mounted the AR8000, and satellite rx, in such a way to make connecting the Flaps and Ailerons servo wires.

I've added a support line to the tail section for stability and rigidity. With a 15" tall vertical stabilizer, I found that the tip of the vertical stab moves quite easily, so I've added a support line, on both sides of the vertical stab, that run from "near" the tip of the vertical stab down to the "near" edge of the horizontal stab. I used some very strong, non-stretching, fishing line and two small control horns. I'll share some pics of that soon. The end result is quite solid. I can grab the tip of the vertical stab and try to wiggle it....the entire tail of the plane is very solid now.

I've taken the entire landing gear apart and then reassembled it, using locktite on all the nuts and bolts. I hadn't added the locktite until now because I wanted to be sure that I was happy. I'm happy now, so locktite was applied.

I connected the wings and connected all the servos. Checked that all control surfaces are moving and moving in the proper direction. It's really become quite a pretty plane!

I'm going to add a bit more black packing tape and silver Duck Tape, to help with the color scheme....when I actually decide what I want it to look like, lol

After that, I just need to purchase some 15" props and this plane is ready for maiden. My local hobby shop doesn't frequently carry 15" props, so I will either have to have them order some for me or just order props myself.

I would very much love to see some larger wheels on this plane. This is a "bush" or "tundra" plane and I'm just feeling that my largest 3.5" wheels are just too small.

[Vipertech13]

Great work Derek! 15" prop! WOW.
I was remembering when I flew my first plane and it had a 7" prop and I thought that some day I might have one with a 9" prop and that would be a huge plane and now I laugh at myself because like the last 6 or so plane I have done all have 10" to 13" props! It's funny how things progress!

[Derek]

Yeah, it's a pretty sizeable prop. If I can ever work up the nerve to maiden my large 3D plane, it has a 20x10 prop on it, lol.

[Graham Lawrie]

Is it me or does the monkey look like Derek?
LOL great pictures Derek:) or should i say Caesar:)

[Derek]

Lola, there are probably some similarities between the monkey and I

[cml001]

Hehehe

[Derek]

I've found some time to finish the color scheme on the fuselage. Now, without a doubt, the color scheme on the actual "Legacy Aviation Turbo Bushmaster" looks better than mine but it would also be a lot more challenging to do, so...Here is what mine looks like:

27 Finish Fuselage Color Scheme.jpg (1.55 MiB) Viewed 6086 times

[Stambo]

Very cool Derek, looking forward to seeing it flying.

[Derek]

Actually, I think I'm done with the build and setup. I added the black arrows and the white trimming last night. Calibrated the ESC. All that I need now is a 15-16" propeller and some 6" wheels. I have an 18" APC prop but I'm thinking that's a bit much. My local hobby shop is dragging their feet on getting larger wheels back in stock so I may just have to order them, myself.

[cml001]

Looks good!

[pvolcko]

Gotta get it finished and in the air! Seasons are changing!

[Harper88]

Very precise build. Monkey in the plane also cool.

[Derek]

Very precise build. Monkey in the plane also cool.

Thanks a lot! I've still not been able to fly it yet because of my work schedule. Hopefully soon. Im running out of flyable days before the snow comes.