Dynaflite Bird of Time , BOT ARF Build , details pictures, weight saving,..

Dynaflite Bird of Time ARF

Update Jan 2010
Updated Info on Spoiler Setup.
-added Total Flying Weight

Update May 11
Removed the 11 x 6 prop, back to the 10 x 6 .

Update May 10 29 Flights since the last Update app 6.5 Hrs Total Time,
I've changed out the 10 x 6 folders to 11 x 6 and added a 4 Cell lipo upgrade from the previous 3 cell
Only 1 flight with this setup so far. Still have to see if this is better

Update March 30 8 Flights on this Bird, app. 1 1/2 hr Flying Time..
After the fourth flight I took off the 12 x 6.5 folders and replaced them with 10 x 6...
I like the way that setup works better, and am able to get more run time on the motor/ battery combination....
The ride up the hill isn't quite as fast, but I have time..

Update March 27 Maiden Flight about 1 pm +9 Deg C or so, Cloudy. light breeze maybe 5 - 10 km/hr, from North/ North-east , just a simple toss away it went, no fanfare,, needed full down trim other then that flew wonderful, 10 minutes flight time easy on a couple power on runs "Up the Hill" so to speak...

Update March 24 Most major work is completed still have to balance though!

Update
I'll be adding Spoilers, to get this bird out of the sky, will be 4 channel, rudder, elevator, spoilers each servo on seperate channel

March 2009
Received a new Bird of Time Arf Monday March 9 2009...
Wanted a Sailplane that would turn out to be lighter then an ASW28 and also have a lighter wing loading...
Looking for something that will fly well in a lighter breeze and hopefully be a little more relaxing.
No, not another plane to add to the hanger, the ASW 28 has been sold!

Bird of Time

The story of the build, or as some may call it the Assembly, everything just kind of fits together. With the addition of spoilers theres a little bit of build and mod work required..

Classic thermal soarer as a quick-building ARF!

Enjoy the quiet beauty of sailplane piloting... and some of the simplest model assembly ever! Originally designed by Dave Thornburg, the Bird of Time ranks among Dynaflite's most popular kits—and this ARF version supplies the same soaring performance in prebuilt form.

With its broad wingspan and beautiful MonoKote finish, the Bird of Time ARF is easy to see at high altitudes—a must for experienced pilots aiming for maximum altitudes and flight times.

Excels at 2-channel thermal and duration soaring.
Airfoil draws maximum performance out of a wide range of conditions—from slow thermal riding to faster-paced thermal chasing.
Built-up wood wing sections are expertly covered in Top Flite® MonoKote® film.
Hand-laid fiberglass fuselage increases durability and distributes weight evenly.
Goes together in as little as 2-3 hours!
Adjustable towhook position maximizes launch angles and altitudes.
For convenient transportation to and from flying sites, the large 118" span wing disassembles easily into three sections


This is how the plane arrived , wrapping paper and another box have been removed	Unwrapped, nicely packed
Another picture, everything turned out to be individually wrapped and taped to the package nicely for shipping... It is made in China.. Where the underside of the wing is white, I think I'll place the decal there, may help a little with visability	Stuck together , just had to have a look 3 meter wingspan thats about 120 inchs
Horizontal tail feathers , flying tail these parts both rotate on a pivot in the vertical fin...First time I have ever seen this , Over all weights. Grams (1 Gram = .035 oz ) Fuselage 385 Grams Wing Center with spoilers 360 Grams Wing Left with dihedral brace 200 Grams Wing Right with dihedral brace 200 Grams Horizontal tail 90 Grams Rudder 15 G Canopy Complete 20 G Total Weight Total Weight 1270 G	Another picture, real nice lines , especialy the angle the vertical fin makes with the boom
Version 3 Spoiler Setup Spoiler stop screw, and magnet not seen on underside of spoiler under blue Monokote	Version 3 Spoiler Setup Spoiler secured with wooden bracket and screws, intended to aid in easy removal
Version 3 Spoiler Setup Spoiler servo actuated to open spoiler	Off with the nose, I'll be adding a . Scorpion S3014-18 motor , 125 Grams, with a 45 A ESC and 2200 maH Lipo..Hope a 40mm spinner works along with some 12 x 6.5 inch aeronaut folder blades. The nose weight is a combination of 1mm or so steel balls and epoxy, to hold things together. Earlier Versions had a solid cast steel weight! Carefully chipping and prying will remove this slurry, a little bit of heat from a torch or, heat gun, being carful with the fuse, will also help. A box or something under the nose will collect these pesky little balls
Horizontal tail feathers stuck on,	Huge wing span, I think it should sail rather nice

Finished canopy with frame..I'll still have to add a couple hooks or something to secure with the rubber band to the fuse	2200 mah battery, this will probably be the spot.. Will have to wait and see how things balance when the motor and prop get installed
Tail hole cover, I glued a piece of 1/8 ply to the cover to keep it flat ,.. I also added a little piece of dowl to the center, this will butt up against the screw retaining the bellcrank and keep it from backing out	Elevator bellcrank, I wanted to keep the tail as light as possble and move the servo up front... With the motor installed and the battery placed as far forward as possible I'll still need some more weight up front... I'll have to retreive all those steel balls I knocked out of the nose... Note: Older Version ARF has Cast iron Ingot for Nose Weight
Right wing tip with laminated dihedral brace and alignment pin Everything fits together rather nice.... Not sure, but I might add one of those powerful little magnets I have to hold the panels to each other... NOTE: Older ARF Version has a shorter Dihedral brace	Spoiler servo tray. Rails will rest on the lower rib caps and get glued to them as well as the ribs..
Both rails glued together, I used some 1/64 ply to seperate the rails to suit the Waypoint W092 mb servos I'm going to use....	Servo tray sitting in right spoiler bay, still able to move them fore and aft and won't glue them in place until I have the linkage dealt with. Update , these servo trays, will not be used. The servos need to be lower in the servo bays, back to the drawing board
Version 2 New servo tray setup and actuater mechanism.. Slider crank setup, no need to be to tight on the clearances, as long as the spoiler stays open and is held closed... Note: This slider Crank setup has been replaced with a simpler, setup seen earlier on this page Version 3	Tray and rails held in place with screw, this will allow the installation of servo prior to placing the tray
Glued in 15 grams of steel weights in the nose area, in front of the motor bulkhead	Another 200 Grams of steel balls, I hope I don't need them all About 50 Grams of stell balls needed after all checks and balances were made
Left wing spoiler bay, Servo bracket is held in with two screws	Majestic, shown with 45 mm aeronaut spinner, nose is cut though for the 40mm spinner, . Good thing that gets the weight a little further forward
I removed the two cross braces so that I could get the battery. (2200maH 3 cell Lipo) set lower in the fuse.. Added a cross brace about 1 inch wide , I'll attach some velcro and use that to secure the battery.. ESC fits nicely under the ledge, shouldn't get to hot there.... Lots of steel balls shown at left, epoxied in . I think I still need some more though!	This is the 45A V1 Scorpion Commander ESC, comes with Programmer for programing,
Channel number, just a reminder to me that this plane is Channel 42, I have the Spectra geared up with Channel 36, hence the need for numbers...	More Steel balls and the backend of the S3014-18 Scorpion motor
The nose, not sure I like the scoop, not a lot of choice though other then major changes to the nose.. I suppose extending it x 1 - 2 inches would also cut down on the balance weight required up front.. Lot of work though 40mm Aeronaut spinner 12 x 6.5 props...	Waypoint W150 Servos for rudder and elevator
Power train Components Aeronaut 12 x 6.5 prop Aeronaut 40 mm Spinner Aeronaut Hub Scorpion S3014-18 Scorpion 45A Commander

	It all adds up Basic Plane as shipped 1270 Grams 2 x Waypoint W150 13.5G ea 27 G 2 x Waypoint W092MB 12 G ea 24G 1 x Futaba R168DF 28G 1 x Scorpion S3014-18 125G 1 x Scorpion 45 A speed control 455G 1 x 2200maH 3Cell Lipo 180G 1 x propeller, prop adapter spinner assembly 45 G steel balls ???G 2200MAH 4 cell LIPO 230 G Total weight 1890 G With a 4 cell 2200 mah LIPO 66.6 Oz
Prop Adapter Puller Had to make one, these collet type adapters are just to fragile to be pulling with screwdrivers and pliers I used a length of 1" Dia, about 1 1/.2" Long, aluminum rod, bored in one end 5/8" Dia. and tapped the other end for a standard M8 bolt All the cutting was done with a hacksaw and a little bit of filing and I was finished.. I'll clean it up a bit with a finer file and some 400 Grit paper and add it to my tool collection... 1 hour or so of work and works like a charm!

Thought I'd post a couple picture of my flying field!
View looking north, I'm standing at the edge of the woods. North -South runway is straight ahead in center of picture, darker green area...	Here I'm standing on Grassy Knoll looking east.. I can toss plane from here for a North, North -East launch or a Southerly heading launch. Once I'am airborne I walk forward toward the flag and picnic table and stand there while flying .. The flag is at the intersection of my runways a good spot to see all ends of the runways for landing!
Heres a shot towards the South , West, straight ahead the Grassy Knoll !	A shot looking South , runway is darker green area in image, at center. Far treeline is extend of my Southerly range when flying base leg for approach with winds out of the North...