128 MODEL AVIATION
model that is similar to our old ducted-fan
aircraft but with some obvious updates. The
Electra Jet was specifically designed as an
EDF-powered sport model.
Some impressions of flying Wayne’s jet
stayed with me. I could not believe that he
was so excited about a non-turbine-powered
jet that he wanted to share the joy of flying it
by letting others fly it.
My flight was just to get acquainted with
the model-and-power-system experience.
Wayne had the batteries charged and ready.
He plugged them in and handed me the
transmitter and told me to have fun—no
restrictions. That was fine with me, so off I
went.
I made this flight at a jet meet, so before
flying I got in line for takeoff. It was cool not
using fuel, or should I say battery power,
while I waited for
takeoff clearance.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF large electricducted-
fan (EDF) jets continues, and now
they’re mainstream. The units sized to
power our old ducted-fan models and
smaller turbine-powered models have caught
on, and until recently I really had no
experience with them.
My turbine-powered jet makes
unbelievable power, sounds great, smells
right, is reliable, and is quite easy to operate,
so I never really showed an interest in the
growing EDF scene; that was, until Wayne
McCosker cornered me with an offer.
“You gotta fly my new Bob Violett
Models Electra ARF,” he said.
I did, and he changed my impression of
these electric jets. Kind of makes me want
one.
Wayne powered his Electra Jet with the
Bob Violett Models (BVM) EVF [Electric
VioFan] 4010 housing a Neu 1521 motor. A
30C 10S 6400 mAh
Li-Poly battery
system supplies the
fuel for this motor,
producing 14
pounds of rated
thrust.
That’s much
more than our old
two-stroke ducted
fans made. This is
considered a great,
mild, reliable setup
in the BVM product
line, yet it is still a
powerhouse.
The airframe is
the Electra Jet ARF
version: a well-done
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
Also included in this column:
• Tired old tire fix
What’s to like about flying a large electric jet?
You can easily remove worn, flat-spotted tires by cutting the
tire and spreading it off of the wheel hub.
A neat method of installing a new tire on a
wheel hub without marring the aluminum
wheel. In most cases, this is probably the
quickest way to mount the new tires.
Now this is an impressive lineup. A convoy of Bob Violett Models Electra Jets awaits
clearance for takeoff. Only electric-powered jets tailgate this close.
As for the takeoff, I’ll just tell you that
there is no jet lag in the throttle response; it is
instantaneous. Acceleration is quick; the
setup has a great thrust-to-weight ratio, and
the performance proves it. I brought the gear
up, let the model accelerate, and it was
hauling on that first pass.
I followed that with a pull to vertical and
let the Electra Jet sail—and that it did, more
than only a couple hundred feet in the
vertical. Then for the fun: pulling the throttle
back and shutting down the fan. You can’t do
that with a turbine unless you’re willing to
commit to a dead-stick landing.
Motor-off aerobatics with the Electra Jet
are fun. It is a clean design with plenty of
wing to generate lift. This aircraft’s energy
retention is awesome; loops, rolls, and point
rolls could be done dead-stick as I bled off
altitude and learned the jet’s flying
characteristics.
Then I tried slow flight, to see how tame
this hot rod would be to land. Typical of
many of BVM’s new sport jets, the Electra
Jet has sweet slow-speed handling.
I punched the throttle and the electric fan
came back to life. I pulled back on the stick to
see how much grunt it had. From slow flight I
pulled it up into a 45° climb, and the Electra
Jet maintained speed with no problem.
Slow flight with a good airplane is fun,
but soon it was time to open it up and do
some high-speed aerobatics. The Electra Jet
excels in basic rolling and looping maneuvers
at speed—and I do mean at a good clip.
04sig4.QXD 2/24/09 11:09 AM Page 128
This mild BVM 4010 with only a 10-
cell battery in the model is still a potent
power system. Large loops; big, zooming
climbs; and pure speed are plenty with this
model. Proper throttle management is
recommended to keep the battery
temperatures under control and maximize
flight time—or so Wayne reminded me.
After roughly four minutes of fun,
Wayne had the timer set for me to land. I
hate when that happens.
Setting up the Electra Jet for landing
was just too easy. Its excellent slow-speed
characteristics combined with flaps and the
ability to completely shut down the motor
made for great descent control to make a
spot landing.
The landing gear is set up with a rather
nose-high, positive angle of attack on the
ground, which is great for takeoff. But on
landing, remember to extend the flare to
get the main gear on the ground before the
nose gear.
The final touchdown was at an
incredibly low airspeed. I could see this
model flying off of grass fields with no
problems.
Thank you, Wayne, for my first flight
with a large EDF-powered model. Overall,
I am extremely impressed with the Electra
Jet and the power available to fly it.
The basic flying experience with the
characteristics of electric power does have
some advantages over turbines: instant
power, quietness, and the ability to shut
down power and restart instantly. It can
spoil you.
But electric power lacks the aroma and
the sound of power that only a turbine can
give you. Both types of power are fun.
These electrics don’t have to suffer any
loss of performance, and they can get it on,
too!
Back to Turbine Topics: Quit flying on
those worn-out, out-of-round tires! It is
easy to flat-spot a tire on hard braking, and
from then on, that flat spot makes
consistent straight braking almost
impossible. Don’t live with it; fix it.
Replacing worn tires is neither difficult
nor impossible. It’s part of routine
maintenance, and most wheel and brake
suppliers have replacement tires available
for their products. Removing the old tire is
simple. For a single-piece wheel hub, the
process isn’t too bad.
To begin, remove all of the antirotation
bolts from the wheel/tire assembly. I prefer
to remove the tire from the rim by using a
razor blade to make a straight cut from the
outside edge of the tire directly toward the
hub. This allows me to spread the tire
doughnut to make it easy to remove from
the hub.
Installing the new tire can be interesting
without the right tools. Many times I have
installed the replacement tire on the wheel
rim by forcing it over with my hands, some
associated pry bars, screwdrivers, and plain
brute force. There is an easier way.
For all of its tires, BVM has a cone and
plywood push plate to ease this part of the
operation. Once you use it, you’ll be
spoiled.
You simply place the wheel hub on the
table, place the centering cone in place on
the hub, and then slip the tire over the
cone. Use the push plate to push the tire
evenly and squarely down the cone and
over the hub.
This is the quickest and easiest system I
have used. I lube the inside of the tire with
petroleum jelly when a tire is giving me a
difficult time, but even that isn’t always
necessary.
Now that the new tire is in place, you
have to redrill all of those antirotation
screw holes and get them to line up on the
opposite side. I use a small drill without
too much trouble, but when you get one
off line, it’s nearly impossible to get it
back into alignment. The drill flexes
following the existing out-of-alignment
hole.
To repair the area, heat a piece of .045
music wire and burn the hole through. This
isn’t always as neat, but it doesn’t tend to
follow the misaligned hole as much as a
drill. Adequate ventilation is required.
I suggest that you order new
antirotation bolts when you order the new
tires. You will be surprised to see how
bent the originals can be when you remove
them from the wheel.
On the subject of wheel maintenance,
what about those axle bushings? Inspect
them too. A lot of inconsistent brake
action, losing air while braking, and loss of
heading under braking can be caused by
excessively worn wheel bushings.
These two can be replaced. I drill mine
out with a 15/64 bit and a small bench drill
press. The drill bit will usually hook the
bushing and spin it before drilling through.
When it does, stop immediately.
At this point, you should be able to
nearly pull the bushing off of the hub by
the drill. Then the opposite-side bushing
can be pushed out from the backside,
through the hole of the removed bushing.
To install new bushings, I use my
bench drill as a small arbor press to push
them in. A 3/8-inch bolt chucked up in the
bench drill with the head pointing down
can be used to push the new bushing in; it
will help keep the bushing square as you
press it into the wheel hub.
My preference, although rarely
necessary, is to use a small amount of red
Loctite sealant to lock in the bushings. It
helps prevent the new bushing from
spinning in the wheel hub.
Start the new flying season with new
tires and tight wheel bushings, and take it
easy on those brakes; you don’t want to
flat-spot those new tires. Let’s get back to
flying. MA
Sources:
BVM
(407) 327-6333
www.bvmjets.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 128,129
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 128,129
128 MODEL AVIATION
model that is similar to our old ducted-fan
aircraft but with some obvious updates. The
Electra Jet was specifically designed as an
EDF-powered sport model.
Some impressions of flying Wayne’s jet
stayed with me. I could not believe that he
was so excited about a non-turbine-powered
jet that he wanted to share the joy of flying it
by letting others fly it.
My flight was just to get acquainted with
the model-and-power-system experience.
Wayne had the batteries charged and ready.
He plugged them in and handed me the
transmitter and told me to have fun—no
restrictions. That was fine with me, so off I
went.
I made this flight at a jet meet, so before
flying I got in line for takeoff. It was cool not
using fuel, or should I say battery power,
while I waited for
takeoff clearance.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF large electricducted-
fan (EDF) jets continues, and now
they’re mainstream. The units sized to
power our old ducted-fan models and
smaller turbine-powered models have caught
on, and until recently I really had no
experience with them.
My turbine-powered jet makes
unbelievable power, sounds great, smells
right, is reliable, and is quite easy to operate,
so I never really showed an interest in the
growing EDF scene; that was, until Wayne
McCosker cornered me with an offer.
“You gotta fly my new Bob Violett
Models Electra ARF,” he said.
I did, and he changed my impression of
these electric jets. Kind of makes me want
one.
Wayne powered his Electra Jet with the
Bob Violett Models (BVM) EVF [Electric
VioFan] 4010 housing a Neu 1521 motor. A
30C 10S 6400 mAh
Li-Poly battery
system supplies the
fuel for this motor,
producing 14
pounds of rated
thrust.
That’s much
more than our old
two-stroke ducted
fans made. This is
considered a great,
mild, reliable setup
in the BVM product
line, yet it is still a
powerhouse.
The airframe is
the Electra Jet ARF
version: a well-done
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
Also included in this column:
• Tired old tire fix
What’s to like about flying a large electric jet?
You can easily remove worn, flat-spotted tires by cutting the
tire and spreading it off of the wheel hub.
A neat method of installing a new tire on a
wheel hub without marring the aluminum
wheel. In most cases, this is probably the
quickest way to mount the new tires.
Now this is an impressive lineup. A convoy of Bob Violett Models Electra Jets awaits
clearance for takeoff. Only electric-powered jets tailgate this close.
As for the takeoff, I’ll just tell you that
there is no jet lag in the throttle response; it is
instantaneous. Acceleration is quick; the
setup has a great thrust-to-weight ratio, and
the performance proves it. I brought the gear
up, let the model accelerate, and it was
hauling on that first pass.
I followed that with a pull to vertical and
let the Electra Jet sail—and that it did, more
than only a couple hundred feet in the
vertical. Then for the fun: pulling the throttle
back and shutting down the fan. You can’t do
that with a turbine unless you’re willing to
commit to a dead-stick landing.
Motor-off aerobatics with the Electra Jet
are fun. It is a clean design with plenty of
wing to generate lift. This aircraft’s energy
retention is awesome; loops, rolls, and point
rolls could be done dead-stick as I bled off
altitude and learned the jet’s flying
characteristics.
Then I tried slow flight, to see how tame
this hot rod would be to land. Typical of
many of BVM’s new sport jets, the Electra
Jet has sweet slow-speed handling.
I punched the throttle and the electric fan
came back to life. I pulled back on the stick to
see how much grunt it had. From slow flight I
pulled it up into a 45° climb, and the Electra
Jet maintained speed with no problem.
Slow flight with a good airplane is fun,
but soon it was time to open it up and do
some high-speed aerobatics. The Electra Jet
excels in basic rolling and looping maneuvers
at speed—and I do mean at a good clip.
04sig4.QXD 2/24/09 11:09 AM Page 128
This mild BVM 4010 with only a 10-
cell battery in the model is still a potent
power system. Large loops; big, zooming
climbs; and pure speed are plenty with this
model. Proper throttle management is
recommended to keep the battery
temperatures under control and maximize
flight time—or so Wayne reminded me.
After roughly four minutes of fun,
Wayne had the timer set for me to land. I
hate when that happens.
Setting up the Electra Jet for landing
was just too easy. Its excellent slow-speed
characteristics combined with flaps and the
ability to completely shut down the motor
made for great descent control to make a
spot landing.
The landing gear is set up with a rather
nose-high, positive angle of attack on the
ground, which is great for takeoff. But on
landing, remember to extend the flare to
get the main gear on the ground before the
nose gear.
The final touchdown was at an
incredibly low airspeed. I could see this
model flying off of grass fields with no
problems.
Thank you, Wayne, for my first flight
with a large EDF-powered model. Overall,
I am extremely impressed with the Electra
Jet and the power available to fly it.
The basic flying experience with the
characteristics of electric power does have
some advantages over turbines: instant
power, quietness, and the ability to shut
down power and restart instantly. It can
spoil you.
But electric power lacks the aroma and
the sound of power that only a turbine can
give you. Both types of power are fun.
These electrics don’t have to suffer any
loss of performance, and they can get it on,
too!
Back to Turbine Topics: Quit flying on
those worn-out, out-of-round tires! It is
easy to flat-spot a tire on hard braking, and
from then on, that flat spot makes
consistent straight braking almost
impossible. Don’t live with it; fix it.
Replacing worn tires is neither difficult
nor impossible. It’s part of routine
maintenance, and most wheel and brake
suppliers have replacement tires available
for their products. Removing the old tire is
simple. For a single-piece wheel hub, the
process isn’t too bad.
To begin, remove all of the antirotation
bolts from the wheel/tire assembly. I prefer
to remove the tire from the rim by using a
razor blade to make a straight cut from the
outside edge of the tire directly toward the
hub. This allows me to spread the tire
doughnut to make it easy to remove from
the hub.
Installing the new tire can be interesting
without the right tools. Many times I have
installed the replacement tire on the wheel
rim by forcing it over with my hands, some
associated pry bars, screwdrivers, and plain
brute force. There is an easier way.
For all of its tires, BVM has a cone and
plywood push plate to ease this part of the
operation. Once you use it, you’ll be
spoiled.
You simply place the wheel hub on the
table, place the centering cone in place on
the hub, and then slip the tire over the
cone. Use the push plate to push the tire
evenly and squarely down the cone and
over the hub.
This is the quickest and easiest system I
have used. I lube the inside of the tire with
petroleum jelly when a tire is giving me a
difficult time, but even that isn’t always
necessary.
Now that the new tire is in place, you
have to redrill all of those antirotation
screw holes and get them to line up on the
opposite side. I use a small drill without
too much trouble, but when you get one
off line, it’s nearly impossible to get it
back into alignment. The drill flexes
following the existing out-of-alignment
hole.
To repair the area, heat a piece of .045
music wire and burn the hole through. This
isn’t always as neat, but it doesn’t tend to
follow the misaligned hole as much as a
drill. Adequate ventilation is required.
I suggest that you order new
antirotation bolts when you order the new
tires. You will be surprised to see how
bent the originals can be when you remove
them from the wheel.
On the subject of wheel maintenance,
what about those axle bushings? Inspect
them too. A lot of inconsistent brake
action, losing air while braking, and loss of
heading under braking can be caused by
excessively worn wheel bushings.
These two can be replaced. I drill mine
out with a 15/64 bit and a small bench drill
press. The drill bit will usually hook the
bushing and spin it before drilling through.
When it does, stop immediately.
At this point, you should be able to
nearly pull the bushing off of the hub by
the drill. Then the opposite-side bushing
can be pushed out from the backside,
through the hole of the removed bushing.
To install new bushings, I use my
bench drill as a small arbor press to push
them in. A 3/8-inch bolt chucked up in the
bench drill with the head pointing down
can be used to push the new bushing in; it
will help keep the bushing square as you
press it into the wheel hub.
My preference, although rarely
necessary, is to use a small amount of red
Loctite sealant to lock in the bushings. It
helps prevent the new bushing from
spinning in the wheel hub.
Start the new flying season with new
tires and tight wheel bushings, and take it
easy on those brakes; you don’t want to
flat-spot those new tires. Let’s get back to
flying. MA
Sources:
BVM
(407) 327-6333
www.bvmjets.com