RC Powers F18 V4 build complete... :)

Hi everyone -

I just put the finishing touches on my RC Powers F18 V4... :)

I am really happy with how the paint scheme turned out.  In 1994, 441 Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) with whom I was attached to and worked with numerous times during my military career, did a 50th Anniversary of D-Day paint scheme and since the 70th anniversary of D-Day is upcoming in two days, I thought what better paint scheme?!  I have always wanted to do a grey CF18 schemed model, but discovered early in my RC career that grey pattern camo was too tough on my poor old eyes against a cloudy sky that we often have through most of the year here.  So with the invasion stripes giving me great contrast, I thought it was just what I needed to do.  

441 Sqn flew Spitfires in WWII at the time of D-Day, and all RCAF planes displayed the RAF roundel at that time, so I put the WWII RAF roundel on the left wing and the current RCAF roundel on the right wing.

Unfortunately 441 has been stood down now due to infrastructure changes in the RCAF, but served with distinction during WWII, in Europe after WWII flying the Canadair Sabre, the CF104 Starfighter and later in Cold Lake, Alberta flying the CF18 Hornet.  More history of 441 Sqn can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/441_Tactical_Fighter_Squadron

My build -

• 6mm depron for the entire build, including the KF2 airfoil constructed primarily with Foam Tac with a dab of hot glue or epoxy as needed;
• Power setup is the Focal Price 2700 motor with a 6x3 EMP prop, Turnigy Plush 40A ESC and I will use 1600 or 2200 3S batteries dependant on conditions;
• 6 servo setup for elevons/ailerons/rudders.  Rudders are connected with a Y harness, all other servos have their own channel in my Turnigy er9x setup.  I will experiment with elevons only, flaps/spoilers/flaperons and spoilerons, so those have all been programmed and mixed and are switch selectable; and
• all leading and trailing edges have been sanded, except for the slats/fronterons, all leading and trailing edges are symmetrically shaped to reduce drag as much as possible.  Paint is brushed on acrylic craft paint from the dollar store/Walmart/craft store.

I made a few additions/modifications to the build from the plans to suit my preferences and building style and from lessons I learned from 300+ flights on my F18 V3.

• I opened up the prop slot just a bit, so the wing spar had to be moved back just a bit;
• I lengthened the wing spar quite a bit, since I was 2 oz heavier in raw foam alone at the start of the build, I wanted to make sure the wing was good and strong;
• I added 3mm carbon tube to the elevons and the vertical stabilizers for added strength.  With my F18 V3, I would get considerable vertical stab flutter, especially as the plane got older and the foam got a bit more flexible, so I wanted those to be good and strong;
• I made the bottom of the rudder hinge parallel to the wing plate and extended the hinge down just a bit, other than that, hinge placement on the rudder is stock angle and location; 
• In order to keep the prop slot and prop wash area as clean as possible, I ran all servos and pushrods outside the prop slot/prop wash area, this required that I cut a bit off the elevon where it is close to the fuselage to allow room for the surface and pushrod to move freely without interference; and
• after reading some great feedback from RobDavis on the RC Powers forum, I wanted to keep the back of the electronics bay area as free as I could to allow the flexibility of using a 2200 battery, so I put my ESC external between the intakes and secured it using a zip tie.

My AUW with battery is 

• 1600 Mah battery - 575 gr/20.3 oz; and
• 2200 Mah battery - 621 gr/21.9 oz.

Here is a picture of where my 1600 battery will be with the plane balanced right on stock CofG, so I will have plenty of room fore and aft to adjust once I get to the field and start flying... :)

I am very excited to get this plane flying, if the F18 V4 is as much as an improvement over the F18 V3 as the Mig V4 was over the Mig V3, then I am ready to be blown away... :)  

I hope to maiden tomorrow or Friday which will be the actual 70th anniversary of D-Day.  

I will do a walkaround/comparison video between this plane and my F18 V3 like I did with the Mig 29 V3/V4 when I go to fly and will at some point also post a more detailed walkaround video discussing my thoughts on the build, some tips and techniques I used and my final "dialed in" setup.

Cheers,

Scott