Keil Kraft Outlaw for Ponte 2023

[leccyflyer]

Should have really started a build thread for this one a couple of weeks ago, as it's the main reason for me having come here

My plan to successfully fly a single channel model, fifty years after my last unsuccessful attempt as a callow yoth in the seventies , continues apace. For the past couple of weeks I've been building another KK Outlaw hopefully a bit better than that first one. My intention was to build one wing and two fuselages -one electric and one for diesel, as per the original. I was hoping to be ready for Ponte this weekend, but thought the model was finished this morning, I haven't been able to test fly it due to the weather.

Anyway, here she is - it's been another very enjoyable build, in this case from a short kit that Shaun kindly provided and so far just the electric powered part of the equation completed. I'd a minor glitch in that the plan that I had printed wasn't to the same scale as the kit parts. I did notice the wing rims were a few mm longer, but accomodated that by just moving the trailing adge back a bit. When I came to build the fuselage it was obviously a much bigger difference - nearly two inches, rather than a couple of mm. On measuring the length of the wing panels my Outlaw was closer to 42" span than 45" - hence the additional bay that you can just make out at the tips.

Very pleased this morning to find that the model balanced perfectly without any ballast and now looking forward to a maiden flight - under full three channel proportional control, before moving the model to single channel, propo rudder, sequential throttle. I've made the elevator removable - just a carbon rod through five Kavan hinges hold it on the back, pull out the rod and the elevator detaches.

I'll maybe put up some build pictures once I'm back from Ponte - this and the Schoolboy have been the first bit of balsa bashing that I've done in several years and it's been great fun.

[Jim]

Looks really good, looking forward to seeing your Outlaw and Schoolboy at Ponte

The other Phil

[Stew]

I got an Outlaw kit for Christmas in the early 80s. My Dad and I got it 80% built, but it never got finished. I think I discovered control line flying and went off on a tangent.
I wish I had that kit now! They even got me a brand new Enya 09 to go in it and I don't know what happened to that either! It was a brilliant little engine. Id love to hear one of those run again. I may have sold it to fund a Tamiya buggy when such things were the craze.
Looking forward to seeing the Outlaw at Ponty!

[leccyflyer]

Great to meet you yesterday Stew and to hear about your experience of the Outlaw - you need to find that Enya .09 (or a replacement) and get an Outlaw on the go. Forecast is still bad up here for the week, but I'm hoping for a maiden flight some time soon. I'll get onto building the second fuselage for diesel power too.

[leccyflyer]

Well the Outlaw didn't manage a maiden flight at Ponte, but this morning dawned with calm air, sniff of sunshine and fluffy white clouds, so it was off to my local club field for a maiden flight. I'd been a wee bit worried that I might have over motored the Outlaw, but she needed a decent motor weight to balance and the E-MAx 2810/06 was perfect for that with a 3s1p 2200mah pack. I put the meter on the Outlaw and on the 10x7" prop was getting 271w, for a 33oz model - that's. Coming down in prop size to a 9x6" gave me 245w @ 22amps current equating to about 120w/lb which I preferred.

The intention was always to have the maiden flight on modern 3 channel proportional control - familar territory with my DX9. My pal Bob obliged with a handlaunch and at 75%-ish throttle the Outlaw climbed away, drama free apart for the hatch departing in the climb out, turning left and throttling back the Outlaw settled into a lovely stable sit and just flew. Hands off both sticks after about ten seconds and just perfect. What a lovely model - everything I'd read was spot on, let go of the sticks and she just reverts to straight and level. I pootled around for a bit on something less than half throttle, chucked in a decently large loop from level flight and thoroughly enjoyed the maiden flight. I called the landing and she came in nice and steady, but I flared just a touch too late and the somewhat perished thin rubber bands on the undercarriage gave way, depositing Outlaw and the undercart in the soft clover. I think that is the best maiden flight I've ever had - not one click of trim needed. The motor is possibly a tad too powerful, but makes for a very comfortable flight with plenty of power if needed and I'd rather have motor weight, rather than car balance weights up front.

I did then think about whether to rebind to the Gem 1+1 and go for a first single channel flight, but luckily it started to rain and I had an excuse. TBH our club strip, beautifull though it is - is only 12m wide and 50m long and I'm not sure that I could hit that first time flying single channel. The proving flight is now done though and the model has shown itself to be extremely well behaved. I'm going to replace the ineffective magnet at the front of the hatch, with the original plan for a thin dowel then I'll try an ROG and then a maiden flight with the Gem 1+1 at my larger club field, when the weather permits.

Really, really happy with this one though.

[leccyflyer]

Got another couple of flights in with the Outlaw yesterday in a brief weather window. I think this is the nicest model I have in my fleet at the moment - good as gold and these flights were to test if she'd take off from the grass okay. No major worries on that front, for normal three channel flight after a bit of a ground handling test, which saw the Outlaw proscribe a tight circle to the right with hands off, advancing the throttle. Cured that but found that she does need a touch of up elevator to keep the tail down and not peck at the ground. That could be an issue with single channel ROG.

Really enjoyed just steering the Outlaw round the skies, trying not to use the elevator, as a precursor to committing to single channel flight. You just need to breathe on the controls to steer the model and left to her own devices she'll fly in gentle, wildish circles to the left and climb when throttle is increased. I think I'm just about ready to commit to the Gem 1+1 flight, but that will need to wait for another weather window. Phil and Shaun played a blinder in getting me a fully functioning Gem 1+1 set, which I'm told originally came from Wayne in Australia, so a big thank you to all of you for that - it's soon going to be back in action again.

In the meantime progress on the diesel powered fuselage continues. The diesel version is in the original tricycle undercarriage configuration. There's quite a bit more to do in the engine bearers, noseleg former and building up a fuel tank bay than in my electric version, but that's done now. I'd like to get fuelproofing throughout that nose section before completing the sheeting. It was very nostalgic working with Paxolin again - though a bit easier with a scroll saw, rather than a junior hacksaw!

[Stew]

Lovely job, and definitely on my build list. If only I still had the original kit that I had as a child!
I shall order some ribs from IGull.

I'm going to power mine with a little Enya 09.

Stew.

[leccyflyer]

I'm sure you'll love it Stew.

Just received some piccies from my pal Derek, of the Outlaw in action yesterday.

It wasn't that hard a landing, honest and my other two clubmates who had both showed me pictures of their Outlaws, flying from the field in the 70's were delighted to see that my 2023 Outlaw had the same retractable undercarriage.

[leccyflyer]

Diesel fuselage was progressing nicely for the Outlaw, but I'd made a schoolboy error, completely forgetting that I would need a throttle servo - it must be more than 25 years since I'd fitted such a thing.

Anyway, a few minutes work with a cut off disc fabricated a long sharpened piece of piano wire, which fairly easily allowed drilling of a series of holes to take a hard nylon outer through the front three formers, down the side of the tank bay, to take a Bowden cable. The elevator servo was able to cutch up a bit on the servo rails, leaving room for a third HS81 servo for throttle.

Then had to work my way through a dozen old NiCd/Nimh receiver packs to see if I had anything suitable in stock -all of which were consigned to the bin as too risky. Took the opportunity to bag up a bunch of old NiCd and NiMh loose cells, some looking very much the worse for wear and will make a trip to the tip with those.

[Shaun]

At this rate you'll have a retro air force for next year.

As Tobe say's, keep turning small bits of balsa into one big piece.

Shaun.