Bill Hempel Yak 55

[HRRC Flyer]

Here is a continuation of my last post.

"Before" (I apologize for the terrible glare)

"After"

"Before"

"After"

I don't have a "Before" picture for this next one, because this is the first thing I did this afternoon and I got so excited, I forgot to take it. So, with that being said, here is the "After".

Some of the graphics in the pictures appear to be out of line. In the case of the "Futaba" and the "14MZ" graphics, they are slightly off. The rest of them are due to the angle of the picture.

The other wing and stab are finished as well, I just didn't take a picture. I will continue my work in the morning and hopefully have a completed task to show you tomorrow evening. . . . . .

 

[HRRC Flyer]

Sitting here looking at the last picture, I realize how badly I screwed it up. . . . . . The big Yak graphic should have been parallel with the wing tube and not with the rear of the aileron. I already know I am not going to like it, so I may have to call Eric at B&E for some advice on removing them and re-applying them or I may have to get another set of graphics. Dang it, I feel like such an idiot. . . . . .

 

[pawnshopmike]

Sitting here looking at the last picture, I realize how badly I screwed it up. . . . . . The big Yak graphic should have been parallel with the wing tube and not with the rear of the aileron. I already know I am not going to like it, so I may have to call Eric at B&E for some advice on removing them and re-applying them or I may have to get another set of graphics. Dang it, I feel like such an idiot. . . . . .

Just leave it and don’t worry about it. Actually looks kinda cool the way you did it. If anything, I’d add some kind of decal to the white space above the YAK. Maybe have Eric make you a couple “Bill Hempel” decals. If you try to peal it off, it will stretch the covering then you’ll have more problems to address.

 

[HRRC Flyer]

You're right @pawnshopmike

I will never be able to get the graphics off considering how old the Ultracote is. It's funny you mentioned Bill Hempel. B&E's "Standard" graphics for this plane has Bills website address for the aileron and "Team Edge" for the sides of the fuse. I changed them because I don't think Bill Hempel is selling planes any more. I've emailed him multiple times with no response.

One thing I forgot to mention in any of my previous posts today. The graphics I got from B&E are AWESOME! ! ! ! !. They are exceptional quality and their air release system makes them a breeze to put on. I will definitely be ordering more graphics from them when the time comes. . . . .

 

[Snoopy1]

I would not change a thing it looks great. As far as I am concerned there is no right or wrong way. looks good to me. I belive if you try to remove them you will regret that.

 

[HRRC Flyer]

As promised, I have a few more pictures of the Yak, this time with it all put together. I will also reveal the second part of my clue for those of you who may still be curious.

And now for the "grey all over". Hopefully it will help reduce wrinkles.

It's not as tight as its supposed to be at the front because it is designed to go over the prop and around the spinner, but you guys get the idea.

 

[HRRC Flyer]

After all the fun was over, I actually got some REAL work done on the Yak. . . . . ..

I mounted the battery for the ignition inside the engine box in the same location as the previous owner.

I also installed the receiver and receiver batteries. . . . .

The one thing I don't like about those Duraflite batteries is how the wires exit the pack. they are forced out one corner of the pack instead of out one end, if you know what I'm saying. That is why they are turned 180 degrees from each other. If any of you guys can think of a better arrangement, I'm all ears.

I have a dumb question for you Fellas. These batteries have three wires exiting the pack, not including the power wires to the Smart Fly. There is a "charging" wire, a "test" wire and the wire with the long red plug on it. My question is, can I use the "test" wire to power my ignition module or do I have to change the red plug to match the other two?

 

[pawnshopmike]

Looks beautiful brother. Some day I’ll own a 55. I’ve always liked them but for some reason I’ve never owned one.

 

[Snoopy1]

Don’t worry about the little things that do not improve the performance get the important things done and make some noise with that 3W redhead. And most of all enjoy the plane.

 

[HRRC Flyer]

Well Fellas,

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I did get an hour or so on the Yak this evening, but I didn't do anything that is picture worthy. I also sent an email to Duralite and got a response about which wire I should use from the battery to power my ignition module. I was correct in my post above. I can use the "test" plug to power my ignition. That works for me since I usually don't worry about testing battery voltage since I always charge all of my batteries before each weekend of flying. Besides, with each of the three batteries being 2500mAh, I cannot fly enough in a weekend to be too worried about battery drain.

I have another question for you Fellas. If you look at the bottom picture in my last post, you'll see thin plastic tubes along the side of the fuse and across the rear of the step behind the receiver and batteries. I assume they are for antenna leads. The tubes along the fuse side are too far away from my receiver to be of any use. However, there is a tube that is run vertically on the opposite side of the fuse, just out of view of the picture. My question is mainly for my fellow Futaba users. I've always used the thin blue heat shrink sleeves for my antenna tubes. Should I cut the ends of these plastic tubes so the ends of my antennas stick out or not worry about it?

Now for the bad news. Somewhere in the last three months, I lost a week. I thought I had two weekends between this weekend and the weekend of the Scale Fly-In. What this means is that I am not going to have my Yak finished and flown in time. . . . . . What this also means is that I'm going to have to stop working on it for a week or two so I can make sure my H9 Extra 260 is in good shape. I can fly the 260 in the Scale Fly-In too since it is close to scale, but I had my heart set on flying my Yak.

Edit. . . . . By the way Fellas, before I forget. I was wrong about Bill Hempel previously. He is still selling planes. He just updated his website saying he has another shipment of planes on a slow boat from the Far East. This is good new to me since I'd really like to get my hands on one of his 35% Extra 260's for a future assembly.

Till next time. . . . .