Guillows RC Conversion Lessons Learned

[@lukasmuller93]

Hello Tim, amazing videos, I currently building the F4U corsair by Frank Scott (plans available on outerzone). Would you go for 3 or 4ch? If 3ch, rudder or aeilrons? I plan to use Mirco brushless motor and 1.7g servos. Thanks

[@TimMcKay56]

Lukas: Many thanks! I think three channels is fine. A bit easier to build, and for sure lighter. For the smaller models, ailerons are best if you can do it without too much hassle. Three channels is OK with throttle, elevator and ailerons. If ailerons present problems, then go with rudder. Tim

[@lukasmuller93]

@@TimMcKay56 thanks for your answer, will do my best, it's my first convertion, probably should've gone with something easier than Corsair, but I have to give it a go 😀

[@davelambert1740]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@TimMcKay56]

Anytime!

[@muzaffarmehmoodyahya6817]

Hello Tim, your are amazing old man. The experience and Technics you have are wonderful. I learned a lot things

[@TimMcKay56]

MM: Well . . . you'll be 64 years old some day. 😃 Tim

[@muzaffarmehmoodyahya6817]

@@TimMcKay56 Of course Tim me too.

[@adamrodgers2377]

All of your conversions are amazing but that Hell Cat is just stunning!!!!

[@TimMcKay56]

Thanks! Tim

[@coldchickenwings9437]

Guweelows kits who knew? But seriously, thank you for all the info. This is invaluable stuff because everything in the rc world has changed SO much since the last time i was in it

[@TimMcKay56]

Roger that, enjoy! Tim

[@terrygold5268]

Thanks Tim, I'll be starting my Lancer soon and will be incorporating your lessons learned. I appreciate the work you out into your videos.

[@TimMcKay56]

😊👍🏻 Tim

[@peaklandpond2850]

Thanks!

[@TimMcKay56]

PP: Most appreciated, Xmas comes a bit early! 😊 Tim

[@robertpapps3618]

Hi Tim, just wanted to chime in a let you know I completed the Guillows Super Cub and after four outings and a few minor repairs it finally left the park (flying field) today after several successful flights with no repairs needed. Only difference with yours is probably a little more dihedral and its tissue covered. Came in at 2.6 oz. Thanks again for all your help. At 72 it's my first plane in 40 years. What fun!

[@TimMcKay56]

Robert: Wow!! To get a Guillows to fly even at all for your first model in 40 years, a hearty well done!! Tim

[@stevemoskal1017]

Hello, Tim. I watched this video with great interest. The old saying was "crawl before you can walk and walk before you can run" My LHS didn't have the Arrow in stock; it's back-ordered. But I will wait until it arrives and watch more of your well-crafted videos. Conversion of the Arrow will be me "crawling" and then the Aeronca Champ or Pilatus Porter will be the "walk" followed by the conversion of the Guillows 500 Series kits that are laser-cut and just sitting on the shelf: Avenger, Hellcat, and Focke-Wulf (in captured USAF colors and markings!). That should be quite a "run".

[@TimMcKay56]

Steve: Sounds like you are on the right path! As you know, keep everything as light as possible. And I was very pleased with my Guillow Hellcat RC conversion . . . plane flies very well. Good luck! Tim

[@TimMcKay56]

Steve: As a "Plan B" to your LHS, Amazon has a lot of the Guillow kits as well. Tim

[@stevemoskal1017]

@@TimMcKay56 Good point, Tim. The three 500 Series warbirds did come from Amazon. I just needed the inspiration to "see" them in the air someday. Cheers!

[@chrismofer]

I built the Guillows 'Fly Boy', as well as the Dumas walnut-scale 'DHC-2 Beaver', Pietenpol, and a Comet 'Taylorcraft' all as RC conversions. At this scale I prefer 1 cell brushed setups for lightness and compactness. I did build a DR1 Triplane as a 2 cell 4 channel getup and it worked great. I have been working on a Wright Flyer as well as a 1 cell RC conversion complete with wing warping and rudder mixing and counter rotating hand carved props. It is a rewarding passtime to build these little machines.

[@TimMcKay56]

Good luck with the Flyer! Tim

[@citabria4804]

I’m currently doing an rc conversion on the Guillows Piper Cherokee 140, and have used a few of your tips, thanks!

[@TimMcKay56]

Citabria: Best of luck! Tim

[@GNorsworthy]

I like your approach to these. Keep them light and fly low and slow. Funny as soon as I crack a box the first thing I do is draw in a way to make the wing bolt on, but I see the one pc plane is probably a little more robust.

[@TimMcKay56]

Light weight is super important. And with these smaller and light models, OK to glue the wing on. Tim

[@Pijawek]

Thanks! I have the Lancer and a Cessna from Guillows in my stack, this would be very helpfull when I finally decide to build them!

[@TimMcKay56]

Pijawek: Glad I could help! Tim

[@jakeclauson9863]

Awesome 👌 iv been wanting to do a conversion like these. Yours look like they came from the manufacturer like that. Super nice work! 👍nobody has done a video about these conversions that I could find so thank you for the video!

[@TimMcKay56]

Jake: Best of luck with your conversion! Do check out my Guillow Hellcat project, came out great. Tim

[@jakeclauson9863]

@Tim McKay wow your right that hellcat is sweet. Looks lighter than air! Can't wait to try doing one of these conversions. Thanks Tim!

[@TimMcKay56]

@@jakeclauson9863 Good luck! Tim

[@robertgregory8936]

Nice music!

[@TimMcKay56]

Thanks for listening

[@leobluesy]

Great job !

[@TimMcKay56]

Leo: Many thanks! Tim

[@grrmtthgrrmtth3000]

You the man. Thank you.

[@TimMcKay56]

No problem! Tim

[@ludwigvanzappa9548]

Thank you for sharing !

[@TimMcKay56]

My pleasure! Tim

[@mikecarbone828]

Salutations Tim! Although many of your conversion projects do fly, it is obvious that some of them would definitely benefit from additional power as that is what ultimately determines the flight envelope for an airplane, which is precisely why you recommend and make every effort to keep the weight as little as possible, however, increasing the amount of available power (thrust) would compensate for that discrepancy. The Pilotus would not need a nut as ballast if you had a more powerful motor that also weighs more than the existing motor, the proper brushless motor with a prop adapter could do just that and with more thrust it would be more stable in flight. The Hellcat is a much larger aircraft and provides enough space and wing loading capacity to accommodate a more conventional radio control system and can easily accommodate a larger battery and a more robust brushless motor, consequently, it is the most stable aircraft that you have converted, so far. The Aronica Champ is also a very stable aircraft, however, it is obvious that some of the others could benefit either from additional thrust, or from additional reduction in their overall weight. Also, the overall balance of components could also contribute to better flight characteristics, for instance, you could shift the control brick further towards the rear of the airplane and make additional room for the battery towards the front of the aircraft, and then you could remove the additional weight that you added behind the wing to balance the plane, and then use shorter control rods. It is amazing how much can be done to improve the flight of these airplanes, and how much additional weight they may carry, providing that the aircraft is properly balanced. For instance, I have an early Parkzone P-51 Mustang, with a 16” wingspan, that I have equipped to carry a battery that is at least four times as heavy as the original battery, so that I can fly for around 15 or more minutes safely without running out of power, and, although the flight envelope is compromised, I can still get some good flights out of it and can still execute some advanced maneuvers. It uses the same receiver as your smaller conversions do, so I do know that you can achieve better performance from those airplanes, especially if you consider that I am using a 600 mAh battery for the P-51, which is substantially heavier than the 150 mAh battery that you are using for those airplanes, however, if you want to use the larger battery safely, you would also need to add a heat sink to the motor as well. With enough thrust, however, many of these projects would fly and be completely stable, and could also benefit from additional controls so that their flight envelope could be expanded. Food for thought for anyone interested in working on such a project. Happy flying! Thank you for posting these videos! Please have an excellent and awesome day! ☀️✨✈️

[@TimMcKay56]

Mike: Great observations, thanks so much for sending in! Tim

[@mmsdmmsd]

I just bought a Lancer kit. Not even all laser cut! I saw a pic of one with 4-6” of added wing section to make it glide better. I also want to strengthen it up and add a larger motor.

[@TimMcKay56]

Jon: Yes, only a portion of the Guillows kits are laser cut. Usually marked clearly on the box. That said, the Lancer can scale larger nicely. I think there is a YT video of a guy who doubled the size, flies great! Tim

[@JulioSilva-wp4bj]

Greatfull Tim. Keep safe.

[@TimMcKay56]

Julio: Many thanks! Tim

[@Czexi]

Hey Tim. Love you channel. I'm about to embark on my first RC build. A DH Tigermoth by Dumas. I'll be fitting it with MinimumRC micro components. I was going to just do standard tissue/dope covering. Is that not advisable for RC builds?

[@TimMcKay56]

CZ: Thanks for checking in! Standard tissue and dope covering should work just fine for your Tigermoth. Good luck! Tim

[@markkennedy5712]

Hi Tim. Great videos. Is there a budget transmitter that is compatible with the brick? I'm told that my old Tactic transmitters won't bind with the brick. Thanks for any advice.

[@TimMcKay56]

Mark: Not sure. But my Spektrum DX6 binds no problem. Or, email www.StevensAero.com, they know a lot on these small bricks. Tim

[@carlpayne6024]

I built a Guillows Lancer as an rc plane. I had to decrease the angle of incidence of the wing to reduce some wingtip stall problems.

[@TimMcKay56]

Carl: Thanks for this update! Tim

[@guloguloguy]

THANK YOU, FOR THIS INFO!!! (I REMEMBER , MANY MODELERS USED THE OLD COX .010 GLOW ENGINES ON SUCH SMALL AIRCRAFT) YOUR AIRCRAFT ARE USING "MOTORS/ELECTRIC MOTORS", ...NOT "ENGINES"!!

[@TimMcKay56]

Thanks!

[@sean7058]

Have you thought about doing a foam Qtee

[@TimMcKay56]

I have not, but a great idea! Tim

[@timshockley6445]

The hellcat was really nice , let’s see one with a screaming nitro power plant ! They all fly amazingly well I’d like to see what it would look like with more power I’ll spring for the engine I have a few extra .049’s one is rc throttled even , give you’re neighbors something to scream about with all that noise!

[@TimMcKay56]

Tim: Believe it or not, eons ago I built a Guillows P-47 for U-control flight. Installed a Cox .09 gas motor. No throttle of course, but plenty of thrust! Flew nice, no small RC gear to speak of in 1973. Tim

[@dannyb2349080]

Hey Tim really enjoy your videos and all the info you share. I’m really new to all this, got into when all this COVID mess started. I’m trying to build the Lancer you showed on an older video, having trouble trying to figure out how to rebuild elevator to miss the rudder any suggestions? Or would it be better for me to try the real small foam planes you have on your channel? Would like something to fly in a indoor basketball gym. Thanks

[@TimMcKay56]

Danny, thanks for your note and subscribing. 😁 For the Lancer tail feathers, use light 1/16" balsa. Be careful covering (if using heat shrink) to avoid warps. Just use the minimum amount of heat. Very easy to deconflict the elevator and rudder. If you look closely at my video, the elevator is straight across for easier construction. To avoid interfering with the rudder, at the bottom of the rudder cut away the lower end at a 45 degree angle to allow the elevator to move up. The small foam planes are a good start, begin with profile models as they are easier to construct. And if new to RC flying, try an ARF like the Radian glider. Very tough for bumps into walls and easy to fly. Tim

[@Glicksman1]

The Hellcat is my choice for a good flying scale model. If built to scale, it has a very generous wing as the Hellcat had the most wing area of any WWII single-engine fighter. This was designed into it so that it could turn with the Zero better than anything else. Well, it really couldn't do that for long, but it could stay in a tight turning fight with a Zero long enough to put a dozen or so .50 cals into it which was enough to destroy it. A model of this airplane, if built lightly, will have a very low wing loading, particularly for a WWII warbird. You might even be able to fly it at something close to scale speeds and not like a jet fighter. Personally, I'd double the size of the excellent Guillows plans and scratch-build it with a very light, but strong airframe. If building the stock Guillows kit, as you so excellently did, lots of weight can be shaved off all those heavy parts and lighter and thinner balsa used. It does fly nicely.

[@TimMcKay56]

GM: All your points are well taken with the Hellcat. Looks great and has ideal proportions for an RC model airplane. Tim

[@adamhill2223]

Do you crash land every flight man? Lol geeze

[@TimMcKay56]

Some landings are quite nice. 😁

[@paradiselost9946]

i found a mustang II (p82?) kit... wish i had taken better care of the plans/box/contents. i have the wing layout still. guillows denied having made it. until i sent a copy then "our oldest employee recalls it now..." meh. did a spitfire with mediocre success, now im masochistically determined to stuff a 30mm EDF into a trojan... just got the formers cored out. yay. what ive learnt is a strip of hardwood for the leading edge and maybe the main spar. spitfire was especially bad on that regard.

[@TimMcKay56]

Good luck! The Guillows Hellcat is big enough for normal RC gear and flies great, if that is on your project list. My flew wonderfully. Tim

[@larzhillbot1443]

I am building a Guillows Javlin now but the wing chord is only 2.5 inches and i am really considering making a little bit bigger wing with a 3 inch cord with same 24 inch span . I have a WL toys brick and will use a parkzone geared motor

[@TimMcKay56]

Larz: A 3 inch chord should work just fine. Tim

[@thatairplaneguy]

They all look underpowered.

[@TimMcKay56]

Well, need to keep things light. Tim

[@guloguloguy]

......Perhaps I'm seeing things,... but, to me, it looks like all of your planes fly as if they are slightly tail heavy... they appear that way, (to me)... (????)...

[@TimMcKay56]

I think most models balance OK. A lot of these are original designs, etc.