Sharkface with Cox .049 Black Widow GoPro

Footage of my new Sharkface RC plane flying on a very windy day on the TX coast. 2-channel RC rudder and elevator. Spektrum RX, Dymond 47 servos, 6V 300mah NiMH battery pack, Ultracote covering, and Monokote graphics

[@ExploringCabinsandMines]

Just received my Cox .049 in the mail, I'm on a mission to revive my childhood!

[@TeeBeeZee]

Have fun!

[@athanasiosapostolou9164]

How sweet the sound ! There will be RC'ers that will never know internal combustion engines existed. First contact with 0.49 was back in the sixties flying control line. Thanks for the video

[@TFWS6]

I don't understand why more people don't love these things! The simplicity is beautiful!

[@TeeBeeZee]

I agree! The Sharkface is now flying great and goes like stink with a Venom II engine from Cox International spinning a Cox 5x3 prop. I finally got to fly it in calmer conditions at the SMALL event in Arkansas last month and had a great time with it.

[@mooncoinphoto]

The sound of a sizzling glow plug takes me way back. Shame you can’t get the smell on KZbin! I have a sharkface somewhere in the attic. Great little model. Tried ailerons but rudder was more fun and equal roll rate ;-)

[@TeeBeeZee]

True! I put a lot of flights on the Sharkface in 2020! I didn’t do any RC building or flying in 2021 due to a busy life but look forward to more soon.

[@mjd4174]

2 channels and a reedie = SERIOUS FUN

[@fxtrader6647]

I have the same engine , that I bought on 1975. When I was a teen, I enjoyed a lot it. Little time ago, I made a little airplane model for showing my two sons what aonderful is that hobby... but my sons preferred playing with the play station. Hence... y saved my Cox 0.049 in his box again and , with very sad, I gave up to teach them that hobby...

[@danielkvapp9139]

Put a camera on it and try to lure your sons into fpv flying. Tell them you have a new, real life videogame! Good luck :p

[@allanragnarson7898]

Or throw their PlayStation in the dumpster. Where it belongs

[@Mr.-Wint]

Exactly, - throw that crap in the dumpster and teach them something useful !

[@Andre_Thomasson]

Thats one of my biggest fears if i ever have kids...

[@EnglishTurbines]

Brought back some memories for me, Elmic Conquest escapements, rubber bands...Nitrex 15...Mr Clutton will be looking down on you with a smile on his face.

[@TeeBeeZee]

Thanks!

[@G56AG]

Those little Cox engines could be cantankerous things, but I still had a lot of fun flying my little .049 U control planes.

[@TeeBeeZee]

Sometimes you have to "earn" a good run but it's worth it when it happens!

[@afrog2666]

Heh, yeah, some times I`d have to refuel before launching because it was so cranky xD

[@DarrellCook-vl6lm]

Fresh fuel, fresh batteries, a clean glow plug clip, and a dedicated small electric starter and they didn't dare to be cantankerous. And I always started mine with the needle valve turned one quarter turn rich, got it running then leaned it out to run a tiny bit rich so it could unload in the sky. Trying to get it running with the needle valve in the same place it's suppose to run at in the air makes it harder to start. And over leaning in the air burns up motors while limiting performance. I over think things.

[@grandaddyc]

@@DarrellCook-vl6lm Right on, any fuel left in tank and the alcohol evaporates leaving sticky castor oil to gum up the reed valve, so the least I would always do is run them out of fuel. My Iron horse lawnmower would do the same. That glow plug has all so got to GLOW. Used them for C/L, C/L combat, 2 meter glider power and 2 channel powered 3'wingspan no wheels R/C. cheers.

[@marcomartinez9387]

Excellent video 👍

[@afrog2666]

Really cool to see people still run these :) Anyone out there remember the Zaunkönig biplane? That thing would disappear fast lol xD

[@Burnersforvanlife]

I enjoyed that. Now put a .15 in it. I did for a laugh boy oh boy.

[@Holliethedog]

you're an excellent pilot!

[@TeeBeeZee]

I wish! But thanks anyway. :)

[@andreydildin]

Did it bounce off the ground at 2:36??

[@TeeBeeZee]

Close but not quite! She still survives and is flying well, often with a RR1 .049 up front. See my other vids for footage of that.

[@tonyaccurso1090]

Good times there! Nice job, my friend.

[@TeeBeeZee]

Yessir! Your turn on the sticks is coming soon. :)

[@tonyaccurso1090]

Sweet! Just 3 1/2 months to go. :)

[@Jorge-hj2tp]

What date is small this year and what town is it held in?

[@TravelAcorns]

What in your opinion is the best mid or low wing model for Cox .049 that will give that locked in like flying on rails feeling? Thanks!

[@TeeBeeZee]

The most "locked in" flyer as you describe that I've owned is the Skydrill that is also featured on this channel. The problem is that the kit isn't currently available these days. Mine has been retired as it finally wore out beyond reasonable repair from use and fuel soaking over the years. The Simple 250 from Willy Nillies is in that category but it is pretty fast. Not sure if that's what you desire. It is basically a scaled down Ace Simple 400. With a hot reedie .049, it is very fast but also locked in and a good point-n-shoot plane. Getting everything crammed in there with a battery, fuel tank, etc was a bit of a challenge and compromises were made. I'm about to finish up a Quickie 100 with a reedie .049, the old 1/2A pylon racer design. I'm pretty sure it will fly as you described and be quick as well. I've built a lot of .049 planes but most of them don't meet your description of low/mid wing or even have ailerons. I sure wish Steve at Select Hobbies would get his laser cutter up and running so we could all place orders for new Skydrill kits! I would build another in a heartbeat.

[@TravelAcorns]

@@TeeBeeZee Thanks for quick reply. The Skydrill is low wing and looks like a great choice. I watched all your videos on the Skydrill. I also got the same response from Select Hobbies about the CNC being down. I found a few alternatives on Aero Fred that might work. Wonder if Select Hobbies would sell the PDF plan for the airplane so we can build it using old school methods.

[@TeeBeeZee]

It would be worth the effort to build from the plans if it was an option. The more I think about it, I could probably salvage my original wing and just strip/recover/re-hinge the ailerons. I could probably get enough measurements from the fuse to build another but it would sure be easier with the drawings. I used to have them but have misplaced them over the years. He ought to consider selling the rights to the kit to someone like Willy Nillies who could get them back on the market. I have a feeling that Doug at WN has something similar up his sleeve but he's strictly focusing on the sub-250g weight sizes. My Skydrill is a 12oz plane. Handles the wind nicely and grooves along good if you use a hot engine. I've seen a couple fly with stock Surestart .049s and Golden Bees but they sort of lollygagged around without being "locked into the groove".

[@TeeBeeZee]

@@TravelAcorns It's worth asking him about it. Couldn't hurt.

[@nickcormode]

I still have a working cox 049 motor just like that. is there any plans?

[@TeeBeeZee]

I believe the plans can still be downloaded free at the Outerzone website. Keep in mind that it was a rudder-only single channel design and was modded to include an elevator.

[@besttex4735]

Is the motor pointed down a bit? I have a model im bout to fly has a cox on the front. Motor looks like its pointed down a little will it make it nose dive? Thanks

[@TeeBeeZee]

The Sharkface design was originally a rudder-only RC model back in the 60s. The downthrust was designed to keep it from looping over backward when under power. There is also a lot of positive incidence built in to allow it to climb under power since there was no elevator on the original setup. Mine has modern 2 channel radio gear with rudder and elevator, so the extreme amount of downthrust and incidence isn't really required but I kept the lines to allow it to pay homage to the original design. It flies just fine like that. Since this video was made, I switched the engine out to a higher performance Venom II .049 with a 5x3 prop. It screams around the pattern and is a ton of fun to fly. The pronounced downthrust gives it a bit of "character". I'm considering building another one with zero downthrust, zero incidence, and zero dihedral. It will have ailerons and an internally mounted 1oz tank with a flop tube for longer flights and aerobatic capability. The straighter lines and reduced drag should allow for faster speeds and agile maneuverability as well. It should be a fun sport plane like that but wouldn't really be an Eric Clutton-designed Sharkface at that point. For simplicity and fast Cox-powered fun, this 2-channel plane is hard to beat!

[@patriotrob7066]

Down is totally fine. I build mine down and to the right a bit

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

Think this would work on a Carl Goldberg Gentle Lady with a wing pod?

[@TeeBeeZee]

Yes, it would work great. I’ve seen several Gentle Lady gliders powered by .049s. I would recommend using at least a Black Widow reedie or a TD engine, not the lower powered reed valve models like Babe Bees and Surestart. Good luck!

[@Winter_Sportster]

GO SHARKY!!!

[@spektrum33]

Great little plane ,but with the speed of it ,it must have been a handful as it was originally designed to have single channel bang bang radio . I hade more fun with my one than I did with some of my other models 👍.cox 049 🐝 .

[@TeeBeeZee]

Thanks! Fun to fly. Looking forward to flying it in better weather. Also have some hotter engines to try out on it eventually.

[@spikedart]

That thing is fast! Nice save near the middle of the flight.

[@dirtriderz6881]

What fuel bottle is that? Looks like it works perfectly!

[@TeeBeeZee]

It's a great little bottle for that use! I got it years ago from Eric Clutton AKA Dr. Diesel at a fly-in. He's getting up in years and I'm not sure if he's still selling them. Wish I had bought a handful when they were available. The little brass twist fitting works perfect for filling 1/2A engines.

[@yucongwang5824]

Can I use the cox 049 babe bee?

[@TeeBeeZee]

You could but it will be significantly underpowered, in my opinion. The Sharkface is designed to be fairly fast and to penetrate wind well. With a Babe Bee, it will struggle to fly on the step but it will fly.

[@yucongwang5824]

@@TeeBeeZee thank you!

[@tonywright8294]

No it’s against the law !

[@asafgl4281]

Is there any plan????

[@TeeBeeZee]

It’s on the Outerzone web site.

[@asafgl4281]

@@TeeBeeZee outerzone.uk Thanks man

[@davemirra145]

Hi, I’m currently building a piper cub with a 865mm wing span.. I’ve got micro servos etc, just wondering what receiver battery did you use? I can’t seem to find a decent light weight one anywhere. I was wondering if you could run just the receiver and servos off of an AA battery box? Thanks for your time!

[@TeeBeeZee]

I used a 300mah 6V NiMH battery in this plane. I recently bought a few of them from Maxxpacks.com. Another option is to use a Spektrum 2S 6.6V 300mah LiFe pack. I just bought a couple of them to try but don't have experience with them yet. If you go that route, be sure your servos are rated for the voltage the LiFe pack puts out. Some people use small 2S LiPo packs in the smaller planes like this. They add a UBEC which steps the voltage down to 5V to make it safe for the servos. I have a few of those voltage regulators coming from the big auction site to try with LiPos later. With all that said, I used NiCds for years, then moved on to NiMH packs with better results(You need a compatible charging system). Seems the future is going to force us toward the LiPo or LiFe packs as the smaller capacity NiMH batteries are dwindling in supply these days. Best of luck to you!

[@TeeBeeZee]

As for using a AA battery box, that would work for radio power. It's just large and heavy. Depending on your airplane, it might work ok. Most RC flyers like to use rechargeable packs.

[@davemirra145]

Tee Bee thanks for the reply bud! I’ve ordered a 4.6v 300mah NiMh battery pack. Smallest one I could find. I appreciate the time you’ve taken to help me out, and I’ll take onboard the advice you’ve given me! I’ll let you know how it all goes! Love the videos by the way!

[@TeeBeeZee]

Good deal! Let me know how it works out. I'm trying to switch from the NiMH packs to LiFe or LiPo on new projects going forward. Still using the NiMH packs in existing models with good results. You just have to be careful to monitor the capacity to make sure they are good to go before flying.

[@davemirra145]

Tee Bee thanks pal! Got a 300mah nimh battery through the post today and works spot on! Just waiting on a new covering iron to cover it with and I’m good to go! Got some servos which weigh in at 2 grams each! I’ve had many foam rc planes and have built a few balsa kits but I never commit to finishing them. I appreciate your help and I’ll try upload a video of the build & maiden when it’s complete!

[@lmramos44]

Where you at ? Nice flying with that little cutie.....

[@Rollencrush]

I’m actually wanting to do something like this. To me, it’s fascinating how those cox engines work. I have a 1s brick from an rc heli that I can use for control. I just need to know if a 049 is too big for my application. I’ve been in the RC hobby for a little over a year and I just learned about these little engines and I want to mix old school with new school. I know I can find the 049 engines on eBay for a reasonable price. However, due to the light weight nature of my idea, I feel that it might be too big. I would go 020 but those bring a hefty price tag and to my knowledge, I believe they are becoming collectors items. What would you recommend? I’m thinking of something that has about a 20” wingspan. The brick and battery weigh about 8 grams. I would like to be on the lighter side so when I dead stick the landing, it’ll glide for a good distance so I won’t have to go very far to retrieve it.

[@TeeBeeZee]

20" wingspan is pretty small for an .049. It would be extremely fast and squirrely with torque possibly being too much to overcome. An .020 would probably be a better match for a plane that size, or even an .010. There are many great designs for .049s online. Check the Outerzone website for plans you can download. As for the litle 1S brick receiver, it is too small and the servos too fragile to overcome the forces of flight and vibrations that a Cox engine will put out. There are some good servos out there in the 5-7g range that work well in little piston powered planes. Those little brick receivers have linear screw servos which don't put out enough torque for this application. You should build a good proven design for starters for a 1/2A engine. They are fun to build and fly! The engines are a lot of fun to operate as well. Good luck!

[@tonywright8294]

If you need to ask don’t bother !

[@Rollencrush]

@@tonywright8294 that was 2 years ago. I figured it out rather quickly. There is a slight issue with your logic. Wise people learn from others. Smart people learn from themselves. Cognitive insufficient people never learn. Asking a question is what separates the wise from the incapable. Knowledge is power. Never sell yourself short because you don’t want to ask. The question is what got man to the moon. Without “how?” There is no “do.”

[@eduvancanada7189]

at 2:10 sharkface licked the runway...

[@TeeBeeZee]

It was close!

[@paperboy371]

Tail heavy...put a .15 on it 🤙🏽

[@TeeBeeZee]

It flies just fine with the .049. I fly it often, usually with a Venom II .049 and sometimes a RR1.

[@DarrellCook-vl6lm]

How about a .09? I had one and it eventually tore the firewall off of many of my airplanes. Come to think about it it was more suitable for a 50 inch airplane. It was the loudest engine I have ever heard. Everyone complained about the noise. Deafening roar.

[@Jorge-hj2tp]

That things as fast as my hobbyking mini stick with a killer bee and 1/2 oz fuel tank. So fast I had to add 50% expo and I've about lost her a couple times as well. They are pretty squirrely so safe flying :)

[@TeeBeeZee]

Wow, that mini stick would be a monster with an .049! I have a 15" span stik of my own design with a Pee Wee .020 but so far it has been uncontrollable at launch, spinning to the ground from the torque as soon as it is thrown. One days, I'll hopefully keep it airborne long enough to get it trimmed out. :) See my other vids for the Tee Stik with TD .010. It's a plane like that with a .020.

[@Jorge-hj2tp]

I bought a eflite whippet and built a pod for it that I change from a .010 - .020 tee dee and I also use my .020 pee wee and that lil plane flies pretty fast. I built a sig wonder for my cox conquest 15 and she screams well too! I also built a ace rc messerschmitt for my rc .09 tee dee and that thing is a rocket as well. I purchased left over parts of a cox conquest 40 that I currently have Ronald Valentine working on and I've been told there is less than 10 examples around. I hope my father n law can come up from Dallas so we can attend small this year. I live in the Joplin Mo area so I'm not too far from small.

[@TeeBeeZee]

I'm planning to be there with this airplane as well as some other Cox powered stuff. It would be great to meet you there. The more Cox engines flying at SMALL, the better! We usually have a good time and do a lot of flying.

[@ravebrave8866]

the only issue is the engine sound....

[@grengeg7373]

It farts!

[@baldrickscunningplan6154]

CG is off. Add more noseweight.

[@TeeBeeZee]

The CG was fine, actually a tad noseheavy at the front of the main spar. The winds were just gusty that day and the engine was problematic. The airplane has been flown many times since then in better conditons and flies fantastic! It took it to the SMALL event last year and mounted a restored RR1 .049 to it and let a couple of other guys fly it with the rare engine. Fun stuff!