I've heard, and it makes sense, that spinning weights are bad for bearings. A tiny bit off balance and your screwed and your engine has to move that weight too. Whatever. I used shot that a friend couldn't get to melt( army glider nose weight) in a plastic bag with epoxy, cured to fit perfectly, drilled it and screwed it in place with stick-um behind. Project is a GP Super Skybolt, needed(gasp) 26 OZ in the nose. Crying shame. mk
What do you use for Balance
Oct 23, 2004
27 Replies
Thanks for all the suggestions.. here is where I am with the plane.. I went to Gander Mountain and bought some decoy weights.. they come is different sizes so I go the 6- 4oz pack for $5.61. They are about 6 inches long by 3/8 wide by
1/8 thick with holes on each end. It will take the full 24 ounces to balance the plane...
True balance is important, but any extra weight that the engine/motor has to turn is going to rob it of some hp and can cause accelerated wear on it . It is best that any mass that the engine/motor has to turn be as light weight .....with out sacrificing strength........as possible.
Mike
Depends on what you want. With no mass at all the engine won't run. Too much makes it sluggish on acceleration, but does damp down vibration.
A lot, out of balance, is an unmitigated disaster.
If you need that much weight how bout shimming out the motor mount 1/4 inch. Just put a block of hard wood behind the mount.
I've used them before without any problems..I've even poured lead into a tru-turn spinner as a mold and then machined the surface true...don't forget, the boat guys have been using flywheels forever without problems. Everything has to have a true fit that's all. If you use one, make sure the prop shaft hole is exactly the size of the shaft or it will have runout, which causes an unbalanced condition. As for robbing power, no signifigant loss will be noticed except under acceleration, because flywheels operate on kenetic energy so all energy absorbed from the source is returned.
pcoopy AMA609
I liked qballs idea provided that you could not relocate the servos/battery/radio forward or otherwise lighten the tail. I don't know about the MGF Hellcat, but a pound and a half sounds like an awful lot of weight. Your adding more weight than my plane weighs ;)
Steve.
What did you end up at with the Spacewalker? I have a pal about to put one together.
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