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Dalton 42% Extra 300 MEL Build

cwojcik

70cc twin V2
From 2006-2011 I flew a Carden 40% Extra 330S in IMAC competition, both in sequences and freestyle. It was (and still is) a fantastic airplane. Forgiving, stable, and precise. I went through four different radio systems in that plane, three sets of servos, a rebuild on the DA 150, an entirely new bellypan after the first one was destroyed with a fuel leak, and a recover/repaint. I still have it and it still flies great.

But, it's an older design and the wings are a bit heavy, which makes stopping snaps a challenge. It's a bit smaller than modern designs so it doesn't present extremely well. In 2011 I started flying for PAU, and flew the 42% Extra 300SP with a DA 170. It's a bigger, more modern airplane that has some similar characteristics with the Carden. I went through some issues with that plane as well (which appear to be fixed on the newer versions) but at the end of the day performance was better than the Carden even though it didn't have the same longevity.

At the end of 2012 I started flying for Extreme Flight, a company who I think makes the best airplanes available. For 2013 I put together their awesome 104" Extra with a DA 120 on tuned pipes, intending it to be my freestyle and demo only airplane. In IMAC, there are two main areas of competition: sequences, which are prescribed maneuvers that you fly as precisely as possible (it's a lot like pattern but with scale planes), and freestyle, which is a 4 minute routine designed by the pilot and flown to music. They are really separate competitions at the same event. Many pilots use a separate plane for sequences and freestyle so they can have a big, precise, and stable plane for sequences and a slightly smaller, more nimble, and somewhat disposable plane for freestyle (an ARF). The 104" Extra was supposed to be my freestyle only plane, but as it turned out it was a better sequence plane than the Carden and the PAU, even at the smaller size, and I didn't have another 40% plane ready. I flew it in all IMAC competitions in 2014 and it did extremely well, beating out many custom 40% planes that cost several times as much, and taking second at the east coast IMAC world's qualifier.

However, for world's level competition a good 40% airplane is really a necessity. I looked at my options going forward. First was the updated 125" ExtremeFlight Extra 300. This would have been my first choice, but I wasn't sure that it would be available in time. Other options were a kit built 40% airplane, namely a Carden Extra 300 Pro or a Dalton Extra 300 MEL. These are both similar airplanes which are extremely well proven. Tony Russo, a good friend and key guy at Desert Aircraft, is also the owner of Dalton aircraft, and he offered me a sponsorship on a Dalton kit. So, I took the plunge and ordered the plane.

So far it has been an enjoyable build. It's extremely satisfying seeing a huge fuselage frame up like this! All glue used so far has been aliphatic resin except for a few areas where thin CA was used to speed build time. Aliphatic resin is a bit lighter though, and easier to sand.

First up was building the bench. This is made from two big doors that were damaged at Home Depot (so they gave me a deep discount on them), and joined with some angle iron, propped up with four big saw horses shimmed to precise flatness.



Next up was assembling the motor box. This thing goes together like a big jigsaw puzzle.



Next is the tail box, which builds the same way.



I also had to slightly shorten the motor box to make room for the Hyde Soft Mount. This is a special motor mount that lets the motor twist in a controlled and damped fashion, just like a car motor. The result is a smoother airplane that lasts longer, puts less stress on the servos, and is quieter.



Then the tail box and motor box are joined with some long, 1/4" square spruce stringers. Formers are also glued in:







1/4" spruce diagonal bracing is then glued in to keep the fuselage stiff. Since these resolve all of the twisting forces in the fuselage (which are huge in a competition snap roll), they need to be strong. It's also common for them to pop loose. Routine maintenance on an IMAC plane is regluing these damn things. So, I added some 1/8" balsa gussets. This really help the glue joint and hopefully they will stay secure.



I also added some carbon to reinforce the landing gear area. Some people have complained about this breaking on rough landing so I put laid in some carbon underneath the stock aluminum angle.



Next up will be sheeting the fuselage.
 
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