1/4 scale Piper PA-22 Tripacer Restoration

speedbirdted

Legendary member
Great flight! Couldn't help but notice though how it looks like the turtle deck immediately behind the cowling looks to be sloped downwards slightly. On the fullscale tri pacer it goes straight flush from the cowling.
 

rockyboy

Skill Collector
Mentor
Looks like she's going to be a great performer! A little bouncy at the end, but you've got a short bumpy runway with a steep approach :D
 

Piotrsko

Master member
Just one question: where is the passenger door? Ain't a tripe without one, it be a PA16, or PA17 with a training wheel.
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
Great flight! Couldn't help but notice though how it looks like the turtle deck immediately behind the cowling looks to be sloped downwards slightly. On the fullscale tri pacer it goes straight flush from the cowling.
While that is true, you have to realize that not every model is accurate in every way. I've noted this in many other areas along the way. Still, it is clearly a Tripacer and I'm pretty happy with how it has turned out so far.

Looks like she's going to be a great performer! A little bouncy at the end, but you've got a short bumpy runway with a steep approach :D
So very true. There is also the fact that I could have flared the landing much much better but I've not flown an airplane with tricycle gear in a VERY long time.

Just one question: where is the passenger door? Ain't a tripe without one, it be a PA16, or PA17 with a training wheel.
Actually, the door on the other side is only to access the rear seat. I'm not too worried about that as I really do not want to cut into such a large model for that detail that would serve no purpose for the model.
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
For my faithful FT family, I thought I would post some update pictures for you all since video content will be at the end of the build.

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Wrapping the airplane to keep blue overspray off the white.

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So, all the blue paint is done. The only major difference between this one and Patrick's is that the landing gear is also blue on his. I liked the contrast of the white gear better. I'm going to do some destressing on the blue paint. If you zoom into the tail, you can see a bit of this. The paint looks slightly chipped off and I like the look. Simply apply masking tape and pull it off and some of the paint comes with it. After flying her, the dirt and field debris will help her look a bit more... "vintage", ahem, just like Patrick's.;) Yes, I did go overboard and made some inlet covers for the model. I used some foam rubber and covered the pieces with Oratex... turned out quite well. Added some red paint and red ribbon to make it look the part.

Still yet to do is relocate battery velcro and I'm STILL waiting on my large sheet of PETG to cut a new windshield. Simple stuff at this point.
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
Small update.

I'm STILL waiting on the PETG to replace the windshield. Shipped from PA on 11JUN and I'm ONE state down. Sheesh. Battery velcro gorilla glued under the nose of the fuselage for moving CG more forward.
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
Thought I'd post this here as it is relevant to the Tripacer.

I've seen this topic discussed ad nauseum and thought I would throw in my approach. Since I am more of a scale guy, getting the right balance of needs for a particular airplane is not a straight-forward process. The approach is to establish a safe baseline and go from there.

In the case of the Tripacer, I wanted the right sound as well as control. Reducing rotational inertia was important for more accurate turns and to reduce gyroscopic effects. I generally gravitate toward wood props for that reason but sometimes the sound you get from the gas props plays an integral role in the flight experience. In this case, I get a good mix of everything.

Time and time again I get folks surprised at my lower cell count on large aircraft and then they are shocked at how well they fly. The Gee Bee I recently finished is another great example of this. Most builders would want or think they need at least an 8S setup to get the speed to keep the airplane flying. Using a low Kv motor (320) with a low cell count, along with a large prop (18x12) gave the performance I needed to keep a stable flight with decent speed. I never intended it to be too fast and it has proven to be a great setup for that project.
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
So, yesterday, in addition to getting the above video completed, I FINALLY received the PETG to compete the windshield. It was sent USPS 2-day express...took 2 weeks... from about a 3-hour drive away. Shewt.

All I can say is that it was worth the wait. The old plastic was yellow and brittle and the new one fits so well. It's snug up against the fuselage at the bottom with no glue needed. We had a storm roll through after I finished it but I was blessed with an evening clearing so I could get some beauty shots. Video to come but for my faithful followers here, I wanted to share the completed project.
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The project is now done and I cannot wait to pass her on to @earthsciteach , Patrick, for him to enjoy for years to come.
 

SavageX89

Member
Awesome video as always! Along with prop selection, trying to understand motor selection can be a nightmare. electric isn't as straight forward as nitro/gas. Any tips for motor selection?
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
Awesome video as always! Along with prop selection, trying to understand motor selection can be a nightmare. electric isn't as straight forward as nitro/gas. Any tips for motor selection?
As stated in the video, watts/pound. Find a suitable motor that will handle the power you want on the number of cells you want. Mix in the amount of thrust or speed the model should have and then you start shopping. I usually sort by Kv when I begin shopping. Since I know the rough RPM I'm targeting and the approximate thrust/speed I'm also targeting, from there I just find a motor that can handle the power I need and then sort out the prop from there.
 

BryanKD

New member
Very interesting thread and a beautiful rebuild, a huge thank you for sharing!

I found my way here from your YouTube Channel as I was looking into RC Tripacer's as I will be the very proud owner of one soon and may look to convert it to Electric in time.

The following is one that I have just been given by a long time family friend, it is a scale model of the full scale version that has been in our family for close on 50 years. Photos of both attached.


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