Official Black Horse B.A. Eagle 1790mm ARF Discussion Thread

[Swampflier]

Thanks guys.. hope to maiden in the next two weeks... will report on it

[TwistedGrin]

Had not flown mine in awhile....three very soothing flights tonight...smooth landings. Flight times increasing at or near 7minutes 3.79v per cell 6s 45c 5200mAh Lipo. Hoping to get more flights again tomorrow night.

TwistedGrin

[TwistedGrin]

Continuing to fall more in love with this bird after deploying an external stabilizer....this bird flies on rails and has long flight times. Fully capable of sport acrobatics, rolls, loops, hammer heads, tight figure eights with endless touch-n-go's on our grass field. The only detraction is the ubra stiff landing gear struts.....which I "Think" protects from really hard impacts perhaps - they are most likely functioning as straight wire non compressing landing gear...thus smooth landings are paramount anyway.

The silver wings can dis-appear in grey skies and the airframe will go black in early morning sun.....so I have discovered the late evenings are perfect as the sun shows brightly on the entire airframe.

Adding the stabilizer put this bird on another level......it does not need a stabilizer.....but it did indeed enhance the rock solid performance....it even seems faster with less throttle if that is possible.

I don't notice any difference to throttle after 60% on the sticks...but this may be a function of the ESC throttle points. I am not inclined to change anything for now since the flight is so smooth and predictable. The bird is totally dialed in with no climb or descend with half or full flaps. It does noticeably slow down with flaps so I deploy them way before final turn or....after the bird is lined up wings level on final approach. Not a good idea to deploy flaps in the turns as rudder, ailerons, elevator are already working on all axis....best bet to avoid adding flaps at in turns if you can.

This aircraft should compliment a wide range of RC enthusiast....I for one am glad to have purchased and perfected a set up that works for me.

TwistedGrin

[TwistedGrin]

Took my BH B.A. Eagle out yesterday 07-23-23 as part of my selected planes for the day.....cross winds with abrupt changes in direction were prevelant......this bird simply did not show much of any change of flight performance as the winds gusted between 3 to 13mph. It is very slippery and deceptively energy efficient - meaning that it maintains speed for a very long time unless flaps are deployed. It's a very pleasing aircraft to fly and totally capable of the usual sport plane acrobatics.....touch and go all day on grass field. The airframe is very quiet in the air too....great subject matter with the odd shaped wing. If you are on the fence about your next ARF to build and fly....this should be placed on that list !!!

Really enjoy this bird

TwistedGrin

[Tiger01]

I just picked one of these up and I'm at the point of balancing the aircraft.
My setup is electric.
62 6000 battery is positioned where the fuel tank would go. Is this the correct location for the lipo? It cannot be placed anywhere else due to restrictions of the canopy. I cannot pull it back toward the rear for the same reason. The manual picture for lipo placement seems to indicate it sits in a different location. But, then again it would hit the canopy floor.
I am extremely nose-heavy.
Does someone have a picture of the placement of the battery in their fuse?
I am banging my head against the wall on this one.

Thanks

Jay

[TwistedGrin]

Tiger01,

You are correct.....

The battery sits on the same tray as the fuel tank would use. I found the CG with my chosen 6s 50c 5200mAh LiPo is met by placing the battery on the tray with the end of the battery even with the canopy hatch forward bulkhead.

My set up is as follows:
Admiral GP10-400Kv motor
100Amp ESC
ZTW 6Amp UBEC
Extended battery wire from the ESC mounted to the motor mount in the cowl
ESpeed 6s 50c 5200mAh LiPo (654grams)

My power train uses an external UBEC to eliminate heat generation of my ESC from having to supply power to the RX and external stabilizer. Probably overkill since there are no retracts to pull power from the system....however I chose to deploy a UBEC to ensure the stabilizer has adequate voltage with minimum volt/amp sag.

This model does NOT require stabilizer.....but I choose to do so for my own pleasure.

Your set up may be completely different and thus your means of achieving the CG may be different.....

According to the assembly manual....the CG should be 88mm from the leading edge of the wing and wing saddle.

The two photos provided show the battery placement, battery tray, power supply, receiver and stabilizer mounting.....I had to use a servo reverser to one of the flaps.

Hope this helps

TwistedGrin

[Tiger01]

Twistedgrin, thank you so very much. Happy New Year to you.

[TwistedGrin]

Decided to detail my Black Horse B.A. Eagle window trim......I started to tape it all off then use silver paint......then chucked all that to simple use a Silver Paint Pen and do it freehand.....clean off smudges or mistakes with DW-40 and Qtips

Easy greasy!!

TwistedGrin

[Tiger01]

TG, Looks like you screwed the canopy down instead of gluing it. I like that a lot. Wish I had done that. I glued mine.

I intend to put up a full build review in the coming days. For now, I'm showing the canopy that I chose to pinstripe.

JZ

[TwistedGrin]

I seldom glue my canopy's anymore after I had a pilot eject himself and the dreaded hanger rash crash on the canopy.....the pinstripe will look awsome

TG

[Tiger01]

Black Horse - B. A. Eagle - Fall/Winter Build 2023/2024 Review

I purchased the Black Horse B.A. Eagle from MotionRC on September 8^th, 2023. I didn’t start the build until Late November. It was my original intent to have this build carry me through the short winters here in Virginia. The intent was not to purchase another ARF this winter. The build is finished and it is only January 12^th. So yes there is another ARF in the box waiting for my attention. That particular model is a Hanger 9 Valiant 10cc which I will build as electric as I did with the B. A. Eagle… but back to the Eagle build.
I chose not to go with the recommended setup from MotionRC. After speaking with them twice, I felt they just could not provide me with enough information as to how they concluded that the suggested electrical components were the best choice. I relied heavily on Ecalc along with the weight and dimensions of the plane. I chose to go with a BadAss motor, an Avian 80 amp ESC, a 15x8 BadAss wooden prop, and a 6s 6000 Lipo made by Zeee. Future builds will not have Avian Esc’s.
Don’t get me wrong, Spektrum makes great products, and truth be told I am a Spektrum guy, but as with everything else around us these days, the prices keep creeping up and my wallet is screaming stop. Especially the smart batteries. The cost of the bigger smart batteries is the reason for the use of Zeee batteries in this model. In the size needed here, you can get two Zeee batteries for the cost of one smart battery from Spektrum. Unless you are a serious telemetry user, I would save the money for something else you may want or need.

• BadAss - 4530-440KV Brushless Motor – BA-4530-440
• Avian - 80amp ESC
• BadAss - 15x8 Wooden Prop
• Zeee – 6s Lipo – These are heavy
• GatrorRC - white spinner with Aluminum back plate
• HiTec – HS-425BB deluxe ball bearing standard servos
• Receiver – Spektrum AR637T DSMX 6-Channel AS3X & SAFE Telemetry Receiver
• Anderson Power Pole (Maxx) 14 Gauge

Some build info:
The covering on the Eagle I found to be very well done, minimal use of the iron is needed for any wrinkles or securing.
Clevis installation: Sand the clevis a bit and do not be stingy with epoxy. Put some in the hole as well. Have a rag with acetone at the ready. These seem to need a bit more attention during installation than others I have worked with.
The manual I found to be better than some, but yes, there is always room for improvement. Having the large picture was a great help.
The fuselage I found to be weak in a couple of places and had a couple of stress cracks. The small cutout for the receiver power interruption switch was too small to accommodate the power pole arming plug. Plenty of room to enlarge the hole to accommodate the switch. I just found the structure weak when attempting to push in the arming plug. I strengthened this area with a few pieces of balsa.
The second area is in and around where the fuse flares out to meet the wing. Stress cracks are on both sides, I mixed up some epoxy and covered over them. Hopefully, that will be all that is needed. The hardware kit was missing several bolts for the landing gear, which I had to steal from the fuel motor mount kit. Luckily I was going electric.
I found the recommended distance for mounting the motor from standoffs to the prop adapter at 183mm was over by about 40mm. Maybe it is just me but, keep an eye out for this. I measured and dry-fitted the cowl over and over again. For my application, I had to cut the standoffs.
The servo arms will hit servo covers at full movement. Trim the slots (elongate) a bit in the servo covers and you should be fine. Trim a little at a time. Remember, you may not need this because we are rarely moving the servos to their full throw potential.
Battery placement was a big issue for me trying to get the CG at 88mm as the manual stated. For a long time, I thought this was incorrect. I spoke with MotionRC and they stated 88mm was indeed the location. However, they could not tell me where the battery needed to be to achieve this. Using the location of where the fuel tank would have been just didn’t work for me with the weight of the battery. I will also add that my choice of motor weighed 5oz more than the MotionRC recommended motor. However, they did not build the plane, so I do not know how they can make this recommendation.
Some of the guys here said 88mm was indeed the location. I was looking for some magic to happen but it did not. Placing it where the fuel tank would have been was not the answer for me no matter how far back I tried to move it. I was still coming in very nose-heavy and would have had to add excessive weight to the tail and that was not an option.
Relocating the battery was the only answer. Trial and error showed that the mounting area for the battery would have to be where the throttle servo (if fueled) was indeed the area for battery placement to hit the CG of 88mm (see photo). This meant that the existing servo tray needed to be cut away and a new tray installed to allow the canopy to sit on the fuselage correctly. With the help of a friend very familiar with long-time balsa aircraft, we got to it.

1. First, we needed to cut away the existing tray which I circled in the photo.
2. We built and installed a lower tray. As you can see in the photo the lowered tray is almost level with the wing spar. The new tray is stronger than the original and the top section is removable (by removing four screws).

This was the only way the CG worked for me. We tested the CG at 88mm several times on a balance stand and by hand. It is perfect at 88mm. For the first flight, I’m thinking of moving the CG forward just a touch. Somewhere between 78mm and 88mm by adding a bit of weight to the nose. I may remove this after the first flight or two.
Throws: the throws in the book struck me as low. However, airing on the side of caution I did not want to dismiss that the factory knows best for first flights. I programmed my throws on a three-way switch. From low to high this is what I have: Aileron 10/15/20 – Flap 25/45 Elevator 12/16/22 Rudder 17/21/30. These are bench set not flight-tested at the time of this writing.
The receiver is programmed on a three-way switch with the following: Safe - auto leveling limited roll and pitch, Gyro – full control with flight stabilization, nothing – everything off. Worst case on the maiden the safe option should get me out of trouble allowing me to land the aircraft without incident. Let’s hope I don’t need it. Better safe than sorry. I believe in “safe” when it comes to saving your aircraft from destruction. I do not believe you should fly in this mode all the time. That said the usefulness of the “safe” feature should not be dismissed as “a crutch and not for real flyers.” That is my two cents.
Letters: I had Callie print me up a batch as I did not like the factory set. Callie had the file from a previous print for some of you here on this forum. It took me a while to get them on as far as placing them straight, but I did it. Some soapy air bubbles are still evaporating but I think they will be gone in time. If you do not have a rubber squeegee for this type of work, get one.
What to do with the windows. It would have been good if the factory trimmed them like the scale version. Not being a great painter regarding this kind of detail, I decided to pinstripe the canopy with white automobile pin striping tape I had on hand. One thing led to another and as you can see in the photo it came out pretty good.
I learned a ton with this build. It is seriously addicting. Black Horse has a few models around this price point that have caught my eye. The Valiant first and don’t be surprised if I’m back here another time writing about another Black Horse model.
You know that friend of mine who helped with the battery relocation once said to me, I think you should build an ARF, I think you will learn a lot. Well, he was right. Now addicted and have three here in less than a year, I'm contemplating whether or not I need to come out of retirement to afford all those nice toys I want.

Remember – Keep the rubber/foam side down and the shiny side up. Especially on landings.

JZ Maverick

[Swampflier]

Great Post JZ MAverick!!

[Swampflier]

On other news... It finally flew
After pro-crastinating for a couple of years (almost 3) .. I finally got it on the air, two flights one smooth landing and one not that smooth 😐 but no harm done.
It has a vvrc low profile 21cc gas guzzler spinning the prop and a faithful ground crew 😁
FLight is smooth and overall great plane, enjoyable to fly!!

[Tiger01]

Swampflier thanks. Glad you got to fly her. The weather is starting to be more spring-like here in VA. Maiden coming soon. Once I do I'll post my experience.