Jet Ranger Reloaded

[Keyrigger]

So after many other projects have been finally finished, it's time for one of my own. I have wanted to get a new body for my Ranger for quite a while now as it is badly beaten up from many hard landings and a few fouled up autos. I was thinking about doing up an OH-6A Kiowa but felt that the window mod would not hold up over time so I wimped out and decided to build it up as a CH-139 Jet Ranger from 3CFFTS Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. It has had some changes over the years but I can do it as a single external landing light as in the picture below, or as the standard twin internal landing light system.

I had wanted to remove the square external extension to the chassis mount but I was not up to it with the old body. This time around, I have taken it into account from the beginning and it looks like it will work just fine. I had JestRR make up a low set of skids when he made up my tall skids that are on it now and all I need to do is to build up a bit of a block under the front so it sits at the right angle. It looks like it will be a fairly easy build and with the lessons learned from the first one, this one should be around for a very long time. I just did a check out of the number of flights on this helicopter and it is now nearly three hundred flights and holding up very well indeed. Take care.

Don

[SidewaysLS4]

Nice. Is that a .30 fuse? You got me thinking now about that spare one I got, lol. I was thinking of a Kiowa with the doors cut out on that. Well, I look forward to your build How long is JestRR's lead time lately?

[Keyrigger]

Thanks. I don't know what his lead time is these days but send him a PM to find out. It is the 30 size.

Don

[MotorRotor]

Looks like another masterpiece in the making.

[satsuma]

Love the Ranger, have started building the 1/4 scale Vario one for turbine but have converted the mechanics to electric, in pod and boom form getting 9 mins at 900 rpm on 5000mah 12 cell packs.

Photo of said bird.

Enjoy the build Don and keep the photos coming.

[Keyrigger]

Thanks guys. Ian, I think my entire helicopter body could fit in that doghouse, lol. Yours looks like you could even take your little buddy up for a ride and have room to spare in the cockpit. I'll be looking for your build as well. Take care.

Don

[HeliKid]

Great Works so far..Don,

Did you reglassed the flat bottom or simply sanded them off?



Cheers,
George

[Keyrigger]

I added a layer of Hysol and heavy glass cloth in the area that was to be ground down. It worked very well and why I used Hysol rather than epoxy resin was that I found Hysol adhered to the glass better than fresh resin. By the time I get the rest of the plywood installed for the chassis and landing gear to be fixed to, it will become solidified with the Hysol. It is going to take me a bit of work and the bottom of my chassis to set all the holes for the chassis and Bambi Bucket. Also, the spots for the landing gear will be made and I will use a nut and washer captured by Hysol. Works perfectly in the old body to hold the existing landing gear. Take care.

Don

[satsuma]

You have done a GREAT job of removing the flat section, SMOOOOTH
Hysol IS amazing stuff, use nothing else for ALL my structural work.

[Stabes70]

Sats

That is some Jet Ranger your building..what's the AUW going to be?

[satsuma]

AUW should be with all lipo's on board, about 17kg, that's what I am aiming for, it's large at 2.5 mtr long, but if it's as nice as the xlv I have then easy to fly, just got to remember the weight when you want to stop it

Back to Don's Ranger

[Keyrigger]

And on that note, lol, here are some shots of the floor installation that I have been at since last night. it is 1/8" birch ply and very good quality. I had planned to make this one piece but the angle that it would sit at would mean a lot of filler under it, so I split the floor in two parts. I will need two filler strips for the rear chassis mount and for the Bambi Bucket bracket but both seem to only need a single 1/8" spacer. It was nice to be able to get the chassis in so quickly and to my surprise, the clearance of the tail pushrod was really tight, as I had never bothered to put a flashlight down the other body to have a look. With the light that came in from having no paint, it was very clear how close it was in the other body, too. Now comes the famous waiting period as the Hysol sets, sigh.

Maybe tonight, I can get the spacers made and installed. I could have the new body up in the air by the weekend and what is really cool is that Callie sent an email this morning and my graphics will be shipped tomorrow sometime. WOW. Now I need to find out what colour the yellow is, as it is the same as the yellow that is used by Canada, the Netherlands, and a few other countries on their SAR helicopters and aircraft.

[satsuma]

Wow, nice that the anti rotation bracket is JUST hidden inside the doghouse .

[Keyrigger]

Thanks. I worked out how much of the guide I actually needed at full mechanical travel (no radio on and just put all servos to max) and then cut off the rest. It never comes close to the end so there is enough material there to keep it in place. I did the same thing with my 500MD TOW Defender but the design of the bracket was different so I put a cap on it to keep it from spreading (I don't think there is a lot of force on those pins, imho. Take care.

Don

[Keyrigger]

Today, I finished off the chassis installation to the point that I could have flown it if I was so inclined. There is just too much hinging on the paint to start assembling of the fin, horizontal stabs, and tail. The alignment pins in the canopy will be a tedious job and I am not sure if I can glue all five in at the same time or do one at a time. It's the three hours of cure time that could drag that out over two days, sigh. All wiring is ready for install and the LEDs are already set. The vertical tail rotating beacon is the best install of the three I have done (third time's the charm) and having done this three times, prepping everything was simple. The landing light is what is driving me nuts right now as I can't figure out which one to do. Making it is easy but I would hate to find out that the twin original lighting was only there for a short time and would be a better version to do. I am most likely going to take the weekend off of the build so I can try and get some flying in as next week is going to be devoted to my other hobby. Take care.

Don

[HeliKid]

Don,

Pretty neat works on the mounting..

Is the T/R right or left? couldn't tell from the pictures,
Your cut out hole for the T/R's end is also very nicely done just the right size..

Keep it up!


George

[Keyrigger]

Thanks George:

The tail is on the right side of the boom unfortunately so it is not duplicating the full size. This is a semi-scale body with very little chance to get it scale. The doghouse seems to have been grafted on to a smaller body as there are too many spots not in proper alignment. so I am going to make a good show of it, add as much detail as I can, and see if I can get the riveting to look half decent. I have just done the hardest part of the build and that is putting in the alignment pins and wood pads. The hardest part is waiting for the Hysol to set so I can check that the canopy will come off, lol. Those pins are individually removable but once all five are in place, it could get interesting, lol. Pics to follow. Take care.

Don

[HeliKid]

Don,

It looks like the Fun-key Bell Jetranger 550 is a downsized version of their 60/700 class.
everything looks similar except in their size. I am contemplating whether is possible
to modify few areas to make it more 'scale-like'.. the tail end looks wrong & on wrong side.
What makes you think the doghouse is oversize and was 'grafted' with spots?

I may consider getting their 60 JR to see if i can rework the fuse a bit scale....


Best,
George

[Keyrigger]

George:

The 700 size is a bit different than the two others in the line. It can have the tail rotor switched to the correct side while you are building it. The 600 is a bit better proportioned than the 550 size but the tail is still on the wrong side of the helicopter and requires work to redo it for the left side. Please take into account that there is exactly one single manufacturer of switched tail pitch levers for the T-Rex and other mechanics. Only a few have the option of either side and those are mostly large mechanics for 1.6 to 2.5m helicopters. There is little point in making bodies with the tail rotor on the correct side if a vast majority of the mechanics are set for right side tail rotors.

The doghouse on the 550 is oversized and there and there are a few other compromises made to have it work with the 550/30 size mechanics. The fuel inlet is too far back from the door, the upper windows are too narrow and a bit long, the area between the plenum intake and the motor cover door, is too wide, and the shape of the doghouse portion of the canopy is not correctly shaped. If about a half inch was cut right out of the entire body just behind the rear door, it would be a bit better and then the upper doghouse would need to be shortened an additional half inch. BUT, it makes for one very nice model when done with a bit of detailing like I am in the midst of doing. Once you have those little bits added here and there, attention is put on what you have done with the model and how realistic it begins to look.

There are no perfect scale bodies out there on the commercial market as all of them have alterations done to the body so that it will work with our mechanics; It everything was perfect scale, there would be very few models smaller than 1/4 scale. Until some manufacturer steps up to the plate to offer left and right side tail rotors, most of your smaller scale bodies will have their tail rotors on the ride side of the body, right or wrong. Because I cannot find a source o scale blades, 600 size, set for counter-clockwise rotation, my 500 will remain as it is. The flipped tail does have its foibles but it looks correct and the 5 blade head masks the direction from a short distance away. Only the AS350 is good to go for tail and main rotor directions and positions. Hope this explains a bit of what I mean.

Don

[HeliKid]

Hi Don,

Agreed what is mostly said here...even the 600 size has the wrong cockpit windows.
The tail end is wrongly shaped in all sizes(too bulbous)..but it can be flipped either L/R rotation.

I will try attempt to rework a bit on the 700 size Funkey Bell JR fuselage if i manage
to acquire one with a good deal.

Anyway good luck to your JR 550.

Cheers,
George