Install Sullivan clamps on all connections to ensure they don’t come undone. This helps simplify the self-priming process.
Remember to keep all the lines as short as possible and position the smoke pump as close as possible to the smoke tank. Attach the check valves to the mufflers using high-temperature neoprene tubing. When using a twin-cylinder engine, some prefer to use two check valves placed about an inch from each muffler. Connect the “pickup” line from the tank to the pump fitting marked “in” and a fuel line and a check valve on the pump fitting marked “out.” This line is connected with a T-fitting to each muffler of my Desert Aircraft DA120 twin-cylinder engine ( ). In this case, two wood screws and rubber washers provide soft mounts for the pump. When installing any electronic component, use rubber washers and/or foam padding to protect them from the engine vibration. The best location for the smoke pump is below and behind the smoke tank. I use Du-Bro 1/4-inch foam rubber to pad the tank and two Velcro straps to hold the two tanks in place. I used three lines so one is dedicated to filling the tank, and I have two pickup lines with clunks, and one that vents out on the bottom of the model. For the smoke tank I used a Du-Bro ( ) tank equipped with a gasoline stopper.
If the tanks are forward or aft of the center of gravity, the balance of the airplane will change during the flight. Mounted directly over the center of gravity, no noticeable trim changes occur as the fluid is used up. I use a 32-ounce fuel tank and a 24-ounce smoke tank, for a total of 56 fluid ounces added to the aircraft ready for flight. It is important to center the tank on the aircraft’s center of gravity. Shown from the inside of the composite fuselage are the fuel and smoke lines used to fill each tank. Slots in the new tray allow Velcro straps to secure both tanks.Ī triangle joint fitting divides the line going from the smoke pump to each of the mufflers on the DA-120 twin cylinder engine. So I made a 1/8-inch lite-ply floor and glued it over the existing tray using Zap 30-minute epoxy ( ). The original tank tray on the Composite QQ Yak 54 is designed for only the fuel tank and is mounted directly above the wing tube.
The first order of business is to mount the smoke tank. It is a good idea to use a larger than normal radio battery pack if you are going to use lots of smoke-on time. Smoke pumps can draw as much as 1 amp of current and, on average, will use about 17mAh per minute.
The TME SmartSmoker Pro ( ), can be powered by a spare receiver channel. Depending on the pump used, a battery to supply power to the pump may be required. The TME SmartSmoker Pro controller can be powered either from the receiver port or by a separate battery pack.Ī smoke system includes the smoke pump, gasoline-grade and neoprene fuel line, a smoke oil tank, fuel fittings, and a smoke muffler.
Simply put, SMOKE is a pure attention-grabber! I recently decided to upgrade the smoke system in my Hangar 9 Composite QQ Yak 54 () so I thought it a good time to go over fundamentals for plumbing and mounting the fuel and smoke tank, the pump installation, as well as the radio programming required to regulate smoke fluid as it enters the muffler.Īlways secure the smoke and fuel tank directly above the center of gravity for the best flight performance results. Experienced pilots will make the aircraft all but disappear within the smoke during torque rolls, tail slides, and so forth. At full-scale and RC airshows alike, watching aerobatic aircraft equipped with smoke systems adds greatly to the appeal for both spectators and pilots.