All Us intermediate pilots, Lets Share

[Oxotnik]

Grossman, thanks for the tips on throttle-controlled landings. I fly on a grass field. I love warbirds, but the grass is hell on the landings. Even on near 3-pt touchdowns, and some immediate up elevator, the birds want to nose over. Half the time, I ROG take-off, retract, then belly land. My Eflite SU-29MM and Visionaire got upgraded to 3" wheels and easily handle the grass.

[F106DeltaDart]

One other thing I wanted to add is that I have found that you can use much larger flap deflections of split-type flaps like those found of the Spitfire and Sea Fury. I land with about 80 degrees deflection (only in low wind conditions) but they just settle in very nicely with this setting. And, these angles are proportional to what the full-scale uses, so they look more realistic on approach. The reason for this is that the flow over the wing remains attached due to the split configuration. They also generate a large amount of drag, so good throttle control is required for landing in this configuration.

[Grossman56]

Thanks for the tip, the P40 is a great flying plane, I'll just have to experiment around with the settings until I find that sweet spot. Maybe I should review Ryan's videos to see if he mentions where his are set.

Grossman56

[Grossman56]

Just as a follow up and a shout out of thanks to Charlie, I got the gauge he recommended and reset the flaps and ailerons on BBD. I used this recommended 15 degrees take off flaps and 30 degrees landing flaps. WOW!
Between practicing my landings on the sim and with P-1, plus the correct settings, I did the BEST landings I have ever shot with a warbird. Only stopped because a clam shell door servo burned out. Thanks Charlie!!
Now, the interesting thing about the servo was that the one I removed was a digital, and the spare parts shows an analog replacement, please tell me they're interchangeable. I've went down this path before with the flaps on BBD!!
Anyway, I'm convinced, I'll be doctoring up Shangrila with the same settings and blasting her into the air.

Good stuff, took a Monday off because,as we all know, Saturday and Sunday are the worst for flying weather, followed by groans on Monday as we're going to work on a perfect morning.

Grossman56

[OV10]

Dan,
Am delighted that your progress into the warbird world is accelerating because of some of the tips I shared with you at NEFI and here.
Always shoot the two pointer no matter whether it's a tail dragger or trike.
Regarding interchangeability on analog and digital servos is not something you really need to fret over. Just remember that it is not a prudent move to mix them on paired controls like ailerons. I personally like the analog better than digi's for things like doors and flaps because they don't sit there and chatter when closed up.
After enviously watching others like Lon fly the Lightning and patiently accruing the Capt Midnight Monies the FL P-38 is finally part of the Warbird's fleet. Just finished the assembly but unfortunately during the electrical checkout I discovered that the port motor has a bad bearing. Bummer......tomorrow's forecast was light and variable winds for a maiden of "Strictly Sex" but instead I got to wait and open a ticket to Motion for a replacement motor. Good thing I got others to fly!!
I had today off too!!.........sorry Dan, this is where I rub your work wound with my retirement salt.:p

[Grossman56]

Yep, making real progress now, man there's nothing like that!
I've been in a real slump this season, but looks like I'll end it on an high note. Hopefully, September will be full of great flying weather. Got Shangrila doctored up with the same settings and checked the ailerons which were right on the mark, so she'll be going up next, along with the Spitfire. Now, you were saying that split flaps aren't as bad to worry about, but I'm gathering that a 15 degree take off 30 degree landing won't hurt, with the possible use of a bit more in the landing flap simply because of the design of a split flap...
Landings with BBD, were spot on, just where I wanted them to be. What really helped me, is visualizing the real thing coming in and what that would look like, having been a P51 nut since I was a kid and a Bob Hoover fan since then as well, I have it burned into my memory banks. That, of course was when Bob made a normal landing!
A great example of landings with a P 51 can be found in Tuskegee Airmen and Red Tails.

Grossman56

[Grossman56]

So, somewhere on the forum, I posted that I was having a problem with the starboard side clam shell door servo on BBD, it just died, so I went into the MotionR/C website and ordered a new one based on the information on the web site. Anyway, to make a long story short, the one I received wasn't the correct one, so I e- mailed Mark and Tom and received an answer.......
This, my friend, is why I deal with Motion R/C....

You are NOT wrong. All our spare parts are referenced from the pilot's perspective. So according to the description on this servo page:https://www.motionrc.com/products/fms-9g-servo, you should have the the correct servo for a right inner fairing door. We must have sold hundreds if not thousands of theses, I'm a little surprised this is the first time we are discovering this. I will bring it to the attention of the team, have them check stock and then update our website accordingly.

As far as a cross reference system, that may prove difficult since FMS is constantly changing vendors and the labeling is not always consistent. One thing we could and should do it add more details in the plane spec to say what servo goes with what component on the airplane. We do this for our Freewing and FlightLine planes and it proves very useful for customers. I'll see if we can update some of these FMS planes as well.

Last, you should not have to incur a shipping fee for something that is not your fault. I'm just going to refund the entire amount of your last order # 193530 since you didnt get the correct servo in the first place.

Thanks for the info and thanks again for helping out with HobbySquawk

Mark

'nuff said!

Grossman56

[Oxotnik]

MotionRC has also shipped an incomplete replacement part (a replacement wing set for my PZ FW-190). They had HH drop-ship a complete wing set to me, no hassle whatsoever. Both MotionRC and HH have excellent customer service.

[Oxotnik]

This intermediate pilot made a huge step up a few weeks ago. Until now, 1100mm warbirds have been my largest planes. I've gotten pretty good at flying them. So, when I got a nice pay raise, I rewarded myself with the FLRC P-38L. Before popping on the purchase, I asked my RC club president for some honest feedback on my flying skills and whether or not he thought that the 8-lb, 63" twin/engined forked tail devil was a bridge too far. He gave me some good feedback, most of which I already knew, but said that he felt I could handle the P-38. So, I bought it, then waited the agonizing 5-8 days for it to be delivered. Pretty uneventful assembly (with the only lasting mistake was that I failed to run both LED extensions to the left wing. So, we don't need no stinking LH wingtip light!

I had failed to read in the manual that a few millimeters of up elevator was needed for neutral trim. So, on the maiden flight, the P-38 pulled hard right and down. I fought it to altitude, retracted the gear, and got into a steady LH pattern. It took about 5 circuits to get the plane trimmed, letting my friend click the trim, so that I wouldn't have to release a stick. I always get nervous on maiden flights, but with the very eventful takeoff and the high cruise speed, my poor heart was about to crack a rib. LOL. I kept wanting to back off on the throttle, but my friend kept reminding me to keep my speed up. When my 5-minute timer had elapsed, my friend asked if I wanted him to land the plane. My nerves were too shot to make a couple approaches, then land; so, I stowed my fragile male ego and handed my TX to him to land.

After flying my EFlite P-47 a couple times to steady my nerves, I put the P-38 up again, with my friend standing near me again. Had a wonderful flight and a perfectly flared landing, albeit I drifted a little farther down the runway than I had planned. 3rd flight was awesome, with WOT low-attitude passes into climbing victory rolls and nice Immelmanns. I haven't yet been brave enough to make an inverted pass, but will probably do that this weekend.

So, my tip for intermediate flyers making a big step up in planes, is to have an experienced flyer standing next to you to give advice and to set trim on your TX, if needed. I love my RC club and greatly appreciate the experienced flyers in my club giving me advice. We raze each other, sometimes mercilessly, but they're all great guys!

[Grossman56]

Good for you!!
It's always a shaking experience when doing a maiden.
Most of my planes are 1400mm and when I finally got the P51's up in the air, it was a thrill to say the least. Every plane is a bit different, but I found by playing with the control surfaces, flap settings and trim and throws, I can get them pretty darned close to being the same.
I made some of my best landings ever with the P51B last weekend, after waiting for what seemed like weeks, just to get some decent flying weather, and felt great coming away from the field, takeoff and landings just felt natural, finally!!
Of course, as I've stated before, I owe my progress in landing ability to Charlie Brown, Lon, Captain Mike and Pilot Ryan because of their coaching at NEFI, thanks again guys!!
The sad thing for the week was that I had a spiral in with the Waco. I knew she was coming to the end of her flying career as the plastic Cabanes were so brittle, and the wing attachments were getting bad, so
I thought I'd take her up one last time. She flew beautifully, best she's ever flown as anyone who followed my progression through the "All Us Newbies Let's Share"
Thread will know the fun I had with her as I learned to fly.
What happened was that she got over stressed in a cross wind and the upper wing came loose, she just spun in. I knew almost immediately what had happened and I wasn't totally surprised, although, I was lining up for landing and it was too bad she couldn't hold on a half a minute longer. True to form though, she landed upright on a sage brush and the damage was no big deal, repairable, but, as I said, the cabanes would have to be replaced. The battery hatch cover took the worst of it for some reason, and was broken cleanly in two, so easily repairable. Surprisingly, no damage to the landing gear and of course a broken prop.
Poor old Gal...
Anyway, I decided to repair her as best I can with the parts I have and retire her. Hang her from the ceiling along with Ol' Weedwacker as they both have served their purpose.
Certain planes take on a personality all their own, these two are definitely in that class.

Grossman56

[Grossman56]

Back from a great morning of flying, got the Spitfire and the P40 up and they both survived as you can see LOL. Doing some mods on the L/G of the P40 and noticed that underneath the retracts are two screws that hold the plastic nacelle (pieces that the retracts screw onto) onto the wing, see the pic, these had come loose, so one more thing to keep an eye out for. Also, my wheels tend to want to splay out and in with too much slop. I've replaced the plastic sides of the retracts with the Small Parts CNC sides and they are just a bit different as they were designed for the Corsair. Anyway, I shimmed the outside of the trunion as I mentioned before, but today, I came up with a way of stopping the slop inwards and outwards that the wheels have when they're deployed. A small piece of rubber hosing over the 'tower that the pin uses to rotate the gear as it's deployed works very well. The only drawback is that it makes it tight on the trunion, so a little trimming on the inside portion of the rubber and a bit of glue to hold it in place should work.
The only trouble after all that is that the wheels to not track true, causing it to dog leg, so the only thing I can see is to grind the pin that holds the strut to the retract so as to change the angle.
Grossman56

[Grossman56]

What a great day here in Cody!! It was supposed to rain all day, instead, it has been one of the most perfect days for flying yet! Scattered clouds an a slight breeze, but way within flight limits.
Had BBD up three times and Diane and I burned three or four batteries buddy boxing with Pandora Two. She was flying the Apprentice on Intermediate yesterday and did an excellent job. The only difference between Intermediate and Advanced is that the aileron bank is limited although, not as much as in Primary. She wasn't even close to the maximum bank and flew some excellent patterns, brought her in for a good landing. So I thought it was time to fly something a bit different but more like a regular plane, as I find the Apprentice to be too heavy on the controls for me.
Anyway, she did great on the Pandora, aside from the fact that this is the first time in two years she's flown anything but the Apprentice. So we'll Buddy Box until her confidence is up, shoot a few landings and take offs, then I'll bind Pandora Two to the DX6I and she has a new plane!!
Great to see her progressing, she's had some time off lately as the weather wasn't the greatest, but she flew like it was yesterday. I told her Warbird Charlie would have been proud, know I was!

Grossman56

[Oxotnik]

It was an epic weekend in Northern Alabama!! I spent all afternoon of both days at our club field. I flew my FLRC P-38, EFlite P-47D, Freewing FW-190A, a half dozen ultra micro warbirds, and a rocket boost glider.

Even better, my daughter spent both days at teh field with me and has been taking RC flying lessons with our club president (which is great because I don't want to teach her my bad flying habits... LOL). She was mostly buddy-boxing on an Apprentice, with some time with the SAFE turned off, but several time club members let her fly their planes (3 or 4 mistakes high, of course); one of these planes was even a gasser, which puts her ahead of me in that category.

Anyway, here are some photos and videos from my fabulous weekend!
DynaSoar Interceptor III rocket-boost glider flight: https://youtu.be/Wf24c2uL-sY
FLRC P-38 flight: https://youtu.be/MRHUmsZiq18

[OV10]

Great to see her progressing, she's had some time off lately as the weather wasn't the greatest, but she flew like it was yesterday. I told her Warbird Charlie would have been proud, know I was!
Grossman56

AS YOU SHOULD BE !!

[Grossman56]

Well, the dang wind is up again this weekend, beautiful day except for that. Lets face it, it's been a strange year here in Wyoming and it looks as if its just going to stay that way. Hoping for great things for the coming year while still hoping to get a few flights on, if only to drain the remaining charged batteries the fun way.
Hoping the heck to get the Pitts and the P 40 into the air as well as buddy box with Diane on the Pandora some more. I'm seriously considering the skis as well, but I have trouble picturing myself out in the freezing cold trying to fly. Who knows, might be fun.
In the mean time, I'm watching for any feedback on the new Real Flight X Sim. Looks like it could be great. Personally, the one thing I'd like to see is a Sim what you could use with glasses instead of a monitor. It would be great to look over your should and see the wind sock rather than go searching for a button. We'll see...
Still predicting that the Bearcat will arrive with the snow.

Grossman56

[Lon]

Well, the dang wind is up again this weekend, beautiful day except for that.

Grossman56

I've got you covered Gman....wind was down to nothing here(grounded by fog till 10am) but logged 10 flights on the P-38, and 8 on the F-86. It's OCT 16th, and didn't even have to have a sweatshirt on when flying. I could get some more flights in today, but have some must do things around the house. Hope your Bearcat arrives sooner than later for you. One winter project i've decided on is to refinish the Silver P-38. Been practicing on some old wings i have kept for just this purpose. Going to get a silky smooth finish on the Silver 38.

[Oxotnik]

Winds were 4-8 mph in N. Alabama. I maidened my FLRC Ta-152 (bad flew it again), sortied the FLRC P-38 twice, and sortied the EFlite P-47D 3 or 4 times. Air superiority has been fully established in N. Alabama once again. Even better, my daughter is continuing her flying lessons (thankfully, not from me, as I don't want to teach her my bad habits) and had several nice landings with the Apprentice. She may soon be making better landings than me, which isn't saying much. :rolleyes:

[Grossman56]

Sounds good guys, wind is still blowing and its after nine PM, so no go obviously. Tomorrow will be beautiful of course. Have a busy week and to kick it off, I have blood tests so I have to do the fasting thing, I hate that!!
Anyway, they're at 9:00 AM, so I'll go to work for two hours then double up there with a hot cup of coffee in the truck, just waiting....
Sucks getting old!!!

Grossman56

[TiredIronGRB]

Sounds good guys, wind is still blowing and its after nine PM, so no go obviously. Tomorrow will be beautiful of course. Have a busy week and to kick it off, I have blood tests so I have to do the fasting thing, I hate that!!
Anyway, they're at 9:00 AM, so I'll go to work for two hours then double up there with a hot cup of coffee in the truck, just waiting....
Sucks getting old!!!

Grossman56

Man I feel for you guys who live in windy areas, here in the mountains of Tennessee it's almost never too windy to fly..if I can make it 16 more days I'll have flown every day for 100 days.

[Grossman56]

WOW!!!
:p:p:p
Here in Wyoming its the opposite, If I can miss flying for 16 more days it'll be 100 days of no flying!
Well, at least it feels that was sometimes!

Grossman56