Good second plane for wind

[ace184]

I have been looking for a second plane to get in a month or so. I fly my sport cub s on almost a daily basis right now, so I am getting more comfortable each time. At first I was looking at another micro but want something that can handle the wind better. I know the bigger/heavier they are the easier they cut through the wind. But I'd like to get one I can still fly at the park down the street where I fly my cub currently. I have found a local club and plan on getting together with them soon, so maybe I will have a better place to fly shortly.

[Loneflier]

If you like your UMX sport Cub, you might want to go to its bigger brother, the Parkzone Sport Cub in 1300mm wingspan and AS3X. I have one and it will easily handle 10mph winds, and is my go to plane when I just want to relax and fly. Can be very aerobatic, but can also fly slow and just putter around the sky. Easy to land as well, especially with the flaps operational, and you can add floats if you want to fly off water.

[fhhuber]

A little bigger... a little faster and put in a slightly oversize battery.

The larger plane with the added weight of an appx 10% to 25 % oversize battery will resist the effects of turbulence better. A plane with a naturally higher average flying speed is more comfortable to fly in stronger winds and easier to deal with for taxi, takeoff and landing.

Wind is really not as big a deal as many people think. Turbulence is the problem. Learning to predict what obstructions will do to the air as the wind approaches and goes past an obstruction will help you a lot.

I used to fly high speed slope gliders (before dynamic soaring) and learned to use the wind rather than to fear it.

[owyheeguy]

I’m a fairly new pilot myself and I’ve had really good experiences with the E-flite Apprentice S 15e Trainer with SAFE Flight Assist Technology. It has a 59" wingspan and takes a 3S or 4S battery. I use the 4S for higher winds for more weight and power. I have even had my 8 year old grandson out with me and he has had a little stick time on my simulator, anyway he has flown it with little assistance from me other than I take-off and land for him.

As far as wind goes, 10 to 15 mph winds give it little trouble and I only packed it in when the gusts were great enough that the airplane tipped over on take-off. The Apprentice has plenty of power for aerobatics.

[Grossman56]

Hey Owy, you have the same problems as I do. Now, it depends on how much of a jump you want to take. If you want to stay with the gyro technology, I think I'd look into an E Flite Pulse. I think its a good next step from the Apprentice, check it out. Also, and I'm a little bias here, the Pandora as well, now you have to buy a receiver for it, but you can get a Spektrum AR6335 or an AR 636, both have AS3X stabilization built right in.

Check them out, both are great ways to go. Personally I have a 601 receiver with a A3L hooked up to it in one Pandora and an A3 in the other as it has a flight leveling function, in case the wife gets brave!!

Grossman56

[martmichals]

I agree with Grossman, I'd go for a Pandora. They're bigger and can definitely handle winds.

[ace184]

I was looking at the Pandora because of the different configurations you could use. But I also like the big wheels on the cub which would be real helpful around here. And who doesn't want a garage full of cubs? Lol

[owyheeguy]

Hey Grossman56, you and Doc have me thinking about the Pandora. I wish I could get my dear wife interested in flying. Oh well she can't get me interested in making quilts either. What are you gonna do?

[Grossman56]

Well, let her make you some quilted airplane covers for those hot days!
Actually the stock tires for the tail dragger configuration are pretty big (+) but made of Styrofoam (-) But, I have plenty of them as I don't use them, I'm going to have to inventory all my spare parts and have a cyber yard sale or something.

Grossman56

[Grossman56]

Oh, BTW, where is Marsing anyway, the wife is from Moscow Idaho but she wasn't sure. Can't be all that far from Cody in any case.

Grossman56

[F106DeltaDart]

I would like to also throw in a recommendation for the Durafly Tundra or the Mini Telemaster. The Durafly takes off in pretty much no space at all, has huge bush tires, and tons of power. The Telemaster is a balsa kit, so the build is more complex, but still a very basic build if you are ever looking at trying a balsa airplane. Ridiculously easy to fly, and I've flown it in winds up to 30 mph with no issue. It is hard to beat the flying characteristics of a Telemaster.

[ace184]

So I've acquired an old super cub dsm from my parents neighbor. So I guess now what I am looking for is a low-wing trainer type plane. As I said before, I really want to get into warbirds, and eventually edf. I was looking at the 1200mm Trojan because I've heard those are easy to fly and to get into, but am open to suggestions.

[fhhuber]

Honestly, I don't see the value for the difference in price/options/size in order to recommend the E-Flite T-28 over Dynam or FMS. Its a good model and I've seen several in person. E-Flite just wants more than I think its worth.

Dynam 1250 mm Trojan is a decent step toward warbirds. Retracts add a bit of weight vs the ones without retracts, and this helps a bit with resisting the effects of gusts.
http://www.motionrc.com/dynam-t-28-t...-wingspan-pnp/

Trojans make decent choice as a first model and yet can be upgraded (bigger motor) for some advanced aerobatics.

FMS makes a 1400 mm you might consider. Good reputation, but I have not actually had one. Bigger and already has the flaps. I've seen a few FMS models and all have been good. I like Dynam's retract mounting better. (and I got started on the Dynam appx 1250 mm WWII planes so the FMS would look too large in the lineup at the field)

Red/White is best for less experienced fliers... gray disappears if you are not careful. Silver, which is offered in one of the T-28's is also poor for beginners.

***********

If you choose the Dynam:

The original motor actually has the prop REALLY close to the cowl. Make sure the cowl is securely in place before spinning the prop.

I cut a couple of slots on each side of the battery and threaded in a velcro strap to wrap the pack because the OEM strip velcro peels so easily from the EPO foam. I'd recommend something similar for any EPO model. Don't trust the sticky-back velcro to stay "glued" onto the EPO.

Upgrade path:

You can just drop in a 4S 3300 mah LiPo instead of the 3S 2200 mah. No changes needed...
More weight, more power and its all good (especially for wind) The plane LIKES the added weight for glide!

http://www.motionrc.com/dynam-3720-6...-motor-type-c/ bolts right in. Needs a different collet adapter. (I had the right one in a box of spare parts)
(note the same orientation on the shaft because its VERY hard to change that) This motor uses 4S and a 13X7 3-blade (Such as from the Dynam ME-109 or Master Airscrew makes one that looks better on the T-28)
This motor pushes the prop forward and you move the battery back slightly to get the same CG. Looks fine.
Same ESC as original in the Dynam Trojan is fine with the bigger motor and prop. I've tested it to even higher power.
This is one of the easiest motor upgrades you can do.

Then its pretty obvious how to add flaps. (needs 2 servos, pushrods and control horns... cut the flaps free so they can move)
You need one reversed servo
OR use 2 channels and mix
OR alter the mounting a little to have both servo tops aimed at the same wingtip (this choice also moves one control horn appx 1.5 inch)

Eventually.... A Castle Phoenix 50 ESC plus the programmer card/computer interface and ensure the ESC has the newest firmware. (may or may not be up to date when you get it... depends how long it sat in the distributor's warehouse) The latest Castle firmware makes the power system more efficient and gives better motor timing for higher power output. This is VERY noticeable vs the Dynam/Detrum ESCs.
Just changing the ESC you'll think you turbo-charged the airplane.
Castle ESCs are known for surviving FAR above their labeled ratings. I only have other brand ESCs because they came in ARF/RTF aircraft. Eventually everything gets a Castle.

[ryramZ]

I've flown them all at this point and highly recommend the Eflite 1200 T28, especially if one is looking at and or liking other Horizon models. It takes no mods out of the box ,is tough, reliable, and sits in the middle of the wing loading spectrum between the dynam and the FMS.

[ace184]

All the different electronical options scare me, lol. There is just so much that I am afraid I would do something wrong. Which is why I was looking at BNF, so much easier. Especially with eflite since I have a dx6, just that much simpler. But, after reading your post, I do see where it could be cheaper if I use my own stuff. There are so many planes on here that I like, but get scared off when I see it is pnp since all that is foreign to me. Then you throw in all the servo talk and my brain overheats. But I need to get over that because I know I need to be able to choose the electronics myself to open my options a lot more.

[Iowa54]

The Hawk Sky V2 by Dynam handles the wind better than I thought it would. A plus is that you can take the gear off and use it as a belly lander if your park is grass. Plus it's about half the price of the Pandora. I do have both of them.

[fhhuber]

Dynam doesn't NEED any mods out of the box.

The velcro thing is partly paranoia, partly I've had the sticky back velcro come loose from EPO models. Its no fun when the battery and canopy eject.

An upgrade path just shows where you can go forward with the model.

People take the 1200 mm E-Flite and install a bigger motor, flaps, lights, retracts (They usually drop in the Dynam retracts around here... the models are so close to the same size that they look right.) Because the model can handle the upgrades.

Note the E-Flite CAN NOT take a drop in of 4S without a new ESC and motor... All of the local E-Flite 1200 mm T-28's have motor and ESC upgrades now.

I like knowing that there is an upgrade path.

Actually, the FMS is closer to not needing upgrades. I just expect a mod to the retract mounts in the wings because the glued in mounts tend to pop out of every FMS model I have seen. (No FMS T-28's yet...) The fix is really simple though and I'd even use the Dynam mount parts if I had the spares...

*********

Basic connections of the RX to the servos and ESC are simple. The RX is either labeled what function goes to which slot or just numbered (Spectrum labels by function) Modern RC systems are all using essentially the same plug and the oddball servo plug (Futaba) just needs minor plastic trimming to fit everyone else's RX.

Its possible to plug a servo backward but the + in center standard results in no damage. The improperly plugged servo just doesn't work until this is corrected.
When plugging 2 servos into a Y, one plugged backward will result in both failing to work. Again, plug it correctly and its fine.

So the odds of you plugging a servo or ESC into the RX wrong and causing damage is very low. (there is a way but you almost have to do it on purpose)

Its been a LONG time since Airtronics joined the rest of the RC world and started using the same wire order. Most of the stuff old enough to be a problem has been retired from service now.

[rtwatkins]

TBH, if you're looking at getting bigger from micro for a 2nd plane look at some flite test foam board models. They are a GREAT platform to learning to fly without the fear of cracking up an expensive plane. (crash, $2 in more foam board & some hot glue, and you're back in the air) They may not be much to look at... but trust me when I say it's WAY more cost effective to learn on them, short of flying on a simulator ;) Once you're comfortable flying with that, you can move into foamies, warbirds and more with a lot more comfort. Even when I went to learn acrobatics & 3D, I went back to a flite test model (like the FT3D) to learn & practice on that before going to a more expensive bird. Just my 2 cents, but ya ;) www.flitetest.com

[rtwatkins]

All the different electronical options scare me, lol. There is just so much that I am afraid I would do something wrong. Which is why I was looking at BNF, so much easier. Especially with eflite since I have a dx6, just that much simpler. But, after reading your post, I do see where it could be cheaper if I use my own stuff. There are so many planes on here that I like, but get scared off when I see it is pnp since all that is foreign to me. Then you throw in all the servo talk and my brain overheats. But I need to get over that because I know I need to be able to choose the electronics myself to open my options a lot more.

http://www.flitetest.com/articles#/textSearch=Series:%20beginner%20series

Again on the flite test, I know :P but this is great info to know...

[ryramZ]

Deep breath. If I were the original poster I'd be like a deer in headlights with all of the upgrade and mod talk.

We must keep in mind his original post and his experience with a super cub s.

Well behaved planes with excellent parts and tech support are good choices.

The aim is to help him choose a plane that will keep him flying and fit his first steps toward the path he sees for himself. I'm a bit afraid that we may be over teching the discussion.