What did you fly today?

[davegee]

I took my Flightline 1.6m Corsair and E Flite 1.5m P-51D up for some flights this morning. Beautiful morning, very little wind and brilliant sunshine. I hadn't flown the Corsair for a while, but it was time. Tested it on the bench at home last night and it was ready to go. It didn't disappoint and I had three great flights on it. I wouldn't say it is "easy" to fly necessarily, but I've got dozens of flights on it over the past 4+ years and it is pretty much a "hand in glove" comfort feeling when I take it up. Just a really solid, scale performer, in my opinion. BTW, this is a replica of a plane flown by the top ace in the Corsair aircraft of all time, Lt. Robert M. "Killer Bob" Hanson, USMCR, who scored 25 kills until he himself was killed on a mission in the South Pacific in early 1944. He was awarded the MOH and promoted to captain, posthumously.

My other airplane is one of two P-51Ds I have from E Flite. Today's airplane was called The Hun Hunter from Texas, flown by double ace Captain Henry "Baby" Brown, USAAF. He eventually had to execute a forced landing in enemy territory, was captured and remained a POW for the rest of the war. But up to that point he had scored 14.2 aerial and about 14 ground kills of German aircraft. This plane is another favorite of mine, although maybe not quite as easy to fly as I find my other fighters like P-47s and the Corsair.

[f4u ausie]

Grate shots again Dave.. after checking over my Corsair I disabled the flaps... One sero had the jitters.. anyways 4 flights this morning. .. same 4 me this Saturday morning.. no wind clear sky (picture perfect).. needed heaps of right aileron trim... Flaps need some adjustment I'm sure.... It's been a while.. it's not as locked in as when new.. that's to be expected after so much time in the air.. but looks awesome in the air as always... And lots of fun fun fun.. hopefully order new something in next 2 weeks.. thinking the new90 fms Avanti oh it lands great without flaps.. just don't look as cool

[davegee]

Hi F4UAusie: very cool you joined me on a Corsair flight on the Other side of the world, to boot! Your field looks good for the rc flying, wish we had something like what you have!

Thanks for that tip about landings with no flaps. I must admit I never had to or even tried a no flap landing with my Corsair, but I’m glad to hear that you had no problems with your plane in executing no flap landings.

Keep up the great flying, buddy!

cheers

davegee

[f4u ausie]

[f4u ausie]

A woopsy sorta morn.. took 2 thismorning.. u may notice only one above in the pic mmm ,u say.. well put up my al37 first.. beautiful take off,, turn right with ailerons,, na nothing tried up down , back off throttle nothing.. oh boy here we go.. at this point it was getting small.. the trim was perfect, it was slowly climbing,, and straight level wings.... only thing i could think, off and on tx.. didnot help... so needless to say after about 1and a half minuts,, it was in the low cloud all i could c was a black dot heading east,, that was it gone ,never to b seen again,, by me anyway.. expected that it woul roll and then fall.. it did not.. so after my Exteme dissapointment.. and hopeing no damage done.... i looked at the pitts do i dont i... i did after lotsa checking... flew well,, go figure...... i tried to replicate what i did.. to no avail... after preflighting the al 37 i unpluged batt and turnd off trans 4 couple adjustment.. pluged in and turnd on trans ,hit full throttle all good,, then turned to so at the end, no idea really.. mayb my dynam detrum finally let me, down need to replace, all rx in remaing planes,, i fly my f4 phantom on dx7,, but hav only 1 rx, 4 that.. all ln all it can b tuff b safe hav fun

[f4u ausie]

Sorry guys,, the next thing.. the spectrum rx r drug money here. So next thought, is lemon,, do they work well no signal drop etc ?.. way cheaper option

[Elbee]

f4u ausie,

Wow, what a thing to have happen.

I cannot imagine, just got up and flew off into the sunrise.

Sounds a bit like a girl I once liked in high school. but I digress.

I hope someone finds your AL37 and can return it.

I fly Futaba, so I have no clue about other Rx's.

Chat with Hugh Wiedman, I think he knows as much or more than anyone about these things.

Best, Steve

[Hugh Wiedman]

A woopsy sorta morn.. took 2 thismorning.. u may notice only one above in the pic mmm ,u say.. well put up my al37 first.. beautiful take off,, turn right with ailerons,, na nothing tried up down , back off throttle nothing.. oh boy here we go.. at this point it was getting small.. the trim was perfect, it was slowly climbing,, and straight level wings.... only thing i could think, off and on tx.. didnot help... so needless to say after about 1and a half minuts,, it was in the low cloud all i could c was a black dot heading east,, that was it gone ,never to b seen again,, by me anyway.. expected that it woul roll and then fall.. it did not.. so after my Exteme dissapointment.. and hopeing no damage done.... i looked at the pitts do i dont i... i did after lotsa checking... flew well,, go figure...... i tried to replicate what i did.. to no avail... after preflighting the al 37 i unpluged batt and turnd off trans 4 couple adjustment.. pluged in and turnd on trans ,hit full throttle all good,, then turned to so at the end, no idea really.. mayb my dynam detrum finally let me, down need to replace, all rx in remaing planes,, i fly my f4 phantom on dx7,, but hav only 1 rx, 4 that.. all ln all it can b tuff b safe hav fun

Sorry to see that, but not uncommon. Since you already have a DX7, suggest you use the Spektrum RX as well. The new AR637T/8370T/10360T Plus recievers have served me well. Not a huge fan of Horizon Hobby aircraft anymore (Freewing/FlightLine/FMS Fan Boy), but their RX's IMO are great, but a little expensive (not as expensive as losing an aircraft and battery though).

Since I converted everything to one of those RX's with Plus, my signal reception has been nothing short of spectacular. 0 frame losses (unheard off) and of course 0 holds (the demon of signal loss). Use their satellite RX's as well in all EDF's so I have 4 antennae's oriented in every possible directional plane (forward and backward of an antennae is it's blind spot). And the Plus upgrade has made landings incredibly easy. On prop planes I don't add a satellite, as it seems RX interference is greater with the EDF's and the prop motor and ESC are usually up front allowing the 2 antennae from the RX to go back and be clear of the battery (another big RX signal interferer) and ESC. I used to battle with frame losses and holds (even with Spektrum's older RX's) and lost a couple where I had the antennae too close to either the battery, carbon fiber tubes or ESC and it's cables. No issues anymore.

Every plane you have will have a slightly different issue with RX reception, based upon antennae placement, carbon fiber tubes, ESC and cable interference and battery placement. So you cannot compare one to another, which will only tell you if you have a problem with the TX signal. Hey, look at Chris Wolfes (RC Geek) loss of his new huge gasser T-28 he's been building, an IX 20 TX and using the wrong older "park flyer" RX from spektrum he had laying around. Saving a hundred bucks on a RX he destroyed thousands in an aircraft he spent 4 months building, all in a matter of seconds. If it can happen to him, we have no chance! In the past I had a hell of a time getting a decent signal with an older AR636 Spektrum gyro RX in my B-24's, getting more than 150 frame losses per flight and sometimes several holds . Since going to a newer AR637T with a satellite, problems solved. One of my first EDF's was a Stinger 90. At that time, I had no knowledge of "signal Interference" and placed the RX (an AR636) in the easiest place I could find and ran the single antennae along the fuse over a carbon fiber tube next to the battery. My older TX had no call outs on frame losses or holds, so completely unaware of impending disaster even after doing a range check. After maybe 40 successful flights, on the downwind leg getting read to land, it just kept going, never to be seen by me again. Ended up out in the Everglades eaten by gators and pythons (that's a long story on how I know). After, got another and sat with a knowledgeable RC guy and he showed me that my antennae placement was the worse possible solution I could have come up. Since then, I've found that your RX location and especially the antennae orientation is the single biggest issue on building out a new aircraft. Do it right, you're OK, wrong and it's gone!

I'm sure there are other excellent RX's out there, but I can vouch for the new Spektrum Plus RX's. The gyro capabilities are incredible and the included telemetry of in-flight pack voltage callouts/warnings have unfortunately exposed the only flaw left-My poor flying skills!

[davegee]

Sorry to see that, but not uncommon. Since you already have a DX7, suggest you use the Spektrum RX as well. The new AR637T/8370T/10360T Plus recievers have served me well. Not a huge fan of Horizon Hobby aircraft anymore (Freewing/FlightLine/FMS Fan Boy), but their RX's IMO are great, but a little expensive (not as expensive as losing an aircraft and battery though).

Since I converted everything to one of those RX's with Plus, my signal reception has been nothing short of spectacular. 0 frame losses (unheard off) and of course 0 holds (the demon of signal loss). Use their satellite RX's as well in all EDF's so I have 4 antennae's oriented in every possible directional plane (forward and backward of an antennae is it's blind spot). And the Plus upgrade has made landings incredibly easy. On prop planes I don't add a satellite, as it seems RX interference is greater with the EDF's and the prop motor and ESC are usually up front allowing the 2 antennae from the RX to go back and be clear of the battery (another big RX signal interferer) and ESC. I used to battle with frame losses and holds (even with Spektrum's older RX's) and lost a couple where I had the antennae too close to either the battery, carbon fiber tubes or ESC and it's cables. No issues anymore.

Every plane you have will have a slightly different issue with RX reception, based upon antennae placement, carbon fiber tubes, ESC and cable interference and battery placement. So you cannot compare one to another, which will only tell you if you have a problem with the TX signal. Hey, look at Chris Wolfes (RC Geek) loss of his new huge gasser T-28 he's been building, an IX 20 TX and using the wrong older "park flyer" RX from spektrum he had laying around. Saving a hundred bucks on a RX he destroyed thousands in an aircraft he spent 4 months building, all in a matter of seconds. If it can happen to him, we have no chance! In the past I had a hell of a time getting a decent signal with an older AR636 Spektrum gyro RX in my B-24's, getting more than 150 frame losses per flight and sometimes several holds . Since going to a newer AR637T with a satellite, problems solved. One of my first EDF's was a Stinger 90. At that time, I had no knowledge of "signal Interference" and placed the RX (an AR636) in the easiest place I could find and ran the single antennae along the fuse over a carbon fiber tube next to the battery. My older TX had no call outs on frame losses or holds, so completely unaware of impending disaster even after doing a range check. After maybe 40 successful flights, on the downwind leg getting read to land, it just kept going, never to be seen by me again. Ended up out in the Everglades eaten by gators and pythons (that's a long story on how I know). After, got another and sat with a knowledgeable RC guy and he showed me that my antennae placement was the worse possible solution I could have come up. Since then, I've found that your RX location and especially the antennae orientation is the single biggest issue on building out a new aircraft. Do it right, you're OK, wrong and it's gone!

I'm sure there are other excellent RX's out there, but I can vouch for the new Spektrum Plus RX's. The gyro capabilities are incredible and the included telemetry of in-flight pack voltage callouts/warnings have unfortunately exposed the only flaw left-My poor flying skills!

Bummer! But I know you'll make the corrections you feel necessary and be up and flying again in no time!!

Hang in there!

Davegee

[f4u ausie]

Thanx hugh dave steve,, 4 ya time,, glad to c (sort of) im not the only one,, hugh ye cant imagine how rc geek would of felt,, lota time n money

[Elbee]

RC Geek was noticeably anguished to say the least. I really felt for the guy both aircraft were outstanding. The "Hustler" loss broke my heart. That airframe is a childhood fave of mine. I build the Plastic model, though eventually blew it up with fireworks. (LOL) What was I thinking, obviously NOT.

[tab28682]

Did not get to fly anything today, but got to put the first flight on my new Freewing 70mm F9F-5 Panther yesterday.

Another winner from Freewing and MRC!

[f4u ausie]

Hey guys im goin to take a loto... long weekend here,, so went fishing with a budy(so what u say) i found the crash site.. and i swear on my childrens life this is true... our path to the water goes roughly where i fly, so me being me googly eyes out the window i may find it,, as my fishing buddy said r u lookin 4 the plane.. isaid there it is. 25 meters off the highway,,, around 4 ks 3 miles from where i fly.. its been almost a week.. one in a million...... im just happy no damage to property or cars .. people.... it was bottom of a tree,, not lookin good.. so i took the gear and edf s.... for spares... i no it sounds like..???shi??.. it is not.. what did suprise me.. the gear was up.. so within that first 100 yards. It had a good connection.... anyway get rid of the dynam and go forward with my newer spectrum,,, credit to dynam,, thats first failure in around 5 years

[Elbee]

f4u ausie, stranger things have happened I am certain.

It is good to take some of the mystery out of the mishap.

If you're like me, I always kept a small piece from a total loss for memory's sake.

Glad you found her.

Best, LB

[f4u ausie]

Yep the hatch is hanging up already

[Elbee]

How silly of me, of course it is. LOL

[davegee]

Weather much better this morning for the maiden on my 70mm Panther jet. Again, I got a few flights in with my "weather ship" E Flite Beech 18 first, and all looked good for a flight or two.

No problems with the aircraft, in general. I did have the low rate on the ailerons dialed down some from book values, but it was still too much for my tastes, so after the first flight I dialed the low aileron rate to 50 percent, which was much more scale and comfortable, for me. I can always use higher rates later, if I want.

Landings, as others have reported are relatively easy and comfortable. I used the reverse thrust but probably didn't need to do that, it would have easily stopped on its own well before the end of our rough runway.

So, very happy with yet another great plane from MRC. I would have preferred the bigger size as their Cougar, but I understand MRC's decision on this. Hopefully a bigger, more detailed Panther will come around someday. But for now, this is good. A very solid performer.

Cheers

davegee

[davegee]

Had another chilly but sunny morning without too much wind for another couple of flights today. I took my EFlite P-51D LOU IV and my Freewing F/A-18C up for some flights. Went well, although with a little quartering headwind, I overcontrolled the elevator on both airplanes slightly in the flare but made safe landings, nonetheless. Always good to leave the field with no extra, missing, or loose parts!

Cheers

Davegee

[davegee]

Took my E Flite P-51D Hun Hunter up for 4 flights today. Have some tweaks I need to do to the tailwheel steering, but otherwise some good flights. Also got a practice "bombing" mission with the Flightline B-25J Cactus Kitten. I loaded 5 scale parafragmentary bombs in the bomb bays and dropped them from about 20 feet altitude as it flew past the "target" off to the side of the runway. The "bombs" fell in a line about 10 feet long. Had this been a real plane and bombs, it would have pretty much taken out the target, in most cases aimed at ships and/or runways, airplanes, machinery, and personnel.

[Hugh Wiedman]

Finally got out today after 4 weeks of no flying. Our winds have been unusually robust, 20-25, and when not, massive rain storms. I was going through "piloting withdrawal " and definitely not handling it well. My CO had to move me out to a derelict tree house the kids built years ago!

Winds today 90 degree cross but only 5-8mph so no effect. Fronts coming through tomorrow (reason for the calm winds) so next week or longer looks like again.

8S F4, twin 70 SU, 90mm Avanti with TV and my new favorite flyer 90mm F18:

[davegee]

I was finally able to get out and fly this morning (due to snow, cold, and wind) to fly my F9F 70mm Panther after repairs from the last flight where I lost signal to the airplane or whatever happened. This flight went great, and the Panther was a real "sweetheart" as I checked out all the control inputs and some minor arobatics. It lands well, too, and I think I'll use this plane as my warmup and "weather ship" before flying my bigger jets like the F-22, F-18C, B-2, and F-15C. Also flew my Beech 18, which has I don't know how many flights on it, but it is hanging in there and a pleasure to fly, too.

[Grossman56]

Glad to see you got her back in flyable condition! Looks like a sweetheart!

Grossman56
(Dangerous Dan)