E-flite UMX A-10 Modification

[StormyDog1962]

I recently had a small gap in the weather to get my new E-flite Micro A-10 https://www.motionrc.com/collections...nt=30388691980 out and give it a whirl. The first flight went real well on a Admiral 2S 600mah battery, https://www.motionrc.com/collections...-battery-w-jst needed some down trim to level it out maybe 8-10 clicks. I will adjust the linkage so I can remove the Trim back to Center. I was able to get an easy 4 minutes from the Battery with at least 45 seconds to spare. The second flight went just as well except the landing was not as level as the first one which the plane came away from unscathed. The second time I was able to slow it down plenty but it touched down slightly nose down and it dug in a bit and kinda just bounced a little. Didn't think much of it until I came upon it and saw the front end had crumpled up. This area is not the strongest part and with the weight of the back side pushing against it caused it to buckle. So I went home and broke out the Foam Tac https://www.motionrc.com/collections...pack-1oz-tubes and glued up the sides and added some Carbon Spars to the inside for additional strength. Now the front end feels like it can handle a less than perfect landing and will not crumple.

For those looking to get one of these you may want to add the spars now while the model is still pristine. One can use Carbon Fiber or get some Bamboo Skewers at the store as these are light weight and sturdy also. I made sure the spar was long enough to help carry the load far enough aft and as far forward as possible on the Right side. The Left is a bit shorter as the battery will be in that spot and I did not want to interfere with that. I also added a piece of clear tape where the wing meets the fuselage on the bottom as I did not want to glue it but it did offer a bit more strength to that area. All in all a real easy to set up and fly plane that will be in the air in no time. Check the photos and let me know if anyone has any questions on this Little Guy!

[Aros]

Good idea on the CF reinforcement...That area (presumably where the mold comes together) definitely could use strengthening. I ended up going with a 800 mAh LiPo 2S which gives it about a solid 6 minutes even on the throttle for the majority. Definitely a fun micro jet!

[xviper]

There's 2 of these where I fly. Both required a lot of UP elevator. In fact, my buddy's plane drove itself into the ground on the first throw as he wasn't expecting it to nose dive that bad. I've also reinforced all the seams along the sides of the fuse where the top and bottom halves meet. I'd like to make mine a little faster but not quite sure how to do it. The EDFs are an odd size so can't just replace them with something stronger and I doubt the stock gear will take 3s.

[StormyDog1962]

Once I've grown weary of this new toy I may chance a 3S in it just to see what will be the outcome. For now I will just have to be satisfied with the current performance.

[TSHobbies]

what scale is this one? anyone know?

[xviper]

Tried to fly it this morning. It won't bind or initiate at the field. This also happened to my buddy. He took his back and got another one. Maybe it has to do with the cold.

[OV10]

what scale is this one? anyone know?

It is 1/31 scale
57.5 ft(full size) times 12(inches in a foot) divided 22inches(span of model)

[Aros]

Tried to fly it this morning. It won't bind or initiate at the field. This also happened to my buddy. He took his back and got another one. Maybe it has to do with the cold.

I am running into this exact same issue. Without fail, I always have to re-bind. I do suspect it's the cold. Temps here have been in the 30's.

[Aros]

Still having to rebind every flight. And even sometimes the bind won't initialize the bird. Not sure if it's the cold or what but it's awfully annoying.

[xviper]

Still having to rebind every flight. And even sometimes the bind won't initialize the bird. Not sure if it's the cold or what but it's awfully annoying.

That's a real pain. I can't even get it to bind in the cold (-10C). Go home and into my basement and it binds immediately and hooks up every time there after. I did notice that the little antenna wire was touching the ESC lead and bent. I straightened it and moved it slightly to point in a different angle. Will see next time out.

[chopper]

Mine will usually fail to initiate on the first try, regardless of the temperature. I always have to disconnect and re-connect the battery 1 or 2 times. It started after maybe 10 or so flights.

[Aros]

Yeah I brought mine into my nice warm house yesterday and tried, and same issue. Just won't initialize. Have to rebind every time.

[xviper]

I just back from flying mine this morning. It was -8C (19F). This time I made sure the TX was a good distance away from the plane (maybe 10 feet) and it bound immediately. Now I'm not sure if it's the cold. It could simply not like having the TX too close or it could have been the little antenna touching the ESC lead.

[Aros]

I tried putting my radio a good 20 feet away or so and it still wouldn't initialize. I also found out just how brittle it is. I was on a hill by my house flying, brought it in (dead stick) and it nosed into the side of a hill but not going fast at all. The nose exploded into 4 pieces. Holy cow, wasn't expecting that! Reinforcement is definitely key with this one.

[xviper]

I flew mine again a couple days ago and I made sure it was separated from the TX by about 10 feet. I did NOT initialize. Had to rebind. Tried 3 times before it worked. My friend's first one had to be replaced by the hobby shop. The second one has been intermittent. I think there's something fishy about the Rx on this one.

[StormyDog1962]

Yes Aros that front end will just blow up on a minor impact like that

[Aros]

It was pretty comical actually with how slow it hit and yet still exploded. Already put her back together. I need to find some really thin/light CF rods to put down both sides of the inner fuse areas...

[chipset35]

I just bought one of these.
Are you all taking off and landing on grass?

[Gilatrout]

I just bought one of these.
Are you all taking off and landing on grass?

The nose is crazy fragile. Belly landing that is slightly hot will shear off the nose.

Hand launch other than underhand can result in dipsy doodle dive into the dirt, and shear off the nose

Nose gear is crap and will fold without modification. I soldered a steel stiffening rod to the gear. I would also recommend some carbon strength in the nose.

Once I fixed the gear, and land on smooth asphalt it has been a great plane. One of my favorites. Becareful with low clouds because it will disappear.

[xviper]

I don't have a paved runway. The day I got this plane, the gear came off and never went on again. The first toss can be fun. Once you get it trimmed, you can throw this thing whichever way you want. I do it full throttle overhand at a slight angle up. Just make sure you blip the throttle to initialize the stabilizer and it'll go where you point it. I try to belly flop it on the grass (bring it in on a well planned approach till it's just off the ground as it stalls, then a bit of UP elevator and it'll plop onto its belly). A short slide won't hurt it either. It's a very light plane and has just enough power to do the job. Notice how little tape they use to put it together? They are trying to keep it light. Any kind of reinforcement may be too much or upset the balance. Very thin tape and a little FoamTac is all I've used to fix it. Unlike other UMX planes, this one doesn't crash well nor will it fly in too much wind. I've seen a UMX GeeBee fly in 20mph+ wind. I've done it with ease with my UMX P-51. This one can but only in the hands of someone with good thumb skills.