Freewing P-51 Mustang

[Pheonix]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

I have the P51 Freewing and you will be had pressed to get a Gyro in it.  At least I find this the case for the "Iron Ass."

[Lon]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

I have the P51 Freewing and you will be had pressed to get a Gyro in it.  At least I find this the case for the "Iron Ass."

I'm sure if there is a will...there's a way. Pheonix, ever wish you had a Gyro in your FW P-51? I don't......(here we go, Gyro people going to jump in)

[Grossman56]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

Like a bunny Lon! :P

Okay, you all know I love my gyros!
As you can see, I have one in my Iron Ass conversion to Old Crow, remember the nightmare of last year around this time??  Anyway, if anyone wants to know exactly how I did it, I can give a better description.  What I'm more interested in is where everyone placed their light and landing gear controllers.  I currently have them on the center of the wing and I'm the first one to admit that it makes it extremely tight when removing or installing the wing.  I have a new set of wings coming , so what better time to rethink the positioning of these boxes.  You guys with no sound system should see the maze of wiring your missing out on!
Think I'll take some pics of the mess when she's apart.  This is after I've tried to make as neat of a job as I could.
I think Doc had a thread going for awhile where he was installing an MRC sound system.  Never did hear (no pun intended) how that all worked out.  Any news Doc?
(It might have been Retired Flyer, can't remember. We need a thread dedicated to this fine bird)

Grossman56

[Lon]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang



Gman,

Here's a photo of mine from last spring. Since then, i've add a telemetry module.

But to answer your question. I have the light control and gear control on the sides of the fuselage, and my receiver attached to the upper inside of the fuselage.

[chevstar]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

         Hi Pilots It's funny to hear everyone comment on the wiring mess in this plane, to put it mildly its a mess I installed the sequencer and light controller on top of each other and placed on left side  of the wing. After carefully placing the wiring in some kind of matter it's still a mess. I was able to install an AR-636 stabilizer in it,I placed under the lip of the cockpit and have no issues.  But I also have the issue with the gear and wing I have to replace the whole thing, seems to me the wing needs some reinforcing to help this problem the landing gear is an issue even if you grease a landing your never quite sure if the gear survived. I will be reinforcing the wing with carbon rods hopefully this will solve the problem.  I love this plane its too bad the gear and wing have issues, its too bad it's not as reliable as the FMS T-28 because the gear is basically the same set up but the T-28 just keeps on trucking. 

[Grossman56]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

I have the light controller and the L/G sequencer side by side at the most forward position on the wing. On top of the Starboard box (can't remember which one it is) I have the A3L mounted. I have the receiver mounted on the port side wall just aft of the battery board.

So what I'm thinking is to try and mount the light and gear boxes to the fuse and hopefully eliminate the problem of short cables when trying to pull the wing.  I could use cable extensions, but then that's just adding to the mess.  I'm really surprised that no one in the industry have posted anything regarding this.  Sounds like a good vid for Captain Mike and Pilot Ryan.

HINT HINT!

OH HEY!!! Before I forget, :) HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!! :D

Grossman56
 

[Pheonix]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

I have the P51 Freewing and you will be had pressed to get a Gyro in it.  At least I find this the case for the "Iron Ass."

I'm sure if there is a will...there's a way. Pheonix, ever wish you had a Gyro in your FW P-51? I don't......(here we go, Gyro people going to jump in)

No, this one flies well without a GYRO.  I have the sound system; therefore things are a little tight in the fuse.

[Lon]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

I have the P51 Freewing and you will be had pressed to get a Gyro in it.  At least I find this the case for the "Iron Ass."

I'm sure if there is a will...there's a way. Pheonix, ever wish you had a Gyro in your FW P-51? I don't......(here we go, Gyro people going to jump in)

No, this one flies well without a GYRO.  I have the sound system; therefore things are a little tight in the fuse.

I can imagine so...no sound in mine. Had to scratch my head a little just adding the telemetry module.

[Grossman56]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

Hey guys, well the rebuild is going well, got the invasion stripes painted on the new wings, new retracts and servos all installed and checked out.  One thing of interest if you replace your wings is that the lower insignia comes separate as it covers the aileron servo, its a water slide decal, so your best to map out the position and cut the hole for the servo arm before hand.
Anyways, the paint went on without a hitch, its curious how well paint sticks to the original surface of this particular plane, barely any lift off, such a pleasure to paint.
So the age old question of where to place the L/G and light control boxes.  The problem is that unless you want to add extensions to the wires, the wing is simply a b.....h to get on and off.  As I mentioned elsewhere, I did find a home for the gyro 

Looks as if it will work fine.  So now I have to figure out the most convenient place for the rest of the boxes, hmmm, today's challenge.

By the way, I went over to the Freewing website and there is no mention of any Mustangs there, Iron Ass or Old Crow, have they been discontinued?  Any info on that?

One other thing, has anyone heard from VA? I was wondering how he was doing, after the talk about Wounded Warriors, his name came to mind Hope he's well.

Grossman56

[StormyDog1962]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

There is no talk of Freewing discontinuing either version of the P-51, if we hear of anything we will let you all know.

[Grossman56]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

Thanks Wayne, I just found it curious that they weren't on their website, I was hoping to see if there was any info on where the suggest placing the light and L/G boxes.
According to the manual, they want them on the side of the fuselage, in the cockpit area.  Works fine for the L/G box but the sound system is on the other side.  Ended up having to use extensions for the ailerons as the plugs barely stick out of the wing, a silly three inches longer would have been nice, but oh well.
The simplest solution I found was to invert the fuselage, and the stand the wing up on its leading edge in the forward side of the bay, then connect the remaining wires, then lay it down in place, sliding the trailing edge in and working it into place.  Ended up putting the light box on the forward part of the center section of the wing as I did before.  This should allow me access to the inside of the fuselage should I ever have to get in there again, I really hope I don't!!

She's such a cool looking plane, a real miniature P51D in looks, photos really don't do her credit!
I tried the Varathane water based clear coat for a change as Doc loves it, it really does do a nice job, I think he's right about it being better than Minwax, thanks Doc!

Grossman56
   

[boomer108]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

Beautiful job Gman!

Roy B.

[Grossman56]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

Thanks Roy, now I just have to get the gun smoke stains back on her and the nomenclature.  Calli Graphics has a great set of nomenclature decals if anyone is interested.

Thankfully, everything worked the first time, so I didn't have to pull the wing off again.  The Varathane is very nice, I see what Doc was talking about, if you like Minwax, you'll love the Varathane.
Hey Lon, help an old guy out, what is a telemetry module, is it like a gyro?
I see where you mounted your L/G box, thats right where the sound module goes in mine.

Grossman56

[Lon]

RE: Freewing P-51 Mustang

Gman,

I've installed the Spektrum TM1000 telemetry module. The module provides battery pack voltage and battery temperature for me. I've got my transmitter programed to give me a voice status every 30 seconds on the current battery voltage and temp. No guessing now for me on my battery status.  It is also capable to provide rpm, speed, altitude.  For about the price of a 4s 3600 Admiral Pro battery. I felt it was a good investment to reduce the chance of running a battery too low and ruining it.

Not a gyro. No gyro in my IronAss.

 http://www.horizonhobby.com/tm1000-d...module-spm9548

[Lon]

For what ever reason...I hadn't got around to replacing the tail wheel on my IronAss. I've changed the mains a couple times after hundreds of landings mostly on concrete.
As you can see in the photo, the diameter of the original wheel next to the new wheel, reflects how much it has worn down.

[Grossman56]

Wow, down to the cords on that one Lon!
I'd have to check to see if I have any spare tail wheels. I have plenty of main wheels, at least two old sets because when I swapped out the wings I replaced everything gear related. Now I have a few spare retract mechanisms lots of doors and tires, never hurts to have spares. I also broke down and bought a stock prop hub. She looks as good as new now. I'm really debating whether or not I want to keep the sound system in her. If I replace the ESC, I'd have to find one that has a separate wire coming out to go into the sound system. It would sure lighten the old girl up. Not sure yet, just contemplating...
Never did heare how the MrRC sound system worked out

Grossman56

[Lon]

So you never had your sound system up and going? I purchased the model without the sound system, so haven't dealt with that. I hadn't realized how much wear there was on that tail wheel. Like i said, i had worn out the mains a couple times and changed them. Like car tires, you could see how the alignment was not right and the tires wore out uneven.

[Alpha]

I love that photo, Lon, it shows a lot of usage on a great airplane. Every 50-75 flights on a plane I rotate the tires to ensure they continue to wear down evenly. By flight 150 on pavement I usually replace them. By flight 200 depending on the plane they can get fairly bare!

[Grossman56]

Oh yes, I've had the sound system on a few times, but its loud and not a whole lot more, in that it doesn't really sound like a Merlin to me, also, the sound doesn't carry very far, in my estimation. I was curious what the weight difference was between the Mustang with and without the sound system. I looked it up in the specs for each plane, but it states the same weight for both.
Now, the Old Crow version has a different set up in that it doesn't need a second battery. What I was curious about was how the MR R/C sound system worked out in the plane. The concept of using the whole airframe as a speaker would seem to me to be more in keeping with what happens in the real plane. That old Merlin probably vibrates every rivet.

Groassman56

P.S. Lon, what you need is a set of radials, better mileage than the old nylon tires and now flat spot!! LOL

[Grossman56]

Now, I've been thinking that I might swap out the motor and replace it with the 4258 kv650 that comes in the P40, that should give her a boost, then put the FW motor in Shangrila. Sort of a two fer. Both planes would pick up some power.
I'd still like to swap out the stock ESC, but I think I'd have to eliminate the sound system or get a y plug of some sort.

Grossman56