FW P-51 Old Crow

[xviper]

One thing that bugs me about my Old Crowe is the cockpit interior is painted this funky yellow. I want to slide the canopy back and see if I can get a brush in there to paint it, but I can't for the life of me get the canopy open. Any tips??

Firstly, does your canopy actually have a split in it where it would separate and slide back? If it does, there are a couple of "catches" (or more like dimples), one on each side near the base where the canopy separates and slides back. These catches are near the bottom where the slider is. You have to figure out how the release these catches to make the thing slide back.

[curlyculp]

Firstly, does your canopy actually have a split in it where it would separate and slide back? If it does, there are a couple of "catches" (or more like dimples), one on each side near the base where the canopy separates and slides back. These catches are near the bottom where the slider is. You have to figure out how the release these catches to make the thing slide back.

Oh, it definitely has the slide mechanism. And there is a split between the windshield and the canopy. I can get a slim tool in there. But it won't budge. (and look at that color! WTF??)

[Alpha]

It definitely has a sliding mechanism, that is definitely sticky to open the first several times. Grip the canopy frame firmly just forward of the pilot's shoulder, then jerk rearward a couple milimeters to loosen the "stickiness" of the sliding mechanism. The trick with mine was to grip it tightly for the first few millimeters to "unstick" it, but then relax your grip slightly then pull the canopy fully rearward. If you keep a super tight grip on it the entire time, the sliding mechanism will bind at the latter stage of the stroke.

Regarding color, yes, Freewing has done a Zinc Chromate Yellow interior at times instead of the Zinc Chromate Green interior.

[Grossman56]

Ah, that's what it is, mine is green so I wasn't sure what he was saying there. Personally, I just put a slot screw driver down at the base of the canopy where it touches the windscreen and twist it as if I was tightening a screw, works for me!

Grossman56

[xviper]

Gripping with surgical gloves will help.

[Jet Fixer]

I painted mine flat black

[Jet Fixer]

Mine has never had a two blade prop, she spins a four with a 650 kv motor driving it, as do all my Mustangs. The only way to go if you want the best of both worlds with a 4s system.

Grossman56

Did you have to upgrade the ESC with the 650 motor?

[Jet Fixer]

I got the Freewing Old Crow back in June and got it built a few days ago. It did not have the speakers.

It balanced perfectly with a 4000 4s all the way forward. with the 100-110mm cg or on the little boxes on the wing top.

On takeoff it went for the moon. i dialed in massive amounts of down elevator. Got it going straight and this thing acted like it was so out of balance for the crazy flight around to get it back on the ground.

So what gives? its virtually un-flyable. Stalled out on landing and popped a gear assembly out.

I took two other aircraft up today for their first flights Bf109 1100 and A6M5 1100 and they were perfect. this thing is terrifying.

Any suggestions on keeping it in the air?

I needed 12.5oz of lead in the front speaker compartment to get mine to fly level with the 4000 4s battery. Now it's so heavy the performance is affected.

[deadbug]

I needed 12.5oz of lead in the front speaker compartment to get mine to fly level with the 4000 4s battery. Now it's so heavy the performance is affected.

Instead of adding all that weight, adjust the elevator deflection for neutral trim downward so it compensates for the climbing tendency at 75% power. Then, land without changing the trim setting and mechanically adjust for that position as your new neutral—with TX pitch trim at zero.

That's what I did with mine and it flies perfectly with an Admiral 4000mah batt all the way fwd. Been flying it for years now. No sound system. Love it. It's not a jet, so if you’ve been flying EDFs, the performance will seem slow, but compared to the stock FMS Vx and the earlier Iron Ass, it is a superior performer, especially with the (don’t shoot me G-man 🤣) 2-bladed prop.

Hey Jet Fixer, Did you read my post right under under the post from ScottMe262 you referenced? I detailed all the fix for this as well as provided pics....😉

[Jet Fixer]

Instead of adding all that weight, adjust the elevator deflection for neutral trim downward so it compensates for the climbing tendency at 75% power. Then, land without changing the trim setting and mechanically adjust for that position as your new neutral—with TX pitch trim at zero.

That's what I did with mine and it flies perfectly with an Admiral 4000mah batt all the way fwd. Been flying it for years now. No sound system. Love it. It's not a jet, so if you’ve been flying EDFs, the performance will seem slow, but compared to the stock FMS Vx and the earlier Iron Ass, it is a superior performer, especially with the (don’t shoot me G-man 🤣) 2-bladed prop.

Hey Jet Fixer, Did you read my post right under under the post from ScottMe262 you referenced? I detailed all the fix for this as well as provided pics....😉

I generally don't like to adjust the surfaces so they are not in line at neutral. Worked around airplanes all my life and that just goes against my training. That being said...Do you have a measurement for the amount of offset you had to turn in to get it where you like it? I might do that just to be able to get some of the performance back. If I remember right I had to max down trim on the TX plus some forward stick to keep mine from crashing.

[deadbug]

I generally don't like to adjust the surfaces so they are not in line at neutral. Worked around airplanes all my life and that just goes against my training. That being said...Do you have a measurement for the amount of offset you had to turn in to get it where you like it? I might do that just to be able to get some of the performance back. If I remember right I had to max down trim on the TX plus some forward stick to keep mine from crashing.

I have been flying full scale airplanes, civilian and military all my life. Over 27,000 flying hours logged. This is the MODEL world--and you deal with the MODEL as it is produced by the supplier. This airplane was designed to have a sound system up front. That affected the design, shape, and location of the battery bay as well as the horizontal stab alignment. I always check and fly in the proper CG range on all my model aircraft. And I always set up and rig my control surfaces in line with the aerodynamic lines of the aircraft--as you do. It doesn't work with THIS model without the sound system, because even if you put the battery all the way forward, it will still behave as you described. I checked my CG and it is right where it should be. The only way to make it fly properly without adding more weight up front is to do as I described--or somehow change the incidence angle of the horizontal stab--which I wouldn't want to experiment with...lol.
Take a look at the picture in my post https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc...061#post218061 and set yours the same. It's really not that much. A little adjustment goes a long way. Now, If the battery you are using is lighter than the Admiral 4000mah, you'll have to adjust the elevator downward just a wee bit more.
Once you adjust your elevators and test fly--dialing it in, you might want to consider adding a flap/ele mix: FLAP POS 0=100% (full up) no mix. For takeoff flaps (40%) I have a mix of -12. For landing flaps (10%) I have a mix of -19 with a speed delay deployment of 6.0 seconds.
DB

[Jet Fixer]

I have been flying full scale airplanes, civilian and military all my life. Over 27,000 flying hours logged. This is the MODEL world--and you deal with the MODEL as it is produced by the supplier. This airplane was designed to have a sound system up front. That affected the design, shape, and location of the battery bay as well as the horizontal stab alignment. I always check and fly in the proper CG range on all my model aircraft. And I always set up and rig my control surfaces in line with the aerodynamic lines of the aircraft--as you do. It doesn't work with THIS model without the sound system, because even if you put the battery all the way forward, it will still behave as you described. I checked my CG and it is right where it should be. The only way to make it fly properly without adding more weight up front is to do as I described--or somehow change the incidence angle of the horizontal stab--which I wouldn't want to experiment with...lol.
Take a look at the picture in my post https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc...061#post218061 and set yours the same. It's really not that much. A little adjustment goes a long way. Now, If the battery you are using is lighter than the Admiral 4000mah, you'll have to adjust the elevator downward just a wee bit more.
Once you adjust your elevators and test fly--dialing it in, you might want to consider adding a flap/ele mix: FLAP POS 0=100% (full up) no mix. For takeoff flaps (40%) I have a mix of -12. For landing flaps (10%) I have a mix of -19 with a speed delay deployment of 6.0 seconds.
DB

I may adjust the linkage to try and get some more performance. I am using the Admiral 4000mAh, 40C. Do you have any extra weight in the nose? My flap mix is about the same as yours. Still playing with it to get it right, but it is very close. Do you have a measurement for your adjustment?

[deadbug]

I may adjust the linkage to try and get some more performance. I am using the Admiral 4000mAh, 40C. Do you have any extra weight in the nose? My flap mix is about the same as yours. Still playing with it to get it right, but it is very close. Do you have a measurement for your adjustment?

I'm using the same Admiral 4000mah, 40C battery you are using--all the way forward in the battery bay. No added weight anywhere.
The deflection of the down elevator (mechanical pitch trim) for best all-around neutral TX zero with flaps up is 3.78mm measured from the center of the trailing edge of the fuselage elevator fairing mold to the center of the trailing edge of the elevator. It should look like the picture I referred to in the post.

Here's my rate settings (based on percentage of 100% servo travel:
AILERON - LOW: 35%; MID: 50%; HIGH: 66% - 30% EXPO on all
ELEVATOR - LOW: 59%; MID: 70%; HIGH:82% - 30% EXPO
RUDDER - 100% ALL RATES EXPO 18%
My style of flying is scale on the warbirds.

[Jet Fixer]

I'm using the same Admiral 4000mah, 40C battery you are using--all the way forward in the battery bay. No added weight anywhere.
The deflection of the down elevator (mechanical pitch trim) for best all-around neutral TX zero with flaps up is 3.78mm measured from the center of the trailing edge of the fuselage elevator fairing mold to the center of the trailing edge of the elevator. It should look like the picture I referred to in the post.

Here's my rate settings (based on percentage of 100% servo travel:
AILERON - LOW: 35%; MID: 50%; HIGH: 66% - 30% EXPO on all
ELEVATOR - LOW: 59%; MID: 70%; HIGH:82% - 30% EXPO
RUDDER - 100% ALL RATES EXPO 18%
My style of flying is scale on the warbirds.

It has been a while but I'm pretty sure I tried down trimming my stabs to get it to fly level and had to go so far that I ended up losing so much up authority I couldn't get it to climb. I don't think I'm going to mess with it any more. I don't feel like taking the cahnce on tearing it up again by experimenting. Hopefully the two blade prop will fix some of the sluggish performance. Otherwise I'll just take it for a cruise very now and then and be happy with it for what it is. The rates that you have listed seem pretty close to mine. I haven't looked at it recently though.

[deadbug]

...I rarely post videos on YouTube, but here are a couple clips of my "Old Crow" (no sound system) doing one takeoff and one landing with everything rigged (no added weights anywhere, throws, dual rates, ele/flap mixes, and elevator 3.78mm down neutral mechanical trim set) as mentioned in previous posts (note to Jet Fixer: my takeoff may look like its not climbing fast, but I fly scale takeoffs--there is way more than plenty of up elevator available):
Takeoff:

Landing:

[Jet Fixer]

...I rarely post videos on YouTube, but here are a couple clips of my "Old Crow" (no sound system) doing one takeoff and one landing with everything rigged (no added weights anywhere, throws, dual rates, ele/flap mixes, and elevator 3.78mm down neutral mechanical trim set) as mentioned in previous posts (note to Jet Fixer: my takeoff may look like its not climbing fast, but I fly scale takeoffs--there is way more than plenty of up elevator available):

So where is the CG on your setup? Can't be where the manual says it's supposed to be. I'm thinking of stripping the weight out of mine and starting over.

[deadbug]

So where is the CG on your setup? Can't be where the manual says it's supposed to be. I'm thinking of stripping the weight out of mine and starting over.

It sure is! According to the manual, the CG range is 100-110mm back from the reference line. My plane balanced on a point within the allowable range in the center to very slightly aft of the center of the little boxes over the wing, inverted, gear up (see the reference decals on the wing. The attitude of the aircraft is perfectly level at that point...not slightly nose down.

Once you remove all weights, nail the neutral elevator downward deflection at 3.78mm measured as I described, (maybe start with 3.5mm for re-maiden) put my ELE/FLAP mixes and settings (very important for pitch control), the dual rates I used--you should be set to go. For the first time, you might want to takeoff in mid rates at first just to put your mind at ease that you'll have plenty of up elevator authority, however I use low rates for all my pattern work. You'll need to hold about 1/4-stick back-pressure on the elevator--as the tailwheel tends to want to pop up quickly--then as necessary to keep her level and not go a little nose low. She'll fly off just like in my video.

[Jorgcama]

Awesome take off (almost dead center the runway) an even better landing. I am yet to maiden mine but I am totally willing to replicate your set up with a few add ons:
1; I bought the Admiral 3,600 pack but waiting on two packs of the Ovonic 4,500 @RifleMan recommended,
2: I installed the MrRc Sound V4.1 sounds system inside the front speaker opening along with one of the included speaker/transducers and Plannin to power it up with a separate 850mah LiPo inside the main battery cage
3: I installed a second speaker/ transducer inside the rear opening
4: I exchanged the two blade with the original four bladed prop (sorry, I am a purist)

can you re send the elevator set up picture you made reference to before and make your far more knowledgeable rates and set up recommendations if not the ones you shared already?
thank you and stay safe!

[deadbug]

Awesome take off (almost dead center the runway) an even better landing. I am yet to maiden mine but I am totally willing to replicate your set up with a few add ons:
1; I bought the Admiral 3,600 pack but waiting on two packs of the Ovonic 4,500 @RifleMan recommended,
2: I installed the MrRc Sound V4.1 sounds system inside the front speaker opening along with one of the included speaker/transducers and Plannin to power it up with a separate 850mah LiPo inside the main battery cage
3: I installed a second speaker/ transducer inside the rear opening
4: I exchanged the two blade with the original four bladed prop (sorry, I am a purist)
can you re send the elevator set up picture you made reference to before and make your far more knowledgeable rates and set up recommendations if not the ones you shared already?
thank you and stay safe!

Thanks Jorgcama!
There are quite a few things that you are doing differently in your Old Crow that will most likely change CG and flying performance compared to my setup--and if CG is different, then using my setup (particularly the zero-flap elevator neutral setting) won't be proper for your airplane. However, if you check your CG with all the sound system components in, battery in position and ready to fly--and the CG somehow comes out to the same place I described on mine (see pics above) then it should work well for a starting point. I guess its possible as you are adding components forward of and aft of the empty/loaded CG (aft speaker and board, front speaker, etc...and will likely be using a different battery weight). I just have no idea how it will come out for you until you actually measure it.
Lol--I didn't like the 2-blade for scale...but it performs so much better than the 4-bladed prop--and heck, when the motor's running, you can't tell the difference anyway. I've tried the 4-blade twice. Once right after I got it new...didn't like it; tried it again about a year and a half later, did one circuit around the pattern with it and had to land it right away because it seemed so anemic compared to the 2-blade. Oh well, I thought I was a purist also--then gave it up.

My setup at the CG (gear retracted) shown in post #177 above, with no sound system and the Admiral 4000mah battery all the way forward is:
1. Neutral TX zero with flaps up is 3.78mm downward deflection measured from the center of the trailing edge of the fuselage elevator fairing mold to the center of the trailing edge of the elevator.
2. AILERON - LOW: 35%; MID: 50%; HIGH: 66% - 30% EXPO on all; ELEVATOR - LOW: 59%; MID: 70%; HIGH:82% - 30% EXPO; RUDDER - 100% ALL RATES EXPO 18%
3. FLAP/ELE MIX: FLAP POS 0=100% (full up) no mix. For takeoff flaps (40%) I have a mix of -12. For landing flaps (10%) I have a mix of -19 with a speed delay of 6.0 seconds.
4. The elevator neutral zero-flap position pic is here: https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc...061#post218061
5. A couple of takeoff/landing tips for Old Crow: https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc-airplanes/rc-warbirds/1727-fw-p-51-old-crow?p=218691#post218691

Finally, there is a big dedicated RCGroup forum on the Freewing P-51 both for those that have a sound system, and those that don't. Chances are if you do a thread search for your question, somebody's asked and answered it before: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...-sound-unit%29
Good luck with your maiden--let us know how it goes. If you have any questions before you take it up shoot me a pm and I'll do my best to help you out.
DB

[Jet Fixer]

I'm using the same Admiral 4000mah, 40C battery you are using--all the way forward in the battery bay. No added weight anywhere.
The deflection of the down elevator (mechanical pitch trim) for best all-around neutral TX zero with flaps up is 3.78mm measured from the center of the trailing edge of the fuselage elevator fairing mold to the center of the trailing edge of the elevator. It should look like the picture I referred to in the post.

Here's my rate settings (based on percentage of 100% servo travel:
AILERON - LOW: 35%; MID: 50%; HIGH: 66% - 30% EXPO on all
ELEVATOR - LOW: 59%; MID: 70%; HIGH:82% - 30% EXPO
RUDDER - 100% ALL RATES EXPO 18%
My style of flying is scale on the warbirds.

So now I am terribly confused. I removed all of my weight and the CG came out right where it was supposed to. Smack in the middle between 100 - 110mm. So now my question is, how did it balance with all the weight in it? I've attached the pics of the weight I took out and the balance afterwards. So if it is still flying tail heavy I have to assume that it is because of wing and tail incidence angle. I hope it doesn't cost me another crash to find out.