Official FlightLine RC 1600mm P-38 Lightning Thread

[Jetbird]

Jumper for using 2 batteries. If one battery fails both motors keep running.

I run my P-38 with one 4s 6000mah in mine . Also doesnt need upgraded struts and I use Robart wheels on im . Lands like butter

[ochoaoctavio89@icloud.com]

Has anyone installed the 880Kv motors with the stock 3 bladed prop if so it there a power and and speed gain vs the 600kv stock.

[ochoaoctavio89@icloud.com]

I have switched to the FlightLine P-38L Sport Power Set. Why you ask?...Well, the overall power performance. It's like going from a nice running Prius on some back country roads drive on a Sunday. To a mid-engine powered Chevy Corvette on a Saturday afternoon....It's hard to go back to the Prius power package. But I see those Prius's out everyday. Just a personal taste.....

Have you ran those 880kv motors with the 3 blades?

[Lon]

Have you ran those 880kv motors with the 3 blades?

No I have not. Have had the thought to do so. I would want to check what kind of amp draw there would be. Wouldn't want to be in the air and overload the escs.

[Jetbird]

Has anyone installed the 880Kv motors with the stock 3 bladed prop if so it there a power and and speed gain vs the 600kv stock.

My friend runs the upgraded motors with the 3 bladed props and is faster then stock

[Jetbird]

No I have not. Have had the thought to do so. I would want to check what kind of amp draw there would be. Wouldn't want to be in the air and overload the escs.

It doesnt overload the escs, works fine.

[WWIIP38]

P-38 in action

[WWIIP38]

P-38 in action
Oops! Duplicate. Can't figure out how to delete.

[Elbee]

WW, good-lookin' P-38, Sir. To delete you own posts, go to the "Edit" button on the bottom right of the post. Click it, then go to the "Delete" button and click that. You will be asked to comment on the reason you are deleting the post in your case "duplicate" and then press "Save". That should do it. Best, LB

[OV10]

Just one point to add to Elbee's. Non moderator members (which is almost everyone) only have a short window of time to edit their post, after it is locked in it can only be changed by a moderator which we will do at the request of the posters.

[WWIIP38]

First flight of the P-38 yesterday. Flew very well. Only a couple of minor adjustments needed. It's a keeper!

[GliderGuy]

First flight of the P-38 yesterday. Flew very well. Only a couple of minor adjustments needed. It's a keeper!

Excellent.

If I didn’t mention it before…..if/when you decide to spin it, leave some power on. Otherwise, she doesn’t want to recover. The added prop wash over the rudder is needed to allow a fast spin recovery.

-GG

[WWIIP38]

Easy wheel alignment guide -
Draw 3 parallel lines on a piece of cardboard the same distance apart as the wheels.
Set plane on the cardboard with the wheels on the lines.
Stand back and sight down the lines to see which wheels are straight.

[Aros]

Congrats on the maiden! I have yet to maiden mine. Long overdue! I have been busy with other projects and now that I have the time of course the wind and rainy season befalls me. Oh the humanity! Hopefully I get a nice Saturday or Sunday in the near future to maiden at my club.

[JMT02]

Has anyone switched to e-flite retracts? if so, which one? Thanks

[5280 RC]

I could not find a complete post with all the information on running the P38 on 6S with three blade props and the stock motors (3748-600kV). Here is a write up on my conversion.

I purchased two 11 x 7 Master Air Screw props. One was normal rotation and the other was reverse rotation.

I purchased two Dubro 3 blade spinners. (Spinner (3 Blade) 2-1/2" (63.5 mm)-White). I had to modify the spinner that was used on the reverse prop in order to fit it for the reverse prop. Dubro does not make a reverse 3 blade spinner. I balanced both prop spinners after modifications.

I made a cable to connect the battery (EC5) to the XT60 ESC connectors. Used cables purchased on Amazon with XT60s setup for a parallel battery connection. ( FLY RC 2pcs XT60 Parallel Battery Connector Cable Extension Y Splitter for DJI Phantom RC Mode Helicopter Quadcopter)

I did an amp draw test using a watt meter and found that each ESC had a max current of 35A. ESCs are stock 40A units.

I used an M6-1.0 locknut with a Nylon insert to mount each prop.

I had to design and 3D print a tool to hold the motor shaft in order to hold the motor while tightening the locknut.

I did not have to modify the canopy to fit the battery. CGs right on spec. I fly it on a 6S 4000 pack.

Plane now rips and has plenty of power. I have been bringing it in at 4 minutes with 40% left in the battery on a strong head wind day. Spirited flying (100% throttle) and not trying to conserve power. Has almost unlimited vertical. Next I will paint the spinners Tamiya Yellow to match the cowls.

Hope this helps those that want to make this conversion. So surprised Flightline did not design this plane to run on 6S and have more robust three blade props. Maybe a V2 will have this feature.

[xviper]

I did an amp draw test using a watt meter and found that each ESC had a max current of 35A. ESCs are stock 40A units.

I take it that when you say "max" current draw, this was at full throttle for several seconds?
BTW, the ESCs are 60A. With that being the case, I can see where the ESCs can take 6s. What is in question is ......................... Can the motors take 6s and for how long? They are supposedly rated for 4s. A typical 6s motor driving a 3-bl to 4-bl prop is in the 400kv range and is built much stouter.

[Aros]

I finally got around to maidening her today. Beautiful fall day, no wind, but cold. First time using the paved runway at my new club. Maiden was blissfully uneventful, she flew great, just needed some trim here and there and she was flying wonderfully. Came in with full flaps and the landing was about as good as I could have hoped.

The second flight was also uneventful until it was eventful. On final once I breached the threshold of the runway I noticed my port-side gear was not down. I went around, cycled the gear a few times and it still wouldn't go down. I eventually had no choice but to put her in the grass gear up. Most the gear doors broke away, a broken link and one of the inboard flaps broke apart but otherwise the plane itself is intact.

I blame the cold weather (just above freezing) as I have had electronic retracts do that in cold weather before. I should have trusted my gut and just gone home after my maiden. Oh well. A little cosmetic work and she will be as good as new.

My girl tried getting video (I grabbed some stills from the footage below) but as it was her first time trying to video moving RC aircraft she is forgiven for the lack of footage, lol.

[xviper]

I blame the cold weather (just above freezing) as I have had electronic retracts do that in cold weather before.

This may or may not be the case. Back in the day when I had this plane, I flew it well into the cold season. It didn't seem to matter insofar as the one of the main gears got stuck, whether it be in the heat of the summer or in the cold of the fall/winter. Look at your second picture and see how the gear retracts. It goes aft to go into the wheel bay. Even rolling along on smooth runways, there is enough vibration to cause the metal strut to bend rearward. (To know what I'm talking about, take an old credit card and start to bend it back and forth repeatedly. Soon enough, when you let it go, the card is bent where you last held it and is no longer flat and straight.) The strut becomes bent slightly back, so that when it retracts into the wheel well, the top of the tire pushes against the top of the wheel well. This can prevent the retract from going full cycle and hitting the end stop and hence, it gets stuck. You can unstick it by cycling the gear switch (to deploy it) as you push the metal strut momentarily but forcefully, up against the top of the wheel well. This completes the previous cycle and allows it to deploy. I also dremelled some material away above the tire to give it more room. I did a video on how to rectify this oddity some years ago. I'll try to find it and post it. Next time you inspect a stuck retract, see if you can rotate the tire. If you can't, then it's pressing against the top of the wheel well.
Anyway, once I figured out what was going on, each and every time I landed, I would brace the long part of the retract with one finger while I grabbed the strut with the other hand and pulled it forward to ensure that the strut got "unbent". From that point on, there was never a "next flight" where any retract got stuck. The nose retract was less problematic because there seemed to be more space above the tire so that a bit of bending never prevented the retract from reaching its end stop.

[Evan D]

100% what XViper wrote. never an issue with temperature on FW/FL retracts but many a issue with slightly bent struts or pins not letting it complete the retraction cycle fully so it won't extend.

[Aros]

Dang xviper you just solved the riddle! Excellent sleuthing work there sir and I will absolutely make the appropriate adjustments moving forward. I stand corrected. I thought for sure it was the near freezing temps causing one of the retracts to act up. Appreciate that great info!

[xviper]

Yer welcome, bud. Now, had it been a Dynam Grand Cruiser, I would have been inclined to tell you that it was temp related.