Official FlightLine RC 1600mm P-38 Lightning Thread

[DarthSyd]

I never flew mine on the stock 3 blades. I installed the upgraded motors n props in the initial build. It is without a doubt the fastest FlightLine warbird I own. When I feel the need for speed, it’s the bird I fly, much more like flying an EDF than a warbird as the two blade props do not slow it down when throttle is reduced. I also have a long narrow aging paved runway, about 10 foot across by 250 foot long. Landings routinely eat up 150 foot on the roll out.

On all my FL three blade props, before the unit is assembled, each blade is first cleaned of flash around the edges, then each is weighed on a jeweler scale. All blades are then sanded to lighten them to match the lightest blade. That way the rotating mass of the unit is a match. I then assemble it and use it as is and this has never caused any issues. All my FL warbird props are finished that way, 2 Spitfires, Tigercat, and the massive 18 inch F4U-1 Birdcage prop. No vibration on any of them, smooth as silk. I’ve always followed APC’s recommendations in balancing electric props.

Balancing Propellers

A significant amount of effort is put into making sure that all APC propellers are as close to being perfectly balanced as possible before they are shipped. Therefore, it is unlikely that a balance correction will be required. The following procedure should be used to check the balance of a propeller.

We recommend that the drilled hole not be used for checking balance since it is sometimes not as straight as it should be. Instead the user should check the balance of all APC propellers using the precision molded hole at the back side of the hub (see illustration below). The tapered part of the balance cone should be used on this side. A pin that is smaller than the through hole should be used to prevent any interference with the drilled hole. Finally, a washer (or the flat end of the balance cone) should be used to secure the propeller at the forward face of the hub. Similarly to the way it mounts to the motor.



If your propeller requires a balance correction, we recommend that material be removed from the upper and lower surfaces at the tip of the heavy blade. A piece of clear tape can also be added to the light blade, recommended for electric applications only.

Thanks for the reply Ole-Timer.

[flyAA]

I just got mine and am about half way through a repaint. Should have it finished this week.

The older vintage planes make me glad for the ribbon connectors on the newer style planes!

[Mrdronenut]

I got to maiden mine yesterday. I have the OD,no upgrades except the l/g. I'm using 2 Admiral 2500's from MRC. We didn't set the timer,so landed after 3 minutes with 3.95 left per cell.
Fast,stable,loads of power to do any maneuver you want. I've been flying planes now for just over a year,so my friend,Jason Pepper does all my maidens. I fly scale and circles at the field,so he put her thru the paces.
I have my high rates at 70%,lows at 50%,everything at 30% expo. All clevis's were left @ factory positions,and all flight surfaces at neutral.
She's a real looker at the field. We flew at almost dark,and the lights were great,especially the bottom strobe.
We shot a video on Jason's phone,and I'll have it up in a day or two.
This is one fantastic plane!!!!!! Thanks MRC for bringing such a quality product to us!!!
Did I mention,she's FAST!!??? LOL

[Mrdronenut]

https://youtu.be/P36DFdWXhWI

[xviper]

I have the OD

I have a little brain fog tonight. What's "OD"? I can't tell from the video. It's really blurry. Do you have the stock plane or the one with the power upgrade. The video shows a P-38 that's way faster than the stock one.

[Mrdronenut]

I thought I said it in my original post. I have the Olive Drab(OD). This plane is completely stock. No upgrades except the landing gear. 4 bladed prop. Stock motors. Stock esc's. Stock 4 bladed props

[xviper]

I didn't catch the Olive Drab as Flightline calls it "Allied Green". The stock prop is a 3-blade. The upgrade is a 2-blade. Maybe your 4-blade has a bit more bite.

[Mrdronenut]

Oops. 3 Blade. I flew 4 different planes yesterday,two 4 bladed(p-61,B-26,)and two 3 blades(p-38,B-17) so yep. My bad. My mistake. All stock w/stock 3(three) blades.
sorry for the mis-information

[xviper]

It appears to be very fast in the video. Mine is also bone stock and it’s not nearly that fast. :Confused:

[Mrdronenut]

It appears to be very fast in the video. Mine is also bone stock and it’s not nearly that fast. :Confused:

Im not sure why VX. Mine is "plumb-slap"stock except for the l/g. It is fast for sure. How did you set the timing on your esc's? Mine is mid timing.

[xviper]

Im not sure why VX. Mine is "plumb-slap"stock except for the l/g. It is fast for sure. How did you set the timing on your esc's? Mine is mid timing.

I left the timing as it came from the factory.

[xviper]

Here's the one video I did of mine from nearly 3 years ago. It may be personal perception, but I don't think mine is as fast. I fly at 3500 foot elevation but I don't think that would make the kind of difference I see in the videos and I don't think they changed the stock power system in the last 3 years. (Ain't gopher holes fun on landings? :Angry: )

[flyAA]

Hey guys. Just got mine repainted and started the build. Couple questions:

-does it it matter where you plug the landing gear leads on the blue box? Can the nose be plugged into any LG port or does it have to be 1,2 or 3? Same question for the gear doors as well
-are most guys just stuffing the blue box into the area between the booms and nacelle and not securing it? There isn’t much room to play in there.

thanks!

[xviper]

Any gear can be plugged into any gear port on the box. Same goes for the doors.
There isn't much room, as you say. I put it where I could and pushed all the wiring into the space. To keep it all in place, I put a piece of clear tape over all of it.

[flyAA]

Any gear can be plugged into any gear port on the box. Same goes for the doors.
There isn't much room, as you say. I put it where I could and pushed all the wiring into the space. To keep it all in place, I put a piece of clear tape over all of it.

Hey thanks!

That rats nest is really doing a number on my OCD!

[Mark 2]

Just discovered this during a routine post flight inspection!
There hadn’t been any prop strike or damage to the prop blade, and the whole assembly had been balanced.

[xviper]

A crack like that can develop if the screws were tightened just a bit too much or if Loctite was use. Although the whole assembly may have been balanced, was each blade weighed and equalized? Was the assembly without the blades balanced? A complete assembly, with blades may be balanced but if one of the blades were a bit heavier or lighter than the other two, there can still be a harmonic developing.

[Mark 2]

Not guilty as far as the Loctite is concerned, and the crack didn’t originate from, or even go near, any of the screw holes, but I did only balance the whole prop assembly as one item on a prop balancer, so that might be it.
Very relieved that I caught this issue before the prop broke up in flight, this is one of my favourite planes.
Thinking back to yesterday’s flights, I heard a slight but noticeable buzzing noise during a couple of low passes that that I don’t remember hearing before, I think that might have been a clue that all was not well.

[CessnaDriver]

In the flight overview of the Flightline P38, Ryan mentions that he had upgraded the wheel to DuBro. Will the same upgrade apply to the strut upgrade? I would like to add the larger DuBro, but they are not mentioned again in any of the P38 videos.

[Dual Prop Dave]

In the flight overview of the Flightline P38, Ryan mentions that he had upgraded the wheel to DuBro. Will the same upgrade apply to the strut upgrade? I would like to add the larger DuBro, but they are not mentioned again in any of the P38 videos.

Welcome to the Squawk CD!
I have done both the strut upgrade and the Dubro upgrade on my P-38, and the only problem I ran into was putting a spacer between the strut and the wheel to keep the wheel from rubbing the strut and just the minimal trimming of some foam at the rear of the mains so the wheel doesn't rub going into or out of the wheel well.
Everything works flawlessly and the Dubro's helped make a smoother landing (takes some of the bounce out of it on less than desirable landings).
Hope this helps! :Cool:

DPD