Official FlightLine RC 1600mm P-38 Lightning Thread

[JFandL]

Haha, right? I retired in December, who knew I'd get so busy... Pretty much every plane I fly is a trainer, I'm a pretty new pilot. Every time I advance the throttle, it's a learning experience... ;)

That is a good thing!!

John

[TiredIronGRB]

Got the nose art done today...

[FLTRI]

Got the nose art done today...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n37430[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n37431[/ATTACH]

WOW!!!

Great work, I thought is was the real deal on first look! Hadn't ever heard of that nose art, and was wondering where it was stationed. Fantastic work man, seriously fantastic work!!!

[Grossman56]

Absolutely stunning Tired Iron!!! Great job and how unique is that?? Love the logo and the gear just rocks my friend.
My only question is whether V2 will include your L/G mod?

Grossman56

[PlaneCrazy]

Got the nose art done today...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n37430[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n37431[/ATTACH]

TI you're my new personal hero!!! :p

[TiredIronGRB]

Thank guys, I use a similar logo for my Rod Shop, while he was here I had him do the B-25.

[TiredIronGRB]

TI you're my new personal hero!!! :p

Lol...you must not know many people :)

[Chalredline1]

I'll be darned. I looked at their list of all Turnigy 4s batteries and it's not listed there. It's under a different list. I would have preferred the HD ones.

When I looked they only had 1 left so I think I'll go with the 3300 60C. Anyway looking forward to how it goes with the turnigy batteries you have

[mr.frankenjet]

motion shipping parts same day, you guys rock, thanks for supporting the addicted :D:D:D

[Arycon]

So I need expertise advice...

I have a question about hanging my P-38 from the ceiling. I do this with every RC airplane I own. I buy heavy duty hooks used for suspending potted plants and anchor them to the ceiling in my garage. I space them apart and hang the planes from bungee cords, typically wrapped perpendicular to the fuselage. It is a great space saver and is quick to unhook and rehang with minimal fuss. However...

The P-38 is so large and heavy that I'm concerned about the way I want to hang it. I want to use two bungees and instead of bracing the fuselage, I would like to run them under the wing against the nacelles, which should be quite strong. My concern is the back edge with the flap. I'm worried that the weight of hanging over time will cause warpage. I'd rather not go the wrapping fuselage route. That would mean one bungine behind each motor and another roughly around where the intakes are. Four hook points is a lot more work than just two. At the end of the day, however, no warping comes before all else.

Thoughts?

P.S. I wrap the bungees in pipe foam tubing used on hot water tanks. This usually spares the foam from the pressure suspension causes but the trailing edge of the wing is so thin that I don't think it will hold up over time.

[roys001]

I now have 10 flights on the P-38. I ran into my first problem. I had the spinner come off the left engine yesterday. Not sure if it's because it's the engine that is turning backward of if I just didn't tighten it down enough. As a precaution I intend on checking it every 4 flights or so just to be sure. Not sure if anyone else has run into this but I thought it was worth sharing.
I didn't let it slow me down though. I just removed the spinner from the other side and kept flying. Here are some pics.

[Alpha]

Hey Steve, I'll bring some extra spinners on Saturday for you to use. They're silver/red but they'll do the trick. I've never lost a spinner, and haven't checked them since day one, but I would agree that tightening them securely down and checking them occasionally is a good idea. It never hurts and only takes a few seconds to insert a screw driver and check for right hand tension. I do the same with my retracts every 30 flights or so.

[Alpha]

Arcyon, I think you'll be fine with the setup you're proposing. The pipe foam tubing will distribute the weight across that area.

TiredIron, your nose art looks GREAT!

[xviper]

Personally, I wouldn't put any of the plane's weight hanging from the trailing edge of the main wings. I use arbor tape for hanging planes. This gives about 3/4" flat area to support the plane at each strap. For big planes, I'll use a 2-point suspension method. IE, one strap up front (someplace around the nose just ahead of the wings) and another strap somewhere at the rear. These two "loops" of strapping then hangs from a length of wood (like a broomstick or 1"X3/4"). The wood can then be hung from 2 hooks. If you can place the 2 hooks in the ceiling from good anchors (joists) the wood is not necessary. Each of my planes has a slightly different hanging configuration depending on the size, shape and structure of the plane.
Eurofighter - 2 hooks, no rod:


Stinger 90 - 2 hooks with rod:


1450mm P-51 - 2 hooks, no rod:


90mm ViperJet - single hook, no rod:


I haven't hung my P-38 yet, but it'll go in that space in front of the ViperJet and left of the P-51.

[xviper]

I now have 10 flights on the P-38. I ran into my first problem. I had the spinner come off the left engine yesterday. Not sure if it's because it's the engine that is turning backward of if I just didn't tighten it down enough. As a precaution I intend on checking it every 4 flights or so just to be sure. Not sure if anyone else has run into this but I thought it was worth sharing.
I didn't let it slow me down though. I just removed the spinner from the other side and kept flying. Here are some pics.

Spinners coming off has been reported for this plane. I just put a small dab of FoamTac into the screw hole before screwing the cone on.

[FLTRI]

I now have 10 flights on the P-38. I ran into my first problem. I had the spinner come off the left engine yesterday. Not sure if it's because it's the engine that is turning backward of if I just didn't tighten it down enough. As a precaution I intend on checking it every 4 flights or so just to be sure. Not sure if anyone else has run into this but I thought it was worth sharing.
I didn't let it slow me down though. I just removed the spinner from the other side and kept flying. Here are some pics.

There's a video over on RCG of a guy in Montana that lost a spinner in flight as well. I have a 1000mm J-Power P-38, that I could never get to fly. I lost the entire prop and spinner assembly on the counterrotating prop during testing run up. So yeah, it's the torque from the motor spinning them off, I think. I put a small dab of medium Locktite on the prop nut, and spinner screw on that prop for safety. Losing a spinner isn't that big of a deal, but if that prop comes off in flight, things are likely going to end poorly...

[mr.frankenjet]

+1 on foam tac or mostly I use the contact cement included with the kit as it keeps stuff from shaking loose and works well on plastics

[FLTRI]

Arycon,

Here's my mounting method. I use ¾" PVC pipe, with pipe insulation to wall mount my planes. I prefer to put the weight on the fuse like xviper2 is doing. My thoughts are that the fuselage is much more rigid than the wings, and I don't want an airfoil bending over time. You could use the same method to ceiling mount, just turn the U so one leg is on the ceiling, and the other supports the fuselage in two places. The P-38 would need a total of four brackets. Just go straight up, and slide it in sideways.

I retract or remove the landing gear, so I have more room, and the planes stay closer to the wall. I also use hollow wall anchors as shown in the pics. Plenty strong, and I don't have to hunt around for a stud...

[rtwatkins]

Parts to start my P-38 FPV project came the other day :) going to modify this extra canopy to mount the camera and transmitter rigging. it looks like there will be enough room to even house the battery under the forward section in front of the dash.

[Aros]

Good mounting methods! As for the spinners, I haven't had a problem with mine but I tend to check them once every few flights. Getting the popcorn out for the FPV mod there rtwatkins!