Official FlightLine RC 1200mm Spitfire Mk.IXc Thread

Lon · Aug 30, 2016, 06:41 PM

Originally posted by Grossman56

It's tough deciding which way to go from here. The P38 has such a following that I'm, beginning to feel left out in the cold, but I'm thinking the Spitfire or the FW F86.
I have to limit my spending on such things so whatever I decide for next year, it had to be the right one.....

Grossman56

Dan,

I've had the pleasure to meet and fly with you in persone at NEFI this year. I see the passion you have for flying warbirds like myself and many others. With that said, I sincerely believe the best next plane for you would be the FL P-38. Think of it...take offs no more worry about prop torque(straight down the runway). A slow power-up scale take-off, OR hammer the throttle down and jump into the air! Super solid in the air (even those windy WY days). You will see and feel solid presence of this warbird in the air. Landing approaches are solid and predictable even on a windy day.....sigh.... 1600mm wing span, but two screws and unplug some wires, and she's easily tucked away in most vehicles. I think you get the idea of what i'd recommend.

dkalwishky · Aug 30, 2016, 05:54 PM

Originally posted by Grossman56

It's tough deciding which way to go from here. The P38 has such a following that I'm, beginning to feel left out in the cold, but I'm thinking the Spitfire or the FW F86.

I have all three. :)

I LOVE the P-38, flies beautifully on a pair of 4s 3600mAh batteries. I LOVE THIS PLANE. It's big and easy to see in the air.

I LOVE the F-86, so much so that I'm on number 3. I wrecked one (pilot error) and replaced it, wrecked the second one (loss of signal) and replaced it. I'm ready to maiden number 3, hopefully in a few days.

The FLRC Spitfire, well lets see, right now I HATE this plane. I have had CG problems and control issues. I think I've got the CG problems worked out and need to address the control throws, I admit that I have not measured them and I think there is to much throw which is making the plane touchy as heck in pitch, I do not beleive the plane is tail heavy. I hope to get it back in the air in a few days to see how it flies.

*Grossman56* · Aug 30, 2016, 04:35 PM

I hear you, I was really torn about which one to buy literally right up to the point of hitting the button. The point of buying the E Flite model was to find a warbird that someone who has flown a Pandora or something similar and was competent with it could easily transition into. The mission had not changed simply because of a failure of a battery lead. I had talked to one of the big guys at Motion to see if I could get a sweetheart deal on one and then write some info on the forum in regards to it being the transition path that some might want to try. Its always a challenge to find that 'right' warbird. I never did hear anything more than it was a great idea and they would discuss it.
So, anyway, I got the second E Flite Spitty and it really is a great plane. Not a rocket, but then I didn't have to buy three or four new batteries as I have all the 2200 3s's from the Pandoras. Its a lot of fun to fly, although an experienced Warbird pilot would be best off going with the FlightLine. I would eventually like to get the FlightLine, as they were giving one away at NEFI and Diane was holding all the tickets,I said if we win, grab the Spitfire!!

It's tough deciding which way to go from here. The P38 has such a following that I'm, beginning to feel left out in the cold, but I'm thinking the Spitfire or the FW F86.
I have to limit my spending on such things so whatever I decide for next year, it had to be the right one.....

Grossman56

NorthernFlyer · Aug 30, 2016, 07:53 AM

Thanks for the reminder, Grossman56. That is something to be aware of, but I agree that they look great in the air. I bought the Freewing B-17 and Rebel this summer and if the Spitfire flies anything like that, then being a Flight Line/Freewing product it is a must have. After also seeing the new FMS Typhoon in the air, I am also realizing that I really like the look of the British warbirds. Previously I had been more drawn to the American ones, but unfortunately for my wallet, my horizons seem to be broadening.

*Grossman56* · Aug 29, 2016, 02:06 PM

The thing I've noticed about my Spitty, is the landing gear doesn't allow you any room for error when landing. Once on the ground, you have to be aware of its tendency to want to drag a wing tip. Ryan was saying something about that at NEFI. But, the Spitfire in the air is just beautiful!
I have the Eflite BTW.

Grossman56

NorthernFlyer · Aug 28, 2016, 09:49 PM

Thanks for the tips guys. I have a few mid-size warbirds with and without AS3X, so I will be looking at the Flight Line. It's my preference out of the two.

Brandon. Do you fly off of grass? If so, how did you find the wheel mod worked? Thanks for the info and pics btw. Your mod makes excellent sense and they look great. What size are the E Flite mains, if you don't mind me asking.

*Grossman56* · Aug 21, 2016, 04:17 PM

I agree, if this is you first Warbird, then its the route to go.

Grossman56

Westsider · Aug 21, 2016, 11:21 AM

If it is your first mid-sized warbird, and you have an 8 channel + transmitter, E-Flight with Safe Select is a great choice. Some die-hard Mustang or Corsair fans may disagree. If you are a solid intermediate pilot the best choice beween these two planes, to me - no question, the FlightLine Spitfire is faster and more solid in the air. Out performs E-Flite. Gotta fly! Good luck.

NorthernFlyer · Aug 21, 2016, 09:03 AM

Thanks Westsider. Do you prefer one of the planes over the other? Any input is welcome. I will only have room for one Spit in my hangar and want to make an informed decision.

Westsider · Aug 18, 2016, 10:14 PM

Can't speak to grass landings

Westsider · Aug 18, 2016, 10:13 PM

Brandon did the wheel conversion above. I have definitely flown from and landed on rough ground, both planes. Pretty smooth dirt road, but still plenty of rocks. No trouble with either set of gear so far. Don't know if the kits spare parts pages list the wheel dimensions, might be worth checking out. I'll have them out tomorrow, I can check measurements then if you still don't have an answer.

NorthernFlyer · Aug 18, 2016, 05:53 PM

Has anyone flown the Flight Line Spit off of grass that is slightly longer than 1" and ground that is a little rough (as the web page suggests 1" or shorter and smooth ground). I would like a Spitfire in my hangar and prefer the power and look of the Flight Line version over the E-Flite version, but the E-Flite version reportedly has bigger wheels. Any input on this would be appreciated.

Westsider · Jul 29, 2016, 07:08 PM

Feeling guilty. Was stalking the SD list when up popped the FL Spitfire with "control horns torn from foam" and minor dents and dings. After in and out of the cart 3 times, said no and shut it down for the night, fully expecting it to be gone in the am. Maybe I was too stupid, or just too over confident in my repair ability, but I snapped it up the next day. Arrived yesterday. MRC did a great job packaging it up minus original box! Did you ship the wrong plane? How did this retum get past the staff? They must all have one already. Two minor scratches, two finger dents near the tail, no torn foam or horn damage. Hope you don't want it back ;-) Thanks for the great deal, think I'll play the lottery tonight.

Westsider · Jul 21, 2016, 07:26 PM

That's no doubt. Jeez

Westsider · Jul 21, 2016, 05:55 PM

Jagd - no dought on the stout. I fly from a dirt runway, and although it's fairly smooth, still kind of rough on the gear with some kits. No problems so far with this model.

jagdpanther9 · Jul 15, 2016, 12:58 AM

hi guys, i have put on at least 100 flights this summer with this model. i have been using the admiral 4s 3000 packs and get nearly 7 min. with 3.70 per cell . i am very impressed with just how slow i can bring this model in with full flaps deployed. low level flybys are very steady and get allot of comments @ the local electric field.how stout are the landing gear? i took off from the parking lot @ the local field as there was no one there and who would know. there is a steel sewer grate in the middle of the lot and i happened to drop my gear through the slots on take off and ripped both of the retracts out of the wing! i cut the throttle and bellied it in with both retracts hanging by their servo leads. it ripped them out clean and did not bend them a bit. i glued them back in,tucked the wires in and aside from a few scrapes on the one air scoop no one even knows, except you all now.
this has been a great go to model for this summer very aerobatic and just stunning to watch. and tough.

Westsider · Jul 4, 2016, 07:26 AM

Cool stuff man. Nice work.

*Grossman56* · Jul 4, 2016, 05:30 AM

That looks awesome Brandon, and I can appreciate the red nose! I know with Shangrila, sometimes that's the only thing you can see. instead of repainting it green or white, I polished it up with Maquire's Plastex so it glows, of course her nickname is Rudolph.

Grossman56

TiredIronGRB · Jul 4, 2016, 04:54 AM

Gorgeous plane!

Brandon Moon · Jul 3, 2016, 11:29 PM

Found some old material and miniature Louvers I had back from the days of Balsa and frame up building and decided to revamp the radiators.

The cloth behind the Louvers is breathable Speaker cabinet covering. So Air will still pass through without creating a lot of drag.

I also added the RH Scoop to the hatch cover I noticed on pictures of the real plane which will also add air cooling to the battery

I am Also contemplating mounting an ESS Air Sound system with the speakers behind the louvers in the scoops?