Official FlightLine 1600mm P-51D Mustang Thread

[Evan D]

Flying with 590g 5300HV, no problems. 12 minutes.

Is anyone flying with 6s 4000 mah batteries; any problem with CG; flight time? My batteries weigh 560 grams. Thanks, Glyn

[GliderGuy]

Is anyone flying with 6s 4000 mah batteries; any problem with CG; flight time? My batteries weigh 560 grams. Thanks, Glyn

Hi Glyn,
The wooden battery tray is LONG, so you can slide the lighter battery further forward to get her balanced on the CG (that is the goal…right?).
If sliding way forward doesn’t get the CG right, then add weight to the front of the battery tray until she balances on the CG marks for your initial flights.

Subjective question on the 4,000 vs say a 6000…
it all depends on your throttle management.

A 4000 mAh flown SLOW and at low throttle might fly longer than a 6000 mAh cruising around at 75% throttle.

If you are concerned, set your timer for 3:30 on your first few flights and check your post-flight cell voltage.

Then keep increasing your flight times and monitor the post-flight cell voltage. Don’t get below 3.4 V to be on the safe side. Bet you end up with a fairly long flight time. The key word is….experiment!

-GG

[GEH]

Evan and GG, thanks for the responses. Much appreciated. Glyn

[GliderGuy]

Evan and GG, thanks for the responses. Much appreciated. Glyn

Sure thing…

As posted before, bring her in on final with flaps and with about 15 to 20% power (5 to 7 clicks up from zero throttle on my gear) and do a wheel landing as you take the power off at the landing flare. You’re gonna love this bird!

Flaps on take-off are optional. I use 1/2 flap on take-off.

-GG

Update: 10 P-51 flights and 3 P-38 @ sunrise and calm conditions Easter morning!
Butter landings, all. So much fun!

[Glazier808]

Oh what a great Easter Sunday this was!

I have almost 40 flights on the plane now and I can say that it just keeps getting better!

How many warbirds can you say that takeoff and landing are the two favorite things to do lol.

I too do wheel landings with about 25% throttle on final chopping to about 10% as I cross the threshold

then……

Yet another…..

smooth like butter landing😎

she makes you look so good!

[GliderGuy]

Nice photo Gz808...I agree.

And the best thing is that she doesn't go crazy when you don't make the best landings. Even the touch after a bounce stays under control and "mostly' very straight. Roll-out after a smooth butter landing is uneventful for experienced tail dragger pilots.

Several experienced tail dragger pilots have posted...when flying OTHER tail dragger warbirds or other mfg's P-51 models...about having a "challenging" time keeping directional control after touchdown.

I will admit that in very GUSTY conditions a time or two I have scraped my P-51's wing tip in a partial ground loop. But, overall, the Flightline 1600 mm P-51 has turned out to be one of the easiest tail dragger birds to fly, in my experience.

For sure, you cannot go to sleep on roll-out, just like any tail dragger. But, this model does NOT have the feeling on rollout that " I'm gonna bite you hard at any second."

Note: For anyone about to fly this bird without previous tail dragger experience, you'll probably not have an easy time with post landing directional control and post bounce control that has been mentioned in prior posts. That's the nature of the beast.

You'll get better at it with practice. There are many control movements that can be inputted in 'anticipation' of about what's about to happen that keeps what's about to happen from happening. These anticipated control inputs are learned from experience.

When my father was teaching me how to fly full scale tail draggers, he'd say, "Anticipate what she's about to do and move the controls to correct it."

I thought, 'How the heck am I supposed to know what this bird is about to do before it does it?" LOL - You actually can do this!

So...tail dragger newbies...you probably will be challenged to control direction on roll-out after landing. You may scrape a tip...you may smack a prop after a bounce as she noses over. Those warbird-experienced pilots who are reporting "ease of handing' aren't leading you astray, The bottom line...with their tail dragger experience...they know how 'tame' this bird actually is on landings. You'll eventually get there, too. It just takes practice.

-GG

[Aros]

This paint is perfect for what I was looking for. Thanks for the suggestions gents. I tried masking off the nose and invasion stripes but the paint peels on both so she’s going to start out with a clean metallic aluminum finish to start.

As the great Elbee likes to say:

More when there’s more.

[GliderGuy]

Aros…What graphics scheme you gonna do her in? Swamp Fox?
-GG

[Aros]

Good guess but I am tooling with the idea of doing a Frankie like this version…

[GliderGuy]

Nice - Refer back to post 182 for the yellow color match.

-GG

[Aros]

Thank you but I already bought a Rustoleum Yellow...May not be exact, but close. I don't like canary yellow...More of a mix of orange in with the yellow for me.

I can't say enough how pleased I am with the results of the base coat! After Callie's decals and my final touch ups, I will hit it with Polyurethane.

[GliderGuy]

Pretty…You may want to get the opinion of others on painting a polyurethane overcoat on a metallic luster paint. Especially, if you intend to polish the metallic to a shine.

I have some reservations about the outcome not being what you’d want unless it is sprayed on. Even then, I have concerns. But it’s a gut feeling. I’ve never done it.

You may want to polish to a shine and omit the poly overcoat.

-GG

[f4u ausie]

G Guy how would you polish foam.. just asking.. if your purpose is shiny. Just clear it. Always learning

[f4u ausie]

Also polishing silver. Can make it patchy. Or blotchy

[Evan D]

I use car detail spray.

[Aros]

Pretty…You may want to get the opinion of others on painting a polyurethane overcoat on a metallic luster paint. Especially, if you intend to polish the metallic to a shine.

I have some reservations about the outcome not being what you’d want unless it is sprayed on. Even then, I have concerns. But it’s a gut feeling. I’ve never done it.

You may want to polish to a shine and omit the poly overcoat.

-GG

I'm not sure how to polish the metallic acrylic paint to a shine?

[GliderGuy]

Experiment.
- Take a scrap EPO part and paint it with the metallic paint.
- Let it dry extremely well
- Buy some fine grit auto body compound
- Apply elbow grease polishing with soft cloth
- Finish off with auto body detail spray

I’ve only polished full scale sailplane wings.

-GG

[Elbee]

Thank you but I already bought a Rustoleum Yellow...May not be exact, but close. I don't like canary yellow...More of a mix of orange in with the yellow for me.

I can't say enough how pleased I am with the results of the base coat! After Callie's decals and my final touch ups, I will hit it with Polyurethane.

Aros,

So far, so great......

Best, LB

[jetfool]

Looking great, Aros. Looking forward to finish
Best Regards, Rex

[GEH]

I’m having difficulty with the wing lock buttons, specifically the right side lower button. It will not lock. I removed the wings and worked the button, and it moves freely. One other button is difficult, but it does lock. Any suggestions?