Official FlightLine RC 1600mm Spitfire Mk. IX Thread

[Hugh Wiedman]

I’ve had my Spit 2 years now and it’s been absolutely fabulous 😃😃 After all this time, time to try again with some sound. Where’s the best place to put the speakers. Some guys seem to cut them into the air intakes under the wings ?
Ive got a Mr Sound card from about 2 years ago which I tried but didn’t have much success with, just wondering whether the updated one on Motion RC would be better.

Simon, I put the MR RC Sound transducers in the aft section of battery bay, then velcro'd the board upside down just under the top of the fuse behind the battery bay opening (the thin red board in the photo). The board I used was the older version as the newer Aspire board is much thicker (which I have in 7 other foam warbirds). Although the Aspire board gives a slightly louder response, the older board worked just fine and was easier to fit in. With the transducers (which are not speakers) you need to place them on the foam to resonate the sound, while the hollow fuselage magnifies it. I also put heat sinks on the transducers as these get extremely hot after a 10 minute flight. The double wasp sound of the corsair produces the hottest transducers. I also put some air scoops made out of 45 degree copper joints to help keep the transducers and board a little cooler during flight.

The guys putting them in the air intakes are using speakers, which must be open to the outside. I do have speakers in my Aces High FW 190 which has no foam (balsa/monocoat) which sound great but these foam warbirds work very well with transducers. Very easy to set up and IMO a very neat addition. All my warbirds and even my "radial" engine Bi-Planes have sound systems.




Short Video of the Spitfire Sound:

[Simon Bee]

I’ve had my Spit 2 years now and it’s been absolutely fabulous 😃😃 After all this time, time to try again with some sound. Where’s the best place to put the speakers. Some guys seem to cut them into the air intakes under the wings ?
Ive got a Mr Sound card from about 2 years ago which I tried but didn’t have much success with, just wondering whether the updated one on Motion RC would be better.

[Grossman56]

Three colors to match. Once I had the grey, it was a matter of adding additional color to get the green and a bit of light blue to get the underside. For some reason, I can look at a color and see what it needs, probably comes from my oil painting days (you can see my Flying Tiger painting in the top center of the first pic) One thing I've found is that when you have one color it will lead to the other, like they just added some additional pigment to change the color rather than cleaning the gun, probably faster on the assembly line (I'm talking the full scale WWII era).
I found this when I was matching paint for the P40. Mixed the green, then added some red and white to make the brown. Also, I got wise and made a couple of swatches, unfortunately, I forgot with the first color so will have to mix it again. With the swatches, I can take them to Ace and scan the colors, definitely easier that way!


Grossman56

[Elbee]

Grossman56

I must agree with f4u ausie on the color match. Wow!

Great to another Spittie saved from the boneyard.

Nicely done.

Best, LB

[f4u ausie]

Awsome colormatch gross looks like new

[Grossman56]

The new Spitty had a bunch of, shall we say non Spitfire decals on her as well as some red and yellow stripes. Possibly the stripes were for visual?
Anyway, got out the paint and proceeded to mix the colors by eyeball and hand. Got real good matches and now she's back to stock top and bottom.





Grossman56

[Grossman56]

AH HA!!
I compared the CG's between the old Spitfire with 1 1/4 weight all the way forward in the nose

21 Grams (two pads vertical and one horizontal) on each side to get the proper C/G otherwise she was literally falling out of the air.
So, I loaded her with a 4500 battery all the way forward and measured the C/G, then removed the plane, took the battery out of her and loaded it in the new Spitty all the way forward. No weight in the nose and her C/G point was EXACTLY the same!
Now the only difference is that old Spitty doesn't have the cannons on her and new Spitty does, but they are so light and so close to the CG that there's no way they make that much difference.
Now I know of a few other people world wide that ran across the same problem, so I'm wondering just what could cause this??
BTW. New Spitty has a XT(?) connecter instead of the EC5, has anyone else ran across this? Even the replacement ESC's are advertised as having an EC5 connecter.

Grossman56

[davegee]

Great deal, Dan!

I’m up for a 80th anniversary of D-Day demonstration. I have one of my 1500mm FMS P-47s painted in full invasion stripes. Would be a great photo opportunity too, if we can get a few airplanes to show up.
Pls keep me in the loop.

cheers

davegee

[Grossman56]

Just picked up a new 1600 mm Spitfire. Three flights on it and in great condition. Needs new gear doors but that's about it. Even has a receiver! $280. Gotta love it!
With the 80th Anniversary of D Day coming up next month, I think she'll be getting invasion stripes!!

Grossman56

[Hugh Wiedman]

First landing and the initial stress suddenly disappeared :)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2ks9wqEeyrpXG1Cx6.

Excellent Pavel, you've already hit the sweet spot on landing, no doubt the real aircraft experience gives you a great base to start with. The Spitfire, as you correctly surmised, really needs to be landed 2 point with throttle, not only protecting the gear but looking much more scale. Way too many try to 3 point these tail draggers, just not appropriate.

I've set call outs on my IX 14 for every aircraft (especially EDF's), including the Spitty that tells me when I hit specific throttle settings (done with timers, but instead of saying timer start/stop, a specific throttle position). For the Spitfire, I use 2 of those, one at 25% throttle, my approach setting, and the 2nd at 18% that I go to about 6 feet off the deck and leave it there until both mains are rolling on the grass smoothly and then reduce throttle to 0 (even there, I have the throttle trim set so the prop is barely rotating-also helps with the sound system so it doesn't shut down until I hit throttle cut at the end). That way on landing I'm only required to control elevator/aileron/rudder for landing without having to worry about throttle position. Always end up with virtually the exact same approach and landing speed without having to guess. I'm really bad at guesstimating where my throttle is without having to look so this takes the guess work out of it. Works wonders on the jets, but every aircraft has different approach and landing speeds, just have to figure out where those are. The Corsair, same technique, just different throttle points, 39% and 25%. When I first got the Spitfire and Corsair, I was all over the place, even trying 3 point landings and with the Corsair, broke way too many retracts (as they rotate 90 degrees resulting in all landing pressure on the worm screw alone). After using this technique, 0 retract breaks in the Corsair for well over 70 flights. Most good pilots don't need to do this as they can tell the correct speed, I just ain't one of those people. :triumph:

[Elbee]

Pavel_LKTO, Very nicely done, Sir. Congratulations and great debrief. Glad to have you onboard here at the "The Squawk". Best, LB

[Pavel_LKTO]

First landing and the initial stress suddenly disappeared :)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2ks9wqEeyrpXG1Cx6.

[Pavel_LKTO]

After the maiden (single-nervous flight) before the end of the year, I got first serious flying down this weekend. I had been very nervous about the CG and the landings, but truly unnecessarily! This plane flies so well it is almost unbelievable. It is my first RC tail dragger (though I have real-aircraft tail-drager experience - so I know the fundamental principles) and there is nothing tricky about landing this Spit.
The only thing I'd say is crucial is to keep the power on (20-30%) all the way to the touchdown (and even after that reduce it only slowly). She does have the tendency to drop out of the sky if you cut the engine idle during the flare. If you keep the throttle on, there is no problem doing a two-point landing and slowly bring the tail down and very gradually reduce the power - there is full authority of the controls until the complete stop.
For the same reason, I'd also recommend using rather less flaps than more (definitely <40%), especially if you have enough approach space / long runway.

Also, I am amazed how much grass these wheels can take! No tendency to tip over and if you are sensible with the throttle (esp. during take-off), there are no nasty surprises.

I played around with the CG a bit as well, but cannot tell a significant difference between +/- 2mm. I am probably a bit aft of the recommended 90mm but stability of this thing during TO/flight/landing is still amazing. I do have to work quite a bit with the elevator trim on the downwind (flaps down, gear down), but that's because I have progressive flaps retraction and I am not too fond on the mixing.

I fly with 90% rates on the elevator, 80% on the ailerons and the rudder. The 90% of the elevator gives enough authority on the ground and is not too sensitive during flight. The 80% ailerons are more-than enough during the ultimate figure - the victory roll :)

Love, love, love this airplane!!!

[eastdave2]

There's an STL file for 3D printing one in my collection of Spit parts: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5460521

Thanks so much.

[kallend]

In the Yak 54 kit, should there be printed instructions and a stiffener for the wing that passes thru the fuselage and into each half of the wing?

This is a Spitfire thread.

[Smooth]

In the Yak 54 kit, should there be printed instructions and a stiffener for the wing that passes thru the fuselage and into each half of the wing?

[kallend]

Can someone please trace their radio mast, I’ve lost mine.Thanks in advance David

There's an STL file for 3D printing one in my collection of Spit parts: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5460521

[eastdave2]

Can someone please trace their radio mast, I’ve lost mine.Thanks in advance David

[kallend]

I know it’s totally non scale but one of the many good things about this great model is the strobe light. Flying on cloudy darker days it really helps with orientation and I’m sure it’s saved me a couple of times.

So put in my Morse signaling lamp instead, which is scale.

[Simon Bee]

I know it’s totally non scale but one of the many good things about this great model is the strobe light. Flying on cloudy darker days it really helps with orientation and I’m sure it’s saved me a couple of times.