Official FlightLine RC 1600mm Spitfire Mk. IX Thread

[AndrewF]

Alright guys, I can’t decide between this plane and the 1200mm version. I like the smaller one just as a “throw in the car” fun plane, and I have a handful of 3300 mah 4s packs that need to be used. But bigger warbirds are cooler… 😂 how do they differ as far as flight performance? Flight times?

[paladin]

Great, that’s very helpful. Thanks for your replies.

it will be my grandsons first flap warbird. my son has one two, or is that three?

[Simon Bee]

Great, that’s very helpful. Thanks for your replies.

[mshagg]

I think a lot of people are used to setting spits up with a tonne of elevator so they can keep the tail planted on the ground when taxiing and taking off.

The flightline has such good ground handling manners that this is not needed. I'd always recommend high rates for a maiden, just in case, but assuming all goes well you can really dial things down the pitch for a stunningly smooth flyer.

Also spitfires are really sensitive to CG in terms of pitch response. So getting that battery forward can really help calm things down.

[Hugh Wiedman]

I’d love to get this Spit but the guys at my club are putting me off because of tip stalls and being tricky to fly.
Not been flying for long (about 3 months) but I’m flying quite comfortably EDF jets (Habu, Rebel and Avanti). How do people find this aircraft??

I'm with Evan D and kallend . I know you're just starting out and those EDF's take-off and land nothing like the Spitty, but with that said, if you're interested in a prop tail dragging warbird, the 1600mm Spitfire is the one to start with. Never had a problem with tip stalls but once in the air this one flies like a dream. I'm getting over 10 minutes of flight time on an SMC 6200, but a 5000 works well also. You need to get the CG close to the manual, although I like mine about 5-8mm further back. To get there, you will need some weight in the nose, which is why I'm using an 814 gr 6200. DO NOT START TAIL HEAVY!!

What you will need to do is master the take-off and landing. Like all tail dragging prop warbirds, this one immediately begins turning left at the start of take-off (due to the counter-clockwise airflow coming off the prop, swirling under the fuselage and back around to hit the left side of the vertical stabilizer). To counter that, you still need a bit of up elevator at the start to keep the tail wheel down and be ready to input right rudder. After the tail lifts, make sure you keep the fuselage level (reduce the up elevator) so the aircraft can get enough ground speed to reach rotation speed. To do this, on take-off advance the throttle nice a slow and do not "punch" it. That will exaggerate the left turn and give you lift off before you get enough speed. This one, just like the Corsair, will get airborne almost too quickly before you have enough air speed and that's where you'll run into a wing stall and she'll dive to the left and roll into the ground. You also can't let the nose dip too low or you'll grind the prop. With your EDF's, you can just punch it and lift off when you want, but not with these (which may be the genesis of the comments from your club-or they're just jealous if you get one). So you'll need to get smooth and proficient with the throttle, the rudder and the elevator on take-off (unlike those EDF's).

When it comes to landing, that's also a little different than your EDF's. The 3 you have will almost float in on landing with little to no throttle. Those EDF's need to land nose up with the mains touching first. With the Spitfire (and other tail draggers) you need to land with a little bit of power (NO CHOPPING THE THROTTLE BEFORE YOU"RE ON THE GROUND) and come in with an almost perfectly level attitude. To do this, once lined up with the runway I reduce power to about 35% throttle, fly it to about 20 yards of the runway, reduce throttle to about 25% and leave it as I ease it on the runway, perfectly level, with the mains just coming down softly, then let it roll about 10 feet and reduce throttle to 0 and the tail slowly sets down. You really don't want to do any 3 point landings with this (although you can and many do) as you want to get proficient with a scale landing.

Other than that, she's a DREAM. Hope I haven't soured you on getting one, I got a P-51 for my second plane (very similar take-off and landing issues) and I eventually got it right, but initially thought I had to do 3 pointers. Landing with power is actually much easier because you do not have to worry about getting too slow and having it drop out of the sky in a stall. Just leave it at 25% throttle and fly it to the runway. The Corsair, being a bit heavier and landing with extreme flap deflection (because it looks cool) requires me to keep the throttle at 40% approach, and then 35% throttle until it's rolling on the runway (never have to worry about a stall there!)

Don't get me wrong, but the FW 1600mm Spitfire has enough lift and power that you could advance the throttle quickly on take off, it will jump off the runway and possible roll a little left, you correct it, and you're up and flying. You can also plop it down on landing in a 3 pointer and the main gear are touch enough to handle it (but you may break the tail wheel- which I did before changing my landing technique). But this is the perfect prop warbird to learn and become efficient at take-off and landing that will help you fly virtually any prop tail draggers. Other Spitfire models, especially larger gas powered, don't have sufficient thrust to take off like that (which of course the real thing didn't either) so that's why you see a lot of videos of Spitfires crashing on take-off and landing. In this case, airspeed is your friend and low speed kills! :spit:

[kallend]

I’d love to get this Spit but the guys at my club are putting me off because of tip stalls and being tricky to fly.

Maybe you should give them lessons if they think this Spit is tricky.

[Evan D]

I think the book just has too much elevator throw...

[RRHandy]

It does have hight speed stalling but you can fix that by setting up the elevator to the settings in the manual and it will not do it, I even went as far as setting the limits in the radio to 85% up travel and haven't had another stall. R.

[Simon Bee]

Super easy to fly. Super super easy...

👍👍

[Evan D]

Super easy to fly. Super super easy...

[Simon Bee]

I’d love to get this Spit but the guys at my club are putting me off because of tip stalls and being tricky to fly.
Not been flying for long (about 3 months) but I’m flying quite comfortably EDF jets (Habu, Rebel and Avanti). How do people find this aircraft??

[sngecko]

They came on the one in my V1200, I suspect as they predicted people would use bigger props to try and go faster.

Makes sense. It is nice and snug under battery tray now. My understanding is that the Spitfire motor will draw as much as ~60A, so that’s handled, and I get the RPM and power telemetry through the 8360T. Thanks!

[Evan D]

They came on the one in my V1200, I suspect as they predicted people would use bigger props to try and go faster.

[kallend]

I guess I can answer my own question now… (This place is no regroups.) Once the fan is removed, it fits in the compartment. The motor leads are pretty long and I ended up cooling them near the front. It would be better if the battery leads were longer, but they’ll work.

I don't have one in this plane but I took the fan off another one I have with no ill effects. I suspect the fan is only needed for cars and trucks with no natural airflow to cool the ESC.

[sngecko]

Does anyone know whether a Spektrum Avian 80A ESC will fit in this plane? It lists as 1.3 inches tall, but I think that includes a small fan attached to the top that may not be necessary. The motor leads are longer and the battery leads appear to be shorter?

I guess I can answer my own question now… (This place is no regroups.) Once the fan is removed, it fits in the compartment. The motor leads are pretty long and I ended up cooling them near the front. It would be better if the battery leads were longer, but they’ll work.

[sngecko]

Does anyone know whether a Spektrum Avian 80A ESC will fit in this plane? It lists as 1.3 inches tall, but I think that includes a small fan attached to the top that may not be necessary. The motor leads are longer and the battery leads appear to be shorter?

[kallend]

This looks to be interesting if you're in the UK:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10337381/Largest-collection-Spitfires-one-roof-12-aircraft-display-Duxford-air-museum.html

[Asuka]

I take back what I said because I just received an email for his availability. Coincidence, no doubt, but the important thing is that I will finally have it ☺

[Asuka]

I wanna get a spare fuselage and MotionRC Europe has been out of stock for more than 6 months now. For once, I am a little disappointed by Motion. Such a lack of consideration for customers through such a poor availability of spare parts worries a little. I hope they will do their best to finally provide a spare fuselage. Not very confident, after 6 months without any return, I must say.

[royhdg]

Last paragraph of #3054 above.
Just a few small washers under rear fixings to rake wheels forward about 16mm.
The gear still retracts ok.
(not my idea. I read about this mode perhaps in this forum or another)