Official FMS 1400mm P-51D V8 Thread

[Shirty]

No doubt... Lol

[Grossman56]

105 mm for the Freewings, right on the little box, here are both of mine, Iron Ass is stock without sound and Old Crow has a 650kv and the sound system. Iron Asses battery is 5/8" back from the furthest point forward. Because of Old Crows bigger motor, the batteries are back further, I hesitate to post the pics because someone will not realize that and it maybe a little too far aft. If you want to see it, look in the 'good bye ol' iron ass' thread

Grossman56

[Lon]

Bingo!!!! That's how mine is. Though if it's windy out, I'll cheat the battery placement forward a smidgen(1/4")

[Shirty]

Some more viewing entertainment... (Or targets lol).

Here's the 190 on 5s with the 550kv in it.

[Shirty]

Unedited full flight without the music. (For the purists who whinge about tunes in RC vids lol). I really like flying this one, but is prob the hardest of the 1400's to consistently nail a landing on. Gear could use some updating, specially the wheels. But all in all, I really like it. This one also has the mr RC sound system in it, but not turned on in this vid. :)

[KiwiRod]

Sweet flying Shirty

[KiwiRod]

I'm waiting patiently for the planets to align before I maiden My FMS BBD, but wanted any helpful tips before I do. I've been flying an FMS skytrainer for the past couple of years and aside with the odd mishap (mostly front wheel probs) am pretty confident with it these days. I know this will be a totally different beast to fly but they sound like they're a pretty solid plane to fly. I think I've checked my set up pretty well but pays to ask for your thoughts. Everything's loctited and trimmed out as well as I can on the ground, the CG concerns me as figuring out where to measure leading edge from is a bit dubious but have put the battery hard forward (4000 4s)and have a small amount of lead added to get balance where I think it should be. Any advice will be appreciated. I'm itching to fly this thing but it's stayed in pristine condition in the shed so would be a shame to dent it with something stupid not right.

[Shirty]

Thx mate. (Cheers cuzzy bro ;)). Lol.

Ok, I'm assuming you are good in the air, and the fms sky trainer has tricycle gear. Flying I don't think you'll have much issue. Just get up high to start, and feel the model out. If you use rates, start on low. The biggest deal is ground handling and landing. Slow steady application of throttle and good rudder control is crucial at take off to stop it torque pulling off to one side. If you are unsure, practice going slow in a long straight line at a speed less than takeoff speed. Just so you know what to expect, how much rudder etc. Also, don't yank the elevator up early in taking off. If you have it set up near correct, it will take off in its own with the correct speed. The most common mistake people make with a warbird is to slam the throttle open, it pulls to one direction violently and cause they are crap with their rudder, they dont use it and instead try to get it airborne quickly to stop the pull off course. This results in a typical tip stall, not enough lift over the wing so it drops one, and spirals into the ground. Usually violently cause the pilot is still at full throttle trying to get it to fly. So slow n steady is my advice for taking off. Gradual application of the throttle and rudder to keep it straight. Once airborne, keep applying throttle till u have your gear up. Then u can throttle back.

Cg wise, better nose heavy than anything. Flight test to get your oreferred balance point.

Landing, it's not the best idea to land these with zero throttle either, like you can with a high wing model. Keep a little power on and fly it onto the ground. These will tip stall a lot easier than a high wing trainer, but it's nothing extreme if you understand your planes limits. A good thing to do with a new warbird is go very high, and cut the throttle and try to keep it straight as long as you can. Deliberately get into a tip stall so you know what to expect. If you get stuck in a spiral, centre your sticks and add power to fly out. Go high enough so you can recover easily obviously.

Other thing is ground handling at low speeds, specially on grass, the plane may want to nose over. If you are not quick on ur throttle etc you will soon be going through a lot of props. The key is to hold up elevator at taxi speeds. The prop wash helps the elevator keep the tail down. Again, if you are not familiar with a tail dragger, practice taxiing around a lot first before your maiden.

Hope it helps and good luck with the maiden mate. If you watch the fw190 vid above again, you will see all these things in action. :)

Ps: if this is your first warbird and first tail dragger, be a very good thing to get a experienced guy buddy box you to start. These fms birds are not hard to fly by any means, but it is a bit different from what you are used to is all I'm saying. Two years flying without writing off the model makes me think you'll have the flight skills no issue, it may be a bit fast, and a bit twitchy to what you are used too is all. Good luck again anyway, hope this helps.

[OV10]

Shirty........Am in the same band as you singing the need for more ground handling versus flight experience in regard to Kiwi's flight training. As a flight instructor myself and dozens of different warbird airframes under my belt the biggest issues that I see with newer pilots is the over zealous jump up with consequent failures at varying degrees.
Kiwi.......Having only flown the high wing tricycle geared Skytrainer is a night/day difference in comparison to the Mustang in regard to takeoff and landing disciplines. If you can't get a more experienced pilot to buddy box for you initially as suggested by Shirty and you want to avoid a higher risk possibility of something going awry and damaging your pristine plane on maiden then you should consider settling back and get some more trainer time on a less expensive low wing tail dragger like possibly the Pandora by Freewing. Quite a number of my pilots in training have done very well going this route to their first warbird. Just imparting some advice on observations I've witnessed over the years of watching pilots run before they could walk.
Best regards,

[Shirty]

It's the biggest difference he will notice imho. I'm just completing my MAAA instructors cert funny enough. (Your ama equivalent). I've taught people to fly for years, but my club wants me certified as we just lost a instructor. May as well make it official I figured and I enjoy teaching ppl to have fun in this hobby anyway. Guess I'm not flying tomorrow. I'll do yellow, but not red. Today was first day in a week not windy, but total fire ban so no flying. :( I really shouldn't complain, I'll be in Bali this weekend, but wanted my flying fix before I go lol. :)

[olwarbirds]

Shirty, nice target flying ! ... good advice guys. Kiwi, goodluck on your maiden.... DJ

[Grossman56]

As a guy who just started flying warbirds last year and have BBD, I have to echo all that was said above. I took a course last year and brought Shangrila along (FMS P51B) for my first Warbird sortie, the best thing I could have done was buddy box with an extremely great instructor (Dave Scott). He pointed out the tip stall factor and demonstrated exactly how to handle the plane. It was a thrill to fly a warbird at last. Since then, I have numerous flights on my three P51's (now I have four, a certified Mustang junkie!!) and they are an absolute thrill to fly.
I'd also like to point out that I went the Pandora route as well, I flew them (I have two) until I knew very little twitch they would make.
To verbalize what is going through my mind goes something like this. I give her throttle, just to get her rolling, is she lined up, correct if necessary, add a click, and another, still straight? Tail comes up? Still straight, at about half throttle, pull the trigger, I give her a couple more clicks, so about 3/4+ by now. What I've practiced with the Pandoras is purposely letting her run down the length of the runway and practice keeping her straight.
It's a mindset like the guys suggest too. If you increase throttle with the idea of just running her up to speed but not taking off, you go straighter than when your going for airborne. I think its safe to say that they like to pull to the left, like the real ones so be prepared for that and correct, but what makes it do that violently is too much throttle too quickly. My BBD lands like a dream my Shangrila, well, she likes to perform on landing sometimes. Her tip stall seems a little higher than the D model, but you'll discover that for yourself. My advice in a nutshell, never stop flying the plane. I lost a wheel on one of the very first flights with BBD and brought her in with no more damage than the paint scraped off the bottom of the strut, why, because I never stopped flying the plane. The wife landed her Apprentice when the prop left the plane, why, because she didn't stop flying the plane,
You are in for an amazing Summer of flying!!! Good luck, you can do it!!!

[KiwiRod]

Well thanks for all the help guys. I've had her up and down the strip a few times doing exactly as suggested and getting a feel for it on the ground before I go all silly and put her up. I'm in no rush to wreck her so will take my time and will definitely look into something as a stepping stone. If I do get all impulsive and feel ok to fly I'll be sure to get some video so you can see how we went..

[wrongroad]

G'day Rod,
I fully endorse what the blokes have already said and it is, as always, top notch advice.
When throttling up, go steady as mentioned and be ready to massage the rudder to the right. It will not need all that much but be on top of it and be 'in front' of the model on this score. In other words have a little bit of right on as you push the throttle up.
I found with all three of my Mustangs that when I set the elevator to be 'level' by eye, all three tended to fly into a slight dive. Ever so slight but there none the less. I think two clicks of up trim solved the drama. The same on each machine.
I use a lot of runway as I make sure that the model is going straight before I apply full throttle.
I also like to use full throttle for the take off and right up until I have got to display height. Then I can throttle back and use throttle management for the rest of the flight.
Keep the tail down for a while to help steer but let it come up and fly the model along the ground until she wants to fly. If you have neutral trim the Mustang will take to the sky when she is ready. I fly with a touch of nose down trim [yes, after I dial the nose down out I put a bit back in] and this helps me with a steady glide slope for landing. When I only have to balance the throttle and be very easy on the elevators to keep a smooth glide slope. This is my way of doing it and other might not like it but I do.:D:D
There is a point when the rudder is not working and the tail wheel is not on the ground or has lost effectiveness. Thankfully it does not last for long but by then you should be running nice and straight
Keep about one third throttle on for landing or a bit less, but having some power on helps to keep airflow over the elevators. If you ever get to hear me landing, you will hear the power go on just as I flare the machine to just help the elevators.
One thing to tell you is to check ALL the screws in the landing gear set up. This is the screws that hold the mechanism into the wing, the grub screws that you will see when the gear is down and the Philips head screw in the back of the oleo. I have taken to checking this one every flight. Trust me when I say it is not much fun trying to land like Long John Silver.

If you slam the throttle open you will be in trouble. The model will screw left and jump into the air on the thrust of the prop only and the wing is not yet up to flying speed. You MIGHT get away with it once or twice but that kind of take off procedure will ultimately end up with a mangled model.:angel: I see it a lot. Too often. I hate seeing smashed models that do not need to be smashed up.
I lent one of my Mustangs to a fellow pilot [my former instructor] who surprised me by simply going to full throttle. It all but wound up in a tangled heap in the long grass beside the runway. He quickly handed back to me. An old time gasser pilot who was used to hitting the throttle and waiting for everything to wind up. Electrickery motors have instant torque.

Have fun with the model, they are a great thing to fly and you will get some good comments on how good you fly. It will be the model making you look good.:p:D:D

Regards and respect
Daryl

[Grossman56]

Hey, good points Daryl, especially the grub screws etc. Look into the Small Parts CNC for aluminum replacements for the retract sides. They're great!!
Also, I forgot to mention Rates. I found that for take off, mid rates works best for me. This is something you'll have to determine for yourself. I have mine set at 80% with 30% expo. Now lots of guys have different settings, so don't take this as gospel. I have all my controls (ailerons, elevators and Rudder) set for 100% on high rates, 80% for mid rates and 60% for low with 30% expo and have been rolling back expo as I get better at flying them.

Grossman56

[Shirty]

Whilst not my fms stuff, etc, I am going flying today. ;)

[olwarbirds]

Daryl, I like that "Electrickery motors" :) ...My first experience with a brushless motor and lipo setup was in a RC Boat, I punched the throttle and the boat submerged, I thought oh chit I am gonna have too buy my buddy a new setup. Luckily it surfaced ! There is a link for those cnc retract sideplates on page 1 rod, they are nice. Still unpacking from the move, so I have not done much more pg one upgrading. But I will soon ad the info you guys provided, tks for the help. This thread is going to be the go too for all the right !!! info on upgrades and how to fly FMS & FW Mustangs. Really how to fly most Warbirds... DJ

[olwarbirds]

Shirty, how many chnl radio does that one take :P ...have a good trip bud...

[tdevince]

Shirty, how many chnl radio does that one take :P ...have a good trip bud...

I wonder what size batteries he's using in that

[KiwiRod]

Thanks Daryl for the tips, and G Man for the small parts info. Funny you should mention it..... I went out for a run up and down the strip tonight, short grass with some minor bumps but not too bad. I'd noticed a couple of cracks in The plastic base of the retracts when putting the plane together and never gave them much thought since. I've got a small amount of flap mixed in when my gears down for take off and landing and got nice straight taxi/ run up and pretty much as soon as I let the elevator off she popped up on the mains and then came up off the ground. I guess that's classed as flying. I throttled back and let her down and did this twice before a leg fell off and ruined my night... The plastic all fell apart around the cracks. I was thinking of trying a flat piece of Ali over the top of the base cut out in a square U shape so I could screw through that and then the base. Has anyone tried that with any success? I'm starting to think me and FMS landing gear don't get on... I'm pretty handy and could probably make the cnc replacements at home here. It's sometimes a bit in the too hard basket getting stuff down here from the U.S.

Rod