Official FMS 1400mm P-51D V8 Thread

[Grossman56]

Just in case we haven't mentioned it yet, 15 degrees and 30 degrees of flap are great settings for take off and landing flaps, use throttle management for descent to landing while keeping the fuselage level, she'll kiss the runway every time.

Good luck!!

Grossman56

[Arycon]

Successful maiden this morning. Still a lot of tweaking to do in order to dial the plane in. It flew well, especially with the Hobby Eagle A3 Super II gyro.

I did have a rough landing. Had a strong crosswind and drifted too far on the runway. We use an abandoned street and grass has broken the tarnac a few inches from the edge. I caught one touching down. Plane stopped abruptly. Left gear strut broke at the hinge and tore out. New set ordered from Motion and on the way. Only a minor scuffed prop otherwise. I was fortunate.

Next time should be much better. Much thanks to you guys for the help and tips. Great community here and I appreciate it.

[xviper]

Thanks, guys.

Duchess is together and pretty much ready for a maiden. I just need to set deflection on the surfaces, but the manual deflection ranges seem drastically high.

Are you guys using the manual settings? Is the plane twitcht? I do not like snappy/twitchy planes. I like smooth scale flight and usually dial back deflection to make the aorcraft easier to fly in a more docile fashion.

28mm high aileron?
40mm high elevator?

This seems much too high to me. What are you guys using?

Headed out around 8am. Wish me luck!

You can have high rates but you don't have to use high rates. If you have 3-position switches for rates, program a mid and low rate and start with the middle one. I don't use high rates for ELE but I occasionally use high rates for AIL just to see it roll faster. I don't recall that it's even possible to have 40mm on the ELE unless you've got the rod on the outer hole on the servo and the inner hole on the control surface. No matter, whatever you've got as high rate (100%), have available something like 75% and 50%. I don't think anyone needs to use 100% throws on a maiden. I like 25% to 30% expo on AIL and ELE. RUD I find not so critical but I'll dial in some expo anyway. After your first flight, you can adjust each rate to your taste, depending on how you felt about where you were most comfortable. Middle rates is my "comfort" zone and the high and low end is for the occasional use.

[Arycon]

Thanks, guys.

Duchess is together and pretty much ready for a maiden. I just need to set deflection on the surfaces, but the manual deflection ranges seem drastically high.

Are you guys using the manual settings? Is the plane twitcht? I do not like snappy/twitchy planes. I like smooth scale flight and usually dial back deflection to make the aorcraft easier to fly in a more docile fashion.

28mm high aileron?
40mm high elevator?

This seems much too high to me. What are you guys using?

Headed out around 8am. Wish me luck!

[Grossman56]

Constantly check those pesky grub screws as well. They can back off. My P-51B likes to dog track down the runway, which is a good sign they need to be checked!

Grossman56

[Prowler901]

Hi Arycon,

You should try to get the wheels as straight as you can. The "toe-out" could cause some bad wandering on the ground.

I've always balanced the spinner first. Then weigh and distribute the blades equally. Then re-balance the whole unit.

[Arycon]

Me again!


Im gearing up for a possible maiden tomorrow...depends on if I get the remaining items completed.

Question about the gear. Mine show toe out on the wheels. Is this normal or should they be straight? Would need to adjust the grub at the upper part of the gear strut if so, but gotta re-locktite all the gear grubs anyway.

How do you guys balance the spinner and blades? Make sure the blades same weight and then balance spinner on its own...then just add the blades?

[Shirty]

Yep. They stopped using 4 screws quite some time ago. I guess they figured they could save another $1.32 per model...

[Arycon]

Hey mate, the honest truth is there isn't much difference between a 3600 or 4000 in terms of weight, and most pilots wouldn't really notice any ill effects of going up to a 4000. 3600 should give you at least 5-6 mins of mixed throttle flying, (with time to land), 4000 maybe a minute or two more. Either of these will be fine. 30-40c is enough for these to fly comfortably, I don't believe you'll get very much of a noticeable return for going much higher in c rating with the stock 540kv motor. (I generally only exceed 40c for high powered setups in 3D planes or amp hogs like in edfs). Basically, anything from 3600-4000 and 30-40c will do the job on these mustangs just fine, you can't go wrong in this range.

Sounds like florida is similar to Perth. Hot, and windy. :)

Thanks, Shirty.

I ordered a 4000mah 30C Glacier from BuddyRC. I like their packs. Also picked up a Castle Creations 10A UBEC for extra peace of mind. I put them in all of my bigger aircraft.

Question for anyone...

Im only seeing two screw holes on the back plates for many of the included control horns yet the elevator had four holes in the foam, which suggested it took horn with 4 screws. Hardware doesnt support that.

Are the horns supposed to have only two screws?

[Shirty]

Hey mate, the honest truth is there isn't much difference between a 3600 or 4000 in terms of weight, and most pilots wouldn't really notice any ill effects of going up to a 4000. 3600 should give you at least 5-6 mins of mixed throttle flying, (with time to land), 4000 maybe a minute or two more. Either of these will be fine. 30-40c is enough for these to fly comfortably, I don't believe you'll get very much of a noticeable return for going much higher in c rating with the stock 540kv motor. (I generally only exceed 40c for high powered setups in 3D planes or amp hogs like in edfs). Basically, anything from 3600-4000 and 30-40c will do the job on these mustangs just fine, you can't go wrong in this range.

Sounds like florida is similar to Perth. Hot, and windy. :)

[Arycon]

Grats. Good luck with the maiden.

A pic of my 6s dd from today. :)

Thanks, Shirty!

Cold front in Florida is really jacking the weather here and it is super windy. It is good because it gives me a few days to get everything just right on the plane. Maybe a maiden on Wednesday. I do have a few questions for you guys, if you don't mind answering them.

For right now, my biggest question for anyone here is battery...

I'm debating if I should order a new lipo this morning, either a 3600 or 4000, but don't want to add too much weight. I don't like when I'm fighting between lipo capacity and performance (flight time). There is usually a sweet spot. I saw Pilot Ryan and Captain Mike were using 3600's in their Motion RC review.


1) What sized lipo do you guys favor? I see a lot of 4S 3600's used. What C rating? 40C and up? -- I currently have a pair of 4S 30C 3300 Glacier lipos. Thinking they're a little light on both capacity and C rating. I do like long flight time.


I'm going to try and order a new lipo by Noon so it comes early next week. Thanks.

[Shirty]

Grats. Good luck with the maiden.

A pic of my 6s dd from today. :)

[Arycon]

Haha! Proud new owner of the Duchess Arlene. She is on the way and due to arrive Thursday. Man, I sure am excited.

[Sky Wolf]

FMS 1700mm Mustang owners...I see it comes stock with the 300v motor, I would want to upgrade to the FMS 360kv motor, What is needed to change out the motors in the P-51 Mustang? I will also be purchasing the ZTW 120 Amp ESC for this upgrade. Thanks,:)

Tom C., if I remember correctly, I believe the motor mount matches up perfectly. It's been over 2 years since I changed mine out, so I can't remember all of the specifics. It was pretty darn easy though. Also, didn't feel the need to change out the ESC, and it works fine so far. Unlimited vertical and noticeably more speed. It's not a rocket by any means, but lots more power.

Ive read where some pilots even did the prop tie mod, but they definitely mpneeded to change out the ESC for that. Also read where the prop mod didn't make much difference.

Good luck with your mod!

[TomC]

FMS 1700mm Mustang owners...I see it comes stock with the 300v motor, I would want to upgrade to the FMS 360kv motor, What is needed to change out the motors in the P-51 Mustang? I will also be purchasing the ZTW 120 Amp ESC for this upgrade. Thanks,:)

[xviper]

They will be one of these:

https://www.motionrc.com/pages/search-results-page?q=grub+screws

Just take one out of the good strut and measure. Length won't matter too much as they will just sink into the hole.

[moodg16]

I need some help, what size are the set screws for the trunnion and for the strut on the 1450 FMS V8 P51 Mustang. Over time, I have to remove the strut assembly to straighten or replace the pins. The set screws are soft and the threads strip after a few uses. The set screw for the strut is a little longer. If anyone knows the sizes and where I can purchase a supply, I will be grateful :-)

[wrongroad]

I have two questions please, does the Minwax Clear Polyurethane develop a yellow tint over time, especially from the sun, and secondly, what are the best choices for a spray can and a bottle to match the base FMS P51D 1450 stock factory Silver for touch-ups?

Mate,
Tamiya XF16 is a very close match to the silver on the Mustangs. It is what I use and unless I point it out, no one has ever noticed it.
I thin it with alcohol [called methylated spirits here, white spirit, ethanol depending where you live] and use it through my airbrush but you must continually shake the jar as you go or the silver will settle out.
Happy New Year. May 2017 be a joyous and safe one for you and your family.
Regards and respect
Daryl

[Grossman56]

Also, ground handling is better with the FMS. I have two of the FMS (B and D) and two of the Freewing (both Old Iron Asses in disguise) one has the 650 kv from the P-40 and the other is stock, both FMS are running FMS 580 kv's
It's a tough one, but I think I'd go with the FMS, simply because I've never had a problem with the FMS where I have with the Freewings. Now, with the Old Crow version they have stepped it up a bit so it could very well be the superior bird, but like Charlie says, that two bladed prop just doesn't cut it for me. Mind you, the price has fallen substantially since its release so the four blade option is not as big of an expense as it once was.
Anyone flown this plane with the four blade prop on it??

Grossman56

[moodg16]

Thank you Grossman56 and OV10 for your informative replies, much appreciated :)