downwindleg/Aros ESM 50cc F4U Corsair Build (Electric Conversion)

[davegee]

Thanks fellas. Appreciate the kind words...Agreed Brad, it's indeed the friendships discovered and built that is the greatest joy of the hobby. Cheers and happy holidays all!

Hi Todd: I know that has to be a very big disappointment not to be able to safely chance putting her in the air after all these years of hard effort. But on the positive side, you got to use your modeling skills in creating a beautiful scale improvement over where you started. All that time, effort, and money was not totally lost. I'm sure that with each project you take up, when you complete them, there is a satisfaction of seeing it through to the end, and you have probably improved your skills with each project you take on.

So, think about what project you want to tackle, maybe after the holidays. Getting back into the fray at some level, is always good medicine!


All the best, and Merry Christmas!

Dave

[Elbee]

Well I am sad to report that after all these years, time and money investment, I have to let her go.

Aros, Sorry to read about your quandary and ultimate decision to "let 'er go". I have had similar realizations with the same final outcome. It is a "bit-of-a-risk" taking on someone else's unfinished work as a personal dream completion project. I hope this has not tainted you against building more balsa, but there are real advantages to starting with a fully functional airframe when modifying to a dream. If all this makes sense to you, you're a better man than I, Gunga Din. Hope you find a new dream project and it has 'bent wings'. Best, LB

[Aros]

Thank you gents for your very kind words. I must admit it soured me a bit on these giant balsa ARFs but I fully realize not all ARFs are created equal, and this particular model has been discontinued now for many years...Guess I'll just have to rob that bank and grab me a CARF wing-fold Corsair with a Moki after all!

[downwindleg]

Hey Aros, this might be a little late in the game but I was thinking over the whole thing about the weight issue. It occurred to me that the six Savox servos, the four hitec servos, the electric retracts and aluminum wheels have to weigh five pounds just by themselves. That’s one thing, then I remembered from previous Corsair builds, that the wing is almost always around half the total weight of the plane. At least when your talking about fiberglass composite models and especially the Corsair. So I am wondering what the total weight of the plane is. If I were guessing, I’d say 32 to 38lbs. If you weigh it and it comes in above 32 lbs., then it seems like it should be OK. Could the plane be lighter? Of course it could but I keep remembering how many guys on the forums like RC Universe had good outcomes with this model. Having said all that, if you have already turned the corner and lost your emotional momentum on this model, making a u turn might be too much. But if you sell the plane “as is” , just remember this baby is still worth a few clams my friend. Clams that could be applied to the next incredible project.

[Aros]

I was thinking the same thing Brad. 5 pounds sounds like nothing for a model this size and AUW. Maybe my friend quoted the guy wrong? I will have to ask. Good thoughts my friend!

[downwindleg]

I have to throw this in as well. There are literally dozens of videos on YouTube of this very same plane using a Saito fg 57 I believe on maidens and follow up flights doing just fine. I don’t buy what your buddy is selling my friend. Don’t you think there would be plenty of negative stuff out there if this plane flew like a manhole cover?

[Aros]

Okay I need to clarify. I asked my buddy and apparently there was a serious misunderstanding. He never said the wing should be 5 pounds and it should be 16.5 instead. What he really said is that the wing should be around 16.5 pounds and it was actually 24-25 pounds when he weighed it. So numbers aside, the paradigm remains. It's still waaaaaay too heavy.

I don't have AUW numbers at the moment but I can guarantee you with a 25 pound wing, that puts the AUW close to 45-50 pounds which is nowhere close to the 32-35 pound AUW it should be.

So the point is, even if I misunderstood the original calculations, the data remains the same. A wing much too heavy which makes this bird unflyable. Or like the guy said, "Well sure it will fly...It just won't fly for long."

So a new wing is still necessary.

[Elbee]

Okay I need to clarify. I asked my buddy and apparently there was a serious misunderstanding. He never said the wing should be 5 pounds and it should be 16.5 instead. What he really said is that the wing should be around 16.5 pounds and it was actually 24-25 pounds when he weighed it. So numbers aside, the paradigm remains. It's still waaaaaay too heavy.

I don't have AUW numbers at the moment but I can guarantee you with a 25 pound wing, that puts the AUW close to 45-50 pounds which is nowhere close to the 32-35 pound AUW it should be.

So the point is, even if I misunderstood the original calculations, the data remains the same. A wing much too heavy which makes this bird unflyable. Or like the guy said, "Well sure it will fly...It just won't fly for long."

So a new wing is still necessary.

Aros, sounds like you can use the old "heavy" wing as a place to sit while you decide what to do. , Best, LB

[Aros]

Aros, sounds like you can use the old "heavy" wing as a place to sit while you decide what to do. , Best, LB

[downwindleg]

It might be worth figuring the wing loading on this plane and see how it stacks up against similar composite models of similar wingspan. Might even be worth an opinion from another expert . I don’t mean to be a pain, just hate to see you throw in the towel, after all your hard work,before turning over a few more stones my friend.

[Grossman56]

Hmmare we talking wing or wing with all the hardware? Apples and oranges I'm thinking. Total all up weight should be higher than 32 lbs if the wing weighs a lot more than it should. Find the total auw first.
Doesn't seem reasonable that someone built all that extra weight into a wing of a kit for an advanced model builder. "Something just doesn't add up" I think as I sit on my Corsair wing.

Grossman56

[downwindleg]

I’m in agreement with something not adding up, but then I use my wing for snowboarding. Keeping the gear retracted is a must though unless you use one at a time for steering.

[Grossman56]

Actually, the Corsair wing would make a great hoverboard.

Grossman56

[Aros]

Well I picked her up from my buddy's...He showed me what his buddy was referring to with all the added weight. Someone sprayed a bunch of that hardening foam that expands into several joints and creases in the wheel housing section, and a bunch of it ended up going deep within the internal wings themselves. So that is the culprit. I can take photos of what I am talking about.

[Grossman56]

Damn, I was hoping we were on to something that would have saved the project. So what you're saying is the fuselage is in good shape, the retracts and servos for the wing are good. What you need is a basic wing. Maybe this has just become a HobbySquawk project. Anyone aware of somebody with a good set of wings for this bird? Give us the details and you never know what's lying around out there. How much would a new wing cost?

Grossman56

[Aros]

Hmmm, food for thought! I would need a 1/5 scale Corsair wing with the scale flap setup that would fit the ESM Corsair fuselage. So basically another ESM 1/5 scale Corsair wing set, LOL! Problem is, it's been long discontinued so trying to find a replacement wing would be the proverbial needle in a haystack.

[downwindleg]

Boy, I don’t have any other ideas. I don’t remember seeing allot of foam in the wing but there’s allot I don’t remember these days. LoL If that is the kind of expanding foam we use around doors and windows, it really doesn’t weigh much. Anyway, I hoe someone flies it someday and takes some video. Keep us posted on what you decide. Meanwhile, the Rams are falling like flies. Looks like we’ll have to wait til Tuesday to beat them.

[Grossman56]

I wonder if you have the plans that show each rib/ section in scale so you could duplicate it? One of the guys in our club has at least two warehouses of planes (no kidding), I might not be able to get ahold of him til Spring, but he buys up yard sales from enthusiasts who are no longer with us. You just know that somewhere out there someone has a kit sitting collecting dust.

Grossman56

[downwindleg]

I am hoping this is not the last post on this thread and that whoever picks up the baton carries it across the finish line and shares the further adventures of the electric Corsair with the rest of us. Aros….... all the best my good friend.

[Aros]

Thanks Brad! Still sitting in my garage collecting dust I'm afraid. We shall see what fate has in store for her.