Official FlightLine RC 2000mm B-24D/J Liberator Thread

[TedP]

Hi everyone, I’m new to RC planes and I’m just starting to learn with an Apprentice S 15e.
Planning for the future, I bought a second-hand NIB Flightline 2000 MM B-24. I already have a DX9 and a Spektrum 9 channel receiver (AR9030T) I plan to use with it.
I won’t be flying it right away, but I do have several questions:
1. Is the Flightline B-24 available for RealFlight or other sim? Or are there other models in RealFlight which would handle similarly?
2. Are there certain replacement or upgrade parts I should get? Upgraded main gear already came with it.
3. Are there any particular tips or problems I should be aware of while building or flying?
4. What would be a good gyro choice?
5. Are there specific YouTube videos I should see for tips on building, flying, etc.?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Hugh Wiedman]

Can you post a link to "what I flew"? Looks like several things were missed. I think the biggest problem was this guys caller. Whenever I'm flying my turbines with non turbines, I prefer to stay at least 40-50ft above the ground over the runway. I can always fly my pattern as desired when I have the field. When I fly my electric / foamies, I simply don't fly when turbines are airborne. Dont want to be the one ruining a 15k aircraft, even if it is his fault. Sometimes, they take off when Im airborne. Hasnt happened but if I ruin his day, thats on him. I should have offered you compensation though.
turbines and slower aircraft dont mix well. Its like planes and helis.. or 3d plane guys who still hover at the far side of centerline, not moving, when youve called landing...

https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc-airplanes/miscellaneous-rc-radio-control-topics/56821-what-did-you-fly-today?p=280230#post280230

I think that will get you there, but not much more except some pictures and a better explanation of the occurrence. I also never fly when there is a turbine in the air but I was up for about 5 minutes (and had another 5 left on the timer) just as he pulled onto the field and got airborne. I immediately called landing to get out of his way but you are correct, his spotter (required for all turbines when other aircraft are up) clearly had his head up his butt, never looking anywhere except at his pilot's jet. But in the end, the pilot had no business doing a high speed pass over the runway when another pilot has called landing.

[Gringotuerto]

3. Are there any particular tips or problems I should be aware of while building or flying?

I have only one comment on the above. The B-24 has short dachshund legs, and so prop strikes can be a problem. Especially the outboard props are set wide, and so will strike the ground if you are not perfectly level on landing and takeoff. Maybe it is good to practice this with the Apprentice, and make directional corrections during landing with the rudder instead of aileron (which you should do anyway, but it is really important with the B-24). Anyway, best wishes, and hope you enjoy it!

[Elbee]

[SIZE=16px][FONT=Calibri]Hi everyone, I’m new to RC planes.

Hey TP, Welcome to "The Squawk". Best, LB

[xviper]

I have only one comment on the above. The B-24 has short dachshund legs, and so prop strikes can be a problem. Especially the outboard props are set wide, and so will strike the ground if you are not perfectly level on landing and takeoff. Maybe it is good to practice this with the Apprentice, and make directional corrections during landing with the rudder instead of aileron (which you should do anyway, but it is really important with the B-24). Anyway, best wishes, and hope you enjoy it!

Excellent advice! I was going to post the same thing. I bounced in and out of a divot and caught one outboard prop. The whole plane "tiddly winked" and did a cartwheel. Snapped the fuse in the middle, ripped one wing off, ripped out a gear and tore out on engine, busted prop and all. Other stuff need to be glued back as well.

[TedP]

I have only one comment on the above. The B-24 has short dachshund legs, and so prop strikes can be a problem. Especially the outboard props are set wide, and so will strike the ground if you are not perfectly level on landing and takeoff. Maybe it is good to practice this with the Apprentice, and make directional corrections during landing with the rudder instead of aileron (which you should do anyway, but it is really important with the B-24). Anyway, best wishes, and hope you enjoy it!

Thank you. Is a shorter prop with more pitch any help? This may be a dumb question, but remember I'm new at this.

[xviper]

Thank you. Is a shorter prop with more pitch any help? This may be a dumb question, but remember I'm new at this.

Yes, that would work, but it may give the plane an undesirable look. You could decrease diameter by 1" and increase pitch by 1". However, that will get your plane only 1/2" further from a blade strike on the ground. It depends on what kind of surface you fly from. If it's a smooth runway, blade strikes aren't as prominent. If on grass that's not even, a slightly smaller diameter prop might have marginal benefits. I think if you are proficient at ground handling both taking off and landing, you should be OK. Your point about a gyro is also a good option. The cheapest HobbyEagle A3-L is a very good choice for what you need. This will help stabilize the plane during all aspects of flight. Just get the instructions and follow them for success. If your taxiing on the take off and landing roll is a bit rough (ie, darting left to right along the runway), take a look at the Assan steering gyro. Available from RC Castle (about 18 bucks + shipping) and others. I've seen it work and it's very effective in controlling a "wandering" plane on the ground. It's primarily meant for planes with nose steering gear, which the B-24 is.

[F106DeltaDart]

It’s also got plenty of power as is, so a plain old decrease in diameter isn’t a bad option either. I’m currently running MAS 8x6 3 blades and it works nicely.

[mshagg]

+1 for those MAS props. Took a bit of work to cut down the stock adaptors to fit, but even with the downsize of prop it's still hilariously over powered. Oh and i get about 8 minutes from a single 6200mah.

[MikeT]

Hi everyone, I’m new to RC planes and I’m just starting to learn with an Apprentice S 15e.
Planning for the future, I bought a second-hand NIB Flightline 2000 MM B-24. I already have a DX9 and a Spektrum 9 channel receiver (AR9030T) I plan to use with it.
I won’t be flying it right away, but I do have several questions:
1. Is the Flightline B-24 available for RealFlight or other sim? Or are there other models in RealFlight which would handle similarly?
2. Are there certain replacement or upgrade parts I should get? Upgraded main gear already came with it.
3. Are there any particular tips or problems I should be aware of while building or flying?
4. What would be a good gyro choice?
5. Are there specific YouTube videos I should see for tips on building, flying, etc.?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Fly it on 3S , 4S is overkill.
Mike

[Gringotuerto]

I agree the prop situation depends a lot on the surface you fly from. I use the stock prop, but many people replaced them with shorter props. Also regarding gyros, I tend to use the Spektrum receivers with integrated gyros, like AR636 type. But I don't think it matters much, any gyro should work.

[TedP]

Thanks everyone for all the good ideas, I appreciate them. Are larger tires/wheels an option or would that require too much change in the wheel wells or elsewhere?

[Gringotuerto]

Thanks everyone for all the good ideas, I appreciate them. Are larger tires/wheels an option or would that require too much change in the wheel wells or elsewhere?

Hmm...I doubt that would get you much room. You would have to change all wheels, and there isn't much clearance. I think it is better to learn to fly a dachshund rather than trying to make a dachshund into a greyhound. B-24 has stubby legs, that's just how it is.

[themudduck]

Hey TedP, this plane is a really easy plane to fly and doesn't need any modification (my opinion).
You asked some good questions - every plane has its own quirks and this one isn't an exception to that rule.
To add to what others have already said (and to put in my 2 cents):

a) Read this entire forum thread from beginning to end
b) Prop strikes are a BIG danger and a complete disaster. So, fly it from a firm surface (not high grass), keep it level, and take off quickly. This plane will take off almost instantly, so do it. When landing, cut the power to zero at touchdown. This will help avoid prop breaks, but...
c) Order extra props. Inspect them each flight and replace your props if you notice any damage.
d) With 4-cell packs this bomber will practically fly "3D" style (hovering a B24 is fine, just not my style) But it will fly wonderfully with 3-cell packs (still overpowered), just be sure to balance it and you'll have no problem.
e) Use the rudders in turns. I mixed the rudder in with the ailerons. It will fly much better with rudder added because of the long wings (this is true with most planes that have long wings).
f) flaps are not an issue. Use them or not, it works great either way. Using half-flaps will help it take off even faster, and helps avoid stalls during landing.

[TedP]

+1 for those MAS props. Took a bit of work to cut down the stock adaptors to fit, but even with the downsize of prop it's still hilariously over powered. Oh and i get about 8 minutes from a single 6200mah.

Can you please give details on cutting down the adapters, or point me if it's already posted somewhere? I might want to try the shorter props.

[Gringotuerto]

,,, Use the rudders in turns. I mixed the rudder in with the ailerons. It will fly much better with rudder added because of the long wings (this is true with most planes that have long wings).

Agree, that is another distinguishing feature of the B-24. If you look at the ratio of wingspan to length, you will find the B-24 at the "short-coupled" end of the spectrum (wingspan/length is a very high 1.658). A pattern plane tends to have a long fuse, so the empennage is way back there, and consequently exerts great torque on the airframe and makes it very stable. Talking about scale planes, the P-47 is this way also - very stable (wingspan/length is a relatively small 1.128). But the B-24 is the opposite of this. If you make a table of wingspan vs. length of various planes and look at the ratio, you can see what I mean.

This makes the B-24 feel a little funny in the air. Obviously what is "good" or "bad" is a matter of personal preference, but there is no denying that this ratio is very high on the B-24 versus almost any other plane, and you can really feel it in the air. I am normally not a fan of automatic rudder/aileron mix, but if ever there was a plane that needed it, this is that plane.

The reason for this strange shape is the use of the "Davis wing." You can read about it on Wikipedia. Notice that the wing aspect ratio is very unusual - long wing with short cord.

Short legs, stubby body, pug nose, fat butt - it really is a beautifully ugly plane.

[Gringotuerto]

<error hit a wrong button...I don't see a way to delete post>

[xviper]

If you can't delete it, then you can go edit it (don't wait too long or it takes that feature away, too) by deleting all the typing and replacing it with a few of these "...........................", then save.

[JDill]

I used an idea from a Youtube video to cut down 4 3-bladed props on my B-24. In the video they made a 3d printed fixture. I just used two blocks of wood, one to mount a motor to and the other with a hole drilled to fit the business end of my Dremel. Then I clamped them to the edge of my work table with another wood piece between to get the proper height/spacing. It worked great to get an accurate cut on each blade. Then I just used a file to round the tips to their original shape and painted the tips. two of them were perfectly balanced and the other two were close. It was actually pretty easy other than there were 4 blades! Cut down was from the original 9.5" to 8.3".

Video link: https://youtu.be/MxHMUbuMAYs

[Elbee]

JDill , Well Done. Looks great and balanced properly...super mod. Best, LB