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Official FlightLine RC 1200mm F8F-1 Bearcat Thread

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  • I fly mine with a 3600 4S all the way forward, I added some nose weight in front of the batter (1/2oz I think). Properly balanced the planes flies beautifully. I love mine.

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    • Originally posted by Builda View Post
      Has everyone seen the post on MRC site that says to fly this plane with nothing under 4000mah otherwise it’s tail heavy? That’s a big lipo for such a small bird, but I’ve had no end of tail heavy issues with mine and I’ve only flown it 2 times. The retracts on this plane are a joke-I’ve had 8 PAIRS of retracts in this plane to find 2 that don’t die after being operated more than 2 times! I had actually decided to make it a belly lander and went and got the power upgrade and 2 blade prop for it-am yet to try it out. I just wondered if any of you have flown it with a 4000mah 4s in (and if y’all have also had retract unit issues with it)
      I have only used Admiral 4000, 4S in my Bearcat. I had to add 6 ounces of lead to the inside of the dummy radial in addition to the battery to get it to balance slightly nose down. No tail heavy tendencies after that... A lot of weight to add, but without it, the plane was almost uncontrollable without 65 percent expo on the elevator. Now it flies beautifully.

      I have an A3-L gyro in all my planes, but it certainly is not necessary. No issues on the gear, except that occasionally the aerodynamic forces on the gear doors pop them open in flight... Hope this helps. Sorry yours have been so problematic...

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      • Even with the heavy battery and the 6 ounces of lead, it lands fairly slow with full flaps deployed. Don't drag it in; land it on the mains and let it roll out.... :Cool:

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        • Originally posted by Hardway View Post

          I have only used Admiral 4000, 4S in my Bearcat. I had to add 6 ounces of lead to the inside of the dummy radial in addition to the battery to get it to balance slightly nose down. No tail heavy tendencies after that... A lot of weight to add, but without it, the plane was almost uncontrollable without 65 percent expo on the elevator. Now it flies beautifully.

          I have an A3-L gyro in all my planes, but it certainly is not necessary. No issues on the gear, except that occasionally the aerodynamic forces on the gear doors pop them open in flight... Hope this helps. Sorry yours have been so problematic...
          I thought Dynam retracts were bad until I got this plane!! It’s certainly changed my mind about buying anything else flightline because it’s more expensive than Dynam but just as problematic in the retract dept (in my experience) and it seems just about all the warbirds use the same retract unit :(shame cause I was going to buy a Sea Fury too but I’m not so sure now. I’m starting to think I might stick to FMS or Freewing!

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          • Hmmm, interesting.....
            Flew mine stock with a 4000 all the way forward and didn't have to add weight, it was one of the easiest maidens out of all the planes, I did and still do have an
            A3L in mine. Now with the upgraded 650 kv motor and FMS 1400 mm Corsair prop on the front, I had to add a pad of weight to the tail.
            As I've reiterated several times before, this plane will stand on its tail and go vertical as long as you want it to. It will probably hover, but I haven't tried that (yet)
            I agree with all that the weak part of the design is the landing gear. The amount of torque from the wheel to the gear base tends to mean a lot of gear popping out of the wings. Retract-wise, mine have been fine, but it really needs an upgraded landing strut with a shock absorbing mechanism. The second biggest problem I have is getting the gear to capture the inner door wires. Works fine on the ground, but in the air, it gets stuck more often than not.
            Last time the gear separated from the wing, I used Epoxy to remount it. I've tried FoamTac and its ok, but it needs that little bit more (needs to go to eleven) (The movie Spinal Tap if you didn't know)
            At Riverton, they have a very rough surfaced runway and it will peel the gear out just about every time, so grass landings, I would imagine, are out as well.
            All in all though, a fun little airplane and I have recommended it to a few of the fellows as a first warbird as they love mine.

            Grossman56
            Team Gross!

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            • The struts now are listed as metal, with a metal backing plate and 4mm struts, anyone get a recent one with these retracts? that would be a big improvement! I have ripped out my struts several times and gone thri several sets of wings because of severe damage when they rip out, also am supporting beacon foam tac. This is what it now says on the plane description for retracts: I have not flown mine in a while due to the retracts, and yes I am flying with a 4000 mah and still added a lot of lead to the inside of the cowl to balance
              • Electric retractable landing gear with metal trunions, metal reinforcement plate and 4mm steel wire struts

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              • Originally posted by Mikeinlutz View Post
                The struts now are listed as metal, with a metal backing plate and 4mm struts, anyone get a recent one with these retracts? that would be a big improvement! I have ripped out my struts several times and gone thri several sets of wings because of severe damage when they rip out, also am supporting beacon foam tac. This is what it now says on the plane description for retracts: I have not flown mine in a while due to the retracts, and yes I am flying with a 4000 mah and still added a lot of lead to the inside of the cowl to balance
                • Electric retractable landing gear with metal trunions, metal reinforcement plate and 4mm steel wire struts
                That's the very retracts I have had in my one countless times. I've actually put the optional upgrade motor and 2 blade prop on now and decided the retracts will only be for takeoff until they prove that they can be relied on. Ifd still like a sea fury, and I really like the liberator-i haven't looked at that thread though to see what its gripes are...YET.

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                • If they are improved landing gear, it would sure be a welcomed upgrade! Anyone getting a new Bearcat, snap some pics and let us all in on it.

                  Grossman56
                  Team Gross!

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                  • Just bought the MRC Scratch & Dent. I will open it up this weekend and take some pics and post for you all.
                    In the Hanger
                    Too many to count

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                    • Great, hopefully they have, but I doubt it.

                      I'm checking out some struts with the hope of finding an upgrade.

                      Grossman56
                      Team Gross!

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                      • Mine arrives later today. I'll post some pics. I purchased mine based heavily upon the level of quality I have experienced with two other Flightline products in my hangar and the promise of the metal upgrades to the gear assembliy. I hope I am not disappointed.
                        There are hundreds of RC aviation videos viewable here; WBRC

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                        • Let us all know what you think about it, WrightBrosRC! Our Bearcat turns three years old this month, but it's still a crowd pleaser and we plan to keep it in the lineup for a very long time.
                          Live Q&A every Tuesday and Friday at 9pm EST on my Twitch Livestream

                          Live chat with me and other RC Nuts on my Discord

                          Camp my Instagram @Alpha.Makes

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                          • Originally posted by Alpha.MotionRC View Post
                            Let us all know what you think about it, WrightBrosRC! Our Bearcat turns three years old this month, but it's still a crowd pleaser and we plan to keep it in the lineup for a very long time.
                            Will do, I'm excited about it. The club flight team "The Wind Breakers" is evaluating it as the next aircraft to replace or add to the Dynam Metors we have been flying for about 4 years now.

                            Seperately, I wanted to thank you for introducing yourself to Fred Johnsen. I met him while helping to restore his B-24 Privateer cockpit. The B-24 is his fave and it was a tremendous coincidence and great success/joy that he came to visit me on the day the Flightline B-24 was ready for maiden. You can tell from his video of my flight how much love he has for aviation. (and he knows literally everything about every aircraft. he's like an encyclopedia.) We went through the construction and scale comparisons while chatting about the concessions we make for cost, flyability, etc.in our models and the process of bringing this B-24 RC concept to fruition. As an aviation historian you can imagine he has high standards.He obviously appreciates your efforts. ;)
                            There are hundreds of RC aviation videos viewable here; WBRC

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                            • WARNING! – WARNING! – WARNING!

                              This may be old news but if your research for products and supplies turns up a RC supplier called VampowerPro or Urban Products Inc. DO NOT I repeat DO NOT try to buy anything from them, not even a screw because that’s what you’ll get!!! I learned the hard way and though I didn’t lose any money (my CC company reversed charges) I wasted so much time chasing them for information. They don’t take calls; their mailbox is full and don’t return any emails and I just learned this has been going on for 8+ years. My bad for not conducting any due diligence on them. I’ve never seen any company as bad as these dirt bags and I’m surprised PayPal hasn’t shut them down so heed the warning!
                              Last edited by Grover54; Apr 9, 2019, 11:07 AM. Reason: spelling

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                              • Originally posted by Alpha.MotionRC View Post
                                Let us all know what you think about it, WrightBrosRC! Our Bearcat turns three years old this month, but it's still a crowd pleaser and we plan to keep it in the lineup for a very long time.
                                Yep, the Bearcat rocks! If it just had an optional strut upgrade.....:Straight-Face::Confused:

                                Grossman56
                                Team Gross!

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                                • Hello Gents,

                                  For any RC war bird, how would you rate the potential of a crash/fatality if the rudder control surface were to suddenly separate mid flight?

                                  I honestly don't know the answer for myself. I would like to think I am prepared for everything reasonable and then some. Regardless, keeping the rudder attached to the aircraft during flight is an amazingly high priority for me. The safety implications alone and the damage I could cause from taking that risk is by itself reason for thought.

                                  Let's put that thought on hold though for a bit.

                                  This aircraft is visually attractive and mirrors my experience with other Flightline products. It does have the newer version metal retracts and without disassembling them for inspection, they appear to be attached very well within the socket. The misc. assembly hardware had some minor quality issues that my other Flightline products did not seem to have. It was packaged very well too.

                                  On page 11 of the assembly manual the manufacturer presents the suggestion the rudder will fail. They indicate the extra hardware (not shown in the parts identification on page 2) is included because they are aware of this undetermined potential. The injection molded hinges included for convenience are not thoroughly molded and would be at the very least as unreliable as foam if not more so.

                                  The problem is ambiguously identified, yet ink was spent to print the advisory in the manual. An effort was made and a suggested solution was provided which however is inexplicably less reliable than the original configuration. Is there a risk or no?

                                  Adding to the ambiguity, except for the flaps, all of the remaining control surfaces and hinges are foam exactly as the rudder. If the rudder is unsafe, are the other foam hinges unsafe?

                                  I'm not sure what to think about this but my own searches for information regarding rudder failures for this model come up empty. Nothing in the forum. Seems logical that problems would have shown up here in some way if they existed.

                                  It should fly very safely for an unspecified time, long enough obviously to get more info on the foam hinge questions before a failure is ever a worry.

                                  That said, I'm excited to maiden it with no concerns at all in the short term. I'll finish up my thoughts after a few flights tomorrow and share them afterward.There will be two Bearcats for maiden flight at the field actually and hopefully some nice video of them too. It should be an awesome day!


                                  -Den






                                  There are hundreds of RC aviation videos viewable here; WBRC

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                                  • The Bearcat has held up fine so far... Just a side note.... I was flying my corsair inverted and touched the rudder to the ground. It promptly left the vertical fin. With a corsair, there is not much fin there!! :Scared: I pushed out and rolled over and kept flying to evaluate. I made my turn and set up for landing. To my surprise, it flew just fine!!! I was scared that when I slowed down, it would loose stability. It started a slight wobble in the yaw axis, but landed fine!! :Cool: So in that case, it was not catastrophic... FWIW.... ;) Jerry

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                                    • It was a Tower Hobbies F4U, not the Flightline.... Sorry to leave out that little detail!

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                                      • Rained out today! Trying again tomorrow...

                                        About your awesome F4U landing, I would like to think I would handle it the same way. My thought was more about not wanting to take off knowing there is an unclarified risk per the mfg.

                                        I'm curious what your Bearcat AUW is? I opted to skip the added nose weight and instead upped the batt to 6kmah. I too needed at least 6oz to attain the mfg CG. The diff between my 4k and 6k batts is 7.3oz and I slide the batt back a bit to place the CG right on the money.

                                        I am likely in the minority in that I prefer my scale aircraft these days to have a wing loading that is toward the heavier side. (not unflyable obviously) From reading your previous comments I gather the added weight is not really a problem?

                                        -Den
                                        There are hundreds of RC aviation videos viewable here; WBRC

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                                        • :Cool:I really dont know the AUW. I would much rather have the weight in the battery! It files fine with the added weight and just a touch nose heavy. It is very smooth and lands at a reasonable speed, right on the mains with full flaps. I really like it! For a Bearcat, it is very tame....

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