Official FlightLine RC 1600mm Spitfire Mk. IX Thread

[TiredIronGRB]

I usually try to adjust my throws to make my warbirds fly as scale as possible.

[Starck Mad]

Yup...like Shirty I'm also a 3D pilot, but that said I like to fly my scale planes scale...so smooth and steady while eating up big chunks of sky is the way I fly a Warbird. The idea behind more elevator throw is that when setting up a landing you should be much slower than normal which will somewhat desensitize the controls...also I don't wheel land a Spitfire. I three point it the way Spitfire pilots do it with the full scale plane. Watch some videos on youtube...you won't see many wheel landings with a Spitfire. Sometimes they even touch the tail wheel ever so slightly before the mains...the idea being that with the narrow gear and large prop it keeps the prop well away from a strike and bleeds much more speed off before touchdown making the roll out with the narrow gear less complicated. This works well with the model too and a realistic amount of elevator throw makes holding her off until shes into that nose high attitude much easier.

I saw that some of you flipped switches so I was offering a simple option. Personally I don't find this particular Spitfire overly sensitive at all and don't have rates dialed in. I've used two elevator rates on rare occasions with smaller planes but this one is so smooth it doesn't need it.(to me) Also like Shirty I spend a lot of time setting up a plane...although with this one I had it where I wanted it in three flights. With the right amount of expo big throws on a big plane like this isn't that hard to negotiate, and I've yet to "splash" it or any other warbird because of a realistic amount of elevator throw. Of course the set up certainly has to match the skill level and style of the particular pilot..so Shirty is right...different strokes for different folks.

I intend to do a detailed flight report and mini review about a few things I did with it soon.

Happy flying

[radfordc]

also I don't wheel land a Spitfire. I three point it the way Spitfire pilots do it with the full scale plane. Watch some videos on youtube...you won't see many wheel landings with a Spitfire. Sometimes they even touch the tail wheel ever so slightly before the mains...the idea being that with the narrow gear and large prop it keeps the prop well away from a strike and bleeds much more speed off before touchdown making the roll out with the narrow gear less complicated. This works well with the model too and a realistic amount of elevator throw makes holding her off until shes into that nose high attitude much easier.

I like to land like this video shows...on the main wheels first with the tail just a little off the ground. Doesn't take very much elevator authority to three point a warbird. But, again what you're comfortable with works.

https://youtu.be/3_VMhj-0ty8

[Beeg]

I started applying the decals to mine last night and the wing leading edge (yellow) decals all seem to be for the LH wing. Looks as though no one else is having or noticing a problem with theirs. By random chance I started with and completed the LH wing first and when I got to the RH wing...the remaining 2 yellow decals curve away from rather than into the curve in the leading edge, from; flat along the span, to curving aft toward the wingtip. The first two yellow decals I selected were a perfect curve BEFORE I ever pulled them from the sheet...I naturally thought; "Ok, these 2 fit this wing...& the other 2 fit the other wing." Now...my remaining 2 don't fit the "other" wing. All 4 of my yellow decals curve in the same direction at the small end toward the wing tip(s). I see pics posted and the "yellow" decals look perfect...? Anyone out there noticed a problem with their "yellow" wing decals? Maybe I am going crazy here and/or blind too...? ...anyone?

Shocktrooper. did you get your leading edge stickers sorted out?

[aring32]

So i received my new spitfire and began working on it until i realized i couldn't wait any longer to try and make the canopy slide.

It turned out great! i even painted the cockpit. :)

the part i used was a fms 1400mm p51 canopy slider/track

[handyman220]

Very nice, How much work to do the slider?

[aring32]

It takes a bit of mind-work to imagine how it would slide and what the canopy's position is when it would lock itself in. I had to snip some of the plastic off and also carve out foam, here are the pictures of my mechanism, to give you an idea about placement.

It looks a little ugly up close from experiementing but a little filler and paint will fix-er up.

[handyman220]

Thanks for the pics.I'm amazed at the mods, the creative things modelers do!

[shocktrooper]

Much thanks to Beeg in TX for the kind assist with my leading edge stickers and introducing me to yet another clever and painfully authentic text abbreviation; "BGO" : Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious. I like it!

[shocktrooper]

Right now, I am actually just plain 'ol giddy with happiness, gratitude, admiration and respect for all things MotionRC.com, and Hobbysquawk, up to & including the kind and brilliantly talented and intelligent fellow members here on this forum, as well as the staff & Mgmt. at MotionRC. This new FL Spitty is the "TRUTH"! This aint sloppy kisses and BS fluff...I mean every word. I remember way-back-when, a Sr. Drill Sgt. often screamed at me and my fellow teenaged boot camp compatriots; "HAPPY, MAD, SAD or GLAD...ALL I CARE ABOUT IS THE TRUTH maggots!"
He was as hard as 'unobtainium', and scary as hell!
I can only imagine what it must have been like for those 18, 19, & 20 year old 'boys' to have to go & face the Luftwaffe's finest with only 7 - 9 hours transition training from a fabric Tiger Moth biplane, into this 400 MPH fire (spitting) beast!

[barron06]

I like to land like this video shows...on the main wheels first with the tail just a little off the ground. Doesn't take very much elevator authority to three point a warbird. But, again what you're comfortable with works.

https://youtu.be/3_VMhj-0ty8

If the nose over tendency is pronounced with this aircraft, fullsize and/or this model, then a partial/full 3-point landing (nose-up slightly more) is may be safer and I will be doing it. Personally, I like wheel 1st landings.. looks so cool gradually reducing power and watching the tail slowly drop. Same for jets, mains 1st then slowly drop the nose (when I can do it).

[downwindleg]

Right now, I am actually just plain 'ol giddy with happiness, gratitude, admiration and respect for all things MotionRC.com, and Hobbysquawk, up to & including the kind and brilliantly talented and intelligent fellow members here on this forum, as well as the staff & Mgmt. at MotionRC. This new FL Spitty is the "TRUTH"! This aint sloppy kisses and BS fluff...I mean every word. I remember way-back-when, a Sr. Drill Sgt. often screamed at me and my fellow teenaged boot camp compatriots; "HAPPY, MAD, SAD or GLAD...ALL I CARE ABOUT IS THE TRUTH maggots!"
He was as hard as 'unobtainium', and scary as hell!
I can only imagine what it must have been like for those 18, 19, & 20 year old 'boys' to have to go & face the Luftwaffe's finest with only 7 - 9 hours transition training from a fabric Tiger Moth biplane, into this 400 MPH fire (spitting) beast!

I second all of that and speaking of Spits and the Luftwaffe, has anybody seen Dunkirk? They used three real Spitfires and a later variant of the Messerschmit on everything but the crashes and then used large, I mean really large, R.C. planes for the crash sequences....plus what looked like a twenty foot plus Heinkel 110 twin engine bomber!!!! :Cool: I guess they finally realized that c g just doesn't cut it.....especially when you have the real thing available. Brad

[Patrnflyr]

They were from Composite ARF and the ME-109's are from a soon to be released Airworld kit. Heinkel's were scratch built. My CARF Spit uses a DA 100 inline twin. Flies like a Cub

[downwindleg]

Nice shot of the Heinkel and other planes in the shop. You're Spit ain't half bad either, Brad

[downwindleg]

BTW glad to see an MRC plane on this months cover of MAN. The Avanti S looks sweet! How's that for abbreviations? Brad

[aring32]

Finished building the spitfire, i'm relieved there weren't any hiccups, i added the water-slide decals and while they may have a bit of fogginess i think they were worth it to make the plane more authentic ;)

It looks like a balsa spitfire like the hangar 9 spitfire but better, that's what i think.

Thanks flight-line!

[paladin]

I've added .080 in #6 washers (2x) under the back ears of the LG mechanism, in the hope it will require less E to keep the nose up on ROG from grass. any more and the nice wing cove will have to be shed. wount b able to test till next week though.

Joe

[franky]

I have a little question about the black non slip battery pad. This is unknown to me, i used to have velcro to fix my batteries. How to us this pad? glueing?

[dkalwishky]

I didn't use that pad, I put down Velcro since all of my batteries have Velcro on them.

If you use the black pad you'll glue it into place.

[franky]

Ok, thanks for the info, i will stay on my velcro.