Official FMS 1400mm P-51D V8 Thread

[xviper]

Xviper, keep us informed as I'd like to know what you think of the HH version as compared to the FMS. It looked to me that Pilot Ryan had his share of troubles trying to land the thing, and I've never had a problem with my V8 that I couldn't attribute to fumble fingers. Into her seventh season, so far I've replaced the tires and some prop blades.

Grossman56

I finally managed to maiden my Eflite P-51 today and do a second flight even. The maiden showed me that the plane needed a LOT of UP elevator in the trim. No wonder the tail came up so quickly on the first attempt that broke the blades grinding them into the ground on the take off roll. Anyway, being very careful to keep the tail on the ground till it got some speed going, it lifted off OK but kept wanting to dive. Finally got it trimmed and it flew quite well. It has great presence in the air with its stripes and multi-blotched paint scheme. The second was picture perfect, take off was straight and true with no veering off to the left or torquing to the left as many have witnessed. The key is to run up the speed gradually, keeping the tail on the ground a bit longer than one normally would. This same approach works for both my Corsairs, too.
Comparing this Eflite to my old FMS 1450mm BBD with the FMS P-47 motor, bigger ESC and 6s power, the Eflite flies HEAVY at about 1 kilo more weight. It's very sluggish in the air but with that massive, high pitch propeller, it pulls like a freight train. Nevertheless, the 6s powered BBD is faster and more nimble. Landing the BBD is smoother for me but I think I can do just as well once I replace the stock hard tires with Robart low bounce ones like what I have on the BBD even though the second landing was quite smooth (with no bounce).
The BBD you see in my picture is my old one that I gave to my flying buddy, who brought it out today but didn't feel confident enough to fly it. If I had to do it all over again, I would get the the bigger FMS 1700 P-51 Redtail. These foamie warbirds need the bigger size to do them justice and if the higher kv motor of the Eflite or Jug can take spinning the giant 1700 prop, I'd give that a try. But for now, I'll just content myself with flying the Eflite for a while.

[FLY BOY]

No smoke, its just some people think they know every thing, when they have never read the label. It says right on the label when you buy the V4 T-28 Trojan, Will handle 4s, 5s, and 6s batt, and has Japanese bearings, all on a 70amp ESC. So Im going to prove it fact or false advertisement. Its not about whos right or wrong. I want to know is FMS selling a lie. There are videos posted on youtube with V4 T28's running 6s packs as well on this claimed set up.

[Grossman56]

If I had to do it all over again, I would get the the bigger FMS 1700 P-51 Redtail. These foamie warbirds need the bigger size to do them justice and if the higher kv motor of the Eflite or Jug can take spinning the giant 1700 prop, I'd give that a try. But for now, I'll just content myself with flying the Eflite for a while.

My thinking as well, if you could upgrade the motor on the FMS 1700 mm bird with something with a bit more poke...
Wait a minute, isn't that what they said when they decided to try a Merlin in a P-51??
Isn't that what we all said when we upgraded our motors from the stock 540kv's that the 1450's came with ??
Seems to me like history repeating itself
Seems like the right thing to do though, that 1700mm version is really something to see.
Now, I still say that Alpha needs to put his money where his mouth is, after all he was the one who said that a Piper Cub and a P-51 would always be a good selling airplane. Time for a 1600 mm P-51B Alpha

Grossman56

[xviper]

My thinking as well, if you could upgrade the motor on the FMS 1700 mm bird with something with a bit more poke...

Grossman56

Apparently, if you look at the FMS site, the latest version of the 1700mm Redtail comes with the 360kv motor. I upgraded my 1700mm Corsair with this motor and it makes a tremendous improvement. The webpage at Horizon Hobby for this plane still states the old 300kv motor.

[FLY BOY]

I agree Grossman56!!! Lets see a 1600mm P51 Mustang and make it a ZIPPY one!!! NO MODS REQUIRED!!!

[Jorgcama]

Amain Hobbie had said the FMS 1450 Red Tail was expected to arrive June 16th. Now it says July 28th. Frustrating!

This airplane made me look at RC flying again and I have my FMS P51 1400mm on back order since June 1st when the expectation was to be available On June 26th. Yes, I am anxiously awaiting for a July 28th availability now!!! BTW I am so new To this hobby that I just had my first maiden flight on a sky trainer after been adamantly practicing with the simulator for months..... I will tell that story later as it did not go that well.....stay safe pilots!

[xviper]

This airplane made me look at RC flying again and I have my FMS P51 1400mm on back order since June 1st when the expectation was to be available On June 26th. Yes, I am anxiously awaiting for a July 28th availability now!!! BTW I am so new To this hobby that I just had my first maiden flight on a sky trainer after been adamantly practicing with the simulator for months..... I will tell that story later as it did not go that well.....stay safe pilots!

As said before, Amain is part of the Horizon Hobby family now, so any availability expectations will be determined by how accurate the Horizon information is that they give to Amain. You might be better to track the expected availability on the Horizon site. This is the only 1400 size of P-51 that Horizon carries, so it's likely that's the one that Amain will get. On the Horizon site, it states "mid-August" as the next shipment and from past experience, that may or may not be true. The Amain site now says expected availibility is "August 20". Generally, hobby shops get their stock a few days after Horizon gets their shipment, since that's where the shops get it from. I think that "July 28" date is no longer valid.
https://www.horizonhobby.com/product...50mm-fmm008prt
If your "Sky Trainer" story didn't go well, it might be a good idea to practice (both on the sim and on the real trainer) a lot more before taking the P-51 off the ground. Tail dragging warbirds can have a tendency to "bite ya", even to seasoned pilots. I think you've figured out by now that although a flight sim is good for developing certain "muscle memory", it is not always that realistic when flying the actual model.

[Zoggan]

As said before, Amain is part of the Horizon Hobby family now, so any availability expectations will be determined by how accurate the Horizon information is that they give to Amain. You might be better to track the expected availability on the Horizon site. This is the only 1400 size of P-51 that Horizon carries, so it's likely that's the one that Amain will get. On the Horizon site, it states "mid-August" as the next shipment and from past experience, that may or may not be true. The Amain site now says expected availibility is "August 20". Generally, hobby shops get their stock a few days after Horizon gets their shipment, since that's where the shops get it from. I think that "July 28" date is no longer valid.
https://www.horizonhobby.com/product...50mm-fmm008prt
If your "Sky Trainer" story didn't go well, it might be a good idea to practice (both on the sim and on the real trainer) a lot more before taking the P-51 off the ground. Tail dragging warbirds can have a tendency to "bite ya", even to seasoned pilots. I think you've figured out by now that although a flight sim is good for developing certain "muscle memory", it is not always that realistic when flying the actual model.

I'm beginning to wonder if this plane is going to become reality or not? The August 20th date is now 2 months out from when I began looking into the FMS 1450 P51 and the expected in stock date was June 16th from HH. I now have zero faith that they will be shipped to make that date either, and I'm starting to wonder if they'll be back in production at all......

[Jorgcama]

As said before, Amain is part of the Horizon Hobby family now, so any availability expectations will be determined by how accurate the Horizon information is that they give to Amain. You might be better to track the expected availability on the Horizon site. This is the only 1400 size of P-51 that Horizon carries, so it's likely that's the one that Amain will get. On the Horizon site, it states "mid-August" as the next shipment and from past experience, that may or may not be true. The Amain site now says expected availibility is "August 20". Generally, hobby shops get their stock a few days after Horizon gets their shipment, since that's where the shops get it from. I think that "July 28" date is no longer valid.
https://www.horizonhobby.com/product...50mm-fmm008prt
If your "Sky Trainer" story didn't go well, it might be a good idea to practice (both on the sim and on the real trainer) a lot more before taking the P-51 off the ground. Tail dragging warbirds can have a tendency to "bite ya", even to seasoned pilots. I think you've figured out by now that although a flight sim is good for developing certain "muscle memory", it is not always that realistic when flying the actual model.

True, I just cancelled my B/O with Amain and reopened with HH altogether, we will see... as for my sky trainer, you are right, I better get more time on it. The story is that the plane broke a wing in the air due to a QA issue but the vendor shipped a replacement plane at no cost ( love these guys) so, I guess I will have plenty of time to keep practicing live flight. Stay safe!

[FLY BOY]

Well thats interesting. I went to 5 different web sights today looking for a new FMS P51 and all were sold out and on back order. I had a nice Red Tail Mustang but today in my need for for speed I installed a 120amp speed controller and a 6s lipo.. Here at Sky Ranger RC we are doing some product testing with the FMS KV650N motor which is the replacement motor for the V4 Trojan that FMS claims will handle a 4s, 5s, and 6s lipos on a 70 amp speed controller. Well the claim is false for the KV650N replacement motor. On a 14x8x3 blade prop which has the same thrust as the V4 Trojans 13x9x3 blade it pulls a whopping 105 static amps on the bench. The standard KV650 motor found in there P-40 War hawk drew the same amps on 6s. So it appears there is no difference between these 2 motors. So theres one option left and the most expensive, A new FMS V4 T-28 Trojan is on the way. We want to see the truth and find out if there claim is true. The reason why we need a new Mustang you ask? With the KV650N motor all was well untill I eased into full throttle. The radar gun was showing 108mph and climbing when the motor flew out of the mustang. Not only did the motor fly out, but it tore the mustang in half as the huge plastic motor mount tore out of the fuse. A close examination found also the metal X mount was bent outward and the X mount screw heads were broke off too. WOW! The GPS speed meter inside the plane also confirmed a peak speed of 105 mph when the mustang came apart. So we cant wait for the arrival of the FMS T-28 Trojan and test it to see what motor is in that bird. The KV650N may be a replacement motor for it, But cant be the motor that comes with it. The KV650N is a 4s motor and may work on 6s after changing to a much smaller prop. But who wants to do that? HA!!!

[Jorgcama]

Well folks, I got an update for y’all, our beloved plane is in production at the FMS house and the first batch is being finished this week.
we shall need to wait for the 4 week transit time plus customs & Warehouse shenanigans to see the first backorders shipped.
happy 4th and stay safe!

[zinkracer]

Have a gear sequencing problem and gear door inoperative.

I had the right side strut and wheel come off during takeoff. I flew a bit, closed the gear and belly landed - no drama. I secured the wheel/shaft to the strut and added a 6mm set screw to keep the wheel from coming off again. I had a spare spring installed - the other came out when the wheel came loose.

I sequenced the gear to the down position of course during the repair. After that, I powered the plane to test the gear. The right side gear door would not open. I opened it manually and cycled the gear but the system didn't seem to like it when that gear door would not open on its own. (no wires are loose). After cycling the gear a few times things got worse and now only the left gear will retract and now the gear door on the left side is closed and the left gear cannot fully retract. What a mess.

Need some advice. Have not tried to replace the right side gear door servo. I did try to unplug that main harness (no power applied) and then repower but no help.

Thanks for any advice. Obviously can't fly the plane now.

John Gaither
Brevard, NC
zinkracer@gmail.com

[Zoggan]

Well folks, I got an update for y’all, our beloved plane is in production at the FMS house and the first batch is being finished this week.
we shall need to wait for the 4 week transit time plus customs & Warehouse shenanigans to see the first backorders shipped.
happy 4th and stay safe!

Oh this is excellent news! I have been trying to get an update from FMS as I have one on BO too. They might be tired of hearing from me! I was beginning to lose hope as they've been pushed back from June to July and now August. Thank you so much!

[xviper]

Have a gear sequencing problem and gear door inoperative.

I had the right side strut and wheel come off during takeoff. I flew a bit, closed the gear and belly landed - no drama. I secured the wheel/shaft to the strut and added a 6mm set screw to keep the wheel from coming off again. I had a spare spring installed - the other came out when the wheel came loose.

I sequenced the gear to the down position of course during the repair. After that, I powered the plane to test the gear. The right side gear door would not open. I opened it manually and cycled the gear but the system didn't seem to like it when that gear door would not open on its own. (no wires are loose). After cycling the gear a few times things got worse and now only the left gear will retract and now the gear door on the left side is closed and the left gear cannot fully retract. What a mess.

Need some advice. Have not tried to replace the right side gear door servo. I did try to unplug that main harness (no power applied) and then repower but no help.

Thanks for any advice. Obviously can't fly the plane now.

John Gaither
Brevard, NC
zinkracer@gmail.com

Do the retracts go in without touching the sides? Before you start replacing servos, I suggest you go in with a servo tester to see if the doors work and then if each retract works. It may be the sequencer. You'll need to pull it out anyway so inspect it and see if all the plugs are in there securely. Then pull off each plug and hook each up to a servo tester and run them. If they work on the tester, then suspect the sequencer.

[zinkracer]

Do the retracts go in without touching the sides? Before you start replacing servos, I suggest you go in with a servo tester to see if the doors work and then if each retract works. It may be the sequencer. You'll need to pull it out anyway so inspect it and see if all the plugs are in there securely. Then pull off each plug and hook each up to a servo tester and run them. If they work on the tester, then suspect the sequencer.

Good advice. Thanks, I'll give all this a try. I'll post what I find. Thanks!

[Zoggan]

Well folks, I got an update for y’all, our beloved plane is in production at the FMS house and the first batch is being finished this week.
we shall need to wait for the 4 week transit time plus customs & Warehouse shenanigans to see the first backorders shipped.
happy 4th and stay safe!

Any news on the progress? I'm not sure my order would be included in the first batch. I didn't put the order in until the second week in June. Any idea how many P51s they're producing in total?

[Jorgcama]

Any news on the progress? I'm not sure my order would be included in the first batch. I didn't put the order in until the second week in June. Any idea how many P51s they're producing in total?

FMS is not sharing that level of detail but let me push a bit more. Stay safe !

[Zoggan]

FMS is not sharing that level of detail but let me push a bit more. Stay safe !

Thank you, I appreciate the effort! I can't really tell how long it's been since they built the last 1450mm's or if the model is experiencing a "revival" or just where it's at?

[xviper]

FMS is not sharing that level of detail but let me push a bit more. Stay safe !

I'm not sure if you have some sort of connection to FMS or if you're a "civilian" pushing a lot of emails to them hoping for answers. However, I believe it's more a case of Horizon controlling FMS's flow of information of this sort to the public. They're still trying to pedal their last shipment of Eflite 1.5 P-51's (FMS built). A lot of politics and marketing going on.

[Jorgcama]

I'm not sure if you have some sort of connection to FMS or if you're a "civilian" pushing a lot of emails to them hoping for answers. However, I believe it's more a case of Horizon controlling FMS's flow of information of this sort to the public. They're still trying to pedal their last shipment of Eflite 1.5 P-51's (FMS built). A lot of politics and marketing going on.

No sir, I am a humble mortal doing my best to get updates To then share with you, my brethren P51 red tail followers, and yes, I do believe your theory might be right, We Might be at the mercy of the corporate America Gods and its minions.

BTW the answer I just got directly from FMS today reads: “Please refer to the dealer's order schedule for the available time“

stay hopeful and safe everyone.