SkymonkeyONE 3 #101 March 3, 2006 I fly my Aerobird Extreme in amazingly windy conditions now, just to see how much I can get away with. As they are basically over-powered gliders, you can "hover" them pretty easilly in the wind. I would never fly any of these V-tails RTF's in wind, though, without being in Pro mode. I mod the tails too so that they will more-easilly barrel roll and fly inverted. While still only three-channel, my P-51 is WAY more aerobatic. it's the ailerons. I was actually flying it in high winds a couple of days ago and was very happy with the way it cut through the air. It's pretty fragile on landing, even with the aftermarket landing gear I put on it), but I am stoked with flying ability now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #102 March 3, 2006 Got 4 servos on my wing and a radio that does everything.Take offs with flaps down are about 15 feet without any up elevator. And with " Crow" flaps ( inside down, outside up) landings were so short, soft, and slow that I started laughing at how cool r/c is now. Unlimited vertical, low noise, less fuel clean up, ...I'm in r/c heaven. You're ready for gas ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wlie 0 #103 March 3, 2006 Thanks to this thread, I placed an order for a Hobbico Superstar which will arrive later this evening. To get ready and get the hang of flying r/c planes, I've been practicing successfully with a Hobbico Swift Flyer. I know that it will be alot different transitioning to the Superstar, and with my limited flying experience, should I begin my turns with just elevator/rudder or aileron/elevator?My other ride is the relative wind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #104 March 3, 2006 That airplane is ARF, not RTF as it requires some building. Even if it is a four-channel airplane, you can fly it like a three-channel and just not touch the rudder. As far as general flying and basic aerobatics (inverted flight, loops, victory rolls), I don't really see a need for rudder control on a plane with real ailerons. It would sure make taxiing easier though. I would just use the right stick (elevator and aileron) on that plane at first and then ease into using the rudder later. Jeff, I am pretty sure I am going to be able to talk Tim D'Annunzio out of his four-channel gas plane for next to nothing seeing as he has not even assembled it since he got it at Christmas. Yes, I am sure I am ready for a gas plane. I am well past the "stupid crash" stage now. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 7 #105 March 4, 2006 QuoteI don't really see a need for rudder control on a plane with real ailerons. Snap rolls... Knife edge also needs rudder, but I am a snap roll kinda guy. BTW I smoked in my Venture .50 glow. I was working on what is called a pirroeting flip....Well, I ended up smoking it right into the ground. My right hand was trying to half loop out of it (I had plenty of altitude), but my left hand went o "plane" mode and cut the power...Which gave full down pitch and made it so the heli never pulled out. So I went to the hobby shop, repaired two servos, pulled the radio engine out and gave it to a guy that has the same model and no money for parts...Then walked out the door with a Sceadu Evo."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 7 #106 March 4, 2006 Get a good charger, you will much happier with a good one than a cheap one. A good one(that is kinda cheap) is http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCTZ5&P=ML DC only, but really good. Can do all three major battery types and two at the same time. QuoteI know that it will be alot different transitioning to the Superstar, and with my limited flying experience, should I begin my turns with just elevator/rudder or aileron/elevator? Aileron/elevator. Just bank it and then use the elevator to turn it."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #107 March 4, 2006 A moment of silence for your heli...and he's back in the game just like that. I can dig it.Thanks for the knife edge tips. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duckwater 0 #108 March 4, 2006 My Blade CP photos: Nikon D50 http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mikedskaggs/album?.dir=/2699 -- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #109 March 5, 2006 Is it the Blade CP that is supposed to be the trainer for helis, or is it the Blade CX? Not that I'm ready for a heli yet, but when I am I'd like to know where to begin. Chuck, I saw Joey's plane in the tree this weekend. He said he would think about selling it to someone with foot spikes. After checking my plane, it looks as if it came standard with the tightening knobs on the bottom most hole on the control horns, and the lines coming in from the rod through the second hole from the top. Is there a more optimal setting than this?Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #110 March 5, 2006 Sorry I missed you this weekend, Kevin, but I was otherwise-tasked with some bike club events. If I were you, I would move the tightening wheels down to the next-to-bottom holes and run the control lines in through the bottom holes. That will give you max deflection. Joey's Stryker airframe is trashed, but still airworthy. The electrics inside will go right into three other three-channel HobbyZone/ParkZone planes though, including the P-51that I fly. I can't believe he hasn't pulled that plane out of the tree yet! The Blade CX is the supposedly-easier-to-fly "trainer", but I am going to blow that off and just get a CP like Kevin Orkin did. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #111 March 6, 2006 I totally understand about being otherwise occupied, my friend. No worries at all. After taking your advice and flying the Challenger in pro mode, I'll never go back to sport mode. Sluggish didn't even BEGIN to describe how that thing flew previously. I'm having much more fun with it now, and even managed to fly a salvaged wing (electrical tape across the trailing edge) better than a new one. Maybe by the time we head down to Dublin, I'll be ready to fly in front of more than the local 8-year-olds who are easily impressed, especially when they get to see some spectacular crashes. Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
avenfoto 0 #112 March 6, 2006 i have an aero extreme, that i paid 80 dollars for.... (they rung it up as a challanger i think...) flew it in 20 mph wind first day, and that was wing one.... around 20$ wing number three, i learned that a heavily repaired wing will still fly... and i mean heavily... the key is to add as much extra tape and crap to the opposite side to keep the weight evenly distributed... after two high speed concrete impacts, the board inside is toast (ive remounted it once already...) has anyone expiremented w/removing the guts and replacing it with a different speed controller and beefier servos? what about control arms instead of the lines?... anybody that wants to talk aero can pm me anytime... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybill 18 #113 March 6, 2006 Hi Chucky, Missed you at the dz on sat. Got the Sensoar ready to fly- again!! Hope to have a Spitfire foamie L-tric ready by sat 3/11. Hope to C-U at safety day.SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #114 March 6, 2006 Bryan, I am the KING of rebuilds now; at least on Aerobirds. It's fascinating how much damage one of these things can sustain and continue to be airworthy after a bit of hot glue and gaffer tape! I had one Extreme wing that was broken totally in half that flew just fine with a bit of CA and tape. What helps in those cases is the fact that they have that graphite reinforcing rod. Broken Challenger wings can be fixed by afro-engineering a similar brace. It's pretty easy to over-stress Challenger wings doing high-G aerobatics! We have each snapped at least one clean in two and witnessed the fantastic resulting crashes. Lovely. As we have a ton of old fuselages for both Challengers and Extremes laying around, plus motors from both, yes, we have tried mixing and matching guts with varying degrees of success and some complete failures. What you cannot do is put the larger Extreme motor and guts in a challenger and get it to lift off. Too much wingloading. You can, however, do the opposite: run the smaller motor and guts in the larger Extreme. It's a dog, but it will fly. The only electronics that ever got truly fried were the ones where we intentionally over juiced them by running batteries from larger planes. I have considered, just for shits and grins, running separate speed controller and servos and attaching them via rods instead of the monofilament line they currently use. I may do that next time I destroy the airframe on my P-51 (prior to putting it in the new-in-the-box Stryker airframe I have. There are like five used customer-built 60-size gasser planes for sale at Hayes right now for $400 and under, including all electrics minus the radio. I am so tempted....... Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 7 #115 March 7, 2006 The CX is the easier to fly. Get the CP. But I will tell you that the bigger they are, the better they fly... BTW just flew my new Sceadu .50....Fun, fun, fun."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #116 March 7, 2006 When I'm ready for a heli, I'll get the CP. Right now, I'm still having fun with my Challenger. Pro mode has really made this plane worth all the wings I've previously destroyed. Since the first place my wings have been getting chewed up is along the trailing edge, where the propeller grabs in on big crashes, I've taken to lining that trailing edge on both sides of the prop with electrical tape. So far, it seems to have cut down on the amount of damage my wings take on impact. I also got 4 really good landings, sans gear, but I now know what Chuck is talking about when he says that high-G maneuvers stress those wings out terribly. And the dead bird crashes when they snap? Spectacular. Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #117 March 7, 2006 I was dicking around on google yesterday and happened upon a ton of RC forums. One in particular, RC Universe, www.rcuniverse.com had threads on current aircraft that were thousands of replies long. It was overwhelming! I was fascinated at some of the mods people were doing to the ParkZone P-51 I have. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #118 March 7, 2006 I'll take a look at those forums. Right now, my main goal is to learn to fly my Challenger like nobody's business, then go for the camera mod. After I've tired of that, I'll probably get the Blade CX and wreak more havok.Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #119 March 7, 2006 I am going to get a camera, but it's going to go in the belly of my Extreme. Much more useable lift on that plane. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #120 March 7, 2006 I wonder if it's even worth the effort to try and hook one up on the Challenger?Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #121 March 7, 2006 Kevin Orkin says they are really light, but I can't say HOW light. A fix would be to replace the heavy, stock NiMh battery with a small LiPo to save weight and make up extra space and load capacity for the camera. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #122 March 7, 2006 I'm not well versed in the battery differences. Will I lose anything switching to the smaller LiPo, like flight time, for instance?Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wlie 0 #123 March 7, 2006 It's here. It's built. And it's BIG. Now if I only had the balls to fly it.My other ride is the relative wind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #124 March 8, 2006 QuoteIt's here. It's built. And it's BIG. Now if I only had the balls to fly it. Fuck it! Apply full power and up elevator! Do a trick! Nice looking plane. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 7 #125 March 8, 2006 QuoteI'm not well versed in the battery differences. Will I lose anything switching to the smaller LiPo, like flight time, for instance? Lipoly's are lighter, stronger, and run longer. The only problem is that they are a little tempermental and can be dangerous if over charged or run down. But over all they are hands down better than NiCad or NiMa. But I added a lipoly to my Blade and got about another 3 min of flight with less weight and the power curve does not drop as fast."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
