JasonFalls

Well, I was letting my buddy try out my aerobird today, he made it through three batteries. on the fourth, he tried to loop but was too low. Well, the fuse and everything else is split and smashed.
So now I've got the electronics from it and I was wondering if they would fit into a 1/2A model. Since the aerobird was a V-tail configuration, does that mean that the plane i would put them in have to be v-tail? The batteries are pretty big, I haven't measured them but I'm guessing 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. the receiver and servos are in one unit, and that is about 3x3 inches, and two cm tall. Any ideas of a plane that these will fit? I don't have a scale, so I can't weigh them.
thanks everyone,
Jason

build light

The best news about your situation is that all the parts you need to rebuild are available either from the LHS or by ordering online from a distributor. As for the answer to your question I could answer but I know that someone else could say it better than I and in fewer words.

Robert

JasonFalls

I dont really want to rebuild the aerobird, It was aerobatic and all but it's just not as fun as glow power ya know?

Bipe Flyer

I've flown an Aerobird, so I guess that the word "aerobatic" is open to interpretation.

IIRC the radio is on 24MHz. Depending on whether the v-tail mixing can be changed, it may limit you to what you could build. IE, you might have to build another V-tail model or a delta. Also, depending on the weight of the battery, you might want to replace it with a small RX battery. If you did then you'd be running below cutoff, so the ESC wouldn't work, but you wouldn't need it anyways. Personally, I'd buy a new setup for a 1/2A model and save the Aerobird parts for an electric project.

dieFluggeister

Sorry to hear about your Aerobird, I've never flown one but I did fly a similar 'knock-off' plane once. It was a hoot!

I cant think of any 'kit' that the guts would slip easily into but if you are open to scratch building the sky's the limit! I would say you would need to keep the plane a v-tail just for simplicity's sake but dont let that throw you, nearly any plane can convert to v-tail using the same main wing type.

A couple ideas I had were these... The first would be just a real cute setup but would be a difficult re-design project. The second may actually be a good option. It's built out of a foam glider and may just be a 'drop in' setup for your components.

http://www.acesim.com/rc/polly/polly.html

Bipe Flyer

Maybe I misunderstood you. I assumed that because you said 1/2A model, that you meant glow power. But in re-reading your post, now I think that you may have meant electric.

dieFluggeister

I'm in the opposite corner Bipe, I assumed Jason meant a 1/2A platform that would accept a lekky engine. But now that I re-read the post I think we are looking at glow power using the Aerobird parts for control. I'm so confused.[sm=confused_smile.gif]

JasonFalls

what I meant was, using the servos/receiver and battery, but getting rid of the electric motor and using glow power...

build light

Jason, My experience with a few of these type models has taught me that the servos on most of them only pull. For that reason the control surface has to have a rubber band on the underside to return it to neutral position. This type system will be very hard to adapt to another plane. I do know some have servos that offer push-pull. These can be used in another plane.
Does your plane need the rubberbands under the control surfaces?

Robert

JasonFalls

Yes, the plane needed the rubberbands under the control surfaces, but the servos return to neutral on their own but instead of pushrods attacthing the servos to the control surfaces, it had some sort of string on it...so if I used pushrods would it be okay?

propbuster

My Feedback: (1)

Jason, I fried the receiver board in my old Aerobird and would be interested in buying just the receiver and servos from yours should you decide not to try to use it in something else. Prop

build light

To be able to return to neutral on their own is desireable but I question the ability of the servos to be able to have enough strength to be able to do this with any authority, hence the assist from the rubber bands on the control surface. This would be why they use rubber bands instead of a pushrod don'tcha know.
A servo from a better radio system has more than the ability to return to return to neutral. It also has the power (and ability) to move an equal distance in the opposite direction. This particular feature is something the servos you have lack.

I cannot tell you how mant threads I have read with someting in the title like, "My Aerobird died, what do I do with the guts?" So many new fliers are faced with this problem of structural damage and yet the motor, prop, radio and such are in used but useable condition. You don't want to toss such good stuff in the garbage! You want a way to re use it.

So far I know of no model that would be an easy swap to reccomend. Maybe someone else does.

Robert