WhtBronco

Well the gremlins continue. My JR 8103 Tx has some issues. It won't boot up correctly at times and range checks are bad with 4 different Rx's in 3 different aircraft. So I am gonna send it out for repairs. In the meantime I am going to setup a JR 662 for it and hope I can fly this weekend.

HPIracer4

well whtbronco, i know you were curious about the tibouron, so here are some pics as it sits right now, i just put the bottom wing on and glued (very nice and true, perfect 90) and im trying to figure out this wing struts. for some reason it doesnt line up right on the bottom wing, regardless of which way i flip it. so im going to wait a while and try a few things before i go cutting into the wing, maybe john will see this and put some insite or sumthing, i dunno. but here ya go

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

HPI that is strange as of those I have sold a bunch of and not one complaint has come back to me..... Hmm

WhtBronco

That's what I was thinking. This is a relatively popular plane and I've never heard of an issue.

That looks good. I want to see it finished. Maybe with that color scheme it won't look like a fish. They sure seem to fly well though. It's amazing how true the 3D Foamy planes line up without trying. I was very pleased with that.


Well the range check issues are not isolated to my 8103, In fact 2 JR 662's and my 8103 along with 7 different Rx's all have the same issue. So obviously there is RF interence from somewhere. I am going to try a range check somewhere else if I ever have time and hopefully get my Advantage in the air soon. I've been working my backside off lately mostly due to Daylight Savings Time changes(THANKS CONGRESS I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS).

HPIracer4

ya well i thought the same, but i tried it all different ways, and nothing lines up with the slots cut for the carbon tube. only way i see it somewhat working is cuttin alittle farther back on the wing, ill try to get pics to explain/show more.

WhtBronco

Is your Tib bipe a Pro Wing version. I know you said it was older. On my Advantage the CF rod in the wings does not contact the wing struts like it did on the original version, prior to the Pro Wing. That said I wonder if the wing struts may have changed from the original Tib bipe to the new Pro Wing version?

If it's only a slot for the CF rod that doesn't line up just make another hole in the strut for the rod IMO. Are the struts marked for top and front? Mine were.

HPIracer4

nope, nothing marked.

WhtBronco

Hmm, my struts were laser cut and said front and had an arrow pointing up, IIRC. Anyway they were marked to show the top and front.

WhtBronco

Well it's been a long time coming, but I finally got to fly the 3D Foamyu Advantage bipe. The conditions were not real good, but it was fun. First off as I expected I need more power. A Hacker A20-20L is in this planes future. Second I don't care for landing without landing gear and since I have a set and will have the power to handle the extra little bit of weight with the Hacker it's getting landing gear. Third the prop saver O-ring mount allows the prop to move around a bit when you really pull on the sticks so it's outta here as well.

Conditions: cloudy, 5-8 knots first flight, 10-15 knot gusty winds second flight and a lonely few rain drops.

Alright on to the flight report. WOOHOO. These planes are suppose to fly better in wind than flat wings and the Advantage lived up to this. I had no tracking, pitching issues at higher speeds and it got tossed around a lot less than my Eflite Ultimate and Skeeter 30, yet it's the same weight. Control authority is great at all speeds. The plane flew backwards level into the wind at low throttle and remained very stable. Harrier landings were stable and the plane only gently dropped a wing when it stopped forward flight just an inch or two off the runway. I was able to get a hover in during the first flight when the wind calmed down a bit. This plane hovers much easier than any plane I have ever flown it dang near just hangs there with a bit of aileron. The current motor requires full throttle to hover so I didn't bring it down below 5'. Knife edge requires just a little rudder and a touch of up elevator to compensate for the typical biplane pitch coupling. High alpha knife edge could be held stationary with ease in the wind. Rolls are nearly 1 per second and very axial with no differential throw. Flat spins are too easy, just bury the sticks in the corners and around it goes, increase throttle and it climbs, decrease throttle and is decends(I love planes that do this well). Recovery from flat spins simply requires releasing the sticks. Harriers, well considering the wind it did very well. Upright there is a bit of wing rock, inverted it was rock steady. Loops tracked very well. This plane actually glides which is something the flat wing planes lack IMO.

To some it up, so far I say this plane rocks. It's very predictable, stable, handled the wind nicely and most importantly it was fun to fly.

The only things I'd change are to have a bit more aileron. I like insanely fast rolls, currently the rolls can still be easily kept up with. Fast enough is when I can't time the elevator correctly and the wings are almost blurry, LOL. However, there is more than enough.

I found that before the first turn of the first flight I had flipped to high rates which are set to all I can get with Dubro micro 3D arms, probably 70 degrees for aileron and elevator. Keep in mind though that I like my sticks really sensative.

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Awesome Chris!! Get some flights pics

WhtBronco

I will get some flight pics ASAP.

Thanks for cutting this kit for me. The plane flies great. It's rare that I am happy with a plane on the first flight. Generally they need to be trimmed and have some mixes setup before I really like them, not this time. The plane flew great right out of my hand even with the CG at the recommended location, which is a first for me. I am really excited to fly it again, but with the forecasted winds at 20-30 knots, tomorrow is out.

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Yeah, dont push it cause of the weather! Ive been there, its worth the wait for the right flying conditions.

good luck man, and thank you!

JV

WhtBronco

John, I'm the one that needs to say thank you. You're customer service has been fantastic. I couldn't ask for better support and the Advantage bipe flies great.

I agree, it's not worth the risk of trashing the plane to fly in high winds. Besides it gets to a point where it's not much fun since all you do is fight plane and the wind.


HPIracer4, did you ever get your Tiburon bipe flying?

BTW, I basically resolved my range check issues by replacing 2 servos and of all things cleaning the Tx antenna. I've never cleaned a Tx antenna before, but after searching the web I found that Futaba recommends cleaning antennas regularly with denatured alcohol. Just that simple cleaning gave me an additional 10' on the range check and it didn't even look dirty, but it must had some oil on it ya know from my hands and from glow fuel exhaust. The best I could get for a range check was 45', but since I keep planes this size within 100' of me I figured it was good enough and I had no issues at all.

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Then antenna? Good tip!! Thanks!

WhtBronco

Well after only 3 more flights, unfortunately all in 10 knot winds, I really like flying this plane. A couple things I have noticed. Knife edge figure eights are super easy, elevators both upright and inverted are amazing this is the only plane I have ever had that did them well and this has become my new means of landing, at least until I mount landing gear on it. I start out at about 50' and use full up elevator it just rocks fore and aft ever so slightly, with a bit of throttle it's flat while decending. I haven't got the guts to try an inverted elevator landing, I'm concerned about the rudder. The only thing I am working on is getting the plane to fly inverted hands off. It needs a bit of down elevator while inverted and I try to setup my 3D planes so they fly hands off upright and inverted. Not a real big deal and moving the battery does not help. In fact moving the battery back as much as 2" has no noticable effect on the plane which is amazing to me.

Oh and with a 12x3.8 APC SF prop(replaced an 11x4.7) I am now able to hover at about 80% throttle which makes flying a lot more fun. I still plan to get a Hacker A20-20L for it though so it'll go ballistic out of a hover.

3D Foamy rocks. Thanks John.

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Glad to hear it! awesome!

WhtBronco

In flight pics are scheduled to be taken this weekend.

I am going to swap out the prop saver tonight. I had in flight prop strike on the side of the fuse doing a fairly violent snap roll. 15 - 20 knot winds aren't too bad though.

rcnxs

I have found something I like better...surgical tubing cut about 3/16's thick....use 2, much better than o-rings and easier to install...and cheap!