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DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

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DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

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Old 09-09-2002, 05:02 AM
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WreckRman2
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

DP Extra Maiden Flight Report! Did it flutter?

Well did it flutter into the ground and crash like several others you hear about? Not mine...

This past Saturday I had the pleasures of flying my Dave Patrick Extra 330L ARC for the first time. I'll admit after reading all the talk about flutter with this airplane I was a little worried. A lot of people said it was the early releases that fluttered the most and being that this airplane was originally purchased in early 2002 I was a little more worried.

As a result of all this bad talk I took every step that I thought would help overcome any chances of flutter. That included Hitec digital servos, Airwild servo arms, 4-40 carbon fiber rods with ball links and Great Planes medium pinned hinges. The supplied Sullivan horns were also used along with sealing the hinge gaps on both the top and bottoms. The result; no flutter in the first four flights...

After a thorough look over my work along with two other friends checking my work as well it was time for the maiden flight. I filled the tank, checked my batteries and started the engine. As I approached the runway I went through all the movements one last time to make sure all the servos were moving in the correct direction and then taxied onto the runway. After one last gut check and a quick prayer to the balsa gods I advanced the throttle and she began rolling down the runway. It wasn't but a second later the tail come off the ground and I began to rotate. As it climbed my knees began to shake so bad someone mistook them for the church bell at noon. Once above 100 feet or so proceeded to turn left into the pattern while continuing to climb. After another turn I began adjusted the aileron trim which needed a couple of clicks to the right then proceeded in the pattern and pointed her back into what little wind we had and checked the trims again. It didn't take much of anything else and she was flying level and looking good. Now that she was flying good and level I began to check the efficiently of the elevator. Holy cow! The elevator on this bird is VERY mean. I forgot to mention that before takeoff a friend suggested that I begin with lower than the suggested low rates so we did lower them 5% on the dual rates settings and he couldn't have suggested anything more important if you ask me. Even after have lowered them 5% before takeoff they were too effective to safely learn to fly this airplane. I quickly learned a very valuable lesson that an airplane of this type does not need the elevator to move very much to fly it well. As I continued to fly in the pattern the thought of flutter was still very high in my mind so the first flight was nothing more than a few laps of the pattern and then it was time for the first landing. I made a couple approaches to get a feeling of how the plane wanted to react and on the third attempt I called the ball but stalled it two feet above the runway. She fell like a brick breaking the tail wheel but nothing more. I could hardly speak knowing that not only did it survive the maiden flight but there were no instances of flutter.

After about an hour, the time it took to repair the tail wheel and rest my nerves, it was time for flight number two. Before this flight we again lowered the elevator travel by 5% which proved to be very helpful with less tendencies to tip stall. With the second flight I was much more relaxed knowing the maiden flight was a success. On this flight I increased my speed a little and attempted some loops, rolls, a hammerhead and even an ugly hover attempt just for kicks. This flight was much more productive as I spent this time looking for the things I would change when I landed. After several minutes airborne I lined up for the approach. This landing was much better, I landed with a little more speed and she slightly bounced once then settled in for the roll. Flight number two was in the books; and with no flutter.

Before flight three we increased the aileron throw just a tad bit to give a little more roll rate. It was now time for flight three so again we took to the flight line and sent this bird into the sky. This flight was spent again checking the changes we made before and looking for things we needed to change for the next flight. Again I increased my airspeed some and again I improved on my landing. The best part and most relaxing thing was again; no signs of flutter.

Finally things were taking shape as far as the setup so for the fourth flight, after a quick charge of the batteries, I talked a friend of mine into flying it. The friend, Tim Mills, owner of the Great Planes Extra 330L and probably the best precision pilot I have had the honors of watching fly. This mans knowledge may have kept me from crashing this airplane on the first flight by suggesting to reduce the elevator throws. After we setup his radio to match the settings of my own, since he flies mode 1, we grabbed the trainer cord and took to the sky for flight number four.

Flight four was by far the best flight of the day. After she was airborne I hit the trainer button on my radio and set back in amazement as I watched Tim fly this airplane as if he was flying his own. I think Tim is best known for the most precise slow roll, the full length of the field, I have ever seen and he made my plane almost as well as his own. After watching his slow rolls he amazed me some more with a nice rolling circle. He flew it for several minutes and was pleased with the flight characteristics of this airplane. After he was finished I took the controls once more and began to really ring this airplane out. I increased the speed to full throttle and came down the flight line with not one sign of flutter. Let the record show that I'll never do that again but I had to test for flutter just to make myself happy. Once that was done I knew I had a winner so it was time to show off. I finished the day attempting a torque roll however it wasn't that easy having the throws set so low. I did manage to get in one turn but I'll admit it was ugly. As I setup for the approach I think I had a smile large enough to cover three states and my confidence showed in the last landing of the day with a smooth as silk touchdown and roll out.

This airplane is by far going to be a great one for me. It flies extremely well and will be capable of some serious 3D once I get more comfortable flying it. As for all the flutter talk going around hopefully my story will prove that if setup correctly you won't have any problems.


Statistics for this plane...

Airframe: Dave Patrick Extra 330L ARC, TNT landing gear, covered in Ultracote (Cub yellow, midnight blue and white), GP medium pinned hinges
Engine: BME44 w/ stock muffler, 20x8 Pro Zinger, 1100mah Nicad on ignition, 24oz fuel tank, 3.5" true-turn spinner
Servos: Rudder - 1 Hitec 5945 (181oz) w/ pull pull
Elevator - 2 Hitec 5625 (131oz)
Ailerons - 2 Hitec 5625 (131oz)
Throttle - 1 Hitec 225
(All servos have Airwild aluminum arms, 4-40 carbon fiber push rods, ball links and standard Sullivan horns.)
Receiver: Hitec Supreme powered by a 6 volt 1650mah NiMH, DSC switches for both RX and IGN

Pictures:
(since they are to big yet within the size limits of the rules)

http://www.********.net/forums/attac...=&postid=20401
http://www.********.net/forums/attac...=&postid=20399
Old 09-09-2002, 10:05 AM
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Cheech
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

Congratulations. Your flights went well. I'm really happy to NOT hear another DP Extra flutter story. Sounds like you had a super day. The BME 44 is a good engine, eh?

-Cheech
Old 09-09-2002, 12:43 PM
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

Congrats on sucessful first flights of your new bird, hope to see you fly her at Bloomington fly in Sep. 14 & 15
Old 09-09-2002, 01:10 PM
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otisflies
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Default congrats

Nice job. Very nice to hear about your successfull flights. I've flown mine a douzen times now with no flutter either. I guess we are the few and the proud.
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Old 09-09-2002, 01:40 PM
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Cheech
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

I hope you don't mind. Here's a "postable" pic of your plane. Looks GOOD. What's the underside of the wing look like?

Old 09-09-2002, 08:45 PM
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Jaco
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

Buy your specs it looks like your using 1 servo per aileron? I know the plane is set up to use 2 per aileron and I thought that might help with the flutter issue. I have one on order that should arrive in 6 weeks. Glad to hear you didn't have flutter and everything went good. Was it easy to put together?
Old 09-09-2002, 09:38 PM
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JBrannon
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

With a 24oz fuel tank I bet that BME44 will fly for 25 minutes or more. You could put a 14 oz tank in if its easy to get to and loose 9 oz in fuel weight. A gallon of gas weighs 7 lbs.

Of course time your flights and check your fuel consumption yourself before you bet your plane on my calculations.

Joe Brannon
Old 09-09-2002, 09:41 PM
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

Thanks Cheech... If you haven't sold yours yet or even if you have we'd love to have your company at the Fly-in this weekend.

Jaco, yes, I am using only one servo per aileron. The plane is actually only setup for one per aileron however some guys are using two servos. I have also heard that the new releases have an option for two servos however I think two servos is a waste.

As for putting it together, being an ARC, the only thing I had to do was epoxy the vertical stab in place, cut the hinges, and cover it. The thing was built extremely well for an ARC so hats off to Dave Patrick on that one. The big key here is to use the appropriate hardware for the setup your using. If you go gas then go all out with the hardware or your asking for problems. The supplied 2-56 hardware might work for a 120-140 size glow but not for a gasser. Also remember to seal those hinge gaps, both tops and bottoms. Also as you can see I didn't use the supplied CA hinges mostly because I was going to use a gasser. Again, built it for your setup and remeber this airplane is designed for crisp aerobatic flying and not meant to be flown fast.

The only things I dislike about this model is having to remove the canopy each time you assemble it and the cowl. I have considered building a hatch on the bottom to mount the wing bolts. The cowl on the other hand has several cracks in it and if all goes well I am going to send it to Stan's Fiber Tech this winter so he can make me a good one.
Old 09-09-2002, 09:43 PM
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

Originally posted by JBrannon
With a 24oz fuel tank I bet that BME44 will fly for 25 minutes or more. You could put a 14 oz tank in if its easy to get to and loose 9 oz in fuel weight. A gallon of gas weighs 7 lbs.
I flew a good 15-18 minutes on the last flight and still had 1/2 a tank left so I may put a smaller tank in it at a later date.
Old 09-09-2002, 09:45 PM
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WreckRman2
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

Originally posted by Cheech
What's the underside of the wing look like?
The wing and stab bottoms are cub yellow... I'd planned to order some decals of some kind to finish it off.
Old 09-09-2002, 10:26 PM
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

Congrats on your first outing. I too just completed my initial flight today and believe this to be one of the best flying airplanes I have ever flown. Mine has a Moki 2.1 glow, but I agree if build according the how you fly and equip the plane it should work out okay. I was surprised a bit at how slow she will fly. I'd have to say she will fly as slow as my DP Ultimate which is also an awesome (fun) air machine. Loops are very majestic and large.

I like the larger size of the Extra over the Ultimate a bit more and the plug in wings really help me in transport.

Good luck in the future and best regards.

Mike
Old 09-09-2002, 11:40 PM
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

congrats!
Old 09-10-2002, 12:28 AM
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

Thanks for the invitation to the fly in. Sounds like a BLAST. The fly-in sound like it will be big. Wish I could make it. I have FIVE kids (two fly a little) and we have other plans for this weekend. Thanks for the invite.

I have not sold my DP at all, maybe I'm priced too high? For much less I will keep it. I really LIKE it, it just isn't getting flown much since our field banned gas. I got offers to ship it, but I'm not interested. I must have 8 million people or more within selling distance of Chicago. I think I could find a buyer in a market that size.

Your plane looks great. And you are right, the hatchless canopy system blows . It's light, but it IS inadequate. The rest of the plane is purrrfect.

-mark-
Old 09-27-2002, 06:17 PM
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Default Congrats

Hey congrats on your first flights!!!
I have one of the second run of these.I too have never had flutter since day one. I only have a os 160fx with an APC 18x6w.
It flies awesome!!! I too did'nt like the canopy at first but now i like it because it gives me access to check my servos and such before each flight...mines been great since day one..
Frank



www.njjf.org
Old 09-27-2002, 08:37 PM
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WreckRman2
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

First few flights is all I got... On the 5th flight one of the HS-5625's kept roaming for a center and caused me to lose the aircraft. Sucks but that's part of the hobby I guess. I'm still waiting to see how well Hitec will respond.
Old 09-27-2002, 11:19 PM
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

WreckRman2,
Where did you guys fly?
That field does not look like Plainfield.
Is it the field on US52?
..or could it be the south side field.
Old 09-27-2002, 11:21 PM
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Default Re: Congrats

Originally posted by xtraflyr
Hey congrats on your first flights!!!
I have one of the second run of these.I too have never had flutter since day one. I only have a os 160fx with an APC 18x6w.
It flies awesome!!! I too did'nt like the canopy at first but now i like it because it gives me access to check my servos and such before each flight...mines been great since day one..
Frank



www.njjf.org
I have one from the first run also with the OS 160 FX. I could not ask for a nicer flying plane. I could use a little more power but I hate to add any weight. I have not had any problems with Flutter. It does the easiest knife edge into a snap back to a knife edge of any plane I have flown. It will hover and the 160 will pull it straight up but not very fast. I have a Moki 2.1 waiting for it but that will have to wait till the end of the season. to quote Frank "...mines been great since day one.."
Old 09-27-2002, 11:41 PM
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

wreck, sorry to hear about the problem, is there anyway its repairable
Old 09-27-2002, 11:54 PM
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Default It was at the Internet fly in.....

in Ill.....

Pug
Old 09-27-2002, 11:59 PM
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WreckRman2
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Default DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

The first 4 flight were at the Camp Atterbury field. I crashed it at the Internet Fly-In in Bloomington, IL. As for being repairable I didn't want to do it so I traded it off for a short kit. Most every plane is fixable if you want to spend the time and money to fix it. In this case it wasn't worth my time or money.
Old 03-30-2004, 07:17 PM
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RC_DESI
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Default RE: DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

I was looking for my First Giant Scale plane & after doing some research &
selected the DP 330L Extra ARF. I had read about the comments on
RCUniverse etc about the Extra & assumed that the earlier defects/bugs
would have been fixed in the 3rd generation kits

I thus went ahead & purchased the plane 3-4 months ago & was the only one in our
Club/Field to be the proud owner of a Dave Patrick Extra.

After doing some research on the plane & reading a lot on the Aileron Flutter
issues, I took the necessary steps to prevent it (upgraded the pushrod to 4-40,
ball links/sullivan horns included in kit, extra hinges (9-10 instead on 5)
sealed the gaps, verified no slop). I used ONLY one servo (90oz) per Aileron, as
that was recommended in the instructions, & had assumed will add another servo
later IF necessary.

After finally setting up the whole plane together, I was able to do the maiden
flight yesterday. The takeoff was uneventful & I climbed to appx 200-300 ft to
trim the plane. I was flying HALF THROTTLE for trimming the plane. I had our AMA
certified CLUB instructor besides me for guidance along with 10-15 other Club
members who had come to see the maiden flight.

As I banked the plane left to turn back towards the field, we all heard loud
fluttering noise & we could ALL see BOTH the Ailerons flutter like crazy, with
no aileron control the plane started doing an spiral dive. Needless to say I was
unable to recover the plane & reduced the engine to idle & hoped for the best.

As we went to pick up the pieces of the crashed plane, We were horrified to see
that the flutter had BENT the 4-40 pushrods & stripped out the gears of the LEFT
wing servo. This all happened on the FIRST flight (not even a complete round of
the field) & I was not doing any crazy aerobatic maneuvers, but simple trimming
the plane in flight. !!!

Airplane - DP 300L
Engine - BME 44 GAS
Servos -
Rudder - Hitec Digital 5925 (130 oz)
Elevator - Hitec 625MG (95oz)
Aileron - Hitec 605BB (95 oz)
Throttle - Hitec 422 (50oz)
Battery - 6.0v system
Receiver - JR PCM

This was my first GAS powered plane & I was expecting to have this pretty
looking plane for a long time (as opposed to losing it on its Maiden flight !!!
).

Have sent email to DP & am waiting for a response from them.....
Old 03-30-2004, 08:33 PM
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halfandhalf825
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Default RE: DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

im not really understanding what flutter is. Are u blaming it on the plane or the servos? Can someone explain this to me?
thanks
Old 04-01-2004, 07:21 PM
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mrc100
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Default RE: DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

arvind,

Sorry about you loss. I have one of the early Extras and i checked the instruction manual and it states in bold that aileron servos should have at least 100 inch ounces of torque. Perhaps this was changed in later releases due to the second aileron servo option. Also, as personal preferrence, in high stress applications I would tend to lean toward metal gears vs nylon/plastic.

Mike
Old 04-02-2004, 10:03 PM
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Default RE: DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

arvind,

Sorry about you losing your plane. Like mrc100 said, metal gears in the servos instead of the plasic or nylon. The 605's are discontinued now, but the ones I have are plastic geared. A buddy of mine replaced a Hitec 645 mg servo with a plastic geared servo on an aileron on his CAP, and lost it due to flutter on the first flight after the switch.
Old 04-03-2004, 08:43 PM
  #25  
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Default RE: DP Extra 330L Maiden Flight (Full Report)

A neat trick/idea for you JR guys out there is to use a JR8411 and a JR8411SA on each aileron. The metal geared 8411 servo has the strength. The nylon SA has tighter centering. (The source of the tip was Mike McConville.)

I have used it on a 330L and my latest CAP 232. No sign of excessive play after many flights.

One servo is does not look like enough for the DP wing. The vibration from the hard mounted engine will cause zonal peaks of vibration in the ailerons. Any slop will magnify the effect and could/will lead to flutter. Any flutter will destroy even the strongest of hinging.

The early Hanger-9's tried using one servo per aileron with bad results. If it helps you could think of the second servo as a damper?

Regards,

Eric.


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