Did I ever post this here? I'm sure I did...
[link=http://www.rcgroups.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24399&sort=1&cat=500&page=1]Video: How to launch the P-51[/link]
Other than the items that I've already written down in the preflight checklist I've also found a few other things over the last year and a half or so that I've been flying this plane. I still very much enjoy flying it. I still fly it bone stock with the stock NimH packs. (Just not going to fork over $80 for that lipo. To many other projects lol). Here's what I do to my plane now after 10 or so flights or if I've not flown it in a while.
1. Check the horizontal stablizer to make sure that its still aligned properly. Re-apply white elmers glue if needed
Stuff rocks on this plane. Completely clear, holds great, and comes off if needed.
2. Dismantle the entire nose section.
a. Tighten the motor screws
b. Check the smoothness of the main gear. I've had a bad ball bearing before that had to be replaced. It should spin freely
c. With a q-tip I dip it in 30 weight RC Car Shock oil (pure silicone) and coat both the bearings and the main shaft.
d. Check the fire wall and reinforce any splits with 6 minute epoxy. Just mix some up and apply it to the splits with a q-tip. Makes it really solid. I have not sprayed any great stuff foam in my p-51 and I don't plan on it.
e. With the motor removed spin the pinion. Make sure that it moves freely without grinding and you can feel the magnets. The best thing to do really is pull the motor when you get the plane and get an idea of how the motor spins when new. That way if it's spinning to freely or it's grinding to much you know it's time to replace it. I've been getting 60-80 flights on my motors before I notice that it's time to replace them. I'm on my second motor now and it's about ready to be replaced at around 65 flights. I have a total of about 140 - 150 flights on my P-51.
3. I pull both of the aileron wires and I use the same 30 weight RC Car Shock Oil with a q-tip to the wires being very careful not to coat the section that is tightened down at the aileron. You only want to coat the part that is inside the tube.
4. Make sure that the ailerons are completely flush with the wing with the servo centered.
5. Tip for inverted flight:
Dubro makes these pushrod holders ([link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXKLV5&P=7]Dubro Pushrod Guides[/link] you cut off the 2 guide things and just epoxy it to the internal side where it naturally fits. You can also make your own out of depron if you have some laying around). They work great for this. The elevator push rod will flex a lot when the plane is inverted. These pushrod holders will strengthen the rod and not allow it to flex causing the same deflection under stress both ways. They work great
And that's pretty much all I do these days. Takes me all of 20 minutes to do this once every 10-15 flights. Honestly it's probably closer to 30 flights but I like to think I do it more than that lol.
That's how I do it and my P-51 flies great...
[link=http://www.rcgroups.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=27713&sort=1&cat=500&page=1]Video: Oh well you all have seen this before...More video on the way I swear[/link]
I promised more video months ago. I've just not had anyone out at the field with me to record any since then. I'll find someone to video my P-51 with a weak motor on the nimh pack the next time I go out.
