jim pettis

Bit off topic...but I'm contemplating getting the H9 Spitfire. Have searched the forums, but can't seem to find a thread like this one with all the input. Anyone happen to have a link?

Pit-Viper 1

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This is the only one I know of, thought of getting one before but ended up with the P-47 instead.

[link]http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=597267[/link]

Hope this helps..

Shane

grinder-RCU

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http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4915518/tm.htm

Pit-Viper 1

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ooops. I missed that one.. [sm=red_smile.gif]

Shane

jim pettis

Thanks to both of you. Won't be getting it until Xmas this year, but reading through it will let me hopefully have my ducks in a row. Hopefully the retracts with this one are better set up than the Corsair's were, and I don't have to pre order Lado retracts now in order to have them by July next year...

Pit-Viper 1

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I believe the quality of the retracts are the same as the earlier version of the H9 P-51. My buddy had one and the retracts has to be replaced after only 5-10 flights. Actually had better luck with the hobbico brand as a replacement. Not a lot better though, about 20-30 flights they had to be replaced. [link]http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXL407&P=SM[/link]

Lol, those Lado's are nice but I agree with the wait.

Shane

skillet92

Guys I don't know if you have seen them and I do not know how good they will be, but the Retracts for the ESM Corsair that troybuilt sells look great. They have a video that shows how they operate and they look like a good design. I have finally got the hang of my H9 corsair and really love the way that it looks and flys. It is getting better and better every time out. I went out today and had a blast with it.

Pit-Viper 1

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They are about the same quality as CJ's. They look good, but they get sloppy after some time. For the price though it isn't a bad deal. They may be a little large for H9 Corsair though. They are designed for a 14lb + plane.

Shane

skillet92

Well Pit if they are about the same as CJ's, when I decide to build or mabye if I we are lucky TF will turn their Corsair into an arf like some of their other kits I will just bite the bullet and buy some Seirra Retracts!! I have heard they are Great!

skillet92

And guys I do know that this has been over time and time again, but would you tell me where your CG's are set. I have mine at 4 and 3/4 and yes I am doing well but it still seem very pitch sensitive and I do wonder if I am Tail heavy??

da Rock

The safe range is 4.25"-5.5"

Yours is decent.

By pitch sensitive, if you mean it's got a sensitive elevator, then reduce it's throw.

Pit-Viper 1

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I have CJ's in my Corsair right now and after about 30 flights they have a lot of fore and aft movement and the wheels don't stay straight. I had some Sierra's on a P-40 and they were beautiful. Just use a robart valve as the one that comes with it is ok at best.

You mention yours is pitchy, mine is that way as well and I have tried moving the CG to the extreme in both directions and it hasn't helped much. I adjust the elev to about 3/4" travel and 65% expo to tame it some. The gentleman I ran into at the field last week said that it wasn't uncommon for the real ones to do that either.

Shane

skillet92

Yes I have reduced the throw and added 65% expo to keep it calm. And as Pit was saying that moving the CG does not affect it I will just have to live with it. I am thinking of using a mix switch that when I takeoff I can flip on and it will move the Elevator to a position that is great for flying instead of having to quickly add alot of trim. I know that i could just ride the elevator alittle when taking off but this plane is so nose over prone that I am reluctant to have the elevator in a position that will help it do this.

jim pettis

Flying off a grass runway has taken it's toll on the 5/32 wire the Lado retracts use that I have in this plane. Even gentle landings tend to tweak them enough that they need to be straightened to avoid hanging up in the wheel wells, and the wire was getting a bit tired.

Tried for 2 weeks to get in touch with Doug at Lado to see if they offer a 3/16 brass trunion to replace the stock 5/32. No reply at all to quote Phil Collins. (On a side note, I did run into this thread, so the frustration is not mine alone...

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_84...tm.htm#9269674

Anyway, I took a huge risk, (since if I screwed it up, my plane was grounded for lack of landing gear) and pulled the brass trunions and redrilled them to 3/16". I don't have a drill press, so it was pretty nerve wracking using just a vice and my eyeball. I do have a full set of step drills, so I was able to gradually step up to the final size. (15 drill bit changes later per trunion).

It was successful. How they hold up compared to the 5/32 remains to be seen. I will be really ticked if I spent the past few hours tinkering only to find the problem continues.

Anyway, just thought I would toss that info out there in case others were in the same boat.

Chad Veich

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Jim,

A set of functional struts would probably go a long way towards alleviating your gear problems. I know they can be a bit pricey but they are worth it, IMHO, especially if you fly off of grass or other unprepared surfaces. Just my .02 cents.

jim pettis

Sorry, should have added the fact I am using Robart straight 650's as well...not just the stock wire. It was the 5/32 wire between the strut and the retract that would give just a bit each landing.

You can see the set up I have on page 87, post 2156. I started with just the strut, a short piece of straight wire, and the retract. That would bend super easy. Then I went to the spring coil in the 5/32 size. That was better, but still needed checking every landing to see if it needed tweaking.

Part of the problem with the 5/32 wire may be the fact that I set up the location of the spring coil to match the half circle cut out in the wheel well, which you can see leaves about a 3/4" section of wire between the retract, and the coil.

I kept this set up with the 3/16" wire. If it still gives me issues on decent landings, I will have to move the coil up to just below the retract, and get a new set of struts, as the ones I have now have been cut to fit the existing set up.

Pit-Viper 1

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There are pros and cons as far as going struts vs. wire gear on grass fields. Using the wire and leaving the coil then putting the strut on does help, but the shorter wire still doesn't have the same effect as a full wire setup. I tested both setups on the bench to see how much pressure it took to bend both the same distance. The 5/32 wire will relieve a lot of stress on the mounts and ribs when landing on grass or rough landings on pavement. I have the strut setup on my Corsair and wire on my P-47. The wire gear does tend to get a little out of sorts after a few not so perfect landings. I fly off pavement but almost always have cross winds to tend with resulting in a sideways bounce off the gear to the wingtip. Gear is sort of bow legged now. But with Lados if they do bind you wont drain the battery, huge plus in my book.

Now the Corsair has had Lados and CJ's retracts, both with struts mounted flush against the retract. Both developed a lot of slop in the retract mechanism. The lados don't wiggle like the CJs when they develop a little play, they tend to go from straight to slightly angled toe out as the gears inside wear. I did do some heavy reinforcing to the bay and ribs on the Corsair prior to installing the struts as I did. So far everything is holding up except the gear. Without the cross wind landings I don't think there would be a problem though.

I just want to fly as often as I can with the least amount of down time for repairs. For me the wire gear is preferred for that reason, the wife laid claim to the Corsair when I was going to sale it so she wanted the struts. Don't get me wrong I love the struts, just not replacing the gear every year. After I glass and paint I may bite the bullet and get Sierra's. The quality is second to none, but so is the price.



Shane

jim pettis

There is that fact that if the wire bends and the retracts don't rip out of the wings it's a good thing. Same as you, I'm looking for the least amount of down time. I really do like the fact that the Lado's will shut off if they hang up. In fact, I really like Lado's product a lot...however...

Lado has stopped taking orders for any retracts. They will be working to sort out the mess they are in, and fill any current outstanding orders. He claims that they will in the future only be dealing through distributors at a higher price to the consumer....

This just in....

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_84...tm.htm#9269674

I know this is the same link I just posted, but it has an update from Doug at Lado regarding their future (page 34, post 847). It's a shame really, because their product was indeed the best fit for this aircraft.

adwb

Having not bothered with Lado or its problems for best part of a year I am saddened that all the old Lado troubles are still going on. Why does Doug either not sell the idea to the far east manufacturers or out source the manufacturing to them and concentrate on setting up distributors world wide and attending shows then he can sit back make money.
After all; the demand is there for the product in its various forms and then bigger ones could be made for larger model etc etc
just my penny's worth
Adwb

Pit-Viper 1

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Seems that hangar9 has starting building there own electric retracts units for there planes now. Doug did have a lot of stuff aimed at H9 products. Think someone at H9 finally decided they could do it themselves and with H9/Horizon backing it's a win win for them and bad news for Doug. May not be the same quality as Lados as far as hardware but, availability of parts and service will only be a phone call away, something lado just couldn't get a grip on. To bad though.

[link]http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFL2575[/link] 4:30 into video talks about retracts.

Shane

LDM

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Shane , I thought you were dreaming , but its clear there in the retract business and perhaps in the next year we will see the 90 and larger size Its was stated clearly in the video "if you think were stopping there "
Also that is a cool little plane , I am typially into warbirds , but that little plane is sweet !!!!

Pit-Viper 1

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Yeah I caught his little comment too, think that's what made think they were into their own development or working with Doug from Lado..

The little Beechcraft Bonanza is pretty neat and it you can purchase the V-tail to fly either way, pretty cool stuff.

Shane

jim pettis

Success again. Going to the 3/16 wire did the trick perfectly. Over 12 landings this weekend, some pretty, some not, and they did not move at all.

One was a pretty rough landing, with the plane bouncing hard, and hitting back down pretty hard after that, and nothing loosened, bent, out of line, etc.

Took a while, but I'm now fully confident flying her.

JWQ500RC

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I had a H9 Corsair, a few years ago. Just wondering are the retracts any better now? I'm thinking about getting another one, but don't really want to replace the retracts if I don't have to.

Pit-Viper 1

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Not sure if they've actually updated them or not.

Good to hear Jim, she's a beauty to fly once you get comfortable with it.

Shane