airborne14830

My plane has a tendency to climb. Add a click of down trim and it is tolerable.

PropSpinner

My Feedback: (15)

Mike,

I agree that this plane needs the lightest most powerful engine available. Someone was talking about putting an os 32sx on the Tribute but I don't know if it has been done yet. I think that the Saito 56 adds too much weight but I had one and Horizon recommended it. I think a light 2 stroke is the way to go. I have a new in the box os46la that I should have used but it looks like such a toy and I keep waffling on whether to e-bay it or not. The Saito does add an element of fun but I don't think it's the right way to go with this plane.

PropSpinner

My Feedback: (15)

Sounds a little tail heavy. Do you plan to fly 3D or more aerobatic flight? Have you tried inverted flight to see if it does the same thing? Make sure your trim is neutral when you test it.

This plane is so easy to fly it's the closest I've come to a real low inverted pass. I did a knife edge circuit around the flying field without the SFG's. I even hovered for a few seconds which is new for me. Not as low as Mike though.

MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

Im not really an expert on engines, but I know at 12.8 oz, the EVO with the 11x4 prop is PLENTY of power. Anything that can turn an 11x4 prop comparably to the EVO would be great. The EVO does not just hold it in a hover, there is plenty of reserve power to pullout vertically with good authority. Its not a rocket or anything but it is a quick responsive pullout even if the plane is sinking, ie pullout from a descending tail touch. I would say that with the 36 it handles comparably to a good 3D electric foamy setup.

You guys were talking about stability. I have not flown a lot of profile planes as historically I went from Trainers to a U CAN DO, to pattern and giant scale aerobatic planes but my experience was that the Trib was surprisingly stable. Seems really happy inverted, upright, knife edge whatever. The only thing that it got hairy on with me was a big knife edge loop. You have to really watch it on the downside because you have to dig in a little more with the rudder in that last quarter. One thing it does do is couple badly with much rudder input so it would want to snap if I added too much rudder in the last quarter of the KE loop at the bottom. But don't misunderstand, the knife edge flight is awesome with the SFG's, you just dont need to use the rudder, lol. Well not much. Normal knife edge flight with little to no rudder is just arrow straight. I wish my Extra knife edged that well.

LuisCastillo

Here is a video clip of my tribute hovering in a windy day

http://media.putfile.com/Hovering-The-Tribute-36

Regards

MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

You really need to work on seeing if you can hover a little closer to yourself!! I dont see how you can see it all the way out there at 6" away!

AKFireMedic

My Feedback: (2)

That was me. I have all of the stuff I need to put one together with the O.S. except for the plane. I just picked up a U-Can-Do .46 and a Saito 82 for it so extra cash for the tribute project has dried up. I may still make it a winter project though...I sure think $89 is a cheap way to put a plane together!

MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

Well the review is complete and submitted. Should be coming out in a week or so. Got some really good video too. This plane really is a very good flying 3D plane. Keep an eye out for it and let me know if any of you see it post before me.

octanehuffer

I am putting one together now with a .46 FX. Weight will be around 4.0lbs. How will it hover? I need real punch for recover. the .46 is 3 oz heavier than the recommended .36 EVO, but has more power. I also plan on running and 11x7 prop.

PropSpinner

My Feedback: (15)

I would recommend a 12X4 or a 12.25x3.75. You don't want to go fast with this plane it might come apart. It should hover.

MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=776

Here is a preview link to the Tribute review.

MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

Note: Since my last post I have had a couple of people PM me about a weak place under the wing where the fuselage has broken from repetetive extreme aerobatics like blenders and such. As far as I know this is only 1 or 2 isolated incidents. I have not had this problem yet, so if you have please post up your pictures and solutions. Just do so in a productive manner. I am just a consumer like you guys, but I am sure Hangar 9 and the folks that designed the plane want to know if there is a problem so they can fix it in the planes that will be produced in the future. Just need to see if its widespread or isolated to just 1 or 2 planes.

PropSpinner

My Feedback: (15)

I love Hanger 9 planes and I think they have some of the best offerings in the market. I don't have any pictures but the only complaint I would have about the Tribute is that the designer thinned the fuselage sides where the structural spans meet. I would probably put gusset plates in those areas or at least make them wider. The thinning idea works good if your building bridges but stinks when building a fuselage side. The reason is that a fuselage is exposed to so many more forces than a bridge and the twisting a plane does in aerobatics is more than it can take. All it takes is one sloppy landing and it puts a kink in the fuse.

OK, that's my engineering lesson for the week.

PropSpinner

My Feedback: (15)

MikeEast,

We don't want this thread to die. I think this is a good little plane. So what do you think of the side force generators? I have about a dozen flights on my Tribute and I used them the first couple of flights and haven't put them back on.

I have another question. I'm fairly new to aerobatics especially 3d. Is there such thing as too much movement on the control surfaces? If you talk to some people they say get as much movement out of the rudder, elevator and ailerons as you can get. Is there a point where it makes the plane not fly good?

taildragger21

My Feedback: (197)

myself, I set up a comfortable low rate for laying back. But with my 3d planes I usually do get as much throw as I can get with the longest arms I can get. I also use alot of expo with this setup. This much throw without expo is too much. However on all my scale airplanes I use little to no expo cause I want to "feel" the stick movement. It's all preferance.. For the SFG'S I got a futana x100 arf. The first few flights where with them. Now I fly it without them.. The knife edge is great and all but its not that noticible. I think the sfg's limit other manuvers..

octanehuffer

I have flown it very much now and to me the .46FX is properly powered. No torque though. I need to keep a bit of throttle on to make a proper knife edge, otherwise it will slow the plane down and thus the engine. Guess its a little different than flying my Saito's. I am running an APC 12.25x3.75 prop and love it. Still need to manage the throttle, but hovers at just above 1/2 throttle. Flys well at 1/4 throttle. I also moved the rudder servo in the "spine" of the rear fuse. I recorded an average of 26 minute flights! I love this bird and havent even tried the SFG's yet. Thanks for the prop suggestion.

PropSpinner

My Feedback: (15)

octanehuffer,
I would like to see a picture of your rudder setup if you have the time. Did you put it on the top of the fuse? I always thought it would be a good idea.

octanehuffer

I put the servo on top of the fuse in front of the vert stab about 2 inches. Pull Pull setup. Also I cut apart the rudder and added a mount for the control horns and added extra bracing.

PropSpinner

My Feedback: (15)

I like it! Where does it put your CG?

octanehuffer

CG is 4.5" empty and 4.25" full. It is tail heavy but perfect for 3D. It lands like a charm. I need to find a way to lighten it up front so I can remove the stick on weights. I am thinking of a smaller tank. Probably 2 ounces. I dont need 25 minuets flights. I also want to investigate a lighter muffler. I am gonna run a 6v high capacity pack as well. Run a Hitec HS-81MG for throttle.

redneckteddy103

well i give up on this plane and goingto try something bigger . i was come down 1/4 throdle and snap it right over the runway and the wing just blew apart . lost the 2 servos in the wing and the 2 servos for the ruder and elevator are crunched and this was only 1/4 stick and 10 foot off the deck . so i give up !!!

PropSpinner

My Feedback: (15)

Have you ever owned a Twist? They come in 40 and 60 sizes and the price is right.

redneckteddy103

my brother has a twist and i have flown it and dont really like it but when i said bigger i ment much much bigger this is the plane im going to get it takes a da-50 .

Student Pilot

My Feedback: (2)

I'm thinking about getting a Tribute and thought about using the GMS .32 in it. Did anyone ever use this combo? I planned on using it with some Hitec 225 BB or 85 BB servos on all surfaces except for the throttle, where I was thinking a Hitec 81. How low is TOO low for servo torques? How much torque and transition time do you need for the throttle? Could I use a Hitec Feather servo or is it too weak??? A fellow club member has this plane and warned me about the weak fuselage and so I was just going to glue everything together like a normal profile since I don't need to be able to take it apart. I'm shooting to get the total weight under 4 lbs. (basically as light as this setup will get me, lol).

I would appreciate everyone's input on this.
Thanks a bunch!

proptop

My Feedback: (8)

The guy who put the GMS .32 in his swapped it for a .46 when he saw mine fly...
You might be o.k. w/ the 225's if you use the .32 but I would just go witha light std. servo.
I have Futaba 3004's on ail. and a HS-325 on elev. and an HS-77 on rudder...w/ an HS-81 on throttle, just because that's what I had kicking around.

My empty wt. is 4lb. 3oz. w/o fuel...(O.S. 46FX, APC 12 X 4, and Tower muffler )

So far, mine is holding up well to all the abuse I can dish out...(I glued mine together, and highly recommend that )

Only thing I really don't like is the crappy landing gear...it's too short (especially w/ the SFG's on ) and too soft.