David Cutler

I've just noticed my stabilizer is one solid piece of balsa which appears to be made from quite hard stock.

Is this a later release for the model? It looks a lot stronger than, for instance my SIG SE tail.

Could Graupner, perhaps, have fixed a known tail strength problem and changed to a solid, as opposed to a built up assembly?

-David C.

SJN

My stab is also verry ridgid. Cant see how it can snap in flight.

But Ill use the ubgrade kit anyway....


pics of the kit



and the holes are already pre drilled in the stabilzer (see the tiny dots).


SJ.

David Cutler

Hey! thanks!

Where did you get the upgrade kit from?

I've just this minute finished the model and balanced it. It was perfect at first try!

I have a Saito 100 in mine. Which engine are you using?

-David C.

SJN

Hey David

Sorry for caling it an upgrade kit. It is just a suplament to the kit. So it came with the plane.

Im going to use my trusty Magnum GP-65 2 stroke for this one.
It hauled my Seagull corsair around quite nicely, so I think it wil do fine here..... no hover at half stick,......but should be fine.






SJ.

aviator2002

Yes the graupner extra 300 is made in Vietnam according to my box.
I rang the dealer where i purchased mine from here in the UK to-day and he said they no nothing of the upgrade kit for the stabiliser or of any problems with the stab folding. so I am hoping things will go well for me when I test fly mine but I have alrerady fitted flying wires to the tail as a precaution.

Will post again as soon as the test flight is over one way or another.

Jemo

My Feedback: (5)

Fly it but be careful. I did warn you, but I still hope you do not have any problems.
Good Luck

Emerald

Hi All,

I've had the Graupner Extra 300 kit flying for about 35 flights or so. It is an excellent Vice free Flyer, Slow or fast. A couple of the good flyers at my club have flown it and all were impressed. Good Aeros etc.

BUT

On my first flight of the plane I had a catastrophic failure of the horizontal tailplane causing a crash. Upon investigation it failed on the line where I had removed the covering (Scalpel) A perfectly clean break. I made a new tailplane and repaired other minor damage and flown many times since.

I initally thought that it was my own fault for scoring the wood to remove the covering but I have been in contact with another modeller who has had a breakage exactly similar to mine except he definately did not score the timber.

I have an OS 60 FX in mine and it flies well on a 12*8 APC. It won't hover but there is plenty of power for prolonged vertical(Limited). I have seen one fly first hand on a super tigre 91 and it had unlimited vertical, knife edge from one end of the sky to the other etc.

So be careful removing the covering and try to re-enforce the tailplane as much as possible. Mine was perfectly covered etc.

Emerald

David Cutler

Well, I've finished mine now, and fitted 2-56 wires from the tips of the stab to the underside of the fuselage. D'you reckon this might be OK?

-David C.

SJN

Well....my instructions say that you have to "melt the covering away", soo....they are afraid that people will cut too deep....



SJ.

SJN

Lovely.........ready for testflight!







SJ.

David Cutler

I see you've done a great job of sticking the checkered area around the nose.

How did you feel about putting a non-stretch 2 dimensional sheet on a 3 dimensional compound curve?

argh!

David C.

SJN

Piece of cake........... NOT!!!!!

I hate putting on stickers around curves like this. Its a good thing that they have provided lots of checkered stickers.

3 times, i tried realy hard to heat it up with a heat gun, but it just got worse and worse :-( The third time I just gave up, and thought that I would just leave the cowl red as it is....... When i then pulled the bad sticker off, then it pulled all of the clear gloss coat with it !!!

Damn.....I only had one last chance to get it right there was no return . The wole front of the plane was now flat red :-( Then I got angry, and just tossed the remaning checkered stikkers on, and what do you know......it worked out fine. There where lots of bubbles under it, but if you stick a hole in them, and heat with a heat gun, they go away :-)

But as you can see, it is not like the scale PW Extra. But Ill live :-)


SJ.

SJN

Ohh maaaaaaan........ Just when I thought of testflying it........then it begins to snow....



SJ.

SJN

I flew my Extra today.

Looks great in the air !

But I also have a problem. If I make a tight loop at full servo throw , then it begins to roll/spin.. making large loops, then this doesn`t happen

Why does it do this ?

is my CG off ?
is it tourqe from the prop ?
lateral balance off maybe ?
I had som split on the elevators about 1,5 mm, and have fixed that now....could it be that ?

Thanks SJ.

Epoxy Cup

I'm no expert but I had the same thing on my cap 232. The split elevator was set up with one control rod with a Y going out to the elevator halves. This is OK except a little differance in length on the control rods = differential between the halves at full throw. In other words they were set even at flat level but as I increased or decreased elevator throw to max there was more differance. I was going to put in two HS80 servos in the back but eneded up playing with were I was snapped into the control horns and got it close. Not perfect but a lot better than it was. I wonder if anyone else has come up with some innovative ways around this problem with split elevators?

Jemo

My Feedback: (5)

You have too much elevator throw. thats why it doesn't do it when you make the loop bigger.

SJN

ok....so I shoud just reduce the throw....


but then I cant do wild stuff :-)

Jemo

My Feedback: (5)

You should have a rate for normal flying, loops, rolls etc, etc..

Then a high rate for 3D type stuff. When you do 3D flying, the plane is usually in a stalled condition and is using engine power to heep it in the air.

splatt1o1

My Feedback: (1)

definitly go with the upgrade kit first flight 5 minutes in to it at level flight the horizontal stab snapped off on the left side almost made it back until the otherside snappped off causing it to nose dive into a mound of dirt. The plane is pretty much toast

Brucek

Warning Guys!!
My Graupner Extra 300 S had a tail plane failure on it's second flight. I too thought the horisontal stab was rigid enough. Guess what....it is not as a post crash inspection shows the balsa to be very soft. The plane is a total write off as it shredded itself through a barb wire fence. Unfortunately my kit did not come with an "upgrade" so I believed the problem had been sorted. Great flier though. I shall get another but beef it up with some carbon spars.

SJN

I better keep an eye on mine........

Just hope the "upgrade" kit on mine is enough to keep it from snapping in midair.


SJ.

splatt1o1

My Feedback: (1)

I just wanted to let everyone Know that Hobbylobby is sending me a new Kit today Talk about A++++++ Customer Service so if you bought any were else I would talk to them

David Cutler

Flew mine today (with steel strengthening struts top and bottom on the stab) and it flies great!

Needs some down and right thrust as it trims differently under power.

It doesn't snap at all (when not trying to!) which is a pleasant surprise, as Extras do tend to when looping. I have the lowest of dual rates on the elevator and it still loops nicely.

All in all, a very nice aircraft.

-David C.

300sjack

My Feedback: (4)

I have had my graupner patty done for about a month, and today was messing with it and poked a hole in the covering on the rudder
anyways I've decided to go with a muffler extension (before) my first flight, My thrust line is off by a few degrees. I can see this without even putting the laser on it. Sooo another two weeks :disappoin

JackV

Hi,

Has anyone fitted the supplementary kit, with the bracing wires for the horizontal stab yet. I was wondering how the metal clevis fits to the fuselage?

A photo of it would be great, please.


Sarah