hsukaria

I had an OS 55 AX on mine originally and it was beastial!! It is still very powerful with a Super Tigre 51. Some people in this thread have a 36 on theirs! I don't know how much the Thunder Tiger weighs. If it isn't heavier than the OS 55 AX, then you'd be ok. You probably will never NEED to go full power with it.

Capt Cash

My Feedback: (1)

The TT .61 engine is about 23oz w/muffler so yeah probably a little heavy and a little overpowered. I think I may go with the 60 size Escapade with this engine.

irdabrit

Lost my Escapade today. On takeoff the plane lost all power, tip stalled, cartwheeled and flew into little pieces.

TruBlu02

erdabrit,

Sorry to hear about your Escapade crash but luckily this is a fairly inexpensive plane to replace. Especially with all your gear surviving. I would replace mine in a heartbeat if it crashed!

On a more positive note I took mine out for the fisrt time in a couple months this past weekend. Had alot of training going on with the Air Force and a move so it has been in storage for awhile. Anyways I took it to on of the local clubs here in Arkansas and let it rip for awhile. One of my buddies there had a doppler shift program on his iPhone (theres an app for that). It uses the sound of the airplane passing by to calculate the speed. I brought mine straight an level in almost calm winds and it read consistantly 108.5 mph! Now I am not sure how accurate it is but my plane really hauls with the 55AX on it.

Another interesting thing I ran across is a version of the Escapade for Realflight:

4-stroke:
http://knifeedge.com/forums/download...o=file&id=8649

OS 46FX Variant:
http://knifeedge.com/forums/download...=file&id=13806

You have to download the first one to get the Escapade file then the second one is a variant and will change it over to the performance of the 46. It still has the Saito on the nose but it sounds and performs like the 2 stroke. I think most of you will find the two stroke variant extremly accurate on low rates. The high rates are a little unrealistic for this model but still fun. Enjoy!!

N1EDM

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for the hint!! I just downloaded them myself... Running one of my Escapades with a OS 46AX and the other with an AXI 4120 & 4Sx4200 battery.

Bob

irdabrit

Going to order a new one tomorrow simply because there's nothing else in the price-range.

buzzard bait

Regarding the CG issues, manufacturers routinely specify extremely conservative CG locations, i.e., nose heavy by most standards.

I have been using a formula to calculate CG for 20 years and it never fails to give me a usable CG, almost always aft of where the manufacturer recommends, sometimes by a LOT. I even use it for maiden flights because I have come to trust it more than the manufacturers. I do it by hand, but you can find online calculators. It has to be one that includes wing area, wing chord, stab area, tail arm length. Simpler rules of thumb will not do the job.

People think nose heavy is "safe", but as many have pointed out, it sets you up for a hot landing. A buddy's Nexstar is like that. So much stuff on it to supposedly make it fool proof and then they put the CG too far forward. They could take all that stuff off, give you a better CG location, and it would probably be a fine airplane.

I almost bought an Escapade, but finally settled on a World Models LA Racer. Very similar to the Escapade, but a bit more wing area, maybe a little lighter, and fully symmetrical airfoil.

Jim

hsukaria

Seagull from Horizon Hobby and Phoenix from Tower sell reasonably priced 40-size ARFs also.

markhamregular

A good inexpensive 40? How about a Phoenix SeaBee? I just got one.
with a 46AX, it really goes fast and the aerobatics are great.
I have not seen any thread about that plane though.
It would be nice to find out what others who have it think about it.
My instructor who maiden it for me said he does not like Phoenix planes in general, but he was impressed with the quality.
It's one handsome plane just like the Escapade.

hsukaria

I guy had a Phoenix SeaBee at our club some time ago and it flew well. It is a sport/pattern type plane. I don't think that it is as pre-built like the Escapade and I am not sure that it qualifies as a second plane like the Escapade. But it is a good 3rd or 4th plane for sure.

Another one by these brands is the Decathlon, high wing sports plane that looks nice.

markhamregular

Sincerely, like I mentioned earlier, I do not think the Escapade make a second plane either.
I would rather go with a Stick or something with shoulder wings.
I bought my Escapade for a second plane but after I flew it, I kept it until I was comfortable with the stick.
I still find my Escapade a little hot, especially on my first flight of the day when we are more nervous.

hsukaria

The Escapade was also not my second plane, but 4th. My second plane was the Sig 4 Star 40 when it was available as an ARF. It was easier to land than the Escapade, but a tree jumped in front of it and destroyed it[] The Escapade can be very hot if powered excessively, like some of us are prone to do.

Yep, lots of choices out there. If you want something different and high wing, Thunder Tiger sells the Beaver. It is different, foam wings and plastic fuselage. It has semi-symmetrical airfoil and is 40-size. Only costs around $110. I saw it at the LHS, and was told it flies good. But I never saw it fly in person.

Lots of Sticks too, Hangar 9 Ultra Stick, Great Planes Big Stick, Hobby People sells a Stick (lower cost than the other 2). Hangar 9 used to sell the Super Stick, cheaper than the Ultra Stick, but not anymore. The Ultra and Big Sticks are more expensive than the Escapade though.

irdabrit

Can the H9 Ultra stick be powered with standard servos? In the completion guide they spec expensive digital servos costing $30 each! And it requires seven of them!

hsukaria

I am not sure you really need digital servos for general sport flying. I am assuming you are talking about the 40 size. The only plane I have digital servos on is the Great Planes U Can Do 46, because it is a 3D plane and has giant control surfaces. The Ultra Stick also has the optional flaps that use up 2 extra servos, but I suspect you can skip that (not sure, but a fellow club member has one and set it up without the flaps). The Ultra Sticks are fairly pricey and marketed more for high performance sport flying.

irdabrit

Thanks - yes, they seem a bit pricey for what they are, although I must admit to being more comfortable with shoulder winged craft right now. The Escapade seemed really hot to me.

hsukaria

I have mine with an 11x4 also, which helps a lot. Also, if your engine is not fully broken-in and idles relatively fast, it will not want to land anyway. That is a problem with any type aircraft, not just a low-winger.

irdabrit

Very true - the 46AX only had maybe six flights on it and two full tanks for break-in as per OS instructions.

hsukaria

Sorry about the loss. I am on my second Escapade also. One good thing is I have a spare wing and tail for mine!![8D]

For idle speed, the way I can tell if I'm idling low enough is if I pull back the plane a couple of inches from the ground anchoring or bench when it is idling and it does not move forward (zero static thrust), then it is low enough idle. If it jumps forward at idle, then engine idles too fast and the plane will land too fast.

buzzard bait

Irdabrit, I think for pilots who are not pretty experienced, the Escapade is too small for a ball bearing 46. Compare to the old standards like the 4 Star or Tiger 2...those have much more wing area and weigh about the same, the 4 Star is even less than the Escapade.

If the Escapade seems hot to you, I would not think you need to go back to a trainer, just to a low-winger with more area. Or keep your Escapade light with a TT .36 Pro, TT GP .42, or .46 LA. Those engines are 5 to 6 ozs lighter than a modern BB .46 and have plenty of power for a plane this size. I think you've just got too much power and weight for the plane.

Also, see my note above about CG. I just got a report from a guy in our club who likes his Nexstar much better with the CG a little aft of the manufacturer's recommendation.

And yes, the 11x4 is a good choice. Any of the lightweight engines I mentioned above would do well on that prop too.

Jim

irdabrit

Thanks Jim. Can't afford another engine right now but I'll see if anyone at the club has a one they can loan me.

buzzard bait

That might work, I bet there are a lot of those engines sitting in drawers. Good luck with it.

Jim

hsukaria

Especially the OS LA's, those usually get retired after the primary trainer.

gmeyer-RCU

My Feedback: (9)

Another good choice for an engine is a supertigre 40, that is what I fly mine with the plane needed the nose weight to balance these are good low cost engines that require a little adjustment to the low end needle valve to throttle properly however once set they will run great for many years. I have these engines in 3 planes
H9 pulse xt 40
GB tiger 2 ARF
GP escapade 40
BH sprinter ST 45
GP super sportster ARF (crashed)
I have found that it is easier to add a little weight to the tail to experiment with the CG.
I also have the 60 size escapade with a OS 91 four stroke that plane also needed the battery under the fuel tank and a 3 OZ. heavy hub just to balance 1/8 to 1/4 behind the recommended balance point that plane flies great also now that I have flown it 9 times I just wish it was NOT blue and white it just blends into the sky to well. Greg

irdabrit

That was the major problem I had with my first Escapade. The wing colors were too similar and it was hard to see in most skies.

buzzard bait

I strongly recommend some flourescent orange or pink on the leading edge. I use the self-adhesive stuff...it makes a stunning difference in my ability to pick up instantly what the plane is doing even on a gray day.

Jim