PMDrive1061

She's a beaut, no question. I didn't know Testors made foam-safe spray bombs; that's good news.

This just got me wondering if my brother has any photos of the 182 he used to have. It would be fun to model it. That plane was a blast to ride in. As far as mine is concerned, it has literally been scattered all over the country. All the different manufacturers said to send in the damaged goods. Even the receiver was out of tune, it hit so hard. Get this: The battery might be salvageable or even replaceable under warranty.

One thing I've found: These companies are fantastic. Castle Creations truly blew my mind. They're replacing my destroyed Phoenix-25 for $25. This, I'm told, is a newer version with a 3-amp BEC. Follow-up and overall customer service from these guys has been nothing short of fantabulous.

Kudos all around to Great Planes, Hitec and Eagle Picher Kokam as well. Companies like this are what make this hobby special.

flymanjg

My Feedback: (18)

Sorry to hear about your plane. This gives you more room to create another, maybe on floats like I did. Next time I will add some airfoiled fairing to the float struts.

PMDrive1061

Thanks. Good news to report in the meantime:

*Great Planes replaced the plane under warranty. Brand new kit. No questions asked; lightning-fast turnaround.
*Hitec checked my receiver and found what I thought they would, namely a busted crystal. New crystal...no charge!
*Castle Creations sent me a brand-new speed control with an updated 3-amp ESC for the princely sum of $25. Just got it yesterday. Soldered the connectors this morning, programmed it with the USB link, bench-tested it...perfect. The motor seems to have survived nicely. Just needed a $1.59 pinion.
*FMA Direct is backlogged and will have the engineering department check the li-po ASAP. I sent it in on their recommendation.

I started the new kit Friday night and had a basically complete airframe by Sunday evening without rushing it. Much easier the second time around! As I write, all that's left are the radio and linkage installations. Again, no rushing.

I'm trying a slight modification in order to secure the servos better. I've epoxied thin strips of basswood to the front and rear of the servo tub so that I can attach the servos to the fuselage with screws. I wasn't crazy about the way the servos held on with tape and hot melt glue in the first plane, especially since my Hitec servos are a smidge larger than what the plane calls for. So far, so good. I haven't even screwed them down yet and they're not only good and snug thanks to the wood, they're nice and straight in the tub as well. In fact, I might just use a bit of servo tape as well just to be safe.

PMDrive1061

Scratch that last experiment. The nosewheel pushrod wouldn't line up. I was able to get the strips out without too much mutilation. Good ol' servo tape seems to be working just fine. Just need the last two fuselage pushrods and do the servos, horns and pushrods in the wing. She gonna be done!

PMDrive1061

Woo hoo! She's done! She flew! She screams on the high-performance wing even with the stock prop. MUCH more responsive as well. I can tell she's a bit under-propped for now, but I don't mind.

flymanjg

My Feedback: (18)

Can you post any photo's??

PMDrive1061

As soon as I find my poor, mislaid digital camera! I posted a photo of my first bird over on Wikicities and at Wikipedia; new one looks basically the same. The wings may not look the same side-by-side, but you can really tell the difference once they're on the fuse. The advanced wing's leading edge is much thinner. I'm using the stock spinner and prop adapter on the new plane. I ruined the first one's when I tried drilling it out to work with the E-flite gearbox. [X(] I'll put that picture up ASAP.

flyingjon

Hello ,
I recently got the Cessna 182 ARF by Ultrafly .Nice plane.
Already started the build....but am wondering which landing gear to use-Tricycle or Taildragger.I see almost most of you'll modellers go for the tricycle gear.
I am just a beginner yet to solo my own plane but have a lot of technical know how....
But would like to know in which mode the damage on the APC prop will be less!!!!(props are not easily available in India and so become a little to much expensive!!!)What would be the result if I used a 10*7 APC slow fly in place of the 10*4.7 prop
If it is the same situation in both ways then I would love to go the tricycle way.
Another little problem for me is at present I only have 2 hobbico micro servos which should do for the Rudder and elevator,can I omit the 2 aileron servos and the flap servo for now ,Could add them later .Will this affect the CG and /or lateral balance of the Cessna 182

Thanks for all the expert help.
Cheers John.

PMDrive1061

Hi again, John!

I would definitely invest in a couple of servos and a Y-harness for the ailerons. This plane absolutely will not steer solely with the rudder. All it does is yaw and lose altitude with rudder only. A 10x7 prop might be a bit much for the stock setup in my opinion. That 10x4.7 works pretty well even with additional power.

Flaps aren't entirely necessary and the instructions for setting them up absolutely stink. [:'(]

The odds are against you learning to fly this plane by yourself if you've never flown R/C before. It is, however, an excellent trainer if you buddy box with an instructor.

Set it up as a tricycle. You won't be sorry. It's more scale-accurate and easy to land regardless of what the instructions say. All my other planes were taildraggers. This is as easy to land as my Parkzone J-3, even without flaps. Maybe even easier. To top it off, it taxies beautifully and tracks well down the runway on both takeoff and landing.

flyingjon

Thanks Ralph,
I will have to wait to fly the cessna 182 now....Till I get more Servos.
Yeah,I too some how like the tricycle gear and will start work on the tricycle landing gear soon.
Till then I will wait!!!
Made a foam model sailplane STS from the plans on the net and intend to maiden it in about an hour or so.Lets see how my Depron model works .Me hoping for the Best though the sailplane is a bit more on the weight.....Tell me please can a Speed 400 handle a weight of 700 Gms for wing span of 44 inches
Thanks again!!
John.

flyingjon

Oh I had a bad Sunday!! Broke my 10*7 slow fly APC prop on my depron built crude sail plane.Only me and myself to blame.the CG was little more on the tail heavy side and then the up elevator deflection was much more while down elevator was very little or almost absent due to bad bad home made push rod ( have replaced with something better) My expert flyer friend did not notice all these draw backs and flew it right into the wind........and wow !!! The way it went straight up!!!!! almost Vertical!!!!!Oh yes ,It had all the power in the world......But no control!! and like all things that go up must come down.....down came my sail baby ,only breaking its Prop ,good thing no bend gear shafts or chiped spur gear teeth as the motor jumped up!!!!Slow fly props are thin and delicate darlings....One down five more to go...Oh no,I just can't afford to break bend another prop.Will try to add some landing gear that might even help in getting the plane a liitle nose heavy for the right CG.
I will be very paitent with my Cessna 182.slow and steady...It has to last me lots and lots of flights!!! and I have only 1 10*4.7 prop.
My sail plane with a new prop on

PMDrive1061

You'll be fine.

Just make sure the center of gravity is correct, which I believe is 60mm behind the leading edge of the wing, but don't hold me to that. You can set that with your battery pack. All the specs are in the back of the manual. As far as control surface deflection, my plane is set to their specs except for the rudder only because my radio doesn't have an adjustment for it. Honestly, if your plane is set up properly, it'll almost fly itself. This is only my second aileron plane and it's a cinch to fly. I'd consider flaps if your radio has enough channels even though the instructions for making the linkage are pretty bad, as I pointed out. Once that plane is in the air, it really wants to stay there. I have no trouble landing mine, but it's easy to come in hot even at no throttle.

flyingjon

Hello Again,
I just got myself Align 6gms microservos which sit nice and tight into the slot meant for the elevator and rudder servos.The 17gms Hobbico microservos would not fit into any of the servo slots without a lot of scraping and sanding,which I certainly would not want to do on the Cessna fuse or wing.So I guess will have to make arrangments to get 2 more of those minature light servos for the alerions.
Another problem coming my way is the placement of the rudder and elevator servos,where in the rudder servo control horn has to also have the steering control rod. During assembly the manual says to stick the pushrod tube in 2 places on the same fuse side,so when looking from front -The motor prop in front of me - the rudder servo comes on the left and elevator servo to the right of me....But looking forward into the manual a picture shows the push rod and servo assembly where in the Rudder servo is on the right , which makes it better for the steering pushrod.....So should the push rods of elevator and rudder cross over each other as they come into the servo tray????
I know its a little to much to put details into a small manual,But all comments and suggestions are most welcome .Charlie please Help.Thanks to you ,Lucky,for all your timely help.
Hey!!! Am I the only chap still building the Ultrafly Cessna 182 ARF ???? Is everyone else still flying their Cessna or gone in for more faster speedy models???????????

mukradio

Hey flyingjon,

Nope, you aren't the only one flying. That is one sweet plane! It is by far the most stable foamy I own. Hopefully the weather is going to let me get out tomorrow. We've had some snow but I think most of it will be melted off at my flying site. I also need to get some more videos done. Keep flying!!!

PMDrive1061

Jon, you just discovered one of the errors in the manual.

The pushrod tubes need to cross over one another. You'll have to make a zig-zag bend in the rudder pushrod in order for it to line up out back. You should also get some DU-BRO Kwik-Connect barrel clamps or whatever clamps you can get in your area that are similar to the one that's used to clamp the nosewheel pushrod to the servo horn. Trying to make a zig-zag bend to attach the ends at the servo horns inside that very tight radio compartment isn't worth the effort. Not only are the barrel clamps easier to install, they make it easier to trim the control surfaces.

Finally...am I still flying mine? Oh, yes. Every chance I get. Mine is a little buzz-bomb with the setup I have. It's impressed quite a few of the guys I know who fly nitro.

PlaneKrazy214

Hey everyone! I too have the Ultrafly Cessna. It is my first arf kit and was more extensive than I thought but I got it done. Bought it in september and have not had a chance to fly it yet. The instruction manual stinks. I read everyones threads and I actually figure I did alright. The float plane idea looks SWEET! I have a school right next door and they asphalted the track around the football field last fall so i may get brave and fly it there after I get used too it. I to have the parkzone mustang. Had to gut the bad boy and put newelectronics and servos in it. so, I figure the 182 has to be easier to fly. I did put flaps on it, from what I read I wasted my time and money. Oh well. I will keep in touch and compare notes. Everytime I want to fly its too windy or raining or snowing or its nice and i am at work. I work on the ramp at the airport in detroit......maybe they would let me....no forget it. lol

flyingjon

Hello All ye Scale model Flyers,
Well ,I got a chance to get a model and so I picked up the Ultrafly Cessna mainly because its dual wing in one package impressed me....I read about it all after I placed my order with Tower Hobbies.And reading the Reviews and posts by all you wonderful people out there I was not dissapointed even one bit......It sure took me quite some time trying to understand the build procces,I did that even before my model reached me ,downloading the manual from the net.....But it was only after I had all the model parts laid out in front of me and looking up the build thread again and again did I get the basic idea of how to start building my model.Full thanks, to Papa Keith's wonderful building procces with clear cut photos.

I as, a beginner would not like to start flying with this wonderful expensive model......But then again ,should I go ahead and fly?? at the big open field race track......But then ,again no !!! Paitence will pay hopefuly!!!
Hey B25 Guy, build good relations with Detroit airport staff ( won't be difficult for U,You work there itself!!!) and U should be flying on an airfield itself when the real planes are away,Its Aeromodel time!![8D]

Du-Bro pushrod systems are not easily available in my area,I had to do with the kit contents itself....Well have to still do adjustments to the control rods and surface settings.I did not like the idea of crossing the rudder and elevator push rods and so the steering control rod had to cross

DaleNabq

A friend has one that I flew. Sweet with a 3s 1500 Lipo! I've got an ARF on order that should be here tomorrow. Gald to see all the corrections to the instructions. Hopefully, save some heartburn.

My 1st question is, what ESC? Tower and UltraFly recommend the C-35 for this 182 and the SU-27. They list the C-25 as an option. Is the C-35 to accomidate the up to 5 micro servos in the 182. Best I can tell only draws 10 - 11 amps stock. The C-25 says runs 2 Standard Servos and the C-35 3 Standard Servos..... I plan to use 5 HS-55 servos (2 aileron, rudder, elevator, flaps) and 3s 1500 Lipo.

2nd build tricycle or tail dragger? The friend's is tail dragger. He says lighter and easier to fix.....


Dale

PlaneKrazy214

Hey Flyinjon, it sure would be nice to fly on the ramp area at DTW. I hope to get my cessna airborn soon. it has been sittin on the workbech since I did some taxi tests to align the nosewheel in november. My friend was frustrated with the weather as I was so he bought an RC snowmobile.....and guess what, not enough snow to use it. He says its a curse. Have fun and fly well.

PMDrive1061

Castle Creations Phoenix-25. No doubt about it. Worth the extra few dollars and the customer support is outstanding. Spend the extra $24 and pick up the "Phx-Link" USB adapter. You can then program any Castle speed control with your computer. Just awesome stuff.

Go with the tricycle setup, but pick up a DU-BRO 1/2A nosewheel kit. Much better than the stock parts, but you'll still have to use the piano wire that came with the kit since the DU-BRO's is too short. Not only is mine easy to land, I can taxi with it. The tricycle is more to scale unless you want something that looks like a Cessna 180 with a newer tail fin. The fellow who turned me on to this bird built his as a taildragger and wishes he hadn't. Once that battery tray is epoxied in place, there's no turning back.

PMDrive1061

Guys, I just devised a neat and easy fix for what I was certain would be a weak point, namely the main landing gear.

I've never had a hard landing with my plane. In fact, I "grease" the landings pretty well, if I do say so m'self. ) I was certain that the surprisingly weak way in which they were mounted would cause troubles. Sure enough, they were working loose and the surrounding plastic developed a slight crack. The mains even came clean off on a couple of landings.

Solution: One piece of Evergreen Scale Models #169 .080"x.250" (2.0x6.3mm) styrene strip cut to fit inside the slot and to act as a retainer. I thought I'd have to wedge it in past the surface of the battery box to get the results I wanted. Not only did it fit flush, it looks factory! A bit of CA provided cheap insurance, but it's a snug fit without it. A package of seven strips each about a foot long set me back the princely sum of US$2.13. I plan on giving them to a friend of mine who's a professional modeler who contributes articles to a couple of magazines and who's an avid builder.

flyingjon

Great tips for a stronger landing gear.Thanks Lucky.If U have found your hidden digital camera,some pictures of the strengtened undercarriage would be so nice.I too noticed the high and weak landing gear.
Though I have already fixed the front steering wheel and landing gear,I haven't yet glued the battery tray....Just a suggestion,could it be possible?...maybe would add a little weight...2 screws and nuts and a little balsa on the underside to make a removable and reversable battery tray....for 2 reasons ,one to change the landing gear style and the other to easily access the speed control or receiver.
I intend using Great Planes single conversion 5ch receiver with a 30Amp built in ESC/BEC and would not like to make a more bigger hole in the firewall to pass the receiver/ESC.another alternative would be to use my dual conversion receiver and separate 30 Amp speed control.Again weight could pose a problem !!!
Have any of you'll, Ultra fly Cessna builders really weighed your completed ready to Fly Bird on a weighing scale to confirm the final weight of your model??

PMDrive1061

Say, guess what, fellows? Yup! Wing failure number two, this time the advanced wing! Same thing, same damage. There is simply not enough material to hold that wing together for very long.

Great Planes is replacing it with the plane of my choice with a $109.99 retail price. The Electrifly Lancair is looking mighty good, even if I do have to buy another motor. Mine was damaged in the crash this time, by the way.

The only fix that I can see for this is to sheet both sides of the center section of that wing with some thin fiberglass and epoxy. For those of you still flying yours, I strongly suggest you do so ASAP so your plane doesn't wind up like mine. Better still, spend the $16 and start with a new wing.

FYI, do you know of all those extra parts that the plane is packed with? There are (a) landing gear mounts and (b) wing tip skis listed at Tower Hobbies. These come packed with the plane, but you'd never know what the heck they do!

DaleNabq

I guess I'm wondering how hard you're pushing yours? I've flown mine several times and a friend has had one for a quite a while. Of course, we're just flying around and nothing too strenious. What exactly is failing? Is the plastic pice on the top rear of the wing where the screw goes?

Dale

PMDrive1061

It failed around that area where the foam isn't reinforced. I mostly did straight and level flight with the occasional loop. I flew mostly at half throttle. I think if the wing's center section was glassed over, the problem wouldn't happen.