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help with balancing nexstar

Old 07-23-2005, 12:24 AM
  #1  
nexstar22
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Default help with balancing nexstar

I gonna be taking my nexstar up with a instructor for the first time this sunday...but before I do this he has told me that my plane is tail heavy and needs weight in the front...I just dont know where or how to put weight on the front of the plane......ideas anyone?
Old 07-23-2005, 01:07 AM
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Razor-RCU
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

The easiest way would be to move your airborn battery as far forward as possible, the goal is generally to move existing weight forward rather than adding "dead" weight- If the above does not work you cn buy strip weights (Fishing tackle store) and stick up front wherever!

Have fun!
Old 07-23-2005, 01:15 AM
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ho2zoo
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

Easiest way is to buy some of those stick-on lead weights. Many companies make them, like Du-bro, Great planes, Sullivan, etc. Cut off a chunk, stick it to the wood inside the engine compartment, and then check the balance. When you get the balance right, run a line of CA glue around the weight where it contacts the wood. This is to make sure it stays stuck on.
Old 07-23-2005, 12:30 PM
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YNOT
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

DO NOT REBALANCE THE PLANE. IT IS NOT TAIL HEAVY!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS PERFECT!

This bothers me. Chances are, your instructor has flown a NexStar before and it climbed to the moon and would not trim out and their only solution was to add nose weight. WRONG!!!!!!!!!!

If you leave the anti stall tips and the speed brakes on, it will climb and you can't trim it beyond about half throttle.

Solutions:
1) Trim a little down into the elevator by making an ajustment on the clevis of the elevator. However when you remove the speed brakes it will dive a bit and if you remove the anti stall tips, it will dive some more and you will have to go back and take out the ajustment you made.
2) Remove the anti stalls and speed brakes.

I recomend trimming a bit of down for now.

I have taught countless people how to fly on the NexStar, theirs and mine.

You may also have to make an ajustment for the steering. Several of them arrive a little off.

Do NOT add weight to the plane. It is not out of balance, the person telling you this is just unfamiler with the NexStar and I don't care how long they have been flying, it doesn't need nose weight.

I'm right and they are wrong on this one.
Old 07-23-2005, 12:39 PM
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britbrat
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar


ORIGINAL: YNOT

-----DO NOT REBALANCE THE PLANE. IT IS NOT TAIL HEAVY!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS PERFECT!

----- Do NOT add weight to the plane. It is not out of balance, the person telling you this is just unfamiler with the NexStar and I don't care how long they have been flying, it doesn't need nose weight.

----I'm right and they are wrong on this one.
You're only right if this is a NexStar Select. If it's the ARF it could be configured quite differently than the Select. For example, it could be powered by a lighter engine than the OS .46 FXi in the Select, thus requiring balast.



Old 07-23-2005, 08:19 PM
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

britbrat is quite correct! If it is not the select it is very easily possible that it may be tail heavy. Rule of thumb is "Nose heavy Planes fly bad", and "Tail heavy Planes fly once!" This is not always the case, and is just a saying, but many Planes have met there end just because they were to tail heavy, and uncontrollable in the air. I always prefer to have a Trainer Plane just a touch heavy to the nose. Even some sport models perform O.K with a little extra weight to the nose. 3D style Planes are a different story, but no sense even talking about them at this point.
Old 07-23-2005, 08:55 PM
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

The NexStar is only available in the "select" version. It is not available as the airplane only like the SuperStar and AvaStar.

DO NOT ADD WEIGHT no need to re-balance the plane. Its perfect.
Old 07-23-2005, 09:08 PM
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar


ORIGINAL: YNOT

The NexStar is only available in the "select" version. It is not available as the airplane only like the SuperStar and AvaStar.

DO NOT ADD WEIGHT no need to re-balance the plane. Its perfect.
I hate to disagree, but the Nexstar IS available in either the RTF or ARF version.
Old 07-23-2005, 09:11 PM
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

http://www.towerhobbies.com/products.../hcaa2025.html
Above is the Link to the Nexstar ARF version. $110.00 at Tower Hobbies.
Old 07-23-2005, 09:15 PM
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

So I will state again that if you have selected your own equipment, then it is quite possible for the Nexstar to out of balance! The Nexstar is equipped with cg marks printed on the Plane. So just hold your fingers under the wing on those marks and see which way the Plane wants to tilt.
Old 07-23-2005, 09:22 PM
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

One more thing..........
My Nexstar which you will see on my wall in the pic is the select version, and the Balance was just slightly off on it after setting it on my cg machine. So it is even possible for the select version to be off a bit one way or the other. Mine wasn't off very much, but it was off a bit. I also have the Sig LT-40, Tower Trainer 40, Alpha 40 Trainer, Pt-20, Pt-40, and an old Bridi Trainer 40, and I prefer to have them all just a tad heavy to the nose. Seems to take a little of the float out on landings.
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Old 07-23-2005, 10:05 PM
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YNOT
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

Alll right, I'll admit my mistake.

As I open the new Tower rag, on the second page is the NexStar ARF, non select version. I even checked the Hobbico website before I made the claim, its not shown, I should have checked the master, master tower. And yall are right, if you have the regular ARF version and you build it yourself and install your personal gear, it could come out incorrectly.

I still hold by my orignal post, that if it is the Select version, it will not need ajustments to make the plane fly perfect. That assumption is made form the 20+ NexStar I have flown owned by other people and I own one too. It the public trainer.

I have seen several instructors start adding weight to the nose, becasue they could not trim the plane, it didn;t have enough down, so they figured it was balance. They were wrong.

Sorry some of you think otherwise.

Old 07-23-2005, 10:51 PM
  #13  
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

Tony
You are correct in saying that the nexstar really likes to climb past half throttle, and I can see someone who is not familiar with the Plane thinking it may be a balance issue when it is not. Also, I don't believe the ARF version of the Nexstar has been out on the market very long, so it is easy to see how many may not yet know it exist. I actually just came across it one day when browsing around on the "KING" Tower website not long ago. Up to that point I was only aware of the select version myself. All the ones who have showed up at the club with one have been the select version. I don't fly mine much, and just basically bought it because I thought it looked neat for a Trainer. I did take the airbrakes off, and did have to have to readjust the elevator because the darn thing wouldn't even come up off the field once the brakes were removed. It seemed to help with its tendency to climb so hard past half throttle, and also sped the Plane up quite a bit. If I was just starting out, I would leave the brakes on though till I got used to the Plane even though other Trainers do not have the Brakes or the Droops at all.
Old 07-23-2005, 11:22 PM
  #14  
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Default RE: help with balancing nexstar

Hey .....I bought the ARF version and put a OS 46 in it. Amazingly after it was done....the CG was PERFECT. Although I had alot
of other problems with the plane. Make sure you file a flat groove in the front landing gear and line it up PERFECT with the rudder.
Even though I did this....it still caused alot of grief. (Read my thread "NEXSTAR....PROBLEMS .... PROBLEMS....PROBLEMS)

Welll....as you might have guessed......I have crashed it.....it was pilot error tho.....so in the process of rebuilding....taking the
dihedral mostly out and changed to taildragger. Should be done in a couple of days. Re-monocoted the hole thing, so far so good.

The real good pilots at the club I belong to fly WARBIRDS. I love them but am in no way capable of handling one yet....so........
I told them all I was redoing my Nexstar and making it a "WAR-DUCK". It is camo green. Watch for my WAR-DUCK thread when I
get it all done.....have lots of pics the share.


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