Greg Covey

The Cessna 180 Ready-To-Fly (RTF) from WattAge puts it all together for you in one package!

A great flying and looking plane that is quiet and can be flown anywhere. A great power system using the latest nimh battery technology for lightweight and good flight times.

It has a true digital proportional 4 channel FM ModeII Cirrus radio complete with servo reversing. Inside the plane you'll find a true micro 4 channel FM receiver, two micro 9 gram servos, and a 7 amp electronic motor controller. This is a system so good you'll be able to fly many other electric park flyers with like the Mini Maxx and Tubby Cubby park flyers.

Specifications:

Wing Span: 24.5 inches
Wing Area: 116 sq. in.
Length: 17 inches
Weight: 6 ounces
Wing Loading: 7.45 oz/sq. ft.

For more information on the Wattage Cessna 180 at Hobby People, go [link=http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/128309.asp]here.[/link]

Greg Covey

The package is truely a complete trainer system. The wall charger unit will completely charge the NiMH pack in 2.5 hours. The 4-channel radio system uses Cirrus servos and receiver components.

A complete manual with plenty of photos and step-by-step assembly is geared for the first time R/C flyer.

Greg Covey

Here's a look at the Cessna fuselage as it comes out of the box. It is completely wired and ready for the battery pack to slide inside up front after charging.

Matt Kirsch

My Feedback: (21)

Once you get it flying, give me a write-up and I'll put it in the top thread.

Greg Covey

Sounds good, Matt.

The plane is ready but our local weather isn't. It's been a rough Winter.

After installing the vertical stabilizer with a single screw, the linkages are easily attached to the control horn by bending the plastic horn at an angle to insert the "Z" bend.

Pre-bent curves in the control rod allow you to center the control surfaces after testing them with the transmitter trims centered. My plane only needed a little adjustment on the elevator to center it.

The manual recommends using the outer most hole on each control horn for minimum swing on the elevator and rudder. This is a good approach for beginners since they tend to over-correct on the sticks.

Greg Covey

The direct drive motor is pre-installed and only needs the prop pressed into place.

An arming switch adds safety by keeping the motor off until you are ready to toss-launch the plane.

Greg Covey

My Cessna 180 is Ready-To-Fly (RTF) at 7.7oz.

The manual says it is RTF at only 6oz but this is likely without a battery.

Greg Covey

I tested the Cessna 180 on two seperate days...both windy.

To my surprise, the plane had plenty of power and it very rugged. The snow, ice, and ground didn't seem to affect it when landing. Flight times were about 5 minutes. The Cessna should be a great trainer for beginners on a calm day as it seemed to handle 5-10mph winds without a problem.

Here are some flying photos:

Greg Covey

more flying...

Greg Covey

Check out my Cessna 180 video [link=http://www.gregcovey.com/RCU/Cessna180.wmv]here[/link].

jwong

does this wattage cessna 180 has a speed control on it? i am a newbie so i may not be using the right term.. i am wondering if this plane can be controlled by various speeds, or just on/off the motor to control the speed? please let me know...thanks.

rcdrum

The wattage cessna 180 comes with a speed control that is
proportional (various speeds). I have seen many newbies
have great success with this airplane.
RC

jwong

I bought the plane.. haven't tried it yet.. can i take off from ground? is it possible? it seems like there is no wheel at the end and won't it create more friction to prevent it from taking it off from ground?

anyone have tried to take off from ground successfully? if so, what do you need?
- on what kind of ground? grass field? concrete ? indoor gym floor?
- do you have to modify to add a rear wheel to make it run smoother?


please help

THanks.

Greg Covey

Hi Jimmy,

The Wattage Cessna 180 is really meant to be hand-tossed for takeoff. In fact, I would try to keep it away from pavement and other hard surfaces. The plane cannot be flown indoors since it is too fast. Try to get some help on your first flights so that it can be properly trimmed out before you try to fly it. Also, never try to modify a plane until after you have flown it and get some experience.

A hand-toss launch straight out will be your best chance for a successful take-off.

Good luck!

jwong

I found that after one crash, the antenna was detached from the receiver and I tried to attached the wire to the receiver, since then, as long as the radio controller and the plane is away from 10 m or 20 m, the servos and the motor start to have some noise (or movement) even though i didn't touch the controller...

Does this mean the receiver is already broken? was there any warranty on the receiver?

thanks.

jimmy

ctimm

My Feedback: (61)

You should contact Watt-Age and try to see if its covered, the book states that they dont warrantee crash damage, but its always worth a try.

My Wife just got me one for my birthday and i cant wait to try it, i already ordered a 2nd battery from Hobby People.

does anyone with experience have any battery upgrade suggestions, and advice on quick charger settings.
i use a duratrax intellapeak digital pulse charger.

Thanks for your time guys and good luck with your cessnas[8D]

Greg Covey

Since you already using NiMH battery technology, the only upgrade would be to switch to Lithium cells. You would need to find a proper sized 2s Lithium pack of equal weight to the stock battery so that you don't alter the CG setting.

You DuraTrax Peak Charger should work fine on this pack. Set the charger to 1C or 300mA for charging the 6-cell pack.

Jimmy,

Make sure that the antenna wire is connected to the proper pad on the receiver. The receive should be fine since it is protected inside the depron foam fuselage. Did you do the same test before this crash and see a difference now or is this just something you noticed after the crash?

ctimm

My Feedback: (61)

Thanks for the info Greg, i intend to put it to use! [8D]

jwong

Thanks Greg. Wattage has been so kind that they did replace me receiver. so it's flying again.

Now, after I get some feel and experience with this plane, and I also continue to research online for other planes (GWS mostly), I find that most of the GWS plane can take off from ground easily usually because the battery has higher voltage or motor is more powerful (300 or above, usually 380). Also the Prop size can alter the performance of the plane as well.

Now my question is, how would I bring this wattage Cessna 180 to the next level? I enjoy watching the plane taking off and landing so having this ability is a plus.

Hi Greg, or anyone in this forum, have you guys tried to modified the Wattage Cessna 180? will using 8.4V battery work and give more power? or should the motor be replaced from 180 to something like 380....? or should I change the prop size ?

Again, I am still a learner so please forgive me if anything i mention above does not make sense.

Thanks a lot!!!

cormar49

i was wondering if the cessna 180 can be upgraded. can you add a bigger motor, battery pack ? i am experienced in electronics i was hoping someone may know if upgrades are possible for this plane cause i really like it but would enjoy some more power or flight time.

geyik1298

I just bought a Wattage Corsair and tried it with no success. It didn't take off (tried hand toss and from ground). It feels very heavy and I think it is much heavier than Cessna but also has a more powerful engine.

I keep losing control as soon as it is airborne, any suggestions? Can it be trimming related? Because it always goes left and falls.

I will try it again tomorrow, I just wish I got a cessna instead.

Greg Covey

geyik1298,

I have heard of other problems reported on the Wattage Corsair. I'll bet that you can search on either this forum or the Parkflyers forum for more information on this plane.

Jimmy and cormar49,

The Cessna 180 goes pretty fast already so any "upgrades" will likely add weight making it even hotter. I would suggest that the best way to upgrade is to use the servos and receiver on another plane. This was intented in the original design plan after you mastered the Cessna.

That being said, a 2-cell, Kokam 700mAh Lithium pack at [link=http://www.hobby-lobby.com/kokam.htm]Hobby Lobby[/link] would double your flight time and drop about half an ounce from the flying weight. The drop in weight would result in more effective power in the air and slower landings. You would also new a new charger like the [link=http://www.hobby-lobby.com/chargers_lipoly.htm]ETC2500[/link].

geyik1298

Thanks Greg.
I tried my wattage corsair today again and it was a bit better but culd not get much altitude. Ground takeoff didn't work at all, hand launch was a bit better but did not fly more than 20 seconds. It just couldnt gain altitude. I will search the forums more to get information. Do you have any suggestion to improve the power? I am not sure if I should make more investment on corsair parts or move on to a different plane?

I also have a jet looking FIREBAT which I have not built yet. I am hopeful that I will do better with that one because it is foam. Corsair was plastic maybe that's why it was heavier.
Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks.

Greg Covey

After studying the Corsair, I realize that it is a direct drive Speed 400 power system running on a 7-cell, 600mAh pack.

You could benefit greatly as well from using Lithium cells. A 2-cell Kokam 1500 pack at [link=http://www.hobby-lobby.com/kokam.htm]Hobby Lobby[/link] weighs about an ounce less than the 7-cell, 600mAh NiCd pack and will increase the flight duration about 2-1/2 times.

Another sizable benefit (assuming it fits) would be to switch to the [link=http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/128538.asp]8-cell 800mAh NiMH[/link] pack at Hobby People for only $20. This pack has the same connector as your stock pack, weighs about an ounce less, and has an 8th cell for more initial power on launches or loops (i.e. when needed). The duration is also slightly better.

I am not familiar with the inside of the Corsair so you can check the pack dimensions to see if it will fit.

geyik1298

I got the 2-cell kokam from hobby-lobby with a cheap charger from ebay. I will try it when I receive it. On another note, I bought easy star ARF with Jeti 15/4 brushless and I am going to try the new motor, ESC, battery on Easy Star first. Once I am comfortable, I think i will swap them with the Corsair because Corsair needs power more than Easy Star.

Do you know if the 2-cell LiPoly works on stock Wattage Corsair?