josh451

After much research in this forum, I bought a Slo-V as my first plane. Like many people here I decided to teach my self to fly it. I thought I would share my experience as well.

As advertised the Slo-V was simple to get started so after charging up the battery I tried it out. I went to a soccer field near my house to give it a whirl. I decided to hand launch it as there was no suitable pavement to ROG. It went straight up like a rocket and then went straight down like a lawn dart. Luckily there was no damage. I then recalled all the stuff I read about trimming and found out the out of the box setup to be extremely out of trim. It would have been helpful for Park Zone to put something in the manual about the importance of trimming. After I figured out the trim I launched it again but by this time the wind had came up. When I say wind it was probably around 5-7mph. Its been said before over and over that the Slo-V doesn’t fly in the wind but I had to find out for myself as I precived it to be insignificant. I launched it again and this time it flew straight and level all though it was been jerked around by the wind a bit. Everything was awesome until I turned the plane around and there was a wind gust. I got disorientated and the plane kept getting further and further away. Fortunately there was a house there to "catch" my Slo-V. A broken prop and a bent prop shaft later I returned home a bit discouraged.

I went on the Internet looking for flying tips and found the FMS simulator. I downloaded it and found the Slo-V model for it. I practiced it with my analog joy pad for about a couple of hours and started to get the hang of it. Bubbling with confidence I headed back out the next morning. After the House collision I decided to find a bigger field There was no wind at all it was perfectly calm, I hand launched it again and off it went. The time I spent with FMS really paid off. I had no problems at all with controlling it or losing orientation. It was a great sensation! Right up there with learning to ride a bike or driving a car for the first time. I brought the plane in after about 8 minutes of flying around to picture perfect landing just like I practiced on FMS. I was really stoked! I changed the battery out and was going to try the 7 Cell out (I had flown with the stock 6 Cell previously) when I plugged the 7 Cell in the ESC started to smoke! I quickly unplugged it but it was too late it was fried. I was upset and told my three year old co-pilot to cover his ears! After the ensuing stream of obscenities, I looked at the Park Zone warranty which is basically worthless after the first flight and ordered a new ESC online.

It took close to 10 days for the replacement ESC to arrive and I was itching to fly the entire time. During that time I did a lot of practicing with FMS and was getting pretty good. The ESC arrived and it was for a F27 Stryker. The part number was the same so I guess they are transferable. I installed it and headed out. Despite having plugging in the servos in the same manner as the previous ESC it turns out they were reversed on the replacement ESC. Which I didn't realize until the plane was about 50' up and I gave it some "Up Elevator." This time the impact was severe and the tail feathers were ripped from the mount and all brackets along the fuselage were ripped off the carbon. Not wanting to wait for parts again I went to the LHS and left with a much lighter wallet.

After getting everything repaired I enjoyed several event free flights. Having practiced some basic aerobatics in FMS I figured I would give it a whirl in the Real world. I was able to do some decent loops and wing over stalls and some other "tricks" that I'm not sure actually count. I was having a blast. Until the wing folded and it fell out of the sky. The last original part. I have now replaced every single part of this plane with the exception of the landing gear.

In conclusion I'm not sure if I would buy the Slo-V again. I would proablly have bought a Slow Stick as I now want to move on to something with more performance and the electronics don't transfer. It doesn’t fly very well unless it's absolutely calm which makes it hard to schedule time to fly. I was miffed about the ESC breaking which I doubt had to do with me. The wing folding after just a few loops was kind of lame as well. However when conditions are right its does fly well and in my opinion it looks really cool (I painted the last incarnation) And I have learned a great deal from all the crashes and I feel confident enough to build a beginner kit now, something that terrified me before. Anyway, I just want to thank the members of this forum for all the great posts and If there are people reading this that are lurking like I did for so long, go for it! It's really a blast and despite everything I have went through the last month it's not as complicated as it sounds. Additionaly I think I would have given up if it wasn't for FMS. It was invaluable.

Dr.Watson

My Feedback: (10)

nice looking slo-v! yeah if i were you i would have gotten the slow stick. but at least you got to learn how to fly! welcome to the fun sport of RC flying!

Rat1

Before lookign at the Slow Stick try looking at the Mountain Models Magpie from Mountain Models.com. This is a model that will easily grow with your skills and will handle much more wind then the Slo V or Slow Stick.

I started on a ParkZone J3 cub but quickly moved to the Slo v for a slightly slower flying model so I could learn control better. I then went back to the Cub then purchased a Stryker. I Only had to do one repair on my V which was a creased tail feather. The Stryker was completely rebuilt due to two different servo failures. the Cub has been completely rebuilt due to a receiver glitch which smoked the receiver.

I for one am done with RTF models which use propriety radio gear (ParkZone/HobbyZone etc).

josh451

Cool. I have heard some great things about Mountain Models. I think I will go that route. I like the fact that on the Magpie (right model?) you can change the wing. So it's like getting two planes for the price of one. The only thing I don't like about it (from the pics I have seen) is it's looks it reminds of those cheap foam gliders you get at a toy store.

INeedHelp

My Feedback: (1)

Hi Josh451, which part of Az do you live in. There are several of us in the Mesa area that like to fly together and if you are in the area you are more than welcome to come out.

Good Luck with the Slo-V and have fun

Rat1

Once the magpie is assembled it looks nothing like a cheap foam glider.

Here is one of mine

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Josh451,

Sounds like the Slo-V did its job. Survived your inital training and got you flying.

A couple of thoughts.

You now understand why everyone advises not to fly this plane in over 5 MPH winds, at least until you know how to handle it.

The wing probably carried over some damage from an earlier crash. Perhaps not but likely.

When the ESC smoked, did you take the plane back to the LHS where you bought it? I have found excellent support for Hobbyzone and ParkZone planes at the LHS.

Actually your story sounds very much like mine. I started on an Aerobird. I made every mistake in the book. I ignored all the council of these forums and the instruction manual, and my club buddies and flew in too much wind. I lost the first Aerobird this way. Totally my fault.

Forgetting to check that the controls are hooked up correctly before trying to fly? Done it!

When self training, unless you are very dilligent in following directions and advice, you are going to suffer some serious bruises. Looks like you survivied and will live to move on.

Congratulations Pilot and welcome to RC flying.


BTWm the Magpie suggested above is an excellent choice. You can get it with two wings for $55. That would be a slow fly wing and a more aerobatic wing. I think they have a package with everything you need, except the radio, for about $160. It would be a good choice.

josh451

Rat thanks for sharing that pic. Looks Nice. How does it handle in the wind?

Aeajr: Thanks for your post and recommendation! I bought it at hobby town there was a big orange sticker disclaimer about no returns, refunds or anything. So I didn't bother

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Ouch! I would not do business with them again. The hobby stores around here take good care of their customers.

Rat1

Completely flyable in winds of 15 mph. When winds hit 20 mph then it can become a chore since the motor has to be run at full power to fight against the wind., but it is flyable.

josh451

Ineedhelp:

Sent you a PM but I don't think it's working properly or my popup blocker is conflicting with it. I live near the Chandler Airport. I used to fly at Tumbleweed Park but the Park Ranger kicked me out. A real shame as it's perfect for flying and there is never any people there. There is a large green belt type park in walking distance from my house that is usually is empty in the early mornings that I have been using since my banishment from Tumbleweed. I had some nice flying yesterday morning before the wind came up. I went to Thud park the designated fly area for Chandler. It's kind of nice because it's in a basin and is sheltered from the wind a little bit. Where do you fly in Mesa?

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Rat1,

Are you saying you fly a Slo-V in 15 mph winds? I am impressed. I have flown a slo-v that belongs to another club member as I was helping him. I did OK in about 7 mph winds and figured it could handle 10 with a little trimming and the heavier battery.

I know you have posted this somewhere, but are you flying it stock, or have you done something to it. I just would not have expected it to be controllable in that much wind flying the stock configuration.

josh451

I think he was talking about the Magpie

blank

Where did you download the slo v i have been loooking for ages with no luck.

josh451

http://gunnerson.homestead.com/files/fms_models.htm


It's in the middle of page.

Durring the past few weeks I have been flying with the wing with the COG in the rear most setting. I have found this emulates the physics of the FMS model the closest.

ADD hobbiest

back to the slo-v.

I also researched the forums and my LHS and came to the conclusion to buy the slo-v for my first electric. I decided to trade off ability to fly in higher winds for slow flight.

As a n00b my biggest concern was having a plane slow enough to actually watch. About 9 years ago I got all set up with a glow plane, the sturdy birdyII equipped with a .40 motor and ailerons. It was so fast and maneuverable (compared to me) that it was into the ground before I knew it, over and over again. As a result, in several months of attempts, I got less airtime with my sturdy birdy, than the slo-v with one charge of the battery pack last night.
No doubt it is challenging in "high" winds. I bucked the system and flew my first flight in 5-6mph wind, but I knew that I was pushing the ability of the plane so I just flew out and back and landed to keep the plane from getting carried away. I would say I got exactly what I expected minus the spectacular crash.

I chose the slo-v over the slow stick for two reasons.
1) over $100 less than slow stick (no explanation req'd)
2) v tail. I like the semi-simplified control response without acting too differently from horizontal and vertical stabs (like two motors would) and there is one less part to break off than full on stabs.

Did I mention $100 less? I don't expect to remove the electronics for my next plane because I want to keep a slow flier (I can fly it indoors at work) so I think the proprietary electrics are a good value. Besides I have almost $500 tied up in my sturdy birdy, futaba radio, extra props, fuel etc, sitting in a pile in my basement. I like keeping the initial investment low; if it takes off (literally and figuratively) $139 +tax will be a drop in the bucket.

As an aside, why do people say you can't remove the electronics? I'm no rocket surgeon, but it doesn't look like it would take much to remove the 4 screws holding the servos on and some double stick tape holding the receiver.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Congratulations on your first flight success. Also congratulations on the depth of your research. You picked the right plane for you for the right reasons for you. Excellent!

As for your question here. The answer is that it doesn't look like what they know. It doesn't work with what they have.

You can certainly use the electronics in another plane. However I believe the V tail mixing is locked in, so if you do move it it will have to be a V tail. Or, I think it would also work with a flying wing. So you have about 100 planes and 50 wings into which you could put these electroncis. Don't you feel limited?

However, like you, I have kept my original plane flying. Why not! It was fun when I got it and it is still fun. I enjoy it for what it does and am very happy with it.

Keep us up to date on your progress ADD Hobbiest!

ADD hobbiest

Flight number two successful. Ran the battery pack dry. This morning the wind was less than 1 mph. I was flying a lazy circle pattern at or below half throttle 2-3 feet off the ground!

Yesterday I found the least robust part of the plane to be the prop shaft. Since it costs $2 less than the prop I guess that’s not too bad. I also found that bending the landing gear so it sticks forward more decreased the problem with the plane tipping up on its nose at landing, which is when I bent the prop shaft.

Anyone have any ideas if adding a bit of weight to simulate the heavier 8.4v battery pack would increase the wind resistance, or does the plane need the extra power from the 8.4v pack to use the weight effectively?

Attached is my current “airfield” with my slo-v at runway 01/19.

josh451

Cool ADD!

I think with the other battery pack it's much easier to fly I wouldn’t bother trying to simulate it. The flight characteristics are pretty much the same and If you make a mistake you have the power to correct it.

I really enjoy my Slo-V still after 2 Months and fly it often. I don't crash anymore and can fly it in stronger winds now with out too much trouble.

I actually took off the landing gear and just hand launch it and catch it or do soft belly landings. I think it looks much nicer flying with out the landing gear as well and I haven’t broken a prop since.

Good Luck,
Josh

highpines

This is what I did to stop bending prop shafts on the Slo-V.......Use a Dremmel or a hacksaw and cut the prop shaft off at 3/4" long measuring out from the gear, then install a prop saver flush with the end of the shaft. I haven't had a problem since I did this.
As far as batt's go, I use the 8.4v with good results but I also have a 9.6v side by side thin batt pack that is lighter that I like the best....more power....longer flight times. I just can't use a 1260 prop with the 9.6 cause it pulls to many amps but the 1147 works great. Oh.....not sure why anyone would remove the landing gear from a Slo-V Hmmmm........ Hope this helps.............

josh451

ORIGINAL:I think it looks much nicer flying with out the landing gear as well and I haven’t broken a prop since.

Nice tip on the prop saver

ADD hobbiest

As of yesterday morning I have 5 flights in complete with successful slow loops and controlled landings. After that first windy flight, I haven't nosed it in hard enough to damage anything (crossing my fingers). I ordered the 8.4v from the LHS saturday, it should be in tomorrow, looking forward to see if she can climb into the wind with it.
Word of advice, be careful of the antenna wire. I inadvertently stepped on it picking the plane up. I didn't realize it until the next flight, but I bent the support that the antenna and pushrod go through. Serious down and left trim issues! The little plane was easy to fix though, and up she went again.
highpines, my plane came with 1147s. Did you switch out to the 1260, and if so, what benefits did you gain?

gul532

My experience is as follows.

Slo-v is not an easy plane for the beginner. When crashed the fuselage made of cabon fibre is splitted and prop shaft bend easily.
After Slo-v I changed to the Magpie, that looks ugly but absolutely more rugged and easy to fly that Slo-v. The Magpie is able to handle strong winds without problem.
Other Hobby Zone plane, Firebird Commander is a rubbish! I never go back to the Hobby Zone products again.

mc727fly

Any one know what other brushed motor will fit inside the Slo-v gear box? I'm looking to put a 400 spd motor in mine. I want to keep inside my budget and brushless breaks my bank.

Glacier Girl

My Feedback: (4)

You could look at the Venom line, the Fireball, even though it's a 370, was a great hop up for the PZ Cubs. www.venom-racing.com If I remember correctly it's part #1320
Paul and the guys are great to deal with there