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aerobird mods
this thread can be about any modifications you have made or know of reguarding the aerobird or similar rtf trainers.
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RE: aerobird mods
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The two modifications that I made to the Aerobird Challenger is a Pro Tail and skiis for winter flying. The Pro-Tail is made by placing tape across the slot between the control surface and the stationary part of the tail, filling the slot with epoxy, then wrapping the tape over the top to keep the epoxy in place. Once the Epoxy is fully set, cut a new slot beginning at the old slot and going toward the front of the tail. The entire tip of the tail becomes part of the control surface. Adjust the location of the control lines through the control horns for differing amounts of response. I have mine set all the way in, and at full throttle on the stock batteries the plane is a handful to control. For details on maiking the skiis, go to my Skiis thread in the ParkFlyer section.
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RE: aerobird mods
cool the ski section doesnt help me much but may be helpful for others. i will definately do the controll surface mod,i definately need more control surface.
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RE: aerobird mods
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It was the one day of the week when I could fly. I had the car packed and
ready for whatever type of flying would be best. The morning would tell which I would fly. 2M & 3M sailplane in the car along with hi-start and winch for thermal sailplane flying if conditions are good. EPP Foam Zagi wing - if the wind is in the right direction for slope soaring Aerobird - all set with 5 freshly charged batteries and two chargers for electric parkflying, thermal hunting or slope soaring. The Aerobird does it all! I went to bed dreaming of flying. I woke up early, and looked out the window. There was a nice white layer of snow and a fine rain had just stopped. Oh darn, that would make the field sloppy for setting up the winch or hi-start and I really didn't want to land my nice 3M balsa sailplane in wet snow. No thermal sailplane flying today. I ran to the computer to check the wind direction. Very little wind, and coming from the wrong direction. No slope soaring. The last time I took the Aerobird out in wet snow, the insides got all wet and the plane started glitching all over the place. The next day, after it had dried out, there were no problems, but I didn't want to do that again. Darn, no flying today. I went out to the car to unload when I heard a little voice .... whisper ... gotta fly! Yes, gotta fly, but conditions are wet. No good. Again I heard it and realized it was the Aerobird talking to me. Ed, I just need a raincoat. Raincoat? Right! Great idea! So I grabbed the Aerobird and ran into the house to my workshop and made the Aerobird a raincoat ... ... weather hood! The posts at this link outline what I did. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...19#post3442319 GOTTA FLY! |
RE: aerobird mods
I have an Aerobird Challenger that has been through hell, high winds, slope
soaring, thermaling, crashes, trees and more than a few smooth flights and good landings. I would guess 250+ flights easy!! But over time the poor bird has degraded in the quality of its flight. It lives in my car in the original box. In the heat of the summer and the cold of the NY winter it sits in the car, ever ready to take to the sky. It rarely gets the kind of "tune up" that my other planes get. Tonight it got a good going over. I share my work as it might be helpful to you. Good old Polyethylene! The body is polyethylene, a plastic that can be molded when it is hot. This is the body or the pod of the plane. If your body/fuselage had become dented, twisted and somewhat out of true, try some heat! The nose of mine was slightly offset to the right. I also noticed that on the last few flights I needed more and more up trim to keep the plane flying. It also had a dented or bashed in nose, from a hard hit. To check the tail allignment I laid the fuse and boom on a flat board in such a way that the two orange screws on the tail could hang off the board. I discovered that the rear of the fuselage, where the boom comes into the body, was slightly drooped. The boom was mounted solidly so that was not the problem. The body was bent. What to do? Find the heat gun! I heated the fuselage area all around the boom, going forward half way and up half way. I got it hot to the touch but did not melt it. The plastic becomes more pliable when it is hot. After I heated it, I clamped the boom to the board so that it, and the body, were flat, V tail in normal flying position, and let the fuselage cool. Much of the bend was gone. I did it again. This time, after the fuse cooled, all the "bow" was gone. The boom now projected directly out from the back of the plane. The structure feels strong so I think it will hold. I am sure it will fly better now. The nose was dented from a hard knock. It looked bad and the indented nose messes up the aerodynamics. I removed the nose foam and again heated the plastic. When it was hot I took a sharpie marker and pushed the nose dent out from the inside till the nose was smooth again. Use something rounded to do this, not a sharp item or you might push right through. Two problems fixed. I used some double sided tape to reset the nose foam. Looking from nose to tail I could see that the body twisted to one side. Heat gun again to both sides of the body. Got it hot, then twisted the body in the opposite direction slightly past straight and held it for about a minute as the plastic cooled. Twist was almost gone. So I repeated. Now the body is straight and true. So, if your Aerobird Challenger, Xtreme, Firebird whatever, T-Hawk or any of the other polyethylene pod and boom planes, is a bit twisted, or banged in, try a heat gun or a hair dryer. As the plastic gets hot it is more flexible and you can undent it, or take a sag out or twist it back to true then hold it while it cools. Give it a try!!! __________________ |
RE: aerobird mods
This motor mount modification on the Aerobird and Aerobird Challenger is
probably the single most valuable addition you can make to your plane. I originally posted this on the internet in April 2003 and hundreds, of people have made the change and praised its effectiveness. Here are pictures of the damage I sustained from a hard nose in crash as well as the repair. This plane would not have flown properly with the motor like this. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...2Ys2bU¬ag=1 Here is a thread about the original repair: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...5&pagenumber=1 You drill holes from the sides, right in front of the motor and put a nylon tie wrap through that sits just in contact with the motor. If you hard hit the nose, this helps support the motor and prevents it from moving. The holes are 1/2" apart, centered on the motor. I used an 8" nylon tie-wrap/zip tie, but a 7" would probably be fine and a little less bulky. I also include some shots of the motor and control board out of the plane, just for reference. Remember that this is an original Aerobird so the Challenger's board looks a little different but you remove the guts the same way. The motor reinforcement works perfectly on the Challenger. When you put the tie wrap in, you have to slip it under the noise suppression components that are soldered between the motor terminals. They are the orange disks in one of the photos. I used a small screwdriver to just lift them away gently from the motor slightly so the tie would fit against the motor. Just take your time and don't over tighten the tie wrap. Leave a little slack as the body needs to flex on a crash and the tie-wrap will pull through the body if it is pulled tight. The photos show a yellow tie wrap, but that was just for pictures. I cut this out and replaced it with an orange one that looks much better on the plane. I love the Aerobird. A few months ago I upgraded to the Challenger which is now one of my favoriate planes. The original Aerobird is still with me, now dedicated to night flying. Between the two I have over 350 flights. I power fly the Challenger, I thermal soar it and have added slope soaring to the things I do with this versitle plane. It is very good in the wind as well. I have flown the plane in a measured 18 mph wind, allowed it to get 150 feet down wind from me, cut the motor and glided it back to me and landed it at my feet. It was fun to watch the faces of some pilots with large gas planes when I did that. The Aerobird Challenger is the plane I typically use to train new pilots. It is rugged and easy to fly. Parts are cheap and very available. There are probably 8 or 10 that fly at our club field. I now have 17 planes that range from a 30 inch parkflyer and a 33" wing span discus launched glider to a 3.6 M (12 foot) wing span scale sailplane. However, the Challenger lives in the car and is always ready for some fun, no matter what kind of flying I want to do. Don't wait, do this mod on your Aerobird. Do it now, before you need it! |
RE: aerobird mods
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MAKING THE AEROBIRD MORE RESPONSIVE
by Ed Anderson How you have your Aerobird Challenger or Aerobird Xtreme set-up will determine how it behaves. Also, the speed at which you are flying and the position of the throttle will impact the way the plane behaves. And finally the wind strength and direction relative to the plane will either enhanced or resist the turning of the plane. You have to become aware of all of these things as you fly your Aerobird. From the factory the Aerobird it is set for very mild behavior because new pilots tend to over control the plane. You can make the plane more responsive in several ways. 1) In any mode, if you are flying at reduced throttle and want to make an aggressive turn, boost the throttle for a moment as you give the rudder input. The greater flow of air over the tail will make the plane turn faster. A brief burst is all it takes. 2) If you have an Aerobird Challenger, start the plane up in pro mode. In sport when you give a rudder command, one surface moves. In pro mode, two surfaces move in coordination giving you twice as much surface area to turn the plane. The control surfaces on the Aerobird are called ruddervators because they provide both rudder and elevator controls. By increasing the size of the ruddervator surface, or the length of the movement, the throw, of the surface we can make the plane more responsive. 3) Another way to get more surface movement is to move the control lines closer to the hole closes to the tail surface. This results in larger surface movement when you move the stick. This is called increasing the surface throw. You should do this and get used to it before you do anything that follows. 4) You can tape something very light but stiff to the control surface to make it longer. A piece of a business card works well. Tape it so that part of the card extends rearward from the moveable surface. Try it with just a 1/4 inch and see the difference. You can use tape or glue or both. Make sure it is flat and perfectly aligned with the control surface or it will throw off your straight flight performance. 5) I taped across the move able part to the outer stationary part of the tail. Then you cut to the side of the moveable part of the tail and trim away the excess tape. Leave the tape on the outer stationary part as it is weakened by having part of it cut away. This makes the control surface wider. 6) You can combine 3, 4 and 5. 7) Lastly, you can drill a new hole in the control horn closer to the surface. Again, this will give you more throw. However I would caution this one as I believe it puts some real strain on the servos. I have heard of people burning out the servos this way. So, do them one at a time. The first two are easy and require no modifications to the plane. The third is outlined in the manual. The next three change the tail. The last one should only be done if you are willing to risk the electronics. While making the tail wider and longer also put more stress on the servos, putting a new hole lower seems to really stress them. Doing 6 and 7 will give you maximum effect will almost surely burn out the servos. If you are totally new to flying, you might find this valuable in your training. Six Keys to Success http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18 |
RE: aerobird mods
FIXING WINGS AND TAILS
By Ed Anderson aeajr on the forums Repairing a low cost foam wing, typicak of the HobbyZone and similar planes is not hard. However trying it fix a creased or folded wing with packing tape alone doesn't really work very well. It works better on the tail because it encounters different forces, but what I am about to explain works MUCH better on both the wing and tail and is easy to do. It should also apply to the Xtreme, Sky Fly, the Firebirds, and all similar planes that use a foam core wing. A creased taped wing might fly, but at the first real stress, its going to fold and you are going to crash. Tape alone has no body or stiffness of its own to resist a fold since the wing's internal foam is compressed. Net Net, there is nothing to resist the next fold. You need to stiffen and support the wing. Here are things I have used for wings and the V tail with pretty good results. Take a hobby knife or razor blade and open the vinyl covering at the crease or stressed area. Get the wing set in the proper position, even bend it slightly the other way to open up the gap. Basic repair Fill the folded area with Elmer's white glue or titebond yellow glue. The white and yellow glues will seep into the foam and bond with it and stiffen it. It is best if you let it dry overnight, but give it at least 3 hours to seep into the foam. Now, fill it again. The second coat will fill the gap. Let it dry 24 hours then check it. If it is fully dried, apply a little clear packing tape to help it resist pulling open. Stronger repair approaches If your repair is in the center area of the wing, say within 6 inches of where the rubber bands cross, or if you tend to fly hard, do lots of loops, fly in wind and the like, then you probably want to take this next step. For a wing, I add thin but somewhat stiff strip of 1/32 ply, to the top of the wing to bridge and support the area. Typically this is 8-16 inches long and 1/2-1 inch wide. Regardless of where the repair is, you always center this wood strip on the wing so that the wing is balanced and the impact on the air foil is uniform. This will resist flexing in both directions but is not so stiff that it encourages the wing to fold at the end of the ply. Also 1/32 ply is light and flexible so it will shape to the curve of the wing so as to minimize the extra drag the repair will cause. To get it to more closely align with the wing I use thin double sided carpet tape on the strip. Try to get the ply in complete contact with the wing. It is stiff enough to resist the next fold, but will still flex with the wing. When it is set, cover it with clear packing tape. Don't tuck it in tight around the ply, stretch it out so that it forms a smooth air flow surface. Another method to support a deep fold or a break is to slit the vinyl along the length of the wing and embed a spar, a piece of wood or wood dowel, that will act as a support. If you look at the T-Hawk, or the Aerobird Xtreme, you will see an embedded dowel that provides some stiffness to the wing. Again, glue this in using the procedure above, then close the gap with packing tape. If you are fixing a tail, use the same process, but use 1/64 ply or a thinner towel to keep it light. Be sure to do the left and right the same to keep the tail balanced. Now cover it with clear packing tape stretched so that it forms a smooth finish with no sharp edges so the air can flow nicely over the wing. The repair does effect the shape of the wing so it does impact how the plane flies, but not enough to matter if you fly under power most of the time. If you like to glide and thermal, I find these wings are not as good as a new wing but they are very useable. When repairing the tail, any added weight on the tail will make the plane tail heavy. If you are flying with the 6 cell battery and tend to leave the landing gear off, this could tend to make the plane a bit "twitchy" or sensitive. Some people like this because it becomes very responsive. However if you like your plane stable, you might have to add a dime to the battery area to rebalance it. Fly it and see what you need. I have never had one of these fold. While Epoxy is strong, it doesn't move with the foam the way Elmer's or Titebond will. I have seen a tendency for epoxy to pull away from the foam as the wing flexes. However give it a try and let us know your experience. . Reinforcing new wings If you look at the T-Hawk or the Aerobird Xtreme, they have a support rod embedded into it when you buy it. This gives you a stiffer wing which will resist bending under pressure of aerobatics. You can follow the procedure outlined above for repairs, but you can do this when you get he wing new. This is a Recommended wing reinforcement posted by by mdp17681 for the Sky Fly. Might work well on the aerobird too. http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/show...8&postcount=16 Don't Depend on Tape Give it a try. The key message here is don't depend on tape to keep the crease from folding again. Tape is good for closing up damage on the front or rear edges of the wing and for reinforcement of a new wing by the prop area, but it can't keep a creased wing from folding up again. |
RE: aerobird mods
FIXING WINGS AND TAILS
By Ed Anderson aeajr on the forums Repairing a low cost foam wing, typicak of the HobbyZone and similar planes is not hard. However trying it fix a creased or folded wing with packing tape alone doesn't really work very well. It works better on the tail because it encounters different forces, but what I am about to explain works MUCH better on both the wing and tail and is easy to do. It should also apply to the Xtreme, Sky Fly, the Firebirds, and all similar planes that use a foam core wing. A creased taped wing might fly, but at the first real stress, its going to fold and you are going to crash. Tape alone has no body or stiffness of its own to resist a fold since the wing's internal foam is compressed. Net Net, there is nothing to resist the next fold. You need to stiffen and support the wing. Here are things I have used for wings and the V tail with pretty good results. Take a hobby knife or razor blade and open the vinyl covering at the crease or stressed area. Get the wing set in the proper position, even bend it slightly the other way to open up the gap. Basic repair Fill the folded area with Elmer's white glue or titebond yellow glue. The white and yellow glues will seep into the foam and bond with it and stiffen it. It is best if you let it dry overnight, but give it at least 3 hours to seep into the foam. Now, fill it again. The second coat will fill the gap. Let it dry 24 hours then check it. If it is fully dried, apply a little clear packing tape to help it resist pulling open. Stronger repair approaches If your repair is in the center area of the wing, say within 6 inches of where the rubber bands cross, or if you tend to fly hard, do lots of loops, fly in wind and the like, then you probably want to take this next step. For a wing, I add thin but somewhat stiff strip of 1/32 ply, to the top of the wing to bridge and support the area. Typically this is 8-16 inches long and 1/2-1 inch wide. Regardless of where the repair is, you always center this wood strip on the wing so that the wing is balanced and the impact on the air foil is uniform. This will resist flexing in both directions but is not so stiff that it encourages the wing to fold at the end of the ply. Also 1/32 ply is light and flexible so it will shape to the curve of the wing so as to minimize the extra drag the repair will cause. To get it to more closely align with the wing I use thin double sided carpet tape on the strip. Try to get the ply in complete contact with the wing. It is stiff enough to resist the next fold, but will still flex with the wing. When it is set, cover it with clear packing tape. Don't tuck it in tight around the ply, stretch it out so that it forms a smooth air flow surface. Another method to support a deep fold or a break is to slit the vinyl along the length of the wing and embed a spar, a piece of wood or wood dowel, that will act as a support. If you look at the T-Hawk, or the Aerobird Xtreme, you will see an embedded dowel that provides some stiffness to the wing. Again, glue this in using the procedure above, then close the gap with packing tape. If you are fixing a tail, use the same process, but use 1/64 ply or a thinner towel to keep it light. Be sure to do the left and right the same to keep the tail balanced. Now cover it with clear packing tape stretched so that it forms a smooth finish with no sharp edges so the air can flow nicely over the wing. The repair does effect the shape of the wing so it does impact how the plane flies, but not enough to matter if you fly under power most of the time. If you like to glide and thermal, I find these wings are not as good as a new wing but they are very useable. When repairing the tail, any added weight on the tail will make the plane tail heavy. If you are flying with the 6 cell battery and tend to leave the landing gear off, this could tend to make the plane a bit "twitchy" or sensitive. Some people like this because it becomes very responsive. However if you like your plane stable, you might have to add a dime to the battery area to rebalance it. Fly it and see what you need. I have never had one of these fold. While Epoxy is strong, it doesn't move with the foam the way Elmer's or Titebond will. I have seen a tendency for epoxy to pull away from the foam as the wing flexes. However give it a try and let us know your experience. . Reinforcing new wings If you look at the T-Hawk or the Aerobird Xtreme, they have a support rod embedded into it when you buy it. This gives you a stiffer wing which will resist bending under pressure of aerobatics. You can follow the procedure outlined above for repairs, but you can do this when you get he wing new. This is a Recommended wing reinforcement posted by by mdp17681 for the Sky Fly. Might work well on the aerobird too. http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/show...8&postcount=16 Don't Depend on Tape Give it a try. The key message here is don't depend on tape to keep the crease from folding again. Tape is good for closing up damage on the front or rear edges of the wing and for reinforcement of a new wing by the prop area, but it can't keep a creased wing from folding up again. |
RE: aerobird mods
Plane Locator
Do you fly your Aerobird, Firebird, or other 27 MHZ plane near woods, swamps, high grass or corn fields. If your plane goes down in one of those areas it can be VERY hard to find. This can help. On the Aerobird I use one of these on the plane and one stays in my pocket. The effective range is 50-150 feet depending on conditions. It is called a keyringer www.keyringer.com If I put the plane down in very tall grass, or in the woods ( don't ask ) it can be hard to find. If I am looking for the plane, I click the one in my hand and the one on the plane answers. I mount it under the rubber band that holds on the wing. Doesn't seem to hurt the lift. www.keyringer.com Here is a review of another Emergency Locator Beacon that illustrates its value. Your keyringer will serve the same purpose. http://webhome.idirect.com/~arrowmfg...s/elb-revi.htm Another great plane locator for the Aerobird is the combat module. When you hit the fire button it lets out a loud noise that you can hear for a long distance. I will help you find the plane. |
RE: aerobird mods
After 300+ flights you can imagine that I have come across various things that
need to be fixed on my Aerobird. I fly it in the snow, the wind, the cold, I fly it anytime and everywhere. My Aerobird is not babied. On a couple of occasions I have gotten the interior quite wet. This lead to some erratic motor control or problems with servo control. However when I let it dry out, all was well. But not this time. Two weekends in a row I flew it over snow. On landing, I got snow in the bird which got all the electronics wet. Sure enough things didn't work right. So I packed it up and took it home to dry out. But this time the problem did not clear up. I was getting a pulsing of the motor above half throttle. What do I do? Since drying out did not help, I concluded that something had been left on the circuit board that had been on the snow and it was causing a short. So I took some electrical contact cleaner. In my case I used TechSpray RID-OX contact protector/enhancer. http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...duct/8591-0055 I sprayed the circuit board, still in the plane, especially the X port area. Then I let it dry about 20 minutes. Problem gone. About 2 months ago I had a similar problem with my transmitter. I was occasionally getting full throttle even though I had the control all the way to zero. I opened the radio and checked everything. Nothing obvious. So I sprayed the throttle control with the Rid-0x. Let it dry overnight. Next day, problem gone. Net net, if you use your plane as freely as I do, you are going to get some dirt someplace where you don't want it. If you see a problem like this, pick up some contact cleaner, like Rid-Ox, and try cleaning the circuit board. If your plane is not working right, it is worth a try. Clear skis and safe flying! ================================================== == This product was recommended by the local electronics store for this purpose. Cleans and seals to protect from moisture and corrosion. He encouraged me to use it freely. On advice of a friend, I originally bought it to use on my ZAGI electronics. Since we fly near the ocean, before I sealed in the electronics, he had me fully assemble the receiver connections, then put it in a plastic bag. Then spray the receiver and connection area of the receiver with this to reduce chances of corrosion from salt air sneaking in. A few months ago, I dropped that zagi in the ocean water about 2 feet from the shore line where It was washed over by waves for a few minutes till I could get to it. I opened it up a flushed everything with water several times at the beach and when I got home. I pulled everything out and let it air dry after one more washing. After a week the micro 555 receiver range checked fine and after inspecting al the interior components of the receiver I saw no signs of corrosion. It was all fine EXCEPT the receiver battery and the plane locator, both of which had to be replaced and neither of which had been sprayed. EVERYTHING GOT A LIBERAL SHOT ON THE REASSEMBLY. So far so good. I will keep my eyes open for any sign of problems and will post if I do see any problems. However after about a year on the Zagi and three months on the Aerobird transmitter all is working fine. I will put the Aerobird at risk and fly it where I would not dare to fly anything else because it will take so much abuse, put up with so much and, if fatally damaged, $45 and I have a brand new fuselage and a full complement of electronics, ready to live the free flying life again. My HItec Micro 555 and Electron 6 receivers cost more than that. Yes, my Aerobird is taken everywhere. That is its role in my fleet and it fulfills that role well. Parkflyer, thermal glider, slope soarer. :) |
RE: aerobird mods
I have been flying my original Aerobird since March 2003. I added an
Aerobird Challenger a 18 months ago. Between them I have over 600 flights. I love them both! Today my fleet consists of 2 Aerobirds, 3 other electrics, 7 thermal duration sailplanes, two discus launched gliders and three slope gliders. I added lights to the original Aerobird for night flight. That was weird. It was like flying a ghost. You can't see the plane, only the lights. They now have a night module for the challenger. I have that too. I pounded the original Aerobird into the ground, destroyed three wings, and two tails. I had to build a new motor mount because I destroyed that too. All this, and the plane still flies, but it has taken a real beating. That is what makes it such a great three channel beginner plane. Along the way I have had to solve many problems because I was so reckless with it while I was learning to fly it. So, I pass on what I have learned. Fortunately the newer Challenger has had a somewhat easier life, but it still gets banged around a bit because I will take risks with it that I would not expose my other planes to, because I know it can take it, and if I destroy the fuse, for $40 I get a new body, and all the electronics. So I can afford to take chances with my challenger. First - RTFM - Read the friendly manual. Respect Wind This plane can definitely fly in 12-15 mph winds. However wait till you have mastered it. Most of my crashes came from flying in too much wind before I was ready. Make your early flights in under 5 mph winds. Always launch into the wind and land into the wind. And, fly with the wind blowing toward you so the wind will not carry your plane away, it will tend to bring it to you. Motor Mount This is the first thing you should do. Before you take a hard nose hit, reinforce the motor mount. I will not elaborate here, visit this thread to find the information. It contains advice from other pilots and what I finally did to reinforce the mount. You should do this before you need it. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...5&pagenumber=1 This thread was posted by someone did an excellent job using photos to show how to do the motor mount modification. I encourage you to make this modification. http://www.rc-forums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1173 Here are also some shots of the control board out of the plane which can be helpful. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...2Ys2bU¬ag=1 Plane Does Not Fly Straight - what could cause this? Assuming you have not displaced the motor, and you are having problems with the plane not flying straight, check the following: a)) Check the trim adjustments. They may have been moved from center. Set them to center and make all adjustments assuming you will fly with the trim set in the center. b)Make sure the moveable surfaces are even with the fixed surfaces on the tail when the stick is centered and the trim levers are centered. You MUST check this with the transmitter on and the battery attached. If they are not even, adjust them with the screws on the control horns. The procedure is in the manual. RTFM Note, there is a tiny Phillips head screw on the back of the control horn on the tail. Tighten it or the spool could unwind while the plane is in the air, causing a crash. (Guess how I know this!) c) Check to see that the boom is solidly attached at the body. If this comes loose, it can move around while the plane is flying causing all kinds of problems. It can also twist so that the tail is no longer aligned. If you look at where the boom is attached inside there is a pinched area. I drilled a small hole through the top of that area and through the boom. Then I put a 4" nylon tie through to help secure the boom. I also put packing tape around the boom and the back of the body where the boom exits. Between the two, the boom is well secured. d) is the wing crooked or too damaged - try a new wing. e) Check the tail. The foam is attached to the center plastic brace by small pieces that punch through the foam. These can loosen up and the tail fin can move slightly away from the plastic brace in the air which can cause the plane to turn. Tape or glue the tail fins to the center plastic brace. Also, look for creases in the foam. If there is a weak spot, the tail will flex causing the plane to turn. mine was creased at the meeting point where the plastic support meets the tail. Looked fine on the ground, but it was flexing in the air causing a hard right turn leading to crashes. Replace the tail. The Porpoise When you apply power the plane starts to climb then noses up, then the nose drops and it does it all over again. This is called a stall. The problem is that the tail needs to be trimmed, the front is too low or the back is too high. This causes an up elevator effect. Adjust the orange screws on the tail. The procedure is in your instruction book. RTFM You might have to slip a piece of thin cardboard under the front if the front is too low, to shim it up slightly. The Tail is a Pull-Pull System. The tail is based on tension of a rubber band below the tail pulling against the servos in the plane. You must make sure that these are in proper adjustment or your trim will go out or your responsiveness will go down. The tension on the lines to the tail is held by a friction hold on the adjustment spools. Well they can slip a bit from time to time. Just remember to check your tail adjustments before every flight. Also, there are little screws on the back of the adjusters. I make sure they are tight before the start of each day's flying. Finally, the rubber band below the tail does get weak after a while, especially if you leave the plane in a hot car. That rubber band is the second pull, with the servos being the first. If it gets weak, you have to replace it. If you don't, you won't get much down elevator and in pro mode part of the rudder effect will not be as strong. Longer flights Back off on the power. Both the 6 and 7 cell battery will last six to seven minutes at full power. However, if you back off to half power, your flights can last 12-15 minutes depending on how you fly. You can even catch thermals with the Aerobird and riding them for long long flights with the motor off. I also slope soar mine. On the slope you can stay up for over an hour with the motor off. If you charged your batteries a few days ago, top them up just before flying. They lose charge just sitting around. Neck Strap for the Transmitter If you look at the high priced Futaba, Hitec and other radios, they have a place where you can clip a cord so that the radio can hang from a neck strap, leaving your hands free to make adjustments on the plane. This is very convenient. Take a large paper clip and bend up the center piece in the middle to make a place where you can clip a neck strap to it. Now take some sand paper and sand a spot in the center of the radio. Epoxy the paperclip to the radio. Use plenty so you can really embed the clip in the epoxy. Reinforce the Wing Got to Office Depot, or one of the other stores and get some glass reinforced tape. The type that has a cross pattern is best. http://www.officedepot.com/ddMain.do...5001_FM_171926 Put a piece on either side of trailing edge where the prop wants to bite the wing if a landing is a little rough. Also centered in the front 6" on either side of the body to help resist damage from the rubber bands. The newer wings may come reinforced but you may wish to do this anyway. Make sure you have a spare prop, they're cheap. Since the prop is less likely to cut the reinforced wing, if it hits the wing, it might pop the prop off, or break it. However normally this does not happen. If you get a crease or a fold in the wing from a rough landing, this will be a weak area. The foam is compressed and the wing will tend to fold up under stress. I have a procedure for fixing wings. Post if you need it and I will post it for you. Learn to Glide in for a Landing If you run the battery too long, the speed control will cut the power to the motor while preserving power for the control surfaces. This is good! If you learn to land with the power off, if you get caught in the air with no motor, you will have no problem landing. Gliding in, even from 500 feet, in 15 mph winds is my standard way of landing. In calmer air, the plane pretty much lands itself from 10 feet in the air. Parts These planes have a great distribution system. Parts are very readily found in most hobby stores. However if you can't get what you need, look here: http://www.hobbyzonesports.com/Support/ HobbyZoneSports Frequently Asked Questions - Couldn't hurt to look! http://www.hobbyzonesports.com/Support/FAQ.aspx Plane Locator - The combat module The combat module makes a GREAT plane finder. If you attach it to the plane during your training and happen to drop the plane into the woods or tall grass, just press the fire button and the module lets out a loud noise. Makes it easy to flind the plane. I lost my first Aerobird on the second flight. Amazing how easy it is to lose a bright orange plane. I have found a number of them in the woods. If you fly near woods, swamps, tall grass, etc., get one of these. Also, put your name and phone number on the plane. If someone else finds it they at least have the option to return it to you. :-) Summary Here are a few tips to help you live happily with your Aerobird and help it survive your poor piloting skills. With a little luck, the plane will make it through the tough part of your training as you pound it into the ground trying to learn to fly. Don't give up! Avoid the wind, take your time and you will get it! Six Keys to Success http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18 Oh, and RTFM ..... read the friendly manual!!!! :-) ------------------ Best regards AEAJR www.lisf.org www.rcezine.com |
RE: aerobird mods
Here's a link to an eBayer that has a couple of nice tail mods for the Aerobird, Firebird Freedom and Challenger. The Xtreme tail kit includes a pushrod conversion and there is even a digital aerial camera rig that works with Hobbyzone airplanes.
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtim...atetoysQQhtZ-1 |
RE: aerobird mods
well I have put in my f27b stryker electronics in my airobird challenger and a 400 sized motor. Also I have made the pro tail and I will sea how it fly’s if it does well I will probably go out and by a lipo battery for it. I was wondering can I by just the fuselage whit ought the motor and electronics
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RE: aerobird mods
Aerobird - Fixing and securing the tail boom
On the Aerobird, Challenger and Xtreme, the tail boom enters the pod then slides into a pinched area and is glued in place. If you crash and hit the plane just right you can break the glue loose causing the tail boom to be loose. If the tail boom breaks loose it can cause several problems: Tail boom can rotate causing the tail to be misaligned with the wing. This will cause the plane to turn left or right rather than flying straight. This can also cause the tail boom to shift toward the rear and come out of the pinched area that holds it straight. This will cause the tail to sag resulting in a plan that wants to dive. Most glues don't stick to the Aerobird's fuselage very well. I have not had much success with using glue to fix or reinforce this area. Before it breaks, consider these reinforcements. In order to reduce the chance of this area coming loose, when you take your Aerobird out of the box, put a wrap of clear tape around the entry of the tail boom into the fuselage. This will give a little more resistance to twisting or pulling out. But if you crash hard enough this won't prevent the tail boom from coming out. The second thing you can do is drill a pair of holes just above the tail boom just behind the pinch are and wrap a wire or a tie wrap through that area to again reinforce the tail boom and help it to resist the forces that would bend it down and pull it out. I actually drill it through the boom then put the wire or tie wrap in. This way it actually helps hold the boom from twisting or pulling out. It is easier to do this going through the top of the pinched area but then you will have trouble mounting your X port options that clip into this area. Finally, some people have put a small screw into the tail boom to secure it. This should work but it also introduces sharp threads that could cut the control lines or the antenna. I don't recommend this, one but it is an option. All of these methods can be used for repairs as well. |
RE: aerobird mods
2) If you have an Aerobird Challenger, start the plane up in pro mode thanks, david |
RE: aerobird mods
The Aerobird Challenger has two modes of operation. Sport mode is the default and is why the plane makes a good starter plane. In this mode, when you make a rudder request only on of the surfaces, the ruddervators ( rudder/elevators) moves. This gives mild response and works just fine in under 5 mph breezes.
To go into pro mode you turn on the transmitter and hold it at full down elevator. I usually lay it on the ground or car so that the stick is all the way in down elevator position. Now power the plane up. You will see that when you make a rudder request both surfaces move giving you much stronger response. Also, you can increase teh throws by changing the hole where the line goes through the control horn. By moving it down the control horn you will get more throw, in either mode, giving you stronger response. The original Aerobird, the one I started with, only had sport mode. |
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