RC Guys 1/3 Pitts Special build problems
02-15-2014, 10:41 AM
#26
Alot of tinkering to change wing incidence on a bipe like changing the wing strut angles too so you don't get twist.
Anyhow, out of curiousity what does you pitts weigh ready to fly? I ask because I've built 2 from scratch and have yet to hit the17lbs mark with 50cc engines.
Mine are from GP weeks but very similar to pitts. The pitts arf specs advertise 12-14lbs! thats without engine right?
Anyhow, out of curiousity what does you pitts weigh ready to fly? I ask because I've built 2 from scratch and have yet to hit the17lbs mark with 50cc engines.
Mine are from GP weeks but very similar to pitts. The pitts arf specs advertise 12-14lbs! thats without engine right?
02-15-2014, 11:06 AM
#27
Senior Member
Great Planes Weeks Special kits are no longer made but I build from plans. It is a 1/3 scale Biplane of Kermit Weeks's Weeks Special, calls for g-38 or st 3000. The 1/3
Pitts is about as close as it gets. Your not flying a 17lb plane with a 60!. Oh you mean 60cc ok cool.
Pitts is about as close as it gets. Your not flying a 17lb plane with a 60!. Oh you mean 60cc ok cool.
Last edited by a70eliminator; 02-15-2014 at 11:17 AM.
02-15-2014, 04:19 PM
#31
Senior Member
Oh heck yea, the red white and blue one has a Saito 300 twin on glow fuel, it's very scale like flight plenty of power, the Gulf plane I just built and have not flown, It weighs in at 18lb even with a 53cc gas engine, can't wait to fly it this summer.
03-09-2014, 08:14 AM
#33
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You guys are saying the covering is bad. I've seen this plane at several vendors and every single one of them claim it is covered with "Genuine Ultracote". Are they lying or did they change the covering very recently?
03-09-2014, 03:55 PM
#35
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Great Hobbies for one: (Oops... Oracover, not UltraCote... but still not Chinacote)
http://www.greathobbies.com/producti...rod_id=RGU2000
=============
FEATURES
http://www.greathobbies.com/producti...rod_id=RGU2000
=============
FEATURES
- "Exact Scale" 33% ARF developed from Pitts Factory Drawings by the late Andy Sheber
- Light-weight Laser-cut balsa and ply construction using modern engineering assembly techniques
- Symmetrical wings
- 1600 sq. in. Wing Area
- Light-weight fiberglass cowl and wheel pants
- Covered with Oracover
- Scale main landing gear
- Scale Haige-style steerable tail wheel assembly
- Tinted scale canopy
- Includes all quality hardware
- Detailed assembly and set-up instruction manual
03-09-2014, 04:22 PM
#36
I would not say they are trying to deceive they probably assumed a plane like this at this price would be Oracover. It certainly deserves a better covering. My only hope is that the Mfg will listen to the user complaints and fix them. To my knowledge this is the only 33% S1 ARF available.My next Pitts will be built from plans, seems to be the only way to get a really nice one. Talk to Dan Spears at RC Guys I'm sure he will tell you it's chinacote. I talked to him about a month ago about the covering and it was chinacote then.
03-10-2014, 01:59 AM
#38
04-11-2014, 02:47 PM
#40
I called RC Guys on the Cessna 150 about a month ago to see if the covering was truly ultra or oracoat or can I just get without covering. It's "LIke Oracoat" and not available uncovered. IF I pull the trigger, I will just plan on stripping, gluing and recovering out of box. The crappy covering has been my only holdback. Yes the message is uniform on these being 'builders arf's". Don't expect the same pre-built and assembly as Top flight or H9. They are unique and are consistently reported to fly well
The H9 P51 just got my attention though... So.... Those funds are probably going that way.
The H9 P51 just got my attention though... So.... Those funds are probably going that way.
04-14-2014, 01:57 AM
#41
The covering will come off in 15 minutes, then the work begins. A few more nice days an I will be ready to test fly my Cherokee 140. Fired the engine up yesterday, range checked, set the carb and checked out the Guardian. All systems are go.
03-10-2017, 06:14 PM
#46
Hi gjmjoe017
I totally agree as an ARF assembler I expect that all of thrust and wing incidence variables should be done for us, so we can just bolt it together and fly. Maybe I'm asking for too much, but that is my expectation, and as you said, it's what we pay for. In the end every thing turned out great, it just took a lot longer than it should have with an ARF.
BTW I did contact RC Guys on this problem, both by phone and by e-mail. Dan is a great guy to deal with and he also said that he would make a change to the assembly manual and include a check for the wing incidence, so this kind of trouble could be caught when assembling. The problems with my kit I believe all stems from the bottom wing saddle, as that is where I needed to sand and shim to make the wings fit correctly. Other than giving me a new fuse, there is nothing that RC Guys could have done better. I did not expect a new fuse, and I never asked for warranty.
I have a friend who has bought the Super Decathlon and the AG Wagon kits from RC Guys and both of those kits had no problems. Although, he has complained about the quality of the covering.
I'm sure that my kit is not the norm for RC Guys. My intension for starting this tread was/is to alert other ARF assemblers like me that there could be a problem, so they would not have a hard time on the maiden flight like I did. To trim the Pitts on the maiden I had 11 clicks of down elevator and 8 clicks of right ruder. The first few flights and landings were iffy at best.
The story I have told here is my experience and review if you will. Not intended to bash RC Guys. My final thoughts......
The Pitts is now flying superbly, and the question to ask is; WOULD I BUY ANOTHER PITTS from RC Guys..... The answer is YES..... For those of you that are sitting on the fence JUST DO IT, in the end the Pitts turned out to be a real good flyer and a crowd pleaser. I take it every time I go to the field now.
Here is my new video with the RC Guys Pitts Special and DL50 doing some knife edging, through the setting sun at Humber Valley Flying Club. There was not a cloud in the sky that evening, the spectacular red hue in the video is from the smog in Toronto.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cb0ym4Hw9E
I totally agree as an ARF assembler I expect that all of thrust and wing incidence variables should be done for us, so we can just bolt it together and fly. Maybe I'm asking for too much, but that is my expectation, and as you said, it's what we pay for. In the end every thing turned out great, it just took a lot longer than it should have with an ARF.
BTW I did contact RC Guys on this problem, both by phone and by e-mail. Dan is a great guy to deal with and he also said that he would make a change to the assembly manual and include a check for the wing incidence, so this kind of trouble could be caught when assembling. The problems with my kit I believe all stems from the bottom wing saddle, as that is where I needed to sand and shim to make the wings fit correctly. Other than giving me a new fuse, there is nothing that RC Guys could have done better. I did not expect a new fuse, and I never asked for warranty.
I have a friend who has bought the Super Decathlon and the AG Wagon kits from RC Guys and both of those kits had no problems. Although, he has complained about the quality of the covering.
I'm sure that my kit is not the norm for RC Guys. My intension for starting this tread was/is to alert other ARF assemblers like me that there could be a problem, so they would not have a hard time on the maiden flight like I did. To trim the Pitts on the maiden I had 11 clicks of down elevator and 8 clicks of right ruder. The first few flights and landings were iffy at best.
The story I have told here is my experience and review if you will. Not intended to bash RC Guys. My final thoughts......
The Pitts is now flying superbly, and the question to ask is; WOULD I BUY ANOTHER PITTS from RC Guys..... The answer is YES..... For those of you that are sitting on the fence JUST DO IT, in the end the Pitts turned out to be a real good flyer and a crowd pleaser. I take it every time I go to the field now.
Here is my new video with the RC Guys Pitts Special and DL50 doing some knife edging, through the setting sun at Humber Valley Flying Club. There was not a cloud in the sky that evening, the spectacular red hue in the video is from the smog in Toronto.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cb0ym4Hw9E
NONE of the above items were fixed or addressed in the manual as of March 2017.
03-18-2017, 02:36 PM
#47
Test flew my Pitts today.....all ended up ok. The kit was bad, I ended up redoing a lot of parts and spending $150 on new hardware, I mounted the Elevator servo's in the tail, mounted a DLE-55RA and used factory standoff's plus 1/4 standoff extender.
Flies like a Pitts. Not a IMAC bird to pattern ship. Covering appears "ok" I am taking very good care of that aspect and making sure no edges appear that could start to peel off. Also big shout out to CALLIE Graphics for some first rate stuff!
Flies like a Pitts. Not a IMAC bird to pattern ship. Covering appears "ok" I am taking very good care of that aspect and making sure no edges appear that could start to peel off. Also big shout out to CALLIE Graphics for some first rate stuff!
