Top Flite 1/7 P-51 Build
#3476
I do start the engine the first time after fueling in the inverted position However you should always check for hydro lock (fuel collecting in the head and hydraulically locking the piston) by hand propping before you use an electric starter. You will be able to tell. Clear the hydro lock before using the starter or you can bend break or otherwise damage the connecting rod and glow plug.
Don't be afraid to go negative with your flap mix, that is really not that unusual. Whatever you have to do with the elevator stick when your flying to keep it level is what you should do. Remember though models are the same as real aircraft (power for pitch) nose up or nose down is different at different power settings.
Don't be afraid to go negative with your flap mix, that is really not that unusual. Whatever you have to do with the elevator stick when your flying to keep it level is what you should do. Remember though models are the same as real aircraft (power for pitch) nose up or nose down is different at different power settings.
#3477
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCbdY25vdko
So it looks like there are no wing kits for balsa (I've never worked with foam) unless someone can point me?
#3478
another flight, another broken off gear .. this time a broken weld on the strut. I have put some more reinforcements in the wing installation and made another set of struts from wire as it will bend more likely than broke off. I hope that i will learn how to land that thing I am not sure about the speed yet, I planned to land on mains on a certain speed and then tail down. I could land on the airstrip but i try it now on grass to minimize damage on impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S2q8RcPoR0&feature=youtu.be Right strut was ok, the left one broke on contact. i found that the rudder had a failuire on a hinge, so thats the reason it came a little bit off
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiOKIET9pEI&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S2q8RcPoR0&feature=youtu.be Right strut was ok, the left one broke on contact. i found that the rudder had a failuire on a hinge, so thats the reason it came a little bit off
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiOKIET9pEI&feature=youtu.be
Last edited by hipik634; 08-29-2016 at 01:09 AM.
#3479
My Feedback: (14)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCbdY25vdko
So it looks like there are no wing kits for balsa (I've never worked with foam) unless someone can point me?
Part #: "W2094" http://www.eurekaaircraft.com/foamwings/wing-p.htm
#3481
Eureka Aircraft Co. has foam cores for your plane and info on how to build them: http://www.eurekaaircraft.com/foamwings/
Part #: "W2094" http://www.eurekaaircraft.com/foamwings/wing-p.htm
Part #: "W2094" http://www.eurekaaircraft.com/foamwings/wing-p.htm
#3482
I unfortunately always rip down my leftovers into usable pieces so the negatives don't exist anymore. I can still order the ribs by sheet number from top flite so it is more a decision of being able to rebuild and still come out straight. I was just discussing that with one of the guys last night. We were brainstorming a way to make a jig that would hold the existing salvaged assembly and new construction straight while I repair it.
If I can get my head around the construction techniques and the cost is not prohibitive I am leaning towards the foam cores. I was kind of unhappy with the fragile nature of the wing as it was.
As far as the Tx and Rx. I am not happy but in all fairness I cannot....yet....point at either of them. I am pissed enough about the situation to put myself on a mission and satisfy my doubts before I condemn either the equipment or the service center and tech support that gave my installation and equipment a clean bill of health. However that turns out I will let everyone know.
#3483
I have a foam core on one of my older planes. It survived few big bumps without scratch. But not sure about the retracts in it. Using enough carbon it will hold just fine
#3484
My Feedback: (14)
No carbon fiber required...but I guess it couldn't hurt.
http://www.tompierce.net/190/html/bu.../retracts1.htm
http://www.wtp.net/DBEST/verneret.html
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/tips...foam-wing.html
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-w...t-install.html
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...734504&page=10
http://www.tompierce.net/190/html/bu.../retracts1.htm
http://www.wtp.net/DBEST/verneret.html
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/tips...foam-wing.html
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-w...t-install.html
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...734504&page=10
#3486
No carbon fiber required...but I guess it couldn't hurt.
http://www.tompierce.net/190/html/bu.../retracts1.htm
http://www.wtp.net/DBEST/verneret.html
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/tips...foam-wing.html
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-w...t-install.html
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...734504&page=10
http://www.tompierce.net/190/html/bu.../retracts1.htm
http://www.wtp.net/DBEST/verneret.html
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/tips...foam-wing.html
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-w...t-install.html
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...734504&page=10
#3487
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OraML1ijGYs
Finally finished my Top Flite-P51 kit with the B conversion kit. Well almost finished. The auto glo isn't working right yet. So the bottom cowl is off.
Powered by a Saito 150
Great flying plane New favorite.
Powered by a Saito 150
Great flying plane New favorite.
#3488
Good looking one. I am building new set of gear struts with lower tolerances and hopefully i would be able to survive through at least that hard landings that you did in this post i would loose the legs again based on my previous attempts ..
#3490
This is more of one of my typical landings with this plane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8DVpPdX9sk
#3492
#3493
My Feedback: (6)
Danpos I saw a Spitfire video in your collection was that your airplane too? I hated the ending of the video for obvious reasons. At some point I want to build the Top Flite Spit but it will have to wait unless I find someone wanting to swap a spit kit for a Sea Fury kit.
Mike
Mike
#3494
I never try to land a Warbird on the first section of runway. I like to land just past where I am standing. At just under 12lbs and a 65" wingspan it has a high wing loading. I play it safe and keep my speed up.
This plane doesn't float. I hold a little throttle on until I touch down. It drops very fast unless the prop is pulling it along with throttle.
I'm not using flaps because the servos running the flaps are the same servo model that I had in my Hangar 9 Spitfire that crashed before this flight due to elevator servo failure! Hitech 485. If anyone has these toss them. Three failed on another meber in our club.
Last edited by danpos; 08-31-2016 at 11:04 AM.
#3495
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxhUZ2TSiHs
Hi Mike,
Yes that was bad! Crappy Hitech servos! I will never buy another Hitech product again. 485's are garbage! I am tossing any that I still have in use. Absolute garbage!
I lost my elevator in flight. Nothing I could do, so I aimed for the tall grass.
I will rebuild it over the winter.
I would also like to build the Top Flite Spitfire. I think a Saito 100 would be a good choice for that plane.
Danpos I saw a Spitfire video in your collection was that your airplane too? I hated the ending of the video for obvious reasons. At some point I want to build the Top Flite Spit but it will have to wait unless I find someone wanting to swap a spit kit for a Sea Fury kit.
Mike
Mike
Yes that was bad! Crappy Hitech servos! I will never buy another Hitech product again. 485's are garbage! I am tossing any that I still have in use. Absolute garbage!
I lost my elevator in flight. Nothing I could do, so I aimed for the tall grass.
I will rebuild it over the winter.
I would also like to build the Top Flite Spitfire. I think a Saito 100 would be a good choice for that plane.
Last edited by danpos; 08-31-2016 at 01:21 PM.
#3496
i use HS422 for the flaps. how exactly that servo failed? After the crash - linkage was ok? the gears in servo were ok?
i use ASP 91 with 13x8 and that is also too strong - thats the reason i fight with iddle. a have 12x6 ready that is meant to be used with the engine and i hope I can put higher rpms and that it will get me rid of this trouble
i use ASP 91 with 13x8 and that is also too strong - thats the reason i fight with iddle. a have 12x6 ready that is meant to be used with the engine and i hope I can put higher rpms and that it will get me rid of this trouble
#3497
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCbdY25vdko
So it looks like there are no wing kits for balsa (I've never worked with foam) unless someone can point me?
I save the templates from my kit builds so if I need to repair a wing I can trace and cut out the wing fillets.
#3498
The Hitech servos burn up inside. The wires melted. They are crap! I'm sticking to Futaba from now on. Never had a 3003 or 3004 servo fail yet. And I typically put them through their paces. I don't fly easy like you see in the Mustang video. Same as the Spitfire video. That was my first flight of the day when the servo failed. After that I was nervous out crashing the Mustang, so I flew it easy on the maneuvers. I fly my Warbirds like Warbirds. The guys that fly them like sport planes are funny. Don't know why they do that? Why not buy a sport plane instead? But the Top Flite kit planes are heavy builds. They need respect or they will stall.
I agree with BigTreeEldorado that a Sullivan auto glo plug would fix your trouble. I use them sometimes. They work great. You can set them up so they only come on at a low throttle setting. Then go off again when you increase the throttle.
This plane lands the best when you come in high and let the plane drop with reduced throttle.
You are trying to bring it in fast and kill the throttle close to the ground and ride out the speed close to the runway. That's hard to do. You need to fix your engine issue before you crash bad.
I agree with BigTreeEldorado that a Sullivan auto glo plug would fix your trouble. I use them sometimes. They work great. You can set them up so they only come on at a low throttle setting. Then go off again when you increase the throttle.
This plane lands the best when you come in high and let the plane drop with reduced throttle.
You are trying to bring it in fast and kill the throttle close to the ground and ride out the speed close to the runway. That's hard to do. You need to fix your engine issue before you crash bad.
#3499
I also kind of worry about fitment since a new foam core could have a different profile where the wing saddle is. The saddle area of the broken wing is not damaged and neither are my inner doors and linkage. So I'm cleaning it up and looking at what it would take to put that side of the wing back together. I'll make a parts list to compare costs but more important also see if I can satisfy myself with something to keep everything aligned during repair so I don't end up with a twisted wing. Last but absolutely not the least of the concerns is strength since I'll have to splice the main spar.
There is a guy on a p38 thread that bought a crashed plane in FAR worse shape than mine (it was a Ziroli ) but he took his time and put it back together so that you could not tell it had ever been crashed. In fact it looked probably better. I'm taking some inspiration and not giving up on this bird.
#3500
My first Top Flite P51 kit crashed after I updated the software on my Taranas radio. The trim worked in reverse because of the way I set up the servos. I bought a couple sheets of the pre-cut out wing fillets and rebuilt the wing. The wreck was far worse than yours. I used the jig that comes with the kit. Did you save yours? It kept the wing profile the same as the undamaged section of wing. It was easy to do. It flew great afterwards.
The wing sheets were not expensive at all.
I stalled the plane on a very windy day coming in to land last year.
Since then I always keep my speed up on landings. Trouble was that I listened to the senior flyers in my club. They kept insisting I was landing too fast and flying out too high and too far for my landings.
You can't fly these planes like sport planes. And even an expert flyer that has been flying planes for decades can't try to fly these like sport planes. I learned my lesson. I don't ask, nor listen to advice from anyone unless they are flying high wing loaded planes on a regular basis, regardless of experience.
I have been flying for over six years. (small amount of time) But for the most part only fly Warbirds.
So since then I have been flying the Warbirds without any issues. And when I get advice from the peanut gallery I quickly ask when the last time they flew a heavy warbird. Quiets down the unwelcome advice fast. Now most of the guys I fly with are great. I'm lucky. But only one or two know far more than anyone else. haha Anyone can do crazy stunts with a trainer or an extremely light, high powered sport plane. This plane flys great. but needs respect.
Forget the foam core. Bad idea in my opinion. Stick with a balsa repair.
Splice your main spar with a angles cut. Use slow cure epoxy and glue two pcs of spruce on either side as a crutch and it will be very strong.
You may need to add a tiny bit of weight to even the lateral balance after the repair.
Long winded way to say, don't give up on your Mustang. It's worth the work.
The wing sheets were not expensive at all.
I stalled the plane on a very windy day coming in to land last year.
Since then I always keep my speed up on landings. Trouble was that I listened to the senior flyers in my club. They kept insisting I was landing too fast and flying out too high and too far for my landings.
You can't fly these planes like sport planes. And even an expert flyer that has been flying planes for decades can't try to fly these like sport planes. I learned my lesson. I don't ask, nor listen to advice from anyone unless they are flying high wing loaded planes on a regular basis, regardless of experience.
I have been flying for over six years. (small amount of time) But for the most part only fly Warbirds.
So since then I have been flying the Warbirds without any issues. And when I get advice from the peanut gallery I quickly ask when the last time they flew a heavy warbird. Quiets down the unwelcome advice fast. Now most of the guys I fly with are great. I'm lucky. But only one or two know far more than anyone else. haha Anyone can do crazy stunts with a trainer or an extremely light, high powered sport plane. This plane flys great. but needs respect.
Forget the foam core. Bad idea in my opinion. Stick with a balsa repair.
Splice your main spar with a angles cut. Use slow cure epoxy and glue two pcs of spruce on either side as a crutch and it will be very strong.
You may need to add a tiny bit of weight to even the lateral balance after the repair.
Long winded way to say, don't give up on your Mustang. It's worth the work.