launching plane = hitting the ground    Gallery
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as Guest



Users viewing this topic: none
    Search This Thread  
 
Printable Version

All Forums >> Electric Aircraft Universe >> Electric Training >> launching plane = hitting the ground
Page: [1]

Tower Hobbies Get Coupon Codes Brands  
Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/9/2005 1:20 PM   
soartothesky


 

Posts: 5
Score: 100
Joined: 12/9/2004
Last Login: 1/11/2005
From: , AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		Hi guys,

I have just been out for a fly and when i launched the plane the plane it went straight to the ground, I tried a further 3 times incase it was my launching that was causing it but upon each launch it would fall straight to the ground. i managed to land it rather roughly a few times but on the last launch i snapped off the rudder.

i dont know what it was but from the looks of it, there was not enough power or not enough lift if not both.

I have a ccle j3 piper cub.

Last time i flew it stalled on me and i did not have enough time to recover before bang down she went, it may have contributed to todays problems.

can anybody help me out here and give me some suggestio0ns on what to do... thanks guys

Hide Signatures
       Post #: 1

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/9/2005 3:43 PM   
Direwolf


 

Posts: 128
Score: 105
Joined: 8/13/2004
Last Login: 12/18/2005
From: Rapid City, SD, USA
Status: offline 		Try describing exactly what you do when you launch the plane and how the plane reacts in the air. Do you launch the plane level, or at an angle? Does it fly level, but losing lift? Or, is it nosing into the ground? Also, give some details about the plane. What motor and propeller do you use? What's the battery voltage?

I'm not familiar with the CCLE J3 Piper, and I couldn't find it through Google. Is CCLE a typo or an acronym? I'm not sure what the problem is, but it could be loose control surfaces, or improperly set center of gravity (CG), or maybe a weak motor or improper propeller. If you can compile some more information, hopefully we can figure it out.


_____________________________

Brian Stone
SDSM&T UAV Team

Hide Signatures

(in reply to soartothesky)
       Post #: 2

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/9/2005 4:13 PM   
soartothesky


 

Posts: 5
Score: 100
Joined: 12/9/2004
Last Login: 1/11/2005
From: , AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		hi there.

well i was launching the plane horizontally, like you are supposed to i would let the plane go and it would start gliding nose first to the ground, i would pull back to get some lift but would basically land and come to a halt.

the plane is actually a CCLEE not CCLE, so it is CCLEE j3 piper cub.

runs on a 380 motor
2 X 17g micro servo for Rudder and Elevator Control
Powered by 8.4V 1100MAH NIMH re-chargable battery

here is a site with some more details - http://www.raidentech.com/ccj3grscrc3p.html

as for the propeller i do not know it is a stock standard straight from the box.


when i last flew i paranged it up as i mentioned above but when i done that it was kind of a nose dive also if that helps.


thank you for your help.

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Direwolf)
       Post #: 3

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/9/2005 4:54 PM   
eflight-ray



Posts: 33
Score: 100
Joined: 12/7/2004
Last Login: 7/9/2011
From: Wales, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		Check and check again.
Did your stall and crash move anything internally? This could give you a forward cg.
Have you cheched the cg.
Has the elevator servo moved, and now gives you slight down elevator.
Did you crash bend the motor shaft or damage something that is making you prop run slower?
Has the model ever flown properly before, or is this your first attempt?

So, check the structure for an aerodynamic problem.
Check the drive system, motor/prop/gearbox?/battery, for any faults.
Make sure your radio gear is working at a reasonable distance as well as up close.

Hope something works.

_____________________________

Ray in Wales

Hide Signatures

(in reply to soartothesky)
       Post #: 4

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/9/2005 7:10 PM   
kihei11


 

Posts: 215
Score: 100
Joined: 8/14/2004
Last Login: 12/4/2010
From: Kihei, HI, USA
Status: offline 		I agree with previous post. Basically hand launching was a technique I needed to learn and develope. Make sure cg is right on or maybe an 1/8 inch nose heavy. When you toss a plane it should be a combination of forward thrust and a shotput toss, throwing it to hard will cause it to climb and often stall. try finding an embankment throwing down hill. that helps alot.
check for lateral balance to the plane should fly right out of your hand. The onlything else I can think of is perhaps it's underpowered then throwing down hill should help

Hide Signatures

(in reply to eflight-ray)
       Post #: 5

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/10/2005 6:25 AM   
Time Pilot



Posts: 1514
Score: 100
Joined: 10/25/2003
Last Login: 10/26/2009
From: Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Status: offline 		You say that the plane starts to descend and you apply some up elevator. Assuming that you're already at full throttle, is it possible that you're applying up elevator too soon and stalling the plane? Some planes take a little longer to get up to flying speed.

Hide Signatures

(in reply to soartothesky)
       Post #: 6

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/10/2005 2:30 PM   
soartothesky


 

Posts: 5
Score: 100
Joined: 12/9/2004
Last Login: 1/11/2005
From: , AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		no im not giving elevator to soon, the plane starts to descend as soon as it is out of my hands, will not climb and when i apply elevator the nose points up as if it is trying to get up but it will just glide to the ground as i am landing it.

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Time Pilot)
       Post #: 7

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/11/2005 12:54 AM   
Time Pilot



Posts: 1514
Score: 100
Joined: 10/25/2003
Last Login: 10/26/2009
From: Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Status: offline 		I checked the website, and curiously, they didn't mention the weight of the plane.

Something that is relatively common with GWS planes when people have this problem is that the propeller is installed backwards. Is that possible with this plane?

Hide Signatures

(in reply to soartothesky)
       Post #: 8

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/11/2005 4:02 PM   
soartothesky


 

Posts: 5
Score: 100
Joined: 12/9/2004
Last Login: 1/11/2005
From: , AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		no the propeller is on the right way, that is one thing i made sure of when i assembled it.

one thing i did notice that i failed to mention is that when i took it out and checked it over the tail plane wobbled as the as the propeller pushed wind over it, is that supposed to happen? or could it be a loose control surface?

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Time Pilot)
       Post #: 9

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/11/2005 5:05 PM   
Matt Kirsch



Posts: 7351
Score: 105
Joined: 7/5/2002
Last Login: 4/12/2013
From: Spencerport, NY, USA
Status: offline 		I'm afraid this is another case of, "You get what you pay for." These CCLee planes are low-cost, all-in-one, ready-to-fly units (really a very kind way of saying cheap junk toy).

You're trying to fly a plane with marginal, if not inadequate, power. It doesn't have the guts to haul itself up and away from a dead stop; it needs to build up some speed in level flight. The first thing you need to remember is the elevator is not the magic up stick. Elevator controls attitude, so if you put the plane in a nose-up attitude without adequate forward speed, or the power to accelerate away, the plane will slow down and lose altltude.

We might be able to make lemonade here, though.

First, make sure everything is straight. Eyeballing things is fine, and close enough is close enough. The vertical fin should be 90 degrees to the horizontal stabilizer. The rudder should be in line with the vertical fin when the controls are centered. The elevator should be in line with the horizontal stabilizer when the controls are centered. The wing should be square to the fuselage, and should be even on both sides. It shouldn't be "cocked" with respect to the horizontal stabilizer when sighting from behind.

Next, balance. I am betting that this is one of the issues. A nose heavy plane will not climb well. Other than the rounded wingtips, a Cub's wing is straight, so figuring out the balance will be pretty simple. Just measure the chord (front to back) of the wing, and divide by four. Take that result, and measure back from the leading edge of the wing, and make a mark on the underside of the wing at that distance on both sides of the fuselage. Install the battery as if you were going to fly the plane. Place the tips of your index fingers on these points and lift the plane up. It should settle out level. My guess is that it will nose over on you. This means it's nose heavy. Move the battery toward the tail and try again, even if it means hogging out some foam in the battery compartment.

Finally, charging. How are you charging the battery? Most likely, you're using a timer charger or a "wall wart," and only getting half a charge on the battery, if that. Borrow a peak detect charger if you can. Otherwise, we'll have to make do. If you have a wall wart, look at the mA rating on it. Divide the capacity of the pack by that rating (like 1100mAh divided by 100mA = 11). That's how many hours you need to charge the battery to get a full charge. Keep an eye on the pack. If it starts to warm up, that also means it's fully charged. It probably won't take the full time because you've partially charged it, and never really ran it down.

Hide Signatures

(in reply to soartothesky)
       Post #: 10

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/12/2005 7:34 PM   
altacom



Posts: 485
Score: 100
Joined: 1/9/2005
Last Login: 1/5/2010
From: Enumclaw, WA, USA
Status: offline 		While in Seattle last year my oldest son went with me to the flying field and decided he would like to try flying. Hei in his 40's now. So we went to the hobby shop and he bought one of the planes mentioned. We read the directions, charged with my Astro 110 peak charger, I made sure it seemed to balance correctly at CG, and we went out to fly it. Fortunately we were able to launch over high grass and it kept the pland from breaking.

On the first hand launch it kind of climbed, (He threw it and I was on the box), but it would not go up even after what seemed to be plenty of flying speed. After about 10 feet, it would just drop like a rock. As it was going down I cut the throttle to attempt to save damage. We tried this about 4 times with the same results. About 10 ft out the plane just went down in the high grass.

Before the 5th and last flight I had him go out about 10-15 ft and do the launch. Lo and behold - the motor would rev up, but the surfaces wouldnt move. It turned out that if he was beyond 5 ft the radio quit working the servos, but the motor control worked.

We took it back to the hobby shop and it being the last one he had, traded it over for a Hobbico Superstar EP RTF, which he still has flying on those rare occasions when he wants to go fly.

As previously stated, you get what you pay for.

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Matt Kirsch)
       Post #: 11

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/21/2005 7:00 AM   
Culverson



Posts: 1372
Score: 100
Joined: 8/28/2002
Last Login: 5/19/2009
From: Jasper, AL, USA
Status: offline 		This is were the first thing I look at is wing loading and the planes weight RTF with battery..The lower the loading the more thrust you will have with you motor combo..Bigger motor are always not a huge plus either..I've seen some planes that had a built up fuse-wing and are heavy by any standards, putting huge brushed motors and massice battery packs do not help much either but just brings the wing load up..Look at a lighter planes or go brushless..Check you CG and decide if you can loose weight in areas, like you battery-etc..

The plane looks nice, but you have to make sure you have enough thrust to build enough forward speed and to climb..I've seen some I wouldn't be surprised if they would not fly if thrown off from a cliff.Not saying thats the case, but if you can read reviews of other fliers and see if there is an issue with take-off-flight perf. quirks-quality-and general thoughts. Most come with a brushed motors thats capable of much less thrust than their brushless conuterparts. I bought the Tribute and actually checked flight perf. with the included gearbox and brushed 370 motor..Acceptable considering it came with the kit..even taking off in grass..Bit lacking in windy conditions but still a bearable option for thise who have to fly a bit befire upgrading to a BL motor.With electrics think on a lightweight plane with lower wing loading realy helps..

_____________________________

Life from a inverted perspective

Hide Signatures

(in reply to altacom)
       Post #: 12

RE: launching plane = hitting the ground - 1/24/2005 8:48 PM   
Talon56


 

Posts: 15
Score: 100
Joined: 1/7/2005
Last Login: 2/10/2005
From: Loveland, CO, USA
Status: offline 		In your post on 1/11/2005 1:02:36 PM you said that the tail section is wobbling. If the elevator surface is off even a little it will affect your plane a lot. I know, I bought an Areobird Challaner and it came with a tail wheel that wasn't installed, so I unscrewed the two screws that held on the V tail to install the wheel. When I screwed them back in I tightened them all the way, my plane did exactly what your plane is doing! It was my first two tries and I had already broken my wing!! I was giving it up elevator and the nose wasn't even coming up, went out about 5' and crashed. I remembered something in the instructions saying if you plane doesn't climb correctly to unscrew the back screw on the tail a little and retry. Since I had both screws tight, I backed the front one out one turn and the back one out a turn and a half, taped the trailing edge of my wing back together, went back out to the field and retried it. I was looking down at the ground where I thought the plane would crash, instead it took off at about 35 degrees, also had it trimmed with up elevator. If you elevator surface is loose it could be having the same affect. Is there anyway to tighten the tail up? Maybe stick some small balsa wedges under the back side of the elevator/tail section if there's not.

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Culverson)
       Post #: 13

Page:   [1]
All Forums >> Electric Aircraft Universe >> Electric Training >> launching plane = hitting the ground
Page: [1]





Jump to:


 
Google 



Search | Marketplace | Event Calendar | Local Clubs | Magazine | Product Ratings | New Products | Discussion Forums

Photo Gallery | Instructor Search | Field|Track|Marina Search

Advertisers | Hobby Vendor Resources | Rate Manufacturers | Sign In/Sign Up

SITE MAP!   : :   FORUM RULES

RC Universe is a service of Internet Brands, Inc. Copyright © 2001-2013.

Charities we support that also need your help
Yorkie Rescue | Humane Society | ASPCA | Crohn's-Colitis America


0.625RCU1