RE: top flite corsair build questions

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 4/18/2009 2:08 AM

Joe Lott

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I think that will work for you, Mistral. My hinges are actually glued to the sheeting. I added support underneath the hinge at that point, but I'm not sure it was necessary. I installed the hinges before I sheeted the wing. If you feel that you need the added support, you can always cut out a section of the wheel well wall to put it in. It won't be much trouble to fix afterward. Just a little extra time. I think if you get a good epoxy between the wing sheet and the hinge you will be fine. I drilled a small hole in the bases of each hinge so the epoxy would really bond well.

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 4/18/2009 3:00 AM

mistral12

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Joe,
Thanks for the input! Have you thought of your next project?

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Post #: 152

RE: top flite corsair build questions - 4/18/2009 3:30 AM

Joe Lott

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I'm not looking at anything soon. With all the time I've put into this one, I really just want to fly it as long as possible. I'm kind of a Corsair nut and have thought about a KMP Corsair with a big electric motor and an Aerosound unit and speakers. Check out the video of the P47 at www.aerosound.com. Those units give you the sound of a real Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp. I just don't know if I want to put all of the $$$ required into a giant scale. They get expensive fast. I have also thought about doing the CMP .50 size Zero ARF. Maybe modify it some and put an RCV 60SP in it. It's a close scale match for our Top Flite Corsairs. I would also consider any kit or ARF of the Japanese fighters if I can find one of 1/8 scale. I sure like the building aspect of it. It feels nice to know that you built a nice model out of a stack of wood in a box.

A detailed Stuka might be nice also. What are you thinking about doing next?

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 4/18/2009 3:53 PM

mistral12

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I think I'm going to buy a cheap ARF Corsair like the park zone and learn to fly it before I go out and wreck this money pit. I aleady have a 100" Ziroli dauntless waiting for me after I finish this Corsair. I got a short kit from lazer lizzard and all the sheet and stick balsa from Lone star balsa. Someone was dumping the cockpit kit, bomb release, canopy and retracts on ebay and I got that stuff for 200! Reading, this phane is supposed to be easly to fly and build. It doen't have any wheel bay doors. Lazzard lizzard has a stuka short kit for around 80 on ebay you ought to look at that!

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 4/23/2009 2:54 PM

mistral12

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Joe,
What size chart tape did you use? Did you do the soldering iron trick for the rivets? What size brass tube did you usse?

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Post #: 155

RE: top flite corsair build questions - 4/23/2009 8:15 PM

Joe Lott

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Mistral,

I used 1/64th chart tape. I found it on the net at a couple of places. I didn't do rivets, only the big screws at the front of the fuse. I didn't feel that rivets could be seen from any distance anyway. To make the screw heads I used very small push-in type wire connectors (for use with screw-together plug connections). They had a tiny barrel diameter. I cut a tab of brass off of each connector (it just happened to be available on the lug end of the connectors I was using) and inserted that tab into the barrel of the connector. I stuck the connector on my soldering iron and burned the image into the primer. It also worked well on that plastic cowl. These connectors were very small, like for 22-28 gauge wire.

< Message edited by Joe Lott -- 4/23/2009 8:18 PM >

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 5/8/2009 3:47 PM

alpinestar

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I'm ready to re-maiden my TF corsair... last flight ended a little hard after I obliged a reqeust from the peanut gallery to "put 'er in a spin!". I couldn't get it out without the help of the ground. All rebuild & just about ready to go.

Anyway, what is the concensus on balance point? (gear up or gear down?) the manual reccomends 4.25" with the gear down... just seems strange to balance it gear down knowing the cg will shift back when the gear is retracted. Double-checking before I put it in the air again.

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 5/8/2009 4:15 PM

marcoferretti

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quote:

ORIGINAL: alpinestar

I'm ready to re-maiden my TF corsair... last flight ended a little hard after I obliged a reqeust from the peanut gallery to "put 'er in a spin!". I couldn't get it out without the help of the ground. All rebuild & just about ready to go.

Anyway, what is the concensus on balance point? (gear up or gear down?) the manual reccomends 4.25" with the gear down... just seems strange to balance it gear down knowing the cg will shift back when the gear is retracted. Double-checking before I put it in the air again.

Balancing gear down is the way to go! And if the model is slightly nose heavy when gear is down, even better. You want a stable model on take off and landing. A nose heavy model sets in a lower angle of attack on its own, that's what you'ere looking for to prevent stalling.

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 5/13/2009 11:58 PM

Joe Lott

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Mistral,

How are you coming along with your Bent Wing Bird? Show us some progress pics if you have any.

Joe

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 5/14/2009 5:57 AM

mistral12

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Hey Joe thanks for asking. Been kind of slow with kids and the end of school. I sanded and filled the fuse ready for panel lines and final prime. Finally got one gear door working. Will finsh the other side and hope to prime the wing this weekend!

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< Message edited by mistral12 -- 5/14/2009 6:00 AM >

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Post #: 160

RE: top flite corsair build questions - 5/16/2009 1:24 AM

Joe Lott

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Lookin' good.

Sorry it took so long to get back. It's starting to look familiar. You've done a nice job on the gear doors. On the detailing, get some of that aluminized HVAC tape. For all of those little hatches and the round riveted pieces around the gun ports, you can cut that stuff to shape, turn it over, and make indentions on the back side with a ball point pen where the rivets are. Then just stick them in place and paint over them. Can't wait to see her all painted up. Are you modeling her after any particular bird?

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 5/16/2009 1:32 AM

Joe Lott

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Wow, what's the deal with these pics?

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Post #: 162

RE: top flite corsair build questions - 5/16/2009 5:08 AM

mistral12

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I know I tried 3x last night to get the pics right! Thats a great idea to use the foil tape. I bought a small gravity feed sprayer to try with my compressor. Did you order new stencils or dry transfers for your bird.
Bryan

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Post #: 163

RE: top flite corsair build questions - 5/16/2009 3:12 PM

Joe Lott

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For the insignia and larger markings, I made my own stencils and spray painted them on. I used the unit kill markings from the Top Flite Kit.
So, have you decided on your color scheme?

Joe

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 6/15/2009 12:07 PM

marcoferretti

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Maiden flight on saturday!
I had some balacing issues, I was about to loose the model. I set the CG per plans but slightly nose-heavy. Once in the air, the bird had all the symptoms of being tail heavy! Abrupt stall tendency. It drops the left wing and enters a violent spin.
No way to use the flaps: the model stopped in the air, lifted the nose, then left down and spin....
BTW, at a safe speed it is a pleasure to fly!

Landing was a real adventure: it needed some down elevator, once on the groung, it bouced and stopped upside down.
Fortunetely I had no damage at all, except for the landing gear. These Robart 615 are real poor stuff: they came up bended....

I surfed some forums to look for other maiden flight reports of the TF Corsair and all seem to suffer the same issues: tailheavy.
I suspect the calculated CG is too optimistic, I mean too far aft.
What do you say?

What I suggest is to balance it very very nose heavy. You are always on time to remove some ballast.

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 6/15/2009 12:48 PM

crashproof

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I suspect your issue is because you balanced with the gear down. When you do this then put the gear up it can become tail heavy which is what you experienced. Balance the plane on the recomended spot with the gear up and the plane inverted, make sure in this orientation it is alittle nose heavy, then when the gear goes down for TO and Landing it will only become alittle more nose heavy which is a good thing. I think that will solve your problems. Kevin.

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 6/15/2009 1:30 PM

marcoferretti

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quote:

ORIGINAL: crashproof

I suspect your issue is because you balanced with the gear down. When you do this then put the gear up it can become tail heavy which is what you experienced. Balance the plane on the recomended spot with the gear up and the plane inverted, make sure in this orientation it is alittle nose heavy, then when the gear goes down for TO and Landing it will only become alittle more nose heavy which is a good thing. I think that will solve your problems. Kevin.

Thanks Kevin!
You are right, I balenced gear down. During maidend flight, we did non retract the gear for the obvious balancing reasonos.
I will re balace it gear-up.

And, talking about landing gears... what landing gear may I fit without or with little mods? Sierra and CJ require some work on the main spar to fit... Any ideas?

Thanks!

Marco

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 6/15/2009 9:09 PM

CorsairJock

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quote:

ORIGINAL: marcoferretti
.......................Landing was a real adventure: it needed some down elevator, once on the groung, it bouced and stopped upside down.
Fortunetely I had no damage at all, except for the landing gear. These Robart 615 are real poor stuff: they came up bended....

....................I surfed some forums to look for other maiden flight reports of the TF Corsair and all seem to suffer the same issues: tailheavy.
I suspect the calculated CG is too optimistic, I mean too far aft.
What do you say?...........................What I suggest is to balance it very very nose heavy. You are always on time to remove some ballast...........

It appears that the either the RoboStruts rotated on the 3/16" wire struts, OR the gear rotated on the wire strut. Either way: the root cause is insufficient set screw tightness and/ or lack of flat spots for them to 'grab'. I like to use 4 set screws per RoboStrut. Overkill maybe, but they NEVER rotate on the wires. I also grind small flat spots on the wire struts wherever a set-screw contacts it.

Once the RoboStruts rotate to an unwanted positions (as in: sideways when the gear is down), damage to other landing gear parts becomes almost inevitable.
I have found a solution which greatly increases the life expectency of the "links', otherwise known as 'scissors' in the 615s:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1438302

I'm not trying to imply that Robart 615s are as robust as CenturyJet and/ or Sierra, but I will state that ANY landing gear will fail if you land hard enough, and from your report: I would venture that you landed hard enough to have damaged CenturyJets if you had installed them. The point is: don't blame your landing gear if it didn't survive a rough landing.

As for being nose-heavy at recommended C.G. setting: I have never encountered any problems, and in fact prefer it slighly aft to help prevent nose-overs. I am suspecting maybe you have too much throw on the elevator, which in turn makes it too sensitive to input from the pilot. Try dialing back the throws to the minimum recommended (dual rates are good for this).

< Message edited by CorsairJock -- 6/16/2009 3:21 AM >

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 6/16/2009 1:46 AM

Redback

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I recently maidened my 2nd TF 1/8 Corsair with the balance point as per the instructions and had none of the probems that Marco indicates., dropping the flaps had minimal affect on attitude. It was the same story with the first one that I built.

I've moved to Sierras for the current Corsair, but with the first one I used Loctite on the Robostrut end of the 3/16 strut and filed a substantial falt on the other. You can fine adjust before the Locktite sets and if you need you can remove the strut the other end and use a heat gun to un-Locktite.

Terry

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 6/16/2009 1:55 PM

marcoferretti

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CJ, thank you for you help and for linkng to the mods you posted. I will get the 615s off the wing tonignt and see if it's worth repairing them.

Terry, In case the 615s are not worth repair, I think I'll move to the Sierras. As far as I know, these are not direct replacement. What mods will be required to fit them in a wing built around the 615s? I suspect I have to drill out the spar to clear the cylinder...

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 6/17/2009 1:21 AM

Redback

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Hi Marco,

Fitting the Sierras does take some fiddling around compared to teh Robarts, which drop in very easily.

You will need to drill the spar, the cylinder fits OK but the nipple for the air line is hard against the spar so you need the hole to get the line out.

The other air connection also needed a hole drilled through the rib to get the line out.

You will also need to adjust the height of the rails for the Sierras as the mountings are a lot more substantial than those on the Robarts.

I had the advantage of fitting mine from scratch on Corsair 2, retrrofitting will take some surgery on the wing but will (in my opinion) be worth it.

Regards

Terry

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Post #: 171

RE: top flite corsair build questions - 9/3/2009 3:51 AM

mistral12

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I am finally at the point of final paint and trim. I am planimg to use stencils for the stars and bars and lettters. Does anybody know the size of the star and bars and the lettering/numbers. The decals in the kit seem small. I'm planning to use GetSetencils.

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 9/3/2009 8:37 AM

marcoferretti

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quote:

ORIGINAL: mistral12

I am finally at the point of final paint and trim. I am planimg to use stencils for the stars and bars and lettters. Does anybody know the size of the star and bars and the lettering/numbers. The decals in the kit seem small. I'm planning to use GetSetencils.

Mistral, just post some pictures, please!!

Attached is a template I drew with Autocad, it is sized for the TF Corsair. You can print youown sencils.
I also have dxf of it but I can't upload it...

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RE: top flite corsair build questions - 9/3/2009 12:29 PM

duber3

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Hi Marco!!

for my Top-filte GS corsair I used the balance per the manuel but I also used this method
Vanessa it's very accurate

hope this help

bye!

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Post #: 174

RE: top flite corsair build questions - 9/3/2009 2:12 PM

marcoferretti

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quote:

ORIGINAL: duber3

Hi Marco!!

for my Top-filte GS corsair I used the balance per the manuel but I also used this method
Vanessa it's very accurate

hope this help

bye!

That's great!
I'll build the CG fixture check the Corsair once more

THANK YOU!

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