CorsairJock
Posts: 1832
Joined: 4/14/2002
From: Parchment,
MI, USA
Status: offline
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I’m, glad to here that so many of you are following these posts, I hope to meet up with some of you next summer and do some formation flying. Obviously, it won’t be at the Labor day (giant scale) warbird event in Muncie. Memorial Day at Terre Haute, IN is a definite possibility. So is the Henderson/ Robards, KY Sept. Fly-in, and CARDS (Lansing, MI area), South Bend, IN, and Wheeler, IN warbird fly-ins. I could also make the Evansville, IN July 4 weekend warbird fly-in, but I'm really not enthusiastic about that one anymore as it has transformed into a judged flying contest. It's not that I don't like the competition, it's because only one plane flies at a time during most of these events. I travel to fly with alongside/ with other warbirds, so I prefer the open flying type warbird events. If you have a Corsair and plan to attend ANY of those events, let me know and I'll make an extra effort to attend.
I did manage to attend 3 warbird fly-ins last summer (in addition to my own club’s: the ThunderBirds R/C club, which makes it 4). One of the things I noticed is that there are a lot of BIG warbirds out there. What surprises me though, is that even though my Top Flite Corsair was smaller than most of the other Corsairs that I saw, mine was more detailed (none of the others had machine guns and/ or exhaust stacks and/ or front landing gear doors) and authentic as far as markings go. I saw a large scale Pappy Boyington/ Lulubelle/ #86 Corsair which was only 2 color (med/ blue and lt/ blue instead of proper 3 color), AND had incorrect national insignia (lacked insignia blue background). I'm not bragging about mine, and I know there are far superior looking 1/8 scale Corsairs than mine (see Luke's Royal Corsair), I am just surprised that these guys with big buck and big planes don't take the time to make sure their planes look right/ scale. So, I want to remind everyone: DO SOME HOMEWORK. Buy a Squadron/ Signal book at the very least. Such a book costs less than $10, and will help educate you on proper marking and paint schemes. I am by no means the world’s leading authority on Corsairs. There are plenty of Corsair fanatics out there who are smarter than me, and they will KNOW if your paint scheme/ markings are incorrect without the aid of literature. And whether or not we say anything, our impression of the builder is that he(she?) knows very little about the aircraft he has modeled. And that is what what irks me: warbird pilots who know little or nothing about their aircraft. Regardless of building skills and/ or anything else, I have a lot more respect for a pilot that at least knows something about his aircraft, other than (in the case of the Corsair) it was a fast U.S. fighter plane that Pappy Boyington flew.
Anyone wishing to build their Corsair as an F4U-4 should remember to add the chin/ cowl airscoop.
As for functioning navigation lights, yes I have considered them but haven’t done it yet. I am leaving holes in my Wing Mfg. wing which would allow wires to run to the tips in the future, if I find the time/ ambition to complete such an installation.
Yes, the Futaba S3004s are adequate for this aircraft. In fact, they are what I use on mine. They are relatively light (1.3 oz each), inexpensive ballbearing servos which have more than enough torque. I even use them for my flaps (2 servos), however this may be pushing them to their limits. I certainly would not recommend the S3004 if you are using only one servo for Top Flite Corsair flaps. As for using 2 for the ailerons: it's six of one, half dozen of other. I have come to prefer the 2 servo setup (one servo per aileron) because it makes for an easier installation, easier adjustments, and probably adds very little weight (over the single servo setup) because of the long, bending linkage and bellcrank setup which would not be necessary with the 2 servo setup.
I pretty much covered all the questions regarding engine cooling in a previous post. As I said, I am by no means an expert, and suggest that if you have more questions regarding this matter, begin a new post. You will be able to access much more 'expert' advice that way. Make the title of your post as specific as possible. I for one do not read the vague and/ or teaser posts, I simply don't have that much time to waste.
I will add two things tho (about engine cooling): if you opened the cowl flaps up so that there is a 1/4" gap between flaps and fuselage, it may or may not be beneficial. If the gap is 1/4" at the end of the flaps, but 1/16" (or less) where the cowl is attached to the fuselage, then you have not gained anything. It's like a chain is no stronger than its weakest like: the gap will allow no more air to pass thru than the air that passes thru the narrowest gap. If on the other hand, you DO have at least 1/4" all the way thru the cowl flap area, then you should have sufficient area for air to exit without need of more exit areas.
The other thing is removal of dummy radial jugs: I like my aircraft to look as scale as reasonbly possible, but I am willing to make sacrifices if it means my engine will run better/ cooler/ more dependable. I have had my share of deadstick landings, and altho I have become somewhat comfortable with them, I prefer not to have to do them, especially with my Corsairs. I'm not saying that one cannot obtain depedabilty while removing only one jug, it is just that my preference has become removing two. Also, I think my setup still looks pretty good, even with 2 jugs removed (see pic in previous post). What I failed to mention is that I use aluminum tubing instead of painted plastic for the pushrod guides, they also blend well with Saito engine.
< Message edited by CorsairJock -- 11/24/2003 2:47:29 PM >
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All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> RC Warbirds and Warplanes >> RE: 1/8 scale TopFlite Corsair Mods 
RE: 1/8 scale TopFlite Corsair Mods - 
RE: 1/8 scale TopFlite Corsair Mods - 
, so it is unlikely you will be able to print it full size. It would be benifiial for you to copy it to a floppy, take it to a printing place, and have them make a full size copy. I really want to encourage anyone building a Top Flite Corsair to get a printed copy of this. This drawing will really show you how inaccuate the wing tips and ailerons are (especially the 'red box' ones), as you would be able to lay it over your Top Flight drawings to see the differences. 
