Gale155

I got my new Hawk Sky from Nitroplanes, which will be my RC trainer. Like the Catalina before it (which is waiting patiently for the yard and pond to thaw), I've got a problem that I (a noob) can't figure out. I was reading a mega-thread on the Hawk Sky at another Nitroplanes-supporting website, and another noob asked this same question...but it never got answered.

The problem is that the prop was apparently mounted backwards at the factory, which I found out when I connected the battery to test the motor. The question is, how do you get the prop off? It appears to be a push-on, pull-off type (there's nothing retaining it on the shaft), but I don't want to damage anything before I even get to fly it. With moderate pressure, I can't get it to budge.

Like the Catalina, the instruction manual is horrible...at least from a noob's perspective. The Hawk Sky came with a spare prop (which is nice), but the instruction manual doesn't have a word regarding how to change it. In fact, there's nothing in regards to mounting the motor, but I managed to figure that out on my own.

Thanks.

wl7cpa

Did you get the prop off? I had the same problem when the canopy fell into the prop and broke it. I could not get the new one on.
I went to a prop saver. Are you familiar with it?

Gale155

No, I haven't gotten it off...I'm afraid to do anything drastic without knowing what I'm doing, cause it's otherwise ready to fly. There's a mega-thread on the Hawk Sky here: http://www.********.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2402 As I mentioned, another noob asked the same question there (I think it was post #70), but unless I missed it, no one has answered.

Prop saver? What dat?

wl7cpa

Go to www.headsuprc.com and check out the prop savers. They come in different shaft sizes. Pick the one closest to the size of the hawk sky. The prop simply is held on with a tight rubber band and easy to replace and saves your prop. You want a little bigger prop saver than shaft. Mine is working terrific. ust took a Hawk Sky cam this morning and it perfromed really well with the extra weight.

The setup they have is a joke and I think it is put on with a machine. It is too hard to get on and off. Let me know how I can help.

Gale155

Thanks for that info.

Upon closer examination of my Hawk Sky, the prop is mounted properly...it's the motor that's turning in the wrong direction! I'm embarrassed that I didn't notice that initially, but I don't have any experience flying pushers. If this motor were facing forward, it would be turning in the proper direction. So...I guess my question now is how to get it spinning the other way.

wl7cpa

You mounted facing forward??? The motor should be facing towards the tail, not the nose....and the propellor should have the lettering facing the nose, unless it is a pusher. I picture the pod facing forward.. is that right? Look at the pictures...lol.

Gale155

I figured it out...I simply swapped the two black wires at the motor/ESC plug-in connections, and now it's spinning correctly. Whew!

Gale155

Gale155

No, I had it mounted properly...the motor was just spinning the wrong way. Mounting it with the prop facing forward would cut a pretty significant groove in the top of the fuse, me thinks.

wl7cpa

LOL Hmmmmm didnt thunk of that.......

okay, did you look at the prop savers ? That was my answer to the hard to get on and off prop. Then you can experiment a little with the prop sizes. Bigger smaller pitch etc. I tried for an hour to get a new one one and could not do it. Finally drilled it out and drilled it too big.

wl7cpa

Here is my Hawk Sky in the air with a camera:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-x0PdCGhCw

Gale155

Haven't checked them out yet, but I will. It appears to me that the only way to damage the prop on this plane is to fly into a tree (or some other elevated object), or an inverted crash with the prop spinning. I'm hoping to avoid both, but who knows? I think I'll e-mail Dynam, and ask them how to go about replacing the prop should the need arise.

Fei Hu

I've got another question about the Hawk Sky. How should it be trimmed out? I've got all my surfaces neutral with servos centered and all the plane wants to do is turn left, HARD! The horiz stab is level with the wings and the vertical stab looks to be true centered. Could it be a balance thing? I don't remember the stick built nitro planes I flew 30 years ago having problems like this.

wl7cpa

I have flown two out of the box and absolutly no turn, and required very little trim to fly straight. Can you take the turn out with rudder or aileron? My guess is it sat for a long time from previous emails. If the wing was not stored flat or neutral, you probably have a twist in it. Take both wings off and lay on a flat surface. If it is twisted a tiny bit you'll get a turnwith that foam. The balance should not do it if you are using the stock battery. The balance point is about where they cut the aileron wire groove.

Is it a yaw turn or a roll turn?? Yaw is rudder and roll is aileron.

My guess is a twist in the foam wing. East to happen if something was laying on it for a long time. Hard to detect. Let me know what you find.

Gale155

"The balance point is about where they cut the aileron wire groove."

Huh? My book calls for the CG to be at 58 to 62 mm, which puts it about 3/4 inch forward of the aileron wire groove. That's where I have it set, but I've yet to fly the plane.

wl7cpa

Hmmmm....I guess mine is nose heavy. I guess that's why mine flys so well. LOL. Do what the book says by all means. Good Luck!

Gale155

If mine flys like crap, now I know what adjustment to try first. Thanks!

Gale155

Does this happen all the time, or just during climb with lots of power? I don't know anything about rc, but I am very familar with full-sized planes, and (of course) the aerodynamics are the same. On prop-driven planes, there are several prop-induced factors which cause the plane to turn left - p-factor (assymetrical thrust), torque, and the "corkscrew effect"). When full-sized planes are designed, the vertical stabilizer is offset to minimize these factors during normal cruise, but at high angles-of-attack combined with lots of power, the aforementioned factors increase - resulting in the need to apply right-rudder to counteract the left turn.

I don't have a clue as to how much right-rudder is needed with the Hawk Sky (or any other rc plane) to keep it going straight during climb, but some must be required.

Fei Hu

Well, the work week is back and I don't know when I'll have a combination of time off and good weather to test things out but it was acting like an aileron roll. I'll take a look at wing warp but I tend to think it's just a matter of adjusting the control surfaces. We'll see in a few days I hope.

Gear up and locked

rickco

Hawk Sky Prop Replacement:

I just got my plane a few weeks ago and had the wings slide a few inches out of the plane's body and result in a crash. The prop got broken in this incident and so I figured out how to replace same!

Use a stiff pocket knife and wedge the blade between the prop hub and the motor. As you apply pressure, then the prop will slide away from the motor. After it slides 3/8" inch or so, then I recommend to use two 16 Penny Nails or something simular and place one on top of the prop shaft and the other below the prop shaft. Starting out with the nails parallel to each other.......move them in a scissor fashion to form an "X". This wedge motion will safely slide the prop the rest of the way off of the shaft.

Best Regards,

Rick Atkinson
Pageland, SC

Gale155

Thanks for that, Rick.

wl7cpa

We have all replaced the prop with a 5x5 from www.headsuprc and a prop saver. More performance and no hassle.

lowkeylaidback

So what prop saver and prop are you ordering from heads up RC?
I may want to order those parts as well, thanks.

wl7cpa

I ordered the EMP 5 x 5E Composite Propellers - TWO Props. I am not sure what the shaft size is on the Hawk Sky.in my electric flight box and found one that was close to the shaft size. If you have a micrometer, measure the shaft and order the size closest to it. If you don't, just order the smallest they have.

mjc092

hey everyone, i have a hawk sky and have broken both stock props.  i have been going to local hobby shops looking for replacement props that fit on the shaft but cant find any.  so im now on headsuprc.com do you think the 2mm prop adapter would work for the hawk sky shaft? i have seen a 3.17mm prop adapter in the hobby shop and that is deff to big.