codepunk

As the subject says, I am having strange throttle problems on my Aerobird Challenger. Just about everytime I turn it on, the throttle starts "hicupping". In other words, it fluctuates from on and off with varying speeds even when the throttle slider is in the off position. I am new to this, but which could be the most likely cause:

1. Radio interference: I operate around the 25Mhz band and I fly in a field owned by the place I work (Hewlett Packard). Is this a possibility?
2. Bad transmitter. Is it possible that I have some weird short in the transmitter that causes it to go all wacko?

Anything else you can think of?

-Mark

goalieman39

I had the same problem with mine also. I returned mine for a new one and it worked fine.

codepunk

Was it the transmitter or the receiver in the fuselage or do you not know? Problem is, I don't have the original box it came in and the web site says to pack it up in that. I hope I'm not SOL.

-Mark

foreverNight

I'll bet its interferance. Same thing happened to me with my firebird outlaw. I was trying to fly in this field which happened to be next to a federal prison and very close to Vandenberg airforce base. throttle kept hicupping like you said. I thought it was a bad tx or battery. But then i tried it when i returned home about 3 hour drive north it flew perfect. I found out later that you couldnt even use cell phones in the area i was trying to fly in. Try a diffrent spot. Might work

dribbe

It is possible you have a transmitter with a bad throttle slide. There were several reports of these. Call Horizon at the number in the instructions, and they can take care of you!

David

Soopers

Just yesterday,I had the same problem with mine.I own mine since August and got 30 ten minute flights on it,with no crashes,just smooth landings.(believe it or not)
First,I put it in Sportsmode,and the motor wouldn't turn at all.then I put it in Promode,and the motor wouldn't shut off at all.
Back in Sportsmode,it seems to do ok,with a slight hickup.So I tossed it in the air,and it was doing great on full throttle.After 5 minutes I pulled it back to 1/2 throttle,and thats when it started cutting out a few times,ca.a secound at a time.It also seemed to go straight,when I was trying to turn,a couple times.
I keeped it high up in the air,to experiment.I noticed,that if I push the throttle up fast to 100%,it seemed to cut out,if I pushed it up slow,it seemed ok.So I got it down for another perfect landing.My Gutfeeling told me,that it is the transmitter.
Back at home,I started researching this subject on this NewsGroup.Some people with simular problems got rid of their problems,by switching over to a different kind of Batterie plug,claiming that the original AB plug doesn't make for a good connection.
Did anybody ever tried to take the transmitter apart,to clean the Throttle sliding switch? and did it help?

codepunk

I was debating taking the transmitter apart to see if I can see a loose wire or dirty contacts, but I don't want to jeapordize any possibly warranty yet. I can get mine to somewhat work if I actually push down on the throttle a little, but its still intermitent.

As an aside, I had one throttle problem that scared the bejesus out of me. I was flying in the snow and when I did my first throw the throttle cut out and I nose dived into the snow (snow was only about 1/4 in). A little snow got inside but nothing major. It was only about a 4 foot drop. So, I launched again and started flying. After about 2 minutes, the throttle went to full (without me doing anything). Moving the throttle lever did absolutely nothing. I thought, ok, I can just turn the transmitter off and it will cut the engine. Guess what it didn't. The engine was on full throttle and climbing higher and higher. After about 2 minutes or so, I lost complete turning control and watched as my plane sailed off into the sunset, over a highway and headed for the Columbia River. Finally though, I saw it waver a little and then do a nose dive into a neighborhood about 1/4 mile away. Luckily, it landed in an empty lot and suffered absolutely 0 damage (maybe a nick on the wing, but nothing bad). That was my exciting throttle story of the day.

-Mark

foreverNight

wow.. Maybe its not interferrance.

treesmacker

I agree with Sooper, it's probably the batt conection.
My aerobird did that a couple of times,I was flying at a local dry retention pond near my house and i was about 100 ft up and the motor started cutting out could not make the turn to land and ended up 50 ft in a large pine tree (took nearly 50 cast of my fishing pole to get it down). got home and crimped the battery connection on the battery(the little holes on the connector) and i havn't had the problem since.
Try changing the battery connectors.

Good Luck and happy flying, Treesmacker (Russ).

codepunk

I contacted the company and they said they have had reports of the throttle problem. They didn't say if it was the transmitter or the battery connector. I think its the throttle on the transmitter because it does noticeable change the prop speed on the plane as I fiddle with it. The company is being really cool with this and will fix it for me. I am sending it in. In the meantime, I'm going to start looking at other planes and convince my wife that its time to step up. I eventually want to get a BF109 (my favorite WWII plane) but probably not for awhile.

-Mark