little-boy-14

anybody flew one

little-boy-14

what is the best battery and prop combo to get the most flight time

Epoxy Cup

Hey Little Boy

Just put one together trying to get the CG correct it wants to be tail heavey. Im useing a 260mah 6 cell 7.2v pack and the prop that was included for first flights. Took it out in the street this morning and it ROG'd of the ground to an altitude of about 3/ feet than I cut poer and glided down. Just to chicken to fly tail heavey but it felt like it could have flown fine that way. Anyway good luck and enjoy flying.

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

my GWS fd stick, is tail heavy too, it flies fine with a little down trim , but it pretty much takes off by itself too which is cool, this is my second one, the first one didnt do this, it flew level out of the box, but I had the servos more forward and I now use the 270 battery paks, I have 1 of the 110 paks and it only last about 2 minutes, they dont like to fly in the wind though,,,just my .02..Rog

Robotech

My Feedback: (9)

They make good targets for UCD3Ds.

rahtware

Just ordered one from Quantum (free shipping on orders over $100).

After reading a few posts about the SF I checked to see which power system they are being shipped with. I guess GWS has switched over to the 370 as that is what was available. The 370 has a gray gear drive case, the 280 has a black one. GWS rates the 370 able to carry up to a 600mha pack so ordered two.

The weird thing is that GWS ships the SF with a 11x8 prop, but QH can't get them. The GWS site has alternate props listed so ordered one of each 11x4.7 and 12x8. Can't wait until it arrives (4 days shipping to the Left Coast).

Foxtrot_019

I use a 8 cell 800 mah 9.6 volt and it flies great.

Starpoint

My Feedback: (5)

I am using a 9x7 prop and batteries from 7.2 350mah to 9.6 1000 mah flies well with all if tail heavy slide wing back

rahtware

It's here and together. Still waiting on Radical RC to send my speed controller so I can't fly it yet. To be able to attach a GWS 600 (x6) pack, I had to mount the battery mounts upside down. Works fine like that.

The only problem that I encountered in putting this thing together (besides the instructions) is that to get it to balance with the 600 pack, I have the battery jammed up tight against the front wing mount / landing gear... no room for adjustment. If it flies tail heavy, I will have to add weight to the nose.

The drive is an EPS100C-DS geared 6.6/1, which is funny, because they ship it with an 11x8 prop. On the GPS web site they show this drive system turning 13 x 9 - 15 x 7.5 props. They don't even list it with the 11 x 8.

I wonder how one of these would do on a 15" prop?

fozinhoffer

Little boy,
I'm using 2 Qualcomm packs in parallel with 11-8 prop. Works great. Mount the servos as forward as possible and slide the wing assembly back to put more weight on the nose. Mount ESC right behind the motor (short leads) and adjust CG with battery pack. I have to tape my pack to the fuse. I tried to fly this plane tail heavy....it was a pig. Good luck.

mikea

rahtware

Flew my SS today. Took off in 10 feet, flew tight figure eights for 6+ minutes and "spot" landed with a roll out of about 6 feet. I think I am going to enjoy this little bird. It reminds me of the "Dime Store" rubber band airplanes that I flew as a kid... only bigger and it goes where I tell it.

Great for anyone that can enjoy cruising around. With just a little help setting it up and basic flight training, I think anyone could learn to fly on one of these.

johnc1217

What speed control are you guys using with this bird? I am new to electrics and the GWS instructions are pretty vague on this point. Apparently, anything from a two amp up to a twenty amp will work. Can this be right? Sounds flaky to me. John.

Foxtrot_019

I use a wattage 15 amp. It does incredible well. What I want to do with this is use a 7.5v 1200mah Lithium ion battery pack. Has anyone used lithium before? Has anyone used the new Great Planes charger yet?

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

I just flew mine this morning with 7 650mah cells. Winds were well over 10mph. It was okay in the air but as soon as I would land it would get blown over and down the dirt field I was flying in. It got pretty scuffed up but no real damage. This is definitely a calm wind bird.

rahtware

I would say that was windy... But don't you find it amazing that it could fly at all in winds like that?

When I was looking to buy one, what slowed me down was that people kept saying that the SS was a calm weather bird. After flying mine at the club field when the windsock was flying straight out, I realized that it could handle more than most think. Heck, I don't like to fly my .25 powered stick in winds that high!

I have to add that even though the SS can handle stronger winds than you would think, if it isn't tied down it will escape!

rahtware

Just an update.

Got in 10 flights with my SS on Sunday. The morning was windier than the other day, but by 2 PM the winds had died.

I got in a lot of "hovering" training in the morning, as I haven't changed the nose yet (needs down and maybe right thrust). Had a couple of 15 minute flights with the 600 mAh, 6 cell NiCd packs as I found a few thermals (even in that wind).

The SS so impressed a couple of E-flyers that they say they are going to buy one. I think it was the 'wing tip dragging, safety fence clearing, cross wind takeoff from the pit area that impressed them the most.

The calm air of the afternoon allowed me to check the SS out and I found that the CG is touchier than I had thought. A half-inch aft with the battery and the SS turned into a real dog.

The only damage all day was a crease bent into the elevator and stab when my SS was blown (backwards) into a fence. After that I tied it down to my Tx case!

Great plane!

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

I forgot all about the down thrust! My stick (fuselage)was badly tweaked out of the box. I tried to straighten it but ended up with a bad kink, luckily in the exact spot they say to cut it if you want to make it a two piece ( I wanted one piece). I intended to assemble it with the tweak providing down thrust. With the way it climbs like crazy under power and likes a LOT of down trim I must have assembled it upside down from the way I intended. It already flies great but I'll bet it will be even better with some down thrust. My stick was so badly tweaked that it was evident without looking for it. Well over 1/4" sighting down the length. If you're building one make sure you check for this. Also get some good wheels for it. The kit wheels are very fragile and barely support the plane. Everything else about it deserves a big thumbs up! :thumbup:

rahtware

oops, I forgot the other damage... Broke a spoke on one wheel. Thanks for reminding me 'Meat.

I have to remember to buy a pair of DuBros.

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

rahtware, if you figure out a way to set some downthrust let me know. I just tried to bend the stick a little bit. Big mistake. I didn't learn from when I broke it in the rear. Don't even try to bend it even a little bit. I broke it again between the front wing mount and the motor. Oh well..... I sanded down a piece of 3/8" spruce for a snug fit inside and stuck the two pieces of fuse back together. Better than new. The wood only weighed 2 grams. It's still all crooked though. Maybe I should order a new stick and maybe it will be straight. I have yet to fly it in calm winds so it may not really need any adjustments in normal flying conditions :spinnyeye

rahtware

There is an in-depth post on this conversion on Ezone/parkflyers. To summarize, glue a wooden stick into the nose of the SS. It should go in at least an inch and stick out about the same. Sand or file up to a 3 degree angle on the top and left side of the stick. Add small wedges to the bottom and right sides of the stick. Mount your motor and attach with a screw.

What I am going to do is fit a piece of hardwood into the front of the aluminum tube. I plan on making it go in at least 1 1/2" and be flush with the front of the tube. I am then going to sand the angles to the top and left sides of the tube, cutting into the wood. Next, I am going to glue wedges to the outside of the tube on the right and bottom or the tube. That will provide the desired thrust and I think be a cleaner setup.

I think you should be able to contact Horizon and buy a replacement tube. Although, at $35 for the whole plane it might be worth buying a completely new kit just to have the spare wings and tail parts.

Wait for calm conditions, you will love your SS although flying one can induce drowsiness.

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

I just flew my slow stick tonight in no wind conditions. I don't see a need for any thrust corrections. All of my previous "troubles" were wind related. I threw an 8 cell 800 mah pack on it and had a ball. I didn't even fly the Crazy Max. I was having too much fun with the stick. The only real changes I have made was to add another hole to the rudder control arm to get more throw. It flew flawless tonight with no wind. It flies good in wind too but any time the wind is calm you'll find me out flyin' my stick. I'm thinking of getting a spare just in case.

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

I've been playing a little more with my S.S. I don't like the pitch sensitivity and the steep climb rate in the wind. In Real Flight I "created" a Slow Stick from the B.L.T. I set up for 6 mph winds and tested my theory of improper wing incedence. I cranked in 1.5 degrees positive incedence (leading edge high) and it flew just like my S.S. I then backed it down to 0 degrees and it was nice. Gave it 1.0 degrees negative and it was silky smooth. I have a lazer incedence meter but the wing flexes too much to use it. I'll just try shimming the t.e. a little at a time when I fly tomorrow. I'm pretty confident it'll calm this thing down. Remember my "stick" is badly tweaked and it could be enough to throw off the wing mounts and cause my problems. After flying tomorrow I'll report back as to what happened.
I'm going to do the maiden flight on my SwitchBack tomorrow also.
If it flies as good as they say I may not get to the S.S. but I'll give it my best shot.

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

Just got back from flying. Changing the incedence on the Slow Stick did the trick. Now it's really smooth and predictable. I added strips of foam tape to the rear wing mount and got it to about 3/16". I'll probabbly glue some balsa there instead to make it look a little better. Didn't get a lot of flights because I was getting a lot of interference "hits". Was even getting hit with the Switchback with a completely different radio and frequency. Almost lost the plane on the second flight. I figured it best to pack up and take them both home in one piece. At least I got the Slow Stick cured.

fxf

"I'm using 2 Qualcomm packs in parallel with 11-8 prop. Works great"

fozinhoffer

Are you powering through the Qualcomm circuit boards or bypassing the protection. How long do yoy get at say 3/4 power.
fxf

fozinhoffer

Hi fxf,
I bypass circuit protection. I have 2/2 cell packs in parallel. Truthfully I haven't timed the Qualcomms but I would guess 30+ minutes. We usually quit before the packs are discharged.

mikea