mezd

Well, put my FW up for its maiden yesterday, after i put the new internal structure and gearbox in. Up she went no probs, but the trims must be out or the wing not aligned because she just started dipping a wing ( real fast ) and i think she was tip stalling aswell. Its the first time she's been unstable for me and it caught me a bit by supprise.

Got her back down to the ground - but at the last second she dropped a wing and cartwheeled into the grass... luckilly only did the prop - everything else is ok. But it was my last prop...... so have to wait till i can get to the hobby shop again now!![]

Chuck Steak

Mezd,
I noticed in one of your prev posts your local LHS is the importer for HZ and PZ stuff.
This wouldnt be Modelfight in Adelaide would it?
Reason why I ask is that Ive had an order in for new HZ supercub cowls now for about 7 weeks and still no show.
I thought being the importer this stuff would be more readily available?

rleed

I flew the FW today with the parkzone li-po battery and WOW! Much more power and lots more flying time than the Ni-mh. It really improved the hand launch performance as well as vertical climb and straight and level speed if thats your thing. I also ordered a new wing and a set of great planes micro retracts to play with. I also had a chance to fly my Dads Spitfire, and I have to say it is way more user friendly than the FW. It launches straight and true and is far more forgiving and stable than the FW. It has amazing slow flight and no tip stalling tendency. Parkzone hit a homerun with the spit and hopefully the next parkzone warbird will be just as good! (P-47? A6M3? Ki-43? F6F?????).

mezd

Hi chuck, yes it is model flight. Sometimes they are really good - other times shockingly bad!!!
I rang up a while back to get some parts for my FW, told they were in stock - Drove down there ( quite a drive and not the closest hobby shop to me ) got there and they didnt have the parts.... so they ordered them, 3 weeks later got a call to say parts here, went down....... didnt have them?!!! So waited another week and then finally got them. Havent actually been back since. But do need some more props so will ahve to make the treck down there again!!

rockz

I fly a pz fw190. use 2200 lipo for a while, now brushless on apc 9x4.7 prop ,goes for 12 min full throttle and flyes great.[had to add lead t o nose to compensate for light weight motor]

lane279

Haven't had mine up yet, not fully comfortable with my ability yet for a warbird, but I've discovered on other websites that people are sharply divided on this plane. I can say by far more people here appear happy with the PZ series so that's a good thing! When I'm a little more comfortable I'll be taking my FW-190 up.




Layne...

11Hotel

Thought I would say hello to everyone in this forum (if you've been to the Supercub or T-28 forum you know me). Here's my new addition:

MAX HEADSPEED

I finally had my third attempt to maiden my FW. It felt great to fly it longer than the previous panic filled, white knuckled 30 second attempted flights. I had to remove some excessive nose weight. The bird dropped its nose quickly when the throttle was reduced slightly. I've made some adjustments ande replaced the damaged gear box but haven't had the proper weather conditions to fly since then. Hopefully today will be the day. I'll post my results.
You've got to ensure that the CG is correct and use only enough additional weight if necessary.
You can slide the battery pack in the tray fore and aft to adjust the CG.
The hand launch is very tricky. Follow the procedure in the instruction manual and check this site and other related sites for vids showing hand launches to get an idea of how it's done, along with examples of how it shouldn't be done.
One bad launch can put your new B1-RD in the hanger for some big repairs.


Good Luck & Happy Landings

11Hotel

Went out for my maiden flight today. Radio on, battery installed, control surface check, range check, quick power test....everything okay. Hand launch just fine, make a few laps, then no power!
Emergency land into a bush, no damage, but battery dead due to being under-charged. Turns out my charger quit sometime last night and I didn't realize it.
Oh well, no biggie, gonna switch it over to Deans tonight and use my LiPo's with it. Also a rudder mod, and GWS Pico retracts in the future.
Video of the maiden and my no-damage crash can be seen on my YouTube page at www.youtube.com/wandcduncan
Be sure to check out my other videos as well!

emperor187

I have flown my buddy's spit and it is a real glider...

Now I have always wanted the FW and I was curious if it handles in a similar fashion...does it glide well?

Retracts sound awesome Hotel

11Hotel

Well, the second flight was good at the Show Low, Arizona, city park baseball field. Nosed in on landing but everything was okay. The flight after that though resulted in a cartwheel and this:

MAX HEADSPEED

OUCH! It looks bad but you can fix it up and make it stronger. I had taken the frame out of the fuse and fiber glassed the inside surface of the fuse during repairs after my first attempt to fly my FW. Check this tread for my earlier post including pix about what I had done to the fuse.
Here it is a year since that fateful day I successfully maiden my B1-RD. Big difference from flying the T28. This thing needs you to constantly fly it. Looking forward to flying it again tomorrow after work if the weather allows.
Good luck with your repairs. It looks like It will be able to fly again.

11Hotel

I did finally fix it up. Ordered a new bare fuselage and wing, express mail, and whilst waiting I got out my 5 minute epoxy and packing tape and went to town!

Took off, went through about three batteries, and on my third I launched and the plane went crazy! Ninety degree left roll, correction to barely miss a chain-link fence, then the plane went full nose up and stalled, under full power managed to miss a collision with an immoveable object (the ground), then nose up and another 3 stalls.

Finally managed to crash land near my sister's house, but the repaired wing took all of the damage.

Next day I get my new fuselage and wing in via UPS and the wing is cracked at the right wing root! Not gonna bother calling for a replacement, so out with the epxy again and in 10 minutes it's as good as new.

Tried it at a 4th of July party and managed to crash in strong winds and a sudden storm, bent the prop shaft, but that's all. Off to the LHS to get a new one.

By the way, the prop and engine gear looks like it's from the Hobbyzone Supercub. Any thoughts?

MAX HEADSPEED

They are functionally the same except for the FW box is 'beefed-up' around the area where the motor is mounted but are dimensionally identical.
It is important to know that the plastic pinion gear on the motor that you nosed in with may be cracked and you won't know it until you try to fly it again and the pinion spins on the shaft instead of driving the prop shaft leading to another crash. This has always been a problem. I know this to be true.
The Super Cub gear, box, and motor are interchangeable but the Cub has a metal gear on its motor. It's the same tooth count and diameter as the FW plastic pinion gear. They did sell the metal pinion gears 2 per package. The gear must be serviced correctly or you will damage the motor.
I'm waiting on this stinkin' weater to break so that I can put my FW up. SUX 3 days off and 3 days of rain!!! UGGGGHHH.

11Hotel

Thanks for the info Max, hope your weather clears up soon!

I'll go and get a couple of parts for the FW at ym LHS, but I'll also raid my ample supply of HZSC parts and see what I can do with that.

Whiznr

11Hotel,
That's nothing. You'll have it in the air in 10 minutes just by lining the inside with fiber packaging tape and a little foam safe CA glue. Both my brother and my flying buddy wrecked their's exactly the same way. Fixed them the same way and now they survive every little mishap with almost no damage.
Talk to Kungfubadboy over in RCGroups forums. He's crashed his like 8 times in 2 months and it still looks great and flys awesome. It's a friggin TANK!!

Whiznr

BTW FOLKS, here's the BIG contest I've been working on with Horizon Hobby's help:

The Park Zone "GET REAL Warbird Challenge". Go here for the rules:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_76...tm.htm#7699518

skywarp1

This might sound silly but, would that fiber packaging tape provide some reinforcement if used prior to a crash? I have a new fuse on its way and was looking for ideas to strengthen it some prior to flight. Thank you for any advice.

11Hotel

Gonna try my new setup:

MAX HEADSPEED

BRAVO-ZULU Nice clean & simple and it looks like it will function very well. Thanks for sharing you work with us. The trials and tribulations of improving and customizing a particular model and making it our own unique BIRD. That is what this group is all about.
I'm thinking about a re-power for my FW and I was figuring in using the gear housing in some way, due to the P-factor angle off the flat perpendicular to center line firewall mounting surface, and your application helps with my efforts.
Thanks again. I'll post with my mods soon after implementation. ( "that's code for 'fundings'.")

11Hotel

Hehehe, I think a lot of know about the funding! I have to talk to my Chief financial officer, aka my wife, to find sources of funding all the time!!!!!

A side not about my setup though: I pre-flighted today and everything went well, took off at my favorite test field (only time I go there is when I am trying something new), and instantly realized when the plane went pure vertical and started doing gradually smaller loops whilst getting closer and closer to the ground that the tail was extremely tail-heavy. Seems that my new power setup weighs a LOT less than the stock setup, plus I couldn't use the threaded weight because of the new prop shaft and spinner.

I managed a power-off stall about 3 feet of the ground and it went in nose first but only busted the prop.

Tonight I am adding weight and will balance for CoG before trying again tomorrow.

About my powerplant and mount:
Model # Alpha 400
920Kv
140W Input Watts
Weight 2.1oz (60g)
Diameter 1.1" (28mm)
Shaft Diameter 1/8th" (3.175mm)
Length 1.22" (31mm)

Mount is an old HZ SC mount with half a wooden thread spool attached to a backplate of 1/8" plywood, motor is attached to a piece of clipboard!

MAX HEADSPEED

Yes in deed about that CG. The FW is very hard to handle when in trim and I can see where you had a hand-full just to bring it in without ripping up some lawn. Let us know how she flies when you make the necessary adjustments.

11Hotel

Well, tried the new weight in the nose, and it still wasn't enough. All I did was zip-tie the threaded weight from the stock setup to the frot of the firewall area.

Managed a nose-in under full power and ripped my nice new fuselage in three pieces.

Oh well, at least the wing is okay and I have my original fuselage to go back to.

skywarp1

Woo Hoo! I got my new wing and fuse in yesterday! Since I have Monday thru Thursdays off, I will have loads of time to set up and fly I notice the fuse seperated down the seam along the spine but that's no biggie. Monday is supposed to rain so I will have the whole day indoors to assemble and set up, then Tuesday (Mother Nature permitting) Col. Brix will take to the air!! I will report back with post flight. L8R all!

skywarp1

Well to report back on the rebuild flight report let me just say this: Fiber Strapping tape is the best, most economical means of reinforcing one of this birds. Great idea to whomever thought of it first!! First thing I did with me new fuse was line the inside with the strapping tape lengthwise. Then I lined the inside again with a second layer with the fibers perpendicular to the first layer from from to back. This did not seem to affect balance or overall weight enough to slow the aircraft down. I fly everything stock and was impressed with how well it handled and flew at 1/2 throttle. The landing was not as hot as I thought it would be, but you still do not want to try and float it in. I did that and the left wing tip stalled at 4 ft and down it came. This small crash tested the reinforcements and the result is absolutely no buckling, creases, cracks, or damage to the fuselage. This impact was hard enough to shatter the spinner and prop and crack the false radial on the cowling, but no fuse damage. WOW!.