crazychris46dividedby2

took the trojan out today for my maiden flight, finally got the balls to test it, i was surprised at how well it flew and that it wasnt nearly as hard as i was expecting it to be. i can confirm what i was told about not needing to use the rudder for steering it. the ailerons worked amazingly well for turning. the take off was nice and smooth to using the flaps. after raising the flaps i did notice it need a little extra power to stay airbourne. i did 3 laps around the field when the wind picked up and decided to bring it in for a landing. here is where the carnage came into place. had it lined up nicely for a landing and reduced power and attemted to flare the nose up for a landing when it started dropping fast. tried giving it throttle to pull out of it but it was too late. the damage wasnt severe, the usual that ive heard of, the wing popped off and one of the landing gear on the wing also came off. its all back together now and ready for more. this mishap was due to pilot error though not the plane. once it was on the ground i realized by looking at it that i forgot to lower the flaps, opps. its gonna take some getting used to all the imputs of this bird to fly properly but its a challenge ive been waiting for with flying. hopefully tommorrow goes more smoothly, chris

DanMN

Just a bit of advice. Fly your plane in. The trojan doesn't float in well, even with a flap mod. Don't think too much about flying with Ailerons. I assume that you are moving up from a 3 channel plane. for me and alot of my fellow flyers, it's easier to fly with ailerons than with rudder and elevators, much smoother and realistic flight also. Just another note also, don't bother with flaps on this plane, it's a very light plane and reeeaaaally doesn't need flaps. I know this, I have a couple trojans and one I modded with flaps. This little bird likes to be landed like a warbird, which is probably a little hotter than your used to. I like to mod planes as much as anyone, but I wouldn't bother doing this mod again (and didn't). Also, why add another pilot input into your flying actions when you are moving up from a 3 channel plane? My advice, enjoy flying your trojan and get used to the added speed and enhanced flying capabilities! It's a great little plane to work on your flying skills with. Just my 2 cents.....

crazychris46dividedby2

its a bit late for the flaps mod as ive already done it. i was thinking of removing it but the flap has been seperated from the wing and an angled groove has also been cut to allow it to flod down easily so it would prolly look stupid if i un-modded it. i do however like that it takes off in a small area using the flaps and isnt moving so fast, so i might just leave the flaps and use them for take offs and just learn to land it while its moving along. could you tell me how much throttle input you are using when bringing it in, 1/4-1/2 etc.? been getting some freezing rain lately here so i havent had it out since the last flight. cant wait to try it again, chris

Teenage Pilot 14

Chris, that reminds me of my step from 3 to 4ch (at least in the plane category). I basically went from my good ole' Slow Stick to a profile aerobatic Yak 55 foamie. Granted, my Synapse gave me some aileron training, but who cares? The transition was smooth enough, the plane is easy enough to fly, but the response quickness screwed me up[X(] I'm used to it now, and I got a radio that actually works well, so it's much more fun. Those first few flights were brutal, though...

To figure out how fast you should land, go up a couple hundred feet and figure out exactly what speed your plane stalls at. Come in just above that speed with a very shallow sink rate and chop the throttle as soon as you hit the ground.

crazychris46dividedby2

ok ill give that a try, thanks for the tip, chris

crazychris46dividedby2

ok so i had my second flight with my trojan today. first off i gotta say, thanks to all of you for the tips and advice with this bird. todays flight went very well. some minor damage (steerable nose gear piece broke) but the flights went without incident. i did several take offs, then a few laps around the field and landed. on the last landing i came in a little too hot and she hit a snow bank, launched into the air and came down on the nose gear and broke the plastic piece. im not to discouraged as i knew to expect it at some point thanks to you guys. should be a simple fix, wondering if they make an aluminum upgrade for it. but the flights were incredibly fun, for the first week i had it i was scared to take it out being my first 4 channel plane because i seen how fast she can go and how capable she is of doing aerobatics, but after forcing myself to try it, i gotta say I LOVE THIS BIRD. what a huge difference from my slo-v. if i had to say one thing i didnt like about my flight today it would be flying it with the wind is way faster than im used too. i decided to remove the flaps as im getting a feel for how to land it with the speed it has. still needs some practice with my landings but ill get it. thanks again guys, wouldnt be flying her the way i am without your help, chris

Teenage Pilot 14

If the plastic thing broke cleanly you should be able to CA it back together. I've used CA to glue a whole crapload of things, and not just R/C-related. For example, a few days ago my watch band broke. It's made out of rubbery plastic stuff and it just snapped. I glued it and it's held for several days. Just don't get any on the foam, or it'll get eaten. Or you could use foam-safe CA, I guess.

Anywho, congrats on the success and more congrats on being impatient enough to fly an electric in the snow. That's not criticism; I'm about to go do the same thing with my Slow Stick

crazychris46dividedby2

yeah i believe i got it repaired good enough to last for awhile. i hot glued a few pieces of plastic in the slit behind the nose gear and th foam. before that i super glues the broken piece back together. should hold, but time will tell. today would be a perfect day for me to fly, zero wind right now but its 12 degrees out so i said to heck with it. sitting home playing some call of duty world at war today. thinking i might go and get the paint i need to start giving the trojan a desert camo look. maybe look around a few places for some small bullet hole decal and make it look like its been in a few fire fights. id also like to find some miniature missles to add to the wings, give it a full combat look chris