wrieth

This is a topic specifically for all owners of any battle axe (ssc, limited b,whatever). Feel free to post pics, stories, tips, or anything else related to the battle axe.

Capn America

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Do we have a new combat pilot in SW Michigan?

wrieth

yes, just built my first battle axe and i love it. visited nats this year and saw a day of combat....im hooked.

Capn America

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We are flying in Detroit this weekend if you are looking for a road trip. There will also be one more event in the area this fall, we have one here in NW ohio, a little over an hour SE of you. Date has not been finalized yet but we do have a couple rookies we are working with, it would be a great time to come down and have a go at it before jumping in with both feet in the spring. We are just a couple miles off the toll road exit 13 in Ohio if you need any help getting going. I don't fly the Axe but I have, and we have a couple guys around here that know them pretty well.

Are you setting up for B or ssc?

wrieth

ssc. its cheaper

boiler1

I fly a derivative of the Battle Axe that I designed for the last 4 years. I use a different wing for SSC and B classes. The B wing is longer and thicker for strength and turning ability. The two wings also have different airfoils and they are different than the original. The B wing is also a different shape. I use different tailfeathers and eliminated the wing riser. I designed an armored pod for the radio and battery the rests between the rails. I will be in Detroit this weekend cutting Captain America's streamer. We will both be victims of the first place finishers at the NATS. Welcome the the most fun you can have with a toy airplane in 5 minutes.

Capn America

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You might want to figure on going to Detroit or Bobs in Lima ohio sometime then, we dont fly ssc at our meets here, but we used to fly it at other meets and would be happy to give you a hand if you need it.

erik58

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I have a ssc I just put it together and it's very pitch sensitive. It doesn't fly smoothly.I have to keep it constantly under control. I assembled it to the plans for the plane any Ideas? thanks Erik

draftman1

Welcome to combat Wrieth! if your hooked now, wait until you actualy fly it. the biggest addrenalin rush ever, especially open B. Most guys fly at least 2 classes so plan on getting open B stuff also. You will need also more than one plane. when you go to a meet and have a mid-air and kill your plane, you will want to have back-up planes. IMHO one plane for teo rounds in open B. there is a guy in our area who takes one per round. There is only a few guys in CA that fly battle axes. Cosmo64 on the rccombat site eals in battle axes alot. he is good for info. have fun and get to some events!

wrieth

got in three good flights this evening. im really gettin this one dialed in. engine's just about fully broken in, but im only running 15% so im not quite getting 17500 yet. This thing flies great low and fast.

boiler1

A pitch senstive plane usually indicates a CG further back than preferred. Try adding more weight to the spinner nut. If that isn't convienient, put some extra heavy fender washers between the prop and spinner nut.

Capn America

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LA 15?

Fred420

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If the plane was built to specs, it should not be pitchy. I have 8 Axe's and they all fly straight out of the box. I have never had to add weight to the plane regardles of the engine. I would check the ailorons to make sure that are correctly set to the proper angle. If not, the elevator would fighting aginst the wing and that will make it pitchy. Also, make sure to stay within the recommended throws untill you learn the flight of the Axe. Or try taking the Expo to 35%-40%.
Just my 2 cents. [8D]

sgilkey

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Consider coming to our meet- it's a long drive for you but combat is FUN and worth a long drive! We'll be flying Limited B and Open B on Saturday, more Open B and SSC on Sunday. Coming with one plane is dicey, one plane might last you all day and it might last you one heat, you never know for sure. Just to watch a combat meet is worth some driving, one of the great things about combat is that when you're not flying, it is a BLAST to watch!

As to the pitch-sensitive Battle Axe, I've never flown one but its layout is similar to other combat planes so I have two suggestions. The first and obvious one is check your balance point. Even if it's to spec, try moving it forward 1/8" or so and see if it smooths out. Combat planes being very short coupled are very sensitive to being tail heavy. Next thing to check is aileron reflex. Again, due to the short coupling, the ailerons will act like elevators and will cause trim problems if not set properly. I start off with setting the ailerons so they are "straight" off the back of the wing, THEN add two turns of UP AILERON to the clevis, so you have some reflex. Then test fly and trim for level flight at WOT. Then chop the throttle to idle. If the plane baloons up, you need to lower the ailerons. Try one turn at a time till you get the feel for it. If the nose tucks down, RAISE the ailerons a turn. You want the plane to cintinue on a nice glide path when the throttle is chopped. That will give you a good indication that the reflex is set right.

Once you get the reflex set right using the glide path method, start moving your balance point back a bit at a time. Pennies are good for tuning BP, they weight about .1 oz each. I drill a hole in them and use the engine mount bolts, or a zip tie thru the HSTAB, to hold them on. A more rearward CG will really tighten up the turns, you can use less elev for a given turn, move it back as far as you are comfortable until it gets too twitchy. Then go back and do a final tweak on the aileron reflex 1/2 turn at a time, try raising or lowering it until you get the best turn. I set up the dual rates on our planes so when you fully haul back on the elev stick they will do continuous tight turns without stalling/snapping on HI rate, then set low rate for 5% less throw, this comes in handy if you get a sick engine run, a load of streamers, etc and the plane slows down and won't turn as well.

If the engine sags off in the continuous turns, you are either too lean, or the tank is too low. Be careful rasiing the tank, if you go too high, then you may go lean when inverted or turning outside.

sgilkey

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oops forgot to post links to our contest

http://www.rccombat.com/events/event...sp?idEvent=681

http://www.rccombat.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13131

http://www.rccd.org/

erik58

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thanks everybody for the info. it was a big help.have to get to work thanks Erik

Alex Treneff

Hi to all,

Wrieth, glad you love your new Axe! And you're right - combat is seriously addictive!

Erik,
If the plane is pitch sensitive and everything is installed in the locations described in the instructions, I would checking the angle of the ailerons. Put a straight-edge on the the top of the airfoil at the hinge line. The top of the ailerons should follow straight along this line. Another way to check pitch is with the elevator. Fly the plane and adjust the trim on the radio until it flies level. When you land, if the elevator is pointed up, raise the ailerons, and if the elevator is down, lower the ailerons. (seems backwards but it's not!) Once the ailerons are pitched correctly, the Battle Axe should fly straight and level hands-off like any other sport plane.

Wrieth, you asked people to post pictures - here is a thread I've posted a bunch to from our local club combat here in Jackson, Tennessee. [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6664979/tm.htm]http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6664979/tm.htm[/link]

Alex

fcomer84

Erik, the one big thing that has solved a lot of problems I had was DO NOT use your fingers to check the CG.
Use a store bought CG fixture or make one with a block of wood and 2 new pencils-erasers UP. Once you get the plane to balance on the wing spar, then you can start to reflex the ailerons like Alex is talking about.

rcplanes711

This past thursday night we did a little combat, as you can see Mine is the Lawn dart. Will be back in the air soon.