Top Flite Giant Corsair ARF Disappeared.
09-16-2014, 11:41 AM
#751
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Maiden happened yesterday. 23hrs later and I still feel the rush. What an awesome plane. Handles like a larger version of the H9 50 size Corsair I had and loved so much. That one was electric so low passes didn't bother me. As soon as I went wheels up this one had the same feel, so I flew it that way. 
Still a little tame, but it was a maiden after all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKss...kWzRvoqzMiz1XQ
Still a little tame, but it was a maiden after all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKss...kWzRvoqzMiz1XQ
05-17-2015, 08:23 AM
#752
Have purchased the arf, the gear, a new motor, servos are coming soon. I gather all I need and begin building when the weather gets cold. I have read the thread and it appears the weak areas are the rudder linkage/setup, the cowl mount, and that it needs about a pound and a half to balance, on average.
Am I missing anything?
Am I missing anything?
05-17-2015, 02:21 PM
#753
Not really.
Another point is the wing bolts on the aluminum spars, the screws always come loose. If you can look at how you might want to prevent that Id say thats a good thing. The only screws holding it all together if the main spar screws loosen are the jesus screws that go thru the second tube spar. Otherwise the wing panel will come out in flight. Ive used thread lock blue and red at times and didnt help. If you over tighten then the spar edge gets deformed and its hard to pull out of the center wing. So, something should be done but it takes some thought so as not to cause a lot more work than is needed.
I suggest you use two air tanks if your using air retracts. The large tank and a medium tank work very well.
If your using the DLE 55 RA pay attention to the muffler at about 20-25 flights. They can come apart at the seems. Maybe have it welded before you use it or replace it with an aftermarket muffler.
On the rudder torque rod I suggest removing it and making a duplicate from good music wire, slightly larger dia. The stock wire is too soft and thats the issue with the rudder. Do this BEFORE you assemble the tail as I didnt figure this out until it was all glued and ready to go. Then its too late and a major project to fix.
Around the wing saddle I noticed a lot of wear after about 35-45 flights. I padded it once and that didnt last. There is a lot of vibration and movement between the fuse and wing so keep an eye on the wood here. Id go thru and toughen it up and even seat the wing to the fuse better so the two parts work together better.
Tighten up the covering before you put it together and then afterwards again. It takes a few times before it settles. I did it first then applied the decals and they stayed nice the whole time. Still though avoid long hours of direct sun light as this flat dark blue gets really hot.
Good luck, mine flew awesome and fast on this set up.
Another point is the wing bolts on the aluminum spars, the screws always come loose. If you can look at how you might want to prevent that Id say thats a good thing. The only screws holding it all together if the main spar screws loosen are the jesus screws that go thru the second tube spar. Otherwise the wing panel will come out in flight. Ive used thread lock blue and red at times and didnt help. If you over tighten then the spar edge gets deformed and its hard to pull out of the center wing. So, something should be done but it takes some thought so as not to cause a lot more work than is needed.
I suggest you use two air tanks if your using air retracts. The large tank and a medium tank work very well.
If your using the DLE 55 RA pay attention to the muffler at about 20-25 flights. They can come apart at the seems. Maybe have it welded before you use it or replace it with an aftermarket muffler.
On the rudder torque rod I suggest removing it and making a duplicate from good music wire, slightly larger dia. The stock wire is too soft and thats the issue with the rudder. Do this BEFORE you assemble the tail as I didnt figure this out until it was all glued and ready to go. Then its too late and a major project to fix.
Around the wing saddle I noticed a lot of wear after about 35-45 flights. I padded it once and that didnt last. There is a lot of vibration and movement between the fuse and wing so keep an eye on the wood here. Id go thru and toughen it up and even seat the wing to the fuse better so the two parts work together better.
Tighten up the covering before you put it together and then afterwards again. It takes a few times before it settles. I did it first then applied the decals and they stayed nice the whole time. Still though avoid long hours of direct sun light as this flat dark blue gets really hot.
Good luck, mine flew awesome and fast on this set up.
05-18-2015, 11:47 AM
#756
At this point I plan to extend the rudder rod deeper into the rudder, harden the wood around the elevator rods with thin c/a saturation, replace the wing dowels with 3/8ths aluminum rod (standard on all my planes), possibly open the cowl flaps, and then put my buddy's name, who used to fly F-14's, on the side of the canopy. I'll probably make him a Lt. j.g.even though he was a Lt. Commander when he resigned his commission.
I'm still scratching my head over the blade spar bolts coming loose. Anybody else had this issue?
I'm still scratching my head over the blade spar bolts coming loose. Anybody else had this issue?
05-18-2015, 07:10 PM
#757
The stock wire is a soft steel so it twists, thats the issue, not the depth into the rudder wood or toughening it with CA. Replace the wire with a harder real steel music wire a few thousanths larger dia and it will work fine.
The next weak link is the linkage to the servo. It's unsupported by the tail retract and bows under load.
These two fixes will greatly improve rudder response at all speeds. On my stock plane I flew it as fast as possible and tried to knife edge or even barrel roll and the rudder has nearly no effect until it drops below a certain speed.
I also noticed at certain times a slight tail wag but Im not certain if its directly related to the free play in the rudder or not. I cant imagine it would be worse if this is fixed either.
On the blade spar bolts all I can say is I balanced the props I used every time but a single cylinder 55cc engine isnt exactly butter smooth. You can try a soft mount on yours perhaps that will help. My TF GS P-51 has soft mounts and DLE 55 side exhaust this time but too bad its not the same model.
The next weak link is the linkage to the servo. It's unsupported by the tail retract and bows under load.
These two fixes will greatly improve rudder response at all speeds. On my stock plane I flew it as fast as possible and tried to knife edge or even barrel roll and the rudder has nearly no effect until it drops below a certain speed.
I also noticed at certain times a slight tail wag but Im not certain if its directly related to the free play in the rudder or not. I cant imagine it would be worse if this is fixed either.
On the blade spar bolts all I can say is I balanced the props I used every time but a single cylinder 55cc engine isnt exactly butter smooth. You can try a soft mount on yours perhaps that will help. My TF GS P-51 has soft mounts and DLE 55 side exhaust this time but too bad its not the same model.
Last edited by Chris Nicastro; 05-18-2015 at 07:14 PM.
05-20-2015, 03:47 AM
#758
My Feedback: (13)
At this point I plan to extend the rudder rod deeper into the rudder, harden the wood around the elevator rods with thin c/a saturation, replace the wing dowels with 3/8ths aluminum rod (standard on all my planes), possibly open the cowl flaps, and then put my buddy's name, who used to fly F-14's, on the side of the canopy. I'll probably make him a Lt. j.g.even though he was a Lt. Commander when he resigned his commission.
I'm still scratching my head over the blade spar bolts coming loose. Anybody else had this issue?
I'm still scratching my head over the blade spar bolts coming loose. Anybody else had this issue?
Last edited by SWORDSN; 05-20-2015 at 03:50 AM.
06-20-2015, 02:10 AM
#760
I have been looking at the possibility of replacing the stock cowl with the Fiberglass Specialties cowl. I know it is a bit larger but that can be handled. On the website it shows several options on that cowl, but no pictures. Can anyone give me any details on the cowl options?
07-16-2015, 04:30 AM
#762
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I have been looking at the possibility of replacing the stock cowl with the Fiberglass Specialties cowl. I know it is a bit larger but that can be handled. On the website it shows several options on that cowl, but no pictures. Can anyone give me any details on the cowl options?
07-16-2015, 04:33 AM
#763
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I have the air retracts in mine and they have worked great. I bought the plane already built so after checking for leaks and not finding any I figured leave well enough alone. I would also like to hear some feedback on the electric. I'm not looking forward to re plumbing this system when it starts to leak.
07-16-2015, 06:52 PM
#767
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It just says with flaps on the site. Best way to find out if they are open or closed is probably to contact them. I did a quick google image search for the 20D cowl and didn't find anything. Worst case if they are closed you could always cut and open them.
07-21-2015, 06:01 AM
#769
Join Date: Jan 2013
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Just ordered the Corsair with electric retracts and saito fg 60. Hope the retracts will be reliable. I was planning to get fg 57 because it is longer around and better tested but I somehow couldnt resist to the idea of a radial engine. Lets see whether I will regret!
07-21-2015, 09:08 AM
#770
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07-22-2015, 05:34 AM
#771
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Thanks for the video. I think I will be ok with the performance. I was more worried that the engine has its bugs not ironed out yet. While waiting for the delivery, i was browsing through the manuals and noticed that topflite has not provided prop hub distance from the firewall. They just say dle 55 will fit with 3 distance plates. Dle is 170 mm and fg60 167.5. Do you think it will be ok or should I look for longer stand offs?
07-22-2015, 06:58 AM
#772
Thanks for the video. I think I will be ok with the performance. I was more worried that the engine has its bugs not ironed out yet. While waiting for the delivery, i was browsing through the manuals and noticed that topflite has not provided prop hub distance from the firewall. They just say dle 55 will fit with 3 distance plates. Dle is 170 mm and fg60 167.5. Do you think it will be ok or should I look for longer stand offs?
Roger
07-22-2015, 09:38 AM
#775
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I'm not sure about surgery to the cowl to get it over the FG60, but if it fits under the cowl of the TF GS Zero I would think it would fit under the Corsair cowl. I guess we will find out for sure when you get your. My concern with the engine and the stock cowl would be letting warm air out. With the aftermarket cowl you have about a 3/8" gap between fuse and cowl. The stock cowl fits right against the fuse. Probably the easiest way to deal with that is to cut the cowl flaps and prop them open. As far as the cowl mount ring goes, I don't care for it on any of the TF GS planes. On my FW-190 it is being used to pin some hard wood blocks for a more conventional way of mounting. I really don't care if I see a few mounting screws in the cowl. I didn't plan on entering a scale comp any time soon.
As far as the engine space goes I think that would just mean adding the fourth spacer to get the extra 2.5mm
As far as the engine space goes I think that would just mean adding the fourth spacer to get the extra 2.5mm