Hellcat716

My Feedback: (2)

I had my test pilot fly the KMP Corsair for the first time today. The cg is set a 95mm from the leading edge of the wing. I have the YS 110 engine with an APC 15x8 prop. The takeoff was uneventful. The airplane was airborne in about 50 feet. We did have a good quartering headwind. The airplane flew very scale like with the recommended throws. The balance was perfect with the cg at 95mm. I added 12 ounces of lead to the nose of the plane to achieve the desired balance point.

The first problem we encountered was not being able to get the gear down and locked. They would come down about half way and stop. After trying several negative g maneuvers, we were able to get the gear down and locked.

The second problem happened when the aircraft touched down. We could not believe the damage that occurred with the leading edge of the wing. The fiberglass seam on the leading edge of left wing in front of the gear cracked. The crack is about 8 inches long. The plane did bounce a couple of times, but not hard enough to do that kind of damage. I feel that the fiberglass is just to thin on this plane. If this damage is typical on this type of landing, the majority of us will not be able to handle this plane. My test pilot has over thirty years of flying RC planes and is used by all of our pilots at our field for maiden flights. I am truly disappointed with these two problems and would like to hear from anyone who has experienced these same problems. I have enclosed a couple of pictures to show you the damage that the plane received. I have also e-mailed Andrew Kondor at KMP to see what solutions he has to correct these problems.

AKondor

I'm quite pleased to see that the bulk of the flight was very satisfying. I would like to offer you a complimentary exchange on the retract system you are using with the new sets we now include with that kit. Also, After speaking with the factory regarding the wing problem, I would like to offer you a complete wing replacement that will all be sent out at my expense. They assured me that this should be an isolated incident and will back the product 100%.

Regards,
Andrew Kondor
KMP

jeffhines13

Now thats good sevice you cant say one bad word about that some folks over here in australia should take a good long look at how andrew handled that you dont have to advrtize when you have a policy like that GOOD on ya ANDREW

Glitch

G'Day Hellcat,
I suggest you 'beef up' the mounts for the retracts on your new wing.
I also had the same problem in the gear extension with the springs in the retract cylinders unable to overcome the airloads.
It's easy to remove the two little screws holding the plastic end cap with the supply airline. Take out the end cap which will allow the cylinder to be removed exposing the piston. Holding the 'con-rod' with needle nose pliers allows the piston to be un screwed from the shaft. You can then either replace the existing spring with one a bit stiffer or add a thinner spring inside the existing spring.
I also had to drill a dimple onto the gear leg to stop the collar set screw from letting the gear leg to rotate a little on landing. The only other landing gear hassle I had was that the servo operated retract valve took a long time (scary) to bleed off the pressure to allow extension. Our hobby shops now carry lots of spare valves (free on request) as it is a common problem with the ESM models.
Did you manage to get all the flap sections working smoothly ? I'm afraid I gave up and epoxied the two inner sections in the retracted position.
Mine has a Saito 170 R3 radial, looks, sounds and flies great.
I still think they are a really nice loking model that flies very well
It's great that you have such terrific back up from your distributor.
Good luck with the new wing.

RCaddict2003

Now thats what I call Customer Service.....Bravo !

sideshow

My Feedback: (11)

That is some service.......

toucano

Mr. Kondor,

What are the differences between the retracts Hellcat was using and their replacement?

Toucano

AKondor

HI:

The biggest change were the air valves.... that whole unit has been redesigned. Also I believe that there is a heavier spring to help bring the retract down..

We are also getting ready to release our new oleol struts which which will be a direct fit into the existing mechanism. With all our P-38 and new B-25 (after Christmas) we will be including these gears as standard issue with every airplane.....there will be a slight price increase but well worth the difference....also we will be pre-painting all canopies


Does anyone want to see a Bronco with an 84 inch wing span? Or would people be more interested in a 84" DeHavilland Mosquito?


Thoughts would be appreciated.

Andrew Kondor
Kondor Model Products

hiramboesky

Very nice to see this kind of response.

Hiram

jeffhines13

BRONCO please please would love to see one will test the plane for you and pay for it tooo oh please I dont even beg like this to the wife hahahha

Hellcat716

My Feedback: (2)

Glitch,
Thank you very much for the information on the corsair gear. I am going to wait till I get the new gear and compare the strength of the springs between the two gear. If there is no difference, I will try your method. I installed the flaps and they work very well. It took some time, but well worth it. I would like to say again how great Andrew Kondor has been in supporting me on the few problems I have had with this model. Great customer service will keep me coming back as well as people who read and hear about KMP reputation. Good day.

kerrydel

My Feedback: (2)

One vote for the Mosquito.

Kerry

Fighterpilot

My Feedback: (2)

I'd be interested in the Bronco. I have a 96" Mosquito and the Bronco would be more user friendly with the tricycle gear. The Mosquito is a bear on the ground and the take off procedure requires full up elevator to keep the tail pinned until you have almost attained take off speed. This is the only way to keep her going straight because there is no rudder authority on the take off roll.
A big Bronco would be a very nice flying and ground handling aircraft.

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

I think you should consider a P-61 Black Widow. Tons of wing area, tricycle gear, and huge rudders. What more do you need in a twin?

toucano

Mr. Kondor,

Since it sounds like the original gear were found to be inadequate and subsequently redesigned, will owners be offered the new version at no cost?

VoughtF4U

My Feedback: (1)

I vote for a P-61 too! Great flying airplane, nice flight characteristics for a twin, and handles nicely on the ground. Twin .40 size would be nice, but it would be nicer at the twin .60 sized. A 60 size would keep the engines at a resonable cost and the gear wouldn't have to be huge, but the plane could still be tranportable. Another nice feature would be removable outer wing panels so that those of us with trucks could just set it on the gear in the back without dinging it up. Not to mention it looks good in either the Olive Drab and Grey scheme or the all black. Heck, some European units even put invasion stripes on the all black models so you can improve the visibility of the model and still stay scale. Hmmm, would semi scale operational spoiler be too much to ask for?

t_burley

My Feedback: (59)

well I just had the maiden for my Sea Fury today :^( had the simlar problem as above? the gear blocks broke, and appears that the ribs are broken as well? cnat figure that out as the landings where smooth. tried to email Andrew, but the email bounced back as well?OTT, the SF flew like it was on rails :-)

todd

Josey Wales

My Feedback: (61)

Excellent service!!!!

Richard L.

My Feedback: (24)

I am curious, were you using flaps when landing this 11+ pounds plane?

t_burley

My Feedback: (59)

Richard,
actually no :-) I didnt even mess with the flaps. the first 2 flights
was messing with minor trim, and the just flying, and sorting out the engine.
the 3rd flight, I had some wierd trim problems? I had to put in all the right aileron
trim I could to keep it flying level.
upon landing, I found that the aileron horn on the left side, had broken, and I flew the 3rd flight with only the right aileron

the landings where cool, she slowed down, and just floated in. of all my warbirds, this had some of the best landings without flaps I have ever flown?

Todd

Fliptunes

One vote for a Mosquito.

Condor

Count me in!

Juan M. Villaveces

tiggerinmk

Another vote for the DeHavilland Mosquito.....

CAM2

Bronco

oriole

My Feedback: (19)

Mosquito