jeff4sun

Got tired of driving to the flying field an hour away and decided to buy some floats so I could fly off the lake in the back yard. It is tons of fun. I did have to change out the OS 40LA for an old Fox 40 that had a little more hp. I would still like a bigger engine as I had to work to get it off the water. The floats I am using are [link=http://h1070607.hobbyshopnow.com/products/description.asp?prod=SFM3814]Super Flying Models[/link]. They are decent quality fiberglass floats with wire gear. I did check all the joints in the fiberglass and found a few leaks where they had been joined. a quick hit with epoxy did the trick.

Taxiing


In Flight


Into the Sun

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

There isn't any doubt in my mind as to where I would be flying with the setup you have. My club's field is about 19 miles away and the lake at one of my club member's house is 40 miles away. I like flying off water, so I try to get over there once a week.

Nice flight shots.

Bob

rcbeginner23

Hello. I like those shots I live by water with lots of lakes. I was thinking of buy a gas rc plane and floats for the plane. Im wondering how much was the plane, floats, and accessories were?


Thanks Michael[8D]

bent

I too fly an underpowered Superstar 40 on floats...and I love it! Can't get enough of the long take off runs and shallow climb outs. Noise is a factor at our lake so I had to sacrifice half the power. The old Enya 45 has two mufflers and an 18" extension stuffed with aluminum window screen. The 12 1/4 - 3 3/4 prop throws lots of spray and makes a makes a cool buzzing sound on take-off. I plan to add isolation motor mounts to kill some of the airframe rattle. I'd also like to see more water shedding off the floats as the plane takes off so I'm going to experiment with thin tubes attached to the sides of the floats.

Gary

jeff4sun

rcbeginner23, I think you can get the ready to fly Superstar for $275. This includes everything but the gas and glow starter. The floats were another $50 (check link above) but you may want to check around for some better floats. I was not overly impressed with the ones I bought. They feel a bit heavy and not very stable. Maybe I mounted them wrong but they just did't feel sturdy. I would also suggest a bigger engine than the .40LA for float flying. Dont get me wrong, I love the 40LA, I flip start it and usualy get it to start with no more than 3 flips. I just think that a bigger engine would be nice.

Bent, what floats do you have on your Superstar? I tried takeoffs with the 40LA and all I got was a boat ride. It just wouldn't leave the water. As I said, I think the floats I have are heavy. Did you ever try takeoff with a 40 on it?

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

You might want to try a four stroke. Although louder, the power pulses are 50% of a two stroke cycle and the frequency is not as objectionable as a two stroke. Then again.............how about electric. I know the cost is quite a bit higher than a fuel fired model but the advantage is virtually no noise.
I don't know about the iso mounts. Some informed wisdom states that really nailing down the business end of the engine is better. This may take the form of stiffeners in the fuse so as not to allow the wagging of the prop.

Bob

rcbeginner23

Thanks for the price quote. Im realy going to look in to it, but i have one more question were did you buy the plane at




Michael[8D]

rcbeginner23

how much is it to get a bigger engine

jeff4sun

I purchased my plane from my local hobby store, Hobby World of Orange Park. There is an ARF version that comes with no radio or engine. It goes for about $120 or so. You can get a good .46 size engine for around $70. That should give you enough power. And a radio for $130 for a 4 channel and about $200 for a good programable 6 channel. I would go with the 6 channel if you have a choice. If you are trying to get in the air as cheap as possible the 4 channel will work, but you will be limited in the long run if you want to upgrade to a better plane, and you will. All together expect to spend no less than $400 on the cheap end.

rcbeginner23

thanks alot[8D]

jeff4sun

If you don't have a good hobby store near you a good place to look online is [link=http://www.towerhobbies.com/]Tower Hobbies.[/link]

rcbeginner23

thanks we dont have a good hobby shop for about 100 miles that i know of

rcbeginner23

is this a good plane for a float plane? http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXEKF3**&P=0

jeff4sun

That is the newer version of the plane I have. I haven't flown any other plane on floats, but I have flown other planes and I love flying the Superstar. It is the easiest airplane I have flown besides my 2 channel glider. The only problem I see with the particular package you linked to is that it comes with the .40LA. It may be fine if you have a better set of floats than what I had but with mine I could not get the plane off the water using the .40LA. I had to step it up to a higher power Fox 40 that I had laying around and that barely got it up. In my opinion if you are going to get this strickly for flying off the water get the plane by its self and get a better radio and bigger engine. In the end you will spend a little more but you will be much happier. If on the otherhand this is your first plane, you just want something cheap to get in the air with, and you will be learning to fly on land first (highly recommended!!!) and then possibly convert to water later go with the one linked above and plan on upgrading.

rcbeginner23

there is not a feild i can fly a plane in for aboat 100 miles

rcbeginner23

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXDXM2&P=ML engine
[sm=confused.gif]

jeff4sun

The reason I suggest flying on land first is when you are learning you will make mistakes (crashing is inevitable). A mistake on land will cost you an airframe, either fuselage, wings or both. $100 dollars to replace. On water it could cost you much more especially if it has a hard hit and sinks. $250 to replace.

rcbeginner23

i was going to use the simulator and take a lesson or two

jeff4sun

I have heard bad things about GMS. A buddy of mine had one and it was a pain to get started and tough to keep it running right. I would go with one of the better brands like O.S. In my opinion, if you try to go too cheap you will not have fun. A poor running engine will drive you crazy. If anything I would splurge on an engine. Something like this http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXFMD5&P=ML
It will run great and last a long time if you take care of it.

jeff4sun

Great idea. I havent used the simulators, but i did get lessons from a guy at the local field. It payed off. I soloed the first day out.

rcbeginner23

should i buy the kit ajnd get another engine or the body, motor, exc?

rcbeginner23

i realy want to buy a package so its cheaper and i have everything but i want to be able to fly in water

jeff4sun

Its up to you. I just know that if I was just starting and this is the plane that I wanted and I was going to fly it off the water I would buy the plane, engine, and radio seperate. I would get the best engine I could afford and a 6 channel programable radio so that I could upgrade later by investing in a flight pack (extra reciever and servos) instead of a new radio. Thats just me, and there may be other opinions and better planes so check out all the options.

rcbeginner23

how much was your plane total for EVERYTHING?

jeff4sun

plane: Superstar $120
radio: Futaba 6 channel programmable $230 (8 years ago, used in 3 planes now)
engine: 1 - OS 40LA $65
1 - Fox 40 $75 (10 years ago, still running strong)
props: $10
glow starter: $15
better receiver battery: $25
battery tester: $15
fuel: $15/gallon
fuel pump: $20
glow plugs (extra): $5/plug
rubber bands: $5/box (1 box lasts a long time)
after run oil: $7 (thats why the Fox is still running)
floats: $60 shipped
Misc: $50+ in parts

That is a pretty modest setup, no starter, no field box, no accucycle, no power panel, no nothin fancy that most consider essential. Probably forgot a few things too.