i just got a matrix and wanted to know your opinions on the plane and how it flys builds etc it looks good coming out of the box the only thing i don't like is how white the bottom of the plane is i might have to add some color to it so i can see it has anyone else had to do this I will be putting a saito 72 on it and will standard servos work ok and is there any reinforcing i need to do

I'm about 90% done "building" mine and so far it's gone together pretty smoothly. This is the first ARF I'm built so I can't compare it to others. The only thing I'm stuck with now if figuring a way to secure the fuel tank. I have it back on the leading edge of the wing and need to find a way to keep it from sliding forward and back. I'll be using a YS 63 on mine so I don't need the tank up in the nose. Should have a flight by next weekend.

Mike

please post fight report

A flying buddy of mine bought one of these to, he maidened it last sunday, first flight the wing broke where it mounts to the fusalage, so make sure you check the wings for any weaknesses

I saw a club member maiden his a couple weeks ago and while on its second flight we thought we heard a pop and he said he lost some control... when he got on the ground one of the aileron servos was stripped and the other had come completely out of its mount.. I mean the wood you screw the servo into came out with the servo. Not sure if it was builder error, structural failure from bad build, or flutter from flying too fast but maybe check the servo mount areas.

Otherwise it seemed to fly well just land really fast but he had a new engine and probably a higher pitch prop...

Nitro Guy... If I am installing a tank and have no where to anchor it I usually glue a piece of foam to the floor of the fuse. With a couple of zip-ties underneath, then I Zip-tie the tank onto the foam (Secure but not too tight you want cushion there-)

I have been looking at that Matrix since it is only like $110-

I personally fiberglass the center section of the wing on any arf I have that will break 70MPH Goldberg stuff is usually pretty good but just make sure there is glue in all the joints that SHOULD HAVE glue-

Standard servos will be fine if you fly reasonably--- no full-power dives then yanking elev. If you want some extra kick without buying new servos you can get a 6V RX battery (I use those Himax batts from Tower-) this will get your 45oz servos to 60oz @ 6V and they will be faster as well-

I have flown all types of airplanes with standard servos- No problems...

glue a Popsicle stick or some thing similar across the fuse in front of and behind the tank and put a piece of foam between them thats how i secure them


and Razor-RCU if you've been looking at them they are going quick i don't know if you can even get them on-line any more the company that made them for Goldberg went out of business but i ordered mine from my LHS on the 11th and they got one

I maidened my Matrix last night. The YS63 yanked it off the ground before halfthrottle and this was still running way rich! Anyway, I took it easy and did just a few rolls and loops and inverted flight all on low rates. I brought it in to check it over, but I ripped the landing gear plate right out. Stupid mistake on part making low rates too low. Went to flair and the stick was already back the whole way. Easily fixed now I'm on my way out to test it again less than 24 hours later. If anyone is using a YS, prepare for it to be tail heavy by just a tad. I stuck the receiver batt up in the nose and it balanced at the recommended 5.5 inch back as a starting point.

Mike

Just put in a 2nd and third flight on the Matrix today. I would have put in more flights, but on the last flight I got flutter and immediately noticed the ailerons barely having an effect. I'm lucky I got it back because BOTH aileron servos stripped out. Somehow one of them worked enough to get it back. Not sure what I did wrong as my speed was slow the whole flight since I'm still breaking in the YS. All the linkages are tight and slop free. I guess the standard JR537s just weren't up to the task. I ordered digitals for the elevator and rudder. Maybe I should just go to digitals on all control surfaces.

Mike

im still stuck on the pull pull system and having to send my radio out because the receiver has been in some crashes and i dropped the radio from about 3 feet so it wont be flyin this weekend

Ive had one a year or so ago.

Mine was heavy about 6.5 lbs an flew accordingly. It hovered great because it has a long tail but anything else in the 3D department pretty much sucked.

I've had mine many months and many flights. I am running an OS .46 FX Helo engine with a Tower Muffler on an APC 12X4 prop. The plane weighs 5# 5oz. and flies terrific. I am using Futaba 3151 digital (standard) servos on ailerons and elevator and 3306 on the rudder. I am using a 4.8 AAA NiMh battery mounted just behind the wing for balance. The tank is supportd by a screwed in piece of light ply with foam glued to it.

I have done many high speed, hard snaps and blenders with this plane and it has never shown any weakness in the wing and airframe areas.

The only problem I have had was with a weak landing gear platform (like my UCD .46) Once I rebuilt that area of the fuse with stronger material and light glassed over it, I have had no further problems. I also replaced the swept back gear with a UCD .46 straight gear, for flying off of grass.

The key strength in flying characteristics of this airplane is how straight and level it flies. It takes very little coupling for knife edge flight and does everything I ask of it.

For pattern and regular aerobatics, the CG is best where Goldberg recommends. When you move the CG aft for 3D it really rocks, but starts loosing some of it's terrific stability for pattern work.

I bought mine back when they were $169.00 from Tower. You guys getting them for under $110 are really getting a great plane. Do not hesitate to upgrade the hardware, it will reward you in responsiveness and lack of flutter. Make sure you seal all of your surfaces and there is no play in anything. This plane will haul @#$% at full throttle, with a fairly thin wing and very little drag and throttle management is a must on downlines to prevent flutter.
Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine. My only two small, 3D planes are this one and the UCD .46, both are great in their own rights, but aren't comparable due to the different wing geometries.

Happy Landings.

I'm worried about the whole flutter experience I had that ruined two brand new servos. I was going level at about half throttle. Maybe i should go with a 13x4wide prop instead of the 12x6 I had on it with the YS63. I did notice it not wanting to settle in for a landing even at idle. Maybe it's just too much pitch for this airframe. I'm just nervous about flying it again. I have a set of digital metal gear hitecs coming that I was going to use for the elevator and rudder. I think for now I'll stick them in the wing and see what happens.

Mike

I've had mine for about three months now but havn't flown it much.. Flying it with standard servos all round.. I used a new Magnum 52 ring motor in it and I'm quite surprised at how well this motor performs.. Runs really really quiet for some reason..

This plane flies amazingly well.. I havn't done too much 3D with it so I can't really comment on its 3D performance but it amazed me in every other department so far.. I've never had a plane that roll this axially.. Snaps are brilliant... It knife egdes at just over half throttle with half rudder input. Nicest knife edge loops..

The main reason why i like this plane so much is because it flies as precision as a pattern ship yet it is fully capabale of decent 3D..

One miss tho... It likes to drop a wing if you come in a little too slow.. (I did expect it to do this tho)

Havn't found any weak points... Quality is great.. Love the elevator pull-pull-bellcrank system.. I've flown it really fast and havn't had any signs of flutter.. I did replace the rudder push-rod after it bent from excessive knife-edging..

Nice all round flyer..

Hey Guys,

I had two of these Matrix's in recent past. Lost both of them. 1st plane crashed 1st flight (my stupidity.....reversed ailerons) 2nd one the airplane eating tree struck again. but I had about twenty flights on that one. Great for pattern aerobatics and KE to ke snaps were pretty kewl. Hovered well but 3D perfomance was down. I really had to work to keep wing rocking to min.

I did away with the pull pull elevators and installed two Hitec HS225 in the tail, but made it a tad tail heavy so I had to add weight in the front. But Elevator performance was much improved. Great Flying airplane, but moved on to the Funtana 40. It proved to be a much better 3D machine.

Just my 2 cents........oops inflation........22 cents

Rennie

I was putting a Saito 72 on mine and was wondering how the CG is going to come out?? Will I need lead on the nose?

I'm not going to be able to work on mine for a couple months because of Katrina I'm in Georgia and my matrix is in Louisiana I'm hoping to get back on it as soon as possible

Sorry to hear Nitro[], hope all is well when you return

I doubt you'll have to add weight, but that may depend on where you mount the tank. My tank is mounted just ahead of the cg so it leaves the front of the plane, behind the firewall, open to move the receiver battery up there and balance. With my YS63 and the Rx battery up ahead of the wing saddle bulkhead it balanced at the 5.5inch back from the LE as recommended as a starting point. After some more flights I'm going to move the battery back until it's under the tank (as viewed if the plane is upside down). That should move the balance point back to 6.5 inch from LE for better 3D performance.

Mike