I put two Hitec HS645MG in the tail with the central hobbies carbon push rods. I also put in a TnT carbon fiber tail wheel. Up front with the OS 1.6 I added a perry reciprocating pump and moved the throttle servo from the stock location to just behind the firewall. This all balanced out at 3.5" with no lead and a 1200mha 5 cell Nicd battery up by the throttle servo. I moved the tank location from the stock location to as far aft as I could and still feel like it was secured in place. The only downside I could see about using one elevator is you are putting twice as much stress on the one servo. Also, with two servos if you stip one out you can still recover the airplane with the other servo. I dont know how wide that bell crank is, so you might have to do major modification to get it to work.

Mike

I'm in the final stages of setting my Cap X up for the initial flights and noticed that in the manual Chip recommends 80% expo settings for all the high rates. I was wondering if you all started with this much expo. I've never used more than 50% expo on any of my high rate settings prior to this.

Should I start with the 80% figure for the initial flights and then gradually lower it? Does it really need that much expo on high rates?

Thanks,

Vince

cougar, I never use that much, Im more around 30%

Good Morning Cougar;
Go with the rates recommended in the assembly manual. This aircraft has some large flight control surfaces.
You can always decrease the expo after the initial test flight. Going with less expo on the initial flight could be asking for a real touchy handling aircraft.

BTW, Did you happen to check the wing and tail plane incidences? My appear to be 'way off and straight answers are forecoming from the manufacturer.

Cheers, Dave

I guess I'll start at the recommended settings and see how it feels. I have flown several 3D type planes with huge control surfaces, so I'm really not afraid of that. It will be easy to make adjustments to the expo once I have flown it for a few flights.

Dave, I did not check any incidences-I never do. I don't have the proper equipment, and even if I found something was off, I'm not sure that with the type of flying that I do, it would make that much difference. We're already asking the plane to defy most aerodynamic principles when we're banging the sticks into the corners, I'm guessing a few degrees off one way or the other wouldn't really matter. Some of my best 3D airplanes are ones that have been crashed and repaired and I know they're not even close to being perfectly straight.

I realize it's not the exact same aircraft...

But there is video of the Extreme Aircraft/RC Superstore Cap 232 flying an OS 1.60 in the Reviews section. It appears to have plenty of power. A torque roll was attempted; it wasn't very steady, but it didn't look to be the fault of the engine. It did the rest of the maneuvers (harrier, et. al.) with ease.

I imagine the two aircraft have very similar weights and other static properties.

Cap X crashed with tail damage and repaired. Hitec digis on everything except throttle which is mounted @ firewall. Tank on CG. OS 160 w/vp-30 pump w/bypass. Have 1800mah battery mounted on firewall for perfect balance. All in all dry weight 12lb 6oz and will definently pull unlimited with wood MAS 18*6. I would like to try an APC but for now the wood works. I didn't feel good about this plane, but every time I flew it I fell more and more in love with it. Rock steady harrier. 13% rudder mix for knifedge and it is strait as an arrow. It will hover but pull out is slow but I think the prop is playing some part in that. Chip was a huge help in getting this bird back together and he has made a fantastic product. The Cap snap is still there but after about 5 flights it was prdictable enough to start 3D........

Can anyone direct me to a post that shows evidence that the Chip Hyde CAP-X and the Extreme Aircraft CAP 232 and not the same ARF kit?
There are those who keep saying they're not the same plane but all I can find are similarities.

It's understandable that if you got hooked for $379.00 for a CAP-X that you wouldn't want to believe that somebody else got the same plane under another name for only $249.99.

Just some observations:
[ul][*] Elevator servo openings too large in the fuselage of both planes.[*] Both have a 73" wing span even though the Cap-x is advertised as 74".[*] For both kits you have to purchase push rods, clevises, tail wheel assembly, main wheels, wheel axles, rudder pull-pull rigging.[*]Aluminum control horns in both kits.[*]Aluminum motor mounts with vibration isolators in both kits.[*]Extreme Aircraft CAP 232 current price $249.99, reduced from $299.95, reduced from $329.95 and offered in two color choices.[*]Chip Hyde CAP-X (also called a CAP 232) current price $299.00, reduced from
$329.00, reduced from $379.00.
[/ul]

Nope, no evidence. Even so I would pay the extra just for the scheme.......

I believe both are made to same dimensions by same mfg, but the CapX has double beveled surfaces, while the Extreme only has the contro surface beveled.

Good input. I'll add double beveled and color scheme to the list of differences to determine whether I'd pay extra for them.

Get the Extreme Aircraft. You will like it. The price is right up your alley. Of coarse there is a reason we buy the Cap X or Quique Yak instead of a knock off that may look exactly the same. Of coarse servos look the same also and are produced in the same factory

Ease up, my fellow modeler, don't get steamed at poor me just because I prefer to shop around rather than pay top dollar on blind faith. I can buy more modeling stuff by doing it that way. I'm not new to the hobby, my experience goes back a long way.

Are you sure you don't purchase "knock offs" in your daily life? Do you only wear designer clothing and not the knock offs made in the same factory? Do you drive around looking for the highest priced gasoline even though unmarked tanker trucks deliver the same gas to "Joe's Gas Station" from the same refinery? "Joe" doesn't have his own refinery, you know.
I'm with you for buying name brand servos like Futaba. You do stay away from those cheap Hitec's, don't you?
Since you mentioned models from Chip and Quique, I'll say that I do admire their great flying skills and accomplishments but my spending is not guided by hero worship.

Oh, did I neglect to mention that I too have a Chip Hyde Cap-X?.....LOL

As far as clothing goes modeling is much more important and bieng married I no longer need to impress the opposite sex (other than her of course). I buy name brand at discount stores. The value here is I spend the money I save there on my planes (if the wife will allow). The Cap X is awsome but still is a cap and as you no will wall and harrier perfect. I have flown the extreme Cap (OK) and the Sig Cap (Sucks) and neither will do this as well, why, I don't no. Mabey the name . The Quique bar nun is the best 3Der in this buntch but man they could drop $100 and let me pick the hardware. Chip is a great pilot and has a great product here and I don't mind paying the extra if I know it will do what I want it to do with ease because I need all the help I can get looking good. Even though he is good I don't buy from him for this reason, although his customer service has been outstanding, Chris Hinson is good and makes the best Yak out there (not to start a debate) and I would by from him if the engine I got fit and it was readily available. As far as gas goes were getting #$@% anyway so whats a couple of cents. By the way as you can tell I am getting into Yaks but that is for another forum.

John,

A quick question regarding your CapX review. I noticed in your pictures that there is almost no clearance between the DA-50 carb inlet and the firewall. The DA-50 manual states that this clearance should be at least 1", or a hole should be drilled through the firewall that is bigger than the throat of the carb inlet to let the engine breath.

I would appreciate any comments you might have on this.

Thanks,
Rocky

Rocky, your right, the gap is not as much as DA suggests, when the choke is flipped open the blade clears the firewall by a little bit, to me, looked like enough air could get in it, and it works fine for me. But I always recommend doing what the manufacturer says to do.

Do you guys that have this Cap-X think that the OS 1.60 with the Bisson muffler is a good combo and the way to go or should I concider a different engine. I personally like the sound of the Saito engines.

Build it as light as you can and you may have to put a pump on it or regulater. 18*6 Pro Zinger and Chip commented about running 30% heli in his 1.6 but I think that is what you would want to break it in with. CHeck his video out on his site and it has the 1.6 in it. As a matter of fact if you e-mail him he should be able to give you his set up. Good luck

Flyboy, I believe if you take the time to read back through the pages of this thread, you will find that engines ranging from the OS 1.60 all the way up to the DA 50 have been installed in this plane. And, I think if you read in between the lines, you'll find that all of these different engines have their advantages and disadvantages for this airframe. The OS 1.60 is plenty of motor, but from what I've read, most of the guys who installed this motor ended up moving servos and stuff around because the plane ended up on the tail heavy side. Notice I said "most"-apparently for some others, it wasn't a problem. In doing my research, I contacted someone who had installed one of the early DA 50 combinations in his Cap-X, and he told me that the plane flew OK, but the wing loading was too heavy for some of the 3D stuff. He advised me to stay away from this combination for this airplane. However in John's review for RCU, he loves the way his plane performs with the DA 50. I honestly think it's more a matter of personal preference and each individual's particular flying style. Over time, I've seen so many reports on the same plane/engine combo, where one guy loves it and another guy says it's a piece of junk. Go figure.

I'm with you on the Saito engines. I have three of them in various sizes and really love them. However, again as part of my research, I found that the bigger Saitos were quite thirsty and would be rather expensive to operate in a plane this size. Again, this is a problem for me, but may not be for others.

I ended up choosing a Moki 1.80 for my Cap-X, based on what I read right here in this thread. I can only tell you from my personal experience what to expect if you choose this motor. Sizewise, it fits perfectly. You do have to redrill the holes for the motor mounts, but it's no biggie. My airplane balanced right on the recommended CG without any balast or moving anything around. I used Futaba 3050 digitals on all control surfaces with the exception of the rudder, where I used a Hitec 5625. I have a 2100 ma 6V NiMH battery mounted very close to the CG. I bought a 580 cc Tettra tank due to the capacity needed for the bigger Moki. One nice thing about the Moki is that it runs just fine on FAI fuel, which has 0% nitro and costs me around $7.50 a gallon. I just throw in a little extra Castor Oil and I'm good to go. It starts on the first flip every time-you don't need an electric starter with this motor. Just break it in as they recommend in the instructions. Idles great, plenty of power for this plane. There are three or four of them in my club and all the guys love them.

Again, if you really want to answer your own question, just take the time to go back through this thread and see what others have written about this very subject. I think the OS 1.60 is a fine choice, as are many of the others. You just have to decide what the important points are for you and go from there. 2 stroke, 4 stroke or gas, they all will work.

By the way, I'm kind of surprised that this plane has not become more popular. I have not read many negative things about it. It seems that Chip has designed out a lot of the bad Cap tendencies. It's an awesome performer in my opinion. It flies much better than I can, and has provided me with a great 3D learning platform. About the only negative thing that I can think of is that the wing is a one piece design, and the sucker is big. Makes transporting it somewhat of a problem for people with smaller vehicles.

Good luck with choosing your motor,

Vince

Thanks Cougar, good points. I will have to read through all these threads. I just ordered mine from Chips web site, I went with the combo. The Cap-X, OS 1.60 and the Bisson pits style muffler with free shipping. $549

Flyboy you will like this combo. You also need to read through the 1.60 threads and try not to resort in the plugging of one of the pipes for pressure (less RPM which is power in these engines). If you need any help with it feel free to ask. I have this same setup.

Sounds good, I actually bought this plane for a winter project and plan to fly it next spring. I have my other planes and projects going on right now to keep me plenty busy, but I can't wait to get it!

Flyboy1958,
You've made a good choice and I believe you'll be satisfied with it. My CAP-X is powered by an OS 1.60 with a Bisson Pitts style muffler and it is a great performer. I elected to use a Perry VP30 fuel pump rather than plug or pinch the pipes on the Bisson muffler. My CAP-X is assembled stock and it has no CG problems. The prop is an APC 18x6W.
I've always been a lover of wood props but I've given up on those grossly out of balance vibrating Zinger bats. There is no way I can remove enough wood from the backs of those props to safely bring them into balance.

Hey guys just wondering if anyone who is running a ZDZ 40 would relay some info in this thread. I have a cap x coming and by the looks of things, the ZDZ40 fits the bill.


Thanks ,

Mark

can anyone refesh my memory on the CG from the LE edge?

I wrote it dwon but cant find it now!

thanks

matt