ARMSJSTEV

YOU'RE A BRAVER MAN THAN I TO FLY IN THOSE WINDS.. I'D PERFER TO WAIT WHEN IT'S FAIRLY CALM SO I CAN BREATHE WHILE I'M FLYING.. NOT TO SAY I HAVEN'T FLOWN IN A STIFF BREEZE,THOUGH..

bpmhal

Yeah, in hind sight, should have packed it up after the first run, but nooooop. I won't be doing that again, it was really too windy, but it increased after I was already in the air. Like they say...What goes up must come down, mean old Mr. Gravity..LoL

ARMSJSTEV

AT LEAST WITH A LOW WING TRAINER YOU CAN MAINTAIN A LITTLE BETTER. I TRIED TO FLY MY NEXSTAR IN A FAST WIND AND RIGHT AS I WAS TAXIING OUT FOR TAKEOFF A GUST CAME UP UNDER THE WING AND FLIPPED IT RIGHT OVER.NO DAMAGA EXCEPT TO MY PRIDE,BUT IT CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT GOING UP IN THOSE WINDS. CROSSS WIND LANDINGS TAKE A LITTLE GETTING USED TO AND IT'S REAL SCARY AT FIRST..

Pit-Viper 1

My Feedback: (12)

Flying in the wind is a very good learning tool. On my solo flight with mine it was 35mph with gust up to 55mph. I found that using the wind to fly straight with the rudder is good practice for landing in windy conditions. Also if it is above 15mph don't use flaps on landing or taking off, the plane will have a tendancy to balloon real bad. Taking off was a breeze though, it went about 10 feet and was in the air. I will get the video up of that day and you will see how it looks in that kind of wind. You're right about the speed with a good tail wind though, she really moves out.

Shane

bpmhal

Greetings Shane,
Thanks for the flap advice, you are absolutely correct. The plane will "Balloon" in high winds. That was a big part of my control problem at lower speeds into the wind. Anyway, went to the Colorado-rc.com site and viewed some of the mods to the PTS that are posted. I like the retract mod and engine upgrade. I am considering the retract mod as a winter project. I have been flying off a private pasture, a little too rough for retracts, but the stock gear handles it okay, just dodge the cow pies! However, I do have access to a paved driveway in the country, it is narrow though. So before the retracts, I must hone my approach/line-up skills a bit more. The PTS really looks good in the air with retracts, add to my ever growing list of things to do. Look forward to your flight video.
Frank

DustinSS

What size 3 bladed prop do you guys recommend? I broke the original, and the guy at the hobby shop gave me two new ones and said they'd work...the "new ones" on the bar code say "Alpha 60 3 blade prop" EVEOE0610P....whatever that means No where on the prop does it say anything about the size, but measuring it, each blade is about 1 inch longer than the prop that came with it...Will the effect my performance? Or should I go pick up another prop? Also, I'm thinking about hanging this in my garage from the tail....anyone done that yet? Any suggestions? Thanks for the info... [8D]

opjose

Don't bother with the 3 blade props.

Try an APC 11x6 2 blade prop on it, and you'll transform your plane.

bpmhal

Hello DustinSS,

Like opjose says, toss the stock 3 blade and replace with a APC 11 x 6 x 2 blade. As for hanging the plane from the tail, I would suggest against that. Lots of wieght on the leading edge of the tail surfaces. I hang mine on the wall via a heavy duty picture frame hanger, about 3 ft of 1/4" nylon rope tied in a loop, run the loop between the air scoop and wing and the other end on the wall hanger. That's just me.
As for the props, I use the APC 11 x 7 x 2 and the 11 x 5 x 2 and both are fine. I need to heed opjose suggestion, and go buy a 11 x 6 x 2 myself.
Frank

DustinSS

Do the two blade, even for a beginner (I'm a real world pilot, and have worn out my realflight sim...)? What else do I need, just a new spinner, right? (Which size spinner?)

RedTwilight

2-3/4" spinner

opjose

That's what I do, although I hang the plane nose down and loop the cord around the landing gear, with the gear against the wall.

All of the weight is borne by the much stronger gear.

opjose

Yeah, you'll be all the happier that you selected this plane.

acam37

My Feedback: (16)

I know what you mean. Do this and it will start and run every time. I went electric and it flies great. [link]http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=592660[/link]

bpmhal

Hi Danny,
Did you get to fly Sunday? If so, how did it go?

dannyrsturbo

i didnt get to fly no it was wheey to windy for my liking .but great news ive found a club'' deeside model aircraft club '' and hopefully goingdown their to say hi to the members and get my foot in the door ...10 mins away from my home , im really pleased, im just looking online for a starter for my plane as its becoming pretty hard to start from hand , maybe as its run in now it just turns its cycles really easy , and probably gonna buy an upgrade rx battry because i have the feeling the little 4.8v battry isnt holding its charge very well at all , but a guy ive been speaking to has told me to remove the landing gear drapes asitl cause a lot of drag '''as their meant to'' but i agree they may cause a lil to much drag and sway the aircraft of course maybe ........but soon...i will be a rc pilot ..

opjose

Tuning a glow is like riding a bike.

A hassle at first, but once you know how, it's simple.

Electrics are great, but you don't have to rule out glows because you don't know how to tune an engine yet.

Electrics far too long to charge for me... I end up taking one electric (good for 2-30 minute flights with 2 packs) and one of my glow planes with me every time I head to the field.

Find someone to help you and give you pointers. Make sure that you "get" the pinch test.

bpmhal

Nice to hear you found a club that is willing to help you out.It has been windy here in Texas as well. Looks like this Saturday is going to be a perfect flying day weather wise...Winds calm to 5 mph from the south, clear skys and air temp 72 degrees F. I'll bee going to the LHS tomorrow to pick up a APC 11 x 6 x 2, and an extra Rx battery pack as well. I have been trying to get my hands on a good digital video cam from one of my friends, hopefully they will bring it out. If not, I'll try and use my Cannon S2IS in video mode so I can post some pics for you guys.
Frank

bpmhal

Here is a eye opener for everybody. I have 10 flights on my PTS. I checked, made the mods from this forum, and all has been very good so far. This evening, I decided to do an overall inspection of servos, servo mounts control yokes..etc .Good thing I did. The starboard airleron mount blocks were loose, one completely deglued the other was just barely attached. I had checked them earlier on as suggested in this forum and they were solid at that time. Needless to say, I will be fixing this. But more importantly, it is a wake up call to me to do a complete pre-flight check EVERY time before she flies, period. Glad I found this out on the ground! Whew....

kahloq

Regarding prop selection. Its a matter of preference. The stock prop with this plane is a 10x4 3-blade. It is meant to keep the plane slow, especially with the wide aspect of the blades themselves. The prop the LHS tried to sell you, the ALPHA 60 is way too big for this plane and motor. That prop is a 12x4 3-blade. HorizonHobby says the biggest diameter prop you can safely put on this plane is an 11 inch size(I know...I called them about it). Now, those that are recommending a 2 blade 11x6 APC are correct in that it gives more performance...aka speed. This may or may not be a good thing depending on your skill level. Of course, you always have the option of throttling down and not using full throttle. the 11x6APC prop is pretty common and easy to get so its a good choice overall.
Myself....I used an 11x7 3-blade master airscrew prop. Made the plane look much more scale and better looking, also increased the performance some compared to the stock 10x4x3. It will perform quite well, but an 11x6 2-blade will be slightly better for top end speed.

bpmhal

I'll pick up the MA 11 x 7 x 3 and a new spinner tomorrow as well, thanks for the info. And on the prop note, what about a four blade?

omyc25

I was wondering, besides the pre flight checks, when im back at home looking over the airplane(servos, loose parts)can somebody be a lil specific about what exactly i should be looking for? how do i know something needs fixing besides visible damage on the plane if any. by the way 11x6 makes this plane fly so much better, i could tell the difference right away, from the kind of lazy slow flying to better takeoffs and more responsive

bpmhal

How I first noticed the airleron problem was when I was re-tuning my sub-throws on the Tx. I noticed that the starboard side throw was not the same as the port, so I checked the control arm to see if it was firm, it was not, I could move it from side to side (witch eluded to me that the mount was loose) so I took the cover off and sure enough the servo mounting blocks had de glued, cause unknown, don't care, just glad I caught it now. Looking at something for damage is a first "sight check" , add to that a physical input, actuate movement in the devices normal movement and you should get a defined measured response to that input. If the response is something other than what's expected then you might have a problem. Keep in mind that just moving control surfaces without a load applied is not a true test, add a little resistance to the control surfaces as well. I'm new to this hobby again, one thing I keep reminding myself is that these planes undergo extreme stress and vibration and with that comes inspection of EVERYTHING, I just have to always remind myself to take the time to do so and not rush. Hope this helps.
Frank

DustinSS

Am I fueling this thing properly? I pull off the line that hooks to the muffler, then fuel it from there, however, fuel ends up dripping out of the carb before it's full. Also, how are you guys making sure that the tank is full before takeoff, can't really see to well inside to the tank. Also, what's the black screw right next to the carb? Thanks again for all the info guys.

bpmhal

No you are not. You should have a Green tube that goes to the HS needle valve from that a short tube (which you cannot reach due to cowling) that goes to the carb. The tube that goes to the muffler should be red in color.
StepS
1. remove the "green" tube to the HS needle valve.
2. remove the tube to the muffler (should be the red colored one)
3. Fill the tank via the "green tube" or the tube that goes to the HS needle valve.
4. When fuel is running out of the muffler tube, your tank is full.

opjose

No...

Pull off the fuel line going to the muffler and hang it over the muffler so it points down.

Then disconnect the fuel line at the high speed needle, and fuel the plane from there.

The fuel will only go into the tank, and the overflow will spit out, out of the muffler line when it is full, and not get into the plane.