Monkey Gutz69

My Feedback: (5)

Guys, here's a weird one.. Some months ago i got a Hangar 9 Funtana 40s. I first used a TT Pro .46. Built it by the book. CG was (I believe) at 5.5' and balanced well and flew great. I put a Saito .82 on the nose, and changed nothing else and flew the snot out of it. It would do anything I could do and more. I dumb-thumbed it and put the .82 on a funfly for the past few months. A friend built a Funtana 40S and didn't really like it so I bought it from him. I put all the old Funtana stuff in this new plane.OMG!!!!! I have tried to balance it at 5.5" and in order for it to balance, I had to add almost 3 ounces to the motor mount, as well as moving the 5 cell 800MaH battery from the stock position I had always used to the firewall under the tank and it still landed funny.. like it was about to fall out of the sky..or a flying brick if slowed down!!!!!!
I see where everyone seems to be putting on Saito .91/100's on and no balanace problem. I have seen where some say to CG at 6" to fly, but this is way past the recommended range, (5 5/16" - 5 11/16").
What gives??? RTF, with no fuel, it weighs 5 lb. 12 oz.. with 3 oz as a counter-balance. I just don't like the idea of ADDING any weight . And it flew so well before..
I may be forced to try CG of 6", but I am really leary of it.. Any ideas?????? Thanks and Best Regards, MG

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

I'll bet it's like the balsa at the hobby store. You can grab a hanfull of sticks out of the bin. There is a major difference between them. The wood used to build the planes is the same way. I fly mine at 6-1/4". It can be a hadfull to land but is a blast to fly. At 6" it should land better than mine and still be fun. The Walls and Elevators and Water falls are great with the aft CG.

David

Monkey Gutz69

My Feedback: (5)

Daveopam, , thanks. I was going to send You an email about this, as I've seen Your name on most Funtana forums, and You sure know Your stuff.
I just recieved an email from Chris at Horizon Hobbies and he said the same thing. The customer service there is really good!!!!
I was really worried about the 6" CG and he said add weight to balance at the 5.5" CG and slowly remove weight until it flies well.(doh!!!!!. Never thought of that) He also said maybe it was the glue. I never would have imagined there would be that much difference between planes. So, between the heavy wood and over-use of glue....it is fat.
I even moved the .82 out to the new Funtana 50 setting (from 4-3/8 - 4-1/2" firewall to drive washer) and it is still heavy. Adding Hitec hs-81 (1/2 oz) servo(removed Futaba s3004) and am making a tray to put the batteries under the tank. I normally use 5- 600 Mah Ni-MH AAA size batteries, and I hate to add weight, but I find I can get some semblence of balance by using 5-1800 Mah Ni-MH AA's.the diff is 2 oz ( 600= 2-5/8...1800 =4-5/8)
So .. I will lighten it as much as possible and CG it @6" and see what happens.. will report back in a few days to let ya know how it went..
Once again, thanks for the help!! Best regards, MG

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

MG the servos will help. I use FU3305s. They are metal gear and I think they weigh 1.8. The 3004s weigh like 1.6 so there is a little difference there. Also look at the prop. The 15x4W APC I had on my F40 was really heavy. I have a Zinger Pro Series 15x4 to try on my new F50X. I also bought a prop nut to use instead of the spinner to save a little weight.
Be sure to let me know how it goes.

David

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

MG,

You know, when we pick up an ARF, it is really Pot Luck whether or not we get a lead sled or a light one! Your experience shows that in a most clear manner.

Monkey Gutz69

My Feedback: (5)

Tailskid, right You are. The first F40 was a real light-weight. I just expected them all to be at least close,ya know?So, I figger I can whine about it or deal with the ARF I was dealt..lol..
Daveopam, I went for very strong servos, maybe even a bit "over-kill". I am not at the point where my skills demand digital servos, but I know You need strength to push/pull large surfaces, so I settled on a compromise between power, weight and cost.( plus I wanted to try out some Metal Gears and Karbonite gears
My throttle is Hitec HS-81,ailerons are Hitech HS635HB, elevator is Futaba S3010, and rudder, JR ST125 MG.
The reason for the JR125 is that it was the same weight as the S3305 and torgue was 125/142 in.oz @4.8/6.0 as opposed to the S3305 which is 99/124 in.oz. @4.8/6.0, the speed was .04/.03 sec. faster. (not that I'd notice..lol) I did notice that when I move ailerons the JR (rudder) glitches like crazy.I read in a forum that JR servos are sensitve to servo extentions...DOH!!!!
I bought a zinger wood 15x4, as I was thinking the F40 was going to be light and I wanted the fast spoolup. But this thing is so tail-heavy, a light prop and no spinner makes it even worse. But I am in the process of doing as You suggested... I got it to balance at 6" so if the weather permits tommorrow, I'll give her a shot.
I'll keep up on this thread till something works.. Thanks for all the help...
Best Regards, MonkeyGutz

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Good luck with the maiden.
The Funtana as far as servos go is a little different than anything I own. All my other planes I put a stronger servo on the rudder. The Funtana needs the strongest servos on the Aile. I was also told 99oz servos were over kill on a 40 size plane. Believe me if you want to roll this thing at 1/2 power or more. The 50oz servos are not going to cut it.

let me know how it goes, David

T.W.

Monkey Gutz69: Take a look at the leading edge of your wing. Does it seem "blunter" than the first Funtana you had? You seem to describe a very similar problem I had with my own Funtana (see: Hangar 9 Funtana 40). I thought I had a balance problem at first, but in the end it was the blunt leading edge which was at fault. It doesn't have much of an effect at mid to high speed, nor whilst doing 3-D stuff, but at slow speeds it caused my model to stall - viciously and unexpectedly. Made for exciting landings!

Tony

Monkey Gutz69

My Feedback: (5)

Dave, maiden may take a bit longer than I thought.Seems as though the JR ST 125 MG glitches like mad. LHS can't take it back, for one, that is their policy and 2, I don't have the box. Never thought I'd have a problem with JR. LHS sold me an RF filter for $10. Tried it and no go. Tried the other JR ST 125MG and the same thing!!!!!!
Anyhooooo, tommorrow I am calling Horizon Hobbies ,as they are the distributor... I found a thread with Mike MccConnville) describing what I am experiencing. maybe they have it hooked up now.. something about a cap inside the servo.
Anyway, I can't fly the Funtana with a glitching Rudder so as soon as I get this straightened out, I'll let ya know how it went. Thanks again for all the help. Best Regards, MG

Monkey Gutz69

My Feedback: (5)

TW, I'm pretty sure mine is a balance problem as I can't get it to balance on the 5.5" mark on my CG machine. It balances fine at the 6" mark. The thing I was so upset about was my former F-40 was so dead-on , even with a TT .46 pro and the batteries moved back. This new one has the batteries under the tank,reciever moved all the way forward, and 3 oz of weight to the motor mount!!!!
I did read a forum concerning the leading edge on the F-40. (about making a sharper edge which I may try later)
Thanks for the help.. Best Regards, MG