Finally got a chance to maiden my DP Extra 330 ARC / BME 50 ARC yesterday. Plane came in at 16 lbs 1 oz ready to fly dry. It was sixty degrees here in CT with a 10 - 15 mph wind. Prop was a Menz 20 x 10s. I was a little concerned about the weight but quickly realized it was absolutely not an issue at all. The plane tracked straight, lifted off smoothly and after only a couple of clicks of trim flew flawlessly. Slow flight was unbelievable! Landing even better. Has a slight bit of coupling in knife edge as I expected it to but otherwise no bad tendencies. This could be my favorite plane to date!
I never did get the engine dialed in quite right (I was on the rich side on low and mid) but the power was WAY more than enough. Could pull vertical, let airplane stop and then pull out with authority at half throttle. Got in two flights but thought I saw some aileron flutter on a low speed pass on the third so brought her in to check everything. Not sure if it was flutter or just vibration due to rich low end. Am using Horizon aluminum arms, Horizon titanium rods, and rocket city balls all around. Gaps are sealed. I do not know whether the JR 8101's are enough on the ailerons. In any case, will spend a little more time setting up engine and hopefully have this one around a long time!
I would definitely recommend this plane to anyone. I am certainly happy with it and don't let the weight scare you. The BME 50 is more than it needs and I may even try swapping my 44 in to shave a few ounces off. I guess it is time to start assembling the H9 Cap. If JBH is right (and I assume he is) then I will have a new favorite airplane soon. LEt me know if I can answer any specific questions. Have fun, cbk

Hi cbk,

Nice report. I guess you're one more of the many on the plus side for this plane. Your report sounds pretty consistant. I've been trying to tell people not to worry about the 16lbs and that the performance of a strong 2.6-3.2 will be more than enough for this plane. I'm glad you were able to add more data to back this up.

Good luck on more successful flights.

BTW, from the description of your aileron setup, I really think that should be adequate to prevent flutter. Ideally for these planes I would go with a digital of at least the same static torque as the 8101's to have the high holding power of the digital, which would help give a bigger margin of safety.

Hi cbk. sonds like you have a nice flying plane. i have a DP 330 L ARF with a brison 2.4 and a 3/w 20x 10 prop on it . i have done all the ground test on it and it looks good. the wind hear has not stop blowing in aweek. maybe next weekend i can get it in the air. what is your CG set at?. i to am useing JR 8101's in all and a 536 for thotle.

Hi Guys,

got my 330 L ARF just about ready to go. Using Hitec 945 metal gears on the elevators and Hitec 5645s metal gears digitals on the ailerons and rudder. Looking like a great airplane. Did have some problems initially though. My right wing panel was warped as you looked down the leading edge, and that same panel was not as thick as the left. I ended up having to do surgery on the panel to correct the problems. Now I have two very straight and strong panels. After talking with DPM, Iam using my new Zenoah G-45 for power. I was a little leary at first, but since the planes are coming in tail heavy, Im hoping for the best. According to DPM, they said it would be no problem to use the G-45, and with the included CA hinges. So, thats what Im doing!

Keep us posted on your DP 330L ARF with the g-45. what prop flys it good. what muffler are you useing. i am interested in a G-45.thanks.

Jerry L, mine balanced at 5 3/4 with no lead added. I was happy with this setup. In time I will probably move the Rx battery back and try it at 6 - 6 1/4. Plane was so stable at 5 3/4 I am sure the extra 1/4 - 1/2 will fly just fine. Snaps were crisp both entering and exiting and it does nice slow inverted flat spins at that cg. Am not sure how it will 3d yet. I am still not an accomplished torque roller. cbk

What kind of rpm numbers are you getting with this prop. I want to use a 20-10 because of ground clearance but I thought I would be over reving the engine. I am putting this engine on a H9 Edge.

Finnz, I am not sure of the actual RPM's as a friend of mine was taking the readings but I am quite sure tge Menz 20x10s loads the motor quite well. If you are planning to use a Mejlik I think you will have to go with a 21x10 or even a 22x10 on this motor as they seem to turn up a good deal more. I run a Mejlik 20 x 10 on my BME 44 and in turns in the mid to high 7000's. I went with the Menz on this plane in an effort to reduce weight. I am not sure on the Zingers, Bolly's, etc. Hope this helps, cbk

Im using a Bisson pitts smoke muffler, not sure Im going to do smoke though. Clearance under the box is next to perfect, with only a small amount to be cut out on exhaust side. I could not use the cupmount for the G-45 though. It pushed the engine way out front of the cowl. What Im doing is using the steel backplate that came with the engine. I then had to build up a an extension out of 1/8" pieces of light ply. I sandwiched together, then cut out for the backplate bolts and shaft. I now have the clearance for my spinner right on the money. Dont bother getting the cup mount! Its not gonna work! Oh yeah, had to remove the left side aluminum angle on the engine box to get the mount to fit as per instr. I plan to beef up the fire wall anyway, so I will mod slightly, or put the angle on the inside of the box. Not sure yet! I do not have the throttle set up yet, so Im not sure yet how Im gonna mount the throttle servo and run the pushrod.

I also maidened mine this weekend. Taurus 2.6 - Futaba 9206 on rudder - 9203's on the elevator and 9206's on the aileron. Balanced at 6 1/4" with rx battery on the rudder tray and ignition battery on the motor box. This was an ARC kit and was a pleasure to work on. Maiden flight was awesome thanks to Bill Pryor and several others on RC Universe as this was my first 1/4 scale and first gas application. The Taurus ran perfect with no ajustements needed. Used APC 20X10 on first couple flights then a Zinger 22X8. No comparison, went right back to APC - tacked at 7430. This is without a doubt the best flying plane I have ever flown. Very true in all manuevers and landing is a distnict pleasure. Having a little trouble with vibration and I am sure it is due drilling out the prop. Having to drill to 7/16" is a real bummer and difficult to do. Does anyone know if you can order a high end prop pre-drilled and pre-balanced? Would be worth the price!

Congrats Paul, I'm thrilled it went so well.

As far as the prop drilling, yes it is a pain, and it is very important you get it right and then balance the prop very accurately. There's another thread that has several opinions on how to do this, many I disagree with completely, like freehand holding the prop while drilling it. You should not run it in this out of balance state, it can really screw up the engine, and stuff in the airframe too. Remember too, there will be some vibration in a new motor until you get some time on it and can lean down the bottom end. Is it rough throughout the RPM range, or only near the bottom end?

One of the most accurate ways to drill the prop hole is to use an expansion reamer, but they're $50 and you still need a drill press and have to do it carefully to get it right. The best, and easiest way in my book, is to use a drill press(a must), clamp the prop in a fixture that can be clamped to the drill press table, align the prop to the drill press by putting a drill in the the drill press and through the stock prop hole, then drill the hole in a two step process with one intermediate drill size before the final 7/16" hole. The hole will come out perfectly every time. Make sure you are using sharp and straight drill bits.

Bill:
I held the prop in a press clamp, used a drill press, and used 4 bits to reach 7/16's. I did not clamp the holder to the press and align with current bit size. I will next time. Got a Bolly 20X10 coming and don't want to mess it up.

To answer your question on vibration, it is on the low end, roughly at a very high idle. All the control surfaces really vibrate. I was told this was normal for a gasser but I don't like it. I think I can see at the hub where it meets the prop (no spinner yet) and see some miss-alignment when it turns. That is why I think maybe I did not get the hole true. However, I did balance it using razor blades and a hand held balancer. (to heavy for my normal magnet balancer)

One word of caution! I used graphite rods and titanium 4/40 ends that I got from Central Hobbies. They recommended using quick setting JB weld which I got from them. 2 of the rods came loose after 4 flight. Fortunately, when I was flying it, it noticed the trim was changing on me so I quickly landed it. The ends were loose and would move, causing the trim change. I removed all rods, replaced, and used 30 minute epoxy. I think the JB weld set to fast for any penetration and will never use it again......

Thanks,
Paul

Hi Paul,

>>and align with current bit size

This is an important step, so if you do this, and balance your new prop, you'll at least eliminate vibration from the prop. FYI, my 2.6 vibrates a little at low RPM, but less than when brand new, and not enough to vibrate the control surfaces at alll.

>>They recommended using quick setting JB weld which I got from them. 2 of the rods came loose after 4 flight

I don't know what went wrong on this. I've used this exact setup on several planes and have never had one come loose, and with mine it is nearly impossible to get the titanium ends out even if you wanted too(I've tried).

Here are a couple of questions. Did you rough up the inside with sandpaper? Did you clean out the inside of the rod with alcohol, or other non-oily cleaner, after doing this, until there was no signs of black residue? Did you let the JB Weld dry for at least 24 hours?

Bill

Bill:

I did not rough up the inner surfaces of the rod and clean with alcohol. Will for sure next time. Also, only had about 12 hours to set but I thought that would be plenty. I looked on the tube and there was no setting time recommendation. I replaced all rods and used 30 minute epoxy and will let set for a couple days.

I have a couple more props coming and will try your method of drilling them out before I fly again.

Thanks for the help
Paul

I flew mine last weekend too. I put several flights on it both Saturday and Sunday (after church!) Typical set-up - Brison 3.2, Hitech Digitals, Horizon titanium rods, rocket city hrdware, etc... I have not weighed it yet. CG is at 6 - 6 1/4".

I was impressed with the plane on one hand and a little disappointed on the other.

Good news - it 3D's VERY well. blenders, walls, waterfalls, elevators were all super easy and looked awesome. Hovering and torque rolls were OK, but not as easy as my 42% Giles 202. The Walls were breathtaking. It looked like it should have ripped the wings off several times, but the Extra just locked into a perfect vertical.

Bad News - it is only OK for IMAC style flying. Granted, I have not dialed it in yet and will continue to make changes. First of all, the low rates are plenty and in some cases too much for nice percision flying. I will increase the ailerons and decrease the elevator. I like my elevator set so that I can pull full back at the bottom of a poweroff downline and get a nice even radius pull. This makes it simple to get perfect entrys and exits in vertical maneuvers (now if I could just get the middle parts perfect!). it has a little coupling in knife-edge, but not too bad. I also need some more right trust in the engine - was having to hold a fair amount of rudder to track straight on uplines. The CG is just about right and it needed very little pressure to hold inverted flight.

I was hoping to use this as a back-up for IMAC. What I found is that I really like 3D with it. Hopefully, I can get it dialed in for percision flying.

Everyone talks about how slow this thing lands. While it does slow down, I would not qualify it as super slow. My Giles lands at a fast walk pace. This plane is a little faster. It also has a greater tendency to get into ground effect and then quickly drop out of it (probably my biggest complaint). I love to grease landings. I will go out and do nothing but takeoffs and landings for several flights in the evenings. I never could get this one to really grease on. Maybe it is just a new plane and I have to get used to it.

Hi Fly4Fun2,

Great report. I really appreciate your obvious experienced perspective between the Extra's 3D and precison abilities.

I too find the elevator's extremely sensitive, even on low rates. At first I thought it was CG related, but it is not, though of course it does become even more sensitive as the CG is moved back, but it is even sensitive with a fairly conservative CG. I have no problem with it, I just increasedt he exponential on low rates, but until you get used to it I definitely tended to overcontrol the pitch.

I too added a little right thrust to straighten the uplines. This seems to be a common adjustment necessary on this plane.

Slow landings:

How much does your's weigh? Mine doesn't land as slow as my 40% Carden Cap did either(or doesn't appear to), but I think that is to be expected...and also the relative visual speed between this plane and the 42% Giles might account for the Giles seeming to be a lot slower too.

I am not sure of the weight yet. I ahve not measured it. I did not do anything to lighten it. I have a 700mAh Nimh on ignition and a 2100 mAh 6.0 volt NiMh battery pack on the receiver. I added a pilot and two instrument panels (from DP and they are NICE!). I also added an I4C volt meter panel to the side. I will probably replace the super light wheels with more durable rubber wheels. I fly off of pavement and it eats foam wheels. Plus I hate the flatspots they get if the plane sits in one place too long.

I am sure you are right about the actual speed vs relative speed - although, I think the Giles has a lighter wing loading I am adding tuned cans/3 blade prop to it now and having to do a lot of airframe modifications. Once that is done, I hope to fly them back to back to get a better comparison.

I am glad someone else found the elevator sensitive too. I set about 60% expo on the elevator. That cured ti for straight and level and making subtle changes, but I still think the low rates are too high for competition flying. I pull full up on low rates going into a loop or vertical maneuver and it chops off the corner. I will try reducing the throws and let you know what I find to work well. Most sport flyers will hate this set-up, but after spending most of last season at the bottom of the contest list, I learned this little trick. Sure seems to help make things look smooth. We will see if my scores improve this season.

Fly4Fun2,

My bet is that you're close to 17 lbs with the pilots, panels and that size receiver battery...plus the I4C volt meter. That would explain a little higher landing speed.

I love your trick with the elevator setup to smooth it out for contest work. Although I'm not flying contests, I can easily see how that would be an excellent trick. It's crossed my mind to try a little IMAC for fun...I'm getting enough pressure from the local IMAC contingent...but boy would there be a lot to learn. I've been flying forever, but I know there's a world of difference between slopping around the sky and precision aerobatics.

I just picked up a 40% AW Edge, so it's even more tempting now. Unlike you, I don't have the luxury of keeping the Extra for a backup, so I'm going to have to sell it even though I love it.

You have got to try IMAC. I have been flying R/C off and on for 26 years - and doing a lot fo flying the past 8. I flew IMAC last season and learned more in one season than I have in the past 26 years!!! You won't beleive how it will improve your flying. I used to only fly when the wind was 5-10 mph. Now, I don't care what it is doing!!! Most of our contest seem to have 10-20mph winds and they always seem to blow crossways!!!! I can now correct for wind while upright/inverted/ or vertical without even thinking about it. Now I just have to learn how to make the corrections invisible!!! :-)

That reminds me of another thing I liked about the DP 330L - the rudder was very effective for crosswind situations. Most of the time, the wind was right down the runway (always happens when PRACTICING!). Still, it was effective during crossbox maneuvers and I got it to lock into a real nice slip when I was a little high on final.

>>I flew IMAC last season and learned more in one season than I have in the past 26 years!!! You won't beleive how it will improve your flying.

Most people have no concept of the difference, but I get it completely. I have raced cars for 35 years, and everyone thinks they can drive fast, and it wouldn't be hard to be competitive, until you give them a ride on a race course at 8/10ths and they're completely blown away. I realize that it would be a long and hard learning curve to be competitive at any level in IMAC, maybe that's why I haven't tried. I'm very competitive and used to being relatively successful, and I realize I would have to put my sizeable ego in check if I decide to try it. Nothing like finishing last to put things in perspective. It would probably be good for me to eat a little humble pie and learn to live with it. I could consider it a growth experience. :-) ....now, all I have to do is find the time....not an easy task right now.

Check the trim card that Dave included in the box. This is the same set-up pattern guys have used for years. It is important to go through the trim chart in order. Your CG is still conservative - which means it should be pitching to the canopyif anything. I would suggest checking your incidence and the tail and wing. Be sure to check both sides.

Mine requires some mixing to get rid of it.

I also required a bit of mixing in knife edge, but not much. Mine's at 3% with the CG at 6 1/4". I too agree with Fly4Fun2 that you should re-check the incidence of your wings and hor. stab, particularly the stab since it's adjustable and might not be at 0 deg.

how many of you all turned the fin a little prior to the final glueing?

Hi krayzc,

Do you mean as per plan? If so, yes I turned it the suggested amount.

HI guys. i finally got my chance to maidem my DP 330L ARF to day. elevator is senitve but to bad. good slow landings and nice straight take offs. my 330L with no lighting mods weight is16/LBS and 6 oz. i am flying it on the low rates for now. my CG is set at 5 3/4 i will start moving it to 6 to 6 1/4 and fly agin. o ya i have a 1/3 scale pilot and a H/9 dash panel. this one is a keeper.