Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

My wife just picked me up one of these "Blue Nose" P51 kit's for my upcoming 40th birthday (in Jan) while we were out of town on holiday yesterday, and while I will be going ahead with the DLE20 as the preferred power option, have any of you placed one of these DLE20's into one of these kits, and if so, how did you find it once done, and were there any issues like being nose heavy as a result? It looks to fit perfectly within the cowl aside from the spark plug tip when we quickly mocked it up in the shop yesterday.
I ask as I figure that a quick query now might save me an issue in a few months when I FINALLY get to fly this stunning aircraft!

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

Some who have fitted DLE 20's in the very narrow P51 cowl have reported overheating prtoblems, so make sure to pay attention to providing ample cooling air entry/baffling and exhaust exit avenues for the engine.

Karol

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

My DLE 20s got hot pretty easily in the cowl till they got 2 or so gal thru them and start to get broken in... Brian

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

My flying buddy Wilkie has two flights in with his DLE20 powered bluenose Mustang & has had no isues so far, very nice power plant for this bird.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

Thanks for the feedback guys, much appreciated. Now at least I can add that ounce of prevention to the plane when she is ready to be set up.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

Do any of you have any good photos of your DLE20/Blue nose Mustang setups??

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

I can see if Wilkie has some of his set up & I have some video footage of it in the air , plus we are taking some of our warbirds out for a flight tomorrow so may get some photos & footage to post from then.
Will try to get it done tomorrow night.
Just saw your location, I'm a Christchurch boy myself ...;) grew up in Burwood & most of my Family are still in Christchurch.
Cheers Steff.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

SNAP ...... lets just say that the trees at Burwood Hospital used to block my digital tv signal at times before I had a booster installed - I can see them from my back yard ...... I'm in Tumara Park, just in behind the hospital grounds ;)

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

Can't wait to see the pics. Been thinking about doing the same to mine.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

Been reading this thread ([link]http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_8623566/mpage_66/key_/tm.htm[/link]), and with a little horror too I might add.
Seriously, just how many of you have had flight or landing gear issues with this very aircraft? (I'm trying to find out if this is typical, or just a few bad experiences prior to starting my build)

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

I have the H9 P-51 "Marie" 60 and the only problems i've had were due to me being an idiot..lol I didn't have the LG adjusted properly and on landing one collapsed and the other was ripped out of the wing. I upgraded to the Blue Nose LG and have not had any issues and I fly off grass most of the time. Just make sure you adjust them properly. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/js/f...wink_smile.gif

Great flying plane!

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

Yeah, after spending some serious time going through the older posts on that thread today, while this specific P51 does sound like it flies like a really scale aircraft vs having 'sport' traits, I'm feeling a lot better than the last ten pages of that thread left me feeling that's for sure.
Like anything in life I guess, quite a lot of folk blame there tools throughout their life, and while some might be justified, some folk are just unfortunate in a lot of areas I guess, with the rest just being able to think it all out and make things work for them.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

I had the Marie version and it was truly a sport version and flew very easily. But after reading about their blue nose version I would not recommend it unless you are VERY good at flying warbirds in a scale manner, and even then several pilots have reported crashes due to stalls/snaps. So if you are a new warbird pilot stay VERY far away from the blue nose plane until you have learned how to fly warbirds in a scale manner. This is much different from how you can fly aerobatic or general sport planes.

Your pictures show that you have flown choppers and a trainer "plank" airplane. So from the choppers you obviously have good reflexes and vision. So it looks like you can be a very good warbird pilot. But be careful with this blue nose. I would get the Top Flite or the world/airbone models 60 size mustangs in a heartbeat before the H9 blue nose.

As for retracts the wing mounts are ok but many reinforce them. I personally don't even try to use the mechanical retracts because I have fond some reliable air up/spring down Robarts that I use as my standard retract now. So I throw away or give away the mechanical retracts and replace them with the Robarts. Another decent option seems to be the Lado design electric powered retracts now sold by Magnum out of France.

Good Luck whichever way you go.

Ed

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

Thanks for the feedback Ed.
Yeah, I had read how some have had issues with stalling etc on this plane in the thread I put a link too above. And as you say, I am a heli pilot first, so the reflexes etc and ability to fly the tail have become instinctive by default. The (overpowered) trainer I have is just to get the basic feel of a plane down pat re how it actually moves in the air, as to say flying the trainer is a piece of cake after the helis would be a huge understatement. That fact became apparent after the 1st flight I ever had on it.
After reading how the recommended elevator throws are a little high, I'm going to set my rates in accordance with that when I get around to setting it up. As for slow speed stalling on landing, I get the feeling I'll just have to get used to flying this one right down to the runway to negate that as much as possible.
While there are a lot of negative comments re those traits, there are still a lot of folk really enjoying their H9 Blue Nose, so I'll try to remain optimistic as to it's abilities, and also take my time setting it up to ensure EVERYTHING is 100% (managed it with the heli I guess), then keep the warnings in the back of my mind, and treat her with a LOT of respect down the line when I finally get it airborne - least she'll be powered well with that DLE20 under the hood! ;)

PS - the optimism I have (and hopefully not blind arrogance) comes from the fact people told me you can never learn to fly a heli (from scratch with no sim) on a 450 sized collective pitch heli .... after setting a steady plan in place to get myself comfortable and to a good place, I managed that one OK. Now I'm hoping that with the experienced and understanding I have gained over the last 18 months, that I should be able to pull this off with a little assistance from the more experienced guys at the local club I have since joined which I didn't have access to previously - well that and I have since got Phoenix, so will spend time working on that re stalling recovery, landing in tricky situations etc to get as comfortable as possible before I hit the skies with the real deal (not including getting these skills down pat on the trainer I have when I get to the flying field).
As for me and my mind set, success in this hobby comes down to preparation, practice, planning, with a little more preparation, practice and planning added for good measure.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

I've been flying my Blue Nose for about 11 months now and it has hundreds of flights, I fly it every weekend. Just had the H9 wheels disintegrate last weekend, but it is still flying. I have lots of experience flying heavy warbirds and I know how to fly very well in my humble opinion! I can and do land this plane at my feet every time, BUT, and I mean it's a big but, I fly it with caution. That is why I still have it! Mine will snap and roll on it's back in the blink of an eye, never had a plane do this before. Others have crashed because of this after about 4 flights and they just blame themselves, but something is not right with it. I fly it very smooth and scale, with plenty of speed, but when I fly my aerobatic routine like I have done so many times with other P-51's and sport planes, the Blue Nose will flip on it's back say if you don't pull out of a loop just right. I used to fly low level pulling out near the runway, but now I'm a few mistakes high doing my maneuvers. I can't pin the cause down, it just seems strange, and when I get to know my other planes the H9 Mustang always feels like a stranger when I fly it!

Best of luck to you and keep us informed of your progress and your thoughts about flying it, it does look great in the air!

Pictures are of some of my mods to this aircraft:

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

I like that feedback, it's nice to see someone who is aware of, and has experiences the snap roll issue a few have mentioned, yet place's what sounds like a good amount of intelligence into their process of flying it, and has remained successful thus far as a result of that thought out process.
In fairness, I am a 'little' nervous based on some of the feedback I have read, but that said, I have also read some good reviews on this very plane, so do wonder if it is an issue across all of these Blue Nose Mustangs, or just random ones for some unknown reason - if we exclude 'Monday-itus' syndrome at the factory.
I say that as I really would be amazed if H9 put out an aircraft to market with this fatal trait being known, as it would/should have raised it's head during their testing process if it was indeed inherent design problem across all of them (maybe I'm being too optimistic if not naive, but I understand they had to do more than just a few things right to get to where they are today!). Either way, at this stage, I still plan to complete this build once I finally get access to it on my 40th in Jan (this discussion is my 'research')
While I will be looking to minimize the weight I end up putting into it in a effort to keep the wing loading as light as possible, I do feel this may be a little hard with a 20cc gasser up front and the required batteries that option demands, not to mention the fact I will be looking to run the retracts on their own power supply to remove the binding/drain "crash into a million pieces with a dead radio" possibility.
That said, the DLE20 does run all up at 30grams lighter than the Saito FG20 petrol option it's designed to take, so this should assist a bit with AUW.
Still .... I have a few months to finalize the build plan, get the electronics I decide to run fully tested, and work out what the AUW will end up at so I can see if I need to trim the fat in any way.
Until then, I welcome reasonable input from all parties, as while I may not opt to follow a given idea or opinion, it will still be part of the equation and process that will assist me to my end decisions, and as such will all be well received.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

I do believe that even reputable companies can turn out a flop now and then, and I would consider this one of them. My plane along with everyone else's flight report that I read needed massive down trim to fly level, my plane needed 1/4" of down in the elevator. This tells me the plane has problems and it was put on the market knowing it had this problem. Trim your plane accordingly for your maiden.

Just remember to keep your altitude while you get familiar with her, and in my case I always keep my altitude unless I'm flying straight and level! It needs the wings glued together, but I don't want to in case I need to replace one wing, I don't want to have to buy 2 wing halves. Anyway, post your progress here and if there is anything I can help with I'll chime in. It will be interesting to here your findings, you are thinking this through and doing your homework, so it sounds like you will be well prepared!

Luke

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

I'm kinda curious, as after (quickly) skimming through the instruction manual, and not finding it, I'm wondering if any of you had a wooden locking hook on one of the wings for what looks like hooking the radiator 'scoop' in place under the wing joint line ........ as on mine there is even a notch inside at the front of the radiator where it looks like the hook goes, as well as magnets at the rear to hold it up against the fuse - almost like it's designed to negate the use of screws to lock the radiator assembly to the bottom of the wing, despite the instructions clearly showing the use of said screws.
Got me a little curious really.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

WELL ...... Today I'm 40, and today I get to FINALLY start my build!!. (plane was my B/day pressie)

As they look to be lacking a little, I really want to start off with a build thread showing the build in all it's entirety using this specific power plant, as while I found it hard getting specific information on the process with the DLE20, hopefully some one else might take what I do and then be able to do it better/easier as a result.
While I have assembled RC car's, yachts and a couple of 6ch collective pitch heli,s before (one electric and one nitro heli), as my last plane was brought assembled off the guy who sold it to me, this will actually be my first build, and will be one I'm really looking forward to and one I'll be looking for feedback on as we go.
So I'll go wipe the sleep from my eyes, get some bits out of the box and get some photos taken! :D

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

Happy Birthday to you. I got my next project as a christmas present and I am excited to start mine. I look forward to seeing you build thread this. Please put it in this thread so we can find it. Good luck on building this beauty up and taking her to the skies.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

Thanks Admiral052.

First issue - retracts. H9 in their infinite wisdom decided to make the opening for the servo specific to their odd sized RT88 servo, which when your running a different retract servo causes issues as it does not fit in the bigger space that is available.
So now I'm off to get some alloy angle sections so I can re-make a side panel on each of the retract assembly thus allowing me to use the servos I brought for the job - it's a simple job that I'll do at work next week being as I work for an engineering company (even if I am the sales manager for my region).
Pics will follow.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

I got the first elevator all hinged up, all went together pretty well, the hints that the instructions give are good for the newbee (ie ME), and look to be such that they are well worth the time to read and take in.
While I HAD to do a quick 'stick the wings together and see what she looks like', I will be following this build in accordance to how the instructions are set out as much as possible ("famous last words" I hear you say), as one magazine write up I have had for a few years pointed out that this specific plane is a little more complicated than a normal .60 sized mustang ARF, and as such it has a few things that can catch you out IF you don't get the sequence correct in the assembly.
I have a picture of the landing gear and the issue re the servo spacing and how standard retract servos don't fit - there is about a 4mm gap between standard and the spec'ed RT88 servo from JR.
I have already collected alloy angle sections that will allow me to remake the side frame of the landing gear that will need to be made anew to allow my servos to fit and will start on that over the next day or so. Sorry about the picture quality, I had to use my phone being as my daughter has misplaced my normal camera, and using my wifes pro level SLR does strike me as a little over the top for this purpose. Picture quality will get better from tomorrow once I locate our old 'shoot and snap' camera that I use.

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

I thought I had already posted the vid of my mates shake down flight of his DLE20 powered Mustang.
Must have been some where else ....anyway in case you haven't seen it.
all the best for your build.
Oh & happy birthday for the 10th, are you feeling naughty yet ?:).
Steff.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEBer...3&feature=plcp

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

Thanks Steff .... was on the 11th (I'm 'over the ditch' from you so are on the same 'day' for the most part) - computers and web sites for ya I guess.

Great to see that video, nice to know what one is aiming for - and it sounded great too!!. What muffler system was he running, as I've got a wrap-around pitts style sitting there for mine, as I only want the minimal amount of the motor/muffler showing when this is done. I have attached a pic I was sent by another guy (not my plane of course) showing what I'm looking to achieve re hiding the motor as best I can.

PS - "naughty" is just an ongoing state of mind! ;)

RE: Hangar 9 .60 P-51 with DLE20.
 

That sounded so good. So that's how it's supposed to land. back to the sim for me.
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