Well, remember how I thought my plane was balanced with my finger tips? WRONG. I am so glad I took everyones advice and bought the great planes CG Machine. Take a look.

Hey! Your plane looks just like mine did. I’m glad you made the purchase for the CG machine, it is way more accurate than fingertips. Also thanks for taking the pictures and demonstrating the fact. Mine was just like that before balancing. I had to move my battery pack behind the former for the rear wing hold dowel and still had to add some weight to the tail.

I like to to put the bubble level right on the stabilzer, that is what you want to level out. Careful with the level just on the curve surface of the wing, you could get a misreading.

With a balanced plane, takeoffs will be easier and landings will be slower. All other performance is greatly enhanced as well.

Good flying to you,

Tom

Just to clarify, a slightly nose down condition on the CG machine for a trainer is fine.......although yours definitely looks slightly nose heavy.

Kenny,
Have you flown yet, I was curious how the 40fp does on that trainer. Mine is complete just waiting on better weather, and my trainer pilot to think its warm enough to agree to helping me. Since my last post I joined South Bend Radio Control Club, or SBRC. Seems to be a great club. I went out flying today on a electric Wing Dragon, winds were at 9 mph, temps were approx 28 degrees, but I had two great flights with no mishaps. What a great feeling going home with no repairs. I thought about a third flight but figuered to not push my luck. I am looking very forward to the maiden flight of my T.H. Trainer.

Going to take her up for the first time next weekend. I joined AMA on the temporary 3 month membership so the club here will let me fly. I'll report back and let you know how it goes. Thanks

Kenny, Have you flown yet? I havent, but Ive run the breakin time on the motor, and it went pretty well. Im hoping that your silence hasnt been due to a breakage of the plane. Let me know how it went. Im very curious here. Ron

Hay guys,
I'm new to this thread I just seen it. I would like to commit on this plane also. I have been flying a nexstar and now I am flying a T-34. I just finished a Tower 40 for a friend of mine today and I just loved how it went together and how well it seemed to be I just bought one for myself tonight. If it flys like it looks like it should I think everyone will be very, very happy. I would like to mention I did have to add about 3 1/2 ozs. of weight to the rear to balance. We will fly my friends Tower 40 as soon as work allows both of us to get out with good weather.

Yeah, I had to add a lot of weight to the rear of mine too.

Ron, no I have not had the chance to fly it yet and it is driving me crazy! I found an RC club that is about 20 min away from me and I showed up this last weekend but I guess it was too cold because no one was there. This weekend is suppose to be very nice so I am going to go again and if I am lucky maybe I can finally get this plane in the air!

I dont know about this club your interested in , but the one I joined SBRC meets in the winter months at a different location. Its the luck of the draw to find one of these guys at the field during the winter. Kenny hopefully you will run into one of them soon, if for nothing else to find out where they are meeting. Join the club, Ive had fun so far at mine, alot of older guys to learn the ropes and to fly from. Its also driving me crazy not being able to fly mine yet, but I have been flying my three channel successfully. You guys keep me posted, Im as curious as you kenny, mainly about the performance of this OS40FP. Like everyone above has stated it should be plenty to learn on and alot of fun. Good Flying Ron

I did it! I got to fly the plane.
First off, once I got to the filed the insturctor had me change a lot of the throws on the plane (even though I had them set according to the instructions). He said that it wasnt enough and it would be better to have too much than to little.
Second, he said that the OS 40FP was an OK engine but that a little more power would'nt hurt. It seemed to do fine though once we got it in the air.

Also the instuctor crashed his brand new plane and we had to chop down a pine tree to get it out. Lucky for me my plane didnt suffer the same fate.

Kenny,
Sounds like a great time. Good to hear that ole 40 was enough. I would wait to change to a larger motor till you wore it out or bore of it. Now you've got me all hyped. Im glad to hear it went well at least for yourself. I know he had to be a little humiliated crashing in front of a student. I got tired of waiting for the weather to clear so I started building an additional trainer. I'm building the B.U.H.O.R. for my other 40. So far I have all the materials and I,ve only spent $23.00, now all I have to do is put it together. A 60 inch wing with 840Sq In. with a wing loading lower than our tower trainers. Again, Im gald to hear your first flight was a sucess. Ron

Sorry to hear about the tree. RIP

I received a RTF TH40 trainer that I purchased for my son, have not flown it yet, but I am very dissapointed. The wrinkles in the picture attached are nothing compared to the way this plane came. I hate to have him wait again but I am surely gonna call and see if I can get this thing exchanged.

Tower should exchange it from all my dealing with them, I have never had any problems. In the meantime, strap an engine to that wrinkled pup and see if he'll fly. Beats sitting at home with nothing to do. Pup .40-.46 powered. A real howler! lol

Wrinkled ARFs are not uncommon......the plane takes a lot of changes in humidity and temperature during it's life in the box between the manufacturer, distributors, shipping companies, and retailer.

This is a normal and ongoing thing with film-covered models -- it will keep re-ocurring throughout the life of the plane. The fix is to shrink out the wrinkles with a heat gun (a model covering heat gun, not a hair-dryer). Learn how to do it, 'cause you will be doing it from now on, regardless of whether you build it yourself, or buy it pre-built.

Well, here is whats left of my plane.


I always new that if I was in the hobby long enough that I would have a crash, I just didnt think it would be on the fourth flight of the plane
The instructor and I were on a buddy box and had made two great flights. He said I was doing great and picking up on things really well. So I did a few rolls and then a loop. Shortly after I pulled out of the loop somthing went wrong. He thought it was just me so he tried to take control of the plane but it would not respond to him either, took a nose dive stright down into the runway.
We could not find anything wrong with the plane and it was thoroughly inspected prior to take off, so he said to call tower hobbies and see if they would replace it. I called and talked to a guy named Jake, he said to send what was left back to them and they would replace it, so this is the letter I sent along with the wreckage.

Hobby Services

3002 N. Apollo Drive, Suite #1

Champaign, IL 61822



To Whom It May Concern:

I purchased a Tower Trainer 40 MKII from Tower Hobbies on 12/27/2005. I joined an AMA sanctioned club in Douglasville GA on 03/07/2006. Steve Schoot, the club instructor, thoroughly inspected the plane prior to take off. He then made a successful flight before allowing me to fly via a buddy box configuration on 03/12/2006. While on its third flight the plane suddenly lost control and nose-dived straight into the pavement. The aircraft was at a significant altitude to allow recovery, and the instructor tried to regain control of the plane, but it would not respond. Upon investigation we found all internal components of the aircraft to be in working order.


I spoke to Jake in your warranty department on 03/13/2006 at 9:20am(CST); he agreed to replace the plane with another Tower Trainer 40 MKII. Per his instructions I am sending the remaining wreckage along with this letter of explanation.

We sincerely appreciate your help in this matter.



____________________

Steve Schoot

Vice President & Club Trainer

Douglas County Aeromodelers




____________________

Kenny Marshall

Student Pilot / Tower Hobbies Customer



They got the plane and letter on Friday, hopefuly I will get a new plane soon.
In the mean time, I bought RealFlight G3 and have been flying on it. By the way I love G3, its as close to the real thing as you can get, and when the plane takes a nose dive into the runway you just hit the little red button [8D]

Kenny,
I am sincerly sorry about your plane. I have still not flown mine so at least you had the joy of flying a few times before this happened. I have been worried about doing the same thing to mine. I went a little bit different route to learn on for this spring, I built a buhor trainer which will be my training plane before training on my tower trainer. Im hoping that my TT will not have the same dismise. I've got to hand it to you though, when you crash one you don't mess around dude. That thing is toast,,,lol. I hope your new one comes in soon so you can get back in the air. Ron

Those are pretty big wrinkles

Those are pretty big wrinkles

Got the new replacement plane today! I must say I am very pleased with Hobby Services. They got what was left of my old plane Friday afternoon and shipped me the new on Monday (Next Business day). Can't wait to put her together and get back in the air.

So I had my TT 40 out for the second time, I've been flying other things in the interim. And boy does my landing gear need attention. Every time I would take off, it would veer to the right, was extremely difficult to control. Once up, it was great, very responsive, going to make a great aerobat sport flier. So I'm driving home thinking of the poor takeoffs, even considered making it a taildragger. Looking at it at home I noticed I put one of those Servo Savers ( http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXD646&P=7 ) on the nose gear rod. So thats whats making it veer when it starts getting up to speed. I know what I'm removing, or at least make the spring tension greater. Or maybe I'll just make it a Taildragger.