Well, after much searching and reading of the forums I finally purchased my first tail dragger. I got it on RCUniverse, the plane was a hangar queen, never flown and the engine MAY have been run. Its an old GP FW-190, built, .46 engine (plane is in the mail so not sure which brand yet), mech. retracts, 6 channel futaba radio and all for $100.00 less than the Mustang PTS.
I have no idea what the CG of this bird is, what to look for to reinforce, I did a search on the forums here and only found a few threads that mention this plane but no details.
I have an instructor lined up (the same one who taught me to fly my H9 Alpha) to field check, and buddy box me while I learn to handle this plane. So, here are my questions:

How does this plane handle? I read that it is a good sport plane, and doesn't handle like a warbird (hence why I felt confident in purchasing it).

What kin of problems did it have? For example, was the landing gear weak?

The seller mentioned that the back of the ailerons(the facing that is not visible when the ailerons are in a neutral position) and where the landing meets the fusilage near the gear are bare wood and I should gas proof them, but he said that the plane is wood and foam and to be careful what I use to seal it. Any suggestions here?

Actually...any suggestions would be helpful since the plane has sat for 6 years.....

The plane is due to arrive in a few days, I'll post pics if necessary.

Should this be in the ARF Forum?

Thanks!!!

Here are some things I would do:
1) Cycle the receiver and transmitter batteries several times to be sure they are ok.
2) Seriously consider sending the radio to a service center to be checked out. This will be cheaper than losing/crashing a plane due to a hidden problem.
3) Remove the engine and pull the carb and back plate. Look inside for signs of dirt or rust. If there are, consider buying new bearings. Clean the carb with alcohol and lube it before you reinstall it. Be sure to remove the needle and run a little alcohol or fuel through the spray bar assembly.
4) Thoroughly bench test all the servos. And then test them again with the engine running.
5) Carefully check all the hinge lines to be sure they are tight and that none of the hinges are broken. If any are suspect, remove the entire control surface and rehinge it. If any of them have excessive gaps, consider sealing the hinge line or rehinging.
6) Epoxy will work fine for fuel proofing small sections of bare wood.
7) Remove the fuel tank. Disassemble it so you can install a new clunk line. Flush it with alcohol. If the stopper is not still flexible, replace it or the whole tank. When you reinstall it, use new fuel lines.
8) If it came with a prop, you probably should replace it.
9) Confirm that all screws, nuts, bolts, etc are tight. Confirm that fasteners subject to falling off due to vibration (such as wheel collar set screws) were installed with Loctite.
10) Check covering seams and iron down any that are loose.
11) Check the tail surfaces to be sure they are not loose.

I'm sure there are other things, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Is this your "second" model? If so -- nothing like jumping in with both feet! While it isn't a true blood-&-guts warplane, it isn't anything like a trainer, so you are bound for high adventure. I suggest that you load the nose of your trainer with weight & put a steeper pitch prop on it -- then fly it as hard as you can. The extra weight & nose-heaviness will increase the stall-speed & push up your landing speed noticeably. The steeper prop will increase both your airspeed & approach speeds -- something that you will need to adjust to. The weight will also force you to hold more speed in turns, particularly in the landing pattern, something that you must do with the FW 190. Practice, practice, practice before touching your new toy.


The landing gear is weak.


I suggest that you carefully paint the exposed surfaces with Tremclad, Armour-coat, Rustoleum, or some other enamel-based paint --you can blend your own colours to suit.

Have fun & good luck

Excellent! Thanks Piper...you know..now that you mention it the seller did say that during packing a cowling bolt fell off....hmmm...looks like there is going to be quite a bit of pre-flight checking...a days worth at least! Not counting of course the time to send the radio off to a repair center...never heard of this unless there was actual damage to a radio...is this type of thing common?

Hi Brit...thanks! Yes this is my second model, but I have removed the disk inside the muffler to increase speed on my Alpha, and changed the prop and the thing really gets up and goes now! I think I've about done as much with it as I can and my landings are smooth and light (for the most part). I didn't think of adding nose weight though....
I am EXTREMELY interested in warbirds and scale racers (there is definitely a gee bee of one type or another in my future as well as a Super Solution), and mostly twins (mosquito and me110 being two of my favorites!). I wanted to jump in with both feet, and since I do have an instructor to help with the initial flights I'll know soon enough if this was a mistake or not. Hopefully I'll still have the plane after a few flights and if I have to I'll get something easier to start with. I think I've read every thread about the PTS by H9 and felt that I'm ready for this...but only getting out to the field and flying will say for sure. The guys at the field are always saying I come in "hot" now for a trainer, but I like the speed and it's my way of preparing for the faster landing speeds of a low wing tail dragger.
I'll post some pics when I get the plane.
thanks again!

Good for you. No guts -- no glory!

I forgot to mention -- crank up all of the control throws on the trainer -- to the max.

Have fun -- carefully

It's personal choice. Since you don't know what conditions the radio has been subjected to, it's cheap insurance. Of course many will tell you that a range check is all you need...