I am still torn between the NexStar and P-51 Trainer but recently I have been leaning more towards the P-51 because of its good looks and many features. I was wondering that because of the P-51's cowl, could I still fit a larger engine on the firewall? I don't see a replacement 3-blade prop. as an accessory on the P-51. Are those even availabe? Could a larger engine even be installed on the NexStar? Sorry, I'm not familiar with the engines and their mount sizes.

Yes you can put a bigger engine but why?
A ran a Thunder Tiger Pro 46 on mine and it had more than enough power, I would guess the 46 Evo on the RTF wouldn't be much less.
Yes you can buy replacement props, They are Evolution trainer system props.
Many people replace the 3 blade prop with a 2 blade for better performance, I never got around to it and it is too late now.

If you have a spare few hours to read the huge thread, you will find out all you want to know about the P-51 Trainer here


http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3102050/tm.htm

wow... thanks for the thread.

Missleman, So I can put a 60 engine on the P-51 PTS? It would fit?

You could but you would have to do too many mods to make it work and it would be way too much engine for that plane.

how long will this plane stay in the air with full throttle?

btw: do you think retracts are possible on this plane? [8D]

The way the wing is built retracts are out of the question.
Full throttle airtime? about 8 to 10 minutes depending on how your engine is running. (assuming a 45 to 46 size engine)
Before you ask, if you want to mount the battery and receiver in the premade foam tray you can't change to a bigger fuel tank (the tray sits right against the tank)

Also a bigger engine is going to make the plane heavier. This plane already comes in pretty fast for a trainer as it is. A heavier plane is going to make for a higher wing loading, which will increase the landing speed above where it is already. In addition to that the landing gear mounts on these planes have been found to be pretty tender, adding weight to the plane is going to make those landing gear mounts more likely to break.

Normally things like these aren't an issue on a plane because modifications can be made, but I try to discourage beginners from making any modifications to a plane they are learning on. I do this because at this stage in their flight career most beginners just don't have enough knowledge to make the modifications properly. In the case of the P-51 PTS you would be talking about major modifications. I would stay with the engine the plane was made for.

Hope this helps

Ken

do you think I could add a bigger fuel tank later on? I know you'd have to re-arrange the battery and receiver but could it still be in a safe position protected by foam?

oh. nvm the tray does not fit...

I read that a OS 50fx 2S fits in the cowl without cutting it all up. that is in the P51

roltech

I don't mean to ask so many questions (lol) but how do you control the flaps on the P-51? is it a switch? Knob? Is it precise?

You could but there really is no reason to.
When I said you would get 8 to 10 minutes flight time at full throttle that was at full throttle. In an average flight you spend alot of time at near half throttle. 15 plus minutes of flight should be no problem at all.
Granted I only flew mine 16 times before its final demise, but all 16 flights where plenty long and I was ready to land, you can only fly so long and you need a break. There was plenty of fuel left after each flight. In fact in the approximately 85 flights I have had in multiple aircraft I have never ran out of fuel.
Believe me that tank is plenty big. Get a good flight in, land, take a short break, refuel, go back up.

Thanks for the info. Are the flaps precisely controlled?

Sorry, can't answer that one. I never did install a servo for the flaps. I flew with the flaps down the first 2 flights and found the airplane very difficult to handle and I left the flaps up from then on.

I meant like how the flaps are controlled. Do you use a switch? A knob? What is the 5th channel on the transmitter?

15 minutes flying when you are training in an eternity. IMHO training flights should be no longer than 11-12 minutes. Longer than that and the students gets to fatigued from being keyed up. It's possible to actually fly too long when you are training, then you start making stupid mistakes. An instructor that is on the ball won't let you fly much longer than 11-12 minutes.

Ken

Mine the JR radio XF421 that came with the RTF set up, the AUX.Ch. switch controls the servo I installed you can adjust the radio for the amount of flaps your happy with, or from the servo arms or control horns.

roltech

uh oh... so theres only 2 settings for the flaps when using a servo? Raised and lowered? nothing in between?

I wish it came with a knob so you can adjust, but this system works good I only use the flaps when there is no head wind to slow the P51 when landing.

roltech

How you lower your flaps depends on the radio you are using. If the radio has a flap channel that has an adjustment knob then you can use that to lower your flaps, and the amount that you lower them is adjustable. Some radios only have and "on-off" switch and the flaps are only up or down, and you have to adjust the amount of travel with your linkages. Some radios have a combination of both. My Airtronics radios have a 3 way flap switch. Position one is flaps up, position 2 is flaps down but adjusted with the flap knob, and position 3 is the flaps fully extended. Anyway, asking in here about how to control the flaps is somewhat of a moot point. You'll set it up according to the radio that you use.

Hope this helps

Ken