Reinforcing aerobird challenger
#1
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From: Kings Mountain, NC
What all can I do to my aerobird challenger to reinforce it, I took it on its maiden flight this morning the wind got up, and I lost control and found it 70' ft up in a pine tree, with the main wing broken, and the tail wing scraped, [
] Any body have any tips on reinforcing the plane and tips on when and where the best places are to fly
--DEADHEADFLYER--
] Any body have any tips on reinforcing the plane and tips on when and where the best places are to fly --DEADHEADFLYER--
#2
As you've discovered, the Aerobird Challenger is best flown in very light winds. Completely calm to 5 mph winds are ideal for beginning flight attempts.
You should protect the center section of your wing with fiber reinforced box tape. You want to reinforce the areas where the rubber bands connect the wing to the fuselage and especially to protect the wing's trailing edge just in front of the propeller. It seemed like every time I put a new wing on my Challenger, the first time I tried to fly it the plane would come down and the wing would get shoved into the prop and chewed up.
The Aerobird Challenger can fly surprisingly well, but it needs to be trimmed out properly and it needs to be flown only in very light wind. The 12v peak charger that came with my Challenger had a habit of false peaking. I had several early flight attempts spoiled by charging up my battery and driving to a field only to discover the battery would run out of juice after just a minute or so. I bought the Hobbyzone wall wart charger for $9.99, and I found this was more reliable for completely charging my battery. I only used my car charger for "topping up" the battery on my way to the field.
Keep plugging away. It will take a lot of practice to get good at flying your Aerobird Challenger. Protecting your wing from your propeller and making sure your battery is really charged before you try to fly are two good ways to improve your odds.
You should protect the center section of your wing with fiber reinforced box tape. You want to reinforce the areas where the rubber bands connect the wing to the fuselage and especially to protect the wing's trailing edge just in front of the propeller. It seemed like every time I put a new wing on my Challenger, the first time I tried to fly it the plane would come down and the wing would get shoved into the prop and chewed up.
The Aerobird Challenger can fly surprisingly well, but it needs to be trimmed out properly and it needs to be flown only in very light wind. The 12v peak charger that came with my Challenger had a habit of false peaking. I had several early flight attempts spoiled by charging up my battery and driving to a field only to discover the battery would run out of juice after just a minute or so. I bought the Hobbyzone wall wart charger for $9.99, and I found this was more reliable for completely charging my battery. I only used my car charger for "topping up" the battery on my way to the field.
Keep plugging away. It will take a lot of practice to get good at flying your Aerobird Challenger. Protecting your wing from your propeller and making sure your battery is really charged before you try to fly are two good ways to improve your odds.
#3
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 203
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From: arlington, WA
i love my aerobird...the firebird commander is a better training plane, I had on of those and I flew it in wind...never seen again, I had extra batteries for it and they work in my aerobird, so I usually get to fly about 1 and a half to two hours when I get to the field
Also, take it off of the 'trainer mode', all that does for me is seem to help me crash more because you dont have ful control of it
the best pplace to fly is somewhere wide open, the wings are pretty fragile
Also, take it off of the 'trainer mode', all that does for me is seem to help me crash more because you dont have ful control of it
the best pplace to fly is somewhere wide open, the wings are pretty fragile
#4
Senior Member
My Feedback: (1)
A zip tie behind the motor will help keep it where it's supposed to be when you Lawn Dart it, A couple of zip ties and some plastic welding epoxy where the tail boom meets the fuse will help reinforce it there. Never fly it in the low rates mode unless it's your first flight ever, and the Pro Tail mod is a must for more control!!!! A quik search will reveal the details on the Pro tail mod and others. [8D]




