does anybody here fly one of these?

what do you think of it?

I don't have one but I know several people who do. It's a nice trainer. Building it is about like putting an Airfix kit together. It's worth putting a .46 in because they're fairly heavy but they always fly well and are pretty resistant to damage.

The things that do break are the main landing gear legs and sometimes the aileron control horns (if the wing twists in a real crunch). They are readily available as spares. It's also worth getting a spare wing bolt or two. They're easy to lose and they're a really odd size that you'll never get hold of other than as an official spare part.

HTH - Steve

Yep I have one of these, they are great to learn on. They are good and strong and fly well ( ie you can fly inverted; do loops, rolls etc). They have the option for flapperons which I used and find that they help in reducing the role out at take off. (Probably take off needs 50% less runway length).

I started off with an MDS 40 engine but it was not reliable so
I switched to an Irving 46. (Lots of dead stick landings with the MDS 40). It flies alot faster with this new engine.

I think the worst feature is the nosewheel steering. I am thinking of converting mine to be fixed. I've had a few colapsed nosewheel incidents on take off where the wheel has twisted and tucked under. I'm on my second noseleg and steering arm assembly now so next time it gives me trouble I'll make the modification to fixed. I do fly from a rough grass strip though. I also changed the wheels to be 3 inch diameter.

I've not managed to snap the bolt holding the wings on yet but instead I have pulled out the nut retaining shoe a few times. It just glues back in nice and easy.

If you get one I hope you enjoy it.
Nick

i do have one. Got it last week but havent had the weather to get anyone to test fly it yet hopefully tomorrow!. i too am not sure about the steerable wheel mainly because i cant get it to turn much. can anybody think of a reason as to why this happens?
another thing. i have my radio set for flaperons but when i move the ailerons one moves more than the other ie one will go down nearly twice as the one going up, should this happen?
thanks

Eugoogoly.

Don't worry about only having a small amount of movement on the steerable wheel, you only need very small amounts.

With regard to your ailerons you may have some differential set in the radio that will make the servo move more one way than the other, or you may have produced the same effect mechanically. Difficult to explain but make sure that the servo arm you have connected to the aileron is at 90 degrees to the front/back alignment of the servo (ie it sticks out to the side) when the aileron is at neutral. If you want to set differential my understanding is that it should be the other way round, ie more up movement than down.

My personal view is that in the circumstances flaperons are an unnecessary complication, you won't need flaps on this sort of model and will have your hands plenty full with the main controls until you get used to it. There is a temptation to use the functions provided by modern computer radios simply because they are there, my moto is K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Simon), my aim is to use as few functions as possible, less to get wrong, less to check, less to remember to transfer to a new radio or model.

Hope the test flight goes well.

Simon.

cheers simon. will check both differential and mechanical

Nick,
Not sure you should "fix" that nosewheel into a single position. The plane will want to pull to the left on the take-off run, and without a means of compensating.... Once you have enough speed, the rudder might work though.

If the nosewheel is thaty much trouble, why not convert it to a taildragger? Adds another dimension to your flying and is usually more reliable.

Sorry Eugoogly. Seems your threads been taken over.
Dennis-

From experience fixing the nosewheel works much better than the steerable one if you're flying off grass particularly if it's not too smooth. The rudder has sufficient authority.

Steerable nosewheels work on tarmac but are often a bit of a liability on grass. At the club where I fly we usually suggest to most learners that they fix the nosewheel (it saves all those heavy loads on the rudder servo too).

Steve

another question, should flaps go up or down?

Down

- Steve

how do i check the centre of gravity on the plane so i know where to put the weights?

A quick update on the nose wheel problem.

Since I changed the steering arm things have got a lot more reliable. On close examination of the old one I found that the thread had become quite loose. I think this was letting the grub screw come loose. So for now I'll hold off in converting to a fixed nose wheel assembly.

Nick

Eugoogoly

To check the C of G you measure back from the front of the wing the distance it recommends in the instructions (I don't have mine to hand so can't tell you the amount) Then without fuel in the tank lift the plane up on your finger tips under the wings and check the point of balance lies within the two dimensions given. I made a couple of pencil lines on the fus.

I use two different battery packs, one weighs 50 grams more than the other. I mounted the transmitter infront of the firewall where the rear anding gear is attached and put my battery in front of that. I don't notice any difference whilst flying so it is not that critical with this model.

Nick

thanks for all the feedback, although i have (hopefully) one last noob question. (fill in the blanks)
if i want to go up the elevator goes...
if i want to bank left the left aileron goes...and the right aileron goes...
if i want to yaw left the rudder goes...

thanks

There are lots of good beginners sites around with basic information like that. The one I like best is http://www.rcflightunlimited.com/index.asp

There's stuff in there you haven't even realised you need yet .

Steve

im getting really annoyed with the wheelspinning round when i land the plane. how did yoy get it in a fixed postion? is there anything i need to buy to fix it?

thanks, Pete

Eugoogoly

After I changed the steering arm the turning problems went away. Make sure that the flat in the wire is located against the grub screw otherwise the wire can turn on the steering arm.
Push the wire up nearly into position tighten the grub screw until it just pinches the wire then push the wire up a bit more until it becomes loose again. Then you know you are exactly over the flat in the wire and can tighten it up firmly.

I also found it is very important to have the wheel lined up properly with the center line of the steering arm hinge assembly. I got a length of threaded 8mm rod from B&Q and used this inserted through the spring loops to hold the wire still whilst I bent the wire into the right shape with large pliers. It is much easier to do this off the plane than trying to straighten things up on the plane.

Also one last thing which helps preserve the nose wheel, on Landing, apply full up elevator once the plane is on the ground to reduce the weight on the nose wheel whilst rolling along the ground.

Nick

if i want to go up the elevator goes... Up (Stick comes back
if i want to bank left the left aileron goes...Up Stick goes left
and the right aileron goes... Down
if i want to yaw left the rudder goes... LeftStick goes left

Look at your plane (from the back) and picture the air moving over the wing or horizontal and vertical stabilizers. Deflect the ailerons, elevator and rudder. Which way would the air cause the wing or tail to move?
Dennis-

thanks Dennis but I got that info about a month ago and my instructor has that information drummed into my head along with other pre flight safety checks.

Nick thanks for the reply but I don't want to keep the steerable wheel. It's becoming more of a hinderance than than a help.

Sorry about that, I didn't notice the posted date of your question.
Dennis-