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aerobird
hi. i just got the aerobird challenger from hobby zone! do any of you gave expierieces with this plane? If you do, could you tell me everything about it, and give me some pointers! I CAN'T WAIT to fly this airplane! thankyou so much!
zach:D |
RE: aerobird
The Challenger is rather durable. I've had mine a year. The bigger battery that they sell makes the engine run stronger but not longer. I was alreday experienced so I started out with it in expert mode.
If you do not have it in expert mode, the wind needs to be very calm or you will not be able to control it well. I have the regular battery as well as the one with the extra cell. I've never torn up or broken anything on it. I keep it in the box as originally packaged except when I'm using it. The landing gear is a waste of time. If you'll notice in the included video, you cannot control it on the ground. So I hold the transmitter in one hand with the vertical trim all the way up and launch with the other hand. Then I grab the stick to get it under control whereby I readjust the trim. If someone will launch it for me, I leave the trim centered. I can run the throttle and hold the transmitter with one hand. I do not have the optional combat pack. there are three others at the field but we are never there at the same time with our Aerobirds. Two of the others have the sonar thingy on them. Enjoy, Jim |
RE: aerobird
thank you! i was thinking that maybe if i mad the landing gear and tail wheels steerable, i could controll it better on the ground?:eek: i do have the extra cell battery along with 2 of the stock batterys. The first time i flew, the winds must have 7-11 miles per hour, and it got blown into a tree. (the left wing got flung into the air, and i lost controll) So you think that if there is strong wind, i should go into expert mode? thank you!
zach |
RE: aerobird
I have been flying my original Aerobird since March 2003. I added an Aerobird
Challenger a few months ago. Between them I have over 300 flights. I love them both! Today my fleet consists of 2 Aerobirds, 3 other electrics, 7 thermal duration sailplanes, two discus launched gliders and three slope gliders. I recently added lights to the original Aerobird for night flight. That was weird. It was like flying a ghost. You can't see the plane, only the lights. They now have a night module for the challenger. I have that too. I have pounded the poor Aerobird plane into the ground, destroyed three wings, and two tails. I had to build a new motor mount because I destroyed that too. All this, and the plane flies great, but it has taken a real beating. That is what makes it such a great three channel beginner plane. Along the way I have had to solve many problems because I was so reckless with it while I was learning to fly it. So, I pass on what I have learned. First - RTFM - If you lost your manual, you can download it here: http://www.hobbyzonesports.com/Produ...BZ3500#manuals Respect Wind This plane can definitely fly in 10-12 mph winds. However wait till you have mastered it. Most of my crashes came from flying in too much wind before I was ready. Make your early flights in under 5 mph winds. Always launch into the wind and land into the wind. And, fly with the wind blowing toward you so the wind will not carry your plane away, it will tend to bring it to you. Motor Mount This is the first thing you should do. Before you take a hard nose hit, reinforce the motor mount. I will not elaborate here, visit this thread to find the information. It contains advice from other pilots and what I finally did to reinforce the mount. You should do this before you need it. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...5&pagenumber=1 This thread was posted by someone did an excellent job using photos to show how to do the motor mount modification. I encourage you to make this modification. http://www.rc-forums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1173 Here are also some shots of the control board out of the plane which can be helpful. http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=...21b325c2c38435 Plane Does Not Fly Straight - what could cause this? Assuming you have not displaced the motor, and you are having problems with the plane not flying straight, check the following: a) is the wing crooked or too damaged - try a new wing. b) Check the trim adjustments. They may have been moved from center. Set them to center and make all adjustments assuming you will fly with the trim set in the center. c) Check the tail. The foam is attached to the center plastic brace by small pieces that punch through the foam. These can loosen up and the tail fin can move slightly away from the plastic brace in the air which can cause the plane to turn. Tape or glue the tail fins to the center plastic brace. Also, look for creases in the foam. If there is a weak spot, the tail will flex causing the plane to turn. mine was creased at the meeting point where the plastic support meets the tail. Looked fine on the ground, but it was flexing in the air causing a hard right turn leading to crashes. Replace the tail. d) Make sure the moveable surfaces are even with the fixed surfaces on the tail when the stick is centered and the trim levers are centered. You MUST check this with the transmitter on and the battery attached. If they are not even, adjust them with the screws on the control horns. The procedure is in the manual. RTFM Note, there is a tiny Phillips head screw on the back of the control horn on the tail. Tighten it or the spool could unwind while the plane is in the air, causing a crash. (Guess how I know this!) e) Check to see that the boom is solidly attached at the body. If this comes loose, it can move around while the plane is flying causing all kinds of problems. It can also twist so that the tail is no longer aligned. If you look at where the boom is attached inside there is a pinched area. I drilled a small hole through the top of that area and through the boom. Then I put a 4" nylon tie through to help secure the boom. I also put packing tape around the boom and the back of the body where the boom exits. Between the two, the boom is well secured. The Porpoise When you apply power the plane starts to climb then noses up, then the nose drops and it does it all over again. This is called a stall. The problem is that the tail needs to be trimmed, the front is too low or the back is too high. This causes an up elevator effect. Adjust the orange screws on the tail. The procedure is in your instruction book. RTFM Center of Gravity If you are using a 7 cell battery, you will get a faster plane and better climb, however you will also shift the center of gravity forward slightly. If you are an aggressive, full throttle flyer, you probably won't notice. If you are more of a half throttle cruiser, like me, you will find the plane needs up trim all the time. Here is how you fix it. The foam that sits between the battery and the electronics puts the 6 cell exactly where it needs to be to balance the plane, but the 7 cell is heavier. Remove the side pins and pull the foam out. Now, cut it from top to bottom about 3/8", just in front of where the pins hold it in-place. Now put the remaining piece back in the plane. Fly the 6 cell with the foam to the rear and the 7 with the foam to the front. This will shift the 7 cell back about 3/8" and put the CG right where it should be. Longer flights Back off on the power. Both the 6 and 7 cell battery will last five to six minutes at full power. However, if you back off to half power, your flights can last 12-15 minutes depending on the wind. You can even catch thermals with the Aerobird and riding them for long long flights with the motor off. If you charged your batteries a few days ago, top them up just before flying. They lose charge just sitting around. Neck Strap for the Transmitter If you look at the high priced Futaba, Hitec and other radios, they have a place where you can clip a cord so that the radio can hang from a neck strap, leaving your hands free to make adjustments on the plane. This is very convenient. Take a large paper clip and bend up the center piece in the middle to make a place where you can clip a neck strap to it. Now take some sand paper and sand a spot in the center of the radio. Epoxy the paperclip to the radio. Use plenty so you can really embed the clip in the epoxy. Reinforce the Wing Got to staples and get some glass reinforced tape. The type that has a cross pattern is best. Put a piece on either side of trailing edge where the prop wants to bite the wing if a landing is a little rough. Also centered in the front 6" on either side of the body to help resist damage from the rubber bands. The newer wings may come reinforced but you may wish to do this anyway. Make sure you have a spare prop, they're cheap. Since the prop is less likely to cut the reinforced wing, if it hits the wing, it might pop the prop off, or break it. However normally this does not happen. If you get a crease or a fold in the wing from a rough landing, this will be a weak area. The foam is compressed and the wing will tend to fold up under stress. Tape can not stop this. Take a strip of plastic or wood, about 1/16" and cut a piece about 1" wide and 30" or longer and reinforce the whole wing. Attach the support to the wing with double sided carpet tape, not the foam type, the really thin stuff. Make sure you center it on the wing so that it does not through the wing out of balance. To finish off the reinforcement, cover it with clear packing tape. Stretch it for and aft to create a smooth flow path for the air passing over the wing. Many planes of similar design, like the T-Hawk or the Firebird XL have these strips, or rods on the wings when they are new. It won't fly as well as a new wing, but it will fly. Learn to Glide in for a Landing If you run the battery too long, the speed control will cut the power to the motor while preserving power for the control surfaces. This is good! If you learn to land with the power off, if you get caught in the air with no motor, you will have no problem landing. Gliding in, even from 500 feet, is my standard way of landing. Parts These planes have a great distribution system. Parts are very readily found in most hobby stores. However if you can't get what you need, look here: http://www.hobbyzonesports.com/Support/ HobbyZoneSports Frequently Asked Questions - Couldn't hurt to look! http://www.hobbyzonesports.com/Support/FAQ.aspx Plane Locator When I was learning, or today if I fly strong winds, I use one of these on the plane and one stays in my pocket. If I put the plane down in very tall grass, or in the woods ( don't ask ) it can be hard to find. If I am looking for the plane, I click the one in my hand and the one on the plane answers. If you fly near woods, swamps, tall grass, etc., get one of these. I mount it under the rubber bands that holds on the wing. Doesn't seem to hurt the lift much at all. www.keyringer.com Summary Here are a few tips to help you live happily with your Aerobird and help it survive your poor piloting skills. With a little luck, the plane will make it through the tough part of your training as you pound it into the ground trying to learn to fly. Don't give up! Avoid the wind, take your time and you will get it! Oh, and RTFM ..... read the friendly manual!!!! :-) ------------------ Best regards AEAJR www.lisf.org www.rcezine.com |
RE: aerobird
thank you! i am doing the motor mount, and class rienforced tape already, but i donn't understand about the boom. please help! ( tjank you very much for your reply! it has really helped me, aejeir.)
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RE: aerobird
also, i can't seem to get it to taxi straight
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RE: aerobird
ORIGINAL: zachj1212 also, i can't seem to get it to taxi straight |
RE: aerobird
1 Attachment(s)
ORIGINAL: zachj1212 thank you! i am doing the motor mount, and class rienforced tape already, but i donn't understand about the boom. please help! ( tjank you very much for your reply! it has really helped me, aejeir.) If the boom is not broken, just use a little clear packing tape to reinforce it so that it is less likely to break lose on a crash. One layer is all you need. See how the tape is wrapped where the boom comes into the body. You can see where I put the tie wrap through the boom. The tape should handle most problems so just do that. |
RE: aerobird
thank you but first let me tell you that i had to buy a new fuse on my last aerobird(yes i'v had two, but the other one didn't fly) so i would like tko take every step necasary to secure the boom
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RE: aerobird
I have taught several people to fly their Aerobirds. Here is
the procedure I tell people to follow to get the plane to fly properly. I can't be sure how much damage you have done to the plane due to crashes, so let me just offer this as a starter. Unless you have removed the white foam that sits between the battery and the electronics, ignore CG for the moment. Do all of your flight testing with the 6 cell battery. The 7 cell makes it nose heavy and will change the way it flies. When we are trying to fix it, I would use the 6 cell only. 1) With your transmitter on and all trims centered, and your battery connected in the plane, but with the motor off, look at the control surfaces on the tail from the back. Are the movable parts exactly even with the fixed parts? If not then you are going into a turn the moment you launch assuming the motor is straight and the tail is straight. More on that later. Normally, these surfaces have to be perfectly aligned. 2) The boom between the pod an the tail - is it solidly anchored or can you move it around inside the plane. If it moves, it has broken loose. This must be fixed. It will either sag causing the nose to go down or it is twisted causing the plane to turn right or left. 3) Check the tail, especially by the rigid plastic near the boom. Are there any creases? I had a problem with my Aerobird that caused it to turn to the right so badly that it crashed because it would go into a spiral. I tried everything. Turned out there was a crease in the tail that caused the tail to flex under pressure. On launch, this could take you into the ground. 4) It is possible for the tail to shift from a severe nose crash. There are trim instructions in the owner's manual. AFTER you have checked the other items and fixed or found them to be OK, try trimming the tail for more up or down force. Other points to be aware of: When the motor is running, more air moves across the tail so that you get a faster response for turns. The slower the motor is running, the slower the plane will respond. When gliding, response can be very soft. Make sure you are launching into the wind - directly into the wind, or the plane will be turned by the wind when you launch. Same for landing. Let me know how it goes. If this doesn't help, I invite you to post photos. These are what I would want to see: All shots are with battery in and transmitter on, motor off. All trims to center and not touching the stick unless I tell you to. All tests are in Sport mode. view from nose to tail - level with the top of the plane - to check alignments view from tail to nose - same reason Remove the wing, lay the plane on a table on its side with the tail hanging off the end. Place a ruler or a suitable straight edge under the body extending to the tail. I want to see if the boom is straight surface alignment - battery connected, transmitter on - make sure your trims are centered For the shots from tail, I want you to center the motor in the frame so that you are shooting STRAIGHT down the shaft. view from the tail at tail height - full left command view from the tail at tail height - full right same - full up same - full down sticks centered and hands off shot. Finally view from under the tail. |
RE: aerobird
i would do that, but i have tried to post pictures and i do not know how.
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RE: aerobird
To post pictures don't use the fast reply box on the bottom of the page, that doesn't give you the picture ability.
Hit the Post reply button at the bottom of this post. Yo will see the box for typing, then below that you will see an area for attachments. click that and you can post pictures. Sizes should be no greater than 640X480 and under 70K in size, I believe. That is what I set all my shots to before I post them. Mine post with no problem. |
RE: aerobird
i am sorry. i know were to click, but when it asks for the file, i don;t know how to load it from the camcorder to the pc
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RE: aerobird
That is a different problem. Can't help you there. And the attachment/upload is not for video, only photos.
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RE: aerobird
bought the aerobird last summer took alot of abuse when landing or comming in for a crash cut motor off will keep prop from eating up the wing went through two wing's first was due to prop second folded up on a power dive third wing used 1/4 by 1/4 wood strip to strenghthen the wing carefuly carved achannel 3/4 the lenght of the wing not all the way through inlaid wood strip drilled to small holes at each end of strip through wing threaded thin piano type wire through one end of wing through fuselage & up to other end of wing tied off w/slight ten. last wing i bought
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RE: aerobird
i know, the camcorder has a digital camera. compined
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RE: aerobird
aeajr,
I have been flying my aerobird for about 7 months now and I love it. the other day i had my first really bad crash... nose dive from about 50 feet full throttle. The damage wasn't that bad. But I finally saw all the recommended mods for the airplane and now I hae done them. the only thing is that it seems really nose heavy. Do you know where the CoG is suppose to be, that way i can see if I can maybe shift the battery back some or play with the weight a little. Oh... the reason I say it is nose heavy is that I have a really hard time getting altitude, and when i finally get up to some altitude, and put it into a nose dive, it will dive straight down, which it never did before. I can't seem to get it to loope anymore either. any help would be greatly appriciated. Brad |
RE: aerobird
Did you change the tail as part of the repair. You may have to adjust it.
There is no need to adjust hte CG on an Aerobird. It is set and doesn't have to be adjusted as long as you use the stock 6 or 7 cell battery packs. Go back to my post, #10 adn read it again. |
RE: aerobird
ya I replaced the tail too. I re-enforced the wing with a thin plasitc ruler...I read that in another thread. I also found that the COG is about 1 1/8" from the leading edge. I am going to check it out and see if I'm way off. If not then i am going to take the ruler off of the wing (it's new, i have had two fold on me from pulling some major G's) and see what happens then. I really like this plane I have the drop module and it's a blast. also is there any way to get the x-port things to work on other aircraft (not hobbyzone)
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RE: aerobird
These guys figured out how to connect the sonic module to any RC plane
with a standard receiver. This link takes you to a site that shows you how to build an adapter. Sounds like a great idea http://www.rc-cam.com/combat.htm Might also work with the other X port options. |
RE: aerobird
aeajr - I made the motor modification last night to my new Challeger that I have not flown yet due to windy weather here in the mid-west. I also used some clear plastic packaging tape through the top middle of the wing were the rubber bands hold on the wing. I thought the tape would keep the bands from cutting the wing. I was a little supprised that Aerobird people had not went ahead and continued the protection there since they have the plastic covering on the trailing edge of the wing. I have been reading as much of the commits about this plane as I can. I also have a Stryker that I have not flown yet but from everone's commits I thougtht I had better use a slower plane to get use to flying again. I use to fly gas RC back several years ago but I know that I will be out of practic now. Back when I was flying before we were using the old AM radios. Things have changed a lot. Do you have any more items that I should do to my Challeger or my Stryker before I fly them? On the Stryker I have taped down the front of the two rear fins to the wing. I really like both of the forms (Chellenger and Stryker Forms) which has given me
lots of info. Thanks for all your good word of advice and keep it coming. CARPER |
RE: aerobird
I am sure you are ready to go.
Obvious one, which you are observing is under 5mph winds for early flights. As an experienced flyer, probably used to ailerons, the Aerobid, as it comes out of the box may apper to be very sluggish. Read the manual (RTFM) around increasing responsiveness by moving the control lines AND about Pro mode. You can do either or both. It is set up that way so people with NO experience won't over control it so easily. You may wish to go to Pro Mode on the second flight. Make sure you have lots of clear space The Aerobird flies beautifully at 1/2 throttle so don't hesitate to pull back on the speed. I glide mine half the time. Wonderful glide! I take it to 300-400 feet then power off and look for thermals. Most of my landings are dead stick. You can catch it rather than land it because the prop is in the back. I am sure you have read my other posts, so no sense repeating here. Stryker will be more like your aileron planes. Much more aerobatic and less stable due to the elevon controls and not a high wing config. Keep the speed up. This one does not glide like the Aerbird though it glides pretty well for a delta wing. Some people buy the replacement fuselage and make slope gliders out of them. I don't have a stryer but I have seen them flown. Lots of fun! Once you get comfortable, get two air to air combat modules and teach a friend to fly the Aerobird. Then BLOW 'EM out of the sky!@!!!! :D Enjoy!!! Let us know how you do. |
RE: aerobird
my problem is that i am scared to get it to high or far away! I LOVE THE LITTLE BIRD!:D
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RE: aerobird
ORIGINAL: zachj1212 my problem is that i am scared to get it to high or far away! I LOVE THE LITTLE BIRD!:D Now take it higher, go half throttle, cruise for a while then cut the power and glide as long as you can, till you get to tree top. Now climb again Higher. And glide down. See if you can glide in for a landing. If not, no shame in using a little motor to help get it set up properly or to go around for a better line up. The idea is to stretch a little at a time. If you can glide and keep the plane under control, you have good command of the plane. Here is a lesson all glider pilots have to learn. If you get hit with a gust of wind, it will push the nose up, we call this ballooning. Then the gust dies and the nose drops and the plane stalls and you lose control for a moment. Don't try to counter by pulling on the elevator. That will make the stall worse. The plane needs to pick up a little speed to get flying again. If it starts to "balloon" up too much, push the elevator for a moment to level the plane, then let it off. This will help you maintain speed against the wind. You actually use the elevator to control the speed of the plane. This is the most important thing you must learn to fly in higher winds. If you can maintain the plane in gusts, without the motor, imagine what you can do with the motor on using the same approach. Now, if you get blown down wind, just push the nose down a little and the slight dive will work with the motor to help you come back against the wind. It is not the altitude that you really fear, it is that the wind will blow the plane away. So, learn to work with the wind. Don't depend on the motor, depend on your flying skills. Use the elevator to control the speed of the plane. Master this and you will become much more confident as a flyer. Stretch a little at a time. Small amounts each flight. Set a goal each flight. Another 50 feet. Learn to keep the plane level in gusts. See how long you can take to glide down. All of these will build your skills. Let me know how it goes. |
RE: aerobird
Thanks guys - I appreciate the help. I went out last weekend and got caught in a big gust of wind and blew the plane from the park area over some of the houses and I couldn't see the plane any longer due to it went over the houses roofs so I cut the power hoping that the plane would come down in a neighbors yard which it did but it hit nose first and broke the wing to the left of the rubber bands on the left side. I think if I had ran some of the clear packing tape along the leading edge the wing would not have broken. The other damage was towards the front of the body where the orange tabs on each side that hold or should I say that go into the sides of the fuse that holds the foam just behind the battery was twisted forward so what I did was take one of the orange ties that I used on the motor and ran it through the sides and through the foam and cut one of the locking ends off of another tie to use like a lock on the other side of the tie. Enough though the receiver just behind the foam is held in with screws I felt that the tie running through the foam would give the receiver more support in the event that I have another nose into something. The tie now matches the other tie that suports the motor and looks better than the pushed in foam tabs. I was going to try and glue the wing back together but a new wing was not that much so I bought a wing. I was able to remove all the decals off of the old wing to place onto the new wing. This time I ran clear packing tape around the edgers of the whole wing which includes the leading and trailing edges plus the wing tips but now I am worried about the weight that the tape may have added to the plane. Will the added weight of the tape affect the flying of the plane? Does anyone know? Thanks again CARPER
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