Help landing?
 

I dont mean to sound like a whiny person (iv already posted a trainer help forum) but what i posted in the last thing has been fixed and now my plane flies great :D

[&o]But now my only problem is once the engine cuts because of lack of fuel...the plane just drops it wont glide or anything, thus everytime i try to land it it just flies into a dozen pieces (i broke the nose of the plane off today cause the engine went right through the plastic:() does anyone know how i could render this problem? I do everything im sposa do, i let the airplane fly till its close to the ground the pull up on the elevator, but instead up leveling off for a clean land it just noseplants into the ground.

Fox

RE: Help landing?
 

Those Cox plastic planes will not glide at all. They drop like a brick when the engine quits. Just keep it real low to the ground when the engine is ready to quit. If you like 1/2A's. The Brodak Series fly well. I have the Baby Flite Streak and Clown with Norvels. They will do the entire stunt pattern no problem on 42' lines and gliding is no problem.
Brodak is soon having an ARF Baby Clown. ALmost ready to fly. U could probably have htat one together in an hour and it would fly wayyyy better then the cox

RE: Help landing?
 

are they balsa? im not sure of my skills enough to get a plane that can break easily..lol

Fox

RE: Help landing?
 

yes they are, but they don't break as easy as a bigger CL plane because they are light. Only about 7 oz. And you can always glue them back together in a couple of minutes with glue and kicker. Trainers aren't supposed to look good because they get smashed sometimes.:D

RE: Help landing?
 

One other thing you can do is to strongly lead the airplane arround with your arm as the engine starts to sputter and quit. It is called whipping. It will help you keep the speed up as you get close to the ground. I used to whip a cox PT 19 for laps and laps. Ease up right near the ground.

But solid balsa airplanes fly much better and are easy to repair in a crash.


Dave

RE: Help landing?
 

heh yeah

i painted a dragon on the side of my Cox model...but the paint wore off in like..10 minutes..so all thats left is the head and spots here and there down the side lol. And on of my pilots are missing their head...the airplane fliped over on langing and his head opped of..never found it (R.I.P pilot dude [:o]) I do build a bunch of Freflight airplanes, do you suspose i could build my own model and just attach this.049 enging to it or would that be way too much power for it? (they are basically rubberband powered) OR better yet!!! i coudl take my big 4ft wingspan starofoam glider (like the wal-mart ones) and somehow name its elevator controlable and glue the wings in it...that would be COOL!!! :D

reply please?
Fox

RE: Help landing?
 

Well there is something to be said for all of your ideas but it is best to stick to kits that are made for controlled flying or else you end up trying to make something do what it was not designed for and it will fight you all the way. The peanut scale free flighters are good looking but a rocket with an .049 you would be better off with a 1/2 A and your cox or that new Viper but I hear it is rather finiky and does not respond well to sudden cases of gravity poisening. Not like the Balsa 1/2A's. True they take longer to build and reqire a bit more skill it is not rocket science and if it looks not so hot no biggie chances are that even if it did it would not stay that way for long. By the time you are a better pilot with the hot rock your plane will look like a quilt.

Just hand in there and try the 1/2A's if you don't liek them at least you tried. You can always go back to what you had before or try something else.

RE: Help landing?
 

How much are cheap decent 1/2a's? and what kind of string is suggested? im actually using kite string for my Cox right now. It seems to work exept for a little lag in the middle which i assume is normal. I just got back from another flight with my Cox, iv gotten about 7 or 8 in today :D but the wind is picking up.

Fox

RE: Help landing?
 

Fox,
The SIG Skyray is a good one to start with. You can get extra balsa and make replacement parts as you make the ones from the kit...or at least trace the parts outline on the back of the plan for if/when you need a replacement part.
You can set the controls for minimum control at first, then change to more control when you can handle it (change is an easy process).
What kind of surface are you flying on? Grass is much more forgiving than hard surfaces.
For string, you might try some of the modern non-stretch fishing lines.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

George

RE: Help landing?
 

Im taking off of Rubber jogging track and then backstepping over the grass. Ill try the fishing line soon as i find some, does it work better? It owuld have a little less drag wouldnt it?

Fox

RE: Help landing?
 

Fox,
The least drag would be some braided steel lines in .008x30ft. to 42 ft. - they require careful handling and perhaps should be left until later.
Next would be the monofilament fishing line. Mine is 12 lb test. Some have used as little as 6 lb. test and some recommend 20 lb. test. Spyderwire is a good type.
Next would be woven Dacron lines as purchased in a hobby shop, or that came with your Cox PT-19. They have been a reliable 1/2A line for many years.
Kite string would be way down on the list. Apparently the high drag is causing you to need short lines. Most try to use 25 to 30 feet.

By the way, the old PT-19 used a Babe Bee type engine with included tank. I think this was changed to their "product engine" (190, 290, or both) which used a separate tank. The new ones use the "Sure-Start" engine, which is their newest product engine, with separate tank. I saw suggestions for fixing both types in another thread.

George