ProScaleRc

I had the same problem with a Parkzone P51, were as everone else was saying it was the best RTF kit on the market.

I just bought my Lancair yesterday. I was going to fly it stock as I want to put my money into my new DPM Clipped Wing, but now I've decided to change to a brushless. Not sure what yet, I'll work that out next week. For thsoe who are looking at buying this kit, it's top quallity. 10/10 for a small plane.

flyfastest

Well I maidened my GP Lancair EP today. Only deviation from stock was the 3s Apogee Lipo (1500 mah) battery. The inlcluded 8 cell NIMH was slightly heavy but useable.

First attempt at takeoff was unsuccessful as I veered off and hit "3rd Base" on the baseball diamond I was on.

Second attempt, with elevator on "High" rates.....the airplane left the ground after passing "2nd Base" and before getting to the outfield. Takeoff power is slightly underpowered for "quick" takeoffs.....well from dirt anyway! I had to scratch and claw for altitude a bit but once up and level I backed off the thorttle to about 3/4.

The Lancair flew great. I was surprised by the smoothness and speed at which the airplane accelerated and flys when level with the included T400 brushed motor.

Landing wasn't so smooth but this was pilot error. Upon landing I let the aircraft slow too much and cartwheeled in after the left wing dropped from an altitude of about 3-4 feet. The airplane to my surprise was still intact and unharmed minus some rash on a wing tip.

All in all it is my opinion that Great Planes has an excellent model with the Lancair EP. The airplane flies unbelievably smooth and is surprisingly quick with the included T400 can motor. If your "on the fence" about purchasing one of these beautifully crafted airplanes....I wouldn't hesitate to go out and purchase one. 109.99 at my local hobby shop for an ARF with motor,esc and battery included. WOW! I would suggest to pilots to put a light lipo in place of the included 8 cell NIMH for weight reasons.

Thanks and happy landings to everone.

SAFZERO

To anyone flying this plane with lipos, can you tell me what your "all up" weight is? Thanks!

SAF

flyfastest

SAFEZERO,


I don't have a scale.....I'm on vacation for a week so I'll try to get to the local hobby shop to get an all up weight for you. With the 3s Apogee 1500 mah battery instead of the 8 cell nimh....the plane "feels" much lighter.

Recently I installed a small Ultrafly brushless outrunner motor and Electrifly 25 amp silver series controller.... and WOW did it make a difference.

Fully charged 3 cell 1500 mah lipo and brushless motor... 240 watts!/ 20 amps
Took the airplane 1/4 of the distance to take-off than it did with the stock brushed motor.
Instead of 3/4 throttle now I use 1/4 for cruise. Airplane does fantastic aileron rolls and very nice loops now.
Very happy with the brushless upgrade...

pulling right at 20 amps full power and flying roughly 10 minutes with vraiable power settings.

SAFZERO

Hey flyfastest!, Thanks, I really appreciate it! My club flys mostly sailplanes and gliders, but they allow certain planes that are not gliders if the wingspan, power, and wing loading are within club guidelines. So far, the wingspan and power are ok, but the wing loading needs to be somewhere around 10-12 oz/sq ft. I need the weight of the plane without the battery so that I can calculate the wing loading on paper with different lipos before purchasing the plane.

Thanks again!
SAF

flyfastest

Hmmmm 10-12 oz on the wing loading seems pretty light! This is a copy and paste from Great Planes website....I'm sure you have seen but anyway...

SPECIFICATIONS
Stock Number: GPMA1165
Wingspan: 43 in (1090 mm)
Wing Area: 36.5 sq in (15.3 dm2)
Weight: 26 – 32 oz (735 – 905 g)
Wing Loading: 15.8 – 19.4 oz/sq ft (48 – 59 g/dm2)
Length: Length: 31 in (785 mm)
Includes: Speed 400 motor with gearbox, 30 amp electronic speed control, 1800mAh NiMH battery, spinner, and prop.
Requires: Requires: 4-channel radio w/4 micro servos & charger


With wing loading at 15.8-19.4 oz/sq ft......it will be tough to get down to your club guidlines numbers. The plane really slows down well....but needs a hard dirt surface or pavement to land on. The plane flips over easily on landing in grass.

The weight I get you will be with the Ultrafly outrunner installed. I will remove the battery though. Who knows....maybe the club will work with you if you get the weight down using light servos, receiver, motor and lipo battery.........

SAFZERO

My club has these rules in place because the county here in NY where we fly tends to be real ball busters about flying only gliders . If the plane is questionable, then all I need to do is pass a "glide" test with a club instructor. I fly with full power for any duration, but once I cut power, I need to keep the plane in the air for at least 125% of the time I was under full power. I don't think that should be too difficult, and choosing the right type of day with thermals in the air certainly helps.

How well does this plane glide?
Also, can you hand lauch it? I will remove the landing gear because we don't have a smooth runway at our field; it's all short grass.

Thanks
SAF

gjpratt

Safzero

This plane is not for that sight. With the wing loading it needs speed to keep its lift. Read some of the threads about people having landing issues. Most of them were crashes on landing due to lack of speed. This plane is far from a glider and does not like to glide at all. Just trying to help.

SAFZERO

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking, but, if it can pass the glide test at my field, I should be able to fly it because, after all, rules are rules :-D

SAF

FenceMagnet

My Feedback: (2)

with so many clubs in the NY area, you'd be better off finding a different one...

snoshoe62

So has anyone come up with a great brushless, li-po setup for the Lancair? I just got mine and dont even wanna mess with the stock power. So if you got a good set up if you can tell me where to get it and cost Id like to look into it. Thanks guys

radiocontrol

My Feedback: (2)

I would like to go brushless, too. I currently have an AXI 2808/20 outrunner motor, 30A Jeti speed control, and TP 2100 3S battery packs. If I can figure out how to mount the motor for direct drive, the Lancair EP should be a great flyer.

snoshoe62

thats where ive had the problem, and ive heard bad things about the gear box so I wanna get rid of that. That axi is an awesome motor, I have a 2820/12 in my magister

and64f

Hi guys, what model ultrafly brushless motor are you running and is that with or without the gearbox. Thanks

Capt. Yossarian

Just picked up this beautiful kit but having some issues in the build so far. I'm not a builder, in fact I couldn't build my way out of a paper bag. First thing the instructions ask of you is to smooth out the covering (monokote?) with a heat gun or finishing iron. Easy enough (yea right!). So I think I may have overheated it or something, it seems to have stretched so tightly that the edges have pulled away from the glue points on the end of the wing. There's also some wrinkles and bubbles I can't seem to get out. Do I need to redo the monokote? It's not terrible, and it should still fly, so should I just finish the build and worry about making the finish pretty later or will that be too hard?

travelmaven

My Feedback: (1)

I have put the AXI 2820/12 in my lancair using an "X" mount. just cut off the entire nose right to about 1/4 inch from the point where the back of the cowl meets the airplane. cut a piece of model plywood to fit and glued it in place (the back edge of the plywood sits inside the plane at same place where the cowl sits). this gives you a solid surface to mount the front gear (with the setup to the right NOT left) and also keeps the cowling from tearing into the fiberglass and coming loose. you then need to fashion a spacer to get the motor away from the plywood bulkhead and forward. i used 2 pieces of 1/4 inch plywood. i eyeballed the placement of the motor with the cowling on as could not figure a precise way to do it. i made the mounting holes big enough on the bulkhead to be bale to adjust the motor to get it centered. one work of caution...this motor does makes the model scream BUT it also does have a high P factor (or whatever the letter is) and when given full throttle does really have a lot of torque. good luck.

Capt. Yossarian

What about flaperons? Would this be a good candidate for them?

nate1001

My Feedback: (2)

I just acquired this airplane from someone who crashed it. The gelcoat was cracked pretty badly weakening the tail and nose. He already had it in the trash when I asked about it. So I took it and did some body work and it now looks like new. I am using an axi 2212/20 and a 3 cell 2100 thunder power. To mount it, I took the shape of the gearbox and made a plywood piece. I used where the bearing was as the centerline for the motor. This lined it up perfectly for the cowl. I hand launch it and the plane has enough power to pull almost vertical out of my hand. As for the glide, it seems to be pretty good considering the kind of plane it is, but I don't think it will fly 125% more than power time.

nate1001

My Feedback: (2)

All up weight is 25.5 oz with 2 hs 81 and 2 hs 55, hs05 reciever

snoshoe62

Oh no!!!! Im sure it works great with that axi, but mine is a brand new plane, I wanna keep a brushless under the factory cowling....somebody must have done this???????????

nate1001

My Feedback: (2)

It fits under the cowl, I just have to fix and paint the cowl still. Thats why I used the gearbox as the template for the motor mount so that it would line up with the opening in the cowl. The center of the motor is where the shaft of the gearbox would be.

Viper87

Just finished my Lancair and everything works great except the power plant. I completely cycled the battery and water brok-in the motor like was recommended on other sections of this site. Took it out to fly and it would not get off the ground. It can't be a battery issue because my Accu-cycle told me that it pumped in about 1900mAh during the cycle. The motor does not sound like it is producing nearly enough power.

I checked all of the gear and the meshing and everything looks fine. I know the power plant is underpowered but it should get off the ground. It taxies great but i want it to fly.

Anyone have any suggestions. Should I just scrap the motor and go brushless right away. If so what would be a good economical option?

thanks for the help,

Viper87

Carlos G

Hi Viper87,

Try checking the assembled Lancair on a flat table as viewed from the side. See if the wing incidence is the same as the table the plane is resting on. You might try using a square to check the incidence by measuring the leading edge of the wing and the trailing edge at the wing root at the fuselage.

If you find the leading edge is lower than the trailing edge, the Lancair will be trying to push against the ground as it accelerates down the runway. To fix this you can lengthen the nose wheel strut to level the wing or try a slightly larger nose wheel which would do the same thing. Dont be tempted to raise the nose too much beyond level because it will cause the plane to lift off prematurely or cause a porpose (or bouncy) landing and can damage the plane.

Hope this helps

Best Regards,
Carlos G

rcsteve86

I've been flying mine with an axi 2808/20 with an 8x6e prop. Very fast! I tinted the canopy and don't use the landing gear. Check this thread out: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=468746

wb2fka

Since the last posted message in this thread for the GP Lancair EP was in August, I don't know if there is anyone out there that is still interested in this model. I just finished construction of mine and here are some thoughts:

1. After examining the motor and battery that came with the model, I decided that a 747 couldn't carry that load. Actually, the motor looks like something out of a child's toy. I found a bl motor #2014 rated 3300KV from milehighrc.com that has a 2.3mm shaft and is designed to be used with a 3:1 gearbox like the one on the Lancair. The motor sells for $38.00 with free Priority Mail shipping. It bolts right in place of the original brushed motor. Of course, you will also have to replace the ESC. The only wrinkle is getting your fingers into the fuse to hold the motor in position while installing the bolts through the rear gearbox plate, the firewall and into the motor mounting holes. After a few attempts, you'll figure it out like I did. Be sure to select mounting bolts that are long enough to penetrate the rear gearbox plate, firewall and front motor frame without contacting the coils inside the motor. It is an awesome motor but it is very light- 1.5oz. To compensate, I moved everything forward as much as possible. I mounted the ESC up front below the motor. You will have to move the battery as far forward as possible. I am using a 3c 1700ma LiPo that I had on hand. I installed it perpendicular to the line of the fuse on a removable plywood shelf behind the motor. The shelf slides into nylon guides mounted to the sides of the fuse with a stop to keep the shelf from contacting the rotating motor housing. Millehighrc.com sells a 3c 1900ma LiPo for $46.00 that should be great for this installation. By the way, their $38.00 LiPo balancer/charger is superb.
2. I had to do a lot of work on the gearbox. I ground a flat on the motor shaft and fitted a larger set screw in the pinion. I disassembled the gearbox and reassembled it putting Loctite on every screw after adjusting the clearance between the gears. There is no way to adequately tighten the spinner with the cowl installed. To correct this, I installed screws through the spinner backplate into the prop adapter to lock the spinner to the adapter. I used short 2-56 flathead screws countersunk into the spinner backplate which allowed the prop to sit flush against the spinner backplate. I can now tighten the prop mounting bolt with the cowl installed by grasping the spinner backplate while tightening the screw.
3. The arrangement for the elevator control horn shown in the manual was definitely an afterthought. If you don't believe me, check out the video of this model on GP's Web site. If you watch really carefully as the model is being handled, you will see that the elevator pushrod emerges through the left rear of the fuse to connect to the control horn mounted on the left underside of the elevator. When they decided to move the control horn inside the slot in the rear of the fuse, they failed to adjust the design of everything else in that area to allow adequate movement for the elevator control horn. After several attempts to follow the manual, I decided that their first design was much better and reverted to it. Now, it looks more symmetrical with the rudder control rod emerging on the right and the elevator rod on the left. Also, you can make adjustments to the elevator control horn linkage after the rear structures are glued in place. Try doing that using the design in the manual! By the way, I used conventional nylon links to attach the rods to the horns instead of the Z bends.
4. The rudder is mounted with hinge tape so close to the vertical fin that I couldn't get much rudder movement at all. I called GP to ask about this and the tech rep told me that I could peel away the hinge tape and reposition the rudder. Yeah, right? Try it and see how reuseable the tape is. I removed the rudder and made a new one with a symmetrical front edge. I mounted it with conventional hinges. I did the same thing with the elevator. The way the hinge tape was applied to the elevator, it actually caused the stabilizer to distort as the elevator went through its range of motion.
5. I thought the idea of using tape to secure the canopy on such a beautiful plane was a sin. I mounted a nylon guide pin on the front of the canopy that slides through a hole in the fuse and and held the rear of the canopy in place using a nylon bolt through the top rear of the canopy into a blind nut glued into the fuse.

The bottom line is, forget this plane being an ARF model. There are lots of additional improvements that need to be done on this plane, like a better wheel collar arrangement, etc., etc., that I wouldn't recomment it to anyone except an experienced builder who is prepared to put in lots of thought and hours of work. I think I could have built several kits in the time it took me to correct the problems with this model. If you understand and accept that, the end result can be a showpiece.

I didn't bother to attach any photos because I am not sure that anyone is still folllowing this thread. If anyone is interested in seeing my modifications, reply to this message or email me.