HELPPPPPP ! firebat!!!!!!!
#27
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From: Greenville,
WI
First of all I have to defend my beloved Firebat. I bought the deluxe version and it flew great right out of the box. I did have to take the prop off the spinner and turn it around. I think they all come with the prop on the spinner the wrong way. When you look at the back of the plane, you should be able to see writing on the side of the prop that's facing you. Anyway, on my very first flight I did both a roll and a loop then brought it in for a pretty decent landing. I flew for quite awhile with the plane completely stock. I have, since then, bought a LiPo battery for it. That took alot of the weight out of the plane so now it flys better and longer. Maybe I did just get lucky with what I bought, but I'm on my second Firebat and it flys as good as the first. The demise of my first firebat was completely pilot error (actually several pilot errors, by the end the plane was turning into a flying chunk of epoxy), but it leads me to comment on MT-Tank's idea of cutting of the nose and turning it into a delta wing. I tried it after the nose became irrepairable and it flew, but had really bad low speed stability. At high speed it was a blast. The roll rate was just crazy, but I had to land it hot or I would lose control. Here's some pics of my "Half-Bat". I know they're pretty low quality, but you get the idea.
#29

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From: Red Rock,
AZ
How did you build it? The flying weight of the GWS 350 powered I fly is 15 oz with 18 oz of thrust. I can hold it over my head and drop it and it takes off, the stock instuction version takes quite a bit more effort, even with lipos. If your unfamiliar with launching a plane like this, I would suggest having a helper thats knows how to hand launch. A slight running start with a good overhead toss, the planes angle should be no less than parallel to the ground when released, but only about 15 degrees max. You don't want to throw it into the ground or stall it at release, it's good to have some reaction time to save it. Airflow over the wings and a good airspeed to start off with at launch is important for the heavier versions. My favorite prop for spd 400 is the GWS DD 7x3.5, made a huge difference on many of my spd 400 planes.



