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ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

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ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

Old 05-05-2007, 07:35 AM
  #51  
Flying 442
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

Still waiting to send mine up, but at this point it will at least have elev and rudd. I have learned in the past that these type of flyers need a change of CG when adding elev. They are set up so that any throttle = climb or up elev. So I'll be starting with CG 1/2 inch forward and test from there. I just don't want to add down elev every time I give it power.
Old 05-05-2007, 10:56 AM
  #52  
Dave ESPI
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

PK, yeah I was contemplating the same, but my concern is more draw on the power amps, and they would not have the same turning power with increased current being drawn from the other motors.... But I bet it would be a rocket ship going straight
Old 05-05-2007, 08:51 PM
  #53  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

i went to fly my af1 and af2 today, it was windy though and they dont like too much wind, one hair raising circle and i took it down, the af1 seems to fly well, will try either early in the morning or later in the day. i was able to hand launch it with little problem, maybe the wind helped because it went right up.
Old 05-07-2007, 05:36 AM
  #54  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

I'm looking forward to hearing how the AF2 flys.
Give us a report when you can.
Old 05-07-2007, 06:38 PM
  #55  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

you got it, i will let you know. You cant go wrong with the af3, i got mine from jcpenny for $69 http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/Products.aspx?DeptID=2652&CatID=45438&CatTyp=DEP&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=0f91f3e&ProdSeq=1&ProdCount=1&Dep=Online+Outlet+Store&RefPage=SearchDepartment&ShowMenu=T&ShopBy=0&SearchString=airliner&S4DeptID=2652&mscssid=6a30ccf4f2692497d929358c2c46ea2efxMnVNoVza GoxMnVNoVzaGW200BC938EB5B7344753C01CA65446E44BBB90 709802&CmCatId=EXTERNAL|SearchDepartment&Search1Prod=True
Old 05-10-2007, 08:37 PM
  #56  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

I got in a few backyard glide tests and some power on, straight line tests on the Silverlit 737, I haven't had a calm enough day to take it to the park.
But I did find out that even though it's only a little bigger than a AeroAce it's a lot heavyer. It "glides like a brick!
And since the space between the wings and tail is so short it's "twitchy", that the best way I know to describe it. It slips left and right and if you get off the power it will just fall out of the sky. Although it has enough power to fly, it's to small for the weight to fly good. Instead of a CG at about 25-30%, mine seams to be closer to 50% and I can't find a place in the tail to remove weight. I'm sure not gonna add any more. I gues I'm gonna end up cutting it open and doing some surgery!
They really over did the molded plastic parts and some can be removed, but they are at the CG and won't make much difference in moving the CG.
I'm gonna wait until I get a gram scale before i start cutting on it.
Ric
Old 05-10-2007, 09:08 PM
  #57  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

did you have to mess with the cg in the af1 to fly it? The af2 has a different battery and placement of the battery than the af1, the battery is how you adjust the cg on it, there is like 2" of play where the battery goes to slide it forwards or back. there is no mention of cg on the af1's instructions.

thanks
Old 05-10-2007, 09:27 PM
  #58  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

The battery on the EF1 locks into a channel and can't be moved without making some mod's to the plastic.
I didn't need to move anything, the Rx/ESC is mounted in a cutout inside the assembled wings, I guess you could move it, but like the battery you'd have to start cutting. I was worried about not being able to move things around for the CG also, but just did't need to.
I found a couple of year old posts over on R/C Groups and they pretty much said the same things.
It really seams to be a good plane but most people are scared of it since it's two channel and foam.
I have thought about cuttin into the battery channel so I can get a AA battery into it, the best AAA batteries I've been able to find is 1000mAh, and AA's go to atleast 2600mAh. That ought to double the flight time. I'm gonna get a scale and weigh some batteries before I start cutting on the AF1 though. Might have to go two cell LiPO.
Guess I'm gonna have to get a AF2 next month and give it a try.
Ric
Old 05-11-2007, 08:33 AM
  #59  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

the af2 is 7.2 volts but the battery would be easy to make and they are aa already. I have been cycling the batteries on my af1 and boy do they get hot, i actually give it a break before i run the batteries down.
Old 05-11-2007, 10:13 AM
  #60  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

hey guys, thought I would chime in here. I have probably over 100 flights on several of these. I've done some conversions, flown some stock, even was a distributer for awhile. I keep several tucked away for a rainy day. Most fly great out of the box, occationally they don't. Most times it was traced to an bad battery even when new out of the box. a replacement battery usually solved the problem. The 40mm fans accept 12mm brushless motors, flight controls can easily be added, it's a fun plane to start modifying. landing gear too! The main modification that I would strongly suggest is carbon fiber bracing in the wings. EPP can get a twist in it after some time, especially if you store it at cetain angles. Get a twinst in the wing and she misbehaves in the air. The engines will take a little more current, don't expect them to last for too long on 11.1 unless you use some throttle management. Overall, it's one of my favorite flyers.
Old 05-11-2007, 11:39 AM
  #61  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

An email from a friend on the forums......

> Good Morning Dave,
>
> I was reading your posts and I saw that you were having the same
> problems with your Air Force One as I am having. I placed the
> shim in the wing mount but I am still having trouble getting this
> thing to fly. Have you been able to get yours to fly
> consistently? Any advice on how I can make mine "air worthy?"
> Anything would be appreciated. Thanks You.
>
> Frank.

OK, sooooooooo:

>Well, I finally was able to get the plane in the air and keep it
> there. I must say, it flies pretty decently but I have to really
> practice the controls with the motor thrusts. As for my "recipe"
> for flight, here it is:
>
> First, by accident, on one of my landings before I made any
> changes, the front nose weight busted out through the plastic
> shielding. Prior to this, I had made the change which was
> referred to you about adding a shim (I added standard 3/16" thick
> balsa) to the rear wing mount to get a better "angle of attack" on
> the wing. I extracted the weight from the nose and left it out. I
> then hand launched it like it was a glider. I had no power on it
> and it flew great. Needless to say, I have been taking it out to
> the field the past couple of days and it has taken off really well
> and it starts to climb pretty quick. Also, in case you were
> wondering, below the wings about 1" from the fuselage on each side
> about mid width is a small protruding dot. It is smaller than the
> other "foam finishing" dots all over the body. These are the
> balance dots, one on each side. If you hold your plane right now
> as is using your fingers on the dots, you will probably find that
> the plane nose
> dives pretty hard. Once you remove tha nose weight you will
> notice the plane will be up biased, which is a good thing. I
> found out about these dots after talking to Naomi at Estes
> customer service about the plane. She is pretty knowledgable
> about it so you may want to talk to here if you are in need of
> some technical data. Anyway, I hope this helps and works for you.
>
> Have a good day,
>
> Frank


One more thing. Assuming your plane acts the same after these changes, you should be able to launch it by hand overhead with a soft to medium toss. It shouldn't take much and I haven't had to use the bungee cord either. Also, the way to find the nose weight is to lightly push on the bottom of the plastic shield under the nose and you should hopefully feel a depression. This is where the weight is. You should be able to get away with cutting a small slit in it and using needle nose pliers to extract it.
Old 05-11-2007, 05:40 PM
  #62  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

Hi Joe, i was reading your posts on the other forum too, if you get a chance could you post some pictures of the modifications you did and go into depth a little on how you did it?? Thanks
Old 05-11-2007, 05:43 PM
  #63  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

Has anyone here tried to remove the weight?
Old 05-11-2007, 09:16 PM
  #64  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

Hi guys,
My nose weight disappeared on a rather hard landing this evening. I didn’t even know it was there. Now mine climbs harder and I feel for mine, which flew pretty good before, I need to replace it. It really likes to climb into a stall if I don’t watch it a lot closer then before the weight fell out.
I guess like all RTF’s each plane is different.
I’m up to 20 flights on it now and the exhaust tubes, (the foam part), are starting to flatten out. I’m thinking I’ll wrap clear packing tape around them and try to squeeze them back into shape.
Any idea how much the nose weight weighs???
And what’s the link to the other forum for AF1?
Ric
Old 05-11-2007, 09:59 PM
  #65  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=490035
Old 05-11-2007, 10:14 PM
  #66  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

Yea, I've been watchin that one also.
Are the fans/ducts on the AF2 the same size as the AF1 ?
Old 05-11-2007, 10:34 PM
  #67  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

they look bigger, i will take a picture of it and measure them tomorrow for you, they are not alot bigger but look bigger. i cant wait to fly them but am nervous since there is always a wind around. How do you find it flies in the wind? not a big wind but a wind.
Old 05-11-2007, 11:34 PM
  #68  
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

The AF1 does OK in a lite wind, but you have to watch flying into more wind as the nose lifts and if you stay on the power to long it will climb into a stall.
Once you turn, back way off the power and just let it glide the down wind leg, and get back onto the power to nose up before turning.
I've tried speed runs down wind but since this is a 2 channel any time you try to speed up it wants to climb.
That's why I asked about the AF2 fans, if they move more air maybe four of them on an AF1 would help in the stall.
Since the AF1 fans are $25 a pair I wouldn't think the AF2 ones would be that much different.
Old 05-14-2007, 07:49 PM
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

Hi Ric,

sorry a little later than i said but here are the pictures, sorry there fuzzy, long day, if there no good let me know but the af2's are a little bigger than the af1's.
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Old 05-14-2007, 08:41 PM
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

Not a prob on the time, beleive me, I understand, there's just not enough time in the day.
I didn't notice till your pictures that the AF 2 was mid-wing.
I was kinda hoping I could order a replacement wing and motor set for a AF 2 and use it on the AF 1.
But after looking at your pictures I've got something else in mind.
A kit bash into a Lear jet. Move the fans to the sides of the fuse near the tail. Really gonna change the CG but moving the battery pack to the nose should help.
I'll have to think about it some more.
Thanks for the pics.
Ric
Old 05-14-2007, 08:49 PM
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

lol, better get one soon, they are at closeout at jcpenny for $69

http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/Products.aspx?DeptID=2652&CatID=45438&CatTyp=DEP&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=0f91f3e&ProdSeq=1&ProdCount=1&Dep=Online+Outlet+Store&RefPage=SearchDepartment&ShowMenu=T&ShopBy=0&SearchString=airliner&S4DeptID=2652&mscssid=6a30ccf4f2692497d929358c2c46ea2efxMnVNoVza GoxMnVNoVzaGW200BC938EB5B7344753C01CA65446E44BBB90 709802&CmCatId=EXTERNAL|SearchDepartment&Search1Prod=True
Old 05-14-2007, 08:57 PM
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

Yep, I saw your link and hope they're still around at the end of the month.
I want a couple of them but all my cash is going into keeping my Jeep running.
I hate that circle; spend all your money on a vechical so you can get to work to make more money, to spend on keeping it running, to get to work to make more money, to keep it running to get to work, to make more money...........
Gonna break that loop soonest. [>:]
Ric
Old 05-14-2007, 09:46 PM
  #73  
Dave ESPI
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

Just walk or take a cab............


It leaves me with all sorts of extra cash to buy toys with
Old 05-16-2007, 09:46 PM
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet

This is Texas, you don't walk anywhere.
Work is 20 miles away and a Taxi would cost $50 bucks a day round trip.
We don't even have buses in this neck of the woods.
And I like it that way.
Old 05-17-2007, 12:00 AM
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Default RE: ESTES Airforce 1 Ducted Fan 747 Jumbojet


ORIGINAL: PrkFlyrRic

I was just in Wal-mart and saw these; [link=http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4291462]Wal-Mart rechargeable AAA's[/link]
They are a bit high priced but figure you only need three packs to make two packs for the AF1 and NO shipping.
I bet other places, (radio Shack or K-Mart), has them cheaper, maybe even different mAh ratings.
With connectors from a hobby shop they should come in around $17-$18 a pack.

As for soldering your own packs do a search on the forums or check the web.
I did my own back when I raced electric cars and it's not hard to do.
The biggest thing is to "tin" the link first and don't heat up the battery.
Ric

Dude, those batteries WILL NOT WORK IN the 747 or any RC plane for that matter.

NOT ALL RECHARGEABLE NiMH/NiCD batteries are the same. BIG differences.
Those you buy at Walmart are called "consumer grade" rechargables that are only good for small current discharge. They power your digicam, electric shaver, ...etc just fine and you can use them as reciever battery or in some cheap transmitters. However they will NOT provide the high current draw needed to power a RC grade motor for flying.

If you want to build your own packs you need to buy RC grade high discharge cells from say cheapbatteries.com. Notice that they also sells many different grade of cells you have to read carefully about their discription. The stock pack for the 747 is a 8cell 650mAh 2/3 AAA pack. Cheapbatterypacks.com sells similar sized cells with higher power and capacity.

You also need to consider weight you cannot just use large NiMH packs. If you want more during you should consider using 2 cell or 3 cell LiPo battery.

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