Well, I have a flying field with asphalt runways about 10 minutes from my house, but I had been planning on flying in some fields across the street from my house. No runway there, but the grass is pretty short. I think I'll try the brushed first; since its just 50 for the motor.

Has anyone ever put retracts into a magi? I've been looking for a big enough plane to take the weight of some neat mods..and with the brushless it seems like it wouldnt be a problem.

It could maybe be possible to put retracts on the Mag, but it is not the ideal model for this. Because you may have problems finding a suitable retract for the fuselage... Usually you retract the undercarriage into the wing, but on the Mag you need one which fold backwards into the fuselage... And you have to plan and prepare everything before you put the fuselage-halves together, making brackets, fitting servoes and so on. Don`t think it is worth trying on this model...
But if I had been challenged to try I would have rebuilt the plane for tailwheel, not nosewheel. Then looked for a scale retract which retracts backwards. Something like the Cessna 185RG...

Hmm...thanks for the advice on the tailwheel. It would definately be easier to land as a tail dragger. As for the retracts...I would probably make them myself- need not be too scale(for the magi anyway). Maybe I'll wait on the retracts..and just buy a new fuse when I'm ready to do it. I'll be running brushed for a little while anyway. I'll just get a new fuse when I'm ready to move up to brushless.

If you try and succeed I hope you post some pictures for us [8D]

New member, first post. I just received my Magister from Horizon Hobbies on Friday. I want to use this plane for Aero Towing sailplanes. I have an E-Flite Power 32 motor for the plane. Will this be enough power? I also want to be able to do sustained vertical climbs (not while towing) like I can with my Acro Master.
Thanks, Richard

Wow, this thread was almost dead! You should have no problem towing with the Power 32 motor... We are using the power 25 motor (Not for towing) and it performs great even at this height (6500 ft). I suppose the extra watts should be enough for you. What battery are you planning to use?

Regards,

Javier

Javier: Thanks much for the info. I don't know for sure what battery to use. I'm thinking a 4s 4000mah Thunder Power. I'm new to RC, been flying about 5 months and largest motor I've flown is a Hacker 20L. Any ideas?

Regards,

Richard

I would give it a run trough Motocalc so that you can be sure of the numbers before making the investment. It makes sense using a 4000 4S, it should give you around 12 minutes of flight time, and enough power to tow. But you'd better make sure. If you plan on flying electric planes often (Which I think is the way to go) then Motocalc is a great investment.

Regards,

Javier

don't forget too, if you are going with a 4S set up, most esc's bec's will not handle it. You'll have to go to a stand alone bec or a receiver pack.

It's great to see this thread is still alive and kicking. Look at what I've done to my Magisiter! It is a wonderfully versatile plane.

[link=http://www.gregcovey.com/vtol.htm]Project VTOL[/link]

Javier, Glacier Girl and Greg:

I downloaded the MotoCalc program this morning and I see that the 4S battery set up won't have a BEC, as you indicated. I can't get a valid report for the E-flite Power 32 and Phoenix 60 Amp ESC in the Magister because MotoCalc doesn't have any Thunder Power Lipo batteries listed that are bigger than 2100 mah. How do I get a 4000 mah Thunder Power into their system? Went to the LHS today and bought hinges for the Maggie and am finally starting the build.

Richard

Wow, and I thought I had pimped my ride! That's a huge mod Greg! I installed a Hacker A30-10XL, hinges in all control surfaces. A wireless camera and HS-65 servos closer to the ailerons, with a new linkage, increasing the aileron range. Now I can roll it almost as good as my FuntanaX50. I also installed a dubro landing gear and removed the old wire LG. It runs as good on land as it flyes. I installed a carbon fiber rod along the tail fin, to increase stability and it has greatly improved the performance on the hammerhead turns. BUT THAT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO A VTOL!!!! That seems as a good project!

In the picture it seems as if you installed a third motor near the tail. Is that correct? It's a shame I can't get Quiet Flyer here in Mexico.

Javier

Richard, in Motocalc you can "build" the battery you need based on the available cells. For example, the TP 3S 4200 mah are built from 6 2100 cells wired 3 series each, 2 parallel. You should put "Series Cells" 3, and "Parallel Cells" 2 to have the resulting battery.

Remember that you can update from the internet. If you look just for the batteries you should be able to find a TP4000 prolite cell that should work for you. Or you could "build" your "ideal" battery, and then look for something similar on the market.

Regards,

Javier

Javier: I found the Thunder Power TP4000 Pro Lite that you mentioned, but the Max Burst Discharge is only 18C. I use a Thunder Power TP2500 in my Acro Master and it has a 20C Max Burst. Is it still OK to use that Pro Lite 4000? I did some more MotoCalc work today using the E-flite Power 32, Castle Creations 60 AMP ESC, Direct Drive APC 12x8 prop, etc. I got the same readings using an Electrifly 5000 20C Max Burst as I did with a Flight Power 3700 20C: Strong climbs and rapid acceleration, short take-off runs, no difficulty taking off from grass fields, and sufficient in-flight thrust for many aerobatic maneuvers. It would also readily loop from level flight. In further research, I'm interested in either the Great Planes Electrifly 11.1V 5000 mah 20C Burst or the Thunder Power 11.1V 4200 mah 3S2P 24C Burst. Would either of these be OK to use? There's only a $10 US difference in price.

Thanks again,

Richard

Remember that the measure of C is related to the battery capacity. ie: A 2500 mah battery 10C would mean 25 Amps, while a 4000 mah battery 10C would mean 40 Amps. So using your numbers, the TP2500 20C would mean it can handle a 50 Amps max (Burst) current, and the TP4000 18C would handle a 72 amps current. I hope that makes it easier for you to choose.

Regarding the 5000 mah vs 4200, I think you are missing the flighttime parameter. The 5000 should give you quite more flighttime. But I don't know the weight difference. The TP4200 is heavy enough, and where I fly it gives us about 12 minutes of flight time with a power 25 motor and a 13x8 APC prop. I prefer to fly mine with a lighter battery, as it performs better on the air... I use TP2100 batteries with a Hacker A30 10XL, and have flight time of about 5 minutes while staying on the safe side. I've used the TP4200 on my plane, but it feels quite heavier. Anyhow, I'd never change to a heavier battery but my friends who use the TP4200 would neither trade theirs too, so I guess you should give it a try.

Regards,

Javier

Javier: I think I'll try the TP4200, that 5000 would probably be much heavier. If I could just get about 12 minutes flying time + the ability to Aero Tow a sailplane once in awhile, I'll be happy. Now, on to building ! Thanks so much for your help, I'm sure I'll have more questions once the build begins.
Richard

Javier: Now that we have the battery problem under control, with your help, I need to think about which servos to purchase. Did you use the Multiplex Mini HD servos as called for in the plans?
Thanks again, Richard

Actually I bought the RTF, so it came with the Multiplex Servos, but I installed a second servo for the ailerons almost inmediately, so that each wing has one servo. Now I've replaced them with HS-65 servos, again one for each aileron, but this time I'm using a direct linkage instead of using the control wires (This is when you can notice that English ain't my first language, and I'm so tired that even thinking is hard.). I'll try to take pictures tomorrow and post them, but the main thing is that the HS65 are much smaller, so I could place them near the aileron (About an inch and a half inside the wing, measuring from the aileron inner side) I hinged all control surfaces with Dubro hinges, and the increase in range was fenomenal. (But you have to use Expo, or it looses its trainer capabilities).

Regards,

Javier

I put a Hyperion 3025-10 in my Magister, ESC were a Jeti Spin 44 with onboard switched BEC which delivered all the amps needed for all the servoes and powered it with a 4S3700 FlightPower LiPo. Of course two aileron servoes, and tow-release setup.
It was used as my relaxing plane, trainer for new pilots and for towing. It worked well for all the purposes, and towing 2-meter gliders were no problem. The worst problem in fact is the nosewheel... On grass it gives much resistance on takeoff, taildragger would have been much better for towing! I hate nosewheels [:'(]
Don`t remember all the numbers, but think I had appr 550-600 Watt to the motor. Flighttime were generous, but the pupils said it was a bit too fast for training... I agree on that. The plane died when one of my pupils rolled it inverted and added elevator... were 1,3 meters too low for recovery [&o]

Oops! Sorry to hear that. The magister can take some really bad hits and still be repaired. Your's was beyond that?

I bought a Friend's magister after an accident because he said it was beyond repair, and now he's almost begging that I sell him the plane back.

Regards,

Javier

Javier: I was talking with a friend at our flying field who really likes "Common Sense RC" batteries. He said they are just as good as Thunder Power, but not as expensive. I ordered one last week and it arrived today. The battery is an 11.1 volt, 6000 mAh 15C. Their website states that it is built out of three 2000 mAh 15C cells and has been tested at 90 amps continuous discharge with burst capability of 120 amps for 5 seconds every 30 seconds. Will this battery be OK to use with my E-flite Power 32 in the Magister?

http://www.commonsenserc.com/page.php?page=intro.htm

Thanks again, Richard

It will depend on your prop. With a 13x8 it should fly really well.

Regards,

Javier

Javier: Thanks so much for the info - I was afraid I'd gotten the wrong battery.

Javier: Well, I have almost everything I need now for the build - motor, battery & ESC. I purchased two Hitec HS-65MG (Metal Gear) servos for the ailerons. Any suggestions on the elevator, rudder & tow release servos? I also bought another receiver for the plane - I'm using the SPEKTRUM DX-6. Just received my Cularis sailplane in the mail; now I don't know which one to build first!
Thanks, Richard

About the elevator & Rudder: Hinge them. I'd finish the Magister first, that way you can get some expertise on it before your sailplane is ready and also because if you finish your sailplane first then you won't have a plane to tow it with!