soop7667

Hello People! I've been flying helis for a while, and decided to get into planes too - I bought a Hangar 9 Solo Sport, built it well, and I'm too chicken to fly it! I wanted to gain SOME experience with SOMETHING before I do, so I bought the Firebird Commander 2 to practice on. It went pretty well until I tried flying it around my neighborhood. I dunno where everyones from but it's pretty densely populated here in Cape Coral, Florida. Either way - I've trashed my wing and even broke my tail...That poor poor dodge caravan...I tried mono-coating it back together but looking at it I just figured it wouldn't fly well so I didn't want to risk screwing it up more. I ended up going to one of the three Hobby Shops I shop at and they didn't have the right wings or tails for it...I ended up buying the Aerobird Changeller wing and tail instead. At first glance I didn't notice any differences, but after comparing them side by side I found them. The Firebird Commander 2 has a very similar wing - the Aerobirds is slightly longer in wingspan and the ends are a little more pointed - the tail was the big difference - On the FB Commander the control surfaces on the tail pitch only up - the foam it's made of is hinged by the film which covers the foam - and at the top side of the control surface. The control surface is only joined by that covering/film and the rest of the foam is cut flat so that when the controls are in a neutral position, the tail control surfaces are flat - like I said - they only pitch up - and only one at a time. The Aerobirds tail is different in that the control surfaces are not hinged on the top side - looks like the hinge joint was formed by heating the foam and pressing it - they're hinged more in the middle and can move both up, and down. This made quite a difference on the FB Commander 2. Instead of only one rudder moving when turning - the other moves in the opposite direction - I don't have the three channels that the Aerobird has, BUT, I do have both control surfaces moving while turning - this resulted in a very much higher rate of turn and maneuverability - I've had experience with the little air hogs planes - they're fun, but this thing is bad azz now - I get it up really really high - like a dot, then I yank hard right and hold it there and she just dives hard...the longer you let it dive - the faster it starts to spiral on it's way down - it also handles wind very well - you can actually fight the wind doing a series of turns and spirals. My neighbor has the same plane - he can't fly it very well at all, but I'm having a blast with mine. Just thought I'd shar the tail job - I'd strongly reccomend trying out the Aerobird tail on the FB Commander 2 - and I'd say it's best if you've got some experience - it's really touchy with this tail on, however - if you can fly yours well - it's a fun little mod - just make sure you don't have the anti-crash mode on - I haven't tried it with that, but that being on is what actually made my tail break in the first place. ENJOY!

Leo L

Enjoy! Check out e-bay and see if you can find an Aerobird Challenger that has a damaged wing. You should be able to get one for a very good price, then take your new wing and use it on the Aerobird. You will find that the Aerobird flies very similarly to your Commander, but has the added control the elevator function. Initially, if you feel uncomfortable with the elevator control you can fly it using only two channels, then when it is well up in the air, out of harm's way, you can experiment with the third control, then land it using 2-channel control again.

I agree that the ACT system can do more harm than good, so its best to leave it off.