RE: Slo-V
 

one question what is a prop saver?

RE: Slo-V
 

Just like the name implies, it saves your prop. LOL
On an out runner motor the drive end has 2 small bolts that stick out from the sides. What you do is install your prop on the front of the motor, and loop several rubber o rings across the prop to each of the bolts. On impact the o rings allow the prop to move, this reduces the chance of damaging the prop and lessens the force applied to the motor. A similar set up can be installed on the output or prop shaft on a regular gearbox set up.

What it does is eliminate the nuts the mechanically attach the prop to the shaft.

Should have been standard equipment on the Slo-V

RE: Slo-V
 

And on that vein. My outrunner equipped version was shutting down on WOT. I found that the 2 o rings were allowing the prop to shudder at high throttle and esc was shutting it down.
I installed 4 o rings on the hub, problem fixed.........sort of.
Took off, and started to stunt it, inverted, loops, hammerheads, and a power dive.
Please note the Slo-V was not designed for speed. As it pulled out of the dive I could hear a drumming noise, when it blew by I could see the main wing was shuddering badly, hence the noise. It vibrated so badly it snapped the fuselage off at the LE. Alas the prop was still spinning, it twisted the motor and esc wires untill they snapped and parted the bird.
Scratch one motor,esc,and fuselage, roughly $150.00 down the tubes. Luckily the lipo and rest of the fuselage just fluttered in. Oh well it's only money. :)

RE: Slo-V
 

I finally ordered a BP-21 Outrunner for my slo-v. Still running 2c lipo tho, i'll need to get a 3c to enjoy the eye popping performance everyone is talking about. Today I got my stock 370 motor to altitude and cut the throttle and timed my deadstick endurance. It took 4 minutes to descend to landing with the prop motionless. I was wondering how much extra a folding prop would have given me. Anyone where to buy 8x4 direct drive folding props?

RE: Slo-V
 

Glaciar,

Sorry about your slo-v but I have to say that's the first time of someone literally flying a plane so hard they killed it in mid-air without crashing it into anything. Sounds like you pushed that plane's performance envelope just a bit too hard.

RE: Slo-V
 

My life story with PZ birds, putting way too big of a motor in a foam bird.
Have managed to kill a Slo-V, a Cub, and a couple of Strykers in this fashion.:D
A Mustang's next on the list.
Fun has it's cost.;)

RE: Slo-V
 

Mc727Fly,

Are you installing that BP-21 outrunner on the stock Rx/ESC? I was told that it would not work with the stock electronics. I have a 3-cell Lipo and am on my 2nd 370 motor. You will not be disappointed with the performance there...however, be careful to throttle up slowly, and grease your propeller shaft. The plastic gear setup really doesn't seem to be able to handle it, and if you snap the throttle up too fast, you could strip the main gear. I am looking for a direct-drive prop configuration, no gear, with a suitable motor. Let me know if what you're trying works out

Thanks.

RE: Slo-V
 

At Glaciar Girl's suggestion I just intalled the Venom Racing 370 motor in my Slo-V and the improvement was dramatic and considering in only cost $15 I'm really impressed. Thanks Brad!

I find the stock motor even with the 7 cell battery to be rather anemic. I always had trouble getting much altitude out of it unless I had it carefully trimmed and managed the throttle and turns well. Not anymore! I just maidened the new motor and was able to climb several hundred feet very fast with no trouble at all. You can't get something for nothing of course and I noticed that the battery drained that much faster as well but it was a worthwhile trade off.

In fact the difference was so great, I would guess a good 30% or more of extra power, that I would wonder if my stock motor were not in fact defective, were it not for the enthusiastic response others have had putting it in their J-3 Cubs, another PZ plane that uses the same motor as the Slo-V.

It makes you wonder why Parkzone didn't just use the Venom motor and charge an extra $5 for the plane as that is the price difference between the stock 370 and Venom Racing's version.

The Venom motor is the same size and fits the motor mount perfectly. You will have to remove the pinion (the little metal gear on the stock motor's prop shaft) and intstall in on the Venom. I was able to pop it off easily using a screw driver as a lever and then empoxied into onto the Venom motor.

I highly recommend this inexpensive hop up.

RE: Slo-V
 

While not a Slo-V I bought an Aerobird Challenger (also from Park/Hobbyzone). I have mixed feelings about it but in retrospect I would still have started out on this level of RTF airplane. I'm not displeased as this is my first bird and my learning curve has been pretty brutal on it I'm afraid.

Overall, and from my limited experience, it's been a decent little plane for a total of $150 (plus maybe another $30 invested in replacement parts) and if I was a little better at flying it seems fairly happy to do some pretty entertaining flying (I've accomplished loops and stalls and "fooling around aerobatics" twice before deciding I needed to concentrate on being able to control and land the thing properly)

I have had some successful days where I will do a ground takeoff and a big circle around and land 3 or 4 times quite well, then days where I can't seem to keep the #$%@& thing in the air to save myself. It doesn't want to fly really well in slow flight anymore which may be part of the problem as I am trying to learn control at this point.

I would equate it very much to the Slo-V only real difference I see being that it's a pusher instead of front driven (which has probably saved my prop and shaft quite a bit. My question is this, after a certain point of repairing & re-repairing does the plane's messed up dynamics just work against it and me and is that making it harder for me to fly properly?

RE: Slo-V
 

Good points on your bird, they are cheaply constructed to keep initial cost down, and because they know you are going to crash. People would rather spend under $200.00 for a bird that flys and is repairable alll within those parameters. Versus spending mega dollars for a trainer that's going to cost big bucks to repair when you do thump it, learning to fly.

Now as to your question, sure all the added weight from those repairs and changes in the basic design will definitely affect flight characteristics. Wing can only support so much weight and motor can only push the same. Additional drag will make wing less able to hold the bird up and motor to drive it forward.;)

Also, look at it this way, the bright side, all those patches/repairs are on the same bird. You didn't have to buy a new bird after each crash. Think how much you saved.;)