ok i'm, just getting into rc planes and yes... electric sorry guys i had a park pilot by hobbico and had a blast with it, i got to the point where i was doing loops and stalls with it. ok so i felt i wanted something better, i got talked into a gws me-109 which wasnt that hard to build really.. or am i wrong? i got it built put my servos in and took it out for its first flight... first mistake was learning about servo reversing and placement... second was hand launch without testing ... so pull back on stick it slammed into the ground i fixed it but gave up because it will not fly now. boy that was a fun time.. think i was po'd for a week ok so then i got the gws beaver and this is a fun plane, its like the ppilot only more power. once you learn the hard way to secure the wing struts or watch it fall to the ground like a shot duck its a good flier. got bored with the beaver so then i bought the gws p-17 but i cant get it to fly..... now i'm flying the gws e-starter, fun plane but i really would like to fly the 109 or 17... i have a pretty good knowledge of balancing them but what else could be the problem? other than i suck ok lol are the gws warplanes just not as friendly and or whats the trick?

Can you describe why they won't fly? Is there anything majorly wrong structuraly? What kind of set up are you using?

Agreed. "It won't fly" doesn't help us help you figure out what's wrong. You need to describe what happens when you try to fly the planes.

No offense meant, but part of it is almost certainly related to you and your flying skills. Jumping from a Hobbico Park Pilot (you actually got one of those lead sleds to fly, and loop?) to a GWS Me109 is way too much. The next step would've been the E-Starter.

One thing you definitely don't want to do is keep trying to fly the plane until it's dashed to pieces. When you have a failure, take the plane home and go over it, stem to stern. Don't just look at it, go through the plane with the instructions and double check that everything is as it should be. Make sure control surfaces move in the proper directions, and don't move farther than the instructions specifiy (control throws). Make sure everything is solidly mounted, all pushrods move smoothly, and the servos aren't straining or moving around in their mounts. Look for cracks and breaks. Above all, CHECK THE CG.

Most first flight failures are caused by not having the plane balanced at the proper CG, or by overcontrolling the elevator. Balance the plane a little bit nose heavy for the first flights, or at least start at the front of the CG range, then start moving it back little by little until the plane flies like you want it to fly. On launch/takeoff, reist the urge to yank full back on the elevator to haul the plane off the ground or correct for a diving tendency. Launch/takeoff is the most critical time. You need to build up speed before going for altitude. Let the plane fly off the ground on its own, or cruise along level for a ways before going for altitude. When you get more familiar with the plane, you'll know exactly what it can do, and you can get a little more aggressive.

matt nah no offense i understand skill has alot to do with it. yes the park pilot i found different props to put on it with more chop to them thus giving you more thrust, looping is a piece of cake then i cant remember the brand off the top of my head. ok that was the best advice i received so far, if you crash dont keep trying to fly it and go over it. I think alot of my problem may have been speed, i was trying to get altitude too quick.......

You still did not say what was wrong with your plane. What is broke or why it won't fly. Someone here might be able to help you fix it.

oh.... the p-17.... i could not get this one to fly period on rake off it would flip over left or right slam into the ground.. made sure wings were level and aligned i solved it by messing with them . heres my question how do you balance a bi-plane upside down or right side up? anyway i got fed up with that plane because of the wing struts are a nightmare....
the me-109 like i said that was a hard lesson to learn about reversing servos... other than that i wasnt using the right proppeller and learned to use the recommended anyway i crashed it so mush that i basically destroyed it. i am flying the e-starter now and its a great plane... I like how it handles in wind.

The GWS warbirds are quite a bit trickier to fly. They are not as stable or forgiving of mistakes.
I've read the Corsair is one of the better flying ones.

try up trim..that should work..or GLUE the servos together..that's what I did..and it went from a duck without wings to a natural flyer! lol

I still don´t see enough information to try to help, but I will make 2 recommendations.
1. Tell us what model, where it´s balanced, what the control throws measure, and how you launch it. A description of the power system wouldn´t hurt, either, to include motor description, gearbox description and ratio, prop size and pitch, and battery cell count and mAh.
2. I will make a wild guess that you are handlaunching, and offer some advice. To hand launch, at full throttle, throw the plane gently at the horizon. Not above, but possibly below the horizon. Then the plane is descending when it leaves your hand, and gravity will help it gather speed. Wait until the last instant to pull the elevator, so the plane has gathered all the flying speed possible. Then make the SMALLEST Possible elevator input, to avoid that overcontrol which makes them snaproll into the ground. Usually, just touching the up elevator control is sufficient to get the plane flying level, so you can gather more speed. Later, you can turn, and gain altitude.

If this helps, let us know. If not, let us know that, too!
Good luck,
Dave Olson

From what information is there, I gather that the problems are a result of inexperience, in building, in flying, and in tuning power systems.

Keys to successful flying:
1. Get a plane that's designed for your skill level. Even a "beginner" plane will be a major challenge to a beginner, so don't get a WWII warbird thinking you'll get bored with the beginner plane.
2. Replace broken parts with like parts; don't use something that "looks right." Just because it's an orange prop does not mean that it's the right size orange prop.
3. If in doubt, ask quesitons before launching your plane to its potential doom