skrez

My Feedback: (15)

Hey guys,
I received my new Estarter a few day ago and it came with a 400 motor. After reading numerous threads on this plane, as far as performance it sounds like the 350c and 2s lipos is the best choice . I plan on replacing the 400 with a 350c motor. Here`s my question, GWS makes many 350 motors like 350c/a , 350c/b ect. I guess the second letter represents the gearing? Which is the best 350 motor and prop for the Estarter?

regards,
Frank

vertigo72480

6.6:1 a D gear set i think was what I used. I still fly my E starter, on a 2 cell Li ion, great little plane. If you get good it'll even fly inverted, but you really gotta work on it to keep it inverted. Right side up is its natural state.

skrez

My Feedback: (15)

Mike,
what size prop and pitch are you using with that set-up?
thanks,
Frank

vertigo72480

i think it's a 10x7, or maybe an 11x6. I'll have to check it latr when I get a chance to go out to the garage and get it down.

eggvoel

I just received my Estarter, my 1st airplane. I can't figure out from the directions what are the hinges for the ailerons. Do we have to cut them from that plastic piece with the small hole in it? Also, the mm measurements without the decimal point threw me off for awhile. I am going to use 1500 mha Lipo's. I flew some type of v-tail challenger or something from Sharper Image for 2 flights and sent it back, needed more control. I have real airplane flying experience so I think I can do the Estarter. Thanks. Larry

vertigo72480

Tthere should be a piece of paper that has been die stapmed into a bunch of rectangles. Those are your hinges. Yes you have to cut the ailerons from the wing and install the laminated paper in to the wing trailing edge and the leading edge of the aileron. You have experience with real airplanes huh? OK but remember flying in a plane and crontrolling it remotely are two different animals. I would recommend you still have trainer help you to fly your plane or you will be rebuilding it many times. The physica are the same but the control methods are completely different.

eggvoel

Thanks Mike,
I found the hinges in the bottom of one of the poly wraps everything came in. I felt embarresed and tried to cancel the forum, but couldn't do that either.
This is a really wonderful site and I appreciate everyones effort to help each other and someday I may be able to contribute some useful information.
I understand it is different from real flying and will take alot of practice to co-ordinate my reflexes.
I've opted to go with 1500 mah 2s LiPo's so if I get airborne OK I will have lots of time to feel out the control's. I live on a lake and will be frozen till mid-April so don't have to worry about trees.
I know this is premature, but has anyone cut off the dropping wing-tips to make like a clipped wing Cub and been OK with it? Larry

lwien

Just an fyi...........The E-Starter flies great with the 400 motor as long as you use a 3s lipo. I'm flying mine with a TP1320 3cell and she flies great. Loops from level flight, takes off within 6 feet, climbs out at 45 degrees and cruises around pretty quickly, all at a quarter to half throttle. Love my 400 E-Starter. Couldn't imagine it flying any better using the 350.

vertigo72480

My estarter has the 350 in it and it just floats along. It'll float along, do loops, rolls, ina little breeze even fly in one spot. It's a good plane to learn to fly on. I can even get mine to fly inverted.

eggvoel

Thanks everyone. Mine has the 400 motor in it. I assumed this would be more powerful than the 350? I see the Corsair is out now with a 400 and I assumed this meant more power. I want to learn on the estarter and then put my equipment in the corsair.
has anyone tried clipping the winglets off?

vertigo72480

I broke mine off and it didn't hurt the way it flies. I'm not sure that they really do anything anyway.

eggvoel

Mike in STL. Is that St. Louis? Guess I better not ask you about ski's. Floats? I was wondering if those winglets were clipped off if it would make it easier to do any inverted maneuvers or is the wing destined for real high lift right side up flight.
I'm sorry for asking so many preliminary questions since I haven't quite got mine together yet and flown it, but there is this phenomonon that happens around this time every year in Maine: Cabin Fever!!!

vertigo72480

Yeah, it's St. Louis. I would think that ski and floats would make too much drag with a brushed motor system. Now if you were to put a brushless system in it that might not be a problem except I don't know why you would want to. It flies like a high wing trainer and really wants to push over when inverted. But it'll fly inverted. Just make sure you have some altitude so you can get on to your back. The winglets, or lack of, really didn't make much of a difference in flight characteristics. No real change that I could see. The only thing that I did to my plane was when I first got it I was flying at dusk and lost perspective and ended up in the top of a tree. I managed to get it down but it was sans ailerons when it hit terra firms. No problem, I fabricated some out of blue fan fold foam and attached them. That actually made rolls more responsive because the ailerons were a little bigger than stock.

eggvoel

Thanks Mike. It sound like Yankee Ingenuity southern style. Since I haven't gotten airborne yet I'll hold off on further questions. Assembly should be complete this week-end, but we just had another 10 inches of snow with 30+mph winds and alot of drifting and another smaller storm forcast for this week-end I think I can not be too antsy to get in the air. Plus the temp is about 10 degrees and no major warm up for several days I don't think I'll be up and running. I appreciate your info. I'm really anxious mentally to get going and dream of future flights. This is going to be my banger to learn the ropes.
larry

vertigo72480

I ripped the tail off of mine flying inverted. It was pretty funny. A little five minute epoxy and it was airborne the next day. I have found that the Estarter is a pretty robust plane. The foam is actually pretty think compared to the other GMS planes. It'll take a beating, kinda likea Timex.

fastrat

Where should the CG on an E Starter be?

vertigo72480

about an inch and a half to two inches back from the leading edge. Almost right in line with the wing supports. I like my planes a little more nose heavy so they tend to be a little more aerobatic.

eggvoel

Question about the 400vs 350 motor? I thought bigger was better, but now have some reservations on my estarter. Running 1500 mah 2c lipo's on the 400 motor (my first plane). After about 15 minutes it is getting pretty anemic and I land with about 7.4 v left.
I'm seriously considering a GWS Corsair after I either master or destroy the estarter, but budget is limited so I will stay with the 2c lipo's. Should I get the Corsair with the 350 motor instead of the 400? Still new at this, 9 flights and 4 crashes, but also thinking about the Formosa and limit the control throws? Thanks everyone. Larry

rmoore7167

I have had 3 estarters. Most the victim of a few oak trees I have to dodge. I started with the airelron throw limited and have slowly increased. A pretty stable plane. I threw a Himax 2015-4100 brushless in it with 3s 2100 battery. Flys real nice also clipped the ends of wings. (honestly dont see much a difference) Experimented with different props. The 10 x 7 nylon(not the orange prop) flies the best.

nate1001

My Feedback: (2)

A couple guys at our flying field have 400 motors and I have the 350. With a 2 cell lipoly it'll just barely hold a hover. The 400s fly okay but not with authority. It seems like there isn't enough load on it to exploit the power.

tail heavy makes a more aerobatic plane, while nose heavy makes it more stable

vertigo72480

no, tail heavy will make a plane more likely to hover, nose heavy will help with aerobatics. Aerobatic maneuvers don't entail hovering if you consider the nature of the term.

What I want to know is why are you trying to hover an E Starter?

nate1001

My Feedback: (2)

I'm just giving that as an example, from level flight, if you pull straight up it will hold a hover or if you go full throttle before pulling up it will go straight up. And more tail heavy is more aerobatic and reduces the stall speed
ex aerobatic planes balance around 33% chord while trainers are more like 28%.