twhitlow-RCU

I just finished my GWS Zero today and went for a flight. The plane climbed when tossed and then rolled inverted left and crashed into the ground, I did this twice and decided to call it a day while the plane was still flyable. Any thoughts on the model. I have added some weight to the nose to get the CG behind the spare, but really not sure what the problem is. This is my second warbird, my GWS P51 has some issues = so I got the Zero since I heard is was a bit easier to fly.

Thanks!!

Smokin Cap

My Feedback: (49)

Mine took alot of nose weight and the c.g. should not be behind the spar but on it or slightly in front of it if I remember correctly. Sounds like yours is tail heavy and she stalled out and rolled to the left

spinnetti

I 'had' the zero too...
P51 is cake to fly, but a dozen crashes with no actual flight made me give up on the zero.. Try ezone.. There are a million threads on it. Some folks do fine with it, and others like me never had any luck... its a lot harder to fly than the P51 (at least for me!)

jham

The Zero is an awesome plane. I went through the same problems my first flights. Wrote to GWS they said instructions for CG are wrong. Should be 45mm to 55mm from LE not 55mm-65mm.

I will be building my second Zero soon.

Good Luck

Jim

fireman7875

My Feedback: (7)

I had a similar problem to yours with my GWS p51. Two things solved it: nose weight and epoxy in the ailerons. Check your ailerons to be sure they don't have too much slop. If so drop a small amount of epoxy down in the torque rod hole in the aileron. If the hole is the slightest too big it will make the airplane extremely unstable rollwise. Just a thought.

RC_Redneck

Hi Guys, A couple friends of mine bought them two planes, the Zero and the P51, same problem. What they did was move the battery ahead by cutting out the fire wall. I flew the Zero last weekend and it fly's great. I don't recommend adding weight to them small planes. Good luck and happy flying.

foxflyer

I had the Zero until a particular 'one-point' landing. Anyway, I agree do not add weight. I was using a 10 cell 720nimh pack that I had to mount on a balsa plate inside the cowl. I cut a hatch in the cowl to switch batteries held in with a velcro patch. This plane rocked with a Kyosho 9X8 prop.

Foaminator

I have both a Zero and a Mustang, fantastic planes!
You need to do a couple of things to make the Zero fly well:
Set the COG as per the build manual. Mine is set at 60mm from the front of the wing.
Move the battery pack down onto the wing. I cut the battery tray out completely. This might mean having to move the aileron servo back, which I did.
Set the elevator so that the bottom of it is in line with the bottom of the tailplane. (trimmed down slightly in other words)

It will then fly very well. My Zero is the best plane I have ever had, it flies like a dream.
Here is a video to show how well it flies with the above mods:

http://www.silentflightonline.com/Si...mages/1208.wmv

mook

very nice flying and plane good job

jham

Foaminator - Great video. I also have a Zero , great plane!

What motor, battery pack are you using?

Thanks,

Jim

twhitlow-RCU

I am using the stock motor gearbox. As for the batteries I use the 7.2V 600Mah

Foaminator

Thanks jham,
Stock EPS300 4.43:1 (B) gear ratio with 9x7 prop.
The motor is retimed by 10mm, which makes a BIG difference.
Batteries are 8 cell NiCads (9.6volt) 600AE.
It's a magical plane, and very realistic, my favorite of all the planes I have ever had.

jham

Where can I learn how to re time a motor? Do you need special equipment?

Thanks,

Jim

Foaminator

I found out here:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...+GWS+370+motor

jham

Foaminator,

Great info on timming motor.

You also mentioned you had a P-51. I am in the process of building one now. How does it fly compared to the Zero. Where did you set the CG. What are the specs on your plane?

Thanks,

Jim

Foaminator

Hi Jim,

Here is a video of my Mustang:
http://www.silentflightonline.com/Si...mages/1207.wmv

It is also an amazing plane, a bit faster than the Zero, but not quite as manoeuvrable as the Zero.
I started off using the stock EPS300, but eventually fitted a Multiplex Permax 400 to the EPS300 gearbox, after the EPS300 motor bombed out in midflight. Just got tired of the 300 motors not lasting.
I have set the CG as per the instruction manual, at about 8mm's in front of the bamboo spar.
As mentioned previously, the motor is a 400, with a 2.33:1 gear ratio and a 8x6 GWS prop.
I also retimed the 400 by 6mm's since the video was made, so it's quit a bit faster now. I use 8 Nicad cells 600AE, and get 7 to 8 minutes of mixed flight, some fast, some cruising.
I removed the battery tray completely, and mount the battery pack directly on top of the wing with velcro.
It's a very exciting plane to fly, and looks so real!

Clive

DougT

My Feedback: (1)

Foaminator,

I have 2 GWS Zeros. The first one turned out too heavy and I didn't have a good pack. The latest one flies much like yours. Awesome! I love your video. I will post some detailed mods. and a pic soon. 8 cell HE Cell 700 NiMH, 3 HS-55's, Pixie 14 ESC, 13.25 oz. RTF, 8 minutes flight similar to yours(chasing seagulls, flying inverted, loops, rolls, etc.) Like you, it's my favorite plane. What do you think about a folding prop if taking the gear off to avoid breaking a prop or bending a shaft?

My next project is a HiPo GWS A-10.

Doug

Foaminator

Hi Doug, I reckon a folding prop would be the answer if you are belly landing. I like touch and go circuits so the LG is a must for me, and the Zero is so easy to three point land.
My Zero's EPS300 burnt out a few weeks ago, so it now has a Multiplex Permax 400 at 2.33:1 gearing (like my Mustang). With a 9x7 prop it is amazing to fly, acceleration is unbelievable, and it is MUCH faster! The extra 30 grams are not even noticeable.
Look forward to some pics from you.

Clive

Foaminator

Hi Doug, on second thoughts, I wonder if you will be able to get a folding prop to suit the fat nose of the Zero. Normally the pivot point of folding props seems to be quite near the shaft, and where I have seen them used is on pointy nosed gliders?

Thought you might enjoy this video as well, it's another one showing how steeply my Zero can climb off the ground, as well as some very slow flying. It's about 5.7megs:

http://www.silentflightonline.com/Si...mages/1333.wmv

DougT

My Feedback: (1)

Clive,

What type of wheels are you using? The stock GWS wheels work but are flimsy and no traction. Also, have you tried HECell batteries? They are a new(?) type of HiMH battery that is supposed to discharge like a NiCD. I'm running 8X700 HECell and LOVE it. I'm getting 8 minutes of aggressive flying and 12-13 of just putting around.

Later,
Doug

Foaminator

Hi Doug,
The wheels are leftovers from two Flying Styro "Crazy Sparrows". They are vacuum formed and 2 1/2". I couldn't stand the thought of putting the GWS spider wheels on such a nice looking plane. Have since tried the Dubro Super Lite 2" foam wheels on my Mustang, and they look excellent and provide a bit of cushioning for those not so smooth landings. I will replace the Zero wheels with a pair of these soon as well.
Since the videos were made I have switched to 8 cells packs of Kan 1050's. They sound very similar to HECells, being NiMhs as well. Produce the same power as quickly as my old NiCad packs, but at least double the flying time. I also get 10-12 minutes of a mix of speed and slow flying and had one flight with my Mustang recently that lasted 19 minutes and 7 seconds! It was pretty slow and boring. If I fly with full throttle I get about 7 1/2 minutes, but that's really moving around the sky pretty quickly. My Mustang is REALLY fast at full throttle, looks like it's a glow plug plane. By the sound of it the 700 HECells are as good as my Kan 1050's, are they 21 grams each? I originally wanted HECells, but the supplier told me these Kan's were the latest, so gave them a try instead.

Clive

DougT

My Feedback: (1)

My 8X700 HECell weight a little over 3 oz. (90 g.) I will hopefully put my Astro Watt-Meter in-line and see what type of current I'm drawing. My best guess is that at full throttle it is around 7 amps.

Mitek

I had one of these zeros. I put retracts in it and I had a 9.6V NIMH 720 milliampere battery. It had the stock motor, but I replaced the wheels (GWS wheels come apart :angry: and don’t really fit in with the rest of the plane. I gave it up because my flying field is always windy, and the parks over here don’t have enough treeless space for this kind of airplane (it does take up a significant amount of space)
I put the servos and Rx into a Todd’s models Tiny.

DougT

My Feedback: (1)

This is my Zero. I'll post a new thread with some of the changes/mods that make it more realistic. Hope the pic attaches.


Doug