PaulSwany

My Feedback: (45)

Yup... it was Gator... your right about him being able to do tail touches with a trainer... he is an awesome flyer.... Let me know when your wasp is fixed... I'd love to fly with you....

BTW... my wasp is harmed again... I don't know if I'm going to fix it this time... I have two rib sets and might just build an other one...

PaulSwany

My Feedback: (45)

Hey... Just a heads up... a buddy of mine had a Pizzaz and had a couple of the ca hinges fail on him... just cracked right at the hinge line... He caught it in time so that nothing got damaged...

I'm going to replace my hinges just to be safe.

warhwk

My Feedback: (3)

I finally flew mine with an OS .61FX. With a 12-4 it hovers about 2/3 throttle. With a 13-4 it would probably hover at 1/2. I am not yet satisfied with the CG as of yet so I cannot comment on too many 3D aspects of the Pizazz yet. But here's what I can pass on so far. OS 61FX, std servo's for ailerons, and elevator, mini-servo for throttle on firewall and one std servo under the bottom of the plane for rudder (pull-pull), I got the Pizazz to balance right at the back of the checkerboarding (3 1/2") with the battery stuffed inside the back of the wing. I also replaced the heavy stock wheels with 3 1/4 inch foam wheels.

I was very nervous about the first flight after checking the throw on those HUGE control surfaces. I set my rates as per the manual.

My first takeoff run I scraped one wingtip. Once airborne I needed several clicks aileron trim and considerable "up" trim. I switched to high rates within a minute or two fearing I would not have enough elevator to land. Needless to say, it flew like a dog on low rates.

High rates were much better, especially in the roll dept. Boy! this thing can corkscrew as well as anything I've ever flown. It did however snap out of full deflection loops. I've heard of other people saying that the Pizazz loops in its own radius. Not mine!

I was able to knife-edge fairly easily and even climb, but at full deflection there was a lot of roll coupling and slight pitching toward the canopy. I am certain the CG listed on the manual is about an inch too far forward


I don't have many other options to bring the CG back other than adding tail weight I will add stick-on weight gradually, than after I am satisfied I will probably add two Hitec 81's at the stab for elevator control. I will then have plenty of room to slide the battery backwards if needed. One other thing to mention: the open structure drums loud enough to scare birds away for a mile or more
Updates to follow. Warhwk Out!

PaulSwany

My Feedback: (45)

Got the wing mounted, ailerons hinged, and tail feathers glued up last night... Boy these ARF's go together pretty quick!! I loved the pre-slotted control surfaces!! This thing will be ready to fly before my SuDoKhoi at this rate. Everything really went together well... even the large gaps in the wing fitment were no big deal to fill. I'm going to mount the tail wheel, rudder and elevators tonight... I prepped the Irvine 53 for this bird and I'm ready to mount that tonight as well.... So far, I'm really impressed by the quality of this kit!! Really nice!

djlyon

Hi Paul,
Hope you replaced the hinge material. After about 100 flights mine are starting to break on the hinge line like your friends.

PaulSwany

My Feedback: (45)

yep.... Replaced 'em with standard CA hinges... the kit supplied ones are pretty whimpy...

warhwk

My Feedback: (3)

I brought back the CG TO 4 1/4 from the leading edge and my Pizazz is finally flying more like a sport plane instead of a trainer. I'm still disappointed with the roll-coupling during knive-edge. I've tried to mix it out with only moderate sucess. It wont hammer-head cleanly with the mixing in. I also mixed in some flaps/spoilers with the elevator just for kicks. To me it seems like the CG is still too far foreward. For those who have their Pizazz's working good...Where did you put your CG? Any other suggestions to spice it up?

irishcarbomb

My Feedback: (4)

warhwk
i balanced mine at the furthest reccomended (3-3/4") just past the checkerboard. i have a saito .72 upfront and the battery is directly under the fuel tank. it flew great, rolls were axial, loops were perfect, didn't get to try much else b4 it crashed though.

djlyon

Warhwk
I'm at 4 1/2 now. It could stand a little more and still be manageable I think, but I'll probably leave mine where it is. It is getting pretty touchy to land on an empty tank. Yes the roll coupling with rudder is pretty bad. Mine pitches a little to the gear. All and all it takes a lot of screwing with the controls to hold a good knife edge. I have a Saito 72 in mine and have the battery pack back at the trailing edge of the wing and the reciever just in front of it.

4 stroken ron

My Feedback: (29)

Some posted somewhere that the tail on the Pizazz is too plain and needs something. Well here is mine, how do you like my tail?
4 4 4 4 stroken ron

4 stroken ron

My Feedback: (29)

Here is the underside of this tail. It uses 2 HS81MGs for the elevator mounted under the horizontal and 1 HS 425 mounted in the tray with pull pull for the rudder.
4 4 4 4 stroken ron

PaulSwany

My Feedback: (45)

Wow Ron... That looks really cool!!! How do you like the elevator response with the micro's in the tail? How did you mount them? Did you need the tail weight?? Sure beats the push rod with the Y control rods... what a pain in the neck to install!!! Just finished my radio installation this weekend.... Almost ready to fly!! I really wanted to do a pull-pull on the rudder, but didn't have the room for the horn in the tray....

warhwk

My Feedback: (3)

Oops, Dbl post.

4 stroken ron

My Feedback: (29)

Paul, I haven't flown this Piazz yet. On my first one I just used servo tape and stuck the servos to the stab. This time I built small mounts from maple and 1/32 ply and epoxied them to the underside of the stab. I lost the first plane to dumb thumbs, the servos did not come loose. I am using a TT 46 and a APC 12.25 X 2.75, That seemed to be a good combo for this plane. I had a 700 mil 6V battery under the fuel tank. I used HS81MGs on the ailerons also and a HS 80 on throttle. The last one CGed right at the rear of the suggested range with no added weight and flew very well. I lost it on the second flight. I hope this one balances the same as the last one and flies as well.
4 4 4 4 stroken ron

4 stroken ron

My Feedback: (29)

One more photo of the PIZAZZ. I use a DuBro tail wheel mount and then replace the set screw in the colllar with a 4/40 X 1in. socket head bolt. Then I slip a short piece of fuel tubing (about 1.5 in.) over the head of the bolt and install a small screw in the other end of the tubing and into the bottom edge of the rudder. I harden the drilled hole in the rudder, were the screw goes in, with CA. I have been doing this type of tail wheel installation for a long time now and they work well.
4 4 4 4 stroken ron

PaulSwany

My Feedback: (45)

Well... almost finished my Pizzaz last night... taxied it around the neiborhood at 9:30 pm... I bet the neighbor's love me.... All I need to do is put the canopy and decal's on.... Then I need to set up my expo and dual rates...... Can't weight to fly this thing... that Irvine 53 really has some balls!!

irishcarbomb

My Feedback: (4)

I just got mine flying today. I love it. I have the Saito .72 with a 13-6 apc prop. balanced the first try just past the edge of the checkerboard (3-3/4?). haven't tried much yet. that'll come tomorrow...

warhwk

My Feedback: (3)

I added more tailweight to bring my CG to 4 1/2". I finally got the Pizazz to flat-spin. This is starting to get fun :stupid:
It was a little windy so I cant really comment on the roll-coupling. It seemed better but was too windy to be precise. I flew my Pizazz with ground winds gusting up to 40mph. At altitude the wind was insane. My Pizazz was actually flying backward loops at 1/4 throttle and doing rolls with no foreward speed at all
One landing was a straight down decent from 50' I dont think I need that helicoptor like I've been wanting. More updates to follow...Warhwk out.

PaulSwany

My Feedback: (45)

Got the Pizzaz flying this weekend..... Great plane!! Really love it... Got the CG right at 3 3/4" and the Irvine 53 with a 12.25 x 3.75 APC Prop... That thing really hums. Felt comfortable with it right away....

First flight: Trimmed it out... two clicks left aileron and two clicks down elevator.... did a few rolls and loops... nothing to scary... Landed like it was a balloon.

Second flight: Let's try high rates!! Man, this thing rolls like a drill bit!! Throw on the flaperon's and take the Pizzaz for a spin!! Does an awesome inverted flat spin... slow descent. Straight spin is tight and fast, no flaperons. Hovers really well.. Need's a little left rudder and a little down elevator. Vary stable. Knife edge was very clean, needed a just a taste of opposite aileron to keep it straight. Threw on the airbrake (20% of up flap and 10 % down elevator) and it landed almost like a harrier...

Love this plane!! The elevator is a little mushy in the middle... I'll dial out some of the expo. The manual recommended %70 on high rates. I'll cut it to %50. Great plane, I'd recommend it to any one that like fun fly's and stick banging!!!

djlyon

Paul
How much flap did you put in with the flaperons. I put in a little on mine and was unimpressed. Didn't try more because it seemed to kill the wing during some maneuvers. I may have the ratio of flap to elevator all wrong though.

Airbrake?? How did you program that? Did you slave the elevator to the flap when flap is activated and then slave the flap to the elevator when the elevator is moved (more up flap when up elevator is applied) or do you leave the flap at 20%.

PaulSwany

My Feedback: (45)

I have a 50% flaperons mix... It's a 2->6 mix on my Futaba radio.

For the airbrake, which is just a 6->2 mix, I have 20% flaps and 10% elevator, both positive. This is just programed to a switch.