cptcrusty1

I own the P-51 combat mustang in the post about the p-40 vs p-51. Its greatly over powered and absolutley screams. I have gear on it now, but I don't want to do major surgery to strengthen it appropriatley. I've already done TONS over custom work to it.

Tips for hand launching this demon?

wind junkie

My Feedback: (1)

If you have the power, it's easy, right?

Just start the plane, pick up your radio in your right hand, right thumb on the right stick, pick up the plane in your left hand, bump the throttle to full with your chin, hold it nose high and let go! (the plane..... Not the radio!)

pe reivers

I fly mode-4, thr/ail left.
Tx in left hand, plane grasped from above in right hand.
At full throttle, a light shove with nose pointed slightly upward will get the plane airborne with ample time to get to the elevator stick. A well trimmed plane will slowly point the nose down during the start. Once horizontal, the plane is at flying speed, and the tx is in full control.

j.duncker

My Feedback: (2)

It helps to glue on a couple of quarter size pieces of 360 wet and dry where you hold the model to hand launch.

I used to do this over arm but now prefer to underarm launch holding the model from above. I get better control over attitude that way.

cptcrusty1

My concern is the 32SX in the nose. It spins around 18k RPM and the plane has been clocked well over 100mph. I'm afraid that the torque will flip the plane before I can correct if I'm holding the throttle.

I have a Zaggi FX brushless that I throw over hand with the right hand and go full throttle once I let go, but it glides will. This little plane is heavy, but absofreakinglutley SCREAMS......

[link]http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_8993490/tm.htm[/link]

I'm certain you can see my concerns...

wind junkie

My Feedback: (1)

cptcrusty1,

I'm assuming you fly mode II (throttle on LEFT stick). Don't hold the throttle hold the RIGHT stick. Launch with your LEFT hand.

Also, the motor should already be screaming when you launch it. The torque effect would be most problematic if you were changing the throttle during the launch, but the plane is large enough that as soon as it starts to move, it should be pulling away with authority and the flying surfaces and wings will stabilize it.

I was looking on the RCCA site for some videos to show what I mean, but I can't find any with planes powered by your motor, but these should give you the idea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD4X69CEZgw

http://www.tufflight.com/predator_cartwheel.mpg

The high revving motors really don't impart that much torque to the plane as you're thinking. In any case the plane will be well away from your left hand if you give a slight underhand toss as these videos show.

The underhand toss is easier, and safer for high powered planes than what you describe in your overhand toss (like a zagi). You keep the plane in front of you the whole time and the engine/prop is always within eyesight. Starting the plane, grabbiging the radio, tossing the plane is a much more fluid motion than trying to steady a low wing plane overhead as you described would be done for a zagi. The power of the plane lets you do this no need to throw anything it should just pull away.

The free flight guys have killer setups and they literally just point the plane vertical to steady it and LET GO and it shoots skyward without rolling. Your plane is smaller than those, but the effect is still the same.

If you're scared of the motor, have a friend do exactly what I describe while you stand safely away and ready to guide the plane with the radio. You'll see how gently the whole operation is. You're smart to respect the motor, but your fears are unfounded.

Joe

cptcrusty1

Joe,

I don't fear the motor, I respect it. The scars on my left hand, and the short knuckle on my right, denote how I gained that respect.

If I understand correctly, the primary increase in torque is going to occur if I'm throttling up, vs. just going WOT and letting go? The motor also has a Nelson Pipe on it and there is no shortage of power..... I could probably just hold it at a somewhat high angle of attack and just let go.....

wind junkie

My Feedback: (1)

exactly. That's what I've been trying to convey.

cptcrusty1

I 've seen the predator video before. In fact, I have a Terminator that I launch the same way, although, there is a LOT more wing and probably even less weight in those.. The terminator takes off with authority with only a 46FX on it.... and the turns... OH my...

wind junkie

My Feedback: (1)

Excellent. We design and manufacture those BTW.

Anyway, there are other videos of the scale 1/12 scale birds being launched by just pointing and letting go. Apparently you have not seen any.

I haven't flown combat in about 5 years now, but when we were using Norvel 25's on Kentucky mousse cans, spinning 9x4 props at around 19 to 20K rpm, the thrust was tremendous, and the plane needed no control input at all for the first 20 or 30 feet. You just pointed it and let go. This is on a 2.5 lb plane.

I suspect your bird is in that weight range, and if you have a fine pitch prop (which you should for combat, giving accelleration vs streamer shredding speed) you too will not need to worry about thrust.

The terminator and predator wings are larger (and more massive) than what you now have, but you really don't need to worry about the plane twisting to the point where you can't control it assuming your thrust is good. It's a rocket waiting to be let go. Don't you get that feeling just holding it?

Joe
(at TufFlight)

pe reivers

Here is another one:
http://prme.nl/video/startdanpek.mpeg

Le mans start of this top classpink helmetis typical 10 seconds without pittsman. (engine MVVS .19)
My starts with pittsman occurred as soon as the pittsman noticed that I applied full throttle, at about 7 seconds.

cptcrusty1

JOE YOU DOG! I've had numerous email conversations with you about the Terminator (which I love, I must say). The last one was about putting floats on it.

What ever happened to the Titan? I have a guy that wants to learn how to fly and that would be the PERFECT plane for him...

wind junkie

My Feedback: (1)

That certainly rings a bell. Let me know if you ever get those floats to work. We never could.

The Titan became too much to deal with given the advent of cheap ARFs everywhere. It flew ok, it was truly indestructible as designed, but the work involved in building one didn't really appeal to people in the "give it to me now" world we have. Far better to pay a 3rd world worker peanuts to build disposeable trainers or go learn with cheap foamies which are also a good choice. Remember, 8 years ago when we designed the Titan, electric flight was pretty bad all round and few would even consider learning on one. Now simulators and trainers are great, and we can concentrate on producing stuff WE like to fly, rather than teaching, so we gladly hand off that task to a superior source. Then came 3D, and well, we've been distracted ever since. Now we're working on an EDF.

We still have the Titan and vids on our web site for historical purposes. It serves to demonstrate the crash proof technology, but that's all.

http://www.tufflight.com/titan.html

TxCombatGuy

Several good ideas already, so I'll just add a few.
1. First flight: have a buddy launch it for you so you can focus on just flying the beast. Once you see how it behaves you can launch it yourself.
2. If you get torque roll, you might consider taping a quarter or two to the opposite wing tip bottom. This was mentioned in a very recent copy of Model Avaition
3. You likely have a high wing loading, so watch your control setting. You don't want too much throw, and dial in expo
4. Try to stay in close until you are comfortable with the engine run. High wing loading planes tend to glide poorly, and an off airfield landing won't be pretty.

I fly Open B with 25FX and a mousse can, and I have some step ladder non skid on the fuselage sides just aft of the canopy. All I do is a light toss us to establish some forward and upward momentum and the 9x4 props scream hauls it aways and hauls it away

Good luck!
Ed

tunes442

The majority of the torque occurs as you spin up the pror, once at full throttle the prop does not have nearly as much resistance as that initial inertia.


As was just mentioned, have a buddy hand launch it the first time, so that you can trim it out then try the left, underhand toss. It might seem ackward at first, but it is safer than other techniques and you can maintain control with the right stick.

cptcrusty1

You don't have any dusty old Titans on a shelf somewhere do you? I thought the plane was COOL... I know a guy that mounted bombs on the wings...Nurf footballs with whistles and fins... He would drop them on the bushwhacker tractor that was mowing the field...LOL.. They put corrigated metal on top of the tractor to keep his bombs from nailing the driver. So then he learned to lob them into the cab... (a few were run over and mowed LOL). They put a metal screen on the front the cab so he changed to water balloons. It was all in good fun, and amazing to watch. The Titan took more than one spill in the process...

wind junkie

My Feedback: (1)

LOL. Souns like something we may have done (in the name of science of course!)

Sorry no more Titan parts. Mark threw out some odd foam pieces last year sometime.

Rflyin

My Feedback: (6)

I had a Dave West Mig 7 and a Diamond Dust that liked to torque over on launch. So I would'nt launch it with the wings level. I'd cock them to the right some and the torque would level the wing and off it would go.


Rick

wind junkie

My Feedback: (1)

My Diamond dust is very light and has a short wingspan and I do remember it was always "fun" to launch.

I often started that one with an electric starter, and grasped the plane by holding the cylinder head itself with a VERY THICK work glove. I need to do that quickly before my fingers get hot.

I have a Jett FIRE 40 on the DD, and since it is so light it lept out of my hand even with a 9x9 prop (or possibly a pylon prop, APC 8.5, 7.75 or similar, I can't recall).

Still have that bird but it's not flown in many years. I should upgrade it for 2.4 and give it a new RX battery.

cptcrusty1

DD's are a handful for the lone flyer and no help.. You held on to the cylinder head? Joe... I would make some retarded comment about relative intelligence regarding rotating blades and the close proximity of fingers. Glove would not stop a prop spinning nearly 20kRPMs... But I wouldnt' want to insult your intelligence...

wind junkie

My Feedback: (1)

Yea, that's definitely in the category of playing with firecrackers.

Don't try this at home folks.... [X(]

cptcrusty1

Joe,

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, or other type of holiday. Blessings to your family from mine.

Crusty
(Richard, Aldona, Ellie-2y/o midget, and our unborn son (yay))....

wind junkie

My Feedback: (1)

Yes, we had a good one. Hope yours was also great.

All the best to you and yours.
Joe

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

P-51s and a P-47 are the only low winged planes I can recall hand launching.
I grip them at the "waist" to let go with an overhand push.
They all tend to zoom down at first, then it's off to the races.
I recommend learning to launch the plane with your left hand while holding your right thumb where it belongs [on the stick]. I cringe to watch guys lob the plane with their right hands then grope for the radio as fast as they can.

Always know exactly which way the wind is blowing..

DaneMcGee

Hand launching with left hand while right hand is safely on radio is the way I do it. I'm not to fond of having anything spinning above my head and I have no trouble getting them into the air.
I grip the plane by the front of the wing and give it an underhanded push forward and upward as seen here: