mikes68charger

My Feedback: (34)

Ok I'm in a odd situation

I'm in the Army currently in Columbus Ohio. I just got orders and will be gone around the middle of June.

My current field is grass and stays to soft to fly turbines until July

But I build a Velox XL this winters and only got 4 flights on my F15 before the first snow came.

There are only 2 hard top runways within 2 hours of my place in Columbus Ohio that I know of. One with a 2 year wait list to join, and the other with a very long and $ member ship program

So I'm almost tempted to buy another jet just so I can get some flights in before the Army makes me leave, it's been such a long winter

I currently own a Carf Rookie 2 with P120sx I thought of putting some soft fat dubro Tires on but the fear is always the nose wheel digging in the soft ground on landing

That is what happened to my Carf Eurosport the front nose gear dug in until the front intake plowed some earth. Luckily no damage but to the runway

So what options out there for softer runways?

I say a vid on YouTube of a Buda USA Northstar with turbine taking off on water. We do have a nice lake


Thanks.

Mr can't wait anymore Mike

flyinfool1

My Feedback: (2)

Our field is a flood plain, it is almost always very soft as it is just inches above the surrounding swamp. Even when it is not under 6 feet of water (Most club members have floats or boats for when the field is a lake) it takes a long time to dry out. My Reaction 54 from BTE with a P70 handles these conditions just fine, even when the field is so soft that it is hard to walk on without getting your feet wet. Just use the biggest diameter tires you can get away with and build to use trailing link struts. There is usually mud kicking up off of the wheels during take off, landing and taxiing, you will want an aircraft design that has the turbine intake well shielded from FOD. The R54 has the turbine mounted above the wing at the trailing edge so it is well protected from wheel spray. Anything with an air intake below or even on the sides but down low can be bad for the turbine.

bluescoobydoo

L39?, yak 130.

DiscoWings

My Feedback: (76)

Sport Jets without gear doors and large wheels will be your best bet:

1) Pirotti Tuono
2) 2.5 M Futura
3) Shockwave

Scale jets will generally have a hard time unless they are very big like the skygate hawk, or large tomahawk

jws_aces

My Feedback: (33)

I fly both the 1/5 and 1/3 size hawks off of ruff grass. I don't have the doors on the smaller hawk like Disco said they hang to low

tp777fo

My Feedback: (28)

Xcalibur, PST Reaction, DV8R

essyou35

My Feedback: (11)

Jet Legend Viper FTW. Hundreds of grass flights

mikes68charger

My Feedback: (34)

Even when the grass is soft. How do you prevent the nose wheel from digging into the ground

EDFCrazy

I mainly fly off a 130meter grass strip. I find the key to grass and soft grass is large wheels. I always go for the biggest possible.

I have a Q Composites Aurora, it has 3.5" nose and 4.5" main wheels and works great off grass.
My Ripmax Xcalibur works well too, mainly because its light, i think it has 2.5" nose and 3" mains.
The Ultra Flash works well to with there standard gear... and a jetlegend L-39 would work too, its gear doors are closed while the plane is on the ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2Wgs8atiEM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_wodYawE7E&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop

Erik R

My Feedback: (32)

It really depends on how soft the grass is. I have had good luck with just about any airplane off grass. Good luck.

Boomerang1

That's exactly what a friend did when the trail bike riding A-holes dug up our field.
Fitted big tundra tires to his Boomerang & left the SpringAir retracts without air.

John.

2walla

My Feedback: (10)

Carf tutor... Or u could go hand launch. I ordered a lambert turbine and an airworld skyrunner to fly at the home field. Not cheap. And been waiting on the plane for a long time

mikes68charger

My Feedback: (34)

Thanks. My boy said I should just belly land my Rookie. Lol

toolmaker7341

Shokjet
Navy Cat
SM Viper
Turbinator
Reaction 54

chilechopper

My Feedback: (5)

Don't know if anyone is interested but I am about to list my reaction 54 for sale. I have reached an age "mid seventys" that I don't trust myself to fly jets anymore. My reaction 54 is the full composite, yellow and blue jet that is like new. Has a mt80 full in case kerosene start that has TWO flights. Has a 14 futaba receiver that has TWO flights. The jet flys wonderfully and has plenty of power with the 18 plus turbine. Just put a new robart rear sprung nose gear on as the original was to soft for my liking. Guys, I have a five degit ama number and this jet is set up immaculate. Will sell with a futaba 12fg ready to fly for 3500. Will drive up to 300 miles to meet someone. Kenny Cross, Las Cruces,NM

Ron Stahl

My Feedback: (12)

I have flown every turbine powered jet I've ever built off grass and some others listed below, none had any trouble with the grass fields.
BVM Bobcat XL,
Reaction 54
Roo
Turbinator std and 125% sizes
AV8R
Facet 2300
Shockjet
Boomarang
BVM Bandit
BVM small f86
yellow small f-18
Starfires

sysiek

My Feedback: (176)

Eurofighter all day long

mikes68charger

My Feedback: (34)

Thanks guys. I also have been flying all 4 of my jets Carf Rookie 2, Eurosport, Skymaster F15, 16. Off grass

But our feild is very soft until July. Like it sinks under you feet soft at times.

Would you still fly all those nice jets on that?

Erik R

My Feedback: (32)

Mike,

You're being smart. If the ground was too soft, I wouldn't risk it. If you have no other choice, you have to go with a lighter wing loading jet. Kingcat would be my first choice. Good luck.

Erik

alasdair

I flew my Boomerang and Falcon 120 off grass, but with fixed gear. My CARF Lightning has also flown off grass, after fitting trailing links, but only dry firm grass. It is much too heavy for soft ground, and I would never risk my Eurosport or Gripen on grass.

So I designed my own sport jet, I call it JayTee, and stuck with fixed gear using 4 inch mains and 3 inch nosewheel on a short glass fibre U/C to reduce the pitching moment of the wheel-drag.

It flies off long grass, wet grass, short runways, whatever, far better than even the Boomerang or Falcon 120.


I even fitted floats which are great for flying off water, or hard snow.
Like the Boomer & Falcon, JayTee uses a Wren 54.
So go for something simple and versatile with fixed gear and big wheels.