I got my Bandit all set and ready for its first flight, but not sure how much throw to have on the control surfaces.

Thanks in advance
Sung

Hi Sung;

This is the setting I use on all my (regular) Bandits, the Super Bandit is still under construction:

Elevators: 1" 1/8 from the root minimum (it will flare better with more)
Rudder: 1"
Flaps: I use the CRC throw gage and i set the flaps at 15 degrees down for take-off and 40 degress down for landing with 1/8" down elevator
Ailerons: with the CRC gage at 10 degrees up and down.

I have two matchboxes - one on the flaps and the other on the elevators. Try to fly the last minute of your timed flight with flaps down, gears down and speed brake down, to see if you need any trimming of the ailerons and to get comfortable with the approch speed.

Good luck...

David S.

David thanks a bunch, maybe I'll see you out there today. I should make it to the field around 1 or 2 PM.

Sung

David thanks again for coming out and talking me through the first flight. I had a great day and the Bandit flies great.

Sung

I am glad you are having a good time with the bandit. It is hard to switch to another plane after you fly a bandit.

Now put one of those P160 in it and enjoy the speed. I will have mine with a P160 at LA Jets.

Good luck.. This one is a beauty.

Where do you guys have your CG? I moved mine back about 3/4" and my composite bandit flew well and take off was shortened a bunch, never too sensitive!!

Ehab, I have mine set at 8 1/2" as per BVM for the composite. I just completed my first three flights today and will try some more next weekend. So it seems pretty good, but I still have a lot to get use to.

Sung

NOT trying to be a smart alec, but aren't the recommended control throws clearly listed in the BVM Super Bandit manual?

Are they not at the very least a good starting point?

I know my Mav. Pro came with control throws listed.

For the Super Bandit throws:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/showthread...990#post636792 post # 87

Gordonn

Thanks for the info, but now I got another question. How much flight time do you guys get with a Bandit, P-120 and the standard BVM tanks, 16 oz. header and a UAT? I started out with 4 minutes on my timer from take off for the first flight and landed with the 16 oz hopper and the UAT full. The second flight was 5 minutes with the same results. The third was 6 minutes and I forgot to check the hopper yet. Just curious how long some of you stay up with this setup.

Thanks
Sung

Hi Sung;

Always try to be safe , so you can get another flight on the plane. I set my timer for 5 1/2 minutes. This will give you at least two go arounds if you need to.

Once you get really comfortable with the landings you can increase you flight time.

David S.

Congrats Sung.

You are gonna absolutely love that plane. I have a compo/120 flying and a SuperBandit/160 being built.

Closest thing to an F3A plane there is. I continue to be amazed at how fast, and how slow they go.

All the throws suggested is where I have mine. The only time I use dual rate is on the ailerons to slow the roll rate while I practice slow and point rolls. C.G. is at 8 1/2.

I set my timer now to 6 minutes. Lot depends on how agressive you are with your thumb----with Matt's deceased Green Machine being a 10/10.

This always leaves me with either a full, or almost full 16 oz. hopper and the UAT full , plenty for at least 3 go-arounds, as long as you keep the pattern relatively tight.

You will find that it flares like a dream if you land with the hopper(16oz) just starting to empty. My UAT is on the C.G. so that is no factor.

I actually fly my light wind pattern(up to about 10 MPH) almost the same as an Avonds 15. 2-3 clicks above 1/2 throttle on the downwind with flaps 40-45 and speed brake down about 80 degrees max.
Then as soon as I roll out on base about to turn final at about 50-75 feet, I chop the throttle and let her float in.
More often than not, I am hot using this technique.
Watching Schulman, Dodgen, and Jason, Kramers and Pischner fly the pattern with this bird, the key is to keep your pattern as low as you feel comfortable, especially in a crosswind. Every extra 10 feet on final adds at least another 75-100 ft to the landing distance. I'm still working on it. I only have 32 total Bandit flights to date.

Have a great time with your new bird.


Tom

Tom thanks for the info. In fact, I did pretty much what you are talking about, except I chopped the throttle a little sooner and traded altitude for airspeed and kept it low on final. It does coast in very nicely. I just have to remember to stay on the elevator until the nose wheel is all the way down on the ground. I made a little oops on the third flight and reached for the brakes too soon and let the nose drop. This caused a series of bounces, but no serious damage. It will be flying again tomorrow.

Sung

You were greasing those landings yesterday.

I had mine set for 6 minutes, but an easy mod is to get another front kevlar sleeve and make a tank out of it (no sullivan insert). I

It drops right in to the current mount and yields about 14 ounces of extra fuel. I also move the UAT to next to the turbine to help with the CG. It is always better to have a more aft CG when landing, helps with flare and the bouncy bouncy.

Yup, I learned that real quick, staying on the elevator until the nose comes down by itself. Actually learned about that with the MavPro.

It's just the opposite of a Roo or HS. If you hold up on those after it touches and you are a tad fast, up you go again, and carried to the extreme, into a 5 ft. high cobra.

I also pre-load the brakes a bit, not fully locked, but about 1/2 of the travel on the Sure-Stop. Seems to help plant it also and shortens the ground roll.

Taking out the Sullivan is a good thought if you fly off hard surface, but if you fly off grass like I do, it just adds another 12-14 oz well in front of the C.G. at take-off which just pounds the nose gear more. It takes enough beating with the Sullivan, so I switched back to stock.

Tom

Sung,

Can you send me your phone #s again? I still owe you a part or two, right?

Tom, just completed another flight today and I think I am getting the hang of it. This is a sweet flying plane. I will be replacing the shell with a tank cause I would love another minute of flight time.

Sung

Sung, you guys out in Arizona and on the coast got it made.

Make me real jealous...

I do have lots of FF miles to burn and I was thinking about AZ or LA jets to get out of here for a while---it was 5 F here today...

...but it is getting to be such a major hassle shipping these planes, even via Forward Air, that I can't get into it.

Have fun and say hello to Tad if you see him...heard he caught a bug down in FL.


Tom

Tom, Tad did get a bug out in Florida, but his on the mend now. If you do manage to get out this way for LA jets, you are more than welcome to fly one of my Hotspots or Bandits. Plus I'll keep the propane warm for ya.

Sung

Tucson should be about 85 for this weekend, and in LA the week after probabaly normal, sun and 75?


Come on out, we also have a shop plane (a Rookie) you can fly. Bring a 10X though, we need an extra radio.

Watching me try to fly Rob's MC24 with those cake stirrers for sticks...quite comical.