TomCrump

splais

Good luck on the rebuild. You should have plenty of time to fly afterwards. It's cold and snowy up here.

splais

My Feedback: (25)

I finished a quickie covering job this morning so I can see if the repair holds. In retrospect I think I commited a cardinal warbird sin and quit flying down to touch down. I got to slow at the flair with the headwind.

This is my first big warbird, first plane with retracts, and first heavy plane. There is a learning curve. I have discovered that an ARF with retracts is difficult to asses until you are forced to pull all the covering off. I am hard pressed to find anything wrong with the TF gearbox design. The thing that surprises me is how you can glue that heavy retract that is banging around into all that balsa and have it hold together at all; now that I think about it.

splais

My Feedback: (25)

I made several more flights on the repaired gear Saturday and Sunday. It appears to be holding up just fine, had no problems. That is a big relief.

Another note on some trim issues. I have stated before that I have several clicks of trim change between gear down slowflight and gear up fast flight. It's actually about 8-10 clicks depending on how fast I'm flying. I have been experimenting with some way to program in the trim change, but haven't found a way yet. The trim change when the gear comes down is significant enough to be bothersome. And it is the gear. As far as I can tell there is zero trim change when the flaps go down.

I was thinking about programming in some up elevator when the gear switch is in the down position; but I'm not sure that will work. Open to some ideas.

taildraggerdave

My Feedback: (1)

You have the 9C, correct?

Definitely able to program that in....
I have a program that I use for landing that gives me a reduced idle and about 5 degrees up elevator. Then I drop the flaps and land. Also, my flaps are on the right slider and I can vary the flap position.

splais

My Feedback: (25)

Boy, did I add a great touch today. I put a bunch of those stick-on bullet holes on her I got off Ebay. The small ones. It looks awesome. I'll try to get a picture this weekend. It was just the touch it needed

splais

My Feedback: (25)

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I have been flying the P-51 for a while now. the DA50 is breaking in nicely and purring like a kitten.

I did want to bring everyone up date on one problem. Early in her life I had a hard landing that broke out one of the retracts. The retract mount snapped clean out, breaking all the plywood support structure. I repaired it and have had nothing but trouble with this ever since. Right now my plane is in the shop having the entire retract mounting blocks rebuild to withstand the weight of this plane on bad landings.

My suggestion to anyone building this ARF is to slop epoxy everywhere you can reach inside the mounting area and to soak the plywood support structure in CA also, to strengthen everything up. Please keep in mind I have a developmental set of Sierra Precision Retracts with somewhat heavy scale wheels in mine. I suspect that the Robart gear with their little metal drop-in box and plastic wheels may distribute weight better than mine; but I would still do the epoxy thing everywhere I could reach. I'll try to post some pics when I get a chance.

Steve

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

Steve, I have the Robart gear in my built up TF giant P51 and the gear rails seem no better than yours. I have had two mishaps which resulted in me rebuilding the gear mounts... Just thought you would like to know. BobH.

JoeEagle

My Feedback: (26)

I have sheeted one side of my TF GS mustang and now im wondering exactly how i should beef up this obviously weak area of this plane. CF strips? Double the thickness of the rails??

do you guys have any pics of how they failed? does it tear out the mounting rails, or the ribs front to back.

they seem so substantial, i just cannot imagine them breaking.

i was also thinking about using some of my fiberglass cloth .55 oz and laminating the bays and ribs/doublers on everything surrounding the gear mounts.

what do you all think?

cheers

joe

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

Joe, I put extra wood in the weak areas as well as CF strips. The two times the gear pulled out was not because of a bad landing but 1st time, the lower gear oleo weld broke. This let the wheel and shaft depart from the main gear and the subsequent stup dug into the turf. 2nd time I was flying at a full scale event and some one made a Meister P-47 hold on the runway while I was landing. I saw him just in the nic of time but one gear leg caught the LE of his wing as I tried to jump over him. lol..!! any way. add some wood and glass cloth and CF to that area where ever possible.. BobH.

splais

My Feedback: (25)

They are not as strong as they appear. I am going to take some pics of the repair tonight. Basically what I am doing is cuttng the sheeting back to expose the back side of the wing ribs that support the gear. Then doubling up the rib on each side. You got to put the extra wood on the outside of the rib. Because my Sierras have a removable plate I am extending the size of the plate so that the mounting screws have more wood around them. the way mine broke was just that the entire 1/4" plywood box broke off clean about 1/2" down, all the way around. This plane is realatively heavy and you must just get used to the idea that you cannot make a hard landing, simple as that. Mine flies so long on a tank of gas and is realatively easy to land that there really isn't any excuse for a hard landing; but S...Happens as they say.

Wizard61

My Feedback: (7)

Well I couldn't stand it anymore. I have been pouring over this thread and I decided I had to have one of these. It arrived along with the U.S. 41 engine. The question I would like to ask is whether there is a better muffler for that engine than the one provided. This is my first gas engine, so I just don't know much about them. I thought I saw Slimline or Bisson muffler in one of the earlier posts. Anyway the contents of the ARF look great, and I appreciate all the information that has been posted by everyone in this thread.

Thanks,

James

splais

My Feedback: (25)

James, go over to the User Product Review Forum and read my complete review. I may be biased, but I think mine has many more tips than the RCU review, but you should read both and then decide how to proceed. Build is really quite easy and straight forward.

PS: I was not able to get the repair pics I mentioned tonight. Oh, well.

splais

My Feedback: (25)

The first picture is of the doublers we put on the wing ribs. The second picture is of the hardwood plate that will top the whole thing.

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

I got a question! There was a field discussion a little while back about the pros and cons of using nylon bolts on lfixed anding gear. Then a newbie asked why they werent used on retracts. My imediate reply was "they wouldnt hold up". But the more I think about it, maybe thats not such a bad idea. Has anyone done this to see if #10 nylon bolts or something in that range would work. I use nylon on my fixed gear and have no problems with it. Break when its supposed to and is an easy fix.
Edwin

justrfb

My Feedback: (2)

Edwin,
I am with you on this one... [8D] I am going to try nylon bolts on my retracts for my Mustang. Nylon bolts saved my Hots more than once before I totally crushed it on fumble thumbs... Not enough power on when trying to land into a tough cross wind, stalled and went in sideways. Anyway, when I finally finish my B-stang, the SpringAirs will be held in with nylon. I hope it works and I will let people know...

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

Most retracts will not just "drop in" to their mounting area. The will usually need to be twisted and turned to set in the wing, so if the bolts shear away, they will still damage the mount area. With metal bolts they may not pull out.
I am not convinced the mounts on the T/F Mustang need any beefing up. All but one of my landing have been smooth, but that one was a "banger". Hard enough to hear the oles bottom out,(that is a nasty sound) and there is no damage to the mounts at all.

kram51

My Feedback: (3)

Byron recommends the nylon bolts on the Mustang for the very reason mentioned; to keep from damaging the wing on a bad landing. I haven't finished mine yet but I'll take a picture if you'd like.

Mark

justrfb

My Feedback: (2)

Just a quick comment pertaining specifically to my mounting situation... The way I see it is if my retract breaks away from the mount, the material that will be ripped out should only be the wing sheeting, sparing the critical mount, spars and wing ribs. If I have metal bolts and the retract gets ripped out, it will affect the pieces that make the structure of the wing true not just the covering... My $0.02 offered. Now, I hope my theorizing will pan out, better yet, I will "greasssse" every landing. [>:] ... Yea, right! [8D]

splais

My Feedback: (25)

Terry, I agree with you if you have the Robart gear. I think if I was doing the TF ARF over again I would use the Robarts for the specific reason that the gear box was designed specifically for those particular gear. Now if you are doing a kit you have the option to make any changes you want. I believe my problems are directly related to the after market nature of my gear - and my clumsy thumbs of course.

My gear and wheels are probably the heaviest thing on the plane. I'm not sure threaded nylon bolts would hold them. Also as stated above when they go there is a lot of twisting and banging around.

dmyers0403

My Feedback: (48)

We have a Byron Zero which had the original nylon bolt idea-NOT GOOD - bolts sheared way too easy on moderate landings, causing lots of surface damage to wing - went back to metal. No easy solution. I have accepted that you make reasonable rienforcment to landing gear area and accept what comes with a bad landing and practice better landings. I do not over do landing gear area - too much just makes for even more damage. Better to lose a mount than a spar. I also have the TF ARF and am satisfied to date with the gear mount as is, but made sure the glue joints were good.
PS - I don't fly retracts on rough fields anymore.

JoeEagle

My Feedback: (26)

all very interesting guys. i just printed out a copy of the pic of the reinforced ribs. i was thinking about the nylon bolts thing and based upon what you all have posted, i'm staying with metal bolts.

which brings me to my next question. TF recommends "machine or wood type screws" to fasten the gear to the mount rails. on my H9 little mustang, i used machine button head bolts by drilling a pilot hole, tapping the wood, thin CA'ing the threads, putting in the bolts.

my machinist friend told me i was wasting my time with the tapping of wood. i was thinking that the machine bolts have more surface area contacting the wood, hence better mounting solution.

what do you all think???

cheers

joe

gary9648

My Feedback: (1)

Hey gang here is a pix of number two. Number three is on the assembly table as we speak.
As far as the screws go, I prefer wood screws. I run the screw down then back it out and use thin Ca as the instructions recommend.
Boy there is going to be a bunch of Mustangs out at the flying fields this year. I'll think I died and went to heaven.

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

This airplane lands soooooo light, the gear, and mounts are NOT an issue. I have about 10 flights on mine and still heve not needed the flaps to "tip toe" in. And mine is still a bit nose heavy. Once I add about 4-5oz to the tail it will float in.

nemesis4u

My Feedback: (77)

Hey TLH101, what motor are you using? Anyone using a G-62? I have one laying around....

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

I am running a brison 3.2. There are some pics of my installation in this thread: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/Top%...1288837/tm.htm
See post #28