CorsairJock

My Feedback: (90)

This thread is being started in direct response to the thread titled "Hanger 9 Corsair; JUNK".

While I admit that this ARF does have some structural issues, as well as "cheap" retracts, I believe that the use of the word "JUNK" to describe it is totally inappropriate and an insult to the many satisfied owners.

And since a number of 'do-gooders' have proclaimed it their mission in life to keep that thread on page 1 of this forum, I am hereby vowing to do the same with this thread, or at least as long as the they keep theirs on page 1.

After all, this ARF has some good points and some bad points (like any ARF), and my feeling is that it deserves some positive/ good exposure to offset those that feel this Corsair should go the same route as the Corvair (UNSAFE at ANY SPEED!!!!).

I own 2 of these:

The first one is Saito .91 powered, has Royal Corsair decals on it for that WW II Corsair look, and is entering it's 3rd flying season.

The second has been highly modified, including completely re-finished with a VF-17/ Jolly Rogers Squadron scheme, conversion to electric power, and many scale details added. This one is by far the best looking, most scale accurate Corsair that I have built/ owned. This one is entering it's second flying season.

Niether of them has ever encountered a structural failure, and both are equipped with the Hanger 9 retracts.
The electric powered one has wing modifications in the form of 3 layers of 1/2 oz/ sq yd fiberglass cloth applied to the retract bays/ wing sheeting to re-inforce those areas.

Hopefully, some of you readers will contribute to this thread, with stories and pics of YOUR Hanger 9 Corsair, good and bad.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (number to the right is the Post number)

Retracts.......................................... ....7
Retract Servo in Wheel Well...................58
Recommended Wheels, Wheel Wells.........24
Firewall mods......................................33
Fin and Rudder Mods............................38

Tommy_Gun

I agree with this thread 'Jock,

I find that "other" thread to be nothing more than a weak vendetta that is being pushed by some
folks that I would refer to as "puppy kickers" in a private setting.

I am this close || to buying another H9 hog just to use for Warbird racing with a YS 1.10 up front.
And I have no doubt in my mind that it would be just fine for that use.

Now if only I could get a few more after hours jobs to make the scratch for the plane.

da Rock

Good on 'ya mate !!

I've not bothered with the other thread since reading the first couple of posts in it. Most threads whose primary focus is to trash a particular model or mfg really only illustrate the posters' lack of experience and/or patience. People who think ARFs should be perfect are right, but don't have a clue about reality.

Guys who've started off in ARFs are going to learn the same things that guys who started off building kits learned. They just learn all those lessons in a different sequence. And seem to think they shouldn't have to learn those things. In today's world, they do.

Everyone building an ARF today needs to build experience in judging and fixing weak design and poor/sloppy construction. Some mfg's are losers. H9 isn't one of those. H9 is probably the best of the lot.

The guys who are starting out in ARFs will learn all the modeling lessons the hard way if they stick with modeling. Those of us who started out building kits and from plans learned the hard lessons and learn them the hard way. We just didn't have somebody else to blame. But most of us also learned to share our knowledge with less whining and finger pointing.

wdmurphree

My Feedback: (3)

CorsairJock,

I agree with this thread and want to thank you for starting it. I purchased this ARF and have inspected it and yes there are somethings that need to be addressed but that DOES NOT mean that Hanger 9 is responsible for the safety, or lack there of, it is the BUILDER/PILOT'S responsibillity. I am a full scale pilot and you can have the best mechanic in the world work on you aircraft but it is ALWAYS the Pilot in Commands responsibillity to look after the safety of the aircraft before flying. We as RC Pilots have a greater responsibillity as we are the Builder/ Mechanic and Pilot.

Just my two cents.

Murf

Tommy_Gun

Another consideration I wish we could see to verify is the treatment of the planes that have had problems.

Had they ever been dumped on the nose or had the tail banged on the door on the way out to the field?

What are the flying styles of the pilots that are having problems?

You can have a minor little incident with any plane that can set up a failure in a future flight.

I only feel the need to ask this as I have observed a lot of different folks fly in this hobby in 30 years and
I have seen a lot of sillyness in the part of the pilot/builder.

mcarleno

I too am glad to add some items to this post. Its one of the things that I think some ARF pilots miss (not all) is that an ARF for a couple of hundred dollars cannot just be slapped together right out of the box and your off to the field to break in your engine and take it for a spin.

ARFs are cheap -- not always a bad thing -- because they are mass produced. They are produced quickly in factories with balsa, lite-ply, plywood, plastic, fiberglass, glue......

All of these things we builders also use but the difference is that we control the assembly process and can make decessions on whether to use certain components, whether to replace them, and also have the ability to thuroughly inspect our work. I have replace firewalls that I didn't like the grade or grain of the ply or added additional re-enforcing like fiberglass.

Now, ARFs when built probably all meet general specifications and go through various QC processes, but we are not talking about aluminum or carbon fiber, but mostly wood which has a lot of variability. It is the ARF owners responsibility to completely inspect an aircraft (where possible) and ensure that the aircraft is safe.

Secondly, I know that the other thread has also indicated some wing failure and if it is common with engines in the approved range and landing gear supplied -- then just like the firewall issue there maybe the need for a design change. But it seams to me that hard landings, modified gear, and oversize engines -- not to mention extended control throws -- could all contribute to problems with any aircraft.

I personnally don't like ARFs -- but everyone at my club who flyes H9 still thinks that for the low cost ARFs (clearly Yellow, Aerotech, Valley are not in this class) are far better in both looks and quality than any others out there.

CorsairJock

My Feedback: (90)

WOW Guys, THANKS for the SUPPORT!
And I do honestly beleive this is the best Corsair ARF for the money. The Kyosho comes close, but it is after all more expensive and lacks retracts with it (optional tho). And I mean no disrespect to the Kyosho, as it remains the most scale accurate looking Corsair ARF, and by all reports: a good flyer also.

There are many who complain about the H-9 retracts, and again: I agree, they could be better. But at what cost? Hanger 9 sells replacements for about $30? And as cheap as they are, mine have stood the test of a compbined 3 flying seasons without need of replacements. I believe it is a matter of one's landing skills: if you are not adept at getting the airspeed down and greasing it in (not that difficult with this plane), then you will likely bend and/ or damage the gear. I don't claim to be the best flyer at more local club field, NO WAY! But, some people are better at some things and worse at others, and I feel that I am better than most when it comes to making nice landings. I used to practice a lot, doing touch and goes with my Hobbico retracts equipped DynaFlite Corsair. All this may explain why I am not as un-satisfied as others are with the standard H-9 retracts.

As far as I know, there are no easy/ direct drop in retracts available. CenturyJet makes a set specifally for this Corsair, but I think a little modification to the retract bays are needed. I am now looking into the possibilty of installing modified Airborn Models mechanical rotating retracts. I'll keep eveyone posted if successful (or not).

As a side note to the above, I witnessed a pilot bring in a CenturyJet retracts equipped Hanger 9 Corsair last summer at a warbird event. His landing was so hard that he broke the Centuryjet landing gear (the oleo/ struts broke). And by the way: the wing did not break under all that stress.

I occasionally have to straighten my 'legs' out, and both of mine have the later versions of retracts with the HD plastic ball sockets (the original versions were in fact junk). They are a lot beefier than the Hobbico mechanical rotating retracts, which by the way are slightly more expensive. And I recently purchased 2 sets of VQ mechanical rotating retracts for about $60 a set, including "oleos" (cheaply built RoboStrut copies): I really like the desgn of these and will try to retrofit on my Hanger 9 Corsair, BUT they are very cheaply built and it really shows in materials and workmanship. I plan on re-building them combining parts from the Hanger 9 retracts (some of the parts are interchangable).

'Nuff for now, as it appears I'll have plenty of time later in my quest to keep this thread on page 1 as long as the other one is.

Here's a pic of my Saito .91 powered, with 2 complete flying seasons completed and now ready to beging it's 3rd. Altho I have a fairly nicely finished Top Flite Corsair also, this Hanger 9 one is my 'beater'. The one I fly when maybe it's a little too windy, or when I need to warm up (1st flight of the day).

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

agree 100% , I made the small mods and I mean small based on the RCU post , and then I added my own character to the plane thanks to CJock and others , as a result I love the plane and I love the look , the quality and feel in the air .
I wonder of the validity of the other post after they started reporting stores on all H9 birds . Its as if they are all exploding in mid air . I just find that hard to believe .

TAZ

I agree with this thread to, althogh I do not own a hanger 9 corsair, I do think that yes ARTF are cheap and do have their faults as most of them do but that is where some of the excitment comes in..... finding problems and fixing them is part of the whole flying package so OK the "JUNK" thread has it's points about the fatal flaws in the plane but we can fix them and have a plane that can be very enjoyable

johnnylwhite

My Feedback: (17)

DITTO CORSAIR JOCK!
My Corsair was probably one of the first ones out and yes I has some problems with the landing gear....I went to a local RC Car shop and purchased heavy duty balls and links and solved the problem before H9 did....! I posted the information on the original thread and shared it with H9 at the same time.

Never did any modifications to the firewall but I have kept a close eye on it...no problems yet!

Reading all the threads....it seemed pretty obvious that a lot of people put bigger engines than was recommended. I feel like this is some of the problem along with the the simple fact that it is an ARF built by someone else. To simply bash the plane and H9 due to these issues is not correct or fair in my opinion so I was glad to see the thread you started.

I like H9 products.....I have 4 of them now counting my new GIANT P47 and it is simply AWSOME! It has issues too but you know that is part of the fun of this hobby!

Just my 2 cents....have a great day!

JS615

I think H9 makes good planes, i have several of them and yes i have had a few quirks here and there but thats a arf,(almost ready to fly) you still need to check it out,,,, and i always beef mine up in different places no matter who made it!!!!
I see alot of companys on this site getting ragged and trashed over a quirk that could have been taken care of when the buyer put the plane together,,,and yes i know that some folks think the plane should be perfect, but thats just not really going to happen all the time,,,so check out your planes when you put them together and do what you have to do to make them right and you will sleep alot easier at nite,,,,and that way you want have to come on here and trash a good company.......

JS615

As a matter of fact i am on my way to the LHS to check out a H9 corsair,,, i just may buy it too...

bigplumbs

Well done chaps I have so many ARTF's 40 at the last count ................. I think and I have to say if they were all perfect it would be no fun. The first thing I do when I open the box is look over things and add some cyno or Epoxy here and there But I have to say ARTF's are getting a lot better and while strengthening them is goo beware not to add too much more weight. I agree with previous posters that many people overpower these planes and this added weight and power is offten the cause of problems. I saw a thread where it is common place to put a YS110 in a 46 size plane................... Now what is that all about.

I am off to the first show of our season here in the UK tommorrow and I am sure that I will return home with perhaps No 41 and 42 under my arm

Happy flying

www.densplanes.co.uk

frisconick

I am a fairly new (again) pilot after 20 years away from the hobby. I started again with a H9 PTS and followed it quickly with a H9 Showtime. I drool over the H9 Corsair and will probably pop for one this weekend. I've read all the negative posts on it and still not too deterred. A few questions, though: are there direct replacements for the retracts (Robart, CJM, etc)? Will I have to remove the covering to strengthen the wings ? Beefing up the firewall doesn't seem like a big deal. I have a Saito 100 broken in and ready to bolt on. The thread on the Corsair is so long, it's hard to catch all the recommended upgrades. Is there a concise list somewhere ? Thanks for any help you can provide.

Signed: A satisfied H9 customer, Nick

oldtyme

CorsairJock........Two thumbs up and two middle fingers up to the other thread! ;^)

I too do not own the H9 Corsair, but I do own the H9 Ultra Stick 40, AT6 and 60-sized
P47 and while not an avid ARF'r I have to admit that these planes are a very good value
and for any amount of money they are really good looking. I built (assembled) the Ultra
Stick and the AT6 completely stock and I have done some mods to the P47 just to play
around. I have not found one thing to complain about and one of the guys at our field
has a H9 Corsair with a lot of miles on it and it looks and flies great!

I agree you should keep this thread going to encourage more people to be positive about this
aspect of the hobby. With all the kits disappearing from the scene, all that will soon be left will
be ARF's and that's not all bad. It has given me more time to fly and consequently more time
to build without having to wait to finish a model to fly.

Good job,
Andy

Tommy_Gun

Frisco,
You dont "need" to replace the stock retracts.

Just take the time to set them up properly the first time.

I have a set in my H9 P40 that have been in operation for more than a year and hundreds of flights with no problems!

nemesis4u

My Feedback: (77)

ANd I almost forgot ...I added a WORKING VORTAC BOMB RELEASE MECHANISM!!!!!!!! Comes with (2) "simulated exploding Bombs"
heheheeee
check out the build... 1st page,,,
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_34...tm.htm#3964093

DrDeath

My Feedback: (3)

Guys, I wasn't going to post, but after thinking about it I will have to say a few things. The plane is definitely a nice looking plane. I had one I guess almost two years ago. Though I didn't like the way it flew (too lite for my taste) I have nothing but good things to say about the quality and craftsmenship of the plane. I beefed up the firewall and put on plastic robart struts. It had a three bladed 14x7 MA prop. It was a very very nice looking bird.

I also have to say that I have been a big fan of H9 airplanes since coming back into the hobby. I have owned about 9 planes from Horizon Hobby (6 H9 and 3 E-flite). My current project is the 1.50 P-47. Hanger 9 puts out very very good products. Like someone else said here. Even though it is an ARF you have to inspect it to insure that all is well. All good pilots inspect their plane before building and flying.

Basically, I have nothing bad to say about H9 construction and customer service. Just wish they would come out with a bigger size Corsair that would fly with a little more wing loading and not so floaty.

Hanger 9 products [sm=thumbup.gif]

DD

frisconick

I called Tech Support at Horizon Hobby today to see if they had made any changes at all to the Corsair ARF; the guy I talked to (Chris) said the only change they had ever made was to improve the ball link on the landing gear. My LHS has one in stock, but it has a 2003 copyright on it, so I'm not sure how long it's been there. I'm concerned that if H9 made any changes, they would not be in the one they have in stock. Does anyone know for sure if H9 really made any other changes to the Corsair ???? If so, how do you know what you're getting when buying off-the-shelf ??

Nick

nemesis4u

My Feedback: (77)

FRISCONICK,
mine has the upgraded balllinks!!!!!! and it is for sale!!!!!!!Just add receiver!!!!!!ALREADY MODIFIED with reinforced firewall, wing and more!!!!
You can tell it has the new balllinks b/c they are FULL CUP type not partial half open ball links,,
You can also purchase newer stronger ball links from Horizon ...and also fromR.C shops ..ask them..they have them in the car section![8D]

EscapeFlyer

My Feedback: (1)

I too would like to chime in here. The "other" thread is like fingernails scratching on a chalkboard. If a person doesn't like the thing, share the opinion and let it go! That way, they've done their job. If we don't agree, too bad for us. I like the H9 Corsair, and there is plenty of info here to educate yourself before you put the thing together, and if you don't research it here, then so what!!!

AARRRGGH!!!

Corsair Jock, I appreciate the work you and others have done here to help me make my aircraft better. (Blowing a little sunshine never hurt anyone! ) If nothing else, it is fun to see just what can be done with our dream planes-even if we don't go that far ourselves.

CorsairJock

My Feedback: (90)

Just got home from work, and have to go back in tommorrow morning, so just a few words:

THANKS for ALL THE SUPPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll answer a question or 2 (or 3):

As far as I know, they (Hanger 9) also modified the firewall attachment somewhat in later shipments, by adding some tri-stock where fuselage sheeting meets the firewall (on the inside). I have seen this in at least one of mine, but seem to recall that it wasn't in an earlier H-9 Corsair. That mod, and the HD ball links are the only 2 improvements that I am aware of.

As far as I know, there are no easy/ direct drop in retracts avaible. CenturyJet makes a set specifally for this Corsair, but I think a little modification to the retract bays are needed.

It would be necessary to remove some covering in order to re-inforce the wing joint at the retract bay

I had composed my next meesage for this thread on my PDA at work, intended to post it when I got home. I'll save it for the AM, before I leave for work again.

CorsairJock

My Feedback: (90)

Here is the AM message that I promised"

I want to really thank everyone again for the support I'm getting, and appreciate that I will not have to wage this war alone.

The "JUNK" thread does have a lot of good, constructive posts in it. In fact, as I recall, I even acknowledged and critisized Hanger 9 for the poor wing joint design. The problem that I have with that thead is the title chosen by that used car salesman, and having the words "Corsair" and "JUNK" in the same statement just really goes against the grain for me. And now, the Ralph Nader wannbees, who have yet to find a really good cause to campaign for, have vowed to keep the "JUNK" thead on page one, partly BECAUSE of the title.

Well, enough on that, because I want to make this thread at least as constructive as the "JUNK" thread once was.

So, back to the landing gear:
Niether of my Hanger 9 Corsairs have the stock wheels on them. Altho they (stock wheels) have a very realistic look, with fairly scale looking hubs, they are too small. If we consider the H-9 Corsair as being 1/8 scale (which for practical purposes, it is), then true scale size for the main wheels is 4" diameter. The included H-9 wheels are 3 1/4" diameter. For that reason, I am using Dave Brown 3 1/2" wheels, which are lighter in addition to being larger. Admittedly, the Dave Browns don't look quite as good, but increased wheel size means the Corsair will handle bumps in the runways better. The dave Browns are also a little spongier, meaning they will help absorb some of the bumps.

In order to use larger wheels, it may be necessary to leave the plastic wheel wells off. Actually, I recommend leaving them off anyway because:

1) Full scale Corsairs do not have wheel wells as such.

2) Much easier to make adjustments to linkage, and/ or remove retracts if necessary.

And incidently, ALL of my flying is from grass runways.

Later, the 3 most impoertant items (IMO) that need to be looked over/ inspected/ and/ or modified will be covered:

1) Fin & Rudder

2) Wing joints at retract bays

3) firewall

Well, enough again for now, may as well save some of my recommendations for later, so I'll have a good reason to bump this thread later on to keep up with those JUNKies. And speaking of them: are they actually saying anything new in their thread (I don't know because I haven't visited it in a week or so, ever since they started bumping it for the sake of bumping it).

D Bronk

I`ve never owned one of these planes, or any other ARF, for that matter .But what I would like to see ,with this Hanger 9 topic ,between the Junk Thread, and, The Best for the Money thread .Is a single thread that dosen`t just Spit On, or Polish Up , this kit.Sort of a PROs, and CONs,thread.A Facts only thread would be good.There`s dangers, and, problems, in the hobby, no matter if a person puts together, an ARF ,a builders kit,or a complete scratch built aircraft. Unforseen things happen, parts fail, ETC..danger is every where. It`s great that BOTH threads ,are being worked/written in for us(RCU members).But ultimately, its up to the owner/operator ,to decide if a project is in their league(skill level), or not.These threads help a person decide if the plane is ,or is not "up their Alley",and what to look for to head off potential trouble.I like reading these threads .I don`t like, to feel like ,I`m dodgeing bullets though.I like how CJ writes in these threads .He puts down the facts,without the ,"What If the world flips upside down ",scenerio.He puts down info, for the reader, to make a decision for themselves.KEEP`er goin CJ,and, I`ll keep readin.Even though,I`ll probably never own ,the H9 Corsair F4U-4 model.I still like to KNOW about it..Thanks..DAVE B

frisconick

Thanks for the input CJ. I'll try to stop by the LHS after flying this afternoon and examine the one they have there. If all looks good, it might just follow me home !! Honey, can I keep it ?????

Nick