Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

The Hellcat is no more. I had a Hanger 9 Hellcat with an RCGF 20cc gas engine and Century Jet Air Retracts. The engine was great, turned a 16-8 three blade prop 8,000 rpm. But was running slightly rich at about 7,800-7,900 rpm. The Century Jet retract worked great. Total weight was 10 lbs 3 oz. A little heavy, but it flew great, handled nice, fairly slow landings. Today while pulling up for a dive out of a vertical revearse, at full power the out right wing seperated from the plane. It was a total loss except for the hardware which I think survived, including the engine,landing gear, radio and most of the servos. It went into a very muddy swampy area which kept the engine from being destroyed. Post crash inspection revealed the the seperation came at the wheel well, landing gear area.Not atthe wing joint, but just inside. In fact right were the air cylinder went through the spar. I guess it was too much power, too much weight and too much trimming of wood to fit the gear, Flying too fast too many gs etc.

I fly my BH P-40 converted to a P-36 just the same with the same engine. It has over 40 flights on it with no problem. It has an aluminum wing tube and is slightly heavier at 10 lbs 10 oz. The Hellcat had about 30 flights on it.

I now have the engine and all this hardware. What war bird can it put it in next. Not a hanger 9 any thing. They are just built too light for this much power.

Here are some before and after pictures.

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

sorry about your loss. i guess that hardware will fit in that new Top flite P 47 ARF. the landing gear is different but the electronics and motor should fit nicely.

by the way that P 36 looks great from the other thread



good luck and happy flying http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/js/f...wink_smile.gif
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RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

Today while pulling up for a dive out of a vertical revearse, at full power the out right wing seperated from the plane


Flying a warbird like a edge 540 tends to do that to them .[X(]

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

Yep!!!!

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

I concur

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

It was a gradual pull up not sharp or sudden, into a high speed pass. I've flown my VQ Hurricane that way, my P-36 and my Top Flight P-40. None of them have come apart. And years ago a Top Flight Corsair with a YS 120 in it. I believe the Hanger 9 planes are not as stong. The light weight that makes Hanger 9 planes handle so well puts them at risk with high power it seems. However, since I have money invested in the CJ retracts for a Hanger 9 Hellcat, I might get another, and since I will be assembling it myself, I'll beef up the rear stablizers as done before and beef up the wings in the wheel well areas with carbon fiber tubes, also while adding flaps.

Does any one else make a Hellcat ARF in this size or close to it. I want to use the same landing gear and engine since I have them already and they survived the crash.

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

I'll also fly more conservatively.

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

Hi RBean, I lost my Hellcat a couple of weeks ago too. The Cat had about 25 flights on it using a Saito 100 for power. While flying a clockwise pattern, I made a decending right hand turn to make a pass over the runway when the right side of the horizontal stab suddenly fluttered and left the plane taking the elevator joiner rod with it! Throttled back and tried to get it away from the flightline before it crashed on the far side of the runway. Engine and electronics good, model a write-off. Really liked this bird, flew great and handled well but probably won't try another. I had heard that H9 had problems with the stab after mine was built.

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

First with 32 ounces per square feet wing load the bird was not too heavy.

Second - WHAT??? YOU DIVE FULL THROTTLE AND PULL UP??????????


GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEW AIRPLANE!!!!


Just do us a favor and don't post that anymore and try to pull that on Hangar 9 or any other manufacture. Learn to fly!

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

If Iread right, G-Pete and Iwill have to agree.

"Today while pulling up for a dive out of a vertical revearse, at full power the out right wing seperated from the plane."

Whenever Ihave ANYof my warbirds in a down line, Iam OFFthe power.
Coming down with power ONis asking for problems in overstressing the structure or control surface flutter.
Ihave a friend flying a Hangar 9 F6Fthat he has been flying for three years now. No problems with it at all with an OS 1.20 in it.
Also, stabilizer failures can be traced at times to the wood being scored by the blade when removing covering for assembly.
Learn to use a small soldering iron for this and you won't have that happen again.

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

Hey RBean

Go for the big CMPro P-40 Warhawk, or the F6F. Your engine + Retracts will fit in perfectly.

Another suggestion is that in ARF's you should always reienforce the structure around the wheel wels and the retracts, with poxy resins and glasscloth 3/4 - ounce.

Take also ypon consideration that the same would have happened if you would fly the same way witha 1:1 airplane.
Try to avoid power dives unless you are sure that the structure will not fail. (Most of them are stressed havilly like this..!)

Anyway good luck on your next plan.

J.R.

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

Hey Guys the wife bought me a hellcat on ebay....she never read the whole description..... It was "parts" Im looking for the center section of the wing. I dont need the whole wing kit. any suggestions!!!! Sorry Bob you know I loved that plane! Drivewayguy

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

The problem started with cutting away a good part of the spar to accomodate the air retracts.  And then it fails at that point.  It seems a no-brainer to me why there was a structural failure that you can't really blame on Hangar 9.

Having said that, I have the same Hellcat and have done the same thing!  I had to cut away some of the spar material to accomodate Sierra Precision air retracts.  Too bad yours crashed.  I will try to learn from your experience and avoid tight turns and pullouts.

I once had a Hangar 9 .60 size P-51 that had the flutter problem on the horizontal stab during one of the test flights.  One thing Hangar 9 always gets wrong is going overboard on keeping the horizontal stabs light.  They could just as easily use solid wood for the stab without any noticeable weight penalty.  On my P-51, I took the stab off and made one from some fairly dense solid balsa and solved that tail problem.  Looks like the manufacturer could do the same to begin with.

I flew the P-51 with an O.S. 1.20 Surpass III using 30% helimix fuel (14X10 APC prop).  I repeatedly put that plane through severely sharp turns at wide open throttle, pylon style turns.  After a couple of years or so, it did crash but the cause was definitely NOT structural failure.

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

RBean-
I have never built or flown the H9 Hellcat but I have a few hundred flights on their Corsair with Century Jet retracts. I fiberglassed the inside of the wing as far as my hemostats would reach into the wing. I think these wings take far more abuse on landings than they get in the air. I am constantly check the wheel wells after I fly for fatigue to the fiberglass after the landings I put on this plane. I have to say the CJ retracts have held up well also. Not a great picture but you will get the idea. Don't give up on a good H9 plane. I think we all abuse these planes more on the ground than in the air!!!

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

My Hellcat was flying at approximately half throttle in a shallow dive when the stab separated. I've been flying for about 25 years and know better than to crank the elevator on a warbird in a high speed diving maneuver. I also removed the stab covering with a soldering iron?????? Oh well, I try not to get too attached to these winged wonders!

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

Ok, I've been properly scolded. I think I'll get another Hanger 9 Hellcat because they look right. I'll use the same engine and landing gear but will reinforce the area around the wheel well as will as the horizonal stablizers. While I'm at it I'll add flaps, not because the plane needs them, but because they look neat. Then I'll fly it much more carefully. I checked on the CMP Hellcat, but the Hanger 9 seems the have a more accurate profile.

I guess I was being stupid, but I never had another warbird come apart in the air before.

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

I don't think anyone was really trying to scold you.
You can't know it if you were never told or read about it.

No matter what I fly, when the nose is going down, the power is coming back.

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

Yup, you need a beefy sport plane to get that out of your system the same day you fly your warbird. High speed, High G maneuvers work a lot better with composite aircraft or composite reinforced like viper wings.

A revolver with a 55AX would probably hold up to almost anything. Even with something like this I might still be a little worried about "pylon" turns.

RE: Hanger 9 Hellcat Post Crash Report
 

Hello

Sorry I did come off as sounding like an ass hu .[:-] I didnt mean too just chalk it up too a learning exp . If I was you and was happy with the plane get another.