RE: BVM Jets Photo and RC Plane Bomber
I have been a radio control modeler for more than 40 years. I am manage 70 people at work. I own a business. When someone speaks to me about a problem for my business, or my profession, or my colleagues, I listen. I consider their opinions. I consider the ramifications of my decisions. Then I act to protect my business, my profession, my patients, whoever is at risk. The first thing one is taught in management training is to never, ever get angry. When one gets angry one loses. For an owner of a business to get angry at someone calling to warn them about a front page newspaper article about their product, is extremely poor judgment. First, they lost a customer. Then they didn't consider the effect of their actions on their business. Then they didn't consider the ramifications of their actions on the hobby. The world is watching RC aircraft. People are watching our hobby and restricting it. We lost our airfield this month. There is a TFR restricting RC flight throughout the Bay Area. Having a callous disregard for adverse publicity demonstrates extreme poor judgment. If Bob Violet had any sense at all, he would have said, thank you for the call. We consider publicity and will consider the ramifications of our current website. Thank you. Attacking a customer when they are warning you of a potential publicity disaster for the hobby is extremely poor judgment.
Posted on: 7/21/2012 12:03 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11163647

BVM Jets Photo and RC Plane Bomber
This morning I was reading MSNBC.COM and there is an article about a Would-be model plane bomber who admited to a plan to attack Pentagon, Capitol. http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/21/12870497-would-be-model-plane-bomber-ferdaus-admits-plan-to-attack-pentagon-capitol?lite&__utma=14933801.257888007.1342888098.1342888098.1342888098.1&__utmb=14933801.1.10.1342888098&__utmc=14933801&__utmx=-&__utmz=14933801.1342888098.1.1.utmcsr=%28direct%29|utmccn=%28direct%29|utmcmd=%28none%29&__utmv=14933801.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc|cover=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.nbcnews.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=82541974 There is a photo of the plane. It looks a like a BVM F-86 with drop tanks. So I go to the BVMJets.COM website and Bob Violett has a picture of the F-86 dropping its drop tanks as the head line for his website! The photo was updated 7/19/12 by Scott Harris. My opinion is that this is bad publicity for RC modeling. It is difficult enough to have an RC airfield without being associated with terrorists. We just lost our airfield in the San Francisco Bay Area after 35 years. We are under a TFR today secondary to President Obama's visit to the Bay Area. The news is filled with stories about the murders in Colorado at the the Batman Movie. What is the benefit to RC modeling of Bob Violet using the same plane to advertise his company as the terrorists? So I called BVM Jets to warn them of the bad publicity. Bob Violet answered the phone. It was one of the most insulting phone calls of my life. He started out with "What is your station in life that you think you can tell me what to do with my business?" I gave my name and said I was an RC modeler who was warning him of really bad publicity for RC modeling. He replied that I was an idiot, who didn't know anything, and the FBI was taking care of everything. Well, I am not an idiot. I am a person who is warning a very prominent RC aircraft business about the potential for really bad publicity and I was intentionally insulted by the owner. In a few minute conversation I have lost all respect for BVMJEts, Bob Violet, and am stunned that someone could be so insulting to someone who was calling to warn a business of impending disaster for his business and our hobby. Art Wallace, M.D, Ph.D.
Posted on: 7/21/2012 9:41 AM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11163520

RE: Blade MCPX Motor Shut Off
I have not tried to rebind. I will try that. It seems like it is doing something officially sanctioned like shutting off when there is an overload but there isn't any overload.
Posted on: 7/12/2012 5:14 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11153167

Blade MCPX Motor Shut Off
I have about 50 flights on my Blade MCPX Version 2 helicopter. I have been very careful to use the timer in the transmitter and only fly for 4 minutes on a battery. Recently, I will put a new battery in the heli and take off. After 10 to 15 seconds of flight, the motor will shut off. The blue light is out and the heli is dead. After a bit of time the computer will reboot. The blue light will come back on and the motor will run for another 10-15 seconds of flight. If I run the heli in my hand, it can run for a minute or so prior to shut off. My first thought was that it was overheating as this happened on a very hot day and I had flow 6 batteries in a row without stopping. The next time I flew, the temperature was reasonable, but it started after 4 batteries. This morning it is warm, but it happened 15 seconds into the first flight. I tried different batteries and they all do the same thing. Is there a temperature switch in this heli motor? Is something wrong with the controller board in the heli? Are all my batteries too low a voltage? The motor seems to work once it reboots. Is something loose on the controller board as the heli runs much longer in my hand than when it is in the air. I need some advice on how to proceed with debugging this problem with the motor shutting off. Thanks.
Posted on: 7/7/2012 1:33 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11146730

Quadracopter
Does anyone have a recommendation for a good quadracopter? I want one with a CPU board for dynamic and static stabilization. Three axis gyro. Maybe GPS navigation. And the ability to carry a load such as a video camera. What do people recommend?
Posted on: 5/31/2012 10:45 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Helicopter General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11102059

RE: Help us save our flying field - sign this petition
I would like to thank people for the support of BARCS. The Bay Area Radio Control Society has been at the Breuner Marsh site for 35 years. We protect the land from illegal dumping, homeless encampments, drug cultivation, etc.; we are land stewards and paid tenants. This site is situated in Richmond California between the bay and the Union Pacific Transcontinental railway. There is a train every 30 minutes or so that passes throught. On one side is a dump, a shooting range, a motorway, and autowrecking yards on the other side there is a jail. Converting this land into a swamp is not going to make it pristine wilderness. At the present time there is an endangered species, the salt water mouse, many birds, frogs, foxes, snakes, etc. that co-exist and thrive with the RC airfield. They have thrived for the last 35 years we have been there. The park service plan to plow under all the vegetation, remove all non "native" vegetation, excavate the entire space, and convert it into a swamp, is not going to help the animals that live there at present. The park service also feels that radio control aircraft flying is "not compatible" with their vision of a park. I hope all the park flyer people hear and understand what that statement implies. According to EBPRD, RC aircraft are not compatible with a park. Please support our effort to save the BARCS field. The nearest replacement fields are about an hours drive away. Thank you Art Wallace President of BARCS
Posted on: 5/18/2012 12:28 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11085991

RE: Discussion on the auto stabilation trend....
Thanks.
Posted on: 2/21/2012 9:29 AM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10969120

RE: Discussion on the auto stabilation trend....
Gonzalo: Greetings. I ask this of you because of your knowledge of helicopters and stabilization. If one puts a three axis stabilization system for a fly-bar-less system on a helicopter with with flybars, does it cause a problem or simply make it even more stable? The flybars use gyroscopic stabilization. The three axis fly-bar-less system does the same thing electronically. Is there a problem from having both? Can one make a flybar heli more stable with the three-axis gyros? Art San Rafael
Posted on: 2/21/2012 7:24 AM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10968939

RE: Discussion on the auto stabilation trend....
I built my first RC airplane in 1972. The radio required an FCC license. There was no servo reverse, no limits, just the mechanics. Starting the engine was a major accomplishment until Sullivan brought out an electric starter. That electric starter was "cheating" but made my life better and flying possible and enjoyable. In 1977, I built a computer with a soldering iron from a kit and wrote a simulator in compiled Basic to improve my flying. I majored in EE in college and studies control system engineering. The concept that one could stabilize a helicopter with a computer control system was merely a concept in the 1970's now it is a fantastic reality. Since this time I have designed planes, built planes, inhaled enough balsa dust to worry my wife. I build planes, helis, gliders, ARFs, and even fly BNF. I have flown planes before and after gyro stabilization. The gyro makes an unstable plane more fun to fly. The plane survived longer and I had more fun because the plane wasn't so hard to fly. I flew a Blade Mcpx yesterday. It is a Fly Bar-less three axis stabilized micro heli. It was incredibly fun to fly. I own every size Raptor and have more than 500 flights on my Raptors. My skill set was dramatically improved by not being afraid to crash! Thank you Blade for a 3 axis FBL stabilized micro heli where I can learn without fear of destroying a big heli. The key to these technologies, whether simulators, or gyros, or stabilization systems is they let you do things you can't do without them. When I learned to fly in the 1970's one pilot at our field could fly inverted. He was considered to be incredibly skilled. No one had every thought of 3D or a rolling circle or a harrier circle. With simulators the general skill set of pilots is fantastic because we can now get the flight time to learn how to fly without fear of crashing. Simulators made the modern RC pilot what he or she is today. Without simulator, helis are too hard to learn to fly. With gyros, we all can learn to fly things that were impossible to fly. The tailless RQ-170 drone is impossible to fly without multi-axis gyros. Humans have bilateral three axis gyros built in (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_ear); RC aircraft need them as well. Technology makes life better. The flush toilet, chlorinated and fluorinated drinking water, microwave ovens, jet engines, computer memory management, automatic transmissions, running water, electricity, LED light bulbs, antibiotics, modern medicine, vaccines, gyro stabilization, air conditioning, auto pilots, GPS navigation, computerized radios, MP3 players, CD music, digital watches, cell phones, etc. have made our lives better. I have heard people and know people who reject one or all of these modern inventions. There are still people who argue about the automatic transmission! These inventions make life better, longer, safer, and things possible that were impossible before. I wanted to build electric planes in the 1970's to avoid having to start my K&B 40 engine. My father, the nuclear physicist and aircraft designer for Lockheed, said it was impossible to make a plane fly on electric power. I wanted a wrist watch video camera phone like Dick Tracy, my father, once again said it was impossible. I want to live in the future. Gyro stabilization is another modern invention that makes the impossible, reasonable. If you want to live in the past, no one is forcing you to adopt new inventions, but be careful which era you decide is perfect as the past was not as good as you remember. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQzuL60V9ng
Posted on: 2/20/2012 11:24 AM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10967682

RE: Futaba 14Z and Thunder Tiger MiniTitan 325 SE
Thank you, that is very helpful. Does Futaba have a library of close to correctly set up aircraft and helicopters for download? I found a site that had all the downloadable set ups for Spectrum for a number of aircraft, it would be helpful to have examples that could be modified rather than starting from scratch.
Posted on: 1/25/2012 4:43 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "Futaba Radios Direct support forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10927687

RE: next machine ?
You can get tremendous amount of flying out of a used Raptor 30. I got one for $150 and have put 500 flights on it. The fuel is cheep compared to five 6S batteries. I get 17 minutes a tank with many tanks per gallon. It is easy to get the cost per hour of flight to under $20. Nitro powered used Raptors are cheep to operate and work extremely well.
Posted on: 1/22/2012 10:00 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Helicopter General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10922618

RE: beginner heli pilot needs help
There are three very separate issues that you are confusing. The first is the thrust from the rotor necessary to hovering is greater than that for forward flight. In forward flight there is transitional lift from air coming into the rotor plane from I front of the heli. When one stops to hover additional lift is necessary from that level for forward flight. You must either increase rotor speed in a fixed pitch heli which takes time secondary to the inertia of the rotor head or increase pitch in a collective pitch heli. The second issue is ground effect. When you are within one rotor diameter of the ground there is increased lift from the back pressure of the rotor wash hitting the ground. So less lift is necessary as you hover within one rotor diameter of the ground than at higher altitudes. The third issue is the ring vortex state. If you descend vertically through your roter wash at more than 500 feet per minute in a full sized heli or some speed in an RC you can force air to recirculate and decrease lift. This also happens when you try to hover or land in an enclosed space like a walled court yard. The heli that crashed in Abattabod likely had ring vortex state loss of lift trying to descend rapidly into a walled compound. They had practiced with walls that were permeable (cyclone fence) and then had ring vortex when the walls were solid. So you must separate these effects when thinking of how to decelerate to hover prior to landing. In full size helis there are weight loadings and altitude/temperature situations where they can't hover prior to landing and must land with forward velocity to take advantage of the transitional lift. What you need to practice is slowing to a hover prior to decent to allow the fixed pitch rotor time to speed up so you can hover in ground effect. Then slow the rotor speed to land.
Posted on: 1/22/2012 5:43 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Helicopter General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10922254

Futaba 14Z and Thunder Tiger MiniTitan 325 SE
I was given a set up for my Thundertiger Raptor 50 for the Futaba 14Z which is fantastic. I have tried to set up my own set up for my new Thunder Tiger MiniTitan 325SE. The set up is ok, but I am not quite sure how one sets up different conditions such as IDLE-Up. I have created the conditions. I have set a switch to set the condition. But it doesn't seem to really have done it. When I attempt to change the throttle curve in IDLE-Up it changes it in both conditions. The conditions have not somehow separated. Does anyone have a more complete explanation of how to set up conditions? Does anyone have a set up for a Thundertiger MiniTitan 325SE? If someone has a good setup for a Thundertiger MiniTitan 325SE for a Futaba 14Z radio, could they email it to me? Thanks. Art Wallace awallace@cardiacengineering.com
Posted on: 1/9/2012 3:19 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "Futaba Radios Direct support forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10900487

RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit
I have the same fire risk issue and had considered changing it to electric ducted fan. What were the issues that precluded shifting it to electric ducted fan?
Posted on: 1/9/2012 2:47 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10900420

RE: Thunder Tiger Mini Titan E325 V2 Versus T-Rex 450
In these small electric helicopters is there any value to digital mini servos or are the standard mini servos good enough?
Posted on: 9/30/2011 11:55 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Helicopter General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10743151

Thunder Tiger Mini Titan E325 V2 Versus T-Rex 450
I have been flying a Raptor 30 for a year or so and can fly in forward flight in figure 8's, etc. On the simulator I can do loops, rolls, hammer heads, etc, but with the Raptor 30 my fear factor kicks in and I fly around in level flight. I would like to figure out how to overcome my fear so I can advance. My concept was to get a lower cost electric that I can practice on. What smallish electric helicopter (outdoor) would people recommend? Is this the right way to overcome fear of crashing? I don't need a super 3D machine, I need a machine I can fly around my large front yard or school yard, build flight time, and get over my "fear" so I can progress. What do people think of the Thunder Tiger Mini Titan E325 versus T-Rex 450?
Posted on: 9/26/2011 5:54 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Helicopter General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10735577

Futaba CGY750 Flybarless Gyro Governor
A flybarless gyro has a three axis gyro in it to stabilize the helicopter without the flybars. What happens if you put a flybarless gyro on a helicopter with flybars, is it more stable? Will it be inherently stable? There is the Co-Pilot which is supposed to stabilize a helicopter for beginners, will the flybarless gyro do the same thing or just reduce responsiveness?
Posted on: 3/13/2011 10:08 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Helicopter General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10398340

RE: Raptor 30 Maintenance Interval?
The crash was very strange to me as the helicopter just became uncontrollable and slowly tipped over to the right. I consciously thought, wow, nothing I do seems to be countering this roll. I have flown it enough that control is pretty automatic and this event was clearly something different from the normal. It was like the radio stopped working, or something broke that allowed it to uncontrollably roll to the right.
Posted on: 3/7/2011 2:14 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "Thunder Tiger - Raptor 30, 50, 60, 90"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10385016

RE: Raptor 30 Maintenance Interval?
Rafael: Thanks for the reference. I will check on it's advice. I do a preflight prior to every flight but I am sure I am missing things. Thanks Art Wallace
Posted on: 3/7/2011 10:24 AM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "Thunder Tiger - Raptor 30, 50, 60, 90"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10384503

Raptor 30 Maintenance Interval?
I have a Raptor 30 which I have flown for more than a year. It has 350 flights on it. It has had one crash at flight 145 where I had to replace the frame, engine, servos, but nothing in the rotor head or tail assembly. This crash was the result of a forced Auto from 40 feet up onto the runway where the last millimeter of the landing was too fast. My flying is normal simple stuff like hovering, fast forward flight, and figure 8's and circles, no 3D yet. In the latest crash, the heli simply, slowly, just flipped over to the right. The flip was at an altitude of 2 or 3 feet and was slow. No counter control did anything. The blades were destroyed as was the canopy. The cyclic control was ineffective with no response to counter control. Examination of the wreckage showed that both flybar control Rods were disconnected and one was cracked. My question is simple. I don't think this crash was dumb thumbs. It seemed like something failed in the helicopter making it uncontrollable. Having one flybar control rod either crack or become disconnected would certainly make it uncontrollable. It may be I had a brain fart, but having both disconnected seems suspicious. Should I be replacing these parts on some schedule? I examine them routinely. I check to see if things seem too loose. But I basically fly, and fly, and fly the Raptor with little preventative maintenance. These plastic parts must have some life span and this rotor head has more than 3500 minutes of operating time on it. How long do plastic Raptor parts last prior to needing routine replacement?
Posted on: 3/5/2011 9:50 AM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "Thunder Tiger - Raptor 30, 50, 60, 90"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10380438

RE: OS HZ91-PS Pumped OS HZ91
Why did they stop selling it?
Posted on: 1/7/2011 7:46 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "Thunder Tiger - Raptor 30, 50, 60, 90"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10247159

OS HZ91-PS Pumped OS HZ91
I have a very simple question. I have flown both aircraft and helicopters. I had a substantial number of problems with aircraft 2 strokes getting the right fuel flow, etc. Then I started using OS pumped four strokes and all of my engine problems melted away. The pump seemed to made it easy and reliable. Then I got into helicopters. A two stroke heliengine is vastly more reliable than a 2 stroke aircraft engine because you never go to idle in flight, but the temptation of pumped reliability makes me wonder about the OS HZ91-PS pumped engine. Then it seems to have been taken off the market. Is a pump helicopter engine a good idea? Was there a problem with this engine that made it less reliable? What I really want is extreme reliability. Reliability and consistency are my major goals. Has the OS HZ91-PS been taken off the market? Was there a problem with the OS HZ91-PS? What is the most reliable heli engine?
Posted on: 12/26/2010 10:25 AM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "Thunder Tiger - Raptor 30, 50, 60, 90"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10219053

RE: Fixed wing pilot looking to get a hopticopter.
I was an airplane person with a long history of not being an engine expert. Then I started purchasing pumped OS FS engines and they work perfectly. No more dead sticks in 100's of flights. When I thought about helicopters I had the same fear of dead sticks. Helicopters are very different from planes. You never ask a helicopter to idle in the air. So, unless there is a major problem like running out of fuel (I did that), or overheating (I did that), they run really well. I have flown 350 flights on my Raptor 30 and have had three engine problems. When I ran out of fuel because I forgot to refill the tank, I successfully autoed. When the engine hesitated and I tried to return to a hover to think, I fell out of the sky because it takes more power to hover (don't do that). I then spent the next 200 flights flying a couple of feet off the ground and engine problems are not an issue. Nitro helis are great because you can fly 10 tanks of fuel in a day. It would be hard to have 10 sets of batteries. Moreover, they are cheep and they work great. Despite owning both a Raptor 30 and a 50, I fly the 30 a lot more. I would buy a Raptor 30 and fly it until you are really good. I have both a Raptor 30 and a 50. I fly the 30 ten times as much as the 50 because it uses a bit less fuel, it is a bit cheaper, and it is easier to start, it is just cheep, simple, and easy. Buy a Raptor 30, fly it a lot, fly on the simulator a lot more. You will do fine. I flew on the simulator for 18 months before I bought the used Raptor 30, that helped a lot. Buy a temperature gauge and check the temp after every flight, that will save you from overheating an engine. A Raptor 30 is easy to fly because of the size. The parts are plentiful and cheep. Lots of people can give you advice. They are built well. Got forth and hover.
Posted on: 11/21/2010 3:47 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10149902

RE: Great Planes Reactor in Flight Elevator Failure on First Flight
I think the elevator is simply not strong enough for the loads. They want it extremely light which makes it delicate. Flying wires might help for the horizontal stabilizer but not the elevator itself. The simple fact that this plane had the same problem with two separate elevators on two first flights implies a design flaw. I could see this happening after some wear and tear or with severe manuevers or high speed. It failed on extremely cautious first flight at very low speeds. I didn't even get a chance to try a 3D maneuver, this was simply a split S at a throttle setting that barely turned on the motor.
Posted on: 7/24/2009 6:16 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8961109

RE: Great Planes Reactor in Flight Elevator Failure on First Flight
I have flown RC for almost 40 years so I am not a beginner. I fly GA and have extensive engineering and design experience. This is not my first 3D plane, or my first electric. I have a number of planes that have more than 200 flights on them. One with more than 500 flights. I have built gliders, power planes, helicopters, jets, 3D, etc. I have a number of Great Planes Planes. I truly like Great Planes Planes. Most of my planes are Great Planes Planes. I am stunned by how rapidly this plane developed flutter and was destroyed. I would like to understand the problem. Control system flutter is usually a result of excessive speed or excessive flexibilty in control system. This plane has carbon fiber control rods and light plastic control horns. The combination of a very stiff control arm and a very flexible plastic control horn may allow oscillation. The servos were brand new Futaba servos of the exact make and model in the instructions. I built this plane to the exact specs in the instruction manual. In GA aircraft loose control linkages, exceeding the Vne, or inadequate balancing or damping of the control systems can lead to control surface flutter and loss of the aircraft. This elevator is extremely light and has extremely light construction. It fluttered at very low speed. Great Planes has strenthened the elevator in the biplane version of this plane. I assume that strengthening was done for a reason. I am not attempting to criticize this plane. I am trying to get advice on how to avoid this type of problem and see if others have had a similar experience with this aircraft.
Posted on: 7/24/2009 5:52 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8961054

RE: Great Planes Reactor in Flight Elevator Failure on First Flight
The recommended system from Tower. I was at 1/2 power both times it fractured.
Posted on: 7/24/2009 2:47 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8960688

RE: Great Planes Reactor in Flight Elevator Failure on First Flight
The hinge didn't fail until the plane hit the asphalt runway. The hinge line was not sealed. That is an interesting wrinkle to this problem. The instructions do not mention sealing the hinge line. I have done it on some planes but not on all. I think, the issue is the "balance" surfaces on the elevator. The "balanced" elevator tabs must place to high torsional load on the elevator and horizontal stabilizer. The elevator starts to oscillate and has a resonance frequency that is too low. On the first flight the elevator fractured. On the second flight the horizontal stabilizer fractured. The design of the elevator and horizontal stabilizer is too light to prevent flutter, oscillation, and immediate fracture. I was stunned that there was absolutely no warning of flutter. The elevator simply fluttered and immediately failed. The entire failure took less than a second. Moreover, the plane was at extremely low speed. Control surface flutter can be a problem at high speed and is part of the reason for a Vne in full size aircraft. In this aircraft, the Vne is less than 10 mph. I think it just turned into the wind, fluttered, and failed.
Posted on: 7/24/2009 10:44 AM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8960169

RE: Great Planes Reactor in Flight Elevator Failure on First Flight
So, I contacted Tower Hobbies and they shipped a replacement tail. I replaced the elevator. I then tested the servo and found the elevator servo gears had been damaged so I replaced the elevator servo as well. I then went out to test the plane. I flew around on half power just enough to maintain altitude. I did a split S into the wind. The elevator fluttered, broke, and the plane was destroyed on "landing". I think the Reactor EP is sensitive to elevator flutter. The design is defective. I am shipping the carcass of the plane to Tower Hobbies for evaluation but this is absurdly poor design. [image][/image]
Posted on: 7/23/2009 4:45 AM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8956947

RE: Futaba 14Z Upgrade to 2.4 GHZ
Thanks. Once I got out the bright lights, magnifying glass, and knowledge of the microscopic switch, it was easy. it updated. The package insert from with the upgrade should mention the switch. The Futaba website might also mention it. Maybe it does mention it, but there was some mystery to the end user.
Posted on: 5/21/2009 2:08 PM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "Futaba Radios Direct support forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8787739

RE: Great Planes Reactor in Flight Elevator Failure on First Flight
The balsa broke mid span. It was not a glue joint that failed. I did not hear any flutter. The wind was zero MPH. The airspeed was low. Power settings low. I was in a low speed manuver. I think the elevator is not up to the loads.
Posted on: 5/21/2009 11:51 AM by Author "ArtW" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8787450