RE: Fresno 2012 Jet Rally, no turbines?
Just for the record, I only speak for myself... Tom M
Posted on: 8/6/2012 9:27 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11183767

RE: Fresno 2012 Jet Rally, no turbines?
[quote]ORIGINAL: Ricco To everyone Al dosn''t represent the club or this event I do [/quote] Ricco, you certainly do represent this event and I hope I wasn't speaking out of turn, just wanted to add what little information that I had learned over the last few years. I will have my work schedule for next month shortly, if I'm available I would like to help out if you need it. Tom at Madera Hobby can give you contact info if you like. To some of the regulars that have chimed in regarding the event, Fresno Jets certainly was one of the best events I have ever "been a part of". Now, I don't own a turbine, never will, but I attended from about 2003 until it died out a couple years ago. Couple of buddies I grew up with, you might know them... Jimmy Mongiello and Dave Presta [;)], would come out so if I could arrange my work schedule, I would hang out with them because we didn't get to see each other regularly. The year Bryce and Johnny H came out left particularly vivid memories. Very good times, and the camaraderie was contagious. Some of you I have met in passing, and I always enjoyed the banter at those events. So while I'm not a jet guy, I certainly do not look down those who are jet guys. The vast majority of our members do not have ill will towards the jet guys either, or any other group really. I'm sorry you have have gotten that impression from this thread, it's not accurate and hopefully somewhere down the line we can prove it once again. As far as some of the rhetoric that has been spewed on here. There were rumors, obviously incorrect, that the Fresno Jets event was boycotted with malice from the west coast jet crowd. No comment on THAT is necessary. It's not true, and I believe the rumor originated within the club. Other members bought into it as a reasonable explanation as to why nobody showed up. I think that is what Al (whom I don't know) is going by on here, again, incorrectly. So while I can understand why some's dander might be up about this, please understand, that is not what our club is about. One guy does not a club make. Tom M
Posted on: 8/6/2012 6:50 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11183328

RE: Fresno 2012 Jet Rally, no turbines?
Guys, Let me preface this with a statement about the general club feeling about the jet meet. I think this whole thing has suffered from the usual internet issue of intentions either being misread, or not communicated clearly. I've been a member of the Fresno club for about eleven years now. The club has always supported, and looked forward to having this event at the field. We have had other groups come in, "rent" the field and go on their way... NOT to be asked back again. That was not the intention of what happened with the Jet meet. We simply did not have people involved in that facet of the hobby interested in putting it on again. I don't want to restate what I have already typed before, but i wanted to be clear as some of the rhetoric seems to allude to something otherwise. I think, and I honestly don't know for sure, but I think the whole genesis of the EDF thing was that there didn't seem to be a whole lot of support for the traditional turbine event. So, the thought was, let's do something simpler and maybe we can get more local people involved. Frankly, I tried the same thing with a heli event earlier this year and failed but will try again next year.... It was thought that with the Habus and the proliferation of cheap EDFs (the kind you WON'T find being sold at BVM [:D]) that more club flyer types would get involved and come out and enjoy the weekend. These are the guys that would be intimidated if the field were full of kerosene burners. Personally, I think it was a noble attempt at doing something for the local club members... that I should again point out, wouldn't participate otherwise. What I don't think was anticipated was that any of you guys would even care. I don't mean that in a snotty way, seriously. The club members don't troll these boards very often, obviously as the previous events would likely have been promoted better, so they would likely have never known. The general feeling was that the event had died, nobody was interested in coming, or that with the economy nobody could afford to come. If you guys want another event in Fresno, this isn't the place to make it known... draft an email to Dan Sozinho or give him a call and let him know that you want another event at Fresno. He's a nice guy and will give you any and all support that you want. There are local members that can help set up the field to get ready for the event... I'll donate my time as well. We have opened up our club several times for outside groups to use, and though I can't speak for the club, I am confident that we would do it again. The problem is, we may not be able to run it, promote it, or support it the way it was in the past due to lack of local participation. We can do it again, but it's going to require more than just a little help from the outside since none of us really fly turbines. If you want another Fresno Jets, you guys are going to have to bring it to the club's attention, and offer to run it with club assistance. I'm again not trying to be a snot, trying to be helpful. Our club is very hospitable, but not very involved in very many facets of the hobby. Tom M
Posted on: 8/5/2012 11:37 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11182495

RE: Fresno 2012 Jet Rally, no turbines?
[quote]You'll have to ask the organizers why their meet failed. [/quote] Not an organizer, but I am a Fresno member, and friend of a few former Fresno Jets regulars... But the primary reason that attendance dropped the last couple of years, at least the way I see it, is that the guys who normally put it on... simply didn't do it anymore. They either were tired of the hard work and wanted a break, found other interests... whatever, but they just stopped. Nothing wrong with that at all. Anybody who has put something like this on knows how much work goes into such an event. Not wanting to end the event, others tried to continue it. These guys were very well intentioned and hard working themselves, neither flew jets nor were overly involved with those who did. We only have a couple of members that even have jets, and honestly, I can't remember the last time I have even seen one at the field. They tried their best, but without being involved in that segment of the hobby, how would they know how to put out the information? I remember talking to some members shortly after one of the disappointing events and they were under the assumption that promotion was just taken care of... everybody knew when it was, they just simply had to open the gate. Obviously that was wrong, but again, these guys were not putting on the event for themselves... they were doing it for all the others who came every year. It was a tough spot to be in, and while it didn't work out, it was simply because they didn't know, not because they didn't care. Our members are 90% sport flyers, mostly retired folks. They are mainly interested in their little segment of the hobby, and don't seek out much else. They enjoy the events to come out, support the club and buy a hot dog, and watch the planes. We have a few heli guys, a couple IMAC guys, but for the most part it's all sport flying, sunday flyer type stuff. We had a few guys like Dave F, Mark T, and now Ricco (again) who in recent years built some great events in the Jet community. But without them, we won't have them. Ricco is trying to put together a different kind of event for 'the rest of us' and I wish him well. I don't own an EDF, but this might be the excuse I was looking for. Tom M
Posted on: 6/10/2012 3:45 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11113588

RE: Hacker for Pattern Hack
Stick with the Hacker... less issues and service, in my experience, is infinitely better.
Posted on: 9/28/2011 6:31 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10739377

RE: Black Magic with Inrunner?
Emory, I made the templates in TurboCAD, printed them out, and cut the pieces out of some carbon laminate that I had. Honestly, it really wasn't all that difficult to come up with, just work backwards from the firewall... where does the spinner need to be, what is the distance to the firewall? And work back from there. I had a bunch of pieces parts from various mounts over the years and just kept playing with different combos until it worked. It wasn't light, but then again, it wasn't all that heavy either... weighed about the same as the outrunner combo give or take an ounce. The outrunner is heavier, but there are more pieces to the inrunner mount. For the Hacker, I just used the same rear piece and came up with a different front piece since the mounting is completely different. I used a non-comp C50 14xl and have that pattern too if you need it. System worked out pretty well, wish I could say the same about the motor. I hear they are better constructed now, but since I had mine in three times in less than a year, with only about 100 flights on it, I was not impressed. I got it fixed up with the latest mods and sold it. Now, with my luck, it's probably been trouble free since... ;) But I will never own another Neu under any circumstances because of my experience. Expensive paperweight to me. But anyway, the power combination of the Neu and the Black Magic was pretty good and if you decide to go that way, you will not be wanting for any power. I posted the jpg versions of the templates, if you want or need a better version, PM me with your address and I'll email either a PDF or something more usable for you. Tom M
Posted on: 9/13/2011 8:08 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10715527

RE: Black Magic with Inrunner?
I mounted both a Hacker and a Neu to my Black Magic at one time... also a Himax, AXI, Turnigy etc... I started with outrunners, and used an Esprit type mount. When I wanted to try an inrunner, the Neu was first, I just modified the mount to accept the motor by lengthening it and added a rear support. I don't have a picture of the Hacker mounted, but it was similar to the Neu. Tom M
Posted on: 9/13/2011 4:03 AM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10714101

RE: New Delro model -
Looks nice Chris... I like the second profile view as a basis for a scheme... I know you won't follow it exactly, but I like how you broke up the lines on the fuse with that one. Have fun! T
Posted on: 6/3/2011 10:57 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10555976

RE: Fresno Contest 2011
There are probably as many reasons for the decline in participation as there are former participants. Less contests may work, and if this trend continues will likely happen anyway, but you may also run into an issue where since there aren't enough contests, or chances to go to contests, there might not be enough of a reason for somebody to continue to burn electrons to practice... Without practice, for whatever reason, many people just might not make the trip. We have 16 contests (including the DCs) in D7 this year. While that might seem excessive and probably is but keep in mind, District 7 is a very large district, and these contests span from Phoenix Sacramento... very few guys go to both. Fresno was only the second contest in NorCal, BARCS being the first. There is just one more, Oakdale, before the summer break... I don't think that is too many contests for a region of a district, and yet we have this issue. Again, I don't think it's necessarily too many contests, I think May is a bad month with graduations and such, and also let's face it... While probably not dying, pattern is declining... and there is a certain, apathy about going to contests maybe? No doubt due to the economy. I don't know about contests not being fun. To me, that's the only part left that IS fun. I enjoy seeing my pattern friends and spending the day flying and BSing. There is a whole list of things about this discipline that I don't enjoy, but contests are not on that list. Expensive airplanes (an increasing number that are often either ugly, poorly designed, or both), schedules either too complex or not enough, expensive motors and/or components that are not tested or vetting before sale to the public (no doubt due to the limited interest in pattern overall)... and a few other things are what I don't enjoy about pattern anymore. But that's just my opinion... I'll still go to a few contests with minimal (any?) practice because I enjoy the contests themselves... even if I don't enjoy the practice anymore, the rediculously ugly airplanes, boring (or 'snap happy' to the other extreme) schedules, rules, etc. I don't think there is one 'fix' for this, nor do I think the decline/demise is imminent based on Fresno alone. Fresno wasn't proof that the sport has problems, it was just a contest that had problems. Even with that, I think we all know what could happen if the current trend continues. Tom M
Posted on: 6/1/2011 1:15 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10552027

RE: Fresno Contest 2011
[quote]you guys should have a 3D Fest instead!! [/quote] Yeah, last time we did that the group who put it on left the place a mess... so, no... I don't think that is a good idea.
Posted on: 5/30/2011 10:54 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10549318

RE: Fresno Contest 2011
I, and the Fresno club more importantly, appreciate those who supported the Fresno contest in the past, and who plan to continue to do so in the future. It takes a lot of effort to keep a facility in good enough shape to host such events, and takes time and sacrifice for the club to 'loan' the use of the facilities to folks from out of town. We never look at it as a rent or lease, but rather a loan... if we make money great, if not, well then that's okay too. If District 7 wishes to continue to hold the District Champs there, then pattern will technically not leave Fresno. But I think the days of a stand alone contest have come to an end, at least for the time being. I am not speaking for the club, and I want to be clear and further state that this isn't about me... I'm not mad, upset, confused, insulted, or anything of the sort because we had a low turn out. It is what it is, and I don't take it personally against me, the club, or the location. I think that timing has a lot to due with the lack of turn out... as well as the economy and overall state of the sport in general. In the last few years we have publicized the contest... tried to get people excited and make plans to come. Then either something happens and they can't make it, or the crazy May weather keeps people away. A couple of times now we have had bad weather forecast and people stayed home. Can't blame them... but we still had a contest... And those advertised TWO day contests became ONE day contests because we would get done with round 4 at 1 pm... it goes that quick when you only have 12-15 contestants, and inevitably somebody is unhappy because they can't cancel their hotel room or some other thing. Can't please everybody. So, that, along with the theory that people would travel for a one day contest... we made it a one day contest. And hardly anybody came. What to do? We had a lot of people whose reason for not coming was just simply life in general... can't argue with that. Weddings, graduations, funerals, business... Hey, this is a hobby, it should come behind all of that. But to those who could have come but didn't... well, this is the consequence. No, it's not any one person's FAULT at all, seriously it's not... but that's what happens. If nobody comes, it's not going to be held anymore. And again, seriously, this isn't me taking my toys and going home because nobody wants to play. I don't care at this point one way or the other... I can take a hint, a May Fresno contest is a bad idea... three out of the last four contests have had less than 15 contestants... two of those were around 12. I know I have repeated myself, but with that kind of participation... I see no argument to hold another spring contest... Tom M
Posted on: 5/29/2011 12:27 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10546741

RE: Fresno Contest 2011
Chris, I can't really explain the turnout either. Aside from Tak, we didn't haven't anybody from SoCal, likely due to the Hemet contest being the weekend before. Norcal had a lot of absences that hurt as well, I can think of 5 regulars off the top of my head, and a couple more I'm sure that I'm not thinking of... The logic with the one day contest was the idea that more people would be willing to make a day trip than a weekend long commitment... Guess that was not the case. I know a lot of people had important events that they had to attend to, and let's face it... the hobby events go down to the bottom of most "lists of things to do". And that is fine and appropriate, but year after year we see people skipping the Fresno contest. Okay, next year we'll just make it easier. THERE WON'T BE ONE! [:D] Nope, not flying Pattern much anymore. Think I have taken the plane out three times since September, and I can't say I miss it. I don't think I will ever just flat out quit, but I'm just not interested enough to practice and practice. And honestly, what is the point if A) Nobody shows up for contests and B) I'm not going to the Nats ? We still might make Oakdale (wife likes it as a campsite as well as the dog), and if so I'll let you know my other reasons... T
Posted on: 5/27/2011 10:37 AM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10543423

RE: Fresno Contest 2011
Apparently the Arvin club is not interested in letting the pattern guys hold contests there. Last year there were two contests, this year none. Not sure of the reason or the genesis of it, just know that the District Championships could not be held there this year as has been the tradition the last couple of years. Tom M
Posted on: 5/23/2011 9:40 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10537379

RE: Fresno Contest 2011
I want to thank everybody who came down to the 51st annual Fresno contest. Because of so few competitors we had to use guys as judges multiple times and it always makes a CD's job easier when people jump in and help out readily. Also want to thank Luke for providing the computer and helping to set up the scoring platform (as well as being our IT guy for the day!). Jon Bruml for loaning us his printer, and Frank Capone for bringing down some of the contest paraphernalia that we needed but were lacking. Thanks to Ron D. who provided support even though he left Friday afternoon to repair some damage... Also couldn't have done it without my wife who handled the scoring duties and was the gopher in the morning when we realized we were short a few items. I want to apologize to those who attended, the event did not go as smoothly as I normally like my contests to go... We started late and had issues with generators and other equipment. Much of this could have been avoided by better preparation on my part. That is except for the generator issues, the main one worked fine on Friday, and just decided to give up the ghost when we need it most... if I get a chance it's going to meet the working end of a baseball bat later today! [>:] j/k As I said earlier, this was the 51st annual Fresno pattern contest... that's quite a streak. And it looks like it has come to an end. Over the last five years or so we have seen the attendance decline year after year with only one exception, 2009. Of the last three contests that I have CD'd in Fresno we have gotten as many 15 contestants, and as few as 11. I don't think this is something we are going to do in the future, or at least something that I'm not going to do. With so little support and participation, it's unfair to ask the club to provide use of the field for so few modelers. It's not about money, if we had 50 contestants and only took in $50 for the club, they would be happy just to provide the venue for people to have a good time. But with only 11, and no local member participation... it's just not fair, even if they haven't said anything yet. Since the loss of Arvin for the District Championships, Fresno was named the venue for this year's contest in October. I think the club would be happy to provide the venue in the coming years for the District Championships, but I think we have had our last Spring contest. Tom M
Posted on: 5/22/2011 12:23 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10534473

RE: XIGRIS C2 - Canalizer Dimensions
I lost my canalyzer after about 20 flights or so. I probably could have built it better, but I did glue it and secure it with two screws. My problem was that the bottom of the canalyzer was left screwed in to the top of the vertical stub after the wing had flown off. There is a metal plate built into the canalyzer, mine was in the wrong spot I think as I did not drill through one when I built it, and only found out about it after it was built. Plane flys better without it actually. Tom M
Posted on: 5/18/2011 12:06 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10527485

RE: Fresno Contest 2011
[quote]ORIGINAL: patternflyer1 Tom, My apologies but I can't make it. I don't have a anything flyable right now. If I don't take the boat out of Saturday, I will be there to judge! Chris [/quote] Oh man, that's no excuse! I don't even fly pattern anymore and I'm going to be there!!! But then, I have to be... [;)] Tom M
Posted on: 5/17/2011 11:28 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10526836

Fresno Contest 2011
The 2011 Fresno Pattern Contest will be this Saturday, May 21. Due to the scheduling this year, a one day contest was planned with 4 rounds. Sportsman will be a $20 entry fee, and all others will be $25. As explained in the flyer, FAI as of right now is planned at four rounds of P. HOWEVER, depending on who shows up and what they want, it has been discussed that most of the planned attendees would like to fly the F sequence. We will leave it up to the contestants but anywhere from none, to one, to ALL rounds can fly the F sequence. Hopes are that it would make a good primer for those going to Muncie this year. There will be power at the field. However, the field generator is not operable as of right now, but is planned to be running by Friday. We do have a smaller (4000W) backup generator just in case the big one isn't fixed. Hope to see some of you Saturday! Tom M Flyer is attached.
Posted on: 5/17/2011 2:42 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10525939

RE: Dean Connectors
Many of the helicopter guys are now using Anderson Power Poles. Crimp on, no solder, and apparently the connection is better (their arguement, not mine). Here is a review by Model Airplane News: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8ODI8fAU_k[/youtube] I still use Deans and have don't have a problem with 10 gauge wire or pulling them apart when connected. But that is all due to the iron... a wide tip that gets hot and stays hot... as with most things, the right tool makes all the difference. Tom M
Posted on: 5/12/2011 11:04 AM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10515912

RE: 3D Hobby Shop Osiris 2M
With all this bickering, no wonder the sport is dying.
Posted on: 4/20/2011 8:50 AM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10474393

RE: Russian F3A masterpiece “Europa PRO LT� now produced in Europe
Not to insult any designers out there, but recent new designs have left me a bit... well, confused, I guess is the best word. I haven't seen anything new in a while that actually interested me or had 'it'. But I gotta say, the Europa PRO is a nice looking airplane!!! Dare I ask what the projected price is going to be? I know it's out of my range, but I had to ask... Tom M.
Posted on: 2/8/2011 5:18 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10321972

RE: Futaba S.bus system
[quote]ORIGINAL: jgg215 it would be practical to run two receivers at $70 rather than one 14 channel receiver at $180 or 8 channel at $140 in a pattern plane. We tend to run enough servos on a pattern airplane that saving the plane with one receiver/bus system dead would be probable. By doing that and adding redundant power(which I already do) it would be really hard to have an airborne failure that would bring the plane down. This is a 2S lipo compatible receiver and once there are enough S.bus servos that will accept 2S lipo inputs directly, then the regulators could be removed as well, eliminating more cost, component count and connectors. John [/quote] That's an interesting idea actually... I would say that it's overkill, but when you have upwards of $3k in an airplane, the term 'overkill' really doesn't apply... ;) Tom M
Posted on: 2/5/2011 5:35 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10315348

RE: Futaba S.bus system
The "killer app" for the s. bus appears to be for the heli crowd. With the new trend of flying flybarless, more or less requiring a three axis gyro, the resulting wiring can turn into a bird's nest. Servo wires must be routed to the gyro or gyro controller, then jumpers must go to their respective slots in the receiver. That can be a mess! With S. Bus, the servos are plugged into the controller (three cyclic, one rudder, and maybe throttle for governor if used) and one wire is sent to the receiver. That's it, unless you have a switch-glo for your glow plug, there is only one wire required to go to your receiver. And given THAT, we no longer need 8 channel receivers anymore. Futaba will release the [link=http://www.rcheliresource.com/new-futaba-r6203sb-3-channel-s-bus-rx/]R6203SB receiver[/link] that is just three channels and will retail for around $70. Even if you are not going flybarless, the new Futaba 701 gyro/governor is S. Bus capable and will reduce some clutter and simplify your set up. None of this requires special servos either... anything will work since they are plugging into the gyro controllers. But that is all for another forum... S. Bus for Pattern? I don't see it. You could group your tail servos together, but as stated above, I doubt you will achieve any weight savings... not sure there is a real advantage to it at all. I can see a use for scale and GIANT scale... 50%+ sized... but that's about it. Tom M
Posted on: 2/5/2011 10:36 AM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10314493

RE: Which Battery Charger to buy
24 V power supplies are available but a bit pricey. There are a couple threads on RC Groups about tying two server power supplies together to get 24V and that can be done fairly cheap. ThunderPower just announced their new charger that is rated at 800W or so, but I imagine that is also at 24V+. I gave up waiting for that one a couple months ago (isn't that always the way?) and instead bought one of these [link=http://www.hyperion-world.com/products/product/HP-EOS1420iNET3]Hyperion 1420i[/link]. Works great, will charge up to 14s and it's max rated output, again at around 24V, is 550W. Last week I paired up a couple of my 6s 3000 mah Trex 500 batts and charged that at 2C no problem. My 10S 5000 pattern packs will probably top out just shy of 2C, but I haven't tried it yet. The only draw back to the Hyperion is that it reads the internal resistance per pack, not per cell. But in the end, it stil gives you a good idea of the health of the battery. I gave up on the Cellpro. Had one for a month and had to send it back and it was repaired under warranty. That was last summer, then about 4 months ago it burned itself up and I inquired to how much it would be to repair and it was $60 plus shipping... so I bought the Hyperion instead and have been really happy with it. Tom M
Posted on: 1/14/2011 8:32 AM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10262747

RE: Which motor: Neu F3A-1 or Hacker c50 14xl?
Just a dissenting opinion... Had a Neu for a year. Strong running motor, smooth power and out of the half dozen different pattern motors I've flown and competed with, I liked the Neu's power curve the best. With that said, I had to send the motor in three times during that year of ownership. The last time it blew out on me at a contest, had to borrow a plane for all but one round.. In our district it's whispered, not said aloud as there are too many sponsored guys, that the Neu's have a 100% failure rate. Meaning every one has to get sent back and fixed at some point... doubt that is true, but the rate is up there. Supposedly after the last fix, my motor was set and would run fine from there on out... heard that twice before though. I don't think I will ever again own a Neu motor. Power is good, but completely unreliable in my experience, especially for the price. Not trying to flame... just adding to the 'big picture'. Go with the Hacker, they just simply work. Regards, Tom M PS... I don't use either motor anymore, but between the two? Hacker, no question.
Posted on: 12/15/2010 8:27 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10199906

RE: DIST 7 2010 CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS, OCT 23 & 24
Going to have to miss it this year Jarvis. I had planned on it but work has been light the last couple of months and I had a chance to pick up some time... Take lots of pictures (especially during the seventh round on Sat. night) and post them on here... Good luck to all those who attend, should be a lot of fun as usual! Tom M
Posted on: 10/17/2010 4:10 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10074573

RE: New Charge Box
I recently tried to use one of those blue distribution boxes and had to junk it. Worked fine charging a couple of batteries... fine for about 5 minutes, then one charger would drop off, then the other... etc. Tossed it in the trash after a friend told me that this was common, and went to Radio Shack and got some posts and now everything works fine. T
Posted on: 9/26/2010 12:02 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10028087

RE: Himax 6330-F3A Pattern Motor
removed
Posted on: 9/6/2010 10:16 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9984992

RE: do's and don'ts
Make sure to not only check the amperage when you change something new, but check it every so often... say 30-40 flights just to make sure that nothing is wrong... if you keep track of your mah used, that could substitute for the test runs (or data logger downloads)... PARTICULARLY important if you are running an older C50... will help you identify if the motor is going bad. Also, don't forget to make a visual inspection when you put the plane together or take it apart... Found this out the hard way at a contest (although I did know, just don't always do it) this weekend... motor had issues and had spewn grease from the gearbox all inside the motor... Not good. :)
Posted on: 8/23/2010 10:25 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9955500

RE: Pattern by the Wineries Contest - Napa, CA
I'll know by Wed if we'll make it. The good news is Kelly has 'promised' me that we'll get rid of the family in time to go up there. Glad I bought that camper, the Sherrif's after hours beverages are dangerous! If he were a 'real' sherrif, I'd call it entrapment!!! Should be a great time, I'll let you know for sure!
Posted on: 7/30/2010 9:27 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9900192

RE: Contra Rotating Propeller Drive for f3a 2m Pattern Planes
I'd definitely be interested in giving it a try on my Neu as well should it become available! Tom M
Posted on: 7/24/2010 9:54 PM by Author "ExFokkerFlyer" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9886194