RE: Great Planes RV-4 Build
Flaps are not really necessary or even helpful on a plane like this. It flies great as is. It's harder to fly well if you fly it slower than it already flies without using flaps.
Posted on: 4/18/2011 6:40 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10469457

RE: NIB Saito-90TS Flat Twin Value ?
Good luck. Generally engines go for far less than they list for even NIB. I don't buy engines from tower or horizon for that reason. I can always find the engine NIB way cheaper in the marketplace. I think multi cylinder and other less common engines tend to drop more than the more common ones. If you look at the history in the marketplace that engine has gone from between $300-$525. If your not in a hurry to sell maybe you will find a buyer at $600 but it may be hard.
Posted on: 4/18/2011 6:08 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10469407

RE: NIB Saito-90TS Flat Twin Value ?
Don't be afraid to run it. They are good engines and if you can tune a 4 stroke single you can tune a twin. Put it on a stand to get a feel how to tune it. It's also fun just to sit there and listen to it run on the stand.
Posted on: 4/17/2011 6:17 PM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10468635

RE: Plane guy looking for 1st car for son
Thanks for the suggestions. We've run it 4 or 5 times now and he seems to do well with it. He really likes spinning out and we even made a little ramp that is a lot of fun. The only thing is that steering seems a bit sensitive for him. Is there any way to make it less sensitive. With my computer radio for planes I just dial in some expo but with the car we just have the cheapo radio that came with it.
Posted on: 4/13/2011 6:56 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10460112

RE: Plane guy looking for 1st car for son
Went with a rustler because it was the only traxxas product in stock. I really like the 50% power setting, it's plenty of power for him right now. I'm looking forard to teaching him how to work with basic tools with it. I've got some of the replacement parts you all recommended and we are going to learn how to change out parts.
Posted on: 4/12/2011 9:09 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10458298

RE: YS FZ70S vs SAITO 72 AAC
I will put my magnums 4 strokes up against the OS any day and keep the extra money. Nothing wrong with magnum.
Posted on: 3/31/2011 9:48 PM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10435806

RE: YS FZ70S vs SAITO 72 AAC
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rajib I just got an e-mail from Josh Vandeventer of Horizon Hobby, Inc. [International Sales ], he has wrote me: [i]Dear Rajib, Thank you for your interest in our products. Unfortunately we cannot sell Saito outside of the US[/i] [:o] [/quote] Horizon isn't the only place to buy saito new. Also you could just buy the engine in the RCU marketplace and have it shipped or find someone traveling to a neighboring country and pick it up there. I've been out of the US for almost 10 years but almost all my rc stuff comes from there. There's always a way to get it. Certainly there are other flyers with saito engines, find them on a forum or at a club and find out how they get them. If not go magnum and buy from tower, they will ship it to you.
Posted on: 3/31/2011 9:04 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10434563

RE: refresh my memory please
I learned that lesson the hard way as well. It will make a mess.
Posted on: 3/28/2011 10:46 PM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10429473

RE: YS FZ70S vs SAITO 72 AAC
Good choice for your first 4 stroke. Saitos are good sport/3D engines that run very well. When new they tend to eat a lot of fuel but once you tune them well they are great engines. No pump is necessary, in fact they run ok without any pressure sometimes. I have a saito 150 on a plane and because of the way it is setup the tubing going to the muffler falls off every other flight. I don't even notice it until after I land and am fueling up for the next flight.
Posted on: 3/28/2011 10:45 PM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10429471

RE: Plane guy looking for 1st car for son
I hadn't seen the ext2 and will look into that one. Between the rustler, stampede and slash are there really any big differences? It seems like they mostly have the same components.
Posted on: 3/21/2011 2:22 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10413160

RE: SICKLES RULE
The sickle is probably one of my favorite RC planes. Unfortunately I don't have one right now. I had one with an old royal 40 engine on it and it was scary fast. When I first brought it to the club nobody believed it would fly well. I loved to fly it but had to be in the right mood because it always scared me even though it was completely controllable and fairly easy to fly. It just disappeared really quickly. I lost the back half of the muffler which didn't effect engine performance much. It just made it super loud which seemed to fit the plane well. A low pass at full speed after a full speed dive with half a muffler is as much fun as you can have with $5 of coro and gutter pipe and a junk engine.
Posted on: 3/21/2011 1:59 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "S.P.A.D. Aircraft - Coroplast design"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10413150

RE: SHOULD I DOWNGRADE?
High end radios for 95+% of RCers are unnecessary. You always see guys show up at the field with high end radios flying the latest ARF who don't even know how to program dual rates or throttle cut properly. I have also flown with guys who had old radios that didn't have dual rates who were some of the best pilots I have seen. Stick with the radio that works and nothing else and save the money.
Posted on: 3/21/2011 12:28 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10413108

RE: Starter Problems with Saito 100
For a standard starter there isn't any problem running 18v through it? Can anyone post pics on how it's wired? The last picture posted I don't really understand what is being charged there. Also, it seems like it would be heavy to hold the starter plus the big battery in front of the engine. I'm just thinking that you don't want something cumbersome in your hand in front of a Saito 150 when it cranks up!
Posted on: 3/21/2011 12:25 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10413107

RE: How to keep muffler bolts tight?
For a 4 strokes to me used to be more problematic than 2 strokes. If you use some teflon tape on the threads on the 4 strokes they seem to stick well. Sometimes I will use RTV and it seems to help but I have never had one come loose with tape. On a two stroke I generally use RTV and tighten it down well. If you are having a lot of problems with the muffler coming loose after tape and RTV it might be due to too much vibration. Make sure you have a balanced prop and the engine is tuned correctly and is bolted down well.
Posted on: 3/21/2011 12:14 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10413103

RE: Plane guy looking for 1st car for son
I have been looking at the right ones it looks like. The ones you suggest are more or less what I was considering. What's going to be the big difference performance wise in the 4X4? There's a fair price jump between the base 2wd and 4X4. I live outside the US and plan to buy everything on my next trip. So I'd like to have some spare parts on hand. What are the most common spare parts that I should have in stock?
Posted on: 3/20/2011 10:47 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10411622

Plane guy looking for 1st car for son
I am a long time poster on RCU but on the flying side. I am looking at getting an entry level off road car/buggy/truck etc for my son and want something more than a toy. We live in the desert so I would like something that can handle the sand and be fun on dunes. My son is 8 so I want something that is pretty tough and possibly allows me to limit how fast it will go but that will also be fun for me to drive. Upgradeable, easy to fix, hard to break are all pluses. I assume electric would be the way to go but am not opposed to glow. I have all the standard rc equipment such as chargers, rx, servos, etc. I'd like something that's going to hold up but that will also give us an opportunity to tinker with if something breaks or we want to upgrade.
Posted on: 3/19/2011 11:49 PM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10410978

resetting needles for battle tested Saito 150
I have a well worn saito 150 in a supercub that I bought used. The engine ran great and I after I bought it I never touched the needles since it ran fine as it was. The last time I flew the plane (in Jan) the engine deadstick a few times. I tried to adjust the needles without much luck and the last time it fired it actually threw the prop. I have a bunch of 4 strokes and have never thrown a prop. I am about to fire the engine up again and think it would be best to start from a safe starting point and then dial in the engine. Any ideas on a good starting point for the needles?
Posted on: 9/29/2010 8:24 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10035044

RE: Opinions on Magnum 4 strokes please
Dont buy the 70 go for the 91. They weigh almost exactly the same. The 91 is a fantastic engine that is easy to tune. Don't know why someone would say a magnum is finicky. If you can tune any run of the mill 2 stroke the magnum 4 stroke will be fine. I have put the 91 in 40 sized airframes. It doesnt compare power and weight wise to the saito but cost half as much. It matches up pretty well to the OS, again at a much better price.
Posted on: 5/16/2010 8:34 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9736854

RE: New Hitec Aurora 9-Channel 2.4Ghz Radio System
I ordered one with 7ch rx on Dec 13 and it's still on backorder. Looks like I might have missed the cut.
Posted on: 2/23/2010 4:12 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9528067

RE: New Hitec Aurora 9-Channel 2.4Ghz Radio System
[quote]ORIGINAL: dszydel [quote]ORIGINAL: Gringo Flyer I called Tower today and had the priced changed to the new sale price for the aurora without having to cancel and reorder. [/quote] I also called Tower yesterday and they said they would correct the price for me but as of today it still shows $429 when I look at my order status. Does your order status show $399 or $429? They did tell
Posted on: 1/20/2010 7:12 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9431583

RE: New Hitec Aurora 9-Channel 2.4Ghz Radio System
I called Tower today and had the priced changed to the new sale price for the aurora without having to cancel and reorder. I asked about how long until the backorders will be filled and the operator just chuckled. She said they didn't know since they were waiting on the manufacturer but that I would receive an email when they were in stock. Her laugh wasn't very reassuring.[:o]
Posted on: 1/19/2010 5:04 PM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9429965

RE: Fusion horizontal stab removal
I like the idea of making a removal stab and it seems like it would be pretty straightforward. The good thing about that is if you can get the fuse flat the fusion is very easy to transport. The only part I don't understand is the hinges. With the removal pin what do you do to keep the pins in place during flight? The only other problem is that I use 1 elevator servo so the two halves are connected by a rod. I'm not sure how that would work in this setup.
Posted on: 1/18/2010 10:32 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Profile and Fun Flying Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9426096

Fusion horizontal stab removal
I have a 90 sized kit built Fusion and I am about to make an international move. Moving space is going to be very tight but I'm hoping that I can get the Fusion down pretty small. I am planning on removing the elevator and horizontal stab in a way that it can be reinstalled later. Any ideas on how to remove it in a way that I can install it again later? I am also thinking it may be easier just to cut it completely out and then build a new stab and reuse the elevator. Any ideas?
Posted on: 1/16/2010 3:02 PM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Profile and Fun Flying Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9421024

RE: Magnum XL 1.20 queston
I would think it would go in the $100 or so range if it's in good shape. It's a little heavy compared to the new OS 1.20 and is not a particularly powerful engine. Good for sport flying but it's not worth a lot.
Posted on: 1/5/2010 11:45 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9389019

RE: Everyone has problems with the wife
[quote]ORIGINAL: TexasSkyPilot I am on wife number 5. The 4 divorces did involve R/C, but plenty of other stuff too. I don't believe in quitting or giving up, [/quote] Does anyone else think this is funny?
Posted on: 1/5/2010 11:40 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9389000

RE: pics of profile with new 40
[quote]ORIGINAL: jasburrito . Gonna chance it with the servos,till I get some metal gear sets. cheers [/quote] Bad idea. Those servos won't make it 1 flight if you fly 3D or acrobatics. They may handle straight and level flight but I doubt it. Please don't fly the plane with those servos, a 40 sized engine can be dangerous if you lose control of a plane. Chancing it in this hobby is rather irresponsible.
Posted on: 12/20/2009 4:30 PM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9346427

RE: Saito 125 vs YS 110
It's really hard to compare as the engines as they really don't match up well. Saito is cheaper to run, easier to setup, and has good power. YS is a powerhouse but is a little more finicky and needs high dollar fuel. While you could put them on pretty much the same airframes it really depends on what you want out of the engine. You see this same comparison between these 2 engines all the time on RCU and of course everyone chimes in on how great the YS is and how no engine compares to it, etc. However, I would dare to say that most of us modelers (me included) who spend most of our time flying sport models would be just as happy running the saito and maximizing flying time and money in the pocket. If you are looking for all out 3D and top performance the YS is your engine. If you plan on running the engine on a cub or supersportser go with saito, or even a "budget" 4 stroke. Believe it or not you can fly some incredible 3D with a saito 125 or even a mid range 4 stroke. In fact my favorite all around engine is a magnum 90 4 stroke that I paid next to nothing for and run on 5% and even 0% at times. I have had it for several years and several hundred flights without a single deadstick yet. It's a fantastic engine thats super economical.
Posted on: 12/20/2009 8:31 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9345414

RE: pics of profile with new 40
[quote]ORIGINAL: jasburrito Came with a wipped out os 30,then I took a magnum 25 out of old Q500. Only gotton 1 dead stick flight out of it. So got a early present os max la 40. I was thinking of using a 11x4 prop? I also need a tank. Seemed the 1 (4oz) that was on there was vibrating the fuel like mad,any suggestions on mounting ect. Thanks cheers Trying to get this going for the Snow fun fly in a few weeks. (hs55 servos are junk broke a gear set just working on plane) but whatever [/quote] As far as the fuel tank if its vibrating and foaming the fuel it probably has nothing to do with the tank and more with how it is mounted. You need some foam between the fuse and tank. I generally put a hook on the fuse and then attach the tank with rubber bands. I have also use zip ties but anywhere the ziptie touches the tank there is foam. hs55 servos are not junk and are great little servos. They are just not intended for a plane with a 40 sized engine on them. We run the hs55 on foamies as they are are only rated to 15oz torque. You could probably get by with the hs81 but the hs85 would probably be a better fit. The hs85 is a pretty tough servo that as almost as much torque as a standard one.
Posted on: 12/20/2009 8:08 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9345387

RE: Used plane and a Hi-Tec system
[quote]ORIGINAL: Dwayne Pipe I've been seeing things such as single and dual conversion on crystals, what would I look for to find a TX that I can use on an old radio like that ... ? Also this plane was incredibly nose heavy, and I'm thinking it might be better to run this thing on electric power ... ? It looks like it was purchased as a ARF combo package ... I doubt if it ever flew very well ... [/quote] Sounds to me like the plane may not be worth the investment. If it didnt fly well before and has been sitting around a long time I would be hesitant to buy an electric setup for it. You can buy a brand new arf pretty cheap that is a modern design and you wouldnt have worry about any dry rot in the old airframe. I'd pull the engine off of it and see if you can get it running. If it runs put it in a new airframe. I bet you could buy a new plane for the engine cheaper than and electric setup for the old plane.
Posted on: 12/20/2009 7:57 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9345375

RE: Is this servo...HS-5485HB better than the DS821 for less money?
They are comparable servos at about the same price. Folks who like JR will go with those, folks who like Hitec will buy Hitec. I have run the standard 475 servos and they are good. I have some 821s as well and theres nothing wrong with them either. Nothing particular special about either servo they are just standard $25 servos good for 90-1.20 sized planes. I have lots of hitec servos but the fact they have karbonite gears has not been the reason I have bought them (I think that is a big marketing tool more than anything). So I wouldn't let that be the determining factor. However, Hitec makes good servos and generally do beat futaba at price with comparable servos and thats why I generally buy them. You can find the DS821 really cheap if you look around. They come standard with a lot of JR radios and lots of folks don't use them and sell the flight pack cheap when they buy the radio. I bought 4 of them with the switch and battery for about $70 a couple of years ago.
Posted on: 12/20/2009 7:52 AM by Author "Gringo Flyer" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9345368