RE: Parkzone NEW BRUSHLESS (YES!!!) P-51 Mustang RTF and BNF
I agree with Jake48. If you can - get a Spektrum transmitter. Carry around only one transmitter (until you get too many models!!). No receiver wire hanging out of your semi-scale models. No interference from other modelers. No frequency worries if you fly in town at parks,etc. Programmable (servo travel, mixing, dual rates, exponential (make the controls softer), works for airplanes and helis (you'll want one someday), etc.). "Model Match" technology so you can't take off using the wrong settings. Long battery life. Fly for hours and hours without recharging the transmitter. The list goes on. Note: Futaba 2.4 doesn't have "model match" and I saw two crashes yesterday when guys picked the wrong model in the transmitter!!! It's poor procedures on their part not to preflight their model but if the transmitter didn't allow mistakes then they wouldn't have to follow procedures. I also recently took up RC again after a 25 year absence. The technology changes are amazing. I wouldn't give up my Spektrum electronics now. The only drawback is that I have the DX7 (20 model memory) and DX6i (10 model memory). The DX7 is FULL and the DX6i will be soon. If you have the space available in the model memory your hanger will grow to fill the space!!!! I know!!
Posted on: 8/3/2009 1:14 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8986345

RE: Parkzone NEW BRUSHLESS (YES!!!) P-51 Mustang RTF and BNF
Thank you. The video was done by the guy that's the best pilot at our club. It's real nice having him do it because he (being a very good pilot) is able to anticipate what I'm going to do next and the videos come out GREAT!!!!! He hardly ever loses sight of the model and I hardly ever have to do any cutting of the video. His arms got tired today though so about two minutes of the flight is not on the video.
Posted on: 8/3/2009 1:40 AM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8985376

RE: Parkzone NEW BRUSHLESS (YES!!!) P-51 Mustang RTF and BNF
Here's a video of my P-51D from today at our club field. I also have the T-28 Trojan and Corsair and this one is the best of the three (the other two are pretty darn good though). It's amazing how this one cuts through a head wind. And it looks so good in the air. But you guys already know that! I did add the optional rudder servo but other than that it's stock. I figured since it was a bit nose heavy anyway I'd add the servo rather than just dead weight. I wonder whats coming next from Parkzone ?????? Must increase hanger size.... [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv84E_pEqYI[/youtube]
Posted on: 8/2/2009 8:11 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8984585

RE: Official Hobby Zone
Yes. You are most likely below the minimum voltage to safely recharge it.
Posted on: 7/18/2009 2:55 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8943972

RE: Foam Seawind EP from Great Planes...
Well it's been awhile since there was a new post here but I've got to say "What a great plane this is!". I bought mine in November and it had a broken part that took a long time to get a replacement for. Anyway it's ready to go now and it's the most versatile plane I have. Hand launch, grass, water, ice and snow. I'm very happy with it. The Seawind in the hangar [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8WZbmStHiw]My Hangar[/link] My maiden trim flight off grass [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmdxR_pAY88]Seawind trim flight off grass runway[/link]
Posted on: 1/20/2009 2:55 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Foamies! - RC Electric Foam Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8380475

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Here's my F-16 in the hangar. I'll have flight video in about 10 days. I'm temporarily working out of town. [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8WZbmStHiw]My Hangar[/link]
Posted on: 1/20/2009 2:49 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8380452

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
The Phase 3 should be a good choice from what I hear. It seems to fly real good but I held off since it has only elevons and no ailerons. Thats really no issue since my Stryker flies great with just elevons. I may end up with one of the Phase 3's before long. I also like my Parkzone Corsair.
Posted on: 12/16/2008 9:08 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8253249

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Here's a look at the Starmax F9F Panther and the E-Flite F-16. They're pretty similar in size. The closeups of the wing show the excellent engineering work and how the parts are molded so there's only one way they can go together. It's an very nice model. I really like the somewhat concealed inlets in the wing (the long duct tube isn't a part of the airframe structure like the F-16). The Panther also has a very generously sized screw on access hatch for the motor and fan which I wish the F-16 had. I need to rent "The Bridges at Toko Ri" now so I can see the real one in "simulated" action.
Posted on: 12/16/2008 1:23 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8251644

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
OK. Keep up the good work. Like I said, sometimes it's hard to point something out without seeming critical. I'm sure you'll find a solution that makes you happy. If you're looking for something fun and fast the Starmax F9F Panther is a really cool looking plane. I got mine at Hobby Lobby. I've had more fun with it than I can imagine just working on detailing (cockpit, etc.). The engineering is very good and the parts fit together like a high quality 3D jigsaw puzzle. The Phase 3 looks good on their videos too. Have fun!
Posted on: 12/16/2008 11:20 AM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8251343

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
DNCrosby - something to ponder. I have the Alfa A-F Skyhawk and it flies great at 16 oz. flying weight with the Alfa fan. The E-Flite F-16 has around a 26 oz. flying weight with the gear installed and maybe more depending on the battery choice. What motor did you use with the fan? Was it sized for a 26+ ounce plane? I'm certainly no expert on EDF mods. I have five EDF's (Eflite SuperAirliner, F-16, BAe Hawk, Alfa A-4 and Starmax F9F Panther). I fly them all stock and they all have their own quirks and limitations. Someday when I have more EDF experience and more "need for speed" I'll upgrade the stock setups (except for the BAe Hawk of course since 100+ on 4 cells seems to be the norm). This will sound like criticism and it's not intended that way but looking at your video shortly after liftoff the F-16 is pulled into a very high angle of attack and nearly stalls. In my opinion the E-Flite F-16 is not powered for vertical or nearly vertical flight right after liftoff. Consider being a little more gentle on the elevator until you build up more airspeed. I hand launch my F-16 and it drops slightly in altitude until I get enough airspeed. I'm pretty conservative on the elevator until airspeed has built up. I hope you achieve satisfaction with your F-16 soon. I'm happy with mine on the stock motor for now (maybe I lucked out and got the one good motor).
Posted on: 12/15/2008 9:28 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8249679

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
The threads not dead. I check it daily. People have just run out of things to complain about. Those with motor issues replaced them. Those disappointed with Horizons response to the problems moved on. Those with other planes to work on are working on them (me).
Posted on: 12/13/2008 1:21 AM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8240565

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Weathers been too crappy to fly so I've spent some time finishing up videos. I sent the first one to YouTube today and I'm hooked. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Now I can't wait for the weather to break so I can get some F-16 videos. Maiden flight of my E-Flite SuperAirliner [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1aEojji_TE]SuperAirliner Maiden[/link] My SuperAirliner at the Evergreen Air and Space museum. A great place to visit. Free use of the asphalt runway and R/C field with museum admission or a small charge if you just want to fly without entry to the museum. AMA membership required to fly. [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJKERjwbx7k]SuperAirliner[/link] F-16 Video coming soon
Posted on: 12/3/2008 12:46 AM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8207500

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Rick_H. Please disregard my previous query. I found the secret. I was using mix 1 and I found on the link below that only mix 5 and mix 6 send the trim settings to both servo channels. [link]http://www.rcaerobats.net/Spektrum/dx_7_main_page.htm[/link]
Posted on: 11/30/2008 5:58 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8198857

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rick_H DNCrosby If you read my posts you will see that I also used the 35A Castle Creations Speed Controller and it lasted until the third flight. Good Luck with yours. Now as for the DX7 configuration. Wing Type: Flaperon ON V-Tail OFF D/R Switch Sel: COM ELEV Travel Adjust: GEAR +0% -0% Reversing SW: ELEV = Norm Gear = REV PROG.MIX6 (note use any mix, I choose 6) ELEV->GEAR ON RATE: +100% +100% SW:ON OFFSET: 0 These settings will allow the Elevator trim to adjust both Elevators at the same time. Rick [/quote] Hi Rick_H, I setup my DX7 as listed above but the elevator trim doesn't trim both elevators. The right side elevator is the only one that moves. Could there be anything missing from the list? Is Mix6 the only mix you have? Is this dependant on a certain switch being toggled? Thank you.
Posted on: 11/30/2008 5:47 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8198818

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
The link on Daves message for the F-16 product bulletin does not work but if you go to the F-16 page on the Horizon web site there is a link to the bulletin (! Important Product Bulletin on the top right of the page). I missed the note in the manual when I assembled my F-16, even though it is clearly there. Fortunately, I read about the requirement for 2-pole setting in this forum before I flew my F-16 for the first time (I then went back to the manual and saw I had missed the step). I am using the 5 degree timing on the E-Flite 30 amp ESC. I only have one flight in because I was waiting to see what the problem resolution was going to be. I guess I'll go crazy with it now and see what happens.
Posted on: 11/25/2008 10:00 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8183781

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Do you allow visitors?
Posted on: 11/24/2008 9:52 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8180188

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Here's what's in front of us.
Posted on: 11/24/2008 9:51 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8180182

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Are you at an AMA club field or just a private area?
Posted on: 11/24/2008 9:46 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8180170

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
That looks like a scenic place you're flying. I feel a jet rally coming on.
Posted on: 11/24/2008 9:37 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8180139

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Oh. And with the stock motor my battery got so hot the velcro glue melted so when I took the battery out of the tray the velcro that had been attached to the battery stayed behind. Do your batteries get hot with the new motor?
Posted on: 11/24/2008 9:35 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8180129

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Thank you. The photo didn't show up though.
Posted on: 11/24/2008 9:33 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8180119

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Sam77 - Please post some details of how you did the mod. The exact motor model. What you had to change. Are you still running 3 cell lipo, etc? What size lipo are you using? What ESC are you using? What settings for the ESC? 2-pole, 4-pole, etc. How long are your flights? Did you use the same fan? Does the motor bolt to the fan? I've heard some talk of cutting the plug down. What does that mean (length or diameter)? Any pictures you may have showing the mod process. I would really appreciate it. I'm a long time flyer and not a builder so I need help. That's why I love the ARF's! I looked at the hyperion 5000kv motor and they have a long and short version. I assume you used the long? Where did you buy your motor? Did you have any challenges removing the old motor? Did the flight characteristics change? More speed? Any changes to the control throws required? Thank you in advance.
Posted on: 11/24/2008 9:18 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8180051

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Believe me Rick_H I feel your pain. I really liked my E-Flite SuperAirliner but it's not a grass field plane so I was limited in where I could fly it. After I got my F-16 which I can hand launch at my club I've become an EDF fanatic and I can't get enough of them. I immediately ordered the new E-Flite BAe Hawk and for a while anyway EDF's are probably all I'm going to buy. I'm hoping the F-16 motor issue is resolved soon but I'm not going to hold my breath. It is the holiday season and with the normal delays in getting something out of China plus the time it's going to take to even decide what is going to be done I don't expect any resolution before year end. If it's sooner than that I'll be very happy. I realize that Horizon has to make business decisions too and come up with a solution that makes sense to us (hopefully) and to them. I'm hoping the resolution comes sooner rather than later. In the meantime I've seen some videos today on YouTube that are pretty neat. You'll probably like them too. Both of them show what the F-16 can do. One is of comparison flying with the Hobby-Lobby F-16 and the other just has some good examples of low level flight (inverted, etc). Both are very good videos. Comparison with HL F-16 (note the guy is waiting on an ESC from HL because they are having EDF issues too). There is a Hobby-Lobby A-7 Corsair thread that sounds just like this F-16 thread with lots of excited modelers at the beginning of the thread and then reality as they get the plane and experience the issues. The Corsair thread is about 40 pages with 20 pages of complaints. [link]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhYg5R-uLpY[/link] Nice low level flight and cool music. [link]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q46dj7EhmR4&feature=related[/link] Hopefully I'll have my own video this week but it will be boring compared to these.
Posted on: 11/23/2008 3:09 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8175635

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
We haven't heard anything since Dave Eichstedt said Horizon is working on the issue and they have a lot of testing to do. That was on Nov 14th.
Posted on: 11/22/2008 10:57 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8173895

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Tower Hobbies - been waiting three weeks for a new Seawind fuselage since the one I received was damaged. I've been told that I have to wait until the next shipment of fuselages come in before I can get a replacement and they can't take a fuselage out of a kit to send it to me because then they can't sell the kit. So by default any new customer that may potentially want to buy a Seawind is more important than a customer that has already bought one. They had the gall to send me an EMAIL customer survey to ask what I thought of their support BEFORE the issue was taken care of. I'm still waiting after numerous phone calls. I'm not impressed with their support. I sure won't be taking advantage of the $20 coupons they keep sending me via Email in the near future. Hobby Lobby - ordered a TB-20 and waited 3 months for it to come in because the Chinese manufacturer had decided to reengineer the kit to fit it in a smaller box. The instructions no longer matched the kit when I got it. There were so many missing parts that they couldn't possibly have done a pre-manufacture "dry run" by checking the parts they were going to put in the kit and trying to assemble it. The ailerons wouldn't move because the wing end caps had been placed over them. It took an additional 6 weeks to get all of the parts to finish the plane. Hobby Lobby stood by the plane and got me all of the parts even though it took a while. Wanted to order their A-7 Corsair this week, credit card in hand and started reading the threads and found they have as bad or worse of an issue than the F-16 with the motors burning up and ESC failures. Lots of complaints about the junk servos in the ARF's, etc. I didn't order the A-7 by the way. Horizon - T-28 a blast and no issues. Still waiting on F-16 motor resolution. On my Parkzone Corsair the landing gear mount in the wing split down the middle on the first landing. I'm sure that isn't covered on warranty but I didn't ask I just ordered a replacement mount (backorder). I've been hand launching and flying it with the provided wing skids and actually like it better as the ground handling with the gear was kind of wild. T-34 had some issues and I had to wait for resolution but it got taken care of. SuperAirliner a super blast and no issues. Stryker F27-C a super blast but after 4 flights found the motor shaft was bent (props were breaking mid air every flight due to the wobble). Don't know how the shaft got bent since it's never been crashed, just belly landed. Ordered a new motor from Horizon and the new motor has different mounting hole locations than the old motor so the motor mount needs reamed out (broke the mount trying to do it so ordered a new mount). In short - ALL of the hobby suppliers have issues, especially with new models. At least Horizon says they are working on the F-16 issue and they participate in these forums (as does Jason from Hobby Lobby). I have to appreciate the companies that do participate and listen to our comments and complaints. Sure we get frustrated and whine but in the long run I have to believe it will work out for the best in the F-16 case too. If the forums are used simply to complain and threaten then eventually the manufacturers will quit participating (I would). I hope that doesn't happen. Dave Eichstedt says he's working on the issue and I believe he is. I'm pretty sure he's got a lot of other things to worry about and work on too. Horizon does have a lot of products. I'll be patient until the F-16 issue is resolved (not that I won't be steaming while I'm waiting too). It's in Horizon Hobbys best interests to get the motor issue fixed, especially now that the F-16 is getting some press like in this months "Fly RC" magazine with pictures of it at the NEAT Fair and in the product announcement section of the issue. Here's hoping the resolution comes sooner rather than later! For now I'm not going to fly mine again until the issue is resolved. I don't want risk crashing it due to a motor failure and then find out the only thing that will be replaced is the motor. But then that brings up a question for Dave. When the issue is resolved will motors be replaced if we ask or do we have to run the motor to failure before it will be replaced?
Posted on: 11/22/2008 7:58 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8173393

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
[QUOTE=brati4]Did a google search and came up with these numbers from a post here on RCG: Motor: Art-Tech B2025-15L Inner Runner 3600Rpm/V (KV) Outpower: 140 Idle Current (A): 1.2 MAX Amp (A) : 15 Dimension 47mm - 81mm Weight (0a) 2.89 [url]http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7967841&postcount=75[/url][/QUOTE] OK. Am I seeing a problem here? The motor installed in the F-16 is rated at a max of 15 Amps per the specs listed above. My E-Flite power meter showed 22 amps and I've seen others at 26+. Could this be why motors aren't lasting very long?
Posted on: 11/21/2008 5:34 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8170059

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
I'll be interested to hear how it works out. Are you going to use the stock fan or something else? If you can please post all parts you had to use that aren't stock (fan, number of blades, fan adapter used, how the fan is mounted to the motor, etc). It looks like that motor has short leads so you may be adding wire. I can't tell for sure from the picture. I'm sure I'll be looking for a different power setup in the future. Hood River isn't that far away. We may need a jet flyin some day. Have you been to the McMinneville Air and Space Museum? They have an asphalt R/C runway there. It's a fun place to get your fill of full size and R/C aviation.
Posted on: 11/18/2008 12:01 AM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8158109

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
It looks like the new E-Flite BAe Hawk would be something you would be interested in. I have one on order.
Posted on: 11/17/2008 11:17 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8158006

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
I agree. I feel lucky. As I mentioned I expected the motor to fail at any instant. I still look forward to flying it, whether now or after the motor issue is resolved.
Posted on: 11/17/2008 12:05 PM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8155820

RE: ***** New E Flite F16 400 DF (Thunderbird Scheme) *****
Well I got the maiden in today and now I'm really sad. Not because the maiden was bad, it was great. I'm sad because this is a great little plane that few will experience because of the bad reputation it may now have with the motor problems. Hopefully that issue gets taken care of soon because for me this is a FUN airplane! I'm sure it's too slow for someone with a lot of EDF experience but I'm still in the EDF newbie group. I don't need a 100+ mph plane that you need to turn every 4 seconds just to keep somewhere close to the field. I have about 10 flights on my E-Flite SuperAirliner which is my first EDF. I also have an Alfa A-4 Skyhawk but it's been in the box for 8 months because of the time involved to assemble it. Hopefully I'll get to the A-4 over the Christmas break but by then I'll be working on my E-Flite BAe Hawk too. I really liked my F-16 flight today. It was everything I was hoping for in a beginner EDF. Very smooth flying and looks really cool. Unfortunately, I don't have the promised video because like a dummy I rewound the tape last night and left the camera on. Dead video camera battery when I arrived at the field today! Next time. Flight setup: Temperature: 64 Wind: Calm Skys: Partly cloudy Stock motor Parkzone 1800mah 15C battery (from my Trojan) The battery listed in the manual - Thunder Power 2100 (THP21003SPL) is 15C so I thought I was OK S60 servos (as recommended) AR6200 Receiver and DX7 Transmitter E-Flite 30Amp Pro Esc set to 2 pole timing (Timing degrees options for 2-pole are 5 or 10. I went with 5.) Gear Installed Grass field (hand launch and landed on the wheels) Elevator 90% on dual rates Ailerons 50% on dual rates Balanced at the tail of the recommended range (because of so many reports of nose heavy flights) My E-Flite power meter showed 22 amps at full throttle on the bench prior to the first flight. I had a mostly white sky background with patches of blue sky. What I learned: I was setup with the gear expecting to maiden at a local parking lot but ended up maidening today at my AMA field (grass). My battery got much hotter than it has in any of my other models. I might cut a cooling hole. If it had been warmer out I might have had serious battery overheating issues. On hand launch the F-16 lost about 3' altitude after release before it had enough speed to climb. Initial release was probably about 7 1/2' altitude. Ailerons were plenty responsive for a first flight with no feeling of twitchiness (I had 30% expo). At 90% throw I had plenty of elevator (also 30% expo). Landing on grass was fine and it rolled out better than I expected (about 10'). I didn't have any trouble keeping the nose up on level turns. I didn't experience a severe nose drop on turns as some have reported. I didn't have to put in up elevator trim for level flight as some have reported. It took about 4 clicks of right aileron for smooth level flight. I didn't try a loop this time as I was expecting the motor to stop at any time so I was cautious. The motor didn't stop until I inadvertantly ran the battery down to LVC and it started stuttering. I could not detect any overheating of the motor upon post flight inspection (sniffing the tail like a puppy as someone previously mentioned). My Cellpro 4S charger showed 8% battery power left after the flight (normal LVC for my batteries). I did not have any problem seeing the F-16 in the air or with orientation. The large blue decal on the bottom showed up fine. The F-16 looked cool cruising around our field. I had plenty of power to climb as I wanted. Note: I am not vertical crazy at this point in my EDF experience. The dead stick landing glide was smooth and completely controllable. It flaired real nice prior to touchdown. I didn't have a clock on it but it had to be 8-10 minutes of flight. I only ran full throttle for brief periods. Most of the flight was 60-75% throttle cruising around the field. Figure 8's, etc. Full throttle passes down the runway were fun. I was nervous about the engine being a problem so I kept close to the runway. I did some minor aerobatics (Split-S and Stall Turns) with no issues. Our field is rough but landing on the wheels was no issue. Issues: The collar on the nose landing gear was pushed into the foam at the top of the ducting about 1/8". Now when the wheel turns the foam is going to get reamed out a little bit from the locking screw. I hope there is some plastic in there to keep it from digging in further. The connection at the servo arm allows about 1/4" of up/down travel so it can't dig in too much further. Next time: I'll use a 20C battery to see if that helps with the heat issue. I also have a 25C from my Blade 400 I can try. Hopefully I won't be as nervous about the motor siezing up. I'll probably fly it from the parking lot so I can get video of an ROG takeoff. I really like this F-16 now that I've flown it. I'm sure someday it will seem too slow to me too. I hope the bad rep from the motor can be fixed (keep testing and find a fix Dave). There were some things I didn't like about it out of the box but after flying it they seem like minor issues now. We'll see how long my motor lasts. I expect to have a lot of fun with it in the future.
Posted on: 11/17/2008 2:27 AM by Author "WildBlueYawnder" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8155077