Hi everybody.

I just got to the field my new hobbico nexstar and even that they say in the instruction manual that every thing is pre-set, I fel it tail-heavy in the first flight, I landed it and moved forward the battery and receptor, checked CG, looked good, so I tried again, but it remained with a tendency to climb, I had to move the elevator trim all the way up.

the plane flies very gentle, and had a flawless aproach and landing. so I wonder if this tendency to clim is due to the fixed flaps, waht can you tell me about it?

thanks!!

Pirata, Welcome to "RC Groups"!

welcome to rcgroups Pirata.

My guess is that the engine need some down thrust. Put a washer or two behind the upper engine mount bolts to give it some more downthrust. Hopefully that fixes the problem.

Ulf

Pirata,
Have you flown the Real Flight Simulator that came with the NexSTAR? I had to send my wings back to Hobby Services because they didn't line up correctly, and I didn't want to mess with them (not having the slightest idea what I might have been doing). I'm waiting for them to come back, so I haven't flown yet. However, i was talking to an instructor at our flying field the other day, and he said that he has another student with a NexSTAR, and he flat told him to remove the flaps completely. In doing so, he said, the airplane flys much better, and more realistically.

IF, and that's a big IF, the simulator is anything like the airplane, I don't like the descent angle with the flaps installed. You have to power the airplane onto the ground, and that's a bad idea if you lose the engine.

I have no plans on installing the flaps when I get the wings back, and will learn to fly it without them. I'm spending a good amount of time with the simulator, and have already sent a suggestion that the software be updated so that the flaps can be 'removed' in the simulator, for later on when people are comfortable with the airplane.

If you follow Ulf's suggestion, which isn't a bad suggestion, you will need to remove the washers at the same time you remove the flaps. Personally, however, while altering the thrust line of the airplane may prevent it from climbing so fast, it'll alter other flying characteristics of the airplane.

In the simulator, if I fly at a little over half throttle, I can keep the airplane fairly level without too much trim, and it's fast enough. You might keep the throttle down to about half way to help you. But, in the end, remove the flaps. Have your instructor fly it with and without, and see what he/she thinks.

Gary

Gary, I came to the same conclusion that if I change the engine thrust I will need to change it back when remove the fixed flaps, but you know what, I liked the way it makes the plane to land so slow, and for a beginner I think is easier to learn how to deal with the braking and elevation tendency than with a higher speed landings.

any how all this attachemnts they put on the nexstar are oriented to make learning easier but doesn't mean that with out them you wont learn, I learned to fly with a Hobbico Superstar, and to me that plane is to heavy for the OS 40LA engine mounted, so the nexstar is a good step ahead.

I bought this plane for my 11 year old son, I have been flying for about two years but never assembled a plane on my own, so I never took care of construction setings, but it really seems that this guys made a good job, (sadly with exceptions like your plane).

I flew one last night and was not impressed.
I doesn't fly like a "real" trainer. It flys like a simulator airplane.
You don't need to change the thrust line...That's like cutting your hand off to remove a tight wristwatch.
The wing is a High lift design. It's going to climb under power. This one climbs a lot under power. I too had the same experience with having to put excessive down trim to get it to fly hands off. Then I didn't have enough elevator to get it to flare upon landing.
I'd like to fly one without those drag flaps and those stupid washout cuffs on the leading edge. I'll bet it'll fly better.
That Gyro thing is pretty useless too. The supplied radio is cheap.
This airplane is too gimmick oriented for my taste. Money would be better spent on a Real time proven trainer plane and better Radio. This plane is kind of a a ripoff.
My advice to Gary is that if you haven't flown yours yet, Send the whole thing back to Tower and trade it for a SIG LT 40 Arf, an O.S. .46 and a Futaba 6 channel radio.
You'll be Thanking me 1000 times. ( if they don't have a LT 40, A Goldberg eagle 2 is a good substitute)

H&H,
Hi. Didn't buy mine at Tower, I bought it locally for less money, and no shipping costs.

While I agree to some extent that it's 'gimicky', I have it, and I intend to keep it and learn to fly it.

As to the AFS (otherwise known as Pilot Assist) if I use it at all, it'll be turned up no more than 10% or so (about where I have it set now). I'll have the instructor fly it with and without, and see what they think, then I'll make my decision from there.

I'd also like to point out, although it may not really mean anything, that most '40 trainers' come with a .40 engine, whereas the NexStar comes with a .46 engine. Also the propping is an 11x5 rather then the normal 11x6 for this class of airplane, making the engine spin faster. That also *should* give you a better rate of climb.

My theory, which I will test out (eventually), is that without the speed flaps, an 11x6 prop, and the AFS turned down to 10%, this actually will be a rather sweet flying ship.

Gary

"My theory, which I will test out (eventually), is that without the speed flaps, an 11x6 prop, and the AFS turned down to 10%, this actually will be a rather sweet flying ship"



You may be right there.
I flew it both with and without the pilot assist and it flew better without.
BTW, It's good that you support your local hobby shop.

Hey,
I just noticed, H&H, that you're from my old stomping grounds! East Lyme High School, class of 1976. How are things in Connecticut these days?

I used to fly out of Groton/Trumball, and Waterford airport (sadly, demolished and bulldozed long ago to make room for a shopping center, I am told.)

Gary

I dont teach folks to fly but I do spend alot of time with the instructors at our field who do and they have the students turn the auto pilot off or take it out. They explain that the auto pilot is ok to some extent but if the student relies on the auto pilot to get them out of trouble its going to give them a crutch, that most likely will not be on the second plane the student flies after soloing. I learned on the Alpha and there where a cpl of times I had to fly it out of trouble after I had solo'd, if the auto pilot had been on it I dont think I could have done it. Try it your self with and with out the auto pilot turned on, and see how the planes flies, I'll bet it will have a more realistic flight with out it turned on. Just my 2 cents.
Jarrod

Originally Posted by GaryMC1

Hey,
I just noticed, H&H, that you're from my old stomping grounds! East Lyme High School, class of 1976. How are things in Connecticut these days?

I used to fly out of Groton/Trumball, and Waterford airport (sadly, demolished and bulldozed long ago to make room for a shopping center, I am told.)

Gary

Remember those Stearman biplanes that were always flying at Waterford?
Well, my dad was one of 'em. The other one was Ed Pease
I grew up at Waterford Airport from like 1976-1980

The site was never developed. It's still just a big overgrown lot.
My Dad also used to fly R/C at the model airshows they held at the airport.

Pirata,

I purchased, and have been flying a nexstar since April of this year. It was my first plane, and I learned to fly it without the aid of an instructor. The one and only crash I had was my fault (let the receiver battery get to low). I just sold the plane yesterday, and will shortly be flying my new Hanger 9 Cherokee.

So, with that background, here are my thoughts....

Even though the instructions say everything is setup, I went through all the control surfaces, and ended up adjusting things quite a bit to get the setup I wanted. I found that the ailerons needed quite a bit of adjustment... The way they were setup from the factory caused them to act a bit like flaps in there neutral position. I also put the clevis in the third hole from the end instead of the second hole on the elevator control horn. This gave me a bit more throw on the elevator, which I liked better.

I would advise against adding the washers per Ulf Rieder's suggestion. I think your problem is just a matter of adjusting trim.

As for flight habits with the speed brake/flaps installed... They will cause the NexStar to have a slight tendency to climb, but the slower flight speed and forgiving landing behavior make them worth while. Once I took them off, I didn't miss them, but was glad I started with them (mainly for the speed reduction).

I flew with the AFS for a while, but eventually turned it off. I was flying mainly in the evening, and I was constantly fighting it. The AFS uses the light contrast between the ground and the sky to tell which way is up. Since the west horizon is the brightest part of the sky in the evening, the plane would want to nose down (dramatically) when flying toward the sun, and would nose up when flying away. Flying to the north or south, it would simply want to roll toward the west. To counter this you either stay busy with the controls, or turn the thing off. They also warn about flying over snow covered ground with this system. I would say it was helpful, but quickly outgrown.

After trying a variety of different props, I settled on a Master Airscrew 11x5 glass filled. This gave me lots of speed, but yet plenty of power to do some nice vertical climbs. One thing I changed right away was the wheels. The foam wheels sucked... I put on Du-Bro low bounce wheels, and was much happier with its touchdown behavior (this was when I was learning, and flying off of pavement). Probably the biggest surprise was how much the simulator and the real thing felt the same.

Overall I was extremely satisfied with my Nexstar, and would recommend it to anyone looking for the easiest and most trouble free method to get into the air.

Nave

Originally Posted by H&H

Remember those Stearman biplanes that were always flying at Waterford?
Well, my dad was one of 'em. The other one was Ed Pease
I grew up at Waterford Airport from like 1976-1980

H&H,
Ed gave me my first ride in a Stearman! Levitated off the runway like an elevator going up! God, that was fun!

My Dad was a member of the Groton Navy Flying Club, and I left in 1976 to go to the Air Force.

'The Waterford Barn Effect!' Remember *that* one?

As to the site, thank you for the information. I haven't been back to Connecticut since I left in early 1981 or so, and I had been told it had been turned into a shopping center.

Gary

H&H,
I guess someone doesn't really want me to fly R/C after all.

Right after I made this last post to you, I had the transmitter sitting next to my computer. Well, the cable that attaches to the computer got wrapped around the arm of the chair, and I didn't notice. It was sitting on the table here, and I turned the chair, and it pulled the transmitter off the table, and I ended up breaking the left gimbel stick. In the end, I broke the stud off just above where it's attached to the gimbel, and there were a couple of turns of thread left.

Today, I went to the hobby store, and after I figured out it couldn't be 'fixed' (and I asked Hobby Services about it, it would cost me another $50 to get it shipped and fixed, plus shipping back), I decided to do what I needed to make it work again. I bought a length of 3/16 aluminum rod, and a 3mm drill and tap. I cut off a piece of the rod, drilled and tapped it, screwed it on top of the remainder of the stud, and then screwed the rest into that. It works!

I AM going to make this work! I also took Neve's advice and swapped out the foam wheels for some DuBro low bounce wheels.

Maybe, hopefully, by the weekend.

Gary