we were talking about STOCK models, as they come out of the box. i'm sure any dog of a plane can be hand launched if you throw a $300 fan,e.s.c. and battery in it....

That is a 2850kv motor in a MiniFan, so that would be capable of about 2.2Kg Thrust on the bench. In-plane it would lose a fair amount, but even then I would hope to see 1.5Kg at least.
That is over 1:1 thrust ratio for the Meteor.
You could almost just let it take off vertically!! LOL.
Of course, the more power, the easier the hand-launch, as it gains flight speed faster, so you don't need to 'throw' it as hard, which means lees 'throwing error', and you can launch at a steeper angle to gain ground clearance faster/sooner.

A 4S Meteor would be the opposit eof that one! LOL. Much harder to hand-launch.
A 5S stock motor/fan combo one would be quite ok - a lot more power and heading to 1.1Kg or 1.2Kg thrust. Thus heading towards 1:1 ratio.

My HK Vampire, which has the same combo as my Meteor, just flies out of my hand horizontally! I am just 'moving my hand forwards', not 'throwing' and hardly evena 'push' really. It is fractionally lighter than the Meteor BUT it has more aerodynamic lift - so the Meteor would NOT quite be in that same area of ease to just 'fly away'.

I would launch a stock combo 5S Meteor just like that guy did, but at far less angle. More like 20deg area. And it would need some 'push' to that too!
And I would be scared doing it the first time!!! hehe

Thanks for all the Great tips everyone...the meteor is a very nice EDF...I will see if i can handle a small J power f9f panther 50 mm first..i should have it this week...

Originally Posted by PeterVRC

That is a 2850kv motor in a MiniFan, so that would be capable of about 2.2Kg Thrust on the bench. In-plane it would lose a fair amount, but even then I would hope to see 1.5Kg at least.
That is over 1:1 thrust ratio for the Meteor.
You could almost just let it take off vertically!! LOL.
Of course, the more power, the easier the hand-launch, as it gains flight speed faster, so you don't need to 'throw' it as hard, which means lees 'throwing error', and you can launch at a steeper angle to gain ground clearance faster/sooner.

A 4S Meteor would be the opposit eof that one! LOL. Much harder to hand-launch.
A 5S stock motor/fan combo one would be quite ok - a lot more power and heading to 1.1Kg or 1.2Kg thrust. Thus heading towards 1:1 ratio.

My HK Vampire, which has the same combo as my Meteor, just flies out of my hand horizontally! I am just 'moving my hand forwards', not 'throwing' and hardly evena 'push' really. It is fractionally lighter than the Meteor BUT it has more aerodynamic lift - so the Meteor would NOT quite be in that same area of ease to just 'fly away'.

I would launch a stock combo 5S Meteor just like that guy did, but at far less angle. More like 20deg area. And it would need some 'push' to that too!
And I would be scared doing it the first time!!! hehe

I did watch RC Powers guy launch a stock meteor underhand toss at a 20-30 degree angle...It seemed very easy for him...but pratice makes perfect...Also u used full throttle...He also made another video saying just give plane aenough throttle to barely fly then once its released give it throttle..Which would never work with most EDFs from what i have seen...So he kind of changed his method i guess...Anyway this meteor will be on my wish list,but i will wait a few months untill i get more experience with my other planes....so this does'nt happen hopefully..

Here's that Rc super powers guy "UNDER HAND LAUNCH VIDEO" DEMO FOR HAND LAUNCH IS 1:00 INTO VIDEO.....seems very easy for him..jet just goes nice an steady...

FAST 70mm EDF! (3 min 41 sec)

[QUOTE=iflyrc1012;22436820]we were talking about STOCK models, as they come out of the box. i'm sure any dog of a plane can be hand launched if you throw a $300 fan,e.s.c. and battery in it....[/QU

Checkout the video i just posted... His Meteor is all stock EDF with 4s pack under hand toss... It is shown at 1:00 mark ...I am sure his experience with rc edf's helps him make it look very easy

Originally Posted by PeterVRC

No, because his answer doesn't explain WHY. And why that could matter in another setup a person uses. So people then go and do anything just because someone said something would work, in that case (this case), and they believe it applies to all cases.
It is far better to know WHY things truly work and are ok or not. And if you learn it all, then you don't even need to ask. Plus will also then know how to optimise setups and/or make choices of upgrades.

All too often people say "It is fine to do this", and they don't even truly know but it worked in theirs. They just think they 'know' based on that one case, limited data. Which is fine IF they state that... rather than just say 'it works' and no qualification to that.

Being an RC Plane newbee myself i appreciate your explainations....I ask a ton of questions and do a lot of research...I also crash a lot...but i continue to get better and learn more which makes me enjoy this hobby which frankly seems to be very addicting...But i don't just take one persons word for anything.. if i have dout i do more reseach untill i feel i have the best solution...Thanks Pete for your over winded explanations..i for one appreciate them...You seem to really know your stuff and love this hobby...i hope i continue to enjoy this hobby and improve for years to come...

Yes, that Meteor hand-launch did look easy on even 4S !!
I just went and flew my Vampire at lunch-time.. hand-launch (70mm CS10 5S). It dropped the left wing as it left, and planes don't have anywhere near as much lift if at an angle(!!) so it dropped height fast.... so from a shoulder height launch, down to 30cm from the ground and I JUST got it level fast enough to reduce the drop rate and get it gain some more flight speed!!
A definite co-ordination and 'calm under fire' test!!

A tiny bit scarey.... it is the first time that happened to the Vampire. Which means it becomes assigned as a 'less than 100% assured easy launcher' now. LOL.
There was a little bit of wind and I think I probably did not launch it exactly dead-on into the wind.... but a bit off leftwards.
It more means:
1) Make more effort to get the wind head-on!
2) Give it a bit more 'push' so it has that little bit more instant flight speed.

Originally Posted by PeterVRC

Yes, that Meteor hand-launch did look easy on even 4S !!
I just went and flew my Vampire at lunch-time.. hand-launch (70mm CS10 5S). It dropped the left wing as it left, and planes don't have anywhere near as much lift if at an angle(!!) so it dropped height fast.... so from a shoulder height launch, down to 30cm from the ground and I JUST got it level fast enough to reduce the drop rate and get it gain some more flight speed!!
A definite co-ordination and 'calm under fire' test!!

A tiny bit scarey.... it is the first time that happened to the Vampire. Which means it becomes assigned as a 'less than 100% assured easy launcher' now. LOL.
There was a little bit of wind and I think I probably did not launch it exactly dead-on into the wind.... but a bit off leftwards.
It more means:
1) Make more effort to get the wind head-on!
2) Give it a bit more 'push' so it has that little bit more instant flight speed.

Pete, Glad u saved it..I hate it when a new model hits the dirt during launch..lol
It has been around three week since i place order for vampire from HK..still waiting..i also have a 640 mm skyangel f9f coming i ordered from usa warehouse..which should be here by now...but i will fly the $65 f9f before the vampire... Know big deal for me i enjoy building these planes and looking at them nice...When i feel i'm ready i will maiden each and everyone of them..I may even use the stock wheels and take my vampire the old fashion way on a runway...My newphew spoted a bunch of guys flying around 15 mins from where i live again... this saterday i will get my butt out there early and hopefully make some friends that can help me maiden a plane or two...This hobby is okay on my own ,but it would be nice to fly with other people and learn as well....Can u tell me if meteor is harder to maiden then a vampire..? either hand lauching or using wheels...i know meters top speed is almost double the vampires,but maybe i could fly meteor slow untill i got used to it...The hobbyking has a plane almost identical to meteor its the 70mm green/white sport jet...PNP is $89...I was considering that one..it has excellent reviews and same flying characteristics as meteor...The meteor might have a slightly better power system,but not by much...could always drop a bigger esc in it if need be..i have plenty of them...thanks

The Meteor off wheels is simple enough. A very well behaved, docile, "linear" flying plane. No surprises from it. The way it is put together you pretty well can't have a plane that is 'askew' (mis-aligned) for a 'veering off maiden' anyway. Thus success is highly likely!

I most often fly it off a cricket pitch (thus 22metres max) and I don't rush to WOT.... I build up, and probably only get to WOT in the last 5 metres, and it just flies off on its own - no up elevator really, or very little. That to get a realistic jet type take-off - not a 'sudden leap'.
Even in original 4S setup it was totally fine to be airborne by the end of the 22m pitch.

every time i've handed launched mine, it always went wrong.. broke an elevator and cracked a aileron hinge.. but i havent tried a 5s yet, i should get her airborne way easy like that. Not sure if i should obove hand launch or go below yet, though some of this stuff yall are talking about is true im just so nervous about it. and i need to answer to this question about a motor im wanting to put in my meteor? Has anyone put a HET 1w-40 in there fan unit or any fan? would like to be using 5 or 6 cell batterys now and want to know more info about that motor

pete, whats a cricket pitch?

OMG!! LOL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_pitch

They didn't include "Often used as a semi-scale runway for model aircraft" - somewhat like as if it was an aircraft carrier, or a bit smaller, relative to the model plane. So try LANDING on that!!!"

That prior video and holding it from above, but launching upwards some angle, would be the best way to do it.
I find that over-hand (higher up) is worse because you just don't get the nicest view of it - it seems more useful to see the plane from above-rear as it flies off, for co-ordination purposes. Even though the initial height is lower.
Plus it is harder to inject 'push' or 'throw' energy up higher.

eg The Vampire has to be done with it held underneath (over-hand), and the extra height that you would think is a benefit, is actually lost in the way that you can't inject much motion into it in that manner.

You can throw a ball (eg tennis etc) overhand better, but as objects get heavier, and larger, then there is a crossover point where underhand is the better result.
Plus that co-ordination aspect.

Pete,Thanks fo the info..i just recieved my first EDF from HK..Its skyangel F9F 50mm...620 mm wing span.. built and bench tested it last night...seems to have slight vibration ,but not sure since this is my first EDFand have nothing to compare it to... the fan housing was glued so i did not remove it..This little bugger screams..has lots of thrust takes small 1000 mah 3s...I should be getting vampire any day now...