Hey Sporn , how do those motors sound? Are they a bit louder then stock?

Originally Posted by rcflyinff

Finally powered her up yesterday and had a heck of a vibration Took the spinners off and that seemed to fix the problem. Will plan on maidening without them for now if the weather cooperates. I've read about the spinners needing to be balanced, but I have no idea how to check or balance them. Any help would be appreciated.

it doesnt take much of an imbalance to cause some very bad vibration. i broke a prop on mine due to the spinners being un-balanced, it was shaking so bad. if i were you, either balance the spinnners, or take them off. it also caused me to crash my plane!

Originally Posted by sporn

I had to drill new holes in the firewall and shave just a little bit of foam from the engine covers. Otherwise they fit perfectly.

I also load my 2 batteries through the cockpit window and slide them underneath my pilots. I use regular scotch tape as a hinge . Easier than loading from below.

Other mods include additional wing spar, 4 navigation lights, flap speed reducer, bigger wheels

My all up weight is probably about 1700 g vs. 1200g stock.

the GC should have no problems carrying the extra weight, but you;ve also changed your center of gravity. make sure your plane is not going to be tail-heavy!! you've moved quiet a bit of weight back.

Originally Posted by sporn

...snip...
I also load my 2 batteries through the cockpit window and slide them underneath my pilots. I use regular scotch tape as a hinge . Easier than loading from below.
...snip...

What a great idea! I was wrestling that d@#$* door underneath, fitting a 2450mah batt in there (lying back into the fuse to keep the CG). It worked, but was a chore to get each one in and out.

Your comment inspired me to make a battery cradle behind the cockpit window... and it is 10x better than what I was doing before. Thanks!

Originally Posted by gchrisgo34

it doesnt take much of an imbalance to cause some very bad vibration. i broke a prop on mine due to the spinners being un-balanced, it was shaking so bad. if i were you, either balance the spinnners, or take them off. it also caused me to crash my plane!

Sorry to hear about your GC misfortune I removed the spinners immediately after noticing the vibration on the initial run up. Motors ran smooth after that. I plan flying without the spinners until I find a good replacement. Saw a post somewhere in here about some cheap aluminum spinners, but I can't seem to find it again. Hope to maiden this coming weekend if the weather permits.

http://www.pw-rc.com/product_info.ph...oducts_id/2672 these "look" like they would work on the stock motor shafts. im not certain if they will, but they look like they'd work. the stock motor shafts make it hard to find spinners that will fit. i installed new motors, and that allowed me to choose aluminum spinners.

Originally Posted by gewiens

Hey Sporn , how do those motors sound? Are they a bit louder then stock?

They sound a bit louder and are a lot more powerful. Haven't had a chance to listen to them in flight yet since it has been quite windy in South Florida.

Originally Posted by gchrisgo34

the GC should have no problems carrying the extra weight, but you;ve also changed your center of gravity. make sure your plane is not going to be tail-heavy!! you've moved quiet a bit of weight back.

I was worried about being nose heavy with the bigger motors and ESCs.
But since I can slide the batteries slightly to the back the CG is still perfect.

Originally Posted by sporn

They sound a bit louder and are a lot more powerful. Haven't had a chance to listen to them in flight yet since it has been quite windy in South Florida.

That's what i wanted to hear. Ordered the same ones. I found the stock ones a bit quiet. I want to hear the motors.

I've read enough to be hooked and ordered my GC today. I'll need to spend time putting together a list of "must do" things before the maiden when the weather finally warms up. Anybody care to list one or two of their top upgrades? I'd like to spend the time to read all old posts but that may take a few weeks!

Originally Posted by Joker 53150

I've read enough to be hooked and ordered my GC today. I'll need to spend time putting together a list of "must do" things before the maiden when the weather finally warms up. Anybody care to list one or two of their top upgrades? I'd like to spend the time to read all old posts but that may take a few weeks!

Spars and motors and lights.. Yeah .. Of Course.. What I personally like to see is an original paint/graphic scheme.. I consider that an "upgrade" too..!!

Originally Posted by Cocg

Spars and motors and lights.. Yeah .. Of Course.. What I personally like to see is an original paint/graphic scheme.. I consider that an "upgrade" too..!!Attachment 5535268

Spars as in multiple spars, or is a single one sufficient? I've done that on a few planes, and that is certainly near the top of the list for the GC. How long of a spar is typical on this bird? Looks like it doens't need much, maybe to the wheel-wells?

I'd love to give it a nice paint scheme but know my limitations. That level of creativity still escapes me.

I epoxied a full stick of 4mm CF rod in the wire channel. Had to channel out a little further outboard on both sides to accomadate the full stick. It stiffined it up a little but not overly stiff. Think it's more of a piece of mind that the wing will stay together incase of a mishap (hopefully). Have yet to maiden due to work & weather. Hopefully this coming weekend.

Originally Posted by rcflyinff

I epoxied a full stick of 4mm CF rod in the wire channel. Had to channel out a little further outboard on both sides to accomadate the full stick. It stiffined it up a little but not overly stiff. Think it's more of a piece of mind that the wing will stay together incase of a mishap (hopefully). Have yet to maiden due to work & weather. Hopefully this coming weekend.

I ran 3mm CF rod through my wings and it's proven to be great, really seems to add to the stability of the plane. I purchased mine used a few months ago from another RCG member and had to do a few fixes before flying. Once I was done with fixing it up, I was really surprised how great it flies. It's by far my easiest flying plane in my fleet. Mine is the version 1 without retracts, and I have been tempted to install retracts and flaps, but it flies so damn well as a simple 4 channel plane I'm hesitant to upgrade it. Anyways, I'm sure you'll have a fun maiden, it's a very predictable plane and its glide path is fantastic on landings. Hope we return to some sunny weather soon in Florida!

Originally Posted by Cocg

...snip... What I personally like to see is an original paint/graphic scheme.. I consider that an "upgrade" too..!!Attachment 5535268

I have an agreement with my younger son: I'll fix 'em, if he'll make 'em look good. The only problem is, I'm old and my tastes are subdued. Fortunately, he understands this... and produced the following for my new GC.