Thanks for the tip! In fact I have the same balancer. I did balance both my blades but only to the point where they were balanced horizontally. I had to do some sanding since both were out of balance. I guess I figured they were good enough, but maybe I should re-think that. Didn't balance the spinner. I liked the idea of applying tape to see how the balance changes.

I did notice, and it could be b/c I'm not familiar with how the 65AX would vibrate my plane, but the control rod for the rudder vibrates quite a bit especially when revving the engine. Also, maybe it's just the covering acting like a drum resonating the engine noise, and causing the vibrations? Or all of the above? Or how much is attributable to an unbalanced prop? Dunno.

-bill

I apologize for tooting my own horn (okay, not really ) , but today I passed my solo test (with my Hobbistar)! I took advantage of the decent weather in February, and finally knocked it out.

-bill

Way to go Bill congrats !!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Bill!

So Bill , How did the hobbistar fly , tell us all about it , !!!!

Bill , I'm interested in your hobbistar flight , how did it fly , good at half throttle ? Sounds like you did the take off and landing !!

I'm probably not the best reviewer but I'll give it a go:

I thought it flew very well. The 65AX had more than enough oomph to get the job done. Most of the time I was flying about 1/2-2/3 throttle. I like the fact that was easier to see at a distance due to it's large wingspan. It glides in nicely on approach. Just make sure you're not too high as it'll continue to glide rather than sink as quick as you'd like. I put 3.5" tires on since we fly off grass that's not always the smoothest. Also helps when it's damp, too. I did have some issues with the nose gear wire bending some (my fault ). Once it started going, it never really recovered. So, I'm in the process of replacing it with a Fults nose gear (RF400). The only about the RF400 is that my current Dubro tire won't fit (too wide) so I'm using a different 3.5" front wheel. I'm currently using a 12x6 APC prop. I did try a MA prop but I didn't care for how much it flexed. I'll use it as a spare, if need be.

Once I get more flight time, I'll be able to give more details. All in all, I'm glad I chose the Hobbistar.

-bill

I had issues with my nose wire bending often and easily. The first time was after I hit a bump in the field just taxing around, so it was not a hard landing or anything. The plane didn't bounce and the engine did not stop (no prop hit). It was so bent that I had to abort the day's flying and replace it. Replacing it was a serious pain. When I first put the plane together, the screw which sets the wire in place stripped the threads in the control horn out. I ended up adding additonal sleeves to brace it correctly.

The new wire was ordered from Tower, and it promptly bent when I performed my first landing! Lucky for me, I could fix that bend by brute force. After that, I have done everything in my power to treat the nose gear with great care...

From what I've read/heard, the Fults gear should do the trick.

I too had some nose gear issues on the initial setup. I noticed the flat part of the wire where the set screws clamp down for the steering arm and collars were not lined up with the direction of the wheel. It was slightly at an angle. Even with all the twisting, I was never able to get exactly right and thus the plane wouldn't track perfectly straight when taxiing, etc. But, I was able to deal with it. I think that and some occasional rough treatment on landing finally did it in. Even after straightening it at the field, the next soft landing caused it to fail again. Probably from the bumps in the runway at that point.

I never liked the set screws that came with the plane, so I replaced them with hex-head screws. The Phillips head screws never seemed to tighten that well and whatever material they were made of wasn't that strong.

-bill

I went with the Sullivan nose gear on my Hobbistar after I bent the stocker back into shape for the umpteenth time. I've been very pleased with the replacement. Here's an in-flight pic with the gear clearly visible.

Bill I thought you went with the sullivan nose gear , which gear is giving you trouble the stock one or the sullivan ?

The stock gear was the trouble. I decided to replace it with a Fults. It's almost done. I'll post a pic soon.

-bill

Here are a couple of pics of my new Fults nose wheel. I did have to go with a slightly narrower nose wheel (7/8") so it would fit. My Dubro's, at 1.25", would no longer cut it, so that's why I had to swap it out. It's a Dave Brown Tire from Tower Hobbies. The gear feels quite strong and was relatively easy to install. I was going to test it out on Saturday but it was too windy. Hopefully, soon though given the mild winter we've had here in Va.

Looks good, Bill. Let us know how the Fults gear works out.

I too have the Hobbistar and os65ax engine. I became very frustrated when I found that the ax does not fit. Looks like you did a good job but just wondering if it would be worth getting the LA for this airplane and use my ax on something else in the future. Is it difficult to adjust the needle valve and mixture screw the way you have it?