Well today was a very nice day just like yesterday , very light to almost no wind insinght. So I decide to try for the 3rd time to maiden my 3 times fixed and on a second fuse Dandy Sport.
Well it was not Dandy at all and there was no sport to be enjoyed

Hand launched it and it immediatlely went left almost inverted, try correct it and did for a few seconds but was not enought and the image tell it all.
Well odd thing is that I have flown my E-Started from GWS 10 times now and when I hand launch the "E" it goes straight as an arrow and climbs at a good rate, funny how some people in this forum say the E-Starter is not a good aileron trainner and that the Dandy is, guess either balsa is not my friend or I was doomed with the dandy from day 1.
Anyways not all is lost, even thought this "mangled soon to in the dumpster" package cost me around $180 (I had to buy another fuse, the first one came out crooked out of this easy to build kit for those of you who remeber ) at least I have a spare motor, batteries and Radio equipment that can be used on the Formosa.

In my opinion the Dandy Sport is not a newbie plane.

Cheers, peace

P.S Thanks Mr Lin for making this hobby enjoyable for me.

That would be an easy fix!

I have a DuskStick and a regular Dandy, both fly awsome.

I find the GWS and other asian ARF's are fairly docile planes. When transitioning to a Balsa Park Flyer one needs to set the throws down low at first and perhaps have someone who has flown the same type of plane trim it out.

I thought I was Hot Stuff till I maidened my MiniFlash
That plane is Awsome, but is totally non forgiving, it goes where you point it, very fast. I was sweating bad by the time I got it on the ground. I am used to it now and really appreciate the very tight and quick performance.

imho balsa planes aren't a good choice for a newbie at all. I'm still scared to tackle balsa

e-starter is an excellent aileron trainer

Originally posted by headless
imho balsa planes aren't a good choice for a newbie at all. I'm still scared to tackle balsa

Then how would you know it's not a good choice???

Sorry to hear of your unenjoyable experience, Skawrpion, but jskrebs is correct, that's an easy fix. Definitely, without a doubt, find someone to trim it out for you. If it's not flying straight and true with no input other than mild throttle, there's something going on, and someone with a bit more experience will be able to help you figure it out. Chances are, it's an easy fix.

Good luck,
DC

DC - i've helped 2 friends build (and repair ) several balsa kits. I find it nice to be able to use 5 minute epoxy and literally be flying again after a major crash in less than 10 minutes... For a new pilot that ability is a major consideration.

How about a picture of the wing? The only way that the Dandy sport will roll uncontrollably after launch is a really warped wing or the cg so far off that when stalled it enters a wicked snap roll.. Sounds like a rigging issue.

Whatever its worth (not much if you ask my wife ) I think that the Dandy/ Dandy sport combination (i.e. polyhedral/ and dihedral wing) is an incredibly well thought out, well designed, and well implemeted basic trainer. Yes I do have one. My 7 year old is learning on it as we speak.

Scott

I feel inclined to speak up for the Dandy Sport, too. It was my first traditional balsa plane (after a Wing-E). Warps in a wing can be hard to spot. Mine looked perfect after covering but wound up needing lots of trim to stay level. Once trimmed, it behaved perfectly.

I'm building a Tantrum now. Another great kit.

Skawrpion -- I suspect your problem is with building and/or covering, rather than with your choice of kit.

Are you STILL bashing this plane? You've been jumping in almost every Dandy thread tellng your tales of woe. In your first thread you stated you were the cause of all of the problems. Now here you are blaming the kit again. You say you had to buy another fuse. In the first thread Doug tried to GIVE you a new fuse to make you happy. With all the perfect fitting, laser cut, interlocking parts I don't see how someone could build one crooked yet you managed to and you want to blame it on the kit? Dude, if you can't build a Mountain Models kit then you'll never be able to build any balsa kit. YOU and you alone are responsible for your lack of success and you need to appologize to Doug AGAIN. At the bottom of this post is a quote from your original post with your first appology. Obviously you didn't mean it.

Moderator please remove this thread it was a mistake on my part to put the subject i did, and I appologize to mountain models and Doug and his wife karen, I am sure with so many witness and happy customers they are doing the right thing for everyone.

I just lost my cool because I so much wanted to fly a balsa plane with ailerons, instead of the old boring foam.

I will not be on this forum anymore and I wish everyone lots of luck and keep on flying.

Thanks.

We just want to help.

The Dandy Rocks, you just need some assistance.

Once Mastered Balsa kicks the hell out of foam in stiffness.

TOC planes are Balsa, and Carbon Fiber.

I, too, am sorry you've had a bad experience with the Dandy/DS.
I am on my third fuse. I still have the original Dandy wing, and the Sport wing, which I've used as my aileron trainer. I have a less-than-envious talent for turning my Dandy into a lawn dart. My current fuse has three layers of balsa around the nose, to make up for the pieces I've ripped off. But it is still a great plane to fly, IMHO, and my first aileron plane. If I take two planes to fly, the Dandy Sport is always one of them. I do not blame the designer/kitter for my errors in building, or in piloting. If you are more comfortable with foam, go for it. When I started this hobby (last March), I went through three foamies (Mini Piper from H-L), crashed all three on the first flight for each. After doing more research here, I ordered a Duskstik from MM. Builit it. I could barely get it off the ground. Wrote Doug an email and asked him what I should check. I ended up sending him jpeg's of the finished plane -- wings, tailfeathers, etc. He diagnosed the problems, and told me how to fix them. I tried the plane again and had my first successful flight. Not every flight was successful.
I ended up building a second Duskstik to continue my learning process (self-taught, no club or expert to help out). Than a Dandy. Than the Sport Wing. Than a Switchback Sport. I would have given up on the hobby had it not been for Doug's willingness to help and his encouragement, which he gave freely and sincerely. I am not a kid (51 y.o.). I can tell you that his approach to the hobby in general and his customers in particluar is a rare and wonderful thing. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, as you have stated.

But, there is an old saying: "It's a poor workman who blames his tools."

I don't want to pile on I think its common enough knowledge that the Dandy Sport is a great plane!! I think the best advice you have gotten is to have an experienced flyer trim the plane for you and look over it! Neither fuselage was crooked, I told you in another thread how to make sure your tail was straight

Originally posted by turbojoe
... With all the perfect fitting, laser cut, interlocking parts I don't see how someone could build one crooked yet you managed to and you want to blame it on the kit? ...

Even with perfect fitting parts, wood being what it is possible to draw the rear of the fuselage together and not get a perfectly straight fuselage. Also it’s unreasonable to expect that by simply sliding the stabilizer into a slot that it would be perfectly aligned with the wing. Builders with even a little building experienced know this and will carefully check the alignment. This may not be the case for a first time builder that isn’t getting any direct guidance

I do have a Dandy Sport and it is one great flying airplane even with an inexpensive brushed motor. Because of the potential building problems and lightweight structure I wouldn’t recommend it for a beginner that doesn’t have someone to give direct help with the building and with the initial flights.

Originally posted by jimsp
Even with perfect fitting parts, wood being what it is possible to draw the rear of the fuselage together and not get a perfectly straight fuselage. Also it’s unreasonable to expect that by simply sliding the stabilizer into a slot that it would be perfectly aligned with the wing. Builders with even a little building experienced know this and will carefully check the alignment. This may not be the case for a first time builder that isn’t getting any direct guidance.

Look again at your Dandy instructions or plans. The fuse sides interlock into the top and bottom sheets. There is no way you're going to build that thing crooked if you follow the instructions.
Also the stabs being out of square more than enough to see with the naked eye still wouldn't cause his flight problems. I'll bet that the wing has one hell of a warp in it as sukhoi26mx pointed out. I'm just sick of seeing this guy jumping into all the Dandy threads saying this is such a bad kit. If he was asking for help it would be a different story. Instead he's just blaming his lack of building skills on a great plane. I have 2 Dandy's with all three wings, 3 SwitchBack's with both wings, a MiniFlash with both wings, a Cessna 180, a FlashBack and had a Tantrum. All of which built with no trouble I could blame on anyone but myself. I'll also be the last to call myself anything more than an average builder. If I'm asked to suggest a first plane it's always the Dandy. If they want an ARF then it's the Slow Stick. If they want something that can crash then I tell them I can't help them. I build with flying in mind. Not crashing.


Joe

Turbojoe,
I must say, I'm with you. I do think it was in somewhat bad taste to be critical of one plane while advertising another with pictures. I would say without much hesitation that from the description of the events it was a wing, trim problem. The fuselage looks pretty good to me. As a matter of fact if he will PM me, and if he will mail the fuse to me I'll give him $20.00 to help his loss.

Peace,
LcJ

How did it crash that hard, and not break the prop?