Quick shot of what I have. Just noticed that I am missing the plastic bolts to attach the wing to the fuselage. And, no, it does not include servos or pushrods.

Joe

The wind gods smiled and the morning was perfect for a maiden. I will tell you one thing - this pretty model sure stops traffic sitting on the ground.

I slipped in the Eagle Tree data logger to see what the in flight performance would be. If you look at the video, the additional 0.5oz in the battery compartment was enough to keep nosing over during the takeoff run. After three failed attempts, I pulled the data logger. The next take off was fine, pulld to the left because one wheel was slightly tighter on the axle (oiled now). Performance as Joe noted was not awesome and inspiring but was "scale." Very little trim required. One thing - it is freakishly quiet. The grinding noted earlier was absent.

OK - loops from level - CHECK, rolls, left - CHECK, right - CHECK. Power off stall, gentle - CHECK. I don't do inverted - too expensive.

The landing wasn't my best - I kind of dropped it. The four blade prop is more of a brake then I anticipated and speed dropped abruptly BUT it didn't stall and crash, just dropped forward. Being light also did not conserve energy. Yes, it is a park flyer, will fly in a smaller area. No it is not a Hyperion fire breather.

I was concerned about the four blade prop, and after 4 incidents with the ground, no clips or marks are on it.

Joe - thanks for the pictures of the "ARF" kit - for $77 it is a nice model. I know how to change out motors now, but the four blader just looks so nice!

Picture here - video of the day here.

Jim

Excellent! Thanks!! We appreciate you being the Guinea Pig!

Jim,

All I can say is "thanks" for not editing out the first attempts. I, absolutely, could not have done any better myself, but watching someone else nose it over multiple times was worth a hardy laugh. Thanks for sharing!

Needless to say the rest was great, and I think people will begin to believe that this really is a good deal, and beats the pants off a ParkZone P-51.

Anyways, like I said - Thanks for sharing - very cool

Joe

Joe

Thanks for the comments - Yeah, if I can't laugh at myself, it is a sad day.

Jim

PS got some inflight picts from our resident photographer - enjoy!

What exactly is that runway in the video made of? It looks like rubber? Or really smooth asphalt? Any info would be appreciated.

I was dissapointed about the tail wheel not being Pull Pull like the pics on hobby lobby showed too. I think that's a bit sketchy to have a picture and description of a steerable tailwheel when it's not there. Even if it doesn't need it.
Hey 2Sunny. That white plastic motor mount that you got a great shot of in your last pic. That's what broke on mine. I tried gluing with super glue but no matter how long I held the pieces the glue wouldn't hold. I got gorilla glue but i think the mount is pretty twisted too, plus it broke in four places. Any ideas on a replacement mount? I don't really wanna shell out for a new fuse just to get a little plastic mount.
I have put in more practice with my Aerobird Challenger and time on G3.5 sim. I just want to fix this motor mount issue even if I keep the mustang shelved for a while.

Harv

The matting is sold under several names - I think "petro mat" is one. It is used under gardening material or asphalt to keep weeds from growing up. It rolls out well, tightens under the sun, is fairly resistant to damage, and is affordable.

tooconceited

Sounds like you got sucked into the "A Mustang anyone can fly" line. This is an easier 'Stang to fly but is in no way, shape, or form anything less than a solid intermediate plane, and that is only if you have a fair amount of low wing aileron time. Continue to practice, I would try my hand at something like a GWS Beaver or E-Starter for a good summer and put the P-51 on the bench.

Fixing the motor mount as you described it would be really difficult, ESPIRIT has some really good motor mounts you could be interested in.

Jim

Ordered the E-FLite 450 and 20 amp ESC today, and I'm leavin' for a 2 day work trip tomorrow so when I get back it should be here and so I decided to remove the stock motor and ESC after todays flight. (Pictures included) The motor was only 65g with the metal motor mount and screws included. The ESC was 32gs.


TooC...

I don't see the motor mount offered on HL so my guess is try emailing them and Art-Tech directly to see if you can get a response. I'm going to do the same and ask about the wing mount screws. Let us know if you get a response.

Joe

I flew her today with the data logger onboard. I love the onboard data logger because it gives you hard numbers rather than feelings.

One observation – this is one plan that you have to fly for a take off. Pointing into the wind, going to wide open throttle, and yanking back on the stick won’t work. The LG is pretty much directly on the CG and the tail comes up very easily. I noted that in the HL video and my video – she gets on step in a heartbeat. What all this is telling me is that you need to advance the throttle evenly, give some “up” elevator to push the tail down, and when flying speed is attained, pull back for a lift off.

So – for numbers:

After 6.10 of flying time, I pulled 644mAh from a 1300mAh battery. The battery dropped from 12.33volts fresh to 10.81volts – so it is holding it’s own. I would expect to get a solid 12 minutes out of the stock power train and still have some reserves. I’ll test this next time I get a chance.

Discounting the spike at takeoff that is for all intents “static”, the model significantly unloads to between 5.5 and 7.5 amps (meaning you are flying effectively between 65 and 85 watts). Folks – that is LOW for an E-Starter much less a warbird. She flies well for such a low powered bird but there isn’t much in reserve for mistakes – you can’t just power out of a bad approach. The saving grace is that the plane is very light – what I’m describing is a park flyer P-51.

I guess the next question is to decide to either stay a park flyer P-51 or start doing some upgrades. I see that Joe is doing a transplant from the Art Tech motor to an E-Flite 450.

Jim

Jim,

Those data sheets are great. I can't believe it flies as well as it does with so little power going in. I guess I gotta get me one of those data loggers . . . if you don't mind me askin'- which one are you using, and where did you get it?

Joe

Joe

It is an Eagle Tree micro data logger - from Eagle Tree Systems
http://www.eagletreesystems.com/MicroPower/micro.htm

Data is good!

Jim

Is this a good second airplane, for someone that has been flying a hobbyzone Super Cub?

Welcome to RC Groups!

Well - that depends. How good are at flying the Super Cub? Typically, folks "graduate" to a high wing aileron plane, then a low wing aileron plane, before taking on warbirds. Basically - that is a pretty big step. So in a word, No. Yes, this Mustang is slow and manageable with no really nasty habits but it will bit you. Trust me on this. Take your time, one step at a time. You'll be doing warbirds soon enough.

Jim

thanks