So Choked right now it's not even funny. Got my seawind all set up last night and went out this morning first thing to try it out. Perfect out no wind slightly above zero C out and sunny. So i check everything out again and then get set. Take the plane off and it's climbing out beautifully when all of the a sudden the motor mount pulls free of the plane taking the cowl and motor with it. The remainder of the plane lawn darts totally mashing the front of the plane up. What the HE**!!!!!!!!!! I have read through this thread front to back and never heard of this happening. WHY ME!!! anyways i have been on the phone with hobby services and they want me to send it in so they can determine whether or not it's the manufacturer's fault

I can see this getting expensive!

Geoff

Geoff-

Oh man does that suck. Looks like your using a stock set-up, which means no mods to the mount, right? If that's the case, as long as the motor was install properly, it's a manufactuer defect. I hope they help you out with the issue. It will be interesting to see what they do.

But no, I have not heard of that kind of problem before. I have heard of wings folding with the hot wind motor, but nothing to do with the motor mount.

You did put loctite on the mounting machine screws, right? Otherwise, vibration will loosten them.

Ed

Sorry to hear about that.

Isn't the mount glued on. I don't even remember.


It's a great idea to do the loctite, but he just put it together and it couldn't have vibrated loose yet.

Fred, What Pete said. You don't need the CorrosionX on brushless motors for electrical protection. You can use it on the bearings for rust prevention and lubrication.
Mike McD

the mount is glued on

I had a weak motor mount as well....I fixed mine.

The gentleman suggesting that you should have used locktite does not realise that the way the motor mounts.

On the Seawind, there is a ply firewall that the motor mounts behind.

In the case of the model above, I have no doubt that the ply wirewall let go and it and the motor left the model. No amount of locktite can help that.

Great Planes should replace the model

I completely remade the motor mount to mount my outrunner motor. I do remember thinking the original mount was flimsy. I believe I embedded ply deep into the foam and attached the mount using screws to the ply posts. I should have taken a few photos before closing it up, but if someone needs to see it I'll take the cowl off and snap a few photos.

BTW, this is not the first model I've seen with questionable motor mounts, so GP is not the only company putting out flimsy mounts.

For the gentleman who said "The gentleman suggesting that you should have used locktite does not realise that the way the motor mounts."

Sir, I will educate you about the manual: page 6 ❏ 4. Connect the wires on the motor to the wires in the fuse.
Mount the motor with the three 3mm x 6mm Phillips screws that
came with this kit and a drop of threadlocker on the threads.

The reason the manual recommends threadlocker (loctite) is to keep the machine screws from vibrating loose. When this happens the vibration will cause the any plywood firewall to fail.

Hope this helps.

Ed

Every plane has one or two weaknesses. Fortunately one can learn about them on rcgroups before they burn in. Unfortunately the mount has not been enough of an issue to help others.

I'm thinking this is one of the few planes it's NOT the landing gear

I CA'ed the plywood before I mounted my motor. I did it more to waterproof the wood than to strengthen the mount, but it may have helped. You have to use foam safe, thin CA so you don't melt the foam pylon.
Mike McD

I did use locktite on the motor mounting screws. If anything i overkilled it as the entire screws were blue when i put them through the ply mount and into the motor. I was thinking to myself that if Great Planes replaces the model i will make holes about an inch deep at least and epoxy in dowels with holes predrilled in them and then re-attach the mount to the model. Then with the glue and the screws that i can then use to help secure the mount to the model i should never have a repeat performance.

Anyways it should take less than a week to get to GP and we'll see what they say.

geoff

Originally Posted by no stick

For the gentleman who said "The gentleman suggesting that you should have used locktite does not realise that the way the motor mounts."

Sir, I will educate you about the manual: page 6 ❏ 4. Connect the wires on the motor to the wires in the fuse.
Mount the motor with the three 3mm x 6mm Phillips screws that
came with this kit and a drop of threadlocker on the threads.

The reason the manual recommends threadlocker (loctite) is to keep the machine screws from vibrating loose. When this happens the vibration will cause the any plywood firewall to fail.

Hope this helps.

Ed

The locktite is not the problem here. This issue is that the motor mount, motor and locktighted screws all left the model due to the weak motor mount breaking eslewhere. It would have happened had the screws been locktighted or not.

No amount of locktite would have saved this model...

Geoff,

The method of using dowels you mentioned is the way I did it. I don't remember if I used dowels, or ply hit with thin CA, and then tapped. But, it was the same idea. A very sturdy installation.

Danny

Right on. Ply would maybe be a little bit easier to manage. Rather than trying to make deeper holes in the foam.

Geoff