Electric Seawind by Great Planes/Electrifly - Page 5

burkefj · Aug 27, 2007, 01:12 PM

Tic, you are seeing exactly the same thing I've found, full up elevator, and a little right aileron till it breaks, I was surprised how effective the ailerons were on low rate even during takeoff when it isn't going very fast, they respond really well.

Frank

Quote:

Originally Posted by tic

The trick to fast and straight takeoffs is to hold full up elevator until it breaks the water and is airborn.. The manual even mentions this and there is no worry that it will go straight up and stall or snap, it doesn't.. Just relax the back pressure once it's airborne... Also, right aileron is needed during the entire take off run... Less and less as the speed builds but even if you have perfect lateral balance, it wants to drag the left tip float a little under power... Try just these two things and your takeoffs will be straight and true. Choppy water can actually HELP. (at least it did for me)... When you catch a ripple or small wave it will LEAP into the air early...

donjiskra · Aug 27, 2007, 03:07 PM

RAFguy,
The recommended Rimfire motor must be the answer why Chuck could not get his Seawind to ROG, he didn't use it!!!
Don

Thomas B · Aug 27, 2007, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donjiskra

RAFguy,
The recommended Rimfire motor must be the answer why Chuck could not get his Seawind to ROG, he didn't use it!!!
Don

I didn't use it either, but my takes off in the grass perfectly with the BP 2212-13.

There is nothing magic about the suggested motor with the exception of it fitting the firewall without modifications...

.

donjiskra · Aug 27, 2007, 07:45 PM

ThomasB,
I agree!!! The substitued motor could not do it.
Don

burkefj · Aug 27, 2007, 07:56 PM

Just be sure that you check the screws/loctite them on the rimfire motors as there are some who had the shaft come out due to looseness when mounted backwards as in they are in the seawind and WWI birds, I also pulled my shaft out, moved the c-clip to the end(where there is a groove) and re-installed it to make sure it won't come out.

There are a couple of threads that talk about this but they turn into a bunch of legal and non-topic related flames that it's hard to bother reading them.

Frank

Quote:

Originally Posted by donjiskra

ThomasB,
I agree!!! The substitued motor could not do it.
Don

tic · Aug 27, 2007, 08:53 PM

The manual isn't kidding when it says it will take off from grass if it is short and DRY!.. I keep my flying field cut pretty short and when the grass is DRY, the seawind will take off no problem.. If the grass is wet with dew or from rain, it's stuck immediately... Strange.... I thought the hydrodynamic lubrication from wet grass would help, not impede a takeoff

RAFguy · Aug 28, 2007, 09:36 AM

Nope, mine took off from wet grass, the first flight on Sunday morning. I too thought it would work better on wet grass but it took a bit of throttle/ rudder/ elevator management to get it tracking. I had fun just running it in my yard Saturday night. As far as the RimFire, I used it because the manual said so. I'm an old school balsa and nitro guy and all this electric stuff is new to me. While I have been flying electric for five years, I just use what ever the instructions say. Easier for me

Thomas B · Aug 28, 2007, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAFguy

. While I have been flying electric for five years, I just use what ever the instructions say. Easier for me

But not easier on the wallet....

tic · Aug 28, 2007, 10:03 AM

Actually this plane with the reccomended esc , motor and servos is VERY easy on the wallet, relatively speaking... 35 bucks for a brushless ESC and 39 bucks for a brushless motor?... simply amazing!

coolboarder · Aug 28, 2007, 12:17 PM

You pay more for weight savings than performance some times. It depends how important the weight is for each flyer.

The motors on this thread run from 1.2 oz to 2.58 oz. Without adding lead or a huge battery I would not recommend a heavy motor. IMHO

Im content with my $48.99 park 400 with almost 300 flights on it at 2oz.
That being said If i did not have any motors around the house I would have dove right in on a 1.9 oz motor for 39.99. Efficiency of the motors, well, thats another story, but as many of you know as the years fly by there are some very nice cost effective motors available. Long live RC!

Can someone merge these two threads? Valuable information is contained in both!

Thomas B · Aug 28, 2007, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tic

Actually this plane with the reccomended esc , motor and servos is VERY easy on the wallet, relatively speaking... 35 bucks for a brushless ESC and 39 bucks for a brushless motor?... simply amazing!

74 bucks for both is a good deal....but a BP 2212-13 for 16 and a Pulso 33 amp ESC for 28 bucks is a much better deal at $44......40% less...

Saves enough for a 20-30 AMP ESC!

kingsflyer · Aug 30, 2007, 12:54 AM

Good idea COOLBOARDER. I've forwarded your idea to the Site Suggestions/Complaints Forum.

http://www.rcgroups.com/site-suggest...omplaints-259/

Hope they get the Seawind Threads combined soon.
Mike McD

SON OF PALEFACE · Aug 30, 2007, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingsflyer

Good idea COOLBOARDER. I've forwarded your idea to the Site Suggestions / Complaints Forum. Hope they get the Seawind Threads combined soon.
Mike McD

Hey Mike your links dont work......

Personally , I will try to keep the motor / rear weight down , if the bigger seawind is anything to go by , it has been said before , but lighter planes fly better

kingsflyer · Aug 30, 2007, 07:42 AM

Well, OK. It really wasn't intended to be a link, just blue text. A link is probably not a bad idea though, so I've edited the post to include a link to the topic forum.

The flight and takeoff performance of the Mini Seawind is greatly influenced by the wing loading. I'm using a 1250 mah 3-cell pack instead of the 2100 mah pack I started out with and the difference is amazing. I may even try some of my 1000 mah or 900 mah packs in the near future.

Right now I'm having too much fun to monkey around with the setup. I've flown the Mini every morning this week. Takeoffs are routine using full "up", and now I'm working on my landings. It's not really a problem, but I'm getting 1 little hop as the rudder touches before it settles in for the landing. I guess the water contact pushes the rear of the plane up a little and it keeps flying for another foot or so. I'm being really picky here. I guess I'm spoiled by my J-3 Cub where I can drag my water rudder along the surface of the water for 20 feet before the floats ever touch the water surface. Speaking of water, the sun is almost ready to rise and the lake is really calm right now, so I'm grabbing my TX and my Seawind and heading for a little "Dawn Patrol" flying.

Mike McD

tic · Aug 30, 2007, 11:02 AM

We went boating yesterday and sure enough, when we got home the big brown toy truck had made a delivery!... Seawind #2 has arrived just one day late.. This one had the wingbolt problem and thanks to these seawind threads I wasn't worried, I cleaned out the hole and put the screw back in, pushed hard on the screwdriver and it finally caught the hole in the fuse.. This one also has a crease in the wing almost the length of the left wing. It's not bad and the big seawind sticker covers it up nicely... One small gouge in the fuse but otherwise I'm happy.. I sure wish I had a large body of water within walking distance or even within 20min. driving but I don't.. If the new seawind had arrived just one day earlier I could have flown it yesterday from our boat.. Oh well.. I'm going to take my time assembling this one with more attention to water intrusion spots. I will also fly it a little more consevatively but that will be hard.. The wing is incredibly strong , no maneuver I put it through had me at all worried about airframe failure.

Aug 30, 2007, 12:54 AM	#72
kingsflyer We shall serve the Lord Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: TEXAS Posts: 1,666	Good idea COOLBOARDER. I've forwarded your idea to the Site Suggestions/Complaints Forum. http://www.rcgroups.com/site-suggest...omplaints-259/ Hope they get the Seawind Threads combined soon. Mike McD Last edited by kingsflyer; Aug 30, 2007 at 07:22 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Discussion Seawind By great Planes	postusaf	Fuel Plane Talk	7	Jul 30, 2009 11:39 PM
Rant Electrifly C-50 Brush ESC by GREAT PLANES	guapoman2000	Power Systems	24	Mar 02, 2009 05:32 AM
Question Seawind by great planes	postusaf	Waterplanes	1	May 15, 2006 12:32 AM
Great Planes ElectriFly PT-Electric Trainer Kit 56"	markmm	Electric Plane Talk	14	Oct 04, 2005 04:08 PM
F/S Electric Cub by Great Planes Wing 59"	Butch777	Aircraft - Electric - Airplanes (FS/W)	2	May 25, 2005 05:58 PM

Aug 27, 2007, 03:07 PM	#62
donjiskra WAA-08 Pilot Eventually Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Darien,IL,USA Posts: 1,315	RAFguy, The recommended Rimfire motor must be the answer why Chuck could not get his Seawind to ROG, he didn't use it!!! Don

Aug 27, 2007, 07:45 PM	#64
donjiskra WAA-08 Pilot Eventually Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Darien,IL,USA Posts: 1,315	ThomasB, I agree!!! The substitued motor could not do it. Don

Aug 27, 2007, 08:53 PM	#66
tic thunderscreech Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: New Cumberland, PA. US Posts: 10,781	The manual isn't kidding when it says it will take off from grass if it is short and DRY!.. I keep my flying field cut pretty short and when the grass is DRY, the seawind will take off no problem.. If the grass is wet with dew or from rain, it's stuck immediately... Strange.... I thought the hydrodynamic lubrication from wet grass would help, not impede a takeoff

Aug 28, 2007, 09:36 AM	#67
RAFguy Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Champaign IL Posts: 441	Nope, mine took off from wet grass, the first flight on Sunday morning. I too thought it would work better on wet grass but it took a bit of throttle/ rudder/ elevator management to get it tracking. I had fun just running it in my yard Saturday night. As far as the RimFire, I used it because the manual said so. I'm an old school balsa and nitro guy and all this electric stuff is new to me. While I have been flying electric for five years, I just use what ever the instructions say. Easier for me

Aug 28, 2007, 10:03 AM	#69
tic thunderscreech Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: New Cumberland, PA. US Posts: 10,781	Actually this plane with the reccomended esc , motor and servos is VERY easy on the wallet, relatively speaking... 35 bucks for a brushless ESC and 39 bucks for a brushless motor?... simply amazing!

Aug 28, 2007, 12:17 PM	#70
coolboarder Plane on the Brain Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 651	You pay more for weight savings than performance some times. It depends how important the weight is for each flyer. The motors on this thread run from 1.2 oz to 2.58 oz. Without adding lead or a huge battery I would not recommend a heavy motor. IMHO Im content with my $48.99 park 400 with almost 300 flights on it at 2oz. That being said If i did not have any motors around the house I would have dove right in on a 1.9 oz motor for 39.99. Efficiency of the motors, well, thats another story, but as many of you know as the years fly by there are some very nice cost effective motors available. Long live RC! Can someone merge these two threads? Valuable information is contained in both!

Aug 30, 2007, 07:42 AM	#74
kingsflyer We shall serve the Lord Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: TEXAS Posts: 1,666	Well, OK. It really wasn't intended to be a link, just blue text. A link is probably not a bad idea though, so I've edited the post to include a link to the topic forum. The flight and takeoff performance of the Mini Seawind is greatly influenced by the wing loading. I'm using a 1250 mah 3-cell pack instead of the 2100 mah pack I started out with and the difference is amazing. I may even try some of my 1000 mah or 900 mah packs in the near future. Right now I'm having too much fun to monkey around with the setup. I've flown the Mini every morning this week. Takeoffs are routine using full "up", and now I'm working on my landings. It's not really a problem, but I'm getting 1 little hop as the rudder touches before it settles in for the landing. I guess the water contact pushes the rear of the plane up a little and it keeps flying for another foot or so. I'm being really picky here. I guess I'm spoiled by my J-3 Cub where I can drag my water rudder along the surface of the water for 20 feet before the floats ever touch the water surface. Speaking of water, the sun is almost ready to rise and the lake is really calm right now, so I'm grabbing my TX and my Seawind and heading for a little "Dawn Patrol" flying. Mike McD

Aug 30, 2007, 11:02 AM	#75
tic thunderscreech Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: New Cumberland, PA. US Posts: 10,781	We went boating yesterday and sure enough, when we got home the big brown toy truck had made a delivery!... Seawind #2 has arrived just one day late.. This one had the wingbolt problem and thanks to these seawind threads I wasn't worried, I cleaned out the hole and put the screw back in, pushed hard on the screwdriver and it finally caught the hole in the fuse.. This one also has a crease in the wing almost the length of the left wing. It's not bad and the big seawind sticker covers it up nicely... One small gouge in the fuse but otherwise I'm happy.. I sure wish I had a large body of water within walking distance or even within 20min. driving but I don't.. If the new seawind had arrived just one day earlier I could have flown it yesterday from our boat.. Oh well.. I'm going to take my time assembling this one with more attention to water intrusion spots. I will also fly it a little more consevatively but that will be hard.. The wing is incredibly strong , no maneuver I put it through had me at all worried about airframe failure.