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This thread is privately moderated by DismayingObservation, who may elect to delete unwanted replies. |
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Discussion
An old blog subject finally lives!
"Finally" is right!
The little Thunder Tiger Bearcat RTF foamie I'd purchased at the AMA Expo about three years ago finally flew its first successful flights. The original gearbox, brushed motor and four-blade scale prop didn't have nearly enough power to even get it off the ground. That radio and electrics were given to an other RCG member. From there, I went to brushless power...and it crashed on takeoff due to poorly taped ailerons from the factory. Minor crash, so I purchased a new cowl, repaired the fuselage, installed CA hinges on the ailerons and elevator (it's a three-channel) and touched up the paint. Ready to fly once more. The motor was a no-name generic of uncertain Kv rating...and I managed to burn it out in flight due to too much propeller, although it flew very well despite being incredibly touchy due to my use of a simple sport radio. It happened rather fast and I didn't have time to shut it down and bring it in. Lesson learned. An inexpensive brushless outrunner from a subsequent AMA Expo was next...and when the landing gear caught on grass as I was ready to take off, the motor shaft was sheared off! What to do, thought I. Then, I had an idea. I had an almost new Turnigy 1050Kv Park 450 outrunner and an APC 8x6E prop on hand from another project. The motor is larger than the ones I'd been using and I thought I'd try it out before shortening the E-flite stick mount since it stuck out a bit too far for my taste. I plugged it into the Exceed RC 40A ESC I'd used for the initial flights and I double checked the radio settings on my Airtronics SD-10GS transmitter. The battery was a 1050mAh 3S li-po. It needed only some up elevator and left aileron trim to dial it in once it was airborne. The little Bearcat was a blast! Nimble, fast and plenty of power for loops and rolls. It's also a joy to land with its light wing loading. With a bit of power, it'll grease right in. As for its presence in the air, it's one of the coolest little park flyers I've seen in awhile. I'll may shorten that motor mount, but I am definitely going to install a SharpRC ArmSafe arming switch before it flies again. The wing has to come off for a battery change and the model was originally equipped with a small external switch. I installed an ArmSafe on another model and it's probably paid for itself numerous times because of injury prevention. That'll happen sooner than later since it's such fun to fly! Should the unthinkable happen, Pegasus Hobbies still stocks it. |
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Last edited by DismayingObservation; Mar 05, 2017 at 06:08 PM.
Reason: Rudder>elevator
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Ralph :
Funny that you mention this process of re-examination of earlier unsuccessful model . I have been doing much the same with my old 'Hangar Queens' . Now that have gained more experience with PID settings and custom motor mixes , better selection of motor / prop / ESC and battery combinations and a LOT of stick time with MRs makes it definitely worth while the 2nd look at a model that was not successful . This process for me had yielded pleasant results ! |
Latest blog entry: Fellas Fellas Fellas !
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Quote:
I've also dusted off and repaired an ancient E-flite P-47D foamie and its test flights earlier this week were a total success. I may swap motors between it and the Bearcat. In the meantime, I'm touching up the paint and filling some cracks in the previously repaired wing. A home improvement store scanned the canopy and the underside of the wing and I now have a lifetime supply of matching paint. It looks absolutely amazing without a bunch of little white areas of exposed foam all over the thing. Welcome back! Great to see you and have a great weekend. |
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Last edited by DismayingObservation; Mar 03, 2017 at 06:55 PM.
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