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Jul 15, 2011, 04:01 PM
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MIRV's Avatar
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Airfield T-28 800mm Thread


I don't see a thread here specifically for this model so I thought I'd start one. There seems to be tid-bits of info on it scattered about here and there so I thought it would be nice to collect this in one place as a resource for current and future owners or enthusiasts.

If you have posted about your experiences with this model or have some interesting news from the manufacturers, or their retailers, or from third party owners/fliers of the model it would be great if you'd re-post or link to it here to help build a data-base of info for this beautiful version of the T-28. I'll kick this off with a little back ground and my first impressions of this model.

About a month ago I got the Dynam A-10. I had always loved the rugged, all business looks of the plane. After ordering the model I found this forum and a thread on the A-10 through which I soon discovered that I could have made a better choice for my first RC plane (for several reasons).

Not to knock that model- the needed mods have been fun and educational and I've met some neat and helpful folks. But, I learned I'd need to fly a different plane for a trainer if I didn't want to cart what was left of my A-10 home in a plastic trash bag after her maiden.

I'm not really a fan of very many civilian types of planes- they just don't capture my imagination. The old ones do, but there aren't very many models, in this price range, of them that I have found yet. One which really caught my eye was the Ryan trainer from the 30's. There are three differnt paint scheems for it and I may still get one, but I read, more than once, that it is not really for beginners.

My search led me to the 800mm range of WWII warbirds and there are some nice versions of those. I would like to have gotten the FW-190, but so would everyone else apparently, as they are never in stock. I also had as a criteria that the plane had to have wheels. I'll be by myself flying and hand-launching isn't really an option for me at my current skill/confidence level.

Availibility of spare parts or, lack thereof, seems to be an issue, so a tail dragger, prone to tip the nose on the ground, was out, in my mind.

Then I came upon the Airfield T-28. Looks (in profile) a lot like the FW-190 if you ignore the huge canopy and tricycle landing gear, and that gear may help me get an extra flight or two in before I'm grounded, searching out a replacement prop. And that large cockpit area behind the trainee pilot looked perfect for the FPV cam I wanted to install. So I ordered it and the MD-80 clone.

When it came Thursday, the box was a good deal smaller than the A-10's was. The T-28 was packed inside a double box (shipping and retail) and surrounded with foam. (Hope I won't be scavaging the foam to make replacement parts too much!) All parts were there and everything seems to be in good shape.

I have dry-fit the parts together and finally figured how to get the wheel's gear installed. Everything lines up and fits pretty good. Though the snap-fit gear holders seem a bit iffy. The wheels are some type of rubber or soft plastic and seem a few cuts above the foam sponge ones that came with the A-10. They will probably out-last the plane.

The decals were all pre-applied. They needed to be rubbed in in several areas to mold to the contours of the model, but look good, down to the instrument gauges on both dashboards. Over all, it is a very good looking model and very accurate to the original, with the only exception being a few missing, small areas of stenciling and the anti-glare on the cowling. Mine also had a bit of paint run on the cowling.

Too sad was I, though, when I noticed finger outlines at the bottom of the fusalage where the wings join. It isn't seen with the wing attached, but it tells me that it was being held, by hand, when painted. Use of gloves not apparent. I hope the painter was, at least, afforded the use of an air mask.

The plan for today is to epoxy where needed, hook up the linkages, servos and receiver and to charge up the Lipos. Then cut into the canopy from below and make a sturdy mount for the FPV cam. I guess, in this case it will be a SPV cam- Second Person View. I'm not holding out any great hope for the optical quality of the canopy plastic, though. If there is still some sunlight, I'll taxi her around the cul-de-sac and see how this aspect differs from the A-10.

The instructions for programming the ESC seem pretty straight forward. This is an entirely new and unexpected aspect I hadn't encountered with the A-10. Any suggestions or tips on this will be greatly appreciated! Or any other aspect of this plane and model. -Rob
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Jul 15, 2011, 06:17 PM
FAA is Sofa King We Todd Did
wavekatcher's Avatar
Congrats on the 800mm T28. I bought mine from Nitroplanes. Where'd you get yours?

A couple of items to consider....

The landing gear need to be glued better to the wing (at least on mine)

You'll get less prop chipping if you replace the wheels with slightly larger ones. Especially the front wheel. I used Dubro wheels. My stock front wheel actually fell apart. ( not so great of a landing) Order some spare props.

My bird flies well on 2s 800mah or 1000mah batteries (not for too long though), however she flies much better with a 3s 1000mah. If running 3s I recommend putting in a bigger esc, maybe 30 amps. The stock esc I am running I think is only 20 amps and is quite warm after running 3s.

I have flown in some pretty good wind and the 3s battery really helps.(with 2s I think she is tailheavy) People are amazed how fast this little T28 is, it is one of my favorite planes.

Be careful with your camera inside the canopy, I would recommend installing a canopy latch because the canopy will pop off quite easily. (I used some velcro in addition to the magnet.) Good luck and have fun!
Jul 15, 2011, 06:55 PM
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MIRV's Avatar
Thread OP

wavekatcher


Got it at NP too. Was going to order some extra props with the plane but they were out of stock. Haven't checked in a couple of days for them though.
Do you know of an alternate, in stock, prop for these? (Besides their other 800mm warbird props which are all out of stock...)

One guy's mod on Youtube was to bend the mains at a rear-ward angle to lift the nose a bit- might be worth considering. This is my first encounter with the snap-lock gear holder and they DO seem flimsy. Will try them for now but will keep my eyes out for another option. Did you use collars to hold the wheels?

I got a couple 2s 1000ma lipos with it- may move up to 3s once I get a few successful flight hours under my belt. Did you change the main power connector to a different type? If so, what did you use?

I thought I'd remove the paint from the seat back and epoxy in a piece of hobby ply with a velcro "seatbelt" to hold the little cam. Will also have a velcro backing on the cam to help cushion against vibration as well as to give extra holding.- Rob
Jul 15, 2011, 07:14 PM
FAA is Sofa King We Todd Did
wavekatcher's Avatar
Quote:
Originally Posted by MIRV
Got it at NP too. Was going to order some extra props with the plane but they were out of stock. Haven't checked in a couple of days for them though.
Do you know of an alternate, in stock, prop for these? (Besides their other 800mm warbird props which are all out of stock...)

One guy's mod on Youtube was to bend the mains at a rear-ward angle to lift the nose a bit- might be worth considering. This is my first encounter with the snap-lock gear holder and they DO seem flimsy. Will try them for now but will keep my eyes out for another option. Did you use collars to hold the wheels?

I got a couple 2s 1000ma lipos with it- may move up to 3s once I get a few successful flight hours under my belt. Did you change the main power connector to a different type? If so, what did you use?

I thought I'd remove the paint from the seat back and epoxy in a piece of hobby ply with a velcro "seatbelt" to hold the little cam. Will also have a velcro backing on the cam to help cushion against vibration as well as to give extra holding.- Rob
Hey Rob,

I'm not sure where to get stock props other than NP's. You might search the 31.5 inch Nitroplanes warbird thread for an alternate size. APC props work well but I'm not sure what size.

My wheels are held on with the stock "plastic" gizmo, but I did use wheel collars to center the wheels and keep them perfectly straight.

I have not changed out the JST connector to Dean's Ultra quite yet, but plan on changing the esc to 30 amp soon and will have to change all my JST connector batteries to Deans or just solder up an adapter from Jst to Deans.

Have fun!
Aug 03, 2011, 03:48 PM
Registered User
helizrnew2me's Avatar
just got a airfield t-28 from microdan on the forum here .looking for extra batteries.
will these fit?

https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...Lipo_Pack.html

stock battery is

50.8 length
31.75 height
15.87 width

whats everyone using??
Aug 03, 2011, 10:33 PM
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MIRV's Avatar
Thread OP
Those should fit fine. I use the stock lipos and there is 1/4 extra height (what they call "width" in the description.) of space above.
Aug 03, 2011, 10:49 PM
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MIRV's Avatar
Thread OP
Quote:
Originally Posted by wavekatcher
Hey Rob,

I'm not sure where to get stock props other than NP's. You might search the 31.5 inch Nitroplanes warbird thread for an alternate size. APC props work well but I'm not sure what size.

My wheels are held on with the stock "plastic" gizmo, but I did use wheel collars to center the wheels and keep them perfectly straight.

I have not changed out the JST connector to Dean's Ultra quite yet, but plan on changing the esc to 30 amp soon and will have to change all my JST connector batteries to Deans or just solder up an adapter from Jst to Deans.

Have fun!
Thanks, wavekatcher. I switched the connectors to EC3s I had on hand. I don't really like them as they seem to disconnect rather easily. I'll velcro each half and live with that 'till I switch over to bananas. Bananas seem to come with most of these foamies so why re-invent the wheel.

I've been a bit busy with work for the last couple of weeks but plan to persue your idea of checking in the warbirds threads for some ideas on alternate props. Seems this one's diameter is 7" but I'm not sure of the pitch. I have considered making a mold of mine before I damage it and just cast some as I need them. Wonder if there'd be a market for these stolen copies? The Chinese don't seem to hold much value in intellectual property rights, so I may follow through...

I did do the mod to the back seat and made a couple of test taxi runs in the cul-de-sac. The pilot and some of his gages do rather well, in a depth of field sort of way, but the view out of the windows is rather wonkey with the waves inherent in the plastic canopy. Might post some vid of it this weekend.
Aug 04, 2011, 12:45 AM
Registered User
Quote:
Originally Posted by MIRV
Thanks, wavekatcher. I switched the connectors to EC3s I had on hand. I don't really like them as they seem to disconnect rather easily. I'll velcro each half and live with that 'till I switch over to bananas. Bananas seem to come with most of these foamies so why re-invent the wheel.

I've been a bit busy with work for the last couple of weeks but plan to persue your idea of checking in the warbirds threads for some ideas on alternate props. Seems this one's diameter is 7" but I'm not sure of the pitch. I have considered making a mold of mine before I damage it and just cast some as I need them. Wonder if there'd be a market for these stolen copies? The Chinese don't seem to hold much value in intellectual property rights, so I may follow through...

I did do the mod to the back seat and made a couple of test taxi runs in the cul-de-sac. The pilot and some of his gages do rather well, in a depth of field sort of way, but the view out of the windows is rather wonkey with the waves inherent in the plastic canopy. Might post some vid of it this weekend.
Your lucky day! Here's a link to a website that carries stock props (Internationally, the brand Airfield is known also as FMS):
http://www.snhobbies.com/index.php?c...0b4190e37cb3bb
Aug 04, 2011, 09:46 AM
Registered User
helizrnew2me's Avatar
thanks mirv ,i went ahead and ordered 2 .along with some 1s for my champ .
Aug 04, 2011, 10:48 PM
Speed = spectacular potential
Joined the club and bought a mini T-28 too. Though, went back to order some extra props from NitroPlanes and found the only shipping option listed is outrageous. There is no way I am paying more in shipping than the price of 3 already overpriced props. Thus, went to my LHS today to search for alternatives. I picked up a few that I will test out and report back on. Though, if any one else finds a reasonably priced place to order props, please do share too.

On another note, does any one have any tips to help in a successful flight? Are there any quarks to keep in mind? How is the stall speed and tip stall on this? Also, has any one taken any flight video yet? I would love to see how this behaves in the air.

Happy flying
Aug 06, 2011, 04:16 PM
Registered User
helizrnew2me's Avatar
heres a unmodded plane flight

The New 800mm T28 and AT6 Brushless Warbirds (9 min 0 sec)


and heres a modded plane on a 3s battery with a 2 blade prop .shes a screamer!!

Nitroplanes 800mm T28 with the Gens Ace 1550 mah 25c 3cell (8 min 32 sec)


this is the 800mm bird.
Aug 06, 2011, 11:19 PM
Speed = spectacular potential
I benched tested the T-28 with a watt meter and found that with the standard prop can pull the following power:

* 3 Cell 850 40C - over 19amps
* 2 Cell 850 40C - 13.5 amps

I am little confused as the JST connector that comes with this plane is rated at 10Amps max and even the two cell I used pulls way over that. Plus, the 20amp esc of course is way over the JSP plug rating too. I have to guess that this plane must be intended to run a low C rating 2-cell at no more than 10 amps. Does any one happen to know what brand/model this motor is and what its ratings are?

Also, how do you all configure yours? What combo of battery, connector, esc, and prop are you running on your T-28s? I appreciate the feedback
Aug 08, 2011, 04:55 PM
Registered User
Hey guys, I bought the 800mm P-51 with hopes of turning it into a pylon racer, however there was no way I could fit a 450 motor in there, and the acess was very poor to get to the motor. I am now looking at the T-28 as it has the roomier radial engine front end. I was wondering if any of you guys could tell me how much room there is over the stock motor or upload some pics of the plane without the cowl... Thanks,
Taylor
Aug 09, 2011, 05:33 AM
Registered User
helizrnew2me's Avatar
Quote:
Originally Posted by blacknoise
I benched tested the T-28 with a watt meter and found that with the standard prop can pull the following power:

* 3 Cell 850 40C - over 19amps
* 2 Cell 850 40C - 13.5 amps

I am little confused as the JST connector that comes with this plane is rated at 10Amps max and even the two cell I used pulls way over that. Plus, the 20amp esc of course is way over the JSP plug rating too. I have to guess that this plane must be intended to run a low C rating 2-cell at no more than 10 amps. Does any one happen to know what brand/model this motor is and what its ratings are?

Also, how do you all configure yours? What combo of battery, connector, esc, and prop are you running on your T-28s? I appreciate the feedback
if you watch the video above your post that guy is running a 1550 gen ace 3 cell in that plane with no other changes .he is running it on the stock esc .
well he is running a 2 blade prop.
not sure if he changed out the jst plugs though .might have to listen more closely to the video and see if he mentions that .
Aug 09, 2011, 03:35 PM
Registered User
helizrnew2me's Avatar
just put my t-28 together today .like mentioned the instructions are kinda vague .your on your own putting all the horns on ,setting them up ,trimming them out ,ect,ect.
wasnt a big issue but the instructions dont mention any of that .

ok, i went ahead and double side taped my receiver down out of the way of the steering rod for the front wheel .

now wheres the best place to mount the esc??

it kinda just flops around in there ,theres a spot for it kinda but dont want to just jam it in there by the motor ,not only that but it could stress the wires .

i want to double side tape it in as well but just figured i would ask ,if you have a picture of yours to post please do .

and what about the battery?just use something to wedge it in there?otherwise it can move around ,theres alot of space around it .

oh yeah ,the antenna wire ,wheres the best place to run it ???i could run it right thru the wing and let it hang outside the plane.(thru the same hole the aileron wires go thru) good idea?bad idea?

suggestions ,pictures?thanks


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