Post by chappyeight on Oct 11, 2016 17:57:55 GMT 1
HELLO:
So, back in the fall of 2013 I bought a cub and promptly stuck it in a tree (within 15 seconds). It has sat in the garage until this past weekend when my 7 year old son begged me to fix it and get it back out (he was excited because I'd taken him to the Red Bull Air Race here in Indy the week prior). The first day I think it was too windy (12-16 mph) for me to try but, naturally, I did anyway. Of course I couldn't get off the ground for more than a few seconds and nearly gave my poor wife a haircut after a gust of wind through the plane sharp left right as it got airborne. Though I joke about it now, it was a stark reminder how careful I need to be and how lucky we were no one got hurt.
BACK IN THE SADDLE:
Fast forward to the next day (last Sunday) and it was absolutely gorgeous outside. So, I took the fam and we spent an hour and a half or so flying the plane and, much to my surprise, I managed to keep it in the air! I've got the SC bound to a DX9 Tx and decided to leave the rudder control on the left stick in order to get used to it for future 4ch planes. I ended up needing to adjust some ratcheting into the stick because I was cutting power every time I tried to use the rudder. I will say though that the kids LOVED the bombs/parachute drop function of the plane as I let them toggle the switch and I have it set to say, "Bombs Away!" when they do.
I never had a really solid landing in the sense that I never seemed to put down where I wanted, usually 100 yards away from me because I came in too high. Also, I did manage to get confused on the sticks once or twice and lose control (my cracked cowling is evidence of this). But, by the end of the day, I felt pretty good about my progress and the family had a good time. Way back when I'd bought the plane and done some of the fortification mods, I also at that time purposely disabled the SAFE mechanism. So, all my flying was free from artificial aid.
That said, I did notice about 5-6 minutes into each flight that my power seemed to decrease and it became increasingly difficult to maneuver the plane. I'm assuming this is fairly normal as a battery is expended, but it freaked me out a couple times when I felt like she wouldn't turn. (I still use a 1300mAh 20c LiPo battery though it's only about a year old and has been stored at 33% in a fridge the past year.)
QUESTIONS:
All that said, I'm a tinkerer at heart and I love modifying and improving things. I want to learn the proper skills of flight before making any serious performance modifications but I am seriously considering replacing the stock receiver and brushed motor (for a bit more oomph cutting through the wind). However, it seems that all the brushless conversion thread are at least two years old and I'm unsure if the advice given still rings true today. For instance:
I appreciate you all reading through this. My love for flying these models has been rekindled and I'm excited to get out again! There are two solid flying clubs in my area so I'm probably going to take a trip to those airfields soon. In the meantime, thank you all in advance for your advice.
Now I just need to figure out when my now 7 year old son is old enough to give it a try...
So, back in the fall of 2013 I bought a cub and promptly stuck it in a tree (within 15 seconds). It has sat in the garage until this past weekend when my 7 year old son begged me to fix it and get it back out (he was excited because I'd taken him to the Red Bull Air Race here in Indy the week prior). The first day I think it was too windy (12-16 mph) for me to try but, naturally, I did anyway. Of course I couldn't get off the ground for more than a few seconds and nearly gave my poor wife a haircut after a gust of wind through the plane sharp left right as it got airborne. Though I joke about it now, it was a stark reminder how careful I need to be and how lucky we were no one got hurt.
BACK IN THE SADDLE:
Fast forward to the next day (last Sunday) and it was absolutely gorgeous outside. So, I took the fam and we spent an hour and a half or so flying the plane and, much to my surprise, I managed to keep it in the air! I've got the SC bound to a DX9 Tx and decided to leave the rudder control on the left stick in order to get used to it for future 4ch planes. I ended up needing to adjust some ratcheting into the stick because I was cutting power every time I tried to use the rudder. I will say though that the kids LOVED the bombs/parachute drop function of the plane as I let them toggle the switch and I have it set to say, "Bombs Away!" when they do.
I never had a really solid landing in the sense that I never seemed to put down where I wanted, usually 100 yards away from me because I came in too high. Also, I did manage to get confused on the sticks once or twice and lose control (my cracked cowling is evidence of this). But, by the end of the day, I felt pretty good about my progress and the family had a good time. Way back when I'd bought the plane and done some of the fortification mods, I also at that time purposely disabled the SAFE mechanism. So, all my flying was free from artificial aid.
That said, I did notice about 5-6 minutes into each flight that my power seemed to decrease and it became increasingly difficult to maneuver the plane. I'm assuming this is fairly normal as a battery is expended, but it freaked me out a couple times when I felt like she wouldn't turn. (I still use a 1300mAh 20c LiPo battery though it's only about a year old and has been stored at 33% in a fridge the past year.)
QUESTIONS:
All that said, I'm a tinkerer at heart and I love modifying and improving things. I want to learn the proper skills of flight before making any serious performance modifications but I am seriously considering replacing the stock receiver and brushed motor (for a bit more oomph cutting through the wind). However, it seems that all the brushless conversion thread are at least two years old and I'm unsure if the advice given still rings true today. For instance:
- What size brushless would be a good, minor power upgrade?
- Assuming a 10x8 prop would be appropriate for this application?
- Will I need to do the battery size upgrade mod regardless of which brushless I choose?
- I'm assuming pretty much any Spektrum or Orange 6ch Rx would be a fine upgrade over the stock Rx but what brand/size of ESC will I need?
- Do I need a BEC or do most Spektrum Rx's integrate one already? (and if it IS integrated, should I bypass it for a dedicated BEC?)
- If I swap the receiver, will I still be able to use the parachute drop module?
I appreciate you all reading through this. My love for flying these models has been rekindled and I'm excited to get out again! There are two solid flying clubs in my area so I'm probably going to take a trip to those airfields soon. In the meantime, thank you all in advance for your advice.
Now I just need to figure out when my now 7 year old son is old enough to give it a try...
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