Hey 19k, recognize this guy?

[akent]

Heehee!!

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[Solitaire]

Somebody got their P-51 ;D

[akent]

How did you know that, Sol?
Do you have one, too?

[Solitaire]

Nope, no P-51 yet, Kent.
I just guessed you had acquired one already.

That's a foamy, rite? How's the quality? I got a cheap 3d foamy to practice on and I was disappointed in it's construction. Very crude white foam. I've since ordered a different kind of foamy...a Pitts. Still learning about the many types of foam in these things. I still prefer covered balsa and ply.

Let's get a good side view of the P-51.

[akent]

Man, this is my favorite plane design of all time.

I actually built 2 of these back in the 80's, and every one of them suffered disaster on their maidens.
The first one was a 60 powered P51D with retracts. I did it up right. Maiden liftoff was the last thing the receiver ever heard. This was a Futaba 72mhz 4 channel radio. Full throttle up and gradual over and full into the hard ground at a guesstimated 120+mph, about 1/4 mile away. The crankshaft was buried about 8 inches in the dirt, and it was still connected to a piston of sorts. The rest of the thing was in a million or more pieces. NOTHING was salvageable, and very little was recognizable as being made by man. This was actually a very impressive explosion (implosion?) of a model. I still have that crankshaft somewhere.

The second P51 was a C model. I can't remember the brand. It was also a 60 size. It also met it's demise on it's maiden. This one also had retracts and flaps. Well this thing took off and then the pilot proceeded to fly it around and when it felt good, he decided to do some stupid stunts that the plane was not capable of. ARRGGHH!! SNAP! Wing broke in half. Boom. Not much salvageable here, either, but the pieces were much larger. I wonder who that dummazz pilot was?

I hope this one survives at least a little bit!

I really look forward to hand launches down by our rocky lake. There are a few grass patches to land in! This will be awesome!
Kent

[akent]

Oct 15, 2009 19:17:20 GMT -6 Solitaire said:

Nope, no P-51 yet, Kent.
I just guessed you had acquired one already.

That's a foamy, rite? How's the quality? I got a cheap 3d foamy to practice on and I was disappointed in it's construction. Very crude white foam. I've since ordered a different kind of foamy...a Pitts. Still learning about the many types of foam in these things. I still prefer covered balsa and ply.

Let's get a good side view of the P-51.

Sorry, Sol, I was taking my time writing that reply when you responded.

This is my first foamy. It is relatively fragile looking, but it seems to be fairly robust also. It is made of a type of foam that can be repaired with regular CA.

My Ultimate (Eflite 20-300) is just a beautiful model, made of covered wood, like the old days. It flies like nothing I've ever flown before as well, but I attribute some of that to 25 years of improvements to the art, since I last flew a plane.

The P51 is nice, but is also crude in it's own way. They call for 1/4" of throw on low aileron!! I don't think so. I have massive throws on the Ultimate. I don't want undercontrol! The reason is that if the foam somehow gets "bent", I want to be able to still control it. So, I have my throws like the folks in the forums for this plane have them.

Plus, I have found that with all of our Heli flying experience, once into FFF, these planes are 'almost' no brainers for flying around.

[Solitaire]

Oct 15, 2009 19:25:46 GMT -6 akent said:

Man, this is my favorite plane design of all time.

Well, what's not to like...

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[akent]

Awesome!

Here are some pics of mine.
Please ignore the helis that are supporting it!

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[akent]

Another

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[akent]

Anudder...

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[19000rpm]

Hey, that guy must be my pilots twin brother. ;D

Parkzone uses the same pilot in all their warbirds whether friend or foe.

These guys have some great upgrades for the P51 including pilots that don't look like their face hit the control panel too many times. www.parkflyerplastics.com/

Happy landings

[19000rpm]

When you crash that bird you might think it's all over but it's very repairable. Not at all like the balsa or cheaper foam jobs.

Use white gorilla glue (my favorite) or 5min epoxy for repairs, much stronger than CA. The gg fills any voids and makes the repair stronger than the original. I even gg'd the wing to the fuse. You need to watch the gg while it cures because it will ooze out the seams. Just keep wiping it down.

Happy landings

[akent]

Thanks for the info, 19k!

I have some of the brownish GG. I'll try to find the white version.
The brown stuff foams up some, but is super strong.

Oh, and you mentioned in another thread what to use on the bottom to help protect it. I couldn't find the post. Wasn't that something like a clear spray on paint?

I'm really surprised already at how strong this plank is.
Kent

[19000rpm]

The brown gg is the same as the white. It foams too. The white is foam color that's the only reason to use it. ;D

Krylon spray, matt or dull, 3-4 coats will protect the bottom of the fuse and the wing tips and maybe some packing tape on the edge of the airscoop.

If you've got a semi smooth surface to land on; grass, dirt, asphalt or sand you might want to put a landing and tail gear on it.

Happy landings