top flite p-51 giant scale build
02-01-2021, 04:40 PM
#1676
Good question. I've been building and flying for over 35 years and have flown just about every category over the years. The last 20 years I've flown over a dozen turbine jets and heavy composite EDF jets. I don't have too much experience with giant warbirds, other than a 89" Dynaflite PT-19, or TF Corsair, which had relatively light wing loadings compared to the mustang, but I've flown a few heavy jet aircraft which liked to tip stall during slow and dirty turns. None have crashed because of it, yet, lol...
I do recognize this is a little different, where I plan to take gentle turns, and keep the speed up during landing. I've also been flying my Realflight G2 TF GS Mustang set at 35 lbs with a Super Tiger 4500 and 20x10 prop. The tip stall is very rare, but landings require power which has helped me.
My Mustang's stats are: G-62 with Xoar 22x10 wood, spinning 6700 RPM on 40:1 canned synthetic fuel. Static thrust is 27 lbs. Savox 222 in-oz servos on AIL, RUD, ELE, and 500 in-oz on FLP. Incidence seems to be zero between the wing and horiz stab to the best of my measuring. I have a little engine down thrust. AUW is 32 lbs with empty tank! CG is 116mm. ELE throw is 7/8" on high with 25% expo. Takeoff flap is 1.5", landing flap is 2.5".
If anyone has any last pointers, please let me know! I will be the maiden pilot with some experienced guys around me.
-Richie
CG at 116mm!
I do recognize this is a little different, where I plan to take gentle turns, and keep the speed up during landing. I've also been flying my Realflight G2 TF GS Mustang set at 35 lbs with a Super Tiger 4500 and 20x10 prop. The tip stall is very rare, but landings require power which has helped me.
My Mustang's stats are: G-62 with Xoar 22x10 wood, spinning 6700 RPM on 40:1 canned synthetic fuel. Static thrust is 27 lbs. Savox 222 in-oz servos on AIL, RUD, ELE, and 500 in-oz on FLP. Incidence seems to be zero between the wing and horiz stab to the best of my measuring. I have a little engine down thrust. AUW is 32 lbs with empty tank! CG is 116mm. ELE throw is 7/8" on high with 25% expo. Takeoff flap is 1.5", landing flap is 2.5".
If anyone has any last pointers, please let me know! I will be the maiden pilot with some experienced guys around me.
-Richie
CG at 116mm!
02-01-2021, 05:48 PM
#1677
Sounds like you have a good plan,, Hold rudder lifting off until you get some decent speed up so it doesn't want to go left on you,,,,, yeap,, land with speed don't float it like you would with any heavy plane
Some one with your experience should be fine
looks great,, have fun
Some one with your experience should be fine
looks great,, have fun
02-02-2021, 03:51 AM
#1678
Thanks for the rudder tip! Will do.
I appreciate the confidence. Now I just need to grow a pair and see what happens! I'm really nervous, but the nervous adrenaline is so addictive. I love/hate maidens for that reason, lol. We'll see what happens!
-Richie
I appreciate the confidence. Now I just need to grow a pair and see what happens! I'm really nervous, but the nervous adrenaline is so addictive. I love/hate maidens for that reason, lol. We'll see what happens!
-Richie
02-08-2021, 08:27 AM
#1679
I was able to attempt the maiden last week. Success! It actually flew well. Not great, but well. I slowed her down really high, and the nose came down on stall, vs. a wingtip falling into a dreaded spiral. On final, I set full flaps and lowered throttle, and she sank like a rock, faster than any other plane I ever flew. I increased throttle enough to pull out of it just before I would've bought a piece of land, lol. I got super lucky with that one...
I only had one flight that day. I had a few screws loose (
) after the first flight and wanted to do a full inspection before next flight.
AUW with full fuel was 33 lbs., Xoar 22x10 wood prop, MAX RPM was 6400. Wing loading was in the high 50's!
Weight before fuel
I only had one flight that day. I had a few screws loose (
) after the first flight and wanted to do a full inspection before next flight.AUW with full fuel was 33 lbs., Xoar 22x10 wood prop, MAX RPM was 6400. Wing loading was in the high 50's!
Weight before fuel
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orthobird (02-09-2021)
02-10-2021, 06:38 AM
#1684
Cool, glad that helped,,
I'm curious,, how much time was on the g-62? Did you think it was pull as hard as it should?
I have a brand new one on my at-6 that still needs some breaking in,, it flew the 37lbs beast,, but not very fast,, hoping it's going to come alive and pull with more authority
I think re-schemeing my P-51 is next after I finish my Mig-3 project
I'm curious,, how much time was on the g-62? Did you think it was pull as hard as it should?
I have a brand new one on my at-6 that still needs some breaking in,, it flew the 37lbs beast,, but not very fast,, hoping it's going to come alive and pull with more authority
I think re-schemeing my P-51 is next after I finish my Mig-3 project
02-10-2021, 09:15 AM
#1685
My Feedback: (71)
Nice maiden flight.
I like your captured mustang finish.
if you want more speed, put APC T6 racing prop (20-15) and your stang will come alive.
tower hobbies sells it for $20.
if you want to put your stang on a diet, take out that heavy G62 and put in GP61. Unless you do need all that nose weight!!
khoi
I like your captured mustang finish.
if you want more speed, put APC T6 racing prop (20-15) and your stang will come alive.
tower hobbies sells it for $20.
if you want to put your stang on a diet, take out that heavy G62 and put in GP61. Unless you do need all that nose weight!!
khoi
02-10-2021, 11:23 AM
#1686
I like those projects you're working on. Yes, although beautiful, that mustang's current finish is very popular.
I have no idea about how much time is on my G-62, but looking through the carb and viewing the piston and cylinder, they both look pretty new to me. Not much discoloration or scratches. I've read the G-62 should be spinning at least 7K on the ground with my prop, as they like higher rpm. I am getting a lot of black soot from the exhaust and one of the guys at the field said it's because it's still breaking in. At 6400 rpm, I was getting a static thrust of about 26 lbs, so I felt comfortable with going with the maiden. The engine's still a little on the rich side. You could hear it gurgling on my landing setup. I could've gotten a few extra hundred rpm, but I surely did not want to get lean.
I've read the easiest trick to perform is to remove the cylinder head and replace the thick gasket between the cylinder body and crankcase with a thinner one, which effectively raises the compression. I'm going to give that a whirl. I have generic gasket material which looks thinner than the stock gasket, so I'm going to make my own.
Hope this helps,
Richie
I have no idea about how much time is on my G-62, but looking through the carb and viewing the piston and cylinder, they both look pretty new to me. Not much discoloration or scratches. I've read the G-62 should be spinning at least 7K on the ground with my prop, as they like higher rpm. I am getting a lot of black soot from the exhaust and one of the guys at the field said it's because it's still breaking in. At 6400 rpm, I was getting a static thrust of about 26 lbs, so I felt comfortable with going with the maiden. The engine's still a little on the rich side. You could hear it gurgling on my landing setup. I could've gotten a few extra hundred rpm, but I surely did not want to get lean.
I've read the easiest trick to perform is to remove the cylinder head and replace the thick gasket between the cylinder body and crankcase with a thinner one, which effectively raises the compression. I'm going to give that a whirl. I have generic gasket material which looks thinner than the stock gasket, so I'm going to make my own.
Hope this helps,
Richie
02-10-2021, 11:28 AM
#1687
black exhaust means it is still breaking in. When you get clear oily goop out of it, then its broken in. My DLE 20 has a gallon through it, still no where near broken in. Takes a lot of flying on the 20 since it uses so little gas.
02-10-2021, 11:34 AM
#1688
Nice maiden flight.
I like your captured mustang finish.
if you want more speed, put APC T6 racing prop (20-15) and your stang will come alive.
tower hobbies sells it for $20.
if you want to put your stang on a diet, take out that heavy G62 and put in GP61. Unless you do need all that nose weight!!
khoi
I like your captured mustang finish.
if you want more speed, put APC T6 racing prop (20-15) and your stang will come alive.
tower hobbies sells it for $20.
if you want to put your stang on a diet, take out that heavy G62 and put in GP61. Unless you do need all that nose weight!!
khoi
People have been telling me about that APC prop, but I'm really just looking for a safe speed, and not all out top speed. This thing is HEAVY, and I'm afraid if I pull a little too hard in a turn the wings will fold, lolol. So I'm trying to weigh (pun) my options with speed vs. falling out of the sky.
Yeah, I have about a pound of lead in the nose, so any lighter engine won't really help. I think I could hop up the G-62, but then I'm at the same fear of what I just wrote, that the wings may fold if I exceed G's. The thing is; who knows what that magic G number is?? At 33 lbs, I feel the wings are being stretched beyond their design capabilities. Since I didn't build it, or know who built it, I have no idea what the spar looks like.
To really be safe for events, I'm probably going to have to wring it out a bit at my field first, and if s*it happens, at least it would be "planned".
Richie
09-17-2021, 02:09 PM
#1691
well I finally got finished with my TF P-51 today. I have fiber glassed the fuselage and the wing. Before I balanced the plane it weighed 26lbs and it was tail heavy. I had to add 1.25 lbs to the nose to get it to balance at the 4 9/16" location(116mm). It should be around 27.5 lbs now. I have an RCGF 56 that spinns a 22x10 prop at 7100RPM so I think I will have enough power.
All my other planes have a much lighter wing loading so I hope I can fly this P-51 OK. Here are a few pics of the balancing.
All my other planes have a much lighter wing loading so I hope I can fly this P-51 OK. Here are a few pics of the balancing.
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Super18 (09-17-2021)
09-18-2021, 06:59 PM
#1693
My tf mustang is identical in weight and cg. It flies excellent. I destroyed the wing due to a bad potentiometer on the elevator servo but will have it up in a few months. It will fly great! Have nose down elevator mixed with the flaps (2 mm down full flaps for mine) and use factory throws. Mine tried to climb to the sun on my maiden. Other than that it was really easy.
09-23-2021, 07:32 AM
#1694
Jim, you should be totally fine. Your Mustang is looking sweet!
I was so worried with my setup at 33 lbs and spinning the 22x10 at 6400 RPM. I now changed it to the APC T6 prop, and it's definitely better. I haven't checked the RPM, but it's got to be above 7K. The engine sounds much happier with that prop too.
I've had about a dozen flights on my Mustang and I'm getting much more comfortable with it. Landings are really uneventful with keeping a little power on to keep up the speed. Be prepared for using RT rudder during takeoff.
One thing I noticed is that the plane was built using the elevator torque rods, and I noticed flutter on them on high speed fly by's. I'm in the process of adding sullivan steel control horns S554. They can get really close to the fuse and I was able to use the original pushrods which were connected to the torque rods by drilling a hole on the side of the fuse in line with the pushrod path back to the elevator. Good thing you aren't using the torque rods, but I hope this info could help other guys out there...
I was so worried with my setup at 33 lbs and spinning the 22x10 at 6400 RPM. I now changed it to the APC T6 prop, and it's definitely better. I haven't checked the RPM, but it's got to be above 7K. The engine sounds much happier with that prop too.
I've had about a dozen flights on my Mustang and I'm getting much more comfortable with it. Landings are really uneventful with keeping a little power on to keep up the speed. Be prepared for using RT rudder during takeoff.
One thing I noticed is that the plane was built using the elevator torque rods, and I noticed flutter on them on high speed fly by's. I'm in the process of adding sullivan steel control horns S554. They can get really close to the fuse and I was able to use the original pushrods which were connected to the torque rods by drilling a hole on the side of the fuse in line with the pushrod path back to the elevator. Good thing you aren't using the torque rods, but I hope this info could help other guys out there...
09-27-2022, 01:10 PM
#1695
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Bruges, BELGIUM
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Hi, My name is Patrick and I live in Bruges, Belgium.We are desperate looking for the plans of a Top Flite Giant Scale P51 Kit (TOPA0400) to repair a fuselage and part of the wing.Is there anybody who has them , could scan the plans and email them as PDF,TIFF or other format ?We are willing to pay you a Paypal fee for the effort. Best Regards,PatrickBelgium
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SportsFans (09-27-2022)
09-27-2022, 10:40 PM
#1697
Join Date: Aug 2006
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I did find the 60 (1/7th scale) of the top flite P51 in "Top Flite RC Modelers", but I didn't find the giant scale (1/5th) plans.
Am I looking in the wrong place?
