Park Zone P-51?

[moonbeam]

Hey Folks!
I'm new to this forum, and have browsed the threads looking for an answer to this question.
Recently, I purchased the Parkzone P-51, looks great, haven't got it to fly yet... (rookie mistakes!). I used to fly gas R/C a number of years back and still have the ability to handle one. One of my control settings was off a good bit and winged over on take off. No real damage to speak of. It got me thinking though, if I really have a bad crash and the only thing that suffers is the fuse/ and wings, could I use the same internal components on hobby lobby's P-51s?
I know HL recommends brushless and so on, but is it really necessary? Also, if anyone else has this plane, and especially any advise or tips, please let me know.

[BRKNARW]

I'll begin by saying that I love the PKZ/HBZ products. And I'm sure that I have experienced an isolated incident. I have.....or should say had a PKZ P-51. Out of the box.....nothing short of frustrating. The plane never made it more than 20 yards before banking to the left and dumping into the ground. On my 5th and final trip out with the P-51 the flight time got past the 5 second mark and that was because I launched it from a 40 foot hill overlooking an old gravel pit. Wash rinse repeat, the plane performed the same way that it always did only this time with an extra 40 feet below me, I was able to give just enough input to almost land gently. If you enjoy a fast flying aerobatic plane, take a look at the F-27 Stryker. Easy to launch and land....and what happens in between is up to you. Good luck. I would really like to hear how the next few flights go, please keep me posted.

[moonbeam]

I'll begin by saying that I love the PKZ/HBZ products. And I'm sure that I have experienced an isolated incident. I have.....or should say had a PKZ P-51. Out of the box.....nothing short of frustrating. The plane never made it more than 20 yards before banking to the left and dumping into the ground. On my 5th and final trip out with the P-51 the flight time got past the 5 second mark and that was because I launched it from a 40 foot hill overlooking an old gravel pit. Wash rinse repeat, the plane performed the same way that it always did only this time with an extra 40 feet below me, I was able to give just enough input to almost land gently. If you enjoy a fast flying aerobatic plane, take a look at the F-27 Stryker. Easy to launch and land....and what happens in between is up to you. Good luck. I would really like to hear how the next few flights go, please keep me posted.


This doesn't sound good! What you described is exactly what mine did on the second, (and so far last) flight. The pinion gear came loose on the shaft. I tried 5min. epoxy but it didn't work. Parkzone is actually sending a new engine and gear. There have been plenty of other posts praising the PZ P-51. I'll just have to see for myself, but I hope I don't have the same fate!! This thing is too expensive to be just a display model. Thanks for the reply though, I'll let ya know how it goes, once the weather improves!

[Snoopy66]

I too an a newbie with approxiamtely 50 hours of flying time so far mainly on an UltraFly Cessna 182. I purchased the PZ P51 a few weeks after I started flying and put it aside until I thought I had enough experience to handle it. Well yesterday was that day and after arriving at my local park my son did the honors of hand launching while I manned the controls. Launch 1, hard left bank straight into the field, damaged the rear spinner plate but nothing else. Mmmm, might have a bit of torque roll here so on launch two I gave it a little right aileron to compensate, guess what? she rolled staight into the field again, this time snapping a wing and caving in the front end a little. Very disappointing, as I thought I must have done something wrong. I took it home and repaired it for the rest of the day and retried just before dusk. i was on my own this time so hand launched up and forward at at abount 45 degree's with full right aileron to compensate this time.... yep you guessed it. Left roll directly into the deck... I am so disappointed with this model and I don't understand why there is so much uncontrollable roll on launch. Anyway I have decided to only stay with aircraft that use u/c so I am looking at the GWS P51 which has optional retracts allowing me to test fly at a matter of inches off the ground rather than throwing $140 worth of foam into the unknown and hoping for the best.

[Virg.]

............. i was on my own this time so hand launched up and forward at at abount 45 degree's with full right aileron to compensate this time.... yep you guessed it. Left roll directly into the deck... I am so disappointed with this model and I don't understand why there is so much uncontrollable roll on launch........

SNOOP, The behavior that you and MOONBEAM describe is not limited to the PZ P-51! Maybe if this thread were moved to the AERODYNAMICS forum, you'd get some insightful advice on this problem. I've had this same early experience on a different foamie ...... the problem being slight tailheaviness on a plane that was underpowered. This combination of factors will GUARANTEE this same behavior, ESPECIALLY if launching at 45º!

I've witnessed THREE such incidents with other modelers, all trying their first electrics. I think that launching at such a steep angle must have been a habit carried over from their younger days, launching rubber-powered models. Launching these small models took them back to the familiar models of their youth, and they launched the electrics in the same manner with this unfortunate result!

The instruction manual for my Graupner Mini Piper states that you should hand-launch STRAIGHT AHEAD, into the wind, of course, (Other sources advise: "Throw at the horizon").
Then, when at 25-30 ft., level off and begin your first turn (VERY GENTLY). If you turn too soon (before good flying speed is attained), she will SNAP AND FALL (maybe 20 ft.) before you can get good control. Everything may LOOK OK, but the model may be just on the verge of a STALL! A little bit of lift is lost in a turn and the result is a SNAPROLL.

Your experience seems to happen when flying straight ahead, though. What about lateral balance? You might want to check this. Also, tip balancing should show a SLIGHT nose-down condition.

There are other factors that could cause this problem, but this is enough for this posting. Let's hope for other comments on this thread, but keep in mind the AERODYNAMICS forum.

Virg.

[Snoopy66]

SNOOP, The behavior that you and MOONBEAM describe is not limited to the PZ P-51! Maybe if this thread were moved to the AERODYNAMICS forum, you'd get some insightful advice on this problem. I've had this same early experience on a different foamie ...... the problem being slight tailheaviness on a plane that was underpowered. This combination of factors will GUARANTEE this same behavior, ESPECIALLY if launching at 45º!

I've witnessed THREE such incidents with other modelers, all trying their first electrics. I think that launching at such a steep angle must have been a habit carried over from their younger days, launching rubber-powered models. Launching these small models took them back to the familiar models of their youth, and they launched the electrics in the same manner with this unfortunate result!

The instruction manual for my Graupner Mini Piper states that you should hand-launch STRAIGHT AHEAD, into the wind, of course, (Other sources advise: "Throw at the horizon").
Then, when at 25-30 ft., level off and begin your first turn (VERY GENTLY). If you turn too soon (before good flying speed is attained), she will SNAP AND FALL (maybe 20 ft.) before you can get good control. Everything may LOOK OK, but the model may be just on the verge of a STALL! A little bit of lift is lost in a turn and the result is a SNAPROLL.

Your experience seems to happen when flying straight ahead, though. What about lateral balance? You might want to check this. Also, tip balancing should show a SLIGHT nose-down condition.

There are other factors that could cause this problem, but this is enough for this posting. Let's hope for other comments on this thread, but keep in mind the AERODYNAMICS forum.

Virg.


Virg

Thanks for the reply....
I set the 51 up with a touch of nose heaviness to be safe??? and I had an 9.6v in her on the first launch and thought it may be under powered so I flipped a 11.1v in it for the second disasterous round, so had plenty of power to boot. The plane is a write off now so I won't get a chance to check what you suggest but thanks anyway.

Snoopy66

[moonbeam]

The launch of the flight, where it rolled into the ground, was straight ahead. She dipped, and I gave it slight back pressure. It momentarily started to climb, then rolled left into the ground. The only damage I got was the spinner back-plate, and some "crumple" on the right wing tip. All is repaired and hardly noticable.
However, I did discover that the pinion gear had come loose, and no repair seemed to fix it. After calling PZ, (and fibbing a little, I didn't tell them the plane crashed. Just that it lost power and the loose gear was the cause.) they are sending me a new engine with pinion gear. I am however concerned that once she's all back together and ready to fly, the "roll-in" incident will occur again.
It's a crime that they can sell a plane with "out-of-the-box" flaws, when they advertise "out-of-the-box ready to fly" and NO warranty if crashed, even if it's due to their bad design! I can only pray that I haven't spent $200 on a foam display model. :mad:

[moonbeam]

Problem solved folks!!!

I did some more research on PZ P-51 reviews and found this:

‘Due to the large propeller, when launching, do not use full throttle else the plane will torque roll over on its left side and crash. Grasp the fuselage behind the wing and give a hard flat throw so the plane can gain speed, then apply full throttle to accelerate and climb out. :D

I know this comes late for you guys that augered, but I learned something useful..... ALWAYS research the internet before you do something new. It took a little digging to get past the usual "endorsement" type reviews, but this was by PZ's tech support at the bottom of seemingly "hyped" review. I almost blew the review off until I spotted a HUGE yellow block with a "LAUNCH CAUTION". Hope this helps anyone having the same issues.

[Snoopy66]

Problem solved folks!!!

I did some more research on PZ P-51 reviews and found this:

‘Due to the large propeller, when launching, do not use full throttle else the plane will torque roll over on its left side and crash. Grasp the fuselage behind the wing and give a hard flat throw so the plane can gain speed, then apply full throttle to accelerate and climb out. :D

I know this comes late for you guys that augered, but I learned something useful..... ALWAYS research the internet before you do something new. It took a little digging to get past the usual "endorsement" type reviews, but this was by PZ's tech support at the bottom of seemingly "hyped" review. I almost blew the review off until I spotted a HUGE yellow block with a "LAUNCH CAUTION". Hope this helps anyone having the same issues.

Maybe they should include this info in the manual which is where you would expect to find such things. I am gonna go home after work and scour the manual as I am pretty confident that this isn't in there anywhere.

But hey thanks for the info.... I have emailed Parkzone in regard to this so any comments I get from them I will post.

Cheers

Snoopy66

[BRKNARW]

Moonbeam,

Awsome information! Way to do your homework!!!! I sent the 51 back to PZ, just to see what their response is. If I get another p51 I'll give this new launch technique a try. I'll let you know what PZ response is. Thanks for the update.

[Snoopy66]

Problem solved folks!!!

I did some more research on PZ P-51 reviews and found this:

‘Due to the large propeller, when launching, do not use full throttle else the plane will torque roll over on its left side and crash. Grasp the fuselage behind the wing and give a hard flat throw so the plane can gain speed, then apply full throttle to accelerate and climb out. :D

I know this comes late for you guys that augered, but I learned something useful..... ALWAYS research the internet before you do something new. It took a little digging to get past the usual "endorsement" type reviews, but this was by PZ's tech support at the bottom of seemingly "hyped" review. I almost blew the review off until I spotted a HUGE yellow block with a "LAUNCH CAUTION". Hope this helps anyone having the same issues.


As stated in an earlier post I was keen to get home and read the instruction manual that came with the 51...

Page 10 - Step 14 - Item 4
"While holding the transmitter in one hand, push the throttle slider to full on (up) with thumb."

Now its interesting that you found this additional info from PZ. I am yet to hear from them and will be bringing this fact up with them.

It makes me wonder how many people have destroyed their P51 this way and not done anything about it. I know some experienced flyers may just say "bad luck, thats the way it goes", but this particular aircraft is marketed towards the less experienced of us...

Snoopy66

Snoopy66

[Snoopy66]

ParkZones response to the launch problem.

>Dear Sir,
>
>If you are launching the kit at full throttle that may be the problem. When
>launching, use about 3/4 throttle rather than full. If you are still having
>problems then go ahead and send the kit into our service department. They
>will look it over and see what they need to do to get you taken care of.
>If you send the kit in, send it to:
>
>Horizon Service
>Attn: ParkZone
>4105 Fieldstone Rd.
>Champaign, IL 61822

[moonbeam]

Park Zone better give you a new plane! The manual says nothing of launching without full throttle. Here's the link I found that says otherwise:

http://www.modelflight.com.au/hobbyzone/parkzone_p-51_mustang.htm

After talking to several hobby shops about customer responses, out of a total of 8 customers, only 1 crashed and he said it was his own fault. Although I feel better about flying it again, this "technical oversite" is pretty darn important! They need to be aware of it. I'll call them tomorrow and make sure something is done. As for you guys that crashed, I'd call and tell them about the lack of detail in the manual, and that IT's the reason your plane is destroyed. BE NICE about it. Trust me, being calm and courtious seems to get good results. After all, the person you'll be talking to didn't write the manual, but they have to listen to people bitch about it all day.
Personnaly, I think at minimum, they'll replace the parts that are damaged. Good luck, and I'll not only let you know what PZ says, but when I get some time to fly, I'll give a full report on the mission results! :D

[Snoopy66]

Yeh I saw that warning too... funny thing is thats were I bought the plane and they didn't mention it. They knew I was a beginner...:(

PZ have asked me to send the damaged parts to them in the US and they will see what they can do!!!.... I'm in Australia. Would be almost cheaper for me to buy a new plane than pay for airfreight to the states.

I have kindly asked them if they have any other options, waiting to hear back.

Cheers

Snoopy66

[BRKNARW]

Happy to announce that Park zone shipped a new P-51. Haven't had a chance to fly yet. I'll be sure to try the new launch method. Good Luck

[moonbeam]

Hey Gang!
Wow! This user name is still working! I changed to "McSwine" because the password for this one has been acting up.
Anyway, frustrating news on my bird. I had to send it back because she still won't hold power. With the prop off, and the engine disco'd from the gear box, everything works fine. As soon as I put it all back together, the engine won't engage until 30% throttle, and cuts off at 75%. I tried swapping out the original and new replacement parts they sent, to try every combination. At least this last series of tests were consistant.
I believe it's the battery and charger, as it only takes 5 minutes to charge and doesn't get warm, plus the charger makes 'crackling" noises (never a good thing), but the charge lasts 8 minutes.
My brother thinks it's the gear box. Personally, I'm just tired of messing with it! I still think this plane is great from all the reviews and posts, and their customer service is 2nd to none. They have been a real pleasure to deal with. So, rather than pout and throw the ole towel in, I'm hoping they can fix the problem so I can finally go fly!! What sucks is that it cost me $12 to ship it. I am very poor......
I'll let ya know what happens from here.

[BRKNARW]

I want to give everyone an update. I Just came back from flying the PKZ P-51, (Notice I mentioned Flying the P-51)...... The new launch method worked as hoped. I didn't have any of the problems during the launch as I had before and most important no snap roll six feet off the deck. The flight was almost perfect. The only problem I did have was flying into the wind at half to three quarter throttle it kept climbing and stalling. The All control surfaces were flat..... and trim on the xmiter seemed to help but not solve the problem. Any advice

[Snoopy66]

PZ got back to me and have asked me to contact their European distributor for an exchange. I must say this is mighty good of them but I am not going to accept their offer as I am not very happy with the build quality of the model. I am going to find myself a nice solid foam version or similar. I have dinged and dented my UltraFly Cessna and on one occasion even rolled it into a tree trunk on landing, ( misjudged the landing :))... anyway that thing is still flying no worries... had that been the 51 I think she would not have come off so good being a foam skin rather than solid foam.

I managed to score a GWS P51 off Ebay for $50 which is quite a bargain considering they are $125 in the shops here. I also have some GWS micro retracts that I am modifying for it... (too strengthen the leg and look scale like) I will post pics maybe..

Anyway good to hear someone is having launch success...

PS I read another post on another forum where a club instructor was having heaps of trouble launching the 51....He tried everything... makes you wonder if there is an inherrant fault in some of the models that get shipped.

[burkyboy]

hi all! i am a kinda-sorta newbie to all this, but i do have both electric experience and glow experience.i have thought of a number of reasons as to why these things may be occuring.
1. too much torque on takeoff(or throwoff)
2. the plane was launched too far off its yaw axis, inducing not only a torque roll from over throttle, but also forcing the aircraft to correct this with airspeed. (throwing a plane off its yaw WILL force the aircraft to yaw in the opposite direction, and if the yaw is effected, then the roll will have to be effected, as yaw and roll go hand in hand with one another)
3. as to the problem with the throttle not engaging until 25% and disengaging at 75%, that sounds more like a radio problem moreso than anything else. for example. i have a park zone slo v(great learning aircraft, stable, yet it teaches the maneuvers that create unstable flight). One day, a freind gave me and archaic cessna model, like really ancient. we charged up that old nicad pac, and took her out to the field. i immediately noticed the slow response times. that was a signal. the owner of the plane said'just fly the friggin thing'. the first attempt resulted in a collision with a tree. as the plane got farther away, the responses became slower and slower, thus making this collision unaviodable(except by not flying:P). the following attempts produced similar results. just out of curiosity, i swapped out the radio with the one in my slo-v. sure enough, i got about 60% more power out of the motor, and the slow responses went away. that same plane, even though damaged did one of the prettiest loops i have ever seen in an electric. this plane was about 15 years old. my guess, bad crystals. check out the radio system.
now here are some solutions to these problems.
Im not sure what your manual may suggest, but start the motor WELL BEFORE THE PLANE LEAVES YOUR HAND. once you are ready to throw the aircraft, almost aim it off your nose into the desired direction, ensuring not to throw the aircraft off its yaw axis(i know the pain, it happened to me to with another craft!). when throwing it, i have found that some aircraft like even a little down pitch as being thrown. also at the same time i like to actually feel the wings start to produce lift as the aircraft leaves my hand(meaning you have to throw pretty darn hard). if you throw the aircraft in this fashion, the aircraft should be stable enough to maintain a full throttle without rolling at all unless there are other forces affecting this, such as radio interference.

also, after reading your experinces, i have chosen to purchase another aircraft, the Kyosho p51 rtf. it comes lighter, and with a less powerful motor, but that will be upgraded to a brushless of some sort. wont know which until i actually see how it flies with its stock motor. hope my advice helps! will follow up with my opinion of the kyosho.

[burkyboy]

soo, i took a look at the kyosho. i didnt like it, as it was 200 mm shorter on the wings. so i went ahead and purchased the park zone today.will hopefull have time and good wind tommorow for her first flight. she really is beautiful out of the box, and building was not as easy as expected. but went together quite well with the exception of some minor re-adjustments to some prebuilt parts. wish me luck!

[burkyboy]

ok.here's an update as to the events. i had the same start off problem. so after repairing surprisingly with no parts needed, i did some research. i found a picture of someone launching this bad boy. the man was throwing it up into the air. so after seeing this i tried it. B-E-A-UTIFUL. at half throttle. she went very easily.got on the throttle after a few seconds, adjusted the trims and i was having a blast after just a few seconds. just for this flight, i adjusted the ailerons down on both sides for a flaperon effect. very good move i found, as she can get kinda dobby in the lower speeds if you aren't used to the airframe. i will leave the flaps like this for a few flights, then go back to normal. another thing. at launch time i found that having the transmitter in mode a(trainer mode) really wasnt effective enough to correct torque roll.so i quickly switched to mode b. after becoming slightly familiar with her characteristics, i started to have a good time. first roll. beautiful. first loop. awe-inspiring.really had fun. after finding its stall point, i wanted to push myself, knowing i had the flaperons in place.i went to the far side of the field, on my left. pulled a loop, and coming out of the loop, i pushed the stick forward. she zipped by me with a real nice scream, as if she were saying to me (please do that again!). i know i could get her a bunch faster without the flaps. as i saw that she was geting weak, i brought her in. it was kind of a rough landing, damaging the under scoop.i will replace that soon.but just to get her back in the air i taped the wing in place and did it right, realizing my mistake of having too much speed and to much of an angle into the ground.so i threw her off again.didnt bother getting much altitude. but the second time i did a much better job judging the stall point and the altitude at which it were safe to stall at in order to land safely. hope my experiences help someone else!

[moonbeam]

hi all! i am a kinda-sorta newbie to all this, but i do have both electric experience and glow experience.i have thought of a number of reasons as to why these things may be occuring.
1. too much torque on takeoff(or throwoff)
2. the plane was launched too far off its yaw axis, inducing not only a torque roll from over throttle, but also forcing the aircraft to correct this with airspeed. (throwing a plane off its yaw WILL force the aircraft to yaw in the opposite direction, and if the yaw is effected, then the roll will have to be effected, as yaw and roll go hand in hand with one another)
3. as to the problem with the throttle not engaging until 25% and disengaging at 75%, that sounds more like a radio problem moreso than anything else. for example. i have a park zone slo v(great learning aircraft, stable, yet it teaches the maneuvers that create unstable flight). One day, a freind gave me and archaic cessna model, like really ancient. we charged up that old nicad pac, and took her out to the field. i immediately noticed the slow response times. that was a signal. the owner of the plane said'just fly the friggin thing'. the first attempt resulted in a collision with a tree. as the plane got farther away, the responses became slower and slower, thus making this collision unaviodable(except by not flying:P). the following attempts produced similar results. just out of curiosity, i swapped out the radio with the one in my slo-v. sure enough, i got about 60% more power out of the motor, and the slow responses went away. that same plane, even though damaged did one of the prettiest loops i have ever seen in an electric. this plane was about 15 years old. my guess, bad crystals. check out the radio system.
now here are some solutions to these problems.
Im not sure what your manual may suggest, but start the motor WELL BEFORE THE PLANE LEAVES YOUR HAND. once you are ready to throw the aircraft, almost aim it off your nose into the desired direction, ensuring not to throw the aircraft off its yaw axis(i know the pain, it happened to me to with another craft!). when throwing it, i have found that some aircraft like even a little down pitch as being thrown. also at the same time i like to actually feel the wings start to produce lift as the aircraft leaves my hand(meaning you have to throw pretty darn hard). if you throw the aircraft in this fashion, the aircraft should be stable enough to maintain a full throttle without rolling at all unless there are other forces affecting this, such as radio interference.

also, after reading your experinces, i have chosen to purchase another aircraft, the Kyosho p51 rtf. it comes lighter, and with a less powerful motor, but that will be upgraded to a brushless of some sort. wont know which until i actually see how it flies with its stock motor. hope my advice helps! will follow up with my opinion of the kyosho.

What actually was discovered was a number of things.
1. The manual says to give full throttle and throw straight forward.
She snap rolls from torque.
2. The prop shaft was too tight.
Therefore enhancing the torque roll.
3. I was not aware that the battery came out of the box with charge.
So charging it out of the box, screwed up the memory causing it not have an actual full charge, that's why it kept cutting off.

I discovered #3 today as I was draining the battery of my new P-51. As the charge wore down, it reacted exactly like my first plane did from the get-go.

So far, everything looks good and ready for her maiden flight tomorrow. I need to re-glue the aileron servo, ( as I had to remove it from the old wing to the new one. My user name hasn't been working from my computer, so check posts by McSwine, that is me as well.) Also, I've heard recommendations that putting "ready-foam" spray in the nose, between the battery and firewall, helps to re-enforce the nose section during landings. I might try this. I'll let ya know how it goes. :)

[Dooleyzone]

Hey Virg,
If you run CH2 on the PZ P51 and the electronics are good, I might be interested... BTW, My P51.... Same deal, now the guts are in something else, but I just toasted the electronics. :D

Virg

Thanks for the reply....
I set the 51 up with a touch of nose heaviness to be safe??? and I had an 9.6v in her on the first launch and thought it may be under powered so I flipped a 11.1v in it for the second disasterous round, so had plenty of power to boot. The plane is a write off now so I won't get a chance to check what you suggest but thanks anyway.

Snoopy66

[burkyboy]

hi all, back with an update after quite sometime. i have since totalled my p51, not me actually. i tried to show my buddy how to get her to take off, and he let her do her last torque roll right into the ground, ripping the wing clear off with its mountings and all.the would mean a new fuse and wing. time to get a new kit, and so happ with it ill just get another arf!!! but earlier that day, i had gotten so used to the flight characteristics i decided to do something daring... my forst totally inverted flight. i threw her off, and got her in the air and stable. then, upside down she went, and i decided to keep her there the entire flight. man, i loved that plane. thats the very reason im going to get another one just like it!

[moonbeam]

Hey Gang!
I'm also on RCGroups as McSwine, (352nd P-51 "Moonbeam McSwine" flown by Capt. Bill Whisner) I got a ride in the restored one during a 352nd FG reunion, lots of pics!!

As to my PZ Stang, I realized I hadn't updated the stats on this forum. I got my 3rd replacement a while back, and still haven't had a chance to fly it yet. At least I discovered why the first two wouldn't fly. The charger was giving me false peaks, ( a common problem from what I've heard) and the packs were never getting a full charge. In reality, I could still have fixed this. I was told that when the charger says it's done, make sure the pack is warm, if it's not keep charging until it is. Then I would have a full charge. So even though the charger was at fault, I still could have prevented boogering up the first two planes. At least PZ was EXTREMELY friendly and their customer service is nothing short of stellar!! :D

As soon as the weather and my schedule permitts, this baby's going airborne!!!! All functional checks look great, and she's got plenty of power. I also noticed better response from the throttle on this one, than my first two. Getting giddy like a 3 year old on Christmas Eve!!!!

I really won't have anything else to post until she flys, other than maybe some trouble shooting help that I've learned.

Anybody else have vids of their bird flying? I've been training myself, (and boosting my confidence!) by watching all the videos I can find of the PZ P-51. I'll try to do one of mine. All I have is a digital camera that also does short videos. So, no promises on the quality. :rolleyes:

[Capt Gazza]

All this talk scares me. I have purchased one of these because it is meant to be kind to beginers.I have not flown it yet as I am still learning but this thread has scared me some what. So do we agree that if launched level at 3/4 power the thing should not roll to the left. If anyone else has any more tips I would be greatful to here them as I dont want to kill it on it's first flight.

[moonbeam]

All this talk scares me. I have purchased one of these because it is meant to be kind to beginers.I have not flown it yet as I am still learning but this thread has scared me some what. So do we agree that if launched level at 3/4 power the thing should not roll to the left. If anyone else has any more tips I would be greatful to here them as I dont want to kill it on it's first flight.


Hey Capt., on RCGroups some of the guys suggested a little right aileron trim and a touch of up elevator. I'm hoping to fly mine this weekend, and if I do I'll give you a full report. ;)

[SabreHawk]

Hmmm, I saw this when it first released and almost bought it. Well, that was till I saw that there was no rudder control, and no landing gear.

A warbird with no rudder?...........no gear? Hmm, cant make a proper turn, cant make a proper landing.
Nuff said. :)

[dsilver668]

I haven't purchased mine yet, but.....
Here is what info I have on the PZ P-51 Mustang:
This infomration is a collection from other posts on other forums. I hope it helps you here.
#1. Take the engine out:
Motor Brake in:
The motor break-in is simple. If it is a new motor, solder on some leads. Find a containier large enough to hold the motor with an inch or so of water above the motor. Add three or four drop of liquid dishwashing or hand soap. Power the motor ith about 3 volts - I use two D-cell batteries in series - be sure to run the motor in the same direction it will be turning mounted in the plane. . Let the motor run for about five minutes. The water will be a little grey from the brushes seating. Change the water, add soap, repeat until the water stays clean after five minutes. With a good penlight you can inspect the brushes before and after. When new, the brushes have a pair of "rails" that just barely touch the commutator. After running in, they are firmly seated to the commutator over their full length.
Replace Engine:
Check the 2 screws that hold the motor on the gearbox to make sure these are not loose. Might want to use some loctite to keep the screws in place here.
#2 Wep and oil the gear box:
Machine shop stores, or some good old natural tooth past works here. You want something with grit.
Put a little on the gears and run the engine for one battery cycle. Clean the gear box completly and add a small drop of true flow silicone oil.
#3 Shim the front of the wing with a 1/16" piece of card board to drop the incident of the wind.
#4 Move the receiver, it sits where the screws for the wing go into the fusealage, and the screw can go into it.
#5 True flow the aleron tubes. The control linkages are not stainless, and can corode. A little true flow will make them move easier and protect them a little.
#6 use Elmers white glue instead of tape on the elivator. It is still removable with a little work but will absolutely stay on.
#7 Optional: add washout to ailerons : set your ailerons up so the trailing edge of the upper part of the aileron is 3/64" to 1/8" above the surface of the wing at the TE.
#8 Check and recheck the CG!!!! CG is 70 mm from the leading edge of the wing along the sides of the Fuse!
#9 Optional:
Use Great Stuff to foam the inside of the nose in front of the battery compartment. This won't add much weight and will protect you from trashing the nose during a ruff landing.

Add some landing gear..
This I would sugest because it makes it easier to land and not nose into the ground...

[ajoksch]

This forum sounds all to familiar. I recieve a monthly mag on real warbirds. The back is lousy with stories of after war P-51's being totaled on takoff by new pilots applying to much throttle and torque rolling. It sounds like PZ has duplicated the real plane nicely.

[smackdn773]

Hello All
I will have to admit that I had trouble with the p-51 banking into the ground after my hand launch. But I learned that it was not the plane, but the way I was throwing it on launch. I believe that by me trying to "throw" the plane my follow through was causing the plane to already be at a slight downward angle and without having enough airspeed would go straight into the ground. I have modified my throwing abilities to just taking one to two steps foward and giving the plane a toss in an upward motion. I have had many flight since then and have not had a single problem. I learned that with these ready to fly aircraft they are mass produced, so screws do need to be checked and the cg's corrected to the best of your ability. Prior to the first flight I will charge the battery and run everything up in front of a fan (for engine cooling), to make sure that everything checks out. I hope this restores some confidence in those of you that gave up on a nice flying aircraft.

Steve

[moonbeam]

This doesn't sound good! What you described is exactly what mine did on the second, (and so far last) flight. The pinion gear came loose on the shaft. I tried 5min. epoxy but it didn't work. Parkzone is actually sending a new engine and gear. There have been plenty of other posts praising the PZ P-51. I'll just have to see for myself, but I hope I don't have the same fate!! This thing is too expensive to be just a display model. Thanks for the reply though, I'll let ya know how it goes, once the weather improves!

Boy this is OLD!!!! LOL

Since then, I'm on my 6th airframe with 28 consecutive successful flights. Lovin it!! (NO not McDonalds!! :p).

[Leo L]

I wonder if you could use the landing gear from the new Corsair and add it to your Mustang, allowing you to take off from the ground?

[warriorrod]

Being a very new Rc pilot to the under wing-four channel world and having a month of flying on this war bird and I must say it is nothing short of awesome. I have done all of things your not suposed to do, like fly it in high winds or crashing it in the top of every tree in my yard. the other day I caught a thermal without power and litterally lost sight of it. I have used as much packing tape on this little jewel from repairs I could of covered the cool box it came in. On a recent flight i nosed it in really hard...so hard it bounced straight back up about 5 feet, tilted over and began to correct its own attitude...so like every learning pilot would do, I took it for another pattern around my yard. Then, I brought it in like nothing ever happened. Unfortunately, I have broke the battery connectors on both the factory and after market brand and its resting in its hanger (the box). I anticipate buy a new one this week as it has been a very rewarding experience for the money spent. I wish someone would invent a glider this size with these features. ROD