Love the Wingo

[Wingo Nut]

Hello all. I have been reading thru some of the posts and decided to join....... I love to fly, (hence wingo nut) I bought the original wingo when they first came to the states, and crashed and burned several times. Needless to say the epoxy is great! I see that many others have modified their plane as well for stability. The only thing I didnt like was the landing gear and that cheep piece of wood that the axle glues to. Modifiacation is my other hobby!!!!!!!! LOL...... To make a long story short, I crashed it soo bad, I bought another one, and still fly it today. I then got the Porter about 2 years ago now, and love that one too!!! Has anyone ever had any problems with the Porter? I have had a few, but it consists of hard landings and sudden gusts of wind !! :D
If any one has the Porter, please let me know of any mods (if any) that you have made. I thank you in advance for all the advice.

[COLOR=coral]Wingo Nut.:cool:

[Wingo Nut]

Well today was a good day to fly here in Michigan.... A little on the windy side..... It felt soo good to fly since late fall of last year! I am now thinking of joining a club here in my home town, and they seem to be very helpful and understanding. It will be the first time for me! :D

Has anyone ever started out on a 3 channel and then jumped to a 4 channel with or with out any problems???:confused:
I know the added channel is the airilons (spelling off). Does any one have any good ideas for a good trainer plane?

Thanks
Wingo Nut :cool:

[Wings]

The guys I fly with recommend the WattAge Crazy Max for a first aileron model. You can do a search to find out more about it. The GWS Zero might be a possibility as well.

Good luck. I'm also looking for my next plane, perhaps my first aileron model as well.

Wings

[Wingo Nut]

Wings,

Thanks for the info, I will do some research on that!! Thank you! :D

I just hope that mother nature is nice to us this summer!!

Thanks again,

Wingo Nut:cool:

[Iglooman]

I thought Wingo fans were dropping off with the coming of the Tiger Moth, but I'm glad to see I'm wrong! I just got my Wingo runnning this weekend, and so far I'm 50% at landing... :)

2 Flights. First one was a success. Second was rattled by too many 'Watch out for the ..." and "you're going to hit ...". I had my flight plan all planned out, but got rattled and choked. Wingo met patio stone head on. Cracked the fuselage near the tail boom, but the front bra took most of the blow, and held it all together! !0 minutes and some 5-minute epoxy, and it's ready to go again.

Finally balanced the model better too, so I expect better flight performance. It was too nose heavy before (I think).

Waiting for a calm night to re-trim and get my flight percentage back up to 66% :)

Also hoping my pontoons will come soon so I can fly off the water in front of our place. So much more space, and soo easy to get to.

Mike

[Wingo Nut]

Mike,
Hey I know all about the 5 minute epoxy!!! I also know about "your gonna hit the..." and "watch out for the........" how about this....... "now its stuck in the..........." (tree's, on roof's) I been there and back, several times.!!!

I think the wingo is a very good plane to start with. I dont know too much about the Tiger Moth, I have the 1st wingo, and also the bigger brother "Porter". I never got the floats, there is the fear of electricity and water that dont mix with me!!!! :D

If you have the 1st wingo, and the small battery, try locating the battery more towards the rear of the canopy. That gave me better CG in the past.. Dont for get to use a little bit of Velcro to hold the pack in place. Dont forget to keep your wires as short as possible to reduce weight.

One hint, if you get alot of altitude, cut back on the throttle and "float" around. You will love the way it handles and looks.

When landing, come in nice and slow and gradually. Use the throttle to control the rate of your landing. Faster means more altitude, and slower means less. "Baby" the throttle and get the hang of it. Try some "touch and goes" to get the feel of it as well.

I think the Wingos are easy to fly and most of all. FUN!!

When you get enough experience, find a buddy with another wingo, and try some slow low flying next to each other. Its one heck of a show. Keep in touch, and good luck on your landings.

Fly Wingo Fly...............


Wingo Nut :cool:

[Iglooman]

I have the regular Wingo, not the Porter. It's new though, just got it, with the aluminum tail boom and plastic bra. Also have a 1100 mAh battery (8 cell). Should net me close to 15 minutes with throttle management, more if I can find thermals (once I learn where to look).

Getting CG isn't a big problem. Fishing and R/C aircraft seem to mesh well together. One large weight taped to the end of the boom, and it looks like it's about right - just a slight dip to the nose.

I've read alot about water running, so I'm pretty confident it'll work good. Flying hasn't been a big problem. I've had alot of practice on a flight sim. Just need a bit more real stick experience.

I'll have to try and talk a fellow from town into getting one. He's been working on a beaver or otter for over a year. I'll just let him come watch once and he'll be hooked and eager to get flying. :)

Mike.

[Wingo Nut]

I agree with the "real stick" feel. Sims can help to teach, but you need the real thing. I never thought of putting a weight on the tail boom........ good idea.

When I got my Wingo, it had the layered wooden boom. I never broke that, thank goodness.. On the porter, they use the aluminum boom too. Major improvement!!!

As soon as your friend gets to see the flight, I am sure he will be hooked!! Its too much fun. :D

I know that thermals are kind of tricky to find, well for me anyhow, good luck on trying to find them, cause once you do, yoiu will love it!!!

Well I am going to charge some batteries, and try to have a successful day myself......

See ya in the skies


Wingo Nut :cool:

[Wings]

The Wingo/Soarstar isn't going away. Waaaaay too much fun to put it in retirement. :D

As for adding weight, I'm a bit concerned about that. There's a lot of room in the cockpit, and the preference should be to reposition the electronics as much as possible before resorting to adding weight. I've never had any trouble adjusting the CG in my Soarstar just by moving the battery back and forth.

With that big battery pack and your added weight, I don't know how well it will thermal. Your flights should still outlast most of the other guys, though. 1100mAh will last a while. :) I get about 15 minutes with my Soarstar on the cheapo Radio Shack 1600mAh NiMH pack (record is 21 minutes on a charge), but it ought to be labeled about 1400mAh because that's all my poor pack could ever cram in (fast charged it the first time...doh!). The NiMH is lighter than the NiCad, though.

Regardless, both planes are beautiful flying machines that love to fly. You can load 'em down, fly the wings off, crash 'em, put 'em back together, and they still won't hold a grudge. If only I could say that about my boss! :rolleyes:

Wings

[Iglooman]

I use got the 1100 mAh NiCad pack from Hobby Lobby and it's supposed to be less than the NiMH pack of the same size (7.5 oz NiCad Vs. 8 oz NiMH).

I have my receiver velcroed to the rear side of the compartment. The ESC gets pushed back to the rear, and the battery gets shoved back as far as I can get it. Maybe I'm hitting something and not getting it back as far as I could (hard to get my face low enough to see back there...) :)

I just added a small weight, 1 oz at most I think. It seems to have evened out the CG pretty well. My battery pack is only 2 oz over the size they usually sell with the Wingo - 600 mAh.

The 1650 mAh NiMH 8 cell pack I'm looking at should weight in at about 8 oz. Not too bad. What does your Radio Shack pack weight Wings?

I read one web page that said no matter what, get your CG right, even if you have to add some weight. I guess I'll see if they're right. Was hoping to go tonight, but we have a front blowing in, with rain starting. No nice calm night to fly tonight. :(

Mike.

[Wings]

Hmm...interesting numbers on those packs. I've never weighed the radio shack pack, but it is certainly heavier than the stock pack (9.6V 600mAh NiCad). I've always been told that, for a given capacity, NiMH is roughly half the weight of NiCad, so a rough estimation should put my pack at about the equivalent of a 9.6V 800mAh NiCad. Can't say whether it's a weak formula, poorly-made pack (in terms of weight savings), or if the retailer is just pulling one on you in order to make the sale.

I hate to say this but the last possibility is by no means a joke, either. While Hobby Lobby isn't out to snow any of us, they are by no means impartial either. The Wingo vs. Soarstar issue documented that well. Their advice is generally good, but they'd sure appreciate a sale too. :)

As for my comments about reduced thermalling ability, they do apply to your pack. I should have clarified that weight is weight, regardless of whether it's NiMH or NiCad. I personally will trade thermal options for the increased stability and duration with the heavier pack since my thermalling skills aren't that great anyhow. Summed up, would you rather glide it or fly it?

1 oz. shouldn't be too bad. The geared power systems don't mind that at all. Can't speak for direct drive, but I suspect the difference is noticed due to the weaker thrust to begin with. I agree: CG is critical! Anything listed as "check before every flight" is obviously crucial to you and your model's well-being... :( :eek: :mad:

As for the weather, that seems to be my luck. I have to work most Saturdays, and it seems like the few I get off are either wet, windy, or both... Patience is good, but I'd rather be flying. :D

Wings

[Wingo Nut]

Wings,

I agree with your opinion on weight. It is what... it is. Weight.
With the few days I get to get up in the sky, I always, no matter what, go thru a routine pre-flight check.. I have payed the price one to many times from not doing it.! :eek:
I never looked at the difference between Nicad and the new cells, I still use 2000 Mah machted cells from my HPI touring car. I have plenty of them, so why not :)

I found the "soar star" or should I say, BITE OFF THE WINGO.
I am not impressed however... That just goes to show that the original (wingo) is still the best!! In my book anyhow.!!!:D

I am not too lucky on finding any thermals myself, but when I do come into one, I am up...up....and A-W-A-Y.... I have managed to stay in one for a good 10 minutes, and I thought I would never come down. All good things must come to an end...... :(

Have you, or anyone that you know of, ever put a gear box on the Wingo, or on a Porter ( 2 of them needed for the porter:( )??
What about changing the prop?

Well thanks for the info and lets all fly safe, in good weather....... permitting that is.........


See you all in the sky

Wingo Nut :cool:

[Iglooman]

My ESC fried tonight. I accidentally left my battery plugged in last charge, so I went to go use the plane and I didn't have power. Don't know why it discharged with the switch off... Oh well.

Came back and charged battery. Plugged it in and tried to test my plane and the ESC went poof. No engine power, but BEC works. ARG. Only 2 flights. Hmmm. Maybe I should have got Soarstar... :)

Will call HL tomorrow and hopefully they'll do something about it. I've heard good things about customer support. Let's hope they're true.

Sigh,

Mike.

[Iglooman]

Wings,

I don't know how bad it'll affect thermal ability, but it's only 3 oz over regular advertised weight (using their calculations...) I have yet to weight it.

Wingo Nut,

I have the 2.33:1 gear box setup that Hobby Lobby now offers (much better price than the old gearbox apparently - about $25 US + prop and motor - I think it was about $30-35 total...)

I haven't set it up yet, as I need to cut the drive shaft on the motor, and was a little apprehensive about doing it... Still am - they never mentioned that when I bought it. I don't have a dremel, and I'm not sure I want to take our steel cut-off saw to it. Might be a bit rough on the motor... Still thinking. We've got almost any tool you can think of with our business. (well maybe not quite, but a lot of them...)

I was (and am) going to set it up this weekend if I get a chance. I'll let you know how it goes when I get a chance to get it up in the air. Wanted the gear drive for the float setup. Of course, now I need another ESC, and if HL will replace, it'll probably be another 2 weeks to ship to Canada. :(

Mike

Mike.

[Wings]

The gearbox mod is highly recommended! With that, the big differences between the two models are the electronics, the tail feathers, and the boom.

In our hobby can we really say "only" 3 oz.? I keep hearing the broken record of saving grams. The first time the guys I fly with saw my Radio Shack pack, they just about died with disbelief! It's like a brick compared to their packs. Aren't we spoiled rotten? :D

As for props, the Soarstar comes with an 8x4. With the 2.33:1 gearbox on a Speed 400, you could probably start there and decide for yourself what to use. Be sure your ESC is up to the task as well, and it should be if it can handle direct drive. 10A is marginal; my Soarstar came with a 14A unit. Make sure you get it rotating the proper direction.

I consider the Soarstar and Wingo pretty much equals as models. I've flown both, and the differences I've found are usually related to electronics, builder, and pilot. The advantages to the Wingo: original designers, aluminum tail boom, sturdier tail, accessories (many of which fit both models). Advantages to the Soarstar: better value kit, first to eliminate boom flex known as the "Wingo tuck", geared motor system (gearbox is even mounted already). I've heard some arguments that the Soarstar design has the edge in performance, but I only agree if that's comparing stock models. As I said before, add the gearbox to the Wingo and you've got the same idea.

Of course, as they say: you can't go wrong with either one. Sure, we each have our preferences, but both are excellent models. What a deal. :)

Wings

[Wings]

Originally posted by Wings
Make sure you get it rotating the proper direction.

The prop, that is!

Directions for ESC:
Pre-heat to 350 degrees and bake for 15 minutes. Stir constantly. Let cool before smashing 5 times with a hammer. Say the dog did it and beg for permission to buy a new one, then bury the evidence...

:p

Wings

[Iglooman]

Well, I sent the battery and ESC back to HL today. Maybe I'll be flying in another month. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to do mail order from the US... :)

Good news! Pontoons are on their way from Great Hobbies. At least I can get the geared drive and pontoons ready. With my luck, I'll get it all back in time for freeze up... :)

I knew I should have bought my wife that Pico stick as a surprise!

Well, at least I have my transmitter... I can pretend! :D

Share your Wingo flight experiences with me and help me imagine.

Mike.

[Wingo Nut]

Wings....... I love your idea of "Fried ESC Soup" GOOD ONE.... :D

I am going to get the gear box, well two of them for my Porter soon. I am also thinking of buying the new brushless motors adn controller and using two motors "Y'd" into one controller.... I have seen it before on a 4wd R/C truck... we will see.
I am using an old Tekin ESC out of my HPI touring car right now to handle the load of the two speed 400's, on the poter...... I still get off the ground too! I also have the Jeti 10 from my other wingo that is in great shape. I just need to bring the wingo "back from the dead" *** SCALPAL PLEASE*** ***5 minute Epoxy.......*** You know the story......... heheheehehheehe:D

Mike, sorry to hear about the fried mess, it happens to the best of us...... I have seized motors on R/C cars, just after breaking them in, and toasted new ESC's cause of static discharge from carpet racing..... I feel your pain.......:eek:

Thanks for the info Wings.......

Mike...... take a deep breath and just remember what happened, so it wont happen again....

To feel better follow these steps:

1) Look at the mistake
2) KNOW what you did wrong, and not do it again...
3)Get new parts and install them..
4) Pull foot out of your butt....from kicking your self so hard......lol

WE ALL MAKE SILLY MISTAKES....... I know I do.......... :p

Take care all and see ya up there.........


Wingo Nut :cool:

[Iglooman]

How can I check if my motor is damaged, and possibly the cause of my malfunction (no matter, since I'll be using the second (Graupner) motor on the gear drive and have it set up for when the ESC gets here...

I still don't like the idea of running my motor in water with dish detergent. I used a d Cell and let it run for a long time to break it in as it said in the Wingo manual.

Funny thing is it shouldn't have happened. The Jeti 10 is protected against overload and engine blockage... :(

Guy at HL thought maybe the cells reversed when the pack drained while plugged in, but I checked it with my voltmeter (which reads a negative current, since it's digital). Voltage was 11.26 or something like that fully charged...

So I still don't know what went wrong.

Mike.

[Wings]

Did you check the voltage under load prior to recharging the pack? I'm not much up on that stuff, but I doubt you can get an accurate reading after hooking the pack up to the charger again.

11.26 after charging or at peak? Most of my 8-cell packs register a peak above 13V at 1-1.5C on my AstroFlight 110D. The actual voltage probably runs closer to 11.4-11.5V (guess based on Tx pack report).

Glad you liked the soup recipe. :) Just add water and serve!

Wings

[Iglooman]

I'm not sure what the charger read, I used a voltmeter, which might be why it was 11 something. Pior to charging it was at 8 something. But none of that was under load. When I put it on the Supernova, it discharged 3 mAh and then went to charge mode, (it switches to charge at around 6 volts I think). I'm recharging at 1C, and discharging at .6 amp.

I think I forgot to remove the shrink wrap before making the soup - I hit a real chewy part... :D

Mike.

[Wingo Nut]

Mike,
The way I check to see if a motor is fried is to take your digital voltmeter and set it to Ohms......... Take your positive lead from meter and hook it to the positive lead on motor and negitive on the other side....... WIth NO power to the motor, you should read resistance on the meter. If you get a 0 (zero) that means the motor is dead.......... fried......toast, or just a paper weight.
I never "broke in " my motors for my plane, only on my R/C cars... due to the removeable brushes. If your ESC is good, and never got warm when you did this, it should be fine.

Does your motor spin freely with your fingers?? or is it locked up?

It is very possible to reverse the voltage on your cells, if you discharge them below the cutoff, which is normally .9 volts or .65 volts. When that happens you need to toss the cell(s) in the recycle bin.

Hope this helps.......

Wingo Nut :cool:

[Iglooman]

Seems to spin freely (at least as freely as the Graupner) with the regular hard spots from magnets. I'll check resistance later.

I have a funny feeling I'll just toss the motor to be safe. It's only $15 to get a new one, and certainly not worth risking blowing another ESC if it wasn't the pack... I can't wait 2 months to fly again!

Question : I have the supernova 250 charger. Shouldn't it have detected a reversed pack before charging it? Or will the pack charge normally but give reversed output?

Thanks for the support guys,

Mike.

[Wingo Nut]

Mike,

I never used the Super Nova. So I dont know much about it....sorry :(
I use a Novak Millennium..... I have never had any problems with it.. Most good middle to high end chargers with peak detection and Voltage threshhold will work great for any batteries. You need to be carefull if your using the new NiMH ones. Make sure your charger is capable of it!!!!
Here is a good web site on the Millennium PRO..
Chargers...... (http://www.teamnovak.com/products/chargers/millennium_pro/mill_pro.htm)

There are tons and tons of chargers on the market with different bells and whistles, it just depends on how much $$$$ money you want to spend and the features too. I know the Millennium will detect a reversed pack, and try to correct it, I had one do it to me once!!!!

I have a couple of the speed 400's that are like new. If you would like one, just let me know...

Hope this helps ya and I want to get flying too...... talk to ya later


Wingo Nut :cool:

[Iglooman]

I checked the motor in question and it read 0.7 ohms. Check the new Graupner and it was 33. I guess that's the problem. ESC still shouldn't have fried. It's supposed to shut down.

I am seriously thinking about getting a Pico Stick, or maybe a Tiger Moth from GWS to tide me over (and while I place the order I'll tack on another 400 motor... I guess it's good to have a spare.) That would give my wife a plane she could learn on. Not sure what the TM is like to learn on, but seems to be a lot of people doing it. I know the Pico Stick is cheaper ($45 in Canada at Great Hobbies). I think the TM will handle wind a bit better, and it's a bi-plane!

Or maybe I'll just be patient and wait... :) Easier on the pocket book. I can always go watch the club fly about 40 minutes north of here...

Mike.

[Wingo Nut]

Mike,

Well the motor might be a gonner.....It is always nice to have a spare or two around just in case...

I agreee that the ESC should have shut down to prevent the burn out.

Its a good idea to get your wife involved, if she is interested in learning, its a geat hobby and fun too. Just make it a family affair............. If you get one of the other planes, let me know how they are to build and how they fly.

Unfortunatly, I am unable to fly for a while, I am coming down with a nasty cold.... :( :( :(

Have fun for me will ya??? ;)

Talk to ya later......

Wingo Nut :cool:

[Wings]

Originally posted by Iglooman
Not sure what the TM is like to learn on, but seems to be a lot of people doing it. I know the Pico Stick is cheaper ($45 in Canada at Great Hobbies). I think the TM will handle wind a bit better, and it's a bi-plane!

Well...not quite. :) There are two killer factors that keep the Tiger Moth limited to 0-5MPH conditions: (1) very light wing loading, since the weight is shared over essentially double the wing area (a.k.a. biplane effect); and (2) very low airspeed, thanks to the high-lift, high-drag airfoil. I think top speed in a dive (dive?) is about 10MPH.

One guy I fly with has a Moth that he set up with the lithium ion packs. He can "float" around for about 30-minutes I think. He's advanced well beyond the Moth's abilities (which are limited, like most good trainers), but one of his favorite things is buzzing the other pilots who stray onto the runway. :D Almost clipped one of the guys' SUVs once, too...and that's about where the low end of his "cruising" altitude range is (still 2+ mistakes high!).

The "sticks" (Pico Stick, Pico Cub) also require 0-5MPH conditions in most cases, but do fly a bit faster than the Moth. The "FDs" (Pico Stick FD, Pico Cub FD) can handle 0-10MPH conditions and fly a bit better, thanks to their fuselage design and structural improvements. Bottom line is you can hardly go wrong with GWS. :D

Get yourself something to fly, even if you have to use the excuse of a dual-purpose trainer for a "student" to use later! The weather always seems to smile on us after our fleet is out of commission, so maybe you can sneak in a new plane and catch mother nature by surprise. ;)

Wings

[Iglooman]

Well, nature hasn't been kind to us here. Went Pickerel fishing last night (season just opened) and I think the worms got frostbite before they hit the water... It is cold - frost on the car at night, and snow periodically (no rain) this weekend so far.

Wind has kept up too, so no super flying time.

Hope you get over your cold soon Wingo Nut! No sense two of us Wingo fans being out of commission!

Got the new edition of Backyard Flyer - has a nice ad for teh Graupner Tipsy (Hobby Lobby front few pages). I've also been considering that one. Seems like a good design. Should have to worry about my wife making a 'bad landing' as much. Also seems to boast good duration, and some basic aerobatics (hey, I might need to pilot it as well!) Any thoughts? Maybe one of you have seen one fly?

How's the repairs coming on the Wingo, Wingo Nut? Maybe the cold is a sign you need to stay in and fix it up! Does the porter handle well? I was disapointed that it doesn't seem to have a nice cockpit to carry a camera like the Wingo. I am hoping to use the Wingo to do some aerial photos of the area.

Thanks for the details on the TM and Sticks. I really like the looks of the Moth, but like the cheap sticks too... I think my wife will be a good pilot, but she'll be slow to pick up the stick handling and confidence for when something goes wrong...

Mike.

[Iglooman]

It was the Graupner Terry I was looking at that does some nice looping aerobatics. But both look interesting. Either of you have any experience with them (Tipsy or Terry)?

Thanks,

Mike.

[Wings]

I have no experience with the Terry, but hear it's a great flyer with excellent character.

I do have experience with the Tipsy. While the Terry has some sport at heart, the Tipsy I have has even less athletic ability than I do (and that ain't much...). I must note that my Tipsy has been through a crash and repair before, so its flight character may have been compromised.

Do note that both are made out of regular ol' styrofoam, so crashes aren't pretty. I've also heard some guys mention some helpful mods on the Terry, but can't remember any of them.

Good luck.

Wings

[Wingo Nut]

Mike,

I only have flown the wingo and porter. I seen the other two in ads, and that is about it......... sorry.....

However,,,,,,,, the "cold" that I got over the weekend is starting to subside.....:D So I am feeling a bit better..... still have a cough, but that is Michigan weather for ya... However, the porter is a good plane in my book..... its big for a foamy, and has good lift. It does like to wobble a litte compared to the wingo, but with the new landing gear plate that is on there, (aluminum) it seems to be better.... I had to bring the angle of the wing tips down to solve the wobble, but other than that, I love it. I do miss flying my original wingo. I can't go as slow or low with the porter :( Oh well..... I like to float and get altitude as well.... That's the Porter !! ;)

The only problem I have with the two planes is the servo's. I need to share them right now, depending on what one I want to fly. So, the porter has the ACE........ :D

The cockpit on the porter is different than the wingo. I know there is a "jumper" that you can add on to the Porter, Here is a link for the "jumper"... scroll down to the bottom (http://www.hobby-lobby.com/porter.htm)

The jumper is cool too, if you have another radio and someone to control him......

I think it IS possible to set a little cam on the Porter, as you can with the Wingo. Just have to put the cam where the jumper goes.

I am hoping with the next couple of days, I can get the "fly bug" out of my system and hit the skies. Good luck with what you decide on, if you go with the Tipsy or Terry. Let me know what happens.


Wings and Mike........

Keep up the good feedback....... Hell....... maybe some day we can all share some photos or something....... Keep in touch ya guys.....


Wingo Nut :cool:

[Iglooman]

Ok, I did something stupid... I took the prop off the old motor and forgot to take a look at how it was together....

I have my new motor shaft cut to size for the gearbox. As best as I can tell, the gearbox spin direction is the same as the motor spin direction. I will confirm before I solder the wires to the motor. I assume if the motor direction isn't reversed by the gear box, I will have to solder the positive wire to the negative motor terminal, and vice versa. Which direction does the motor shaft spin looking at the shaft of the motor?

I have a nice large (9x8) APC prop for the gear box. I don't happen to know my prop lingo, so bear with me... It has a thick edge and a thin edge on each blade, so either the thick edge cuts the air in a particular spin direction with both blades, or the thin edge. Big question - which edge should be cutting the air? Thick or thin?

Got a couple pictures up of my first adventure. No pics taken during second. You can see them here.

http://medrenth.www2.onlink.net

Pontoons came this week! Going to have them set up for when I get my battery and ESC back.

Thanks guys!

Mike.

[Wings]

When looking from the rear of the airplane, the prop should be spinning clockwise (right). I believe adding a gearbox usually reverses the shaft direction because of the addition of a gear, but I can't say for sure because my gearboxes have always been pre-mounted to the motors and pre-wired to the ESC.

Most props have some small lettering on either the hub or close to the hub on one of the blades. The lettering should face forward (towards the nose of the plane).

Hope that helps.

Wings

[Wingo Nut]

Mike,
Well I do think that looking at the shaft, with pos to pos, and neg to neg, the motor WILL turn to the right. If you are not sure, then hook the motor up, then if with your hand away from the prop, give it some juice, and it should "PUSH" (hence push prop) aur towards you. Or think of it like a fan, the "thin" part of the blade,(prop) cuts the air first. Just a helpful reminder.........
With the gear box, it applies to that too...........

Glad to hear that you got your floats......... good luck, see ya in the skies..........


Wingo Nut......... :cool:

[Iglooman]

Hobby Lobby has shipping my gear back, so I should have it and start prepping the Wingo for the air again by the end of next week. Seems so long away, but I'm sure work will help speed up the wait.

Soon.... Soon... :D

I'll get to add the next chapter to my Wingo adventures - float flying and water crashes... :)

Mike.

[brucefly]

Ok, here is my problem. I have a wingo. I live in Utah. Altitude is somewhere between 3700-4000 ft. I love my wingo but Im having problems gaining any kind of altitude with it. I have the stock setup; direct drive and 7 cell 600mah battery. Im guessing Im getting about 8 minutes flight time on each charge. Part of that because of having to fly full throttle to keep altitude, even in calm winds. I cant get more than about 40 feet above the ground no matter what. I want longer flight times and more altitude. How much will the optional gearbox 2.33:1 and 8x6 prop help in this situation? Also can anyone shed some light on just how much more weight I can add with a higher capacity battery without sacraficing performance. According to the Hobby Lobby catalog the battery weighs 4.9 oz. How much added weight can the wingo fly with, reasonably?

[Dave Robelen]

Hi Brucefly,
The 2.33 gearbox will let you crank a much larger prop and reduce the current a bit as well. The thrust you get from a 9" prop ( you will want to try a couple of different pitches) should make it possible to cruise at reduced throttle settings which will extend the battery run a bit more. Also, with the gearbox, you can safely add an eighth cell for still more climb rate at the lower air densities.
I hope this is some help, Dave