An absolute beginner scratch builds an FT P-40. Now with maiden vids

[BATTLEAXE]

low rate to 50% rate 50% expo. High is 70% rate 30% expo.

I like how everyone is chiming in for you man this is awesome. One thing i wanted to say about your rates/expo. For me i find that i like high rates to feel like low rates on the sticks. So what i will do for example is set low rates at say 50%, but keep the expo down at around 30%. This way the low physical travel of the rates still feelresponsive with the expo. But if on high rates say at 70% is where i would put more expo in. At the 50% to dumb down the center so it isnt to reactive along with the amount of travel programmed in. This way the low rates will feel like the high rates just not as snappy due to the lower travel then on high rates. Now when you switch up to the high rates at a higher expo, the first 50% of your stick movement feels like the low rates bit gives you the travel in the last 50% of the sticks. If that makes sense. Again this is how i like it, but thats just me

 

[Dunfielder]

I like how everyone is chiming in for you man this is awesome. One thing i wanted to say about your rates/expo. For me i find that i like high rates to feel like low rates on the sticks. So what i will do for example is set low rates at say 50%, but keep the expo down at around 30%. This way the low physical travel of the rates still feelresponsive with the expo. But if on high rates say at 70% is where i would put more expo in. At the 50% to dumb down the center so it isnt to reactive along with the amount of travel programmed in. This way the low rates will feel like the high rates just not as snappy due to the lower travel then on high rates. Now when you switch up to the high rates at a higher expo, the first 50% of your stick movement feels like the low rates bit gives you the travel in the last 50% of the sticks. If that makes sense. Again this is how i like it, but thats just me

I like the sound of this actually. I very well might try it!! Thanks man. The support on this forum is fantastic. This my favorite site. The people on here are awesome and love to give a helping hand to beginners like myself. I am trying to return the favour and help out other noobies like myself whenever I can. long live the FT forums

 

[BATTLEAXE]

I like the sound of this actually. I very well might try it!! Thanks man. The support on this forum is fantastic. This my favorite site. The people on here are awesome and love to give a helping hand to beginners like myself. I am trying to return the favour and help out other noobies like myself whenever I can. long live the FT forums

I feel the same way myself. I like to pay it forward when i can. I love this hobby and owe my progression in it to these forums. The amount of help i got from others here has saved me from giving it up

 

[Colorado Jim]

Hi Dunfielder,
How much gas did you give The General Whee to get him in the air? I've crashed my (no longer a maiden) P-40 twice in the last 20 hours. Each flight less than 5 seconds. Broke 2 propellers. I think I'm giving it too much throttle (60%) on the hand launch.
Thanks

 

[Dunfielder]

I give it 75% to 80% off the launch. I don't think 60 is quite enough. I want it to climb at a good rate and 60% is only a very slight climb. If you watch my maiden vids the first launch was at about 60%. I didn't get far. Every other launch was at least 75% throttle. Hope that helps you out @Colorado Jim !! Also are you tossing it yourself? That is a skill I have yet to acquire. I have my brother toss it for me and it makes life much easier.

 

[Dunfielder]

Seeing as I cannot fly at the moment due to lack of props, I've been thinking already of my next FT plane. My next will obviously be another P40 until I have a good grasp on flying. But I mean after that. Nothing really to stop me from building another C pack plane. Seeing as I am learning on a warbird I think I will continue along those lines for now. I really like the look of the masterseries Corsair. I have seen a lot of videos on YouTube of F4U's people have built and they are awesome. Watched those old reruns of Blacksheep when I was a kid and really thought the Corsair looked cool to me back then. Think I might pick up some foamboard!!

 

[Colorado Jim]

So, I wanted to share with you that I got my P-40 in the air this morning.
Yesterday I watched a video

on how to hand launch. I used the underhand method. Did it just like the guy in the video and everything went perfect. I flew for 5 minutes before spinning into oblivion.
I'm happy as sh&t. I flew the damn thing!!! I crashed the damn thing!!! I can rebuild the damn thing with hot glue and popsicle sticks!!!
It was inspirational seeing your plane in the air. Thanks for posting videos. Here's some photos from this morning.

 

[Dunfielder]

That's great @Colorado Jim !!!!! I am only too happy to have been of any help or inspiration for you. Makes me feel awesome. It also makes me realize how making this thread has been a good thing and not a waste of time. Your P40 looks good man. The carnage looks gnarly too lol. I'm sure the general would look the same if I didn't always fly over tall grass and stuff to break my falls!!!

 

[PaulBlack71]

So, I wanted to share with you that I got my P-40 in the air this morning.
Yesterday I watched a video

on how to hand launch. I used the underhand method. Did it just like the guy in the video and everything went perfect. I flew for 5 minutes before spinning into oblivion.
I'm happy as sh&t. I flew the damn thing!!! I crashed the damn thing!!! I can rebuild the damn thing with hot glue and popsicle sticks!!!
It was inspirational seeing your plane in the air. Thanks for posting videos. Here's some photos from this morning.

Busted her clean in half! I would have liked to see that one lol. I try to film every single flight as I never know which one will have the epic crash. Back in the early 90's flying gas planes, I used to drag my dad to the field every time with a camcorder just in case. Needless to say, we captured a few zingers. Foamboard is so wonderfully expendable. We never had that in the old days. Crashing hurt a lot more.
Nice looking plane. Rebuild her and do it again. Eventually you'll start bringing it home in one peice.
Cheers.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

So, I wanted to share with you that I got my P-40 in the air this morning.
Yesterday I watched a video

on how to hand launch. I used the underhand method. Did it just like the guy in the video and everything went perfect. I flew for 5 minutes before spinning into oblivion.
I'm happy as sh&t. I flew the damn thing!!! I crashed the damn thing!!! I can rebuild the damn thing with hot glue and popsicle sticks!!!
It was inspirational seeing your plane in the air. Thanks for posting videos. Here's some photos from this morning.

Ah man, there's your problem! Its not that bad, a couple pop sticks and a smash of HG and your good

Looked sweet before it went up though, nice build. Looking forward to seeing more. If you like building, have you thought about entering the world of ironing the raw exposed edges of the FB? I have a 3 part vid series on it if you are interested in checking it out...

There are a few other building tips vids in the playlist section as well.
Like and subscribe, there are more to come

 

[PaulBlack71]

So, I wanted to share with you that I got my P-40 in the air this morning.
Yesterday I watched a video

on how to hand launch. I used the underhand method. Did it just like the guy in the video and everything went perfect. I flew for 5 minutes before spinning into oblivion.
I'm happy as sh&t. I flew the damn thing!!! I crashed the damn thing!!! I can rebuild the damn thing with hot glue and popsicle sticks!!!
It was inspirational seeing your plane in the air. Thanks for posting videos. Here's some photos from this morning.

Lol. I love in the video how he launches the edf jet inverted for literally no reason. Anyone going to launch that way should just place their model on the ground and carefully stomp it to bits. The rest was good advice.

 

[FoamyDM]

I like how everyone is chiming in for you man this is awesome. One thing i wanted to say about your rates/expo. For me i find that i like high rates to feel like low rates on the sticks. So what i will do for example is set low rates at say 50%, but keep the expo down at around 30%. This way the low physical travel of the rates still feelresponsive with the expo. But if on high rates say at 70% is where i would put more expo in. At the 50% to dumb down the center so it isnt to reactive along with the amount of travel programmed in. This way the low rates will feel like the high rates just not as snappy due to the lower travel then on high rates. Now when you switch up to the high rates at a higher expo, the first 50% of your stick movement feels like the low rates bit gives you the travel in the last 50% of the sticks. If that makes sense. Again this is how i like it, but thats just me

I agree with @BATTLEAXE here.. This method has worked out great for me.

 

[Dunfielder]

My mother remarried a couple years ago and I found out her husband had tried RC planes at some point in the early to mid 90's. When he saw my P40 he started telling me all about it. Well to make a long story short he just gave me his old plane and TX.

I'm thinking as a winter project I can fix this thing up for him or maybe just make a decoration out of it. I don't really want to mess around with nitro planes. I've had my share of nitro surface vehicles and they were all a pain in the ass. And I practically grew up in a small engine/TV/VCR repair shop, The old man fixed everything lol!!

Maybe I could figure out what size electric motor I'd need and convert it. Neat of him to give it to me though.

 

[Marty72]

So what is up with flying the P 40? It's been a month since your last video.

 

[Dunfielder]

So what is up with flying the P 40? It's been a month since your last video.

My props only crossed into Canada yesterday. More flying coming as soon as I can. US mail is worse than Canada Post. I could have had them come from Timbuctoo by now!!

 

[Marty72]

HOLY Crap! You Canadians have it rough! I've been waiting for my latest prop order for almost 2 weeks now, but that is unusual. Usually, it's a long week. I try and order them before need them. Everything is like this now, due to the virus.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

My props only crossed into Canada yesterday. More flying coming as soon as I can. US mail is worse than Canada Post. I could have had them come from Timbuctoo by now!!

Get this, I finally got my radio a couple days ago. I got a text saying that I owed a hostage fee, (taxes and duties... only with DHL which is funny because no other courier does this) of $20 bucks before they would ship it. I found out in a phone call that my package was sitting an hour drive away in a station by the airport. I asked them the soonest available shipping date and they told me another couple of weeks... on top of the 2.5 months i already waited. I told them i was gonna come pick it up, 2 hour round trip and i have my radio.

 

[P40VRP]

My props only crossed into Canada yesterday. More flying coming as soon as I can. US mail is worse than Canada Post. I could have had them come from Timbuctoo by now!!

I tried to mail a FT member in Cuba some small building material yesterday and the post office (USPS) told me they were not excepting mail to Cuba right now. Told me it was temporary and to check back next week. I googled to find out why and it said Cuba had suspended all outgoing and incoming mail due to the Coronavirus.

 

[Marty72]

Get this, I finally got my radio a couple days ago. I got a text saying that I owed a hostage fee, (taxes and duties... only with DHL which is funny because no other courier does this) of $20 bucks before they would ship it. I found out in a phone call that my package was sitting an hour drive away in a station by the airport. I asked them the soonest available shipping date and they told me another couple of weeks... on top of the 2.5 months i already waited. I told them i was gonna come pick it up, 2 hour round trip and i have my radio.

Wow, that's nuts. Was it shipped from the US or Hong Kong/China? I've only used DHL for out of the US purchases, which I rarely make.

Seems more like 5 months since you had a tx. Ha

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Wow, that's nuts. Was it shipped from the US or Hong Kong/China? I've only used DHL for out of the US purchases, which I rarely make.

Seems more like 5 months since you had a tx. Ha

I order everything from china and there is no taxs, unless the Chinese shipping company decides to ship it to an American warehouse to transfer to Canada