Foam Addict
Squirrel member
If you don't mind my asking, what props are you running?
FT Mustang - Build
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OrangutangSurfer
Member
I haven't put the mustang in the air yet, but it's ready minus paint and I'm anxious. I used a APC 9x6e prop on the spitfire but it felt like like the last 1/4 throttle didn't do much I think it might not have been balanced well, the first 3/4 throttle was nice lots of pull (thrust?) and much faster than the NTM 2826 1200kv i was using before. The spitfire was klunky though the big motor big spinner I added wheels from RC penguin's design and a steerable tail wheel. it didn't fly as well with the NTM with all that junk that' why I went to the exceed motor with the 9x6 prop. It was faster but still klunky, I stripped it down to the basic build and put the NTM back on, flies great again but I've got the need for speed
I saved the 1380kv motor for the mustang but I'm having CG problems with that 70g motor and the spinner. My ESC is at the front of the pod, I need to make a battery extension and put it to the back of the pod and I shoudl be good with a 2200 mah battery, I added 3 little wood car weights to the back and a tail wheel to try and balance it and it's still looks a little too much nose heavy, hopefully moving the ESC will fix it. wow that's more than you asked for
to officially answer your question, I'm using an 8x6e prop it has a smaller hub and the 9x6 wouldn't fit with the spinner on the prop adapter. I static tested it and it seems to want to pull out of my hand so we'll see!If I get a chance today I'll take it out and run it and report back. maybe sweet talk the wife in to taking a video too.
-Jes
I'm using a 1180KV Beef motor (EMAX 2215). At first it was throwing a 10x6 without the landing gear, but once that was added on . . . it slowed down quite a bit and wasn't happy w/o nearly WOT. bumped up to an 11x6 and it's happy again with the Landing gear . . . and fun for touch-and-gos.
Your motor is swinging that prop about 15% faster than mine, but if that motor can handle a 10" prop, I'd seriously consider it -- There are some airframes that hate extra power, but this isn't one of them.
Your motor is swinging that prop about 15% faster than mine, but if that motor can handle a 10" prop, I'd seriously consider it -- There are some airframes that hate extra power, but this isn't one of them.
Foam Addict
Squirrel member
Well, I got a ton done this afternoon:
Everything went together just perfectly, maybe a total of 2 hours build time between last night and today.
I finally finished a few classes that were running a little long, so I'm close to graduation/summer vacation which equals more build time!
Everything went together just perfectly, maybe a total of 2 hours build time between last night and today.
I finally finished a few classes that were running a little long, so I'm close to graduation/summer vacation which equals more build time!
Foam Addict
Squirrel member
I haven't put the mustang in the air yet, but it's ready minus paint and I'm anxious. I used a APC 9x6e prop on the spitfire but it felt like like the last 1/4 throttle didn't do much I think it might not have been balanced well, the first 3/4 throttle was nice lots of pull (thrust?) and much faster than the NTM 2826 1200kv i was using before. The spitfire was klunky though the big motor big spinner I added wheels from RC penguin's design and a steerable tail wheel. it didn't fly as well with the NTM with all that junk that' why I went to the exceed motor with the 9x6 prop. It was faster but still klunky, I stripped it down to the basic build and put the NTM back on, flies great again but I've got the need for speed
wow that's more than you asked for
If I get a chance today I'll take it out and run it and report back. maybe sweet talk the wife in to taking a video too.
-Jes
Thank you very much, I don't have a ton of props, but I have some crazy good cut down GWS HDs I use for stuff like this.
nagromnewo
New member
Hi
Can someone who has flown both the Spitfire and the Mustang comment on how they compare? (Providing they are built more or less the same weight).
I love my Spitfire and I've just started on a Mustang.
Owen
Can someone who has flown both the Spitfire and the Mustang comment on how they compare? (Providing they are built more or less the same weight).
I love my Spitfire and I've just started on a Mustang.
Owen
Foam Addict
Squirrel member
Yes, the spitfire flies like a trainer; easy, almost hands off, glides at any speed, has a gentle stall, and a slow roll rate.
The mustang flies like a gentle warbird/sport plane; you need to watch it, it has a better roll rate, if stalled it usually drops it's nose, but if the rudder trim is slightly off it can drop into a VICIOUS spin.
Also, it needs some speed, though not a ton, and is a little lacking on the elevator throw on landing. All in all, I love it.
Granted, there are is a large list of really great things it can do in addition to all that I just named, build it and have fun.
Edit: Oh, and keep it a little nose heavy compared to FT's suggestion, it was a bit to tail heavy for me.
The mustang flies like a gentle warbird/sport plane; you need to watch it, it has a better roll rate, if stalled it usually drops it's nose, but if the rudder trim is slightly off it can drop into a VICIOUS spin.
Also, it needs some speed, though not a ton, and is a little lacking on the elevator throw on landing. All in all, I love it.
Granted, there are is a large list of really great things it can do in addition to all that I just named, build it and have fun.
Edit: Oh, and keep it a little nose heavy compared to FT's suggestion, it was a bit to tail heavy for me.
Okie
Flite Test Aviatrix
My spit was my favorite for the longist time I wasn't going to build the mustang but I glade that I did it has became my go to plane to fly mine seems to just out fly the spit the mustang was better role rate and the spit seemed a little troublesome at time the mustang is more forgiveing ang the mustang has a great hand holde with the airscope
Ok, I just finished my first FT build ever... It just won't get to fly sadly.
With the dimensions of poster board available to me I had to split some of the parts and managed to mix up directions on one of the bottom wing plates.
So when It came to folding ove the wings a small triangular bit was missing at one of the inboard panels. I kludged that piece on there and folded the wing over and it went together with a lot of stressed grunts on my part and a few little creases on the foamboard.
Only when it came to putting the wing halves together did I notice that the bottom plate on the one wing extended a little further than on the other. This also means I got different profiles on each wing, which in effect is what killed the plane.
Edit: managed to coax enough of a charge out of my cellphone to take a picture of the plane. To quote C-3PO: Funny, The damage doesn't look too bad from here...
I took off the servos and finished the last few steps as a "dry run". I'll use this airframe to experiment with paint a little bit.
It's not all bad news, though, since I discovered my town now has a FabLab, where you can use a laser cutter for free. So I'll probably get some work done to convert the plans into a format I can cut on that laser this weekend so I can build a new and improved Mustang the next . Their laser will cut from a PDF, but it only has a 300X400mm working are so some tiling will need to be done. I'll take care to mark the inside of the parts this time. I'll also make sure that, should more than one plane come out of that laser cutter Flite Test is credited with it. The FabLab is intended for non-commercial use and I certainly don't plan to make a business out of this.
With the dimensions of poster board available to me I had to split some of the parts and managed to mix up directions on one of the bottom wing plates.
So when It came to folding ove the wings a small triangular bit was missing at one of the inboard panels. I kludged that piece on there and folded the wing over and it went together with a lot of stressed grunts on my part and a few little creases on the foamboard.
Only when it came to putting the wing halves together did I notice that the bottom plate on the one wing extended a little further than on the other. This also means I got different profiles on each wing, which in effect is what killed the plane.
Edit: managed to coax enough of a charge out of my cellphone to take a picture of the plane. To quote C-3PO: Funny, The damage doesn't look too bad from here...
I took off the servos and finished the last few steps as a "dry run". I'll use this airframe to experiment with paint a little bit.
It's not all bad news, though, since I discovered my town now has a FabLab, where you can use a laser cutter for free. So I'll probably get some work done to convert the plans into a format I can cut on that laser this weekend so I can build a new and improved Mustang the next . Their laser will cut from a PDF, but it only has a 300X400mm working are so some tiling will need to be done. I'll take care to mark the inside of the parts this time. I'll also make sure that, should more than one plane come out of that laser cutter Flite Test is credited with it. The FabLab is intended for non-commercial use and I certainly don't plan to make a business out of this.
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nagromnewo
New member
OK, so I finally made a start on my Mustang.
Since I don't like the paper on the Adams board, I got some colored packing tape and some chrome tape from http://www.tapebrothers.com/. The tape has very strong adhesive and the colored tape is surprisingly thin and light.
Before starting, I conducted a little experiment:
I cut a 2x10" piece of Adams board and weighed it with paper, without paper and with colored tape and then chrome tape one side.
The results were:
Paper on: 3.75g
Paper off: 1.90g
With colored tape: 2.30g
With brushed chrome tape: 2.92g
With polished chrome tape: 2.81g
In other words, even if I removed the paper and taped both sides with the chrome tape, it would still be lighter than with the paper on. Add to this that most people paint the FliteTest planes, tape sure looks like a better option. Since its not going to delaminate like the paper does, maintenance will be lower too.
I'm therefore building my Mustang with all the paper removed from the foam. I use Polished Chrome tape for the shiny bits and colored packing tape for the colored bits. The colors will be red for the tail, nose and wingtips, green for the forward turtledeck and yellow stripes on the wings and chrome for everything else. She should end up a bit lighter than building with paper on. Of course, she'd be a lot lighter if I only used the colored tape, but I want the chrome on this plane.
I made the tailfeathers a couple of weeks ago and finally got started on the fuselage today. So far it's looking good. That's the power pod from my Spitfire if anyone was wondering why the spinner is blue.
PS. Does anyone know of a Redtails Mustang about this size that could be a donor for decals?
Owen
Since I don't like the paper on the Adams board, I got some colored packing tape and some chrome tape from http://www.tapebrothers.com/. The tape has very strong adhesive and the colored tape is surprisingly thin and light.
Before starting, I conducted a little experiment:
I cut a 2x10" piece of Adams board and weighed it with paper, without paper and with colored tape and then chrome tape one side.
The results were:
Paper on: 3.75g
Paper off: 1.90g
With colored tape: 2.30g
With brushed chrome tape: 2.92g
With polished chrome tape: 2.81g
In other words, even if I removed the paper and taped both sides with the chrome tape, it would still be lighter than with the paper on. Add to this that most people paint the FliteTest planes, tape sure looks like a better option. Since its not going to delaminate like the paper does, maintenance will be lower too.
I'm therefore building my Mustang with all the paper removed from the foam. I use Polished Chrome tape for the shiny bits and colored packing tape for the colored bits. The colors will be red for the tail, nose and wingtips, green for the forward turtledeck and yellow stripes on the wings and chrome for everything else. She should end up a bit lighter than building with paper on. Of course, she'd be a lot lighter if I only used the colored tape, but I want the chrome on this plane.
I made the tailfeathers a couple of weeks ago and finally got started on the fuselage today. So far it's looking good. That's the power pod from my Spitfire if anyone was wondering why the spinner is blue.
PS. Does anyone know of a Redtails Mustang about this size that could be a donor for decals?
Owen
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nagromnewo
New member
The fuselage seems more than stiff enough. Probably as stiff as the Spitfire which has coffee filters and Minwax on the outside. That plane has many hours on it. Since the tape has much better adhesion to the foam than the paper did, I think it will be both stronger and lighter. I did put a CF spar in the horizontal stab, but that was just for additional strength that a paper on version would not have had. I removed the paper and replaced with tape before assembly and then just taped the bottom parts after assembly. I will do the same with the wings as I belive assembling paperless foam can lead to warps. Taping while the parts are flat will give them back the stiffness before assembly.
Owen
Good day, Guys.
New this forum (active on FPVLab, been lurking here for a while). A recent move has placed me right across the street from a nice little field, want to get back in to park flyers, so I've begun cranking out the FT swappables. First an FT Flyer (fun little guy), and I have just finished the Mustang. I have a slew of 2200 3S lying around, so I've been telling myself that will power the Mustang - only have some .5A, 1A and 4-6A's around. For those who have gone the 2200 route, how is performance with this extra weight? And as the plane is nearly balanced without the battery, will have to shove it way in the back of the power pod right around the CG (read similar earlier in the thread).
Look forward to hearing y'all's take on batteries and any other wisdom thrown around.
-Push
New this forum (active on FPVLab, been lurking here for a while). A recent move has placed me right across the street from a nice little field, want to get back in to park flyers, so I've begun cranking out the FT swappables. First an FT Flyer (fun little guy), and I have just finished the Mustang. I have a slew of 2200 3S lying around, so I've been telling myself that will power the Mustang - only have some .5A, 1A and 4-6A's around. For those who have gone the 2200 route, how is performance with this extra weight? And as the plane is nearly balanced without the battery, will have to shove it way in the back of the power pod right around the CG (read similar earlier in the thread).
Look forward to hearing y'all's take on batteries and any other wisdom thrown around.
-Push
Foam Addict
Squirrel member
I'd maiden it with the 2200 slightly nose heavy, as FT's CG is a little off. Then try the lighter packs, you'll probably like them!
nagromnewo
New member
Donna and I went across the river to Windsor, Canada yesterday. I didn't bring any planes, but it turned into a pretty good day for a warbird enthusiast anyway.
From our granstand park bench at the Centennial park, we were treated to a display of four mustangs flying in tight formation over Detroit and the river. They did several passes before they spread out and headed south flying over the river.
The picture was taken after they spread out. Most of the time, they only had a clearance of about one wingspan.
Two of them had invasion stripes and one was all yellow. I couldn't find anything online. Maybe they were just out for a Sunday trip? I wish I had my camera instead of the phone so I could have zoomed in. This photo is very heavily cropped.
Owen
From our granstand park bench at the Centennial park, we were treated to a display of four mustangs flying in tight formation over Detroit and the river. They did several passes before they spread out and headed south flying over the river.
The picture was taken after they spread out. Most of the time, they only had a clearance of about one wingspan.
Two of them had invasion stripes and one was all yellow. I couldn't find anything online. Maybe they were just out for a Sunday trip? I wish I had my camera instead of the phone so I could have zoomed in. This photo is very heavily cropped.
Owen
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Strix
Member
That's awesome, Owen! I wish I could have seen that.
I did, however, see this on Saturday:
That's the B-17 "Yankee Lady" heading home to the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run Airport.
And I also finished my Mustang this weekend, but did not get a chance to maiden it. It just wasn't done in time for the beautiful weather we had on Saturday and Sunday.
Build was done using mostly Gorilla Glue instead of hot glue. I'm using an Orange RX. Hitec HS-55 on the elevator, and an HS-55MG metal gear servo on the rudder (to avoid stripped gears on less than perfect landings). Ailerons are handled by a pair of HXT900s. Power is from an NTM 2826 in the 1350KV flavor, with a 30A speed controller. Prop is APC 9x4.5. Battery is a 2200 3-cell. AUW is about 830 grams. A little on the heavy side, but worth it when it looks this good.
I hope to maiden it later this week, possibly Thursday or Friday.
I painted it like WWII ace Urban "Ben" Drew's plane. I'm from the Detroit area, and I liked the colors and design of the Detroit Miss, so that's what I settled on for a color scheme.
Only later did I learn that on October 7, 1944 Ben Drew shot down two ME-262s in one mission with the Detroit Miss. However, his gun camera jammed and his wingman was shot down and captured so he did not receive the Distinguished Service Cross for this action. He was eventually awarded the Air Force Cross in 1983, when Luftwaffe records were used to confirm his report of events. He passed away last year.
http://www.pewteraircraft.com/USA AIRFORCES/P51D DREW/P51D DREW.htm
Here's a close-up of the steerable tailwheel. You can see the nylon packing strap I used to reinforce the two halves of the elevator. I put this strap on top and bottom, and there's even a U-shaped piece that wraps around the vertical stabilizer. The elevator is very strong, and so is the tail wheel. The tailwheel bracket bends over a bit to grab onto the leading edge of the rudder, and all hinges are reinforced on both sides with Blenderm tape. I could carry the plane around by that tailwheel.
I didn't do the same hatch as Bixler. I didn't like how it limited the battery placement, and I didn't like how deep the battery sat in the bay anyways. I added a little extra weight to the tail (notice the bolts in the last photo) so I could move the battery forward a bit. Makes it much easier to remove.
My hatch is made out of painted posterboard and secured with magnets up near the motor. There are also two steel BBs embedded in the bottom of the fuselage. These serve to hold the hatch open so it's not flapping in my way while I'm futzing with the battery. I also put a nice loooong battery lead on it. It's worth the couple of millivolt drop to me to not end up punching my airplane when the battery connectors finally let loose during unplugging.
I did, however, see this on Saturday:
That's the B-17 "Yankee Lady" heading home to the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run Airport.
And I also finished my Mustang this weekend, but did not get a chance to maiden it. It just wasn't done in time for the beautiful weather we had on Saturday and Sunday.
Build was done using mostly Gorilla Glue instead of hot glue. I'm using an Orange RX. Hitec HS-55 on the elevator, and an HS-55MG metal gear servo on the rudder (to avoid stripped gears on less than perfect landings). Ailerons are handled by a pair of HXT900s. Power is from an NTM 2826 in the 1350KV flavor, with a 30A speed controller. Prop is APC 9x4.5. Battery is a 2200 3-cell. AUW is about 830 grams. A little on the heavy side, but worth it when it looks this good.
I hope to maiden it later this week, possibly Thursday or Friday.
I painted it like WWII ace Urban "Ben" Drew's plane. I'm from the Detroit area, and I liked the colors and design of the Detroit Miss, so that's what I settled on for a color scheme.
Only later did I learn that on October 7, 1944 Ben Drew shot down two ME-262s in one mission with the Detroit Miss. However, his gun camera jammed and his wingman was shot down and captured so he did not receive the Distinguished Service Cross for this action. He was eventually awarded the Air Force Cross in 1983, when Luftwaffe records were used to confirm his report of events. He passed away last year.
http://www.pewteraircraft.com/USA AIRFORCES/P51D DREW/P51D DREW.htm
Here's a close-up of the steerable tailwheel. You can see the nylon packing strap I used to reinforce the two halves of the elevator. I put this strap on top and bottom, and there's even a U-shaped piece that wraps around the vertical stabilizer. The elevator is very strong, and so is the tail wheel. The tailwheel bracket bends over a bit to grab onto the leading edge of the rudder, and all hinges are reinforced on both sides with Blenderm tape. I could carry the plane around by that tailwheel.
I didn't do the same hatch as Bixler. I didn't like how it limited the battery placement, and I didn't like how deep the battery sat in the bay anyways. I added a little extra weight to the tail (notice the bolts in the last photo) so I could move the battery forward a bit. Makes it much easier to remove.
My hatch is made out of painted posterboard and secured with magnets up near the motor. There are also two steel BBs embedded in the bottom of the fuselage. These serve to hold the hatch open so it's not flapping in my way while I'm futzing with the battery. I also put a nice loooong battery lead on it. It's worth the couple of millivolt drop to me to not end up punching my airplane when the battery connectors finally let loose during unplugging.
nagromnewo
New member
Hi Strix
I love your Mustang and I like the hatch too. I'll probably do something similar, but may double up the foamboard on the inside of the fuselage from there and back to just aft of the wing for extra strength.
We were at Willow run last weekend, but the Yankee Warrior must have been away somewhere. Anyway, we both enjoyed the museum.
The FT Mustang will be my second or third Mustang depending on how you look at it.
It's only my second FT plane.
Owen
I love your Mustang and I like the hatch too. I'll probably do something similar, but may double up the foamboard on the inside of the fuselage from there and back to just aft of the wing for extra strength.
We were at Willow run last weekend, but the Yankee Warrior must have been away somewhere. Anyway, we both enjoyed the museum.
The FT Mustang will be my second or third Mustang depending on how you look at it.
It's only my second FT plane.
Owen
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